Dean K revisited

This dispatch is from CC HQ, where there is light and it's 68 F....

I've written on Dean Karnazes in the past. He's a freak. He did 50 marathons in 50 days in the fall of '06, starting with Missouri's own Lewis & Clark (which was walked by many friends).

I knew that he eats everything when he runs (cheeseburgers, pizza, sundaes), but I didn't know that he keeps a super-strict diet when not on the road/trail. It makes perfect sense though: this is how he stays buff and, especially, enhances positive-reinforcement for running. Imagine eating salad for 2 days and knowing that you can eat junk once you hit the road. Brilliant... No wonder he runs for so long.

On The Road Again

Your humble cyber-scriber writes from T-Dog's yet again. No, it isn't car trouble: it's a power outage back at CC HQ. The timing is not great, but I'm grateful (greatful?) to be sharing home and hearth with Traci.

peace out from Olivette
CC

Random Holiday Memories #1

Some random thoughts...

My friend Phil and I go back until about 2 years old. He and his lovely wife, Tanya, have a child, Erika, who I met while back home. It's pretty wild to see an old chum enter a whole new stage of life.... esp. since I am happily frozen (spiritually, emotionally, grammatically) in 1988!

My cousin, Richard, is the Indiana Jones of the family. He has been to Korea, Britain, Greece, and, in 2006, Egypt. He regaled us with stories of his adventures. Double-the-fun: he's a high-school teacher and his trip are often as chaperone, which amps the hijinx factor.

Biggest regret: not hearing my bro-in-law, Dave, play guitar. He's very good. Though we had a fun day at Christmas.

Seinfeld, Live

I saw Jerry Seinfeld at The Fabulous Fox Theatre last night. It was overpriced and we sat in the nosebleeds, and yet it was completely worth it. Hilarious.... A true master at work. Though I do think George Carlin should get a residual royalty check (Carlin's act pioneered "everyday things", I think....).

CC

ps. A downer at the end of the night was more car woes... I think a frozen starter/solenoid or possibly a old battery that doesn't have enough chutpzah to turn a cold engine. gah! Writing this blog entry at T-Dog's Bed and Breakfast

Announcing micro-posts

The Canadian news magazine, Maclean's, did a complete redesign last year. One new feature is the apostro-leaf. The apostrophe in the title is a maple leaf; they claim that each month it will be different.

Using that as inspiration, this blog announces the micro-post: a rotating tagline as the title. As more and more people set their home page to be this blog, it is becoming a portal to the Internet. With the "micro-post", people can enjoy a little news blurb more often, quenching their thirst for CC updates. An added bonus: the micro-post will change at a random schedule: who knows when the next bite will show up?!

It's Knot Magic

Here is an interesting article: ancient Incan strings/ropes may have been a form of writing.

Quoteth:

Yet, if centuries of scholarship are to be believed, the Inca, whose rule began 2,000 years after Homer, never figured out how to write. It's an enigma known as the Inca paradox, and for nearly 500 years it has stood as one of the great historical puzzles of the Americas. But now a Harvard anthropologist named Gary Urton may be close to untangling the mystery.

Cupid Went Down To Georgia

Some dear friends had a much better New Year's than I...

BryGuy and his delightful flame, Ms C, went down to balmy Georgia, and came back all smiles. They are gettin' hitched! Rejoice!!!!! This is fantastic news.

I Fold

I have uninstalled an "online poker" game from my computer. It was a game to play the ubiquitous Texas Hold Em on the net (for fake money).

This is very good news for me, blog fans, and the other players online, who might start winning again.

CC

ps. I whole-heartedly recommend spontaneous, impulsive un-installation of software. Think about your time-killer, then delete it!

Year of the Captain

Due to illness, I have been remiss in writing about goals for 2007.

