Nose to the grindstone

In my last post I mentioned a new job. For the last six weeks I've been working in a friend's law office helping with their municipal tax appeal business. It's been a pretty hectic time as I came on-board just a few days before the deadline for requesting an appeal of the 2009 property valuations. The phones were ringing off the hook and I was learning the business on the fly! I did quite well though. Now we are just as busy entering data, a lot of data, and preparing for the actual appeals. It's going to take months, which means lots of paid work but also lots of repetition.

Today I got out of town with my triathlon club for a group ride. Excellent weather and good company for 60K. It was wonderful to feel the wind on my face and the road under my wheels. My next Ironman is less than three months away, it's kind of snuck up on me. I've got to get serious about my training! This is tempered by a need to restrict my swim training as I've managed to hurt my right shoulder rotator cuff. Tomorrow morning I'm taking my Marathon Clinic on a 33K long run, the final significant run before they head off for the Ottawa Marathon on May 24th. Last Sunday's 29K run went better than I expected, a comfortable pace that brought me home in 2:30.

Recent films: The Wrestler on DVD. An interesting character study, but the conclusion felt a bit forced. Mickey Rourke gave a great come-back performance as Randy "The Ram" Robinson. Marissa Tomei's performance as the stripper Cassidy was brave as she spend a substantial chunk of screen time topless. I saw Safina Uberoi's documentary A Good Man at the Hot Docs film festival last night. The film is about a struggling Australian sheep farmer with a quadriplegic wife (he married her that way) who builds a brothel... You couldn't make that kind of thing up, could you? It was well made, but at times I was just shaking my head at the what they were going through. Perhaps an Australian farmer is the only kind of person on earth so inured to hard work and disaster that they'd be able to step up to a task like that.

Last weekend's sparsely-attended Bahrain Grand Prix did not feature rain. It was hot, hot, hot and looked like a set from the first Star Wars movie... Most of the action was in the first few laps and the rest of the race revolved around tires and pit stops. In the end Jenson Button of Brawn GP was back on top for his third victory in four races. Sebastien Vettel's Red Bull car was unable to challenge because of traffic in the early part of the race but did hold off Jarno Trulli's Toyota. Lewis Hamilton kept McLaren respectable by finishing fourth while Kimi Raikkonen earned Ferrari's first points of the season with a sixth place finish. Next stop, Barcelona.

Final thought: Is this Swine Flu thing really just another regular flu or a real new health risk? "Regular" flu kills about 500,000 people a year, but they're mostly health-compromised already.

Listening to: Don't Let Me Fall by Lenka from Lenka.

The Workout That Wasn't

Last Saturday I had planned to join my triathlon club for a long ride in Milton and then travel onward with Sheryl to Niagara-on-the-Lake for a weekend away. Trouble was that when I got up on Saturday I was still feeling lousy from this extended (two damn weeks!) cold I've been battling, and there was dismal weather predicted. So the ride was reluctantly dropped from the agenda and we settled for two days of wine tasting and dining. When I remember to get my camera out of the car I'll post some photos on Flickr.

We stayed at Heather Croft, a heritage farm house operating as a B&B a few clicks outside of Niagara-on-the-Lake. We visited a couple of wineries, Vineland and Cave Springs, on our way there, dodging rain storms as we went. Sheryl's dog Barkley came along as we couldn't arrange a dog sitter, he got to see a lot of the inside of the car with interspersed gallops around various parks. Sunday was damp and cold, so we drove into Niagara-on-the-Lake and along the Niagara Parkway. "NotL" is a pretty little town, but completely tourism-oriented. Not an authentic experience! The Niagara River had some interesting views though and we stopped for an expensive-but-mediocre buffet lunch atop the Queenston Heights. We drove back to the Cave Springs winery for dinner at the Inn on the Twenty, which was fabulous. On the way there we happened to cross the Welland Canal as a lake freighter was leaving the lock. The nerd in me couldn't help stopping to watch the whole process. We almost missed our dinner reservation, and almost ran out of gas, but it all worked out.

