March 2006 Archives

I'm in shock. I have impressions of memories of phrases like "no wonder you're getting shin pains" and "complete rest for two weeks".

....

.... Wait a minute... did the podiatrist really mean two whole weeks? And what degree of complete are we looking at when he says complete rest? Aren't my itty-bitty 4-5km runs kind of restful anyway?

[sigh]
I've been benched. Apparently water sports and cycling are okay though, thankfully. So, unless I get the sudden impulse to take up synchronised swimming, expect to see a lot more cycling workouts over the next couple of weeks. I might even wander in to the local YMCA and use their pool on occasion - although winter is moving in, and the idea of a 5:00am swim in the dark before work doesn't exactly sound motivating.

It was looking hopeful last month, but the last couple of weeks have been brutal. I've been pushed back to running once per week and even those runs have been murder on my shins. I ran with a group from work on Monday afternoon, and I felt hobbled. I don't want to be hobbled.

I'm starting to get nervous about my ability to run come April 30 - only 5 weeks away - with my shins still causing me so much grief on my short runs. These days turned out nothing like I had planned.

I'm going to try some regular deep tissue massage treatment and see if the muscles start responding to that. My shins have deteriorated so substantially this month that I can feel the Anzac Day 10k run slipping away from me. There's now a real possibility that I may need to pull out of the event if I don't see some immediate improvement.

The only other thing I can think to try is shoes. I thought I did the smart thing when buying my current pair of runners, but to be honest, I felt like could have chosen a more knowledgeable person to help fit them. So, I'm going a little out of my way to a different store within the next few days where they're reputed to really know their stuff. New shoes weren't in the budget just yet, but I think I'm just going to have to fit them in anyway.

I made some comments (included below) to someone on the subject of vocabulary and the level of literacy in the average person today, and it has reminded me of how strong my opinions are on the subject.

I feel that I probably don't show enough understanding toward some people, and am guilty of being judgemental at times. I just can't understand how something that I find to be dead simple ("your vs you're", simplest sentence structure, and spelling of commonplace words, etc) can prove so difficult to seemingly most of society. Perhaps someone here can shed some light and help me understand. Is it really not as simple as I think?

Quote:

While I wouldn't exactly use the word "erudite" while trying to describe myself, I've had to wonder if maybe the requirements to earn that title haven't drastically loosened in recent times. Anyone who browses the net for more than five minutes could be forgiven for thinking that the current average literacy level is, well... illiteracy. When a smart colleague remarks with amazement on my usage of a word like "fugue" in my blog, I have to just shake my head. To ponder it would likely drive me to destruction.

I fail to comprehend how people experience so much brain strain attempting to distinguish the difference between "your" and "you're" - an inordinately simplistic concept that our teachers outlined when we were perhaps no older than six or seven. Simplistic, yet for many it still hasn't penetrated the grey (and lifeless?) matter even decades later.

I probably sound like an ass when projecting my opinions on this matter, so I usually keep my trap shut about it. Just don't get me started on the mainstream usage of abominations like "prolly", "ur", or "peeps".

....

I went on a little longer, but the rest is irrelevant to this post. Something I need to work on, I think.

A good collection of classic 80s and 90s rock, mixed with a selection of more modern driving tunes (and no flu!), and me still a little wired from my morning run... quite simply the drive up the coast yesterday totally rocked! The traffic was great, the sky blue, and I made fantastic time hurtling my sorry ass toward Caloundra, singing along (poorly, I might add) to some of my favorites.

The traffic perhaps flowed a little too well, actually. At some point I started keeping my eye out for a peek at the Glasshouse Mountains - thinking I must be getting close - only to be awarded the sight of an unsettlingly flat horison. At that point, my mind started messing with me. "Did those roadworks throw me off?". "Was I so caught up in the day that I missed being rerouted? - no, that can't be it". My first sighting came a minute later as I crested a slight rise, and there was Mt. Tibrogargan, perched proudly in the centre of my rear view mirror, way-way-WAY behind me.

The wedding was great. After a full week of rain and strong gusting winds, the weather turned fine for most of this week. The bride was stunning, although that came as no surprise to any who were there. I made way for the family and photographers (actually, I put about everyone before me), and only managed to get one photo, and it isn't all that. The photo looks like it was taken by a stalker hiding in the bushes; perhaps that's why she never looked toward me for a better shot.

I spent some time chatting with some people I hadn't seen in far too long, but since most of them were in the bridal party or closely related, I didn't get to catch up as much as I would have liked. I couldn't help feeling a sense of loss for the years where I allowed myself to be drawn away by meaningless distractions and lost contact with them. All in all though, watching a treasured friend stand there beaming with happiness after finally finding her match is something that I'm delighted to have born witness to.

The drive home that night was accompanied by more good music, bad singing, and free-flowing traffic. If only it could have been from behind the wheel of one of the bridal cars pictured above...

With all this crazy weather the past week I've come down with a touch of the flu. It hasn't taken a firm grasp yet, but it's enough to make me miserable. Well, that, and the fact that I seemingly couldn't capture the interest of a girl if I were the last guy on earth. The timing isn't so bad though I guess - my shins have been acting up a bit and could use some rest this week anyway. So, here I am with a whole week of vacation time, too sick to go out, and too alone to stay home. Hopefully I can deal with this flu quickly though. I have a wedding to go to up the coast on Friday, and would hate to turn up looking zombified.

Mmmm... "braaaiiiins!"

What does today entail? Curling up on the couch with some watermelon and far too many DVDs. My melon, Coley, and I are in for a lazy day.

Something tells me I'll come through it better than he will.