1:03:18

This past Sunday I had signed up for a 10km footrace in Canmore. Due to work schedules and the Prarie Regional Barista Championship I was unable to rock the race. I did however MapMyRun.com and then Sunday night ran the 10km on my own. I was really hoping to be under 1 hour, but my unofficial Casio time for 10kmish was 1:03:18. After a few days of thinking I think that it is a respectable time, and it gives me the chance to still achieve my original goal of under an hour. I felt pretty good after the run, insanely tired but knowing I had given it my all. Yesterday was a whole different story. I felt like I was sick, achy all over, all I wanted to do was eat food and stay inside, so I did. Today I feel a lot better, even if my legs still feel like they are jello when I kneel down, or squat to pick something up. The goal for the next little while is working on my speed and my power. If I can get my speed in a 5 km race up then it will translate to the full 10km range. I foresee stairs and hills in my future.

It felt really good to know that my body is capable of such a feat. Near the end I was feeling no pain and even started singing out loud to myself. Good thing I was running at 8pm instead of with the early morning lulu crowd, I would have been shunned for sure.

Semi-Retirement

This morning I woke to find myself staring at a clock reading 9:50. I remember the first part of As It Happens: The Midnight Edition, then I woke up. I slept the better part of 10 hours. How is this possible? I'm semi-retired! (for a few more weeks). I then had some coffee, from Phil and Sebastian no less, rode the bus uptown to see about selling my broken car, walked to a 10 speed bike shop to see about getting new brakes, rode the bus to the edge of the city, walked to a cafe on the real edge of the city, sampled some grappa at a Italian wine store at said edge of the city and then walked back to the bus. On this walk I realized that my life during the week consists of sleeping as much as possible and taking the bus to places I want to check out. I now have questions about why retirees can be so cranky. I have on a few occasions witnessed an older person out on the town, in the middle of the week, flashing their seniors bus pass, get all up in someones face about a trivial matter. I have not felt this relaxed in many months, and I am only semi-retired. Why the hustle and bustle of the senior? I would spread my day out to contain as much awesomeness as possible. I would find a cafe close to my house that I could drink excellent espresso all day at, and then when the afternoon came move to a more suitable establishment, perhaps one that served excellent micro-brew and that had an excellent soup and sandwich happy hour special. Get the beer during happy hour, enjoy the brew, then head home for an early night of baking or playing cards. What is more relaxing than that? Maybe all the relaxed seniors live in warm and sunny climes like Kelowna and Victoria? That's where I would move if I was fully retired. But since I am only semi-retired I will stay in Calgary. There is a whole world of semi-retirement for me to explore in the next few weeks before I start full time. Perhaps drip coffee at a classy coffee shop is next. How long can I extend that cup of drip, I wager at least 2 hours.

Hawksley

Just outside my abode there is a hill sloped toward downtown. I walk this hill almost everyday. I love it. On this hill there lives a hawk. I have named him "Hawksley", you know, it just works man. Some may be familiar with the Canadian artist Hawksley Workman. I assure you there is no family relation. I first met Hawksley, well met is a bit of a stretch, I did not shake his talon I merely saw him and thereby met him, on my way one day to The Core. He was high above and let out a sorrowful cry as he coasted on the thermals many meters atop the cityscape. This cry not only frightened me a little, but it reminded me of a scene from my number one all time favorite film, The Royal Tennenbaums. Ritchie Tennenbaum in on the roof of the Tennenbaum family house setting his hawk, Mordecai, free. Mordecai leaps from Ritchie's hand and screams like raptors do. This scene has no correlation between my experience with Hawksley and the glory of Wes Anderson. I simply remember that raptor scream and thus remembered the scene. There was this moment of pure joy as I witnessed this extraordinary creature soar. Our first meeting was a few weeks ago and since then I have witnessed Hawksley on a few occasions doing his thing, being an animal, hunting his prey, sitting on lamp posts, rockin the thermals. It's more of less awesome. I suggest you find an animal friend, stay far away from it, and enjoy the outdoors.

Edit: I wrote this at a coffee shop called "A Ladybug" on the west coast of Calgary. The coffee was ok, but the AC was all busted and the outdoors was cooler so I peaced early, then had the revelation about semi-retirement.