Monday was back-to-the-city day, but we visited the recreated Fort George before starting back and stopped for tastings at Inniskillin, Jackson Triggs and Hillebrand wineries. Didn't like what we tasted at Hillebrand, but we did have a great lunch there before hitting the highway. Fort George was an eye-opener for Sheryl, showing the harshness of life in the early 1800's and some details of the War of 1812.

Back in Toronto I picked up Chris. He was aching to see Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. I very reluctantly agreed to go. My god, what a skin-crawlingly awful film! Stupid, stupid, stupid, with puerile nudity. I am so mad at myself for letting Chris talk me into seeing it.

Listening to: Time to Pretend by MGMT from Oracular Spectacular.

Where did I go?

Where did I go? To bed. I've been battle a nasty head cold and a bad cough for two weeks now! Yike. This photo is from a recent long run, which I've been trying to keep up in spite of my general illness. Now let's see if I can remember what's happened since my last post.

Sheryl's back from Australia with many entertaining anecdotes to impart, perhaps not so entertaining from her perspective... Overall she had a great trip, with lots of relations visited, her new granddaughter presented, and time spent with her daughter living in Sydney.

There have been two Formula One races, Spain and Turkey. In Spain the Ferrari's were one-two followed by Lewis Hamilton's McLaren. Hamilton's team mate Heikki Kovalainen had a massive high-speed crash that buried his car underneath the crash barrier, but he proved to be unharmed other than a minor concussion. In Turkey Massa's Ferrari triumphed, while Lewis Hamilton managed to stay just ahead of Kimi Raikkonen. Istanbul Park is a great track for overtaking, which made for a lot of great battles throughout the pack. A fun race.

Last weekend Chris and I went to see the new Hollywood blockbuster Iron Man. Kind of fun actually, which is a relief as these comic book properties can be terribly mishandled. I enjoyed Robert Downey Jr.'s performance a lot and the effects were excellent. Never mind that there's no way that funky metal suit could hold enough fuel to go more than ten meters...

Speaking of fantasy, I've finally come 'round on the Sci Fi TV series Battlestar Galactica. I wrote it off when it arrived, remembering the seventies version and linking "BSG" in my mind with the goofy Babylon Five series. But a friend's wife finally convinced me to give it a try, and I've used my recent downtime to watch the first two seasons almost back to back (thank you BitTorrent). Great writing, great performances. The effects are generally good, but I hate noisy space explosions and jet fighter-style spacecraft maneuvering. That part I just have to suck up. Lots of relevance to a post-9/11 Iraq War world too... I wonder if I'll catch up before the fourth and final season finishes.

So I'll close off, still hacking away, but planning a big cycling workout tomorrow followed by an overnight trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake with Sheryl.

Listening to: Again and Again by The Bird and the Bee from The Bird and the Bee. Check out the great viral Mac-lover's video for it on YouTube.

Hot Enough for Ya?

Today was a lovely hot sunny day; I spent the afternoon wearing a heavy turtle neck and parka. Ah, the joys of a casting call! I borrowed a t-shirt as soon as possible afterwards. Tomorrow I'll be on set for a Home Depot photo shoot. The weekend will be spent up in Collingwood on a triathlon club training camp. I should be pretty sore come Monday...

I spoke to my father's girlfriend last night, he's apparently "recovering" from his stroke and able to speak much more freely. He's still paralysed on his right side, but is regaining strength on his left side. This is great news for his daily living, but the brain tumour that triggered the stroke is still very much the issue. They're discussing treatments but the time line is just a few months. I'm trying to decide whether I should visit with Chris when school finishes at the very end of June or go earlier and take him out of school for a few days. We just don't know how long Dad will be able to enjoy a visit. Another stroke could strike at any moment, or his health could just deteriorate.

Final thought: Yesterday I saw a father with his young son unsuccessfully try to force a left turn against oncoming traffic. Didn't work, fortunately it was a residential street and there wasn't a collision. On Saturday while driving on the 401 Highway to my workout I was in the passing lane going "pretty darn fast" getting past some slower traffic when another car screamed up behind me going at least 150 kph (the highway speed limit, which I was "comfortably" exceeding, is 100). They swerved onto the shoulder and rocketed by me without pausing, honking as they went. Mein Godt! Everyone just take a chill pill, OK?