However, now, as I look around, it's just you and I in this giant ballroom. The faux-resolutioners are gone. There's nothing here but a mess of plates and wine glasses; streamers and balloons lay scattered on the floor; a tattered "Happy 2007" banner hangs awkwardly from the ceiling. You can hear echoes reverberating through the place as the band packs their equipment onto the bus.

Since the poseurs are gone, let's get serious, shall we? None of these "I'd like to lose weight" vagueries. No "I might volunteer for some non-determined charitable cause". Let's get down with some serious accountability and realism.

Here are mine:

-- Finish the 1/2 Ironman triathlon in Mattoon, IL, Sept 07
-- Complete a full marathon without walking
-- Figure out how to post "What I'm Reading" on blogspot and keep it active: at least a book a month (on top of tech books and the zillion magazines)
-- Learn at least one song (on piano) a month. No longer than a week straight without playing.
-- Get back to Europe and/or Paris.

and yours? They don't have to be anything like mine: just share 'em!

C.C.

ps. Bonus points if I do the 1/3 Ironman tri in Aug 07 and then the 1/2. I think I can do the 1/3 but both fitness goals listed above are definitely outside my comfort-zone. And yet possibly achievable. We'll see.

Three-peat

Pro sports can differ greatly in finding the "Next One" -- the next prodigy. Football's talent pool is college; baseball's pool is Latin America.

Hockey's talent tool is comprised of "the junior leagues": amateur leagues for kids of ages 17-19 (roughly). This is real hockey: testosterone-fueled offense and, at times, intense "discussions" with the gloves off.

The biggest stage for these kids is the World Junior Championships. Canada is almost always in the finals, but the late 1990s, we lost our way, often losing to Russia (very bad) and once to the USA (much, much worse).

But universe is starting to correct itself, and 2007 is starting off right... Canada won its 3rd straight championship on Friday (over Russia, no less) !

Comparing Bricks and Clicks

I went to Blockbuster this weekend.

They carry season 2 of The Office but not season 1. Strike.

I rented season 2 only to find out that there are only a few episodes per disc. Strike (ok, against me for thinking that they put entire seasons on one disc).

I could have gone to their website, but instead tried Netflix. I tried searching for 5 titles, getting increasingly esoteric from my art-house days (has anyone seen Tous Les Matins Du Monde -- anyone, anyone?). They had all of 'em.

Strike. See ya Blockbuster!?! I never thought I would subscribe to Netflix but this was impressive.... I also saw a spot on them on 60 Minutes -- the power of pseudo-advertising?

The Original Arch-Rival

It was a great marketing campaign back home. Generally, people were very responsive to the CaptainCanuck brand -- I coerced some to even set their browser defaults to be the blog. Everything was going great... Part of me couldn't wait to get to StL in 07 and write. After all, I have fans in 2 countries who would be turning to me for guidance in the new year: resolutions, fitness tips, philosophy -- you name it.

Then the cold, and then the flu, and now the malaise. I'm in a colossal struggle with a foe far worse than the nefarious Jim G. It is a virulent strain of complacency. Though I feel much better and am reasonably rested, I am hacking/coughing constantly and couldn't care less about writing, exercise, or music. Not good.

This is how is starts... Sickness is a great excuse for a few days but then the days turn into a week and then it is just a "bad month". I always straighten the course after a couple of months but there's too much at stake for a layoff like that this time....

So I sat at the keyboard (piano) tonight and just played something: anything. Just fun stuff. And I sit here now writing a blog entry. Neither profound, nor amusing, but something.

And in so doing I have just driven my elbow into complacency's gut, in an attempt to free myself from its grip.

This weekend: the gym, the resolutions, and a new blog. The CC brand catapaults into the new year!

The Proverbial Blank Slate

It was good to be home and good to be back. Sadly a wicked combo of cold/flu made the trip iffy, but no worries in Zee Grand Schemen....

I had hoped to write about the new year, both from a personal standpoint, and for the future of the blog. Alas, today's not the day for that.

Happy New Year! We all have a giant, blank canvas in front of us with tons of fingerpaint... What will we draw this year?

