99to1

An Italian Brut in place of Champagne, and all this tastey food...by the fire...
I wanted to do a tripod long exposure...though I settled for ugly flash.

There's salmon and gravlocs, shrimp and scallops, waldorf salad, rice and red pepper salad, three cheeses, and those rosemary, stilton, pepper shortbreads we got from Hannah and Colin for Christmas.

Dessert is not pictured...profiterolls, served with a Gewurztraminer...

A very fine way to end the year, and begin the new one.

I have never experienced such a beautiful first-ride-of-the-year.
Gio and I were up on Mt. Royal last night for a pedal, and it was terrific.

We started pedaling around 16:30, and it was still a bit bright. The ride lasted through to dark. We saw night fall on the city from the lookout, and had a great time on the trails. The conditions couldn't be better for riding the studded tires. Gio is considering building himself a pair now.

We rode the raod and the trails...it was splendid.

The trees and everythings were covered in a ice-storm-like layer of ice and with the low cloud layer being up there was so incredibly beautiful. Go figure I left the camera in the car... I'm sure I could have taken a prize-winning shot of the cross...

Temperature was probably about -10c and we are still both riding our clipless pedals, so our feet were kind of suffering.

Wow

Early into the new year I made a resolution...
Not usual for me...
I resolve to drink more water. Every day.

After nights like last night (Colin and Hannah were over) a better resolution might be to drink less wine, though I'm stick with the more water for now.

Happy new year.

Sometimes you get the opportunity to realize in greater detail how important your own life is, how grand and beautiful all of it's elements are, and how you are profoundly connected to them and how sublime the experience is that you've had the good fortune to share your life, perhaps in a meaningful way, with the people you love.

Last day of Christmas vacation...back to work tomorrow.

This month (though a bit late) I'm only going to select desert island one.
Not because I'm in a hurry, but because considering the beauty of this album I would consider taking it instead of five, its that good.

Ry Cooder and V.M. Bhatt A MEETING BY THE RIVER

I think Loren and I just found a way for me to save a lot of money this year.
A very interesting idea...more later...

Today I told the guy I'm learning my new job from that sometimes I so fond of his patience and thoughtfulness and strange effort he puts his guidance, that I could hug him...and that othertimes I think I could choke him.

His method is kind of convoluted, though he is a true mentor at heart. The laughter this comment illicited from him was priceless... the look on his face seemed to convey that he was, perhaps at long last, happy to find some one who could appreciate his manner.

I might just be breaking through to a place where I can say that I can see myself getting to like this position...

Stuff is packed for another night ride.
Gio and I are planning to ride Mt. Royal after work tomorrow...though I think the conditions will be awful.
Freezing rain during the day, and warmer in the pm leading to rain...
Also left a message for Drew to consider coming along... and I will contact Doug tomorrow.

Now if it only wasn't going to get warmer...I'd be experienceing even better conditions for those winter tires...
Though Gio and the gang might not be able to keep upright at all... we'll see...

This morning...I'm hoping she'll be able to help me with the shock I'm experiencing with this new job...to help to get me into a settled frame of mind/being about the new position, and all the changes which have accompanied it.

Will probably get some good bread at Le Fournil...I think Mondays is when they do their rasin loaves.
yummm

I would be able to get rasin-bread on a Wednesday I'll not understand.
It's made on Monday's...andy typically sells out same day...yesterday was Wednesday...not Monday.
Anyhow, there was apparently a special order of it on Tuesday, and I managed to bring home a loaf (of day-old)nonetheless.

Treatment with Karen was good. We dealt with the change issues I'm faced with. I feel restored.
Well at least as much as can be expected...

Are in Montreal...they're here for several weeks...like another 4 or 5 weekends. Doug and I are calling them TBFB...the Boys From Bangalore...
We went out last night and had a few beers. It was really good to see them...it's been just about a year since I was in India...
wow

Charles and I are doing postures Thursdays for now. Colin joined us last night, looks like he might become a regular fixture. We did a Darby and Nicole lead class grace of the dvd player, and we precticed until Janu A.

They both reported being sore all over today...in a good way. :-)

Me too...it's been a while since I've been on the mat for that long of a session.

Next week sunsals and the five first postures...repeat...repeat...repeat...

Another late post of the stats...
This from last Monday...last night's stats soon comming...

Polar (140-170 zone)
Time 52.42
In zone 43 minutes
Limits 140-170
Ave 154
Kcal 812
Fat 30%
Tot cal 4342

Cateye
Time 52.40
Ave 34
Max 63
Odo 30.20
Dist 29.97

Before Gio and I did our roller routine we got started doing his winter studs.
I think he's put about 150 in the rear and about 200 in the front...perhaps more...we selected a Tioga Factory DH 2.1 foldable...looks like he'll have a great pair.