Listening to: Soleil Soleil by Lola Dutronic from The World of Lola Dutronic.

I'm Ready for my Closeup, Mr. DeMille

All the hard work is finished and my house now looks like something out of Architectural Digest. Well, sort of. Most of my accumulated life debris has either been packed and put in storage or has found new homes. (I think there are full-time garbage pickers that cruise my neighbourhood looking for interesting "trash". Nothing lingered on my lawn for more than an hour or two.) My office has moved from a messy corner of the dining room to a tidy corner of the basement. Upstairs we've followed the policy of army recruits: "If it moves, salute it. If not, paint it!"

I invited Sheryl over last night to have a look at my new improved home and she was amazed. Here's the listing. My neighbours got an actual "reveal" as the painters draped the front porch in traps while outside work was done because of wet weather only removed it when the work was complete. Today was the first day of the listing. I was out of the house at 9:00 AM and couldn't return until 9:00 PM! Luckily I was able to keep busy with errands and a sudden job interview.

In the midst of all the packing Chris and I went to see Hot Fuzz on Sunday evening. By the creative team behind Shaun of the Dead, it was a similar loving collection of cop flick cliches. Some good laughs and fun editing, quite enjoyable.

I spoke to my brother in Regina today as well, apparently my Dad has been moved to the rehabilitation centre and has finally been able to stay still long enough to an MRI to be taken. His speach also seems to be improving. All good signs, a great relief to hear about.

So my house is ready for its closeup, but am I? Tomorrow I will be taping three live airings of some kind of fitness product on The Shopping Channel. I'm also on the short list to appear in a Time/Life commercial for their Sixties music collection. My reluctant acting career takes another lurch forward...

Listening to: Les Cheveux de mon Amour by Lola Dutronic from The World of Lola Dutronic.

A Long and Winding Road

It's been a while since I last posted, but my silence here is more about being caught up in events...

A week ago last Thursday I flew out to Regina to visit my father after his stroke. My flight left at 6:00 AM, with a plane change in Winnipeg (I never have seen more of that city that the interior of its airport!) Both flights were in jets so cramped that my head scraped the cabin ceiling. I went straight from the airport to the hospital to join up with my brothers and my father's girlfriend and kept going until 1:00 AM (3:00 Toronto time).

Seeing my father in the hospital was a shock even though I'd tried to prepare myself. He's largely immobile, with just some control of his left leg and arm. He looks so frail and helpless now! He can communicate, but speech is very difficult for him. He largely confines himself to yes/no gestures. The most he said to me was literally this: "When I turned 65..." Mostly we tried to help him eat and held his hand. There's no question he's "in there" though. I'm sure that as a man who earned his living through words he's terribly frustrated. He doesn't seem to have any significant improvements yet, although I was startled to observe that his right leg moves when he's sleeping.

It was an interesting trip in a lot of ways. It's been at least five years since I've been together with all my siblings (my sister arrived on Saturday) particularly my youngest brother who my father raised in Australia. We had a lot of catching up to do! It was also the first time we'd spent any extended time with my father's girlfriend. I actually stayed with her during my visit, and we talked into the wee hours every night. It was a very intense and emotional time.

Coming back to Toronto on Sunday night I had to dive straight into the meat of getting my house ready to list. First some more packing but then I switched to filling the shipping container that will hold all my non-essentials until I move into my new place. Lots of furniture was simply dragged to the curb where it was harvested by junk collectors of various stripes, including a large and extremely heavy sofa-bed. In the middle of this a painting crew arrived to turn the house upside down (yet again). They've just finished today. Chris has spent most of the week staying at his mother's while I slept under drop sheets and shuffled through plaster dust. I think it's been worth it though, the house now looks great inside and out.

I managed to get a few workouts in this week, including my first cycling road trip with my triathlon club. We met up near Aurora this morning and rode 47K under threatening skies. It felt great to be out on the road again after a winter of spinning classes. At the beginning of the ride I experienced a "wardrobe malfunction." The zipper on my cycling jacket fell apart in my hands as I tried to zip it up! I borrowed a handful of safety pins to hold it together. Must have looked a bit odd.