Back in the USSA

(sung to the tune of the Beatles song)

Flew in from Charlottetown BOAC
Didn't get to bed last night.
On the way a paperbag was on my knee,
man, I had a dreadful flight.

I'm back in the USSA
You don't know how lucky you are boy

Been away so long I hardly new the place
Gee I have to clean my home.
Leave it till tomorrow to unpack my case,
Honey I'll lie here and groan.

I'm back in the USSA

Captain Canuck 2007

Our hero gently tings his fork against the wine glass. Family and friends, dining at the festive Christmas dinner table, pause with anticipation; he stands for his big announcement:

"I want to proudly unveil plans for a new, subscription-based blog that highlights the adventures of Captain Canuck. This blog would build on the current offering with all-new anecdotes, video files (in collaboration with YouTube), message alerts with the latest news about CC, and a modest monthly fee. Some of the proceeds might go to World Vision (to help those in need in Africa)! "

Our hero flees the room, shielding his head from the deluge of dinner rolls that rain down.

"I have to find a different focus group", he sighs...

Brother, can you spare some time? (on your tread)

To mitigate the caloric onslaught of the holidays, I brought home some workout attire. I have been beg/borrow/stealing workouts everywhere, esp. at the new CARI complex at UPEI which is fantastic.

So far: 2000 m swim , 13 miles run, over 3 days.

An unexpected bonus is that I have re-discovered the importance of doing normal stuff on extended trips. It really reduces the "culture shock" and being immersed in a different world (even if it is the venerated "home home").

iPod Newbie

Does anyone (e.g. Binky) know if the iPod Shuffle has an accessory to play it through speakers/stereo? Just curious... Of course the iPod has tons of 'em but I'm not sure about the shuffle.

Gift Cage-Match

This is a tale of 2 gifts that I received from my immediate family.

In the left corner, it's the iPod Shuffle. This tiny micro-player is my first entry into the next generation of media players. I have long been hooked on the musical crack of iTunes, but now I can get a fix on the fly. There is even potential that ol' Herbie (the car) will be catapaulted into the 21st century (via an adapter).

In the right corner, it's World Vision Canada. Binky, my sister, and others have been giving gifts to needy families in the 3rd world. A family in Africa received a rooster and 2 hens in my name. Very cool indeed....

And so the showdown comes down to benevolent charity versus hip marketing. It seems like a lock, but if anyone can out-hip social justice, it's Steve Jobs, wearing black. Zounds! The contest looks like it will end in an uneasy draw, save for the fact that the rooster, being the beneficiary of an aviary menage-a-trois, tips the scales.... Rejoice!

World Vision 1 Apple 0

Year in Review #3

Random Highlights of 2006

-- Hawaii. Esp. sitting in a car with 3 dear friends, listening to the waves crash into the volcanic rock at twilight. Jeff Buckley's version of Hallelujah playing on the stereo. It was something to be near the ocean (i.e. home) and yet not, listening to a familiar song (and yet not).

-- Summer. An evening in the middle of Missouri. Booze, guns, 4-wheelers. Bombing along a dark country road on the 4-wheeler with my Bobbi McGee, a blonde bombshell, holding on to me for dear life. The summer was one of those that they write songs about. It will always seem 10 times longer than it really was. A la Calvin and Hobbes: the days were just packed.

-- Career. Finally changing employers! Jump!

-- Fitness. As is well-documented, catching my arch-rival on the run after overcoming a 20-minute deficit in the longest tri to-date. It was my own modest Olympic gold.

-- Music. It is cheesy but I learned a gorgeous arrangement of "Danny Boy" in the spring on keys, before abandoning the instrument for the summer adventure. Often, the old die-hard tunes are that way for good reason.

Upon Further Review

Doug Greene 1 Bing Crosby 0

Original here

ps. Mrs Stacey voted for Angels We Have Heard On High -- 'twas the last carol sung at our service.