Last Thursday Charles, Colin, and myself practiced to Janu A.
Yesterday Charles set me this in an email:
"I was in pain all weekend you shit."

I think he's officially been bitten by the ashtanga-bug.

MD11 waiting
Minus ten degrees celcius
Then the squall
A rumble and roar
A red and a green light lift into the dark cold night

This from Christine:
"...when you are thinking of all the reasons why not, ask yourself how much sense you are making!"
She's doing her best to get to that part of me which knows better.
Kudos and thanks.

Loren and I have just finished cleaning up the house and preparing some food for tomorrow night when we receive Andy and Vijay.

Tomorrow they'll know what cold is.
Forcast for -15 78% humidity and 10km/hr winds.

We'll have a fire in the fireplace while they're visiting...

A risky offering as it is devoid of most of the staples...

Athos; Stephan Micus
Atmos; Jan Garbarek and Miroslav Vitous
Trio Music; Chic Corea, Miroslav Vitous, Roy Haynes
Red; King Crimson
Badlands; various artists A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska

I've missed the Proust questionaire a couple of times now...perhaps once a year is better?

From this site...

Based on an age of 38 and using the formula 205 - Age/2
Maximum Heart Rate (Calculated) = 186
% of Maximum/ corrected for resting heart rate of 46*

Percent bpm/ bpm
------- ------- -------
100 186.0- 186.0
95 176.7- 179.0
90 167.4- 172.0
85 158.1- 165.0
80 148.8- 158.0
75 139.5- 151.0
70 130.2- 144.0
65 120.9- 137.0
60 111.6- 130.0
55 102.3- 123.0

* Percent of maximum, corrected for resting heart rate of 46

So based on these figures the zone I've entered into my polar roughly corresponds to 70-90% of max.
Looks like I've been training in the upper aerobic zone, with parts verturing into anaerobic and peaks just a couple of bpm below max.

Lost!
That's right, I'm pretty sure they're gone.
I got on the rollers today for a sub 115bpm-25 minute pedal (read fat-burn), and I cleared last Monday's figures, without jotting them down.

Dooooohh!!

All I remember is that we spent 42 minutes in the zone (see previous entry), max speed was 63km/hr and that ave was 34.something. It was a fast session.

After 25 minutes on the rollers, I practiced to Utthita Parsvakonasana. Including Sunsals...I didn't skip them as a warm up just because I had been on the bike.

Cancelled last Thursday with Charles, as Loren and I had some preparations to do to receive Andy and Vijay. We had a very nice time with them over.

In bed before 23:00...
A little tossing and turning, then fell asleep pretty much without fuss.
I was later woken by a bad sleeping posture, well ok... by the pain caused by the bad posture. I was sleeping on my left side with my left arm extended up, elbow higher than head, forearm along the head board.

Ouch!

It was taking me a couple of minutes to lift up and drag the left arm back below my head, and I was wondering how long I might have left to sleep, it felt like I had been out for about an hour.

In the process of guessing at how may hours were remaining for sleep and slumber (and before I actually got my arm back down)...the alarm was ringing...it was 05:00.

What an horrible feeling. I've been cheated...again

Mornings are the most difficlut time of day for me...and this experience embodies just about everything that could go wrong.

I promptly got up and headed downstairs to grab a pillow and a blanket and tried to nab another couple of hours. My office permits a small bit of flex time.

Even though I was cheated...it's nothing compared to what happenned to Gio (or perhaps Loren will have to check with her later)...

Both teams were robbed during his recent hockey game...all clothes, wallets, mobile phones, cash, winter jackets all gone! He says he walked home in his hockey pants and a T-shirt.

Sunday's fat-burn session.

Polar
Time 25.49
In zone 0 minutes
Limits 140-170
Ave 112
Kcal 217
Fat 60%
Tot cal 5320

Cateye
Time 25.24
Ave 25.3
Max 27.8
Odo 71.9
Dist 10.15

This was a very fast workout...much faster then last (lost) Monday's.
Loren made us sandwiches, and we finished the biscotti Gioe brought last week, in addition to the chocolate-orange loaf I picked up Sunday at Le Fournil...so tasty!

Polar
Time 50.03
In zone 43.32 minutes
Limits 140-170
Ave 156
Kcal 809
Fat 30%
Tot cal 6129

Cateye
Time 51.15
Ave 36.8
Max 69
Odo 103.4
Dist 31.48