Listening to: The Long and Winding Road by The Beatles from Let It Be.

The Shock of Recognition

My son was watching 30 Rock earlier this evening and something caught my eye. We "rewound" the TV (thank you, PVR) and watched the clip again. It was me! The footage was the "running in the rain" stuff I did for the University of Phoenix back in December. I thought it had been and gone, unseen.

My Dad appears to be stable after his stroke, which has affected the right side of his body (left side of his brain) causing at least partial paralysis and aphasia. My brother is out there now and reports that Dad is pretty demoralised and has been refusing to eat. I think I'll fly out early next week and spend a few days with him.

So what else is happening in the world? Apple announced today that their next big version of Mac OS X (version 10.5, a.k.a. Leopard) will not ship in June. Because of the simultaneous development of the much-anticipated iPhone Apple is pushing back the release of Leopard to October. This has caused a great wailing in the blogosphere and expressions of hatred of and resentment toward the iPhone from certain quarters... I can understand Apple's position though. Both the iPhone and the just-released Apple TV are running specialised versions of Mac OS X, which is actually a technical strength, but the three projects have been placing a strain on largely the same development teams. A cell phone that doesn't work reliably would be a disaster, so getting the iPhone completed and out on time has to take precedence. Too bad though, I've been itching to get my hands on Leopard.

Belinda Stronach announced today that she's leaving politics to return to an executive position at Magna, her father's corporation. She certainly stirred things up in her time, running for the Conservative leadership before even being elected and then switching to the Liberals, but I guess the nay-sayers will be saying "told you so."

Last item today was an errand with my friend Brian's wife. She asked me to come with her to Costco to help her buy and bring home a "fancy tool chest" for Brian's 50th birthday. Apparently Brian has been admiring this particular tool chest for years. I couldn't believe it when I saw it though. It's five feet tall with wheels and weights 400 lbs! Huge. People could live in it. I stood there stunned for a minute before I could grasp the fact that she thought the two of us could maneuver this thing into the back of a little Volvo station wagon, get it into their house and then get it down a spiral staircase into their basement... This thing was strapped to a pallet. Oy!

And that's the day that was.

Listening to: Living on Video by Trans-X from Living on Video.

Poor Sledding

There's an old "Canadian" joke that we have two seasons; winter and poor sledding. Or in the city; winter and construction.

Today was a day of poor sledding.

Most of the day was spent helping my photographer friend on a health club photo shoot. We had to lug backdrops, piles of tripods and other stuff up the the 36th floor of an office tower. Lots of set ups and different models on the shoot. I also got lots of calls during the day; friends wanting Mac advice, a consulting client, a call from my agent telling me I have a call-back for a TV commercial (yeah!). I did have one cool experience - one of our models was Tara Norton, one of Canada's top triathletes. We talked shop for a bit and she helped me make some race decisions for this season.

The toughest part came at the end. My brother called and I prepared myself for another bout of arms-length tech support. Not this time. My father, who divides his time between Perth, Australia and Regina, Saskatchewan these days has just had a stroke. He's resting in hospital, but currently is partly paralyzed and can't speak. Luckily he's in Regina with friends. This will obviously be a developing situation. I feel like I'm suddenly standing in quicksand...

Listening to: Have You Got It In You? by Imogen Heap from Speak for Yourself.

(Most) Dogs Like Me

I went for my usual Sunday "long run" yesterday. Quotes because I only did 16 K as I'm trying to avoid pushing too hard while I finish recovering from my flu. I did my 15.56 K in 1:24. It was a nice day, hovering around freezing and sunny, although I had to watch for ice patches owing to the melting and freezing. Toward the end of my run I was by myself as I'd taken a wrong turn and most of the other runners were either going longer or shorter distances.

So why the dog reference? I got bitten! It was kind of funny really. I was passing a man walking two little lap dogs on leashes, walking myself because it was an icy spot, when one of the dogs lunged forward and bit me on my right calf, drawing blood. 99.9 percent of dogs are friendly to me, usually seeking a pat on the ribs or a head rub, which I'm glad to provide. I spoke a bit sharply to the owner, who claimed his beloved companion had never acted that way before, while briefly enjoying the mental image of using the ill-mannered canine for field goal practice. In the end I just continued my run.

Having a coffee with some running friends afterward I realised I should have got the owners phone number and determined the health of his dog. So it was off the the walk-in clinic for a disinfecting wash and tetanus shot. No real risk of rabies, so no shots needed for that. A man out in Alberta wasn't so lucky, apparently he was bitten by a bat last August but didn't develop symptoms until January. Now there is nothing they can do for him...

My risk is of bacterial infection. Apparently 100% of human bites become infected and 80% of cat bites become infected while only 20% of dog bites become infected. I've got an antibiotic prescription, but I'll just watch for a day or so before deciding whether to fill it.

Years ago I got badly scratched by a stray kitten which I'd caught to take to the vet because it's paw was nearly severed. Poor little thing didn't make it and it that case I ended up with both tetanus and rabies shots... Because I was a geologist at the time and often in areas without access to good medical care my family doctor recommended that I get immunised against rabies (only lasts about five years). I agreed with his suggestion, but regretted it by the time the eighth needle was being stuck into my arm!

I heard from Chris yesterday, he's having a good time in England but he lost his wallet which contained almost $200 of shopping money. He's pretty upset about it, but maybe he's learned a lesson about not carrying too much cash around. Tough lesson.

Listening to: Walking Away by Craig David from Born to Do It.

Not Tested on Animals

Just got off the phone with a friend who had some Mac questions he wanted to talk about. He'd also just discovered the hilarious video of Microsoft's "rethink" of the original iPod's packaging on YouTube. Worth a look.

He also told me about a cell phone call he'd got last weekend from his thirteen year-old daughter, who was away on a school exchange program with a nice family in Quebec. She'd broken out in huge rashes and was terrified. She's highly allergic and carries an EpiPen. It had never been fired in anger until this trip though. Paramedics have always arrived in time to give a conventional adrenaline needle! She and her new friend were coached through the task over the phone and a little while later the paramedics arrived to take her to the local hospital.

The source of the reaction appears to have been some Aveda shampoo, which is "not tested on animals". Note to Aveda: THERE'S A F*CKING GOOD REASON WHY THINGS ARE TESTED ON ANIMALS, RATHER THAN ON CUSTOMER'S DAUGHTERS. End of note.

In a similar vein I saw praise for Paris Hilton and Britney Spears on Saturday Night Live for their refusal to wear fur, even their own. Hats off to 'em.

Got another sort-of workout in today, this time at the gym. Think I'm finally getting over this flu! The gym scales tell me that I've lost three lbs. during this little episode.

Listening to: Phantom Limb by The Shins from Wincing the Night Away.

Back in the Saddle?

I went for my first run today since being laid up with the flu last Sunday. Eight days out of commission. It was a cold day and I took it easy, running 9.5K in 49:11. My damn iPod has started acting up though, flipping the "Hold" switch to off crashes it. So Nike+ knows nothing about this particular run...

It was a tough run even taking it easy. I was almost constantly coughing up phlegm! That was partially the point of the exercise, but not fun.

Listening to: Stutter by Andy Stochansky from Five Star Motel.

Project Health

I had a casting call this afternoon, called "Project Health". No idea who the client was, but it sounded like a great concept given my physical condition. So I crawled into the shower, scraped my face with a razor blade and tossed back a few acetaminophens. That revived me enough to declare "Mission Accomplished" and hit the streets with a new bounce in my step.

On the way back I had to scout pretty hard for a gas station. Several stations I regularly use were closed because they had run out of gas. A fire at an Esso refinery has reduced our local supplies and all the chains are feeling the pinch. It should all be resolved in a few days but it's an interesting demonstration of how delicate the balance is even in a prosperous economy such as Canada's. I got my gas; I only put in a half tank as that will last me until well after this crisis is over.

By this evening my temperature had risen again, but only bit, so it's at least one more evening of ill-health for me. I guess my "mission accomplished" is no better the President Bushes.

Listening to: Claire by Rheostatics from Introducing Happiness.

104 and Falling

Still sick in bed with the flu. Last night my temperature was 104, but it feels lower now. I only took my temperature the one time, so I have no idea if that was the peak or not. Which bugs me, because I'm a bit competitive...

Listening to: Natural Blues by Moby from Play.

Sickening...

I went for my longest run this morning, 23K in 2:06, even though I had a bit of a scratchy throat. The run time was a bit slow because I ran into a friend, out for a walk with one of her friends, twice. The second time I slowed to a walking pace for three blocks so we could catch up. My running gloves were soaked with sweat and when I started running again the breeze chilled my fingers almost to the point of frost bite! This photo is the bark of a Plane tree I passed in the Mount Pleasant cemetery on my run. The texture caught my eye.

Well I'm watching the Oscars right now, getting into and out of bed depending on my temperature. I know I'm sick when I wear socks to bed and put ketchup on food. Watching the Oscars also counts a sign of physical malady...

Time to get back to bed, as I'm getting chilly again... Here's a new photo of Mars though, taken by the European space probe Rosetta as it swept past Mars. It's going to get four gravity boosts, one from Mars and three from Earth, to accelerate it fast enough to catch the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014. Might as well take some photos along the way!

One last gasp; I see that The Lives of Others has just won for Best Foreign Language Film. I saw it last night, it's a great film, about the brutality of an authoritarian state (East Germany), personal weakness and redemption.

Listening to: Shiver by Natalie Imbruglia from Counting Down The Days.

Changing Latitudes

Well, I'm back from the Florida Keys. Eight days, 400 snapshots, nine companions; it's going to take a while to cover it all... For now I'll just regale you with yesterday's journey back to Toronto.

The most practical and economical way to get back to the Ft. Lauderdale airport turned out to be "returning" a rental car from the Marathon airport (in the middle Keys). We picked up the car the afternoon before and left Big Pine Key at 6:20 AM. It was a three hour drive up to Ft. Lauderdale, but we got to enjoy a glorious sunrise along the way and drink in the tropical beauty one last time. Hunting around for a gas station when we reached our destination we passed an Orange County Choppers location that was in the middle of filming an episode of American Chopper. There was a huge crowd spilling out onto the highway, police directing traffic, stage lighting, etc. An odd thing to run across at 9:00 on a Saturday morning!

Although we were going to spend the whole day traveling north things started to go south as soon as we reached the airport. AVIS charged me twice as much as promised and it took forty minutes to correct the problem. This left us less than an hour to check in and get through security. Every queue we joined looked impossibly long, but they all moved briskly and we made it to the plane with several minutes to spare (three...). However the stress brought on a headache that got progressively worse as we traveled.

Our journey had a two hour stopover in Boston and as my headache worsened and my stomach began to churn I began to wonder if I'd make it through the first three hour flight without "trouble". In the end I managed to get off the plane, find our next departure gate and settle Chris before racing off to the washroom for the first of two sessions of projectile vomiting. Chris rose to the occasion and did a great job of supporting me and looking after himself. As we boarded our second flight, to Buffalo, I warned the flight attendant about my fragile condition and she thoughtfully provided me with a large plastic bag. In the end my symptoms slowly subsided without a public display and by the time we reached Buffalo I was healthy enough to contemplate the two hour drive home.

We arrived home at about 9:30 PM and relaxed together for a little while, happy to be back home. Then we sought the bliss of sleeping in our own beds. This morning I fired up the Mac to find 900 spam e-mails, 50 job site/technology e-mails, and five personal e-mails. Same old same old. Over the next few days I'll post about the rest of our trip and upload my photos on Flickr. Short version: we had a great time...

Listening to: There Is a Light That Never Goes Out by The Smiths from The Queen Is Dead.

This Just In

News flash: America is not winning the war in Iraq! This is straight from George Bush's lips. According to George though "not winning" is not the same as "losing", so don't get too worried. Heh. Looks like someone in the White House has stopped focusing on nicknames and realised he can't just make it up as he goes along. Time to fish out the old thinkin' cap!

Speaking of foul-smelling things that need to be tossed out, I've been much more aware of my kitchen wash cloth, which has a tendency to lie beside my sink for weeks at a time, since my father's recent visit. He mentioned (in a non-critical way) that he'd learned that dish rags are actually the biggest source of bacteria in the home. I now try to change cloths every few days, but I had always thought the kitchen sink was the worst spot. The expert advice is to hang your dish cloths over your faucet to ensure that they dry, which prevents bacteria buildup and to microwave them(!) for a minute before use.

Turning to "local" news I read that NASA has teamed up with Google to make their satellite imagery of the Earth, Moon and Mars available, including some real-time content. This is good news for me here on Mars, because even to us locals one damn sand dune looks like another. Perhaps with Google Mars I'll eventually be able to find my way around...

Listening to: This Could Be Anywhere In The World by Alexisonfire from Crisis.

Isn't It Time You Had a One Night Stand?

"Isn't It Time You Had a One Night Stand?" This was a line I had to deliver today as part of a casting call... I suppose it's a valid question. Now that I'm "single" again perhaps I should keep practicing this particular line. No doubt I didn't get the part, but this casting call was a turning point of a sort: I actually managed to memorise and deliver twelve lines of dialog! Just not well enough.

I found an interesting web article today about carbonated sodas; it contained a time line of how our body responds to a can of Coca Cola. Here's a summary:

• First 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar, 100% of your recommended daily sugar intake, hit your system. The phosphoric acid (carbonation) masks the overwhelming sweetness.
• 20 minutes: Your blood sugar spikes, causing a surge of insulin. Your liver responds to this by converting sugars to fat.
  
• 40 minutes: Caffeine absorption complete. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked, preventing drowsiness. Your pupils dilate and blood pressure rises; as a response your liver dumps more sugar into your bloodstream.
  
• 45 minutes: Your body increases dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of your brain.
  
• 60+ minutes:

• The phosphoric acid binds together calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, boosting your metabolism. High doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners will also increase the urinary excretion of calcium.
• The caffeine’s diuretic property kicks in. (It makes you have to pee.) You’ll urinate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones.
• As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to experience a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish.

That is all.

Listening to: It's A Shame About Ray by The Lemonheads from The Best Of The Lemon Heads - The Atlantic Years.

Ups and Downs

So I've had some good news this week but I've also had bad news. Some of the bad news actually happened last week but I've held off mentioning it.

The good news, of course, started with my well-compensated day of acting. Then it was topped, out of the blue, by an even better-paid morning of modeling. If I can keep this up I'll have to admit that I'm an actor.

The bad news has been pretty sobering though. As I've mentioned previously my father was in town last week for a visit en route to Australia. While he was here he told me that his health had taken a "turn for the worse". He had a melanoma tumor on his back that was removed last summer, but not before it appears to have spread. Now a year later at 73 it's in his lungs and his liver. His doctors are treating him with Interferon to boost his immune system and try to slow the spread, but they aren't currently recommending aggressive treatment.

He's certainly active and "healthy" right now, but that will probably change in the near future. His life is divided between Perth in Australia and Regina here in Canada. I don't know how we'll handle arrangements when his health changes. In Perth he has friends and relations and a son in his twenties, in Regina he has friends and a young girlfriend. My sister and brother are in Toronto and New York.

The other bad news is that Sheryl dumped me the day my father left town. I suppose I'd seen it coming, because she has been saying for some time that she doesn't think I pay enough attention to her and I know that she wants to "enjoy life" more than I can afford to. The core issue is probably that she thinks I'm in a rut and don't want to get out of it, even in the face of supportive prompting. Probably true... We're still "friends" though, talking on the phone and meeting for lunch and we'll probably go to a gallery show tomorrow afternoon.

Kind of makes my bad weekend last summer look pretty trivial. I've tried to absorb all this, but it's been difficult in the quiet moments. I have no idea how long my father has to live or if I'll find another companion like Sheryl. The second unknown is of course considerably less tragic, but it does put the thought in my head - will there be anyone beside me when its my turn to fade away?

For now my friend Adrian has been good company, and I "have my music". Listening to music has been a big emotional outlet for me ever since the-girl-who-broke-my-heart left me back in 2001. I listen to a what I tell myself are eclectic and thoughtful tunes, but if pressed I have to admit it's actually a fairly sentimental range of alternative/rock/pop. Still, it gets me through the night...

Shortly before my father left we went out with my son Chris to see a film. Chris wanted to see Borat again but I nixed that as a poor value since we'd both seen it already. Instead we went to Casino Royale. I've long been tired of the James Bond franchise, but the press about this "realistic" and "human" resurrection of the concept got me thinking that it might appeal to our three generations. Well Casino Royale came through! Daniel Craig was a breath of fresh air as Bond, the plot was almost believable, Eva Green's "babe" was surprisingly three dimensional. The fabulous locations and action sequences were classic Bond, but for a long time they've been the proverbial baby in the bathwater. I doubt we'll see any Oscar buzz around Casino Royale, but it seems that Bond movies have become digestible again. Especially when you're trying to forget about real life for a few hours.

Listening to: My Lonely Sad Eyes by Maria McKee from You Gotta Sin To Get Saved.

Infected

I've had a tender spot on my right arm for over ten days now. At first I thought it was a bruise because it seemed to start out as a small black spot, but after a day or two it began to swell and redden and become painful to the touch. A modest pimply blister burst shortly thereafter, and it seemed to be improving. But this weekend I realised that it was getting more painful again, the redness had spread, and the lymph nodes in my elbow and armpit were also sore. So I called my doctor's voicemail and left a message asking for an appointment.

This morning I awoke to a bigger than ever lump, and a "significant" discharge of pus. Sorry about that detail... As I was debating heading over to a walk-in clinic my doctor's office called back, and gave me a 1:45 appointment.

So now I'm on antibiotics. What the hell started it? A first I thought it was just a bruise from a bump I couldn't recall, then I though it was an insect bite that I also never noticed. For a half second I considered skin cancer. Maybe it was just a scratch that I never noticed or a clogged pore that some bacteria managed to find...

Pulling a bit of serendipitous literature in I see that Mark Haddon, who wrote the wonderful novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, has just published A Spot of Bother: A Novel. It looks promising too. The "spot" in the title is a skin cancer on the main character...

Listening to: Sweet Birth of Truth by The The from Infected.

Losing love is like a window in your heart

"And she said losing love
Is like a window in your heart
Everybody sees you're blown apart" (from Paul Simon's Graceland)

Early Spring is a tricky time for me, as it's when I met the girl that eventually broke my heart twice (although it did help me lose twenty pounds in one month). Funny how you can delight in the warmth and sunshine and the next second remember how much it is like the day you first kissed her hand. I've "moved on" (mostly, but hey we all have our baggage) but the thought of those times together is never far from my mind.

On a related note, am I dying? Last week I donated blood and the automated blood pressure machine gave an error beep because my resting pulse was only 46. As far as it was concerned I must be dead. I explained that I was "athletic" and they agreed to take my blood after all. Also I've had a sore hip for two weeks now. That must be bone cancer. And yesterday someone mentioned how tanned I looked even though I haven't spent much time in the sun. That reminded me of someone dear to me who died of liver cancer. Liver failure gives you a "healthy" jaundiced complexion. So I must have liver cancer too. Over-reacting you say? Maybe, maybe. But I am a few months overdue for a physical.

As part of my campaign against aging/death I've made further plans for running a triathlon this summer. On Monday night I went to an introductory triathlon seminar at Enduro Sport, and I've signed up for a 10 K run at the end of May. It's the Nike-sponsored RUNTO event on Toronto Island, with "T.O." being the common short-hand for Toronto Ontario. It looks like I can get by with smooth tires for my mountain bike and a rented wetsuit for the Toronto Triathlon in July. "Pro" gear can wait until next year I think. Now I just need to do some road work!

Listening to: Graceland by Paul Simon from Graceland.