I was robbed by two men!
Monthly Archive: March 2008
Showroom glam
I took time today to head up to Vaughan today to check out the suggested big appliance showroom located there. Yeah, even though possession is still on April of next year I was told to go there and get measurements for the stove that I want. See, I’m planning on upgrading to a slide-in range, and for that to be accepted they need the measurements when I finalize the upgrades so that they know how much to cut from the counter top. To me, it seems ever so slightly ridiculous because I won’t be sure whether the model I want now will still be available or have the same dimensions when it actually comes time to buy the darn thing. Now, I’m not even required to buy anything at the moment, so really this trip was for exploratory purposes.
Anyway, I was sort of in awe of everything in the showroom. So many choices! I went in with stainless steel appliances in mind. See, the condo comes with five appliances. They’re plain white and pretty basic. I sort of want to go the stainless steel route just for the sake of making it all look rich, you know? It also increases resale value when it comes time for all of that. By going to that showroom place, I’m getting decent credit for those white appliances if I upgrade them.
All in all, I don’t think I need to touch the washer/dryer since that part is pretty tucked away anyway, right? So that leaves the fridge, stove, and dishwasher. For stainless steel, I wasn’t expecting to really go far over $2500. Hoooly crap was I wrong. I think I was seduced by all of the showroom glam. I sort of gravitated over to the Kitchen-Aid appliances which…yeeeah. They’re expensive, and yet, so very very nice.
*SIGH*
I can’t directly afford it all right now…but I will be able in the future when I actually need to buy the darn things. So, I’m not entirely scared of drowning yet. However, man, it’s just adding yet another thing to the pile of expenses that I need to consider for this whole thing.
Getting more running gear
Now that I’ve been running for a while (I guess), I’m starting to wonder what my pace time is–you know, besides the general idea of “SLOW.” I want to know how long it takes me to reach each kilometre mark, and whether my kilometres are faster or slower as I progress through the run. Does elevation play a factor? I don’t know. I think having that kind of information would help me a great deal in terms of figuring out what I’m doing right or wrong.
So, most people that I’ve been running know about the Garmin Forerunner. It’s a really nice GPS tool that keeps track of all of those things that I mentioned in the paragraph above. I’ve been eyeing the 205 and 305. Really the big difference between the two is that the 305 also monitors your heart rate. However, since I’ve got a Polar F6 already, I decided there’s no need. I’m willing to make the fashion faux-pas of wearing two watches. Whatever. The only thing that’s has stopped me from already getting one is that the watches expensive little buggers. In store, the 205 costs about $210; the 305 costs about $320 (all Canadian dollars). I was thinking that at that price I better be darn sure I’m going to stick with running. And here I am, months later and I’m sticking with it. Who knew?
Anyway, instead of getting a new watch in store, I started poking around eBay and found factory sealed refurbished ones for a lot cheaper than the newer counterparts. I remember they were $149 in store back in December when they still had refurbished ones, so I used that as my jumping point. A few auctions later, and I was able to get one for US$107.50. Crazy. With shipping, the cost was $137.45. With conversion, it’s still under $149. I’m quite alright with that. So, in a week or two I’ll at least have some GPS based digital confirmation that I’m velocity-challenged.
Hey, also I’m considering getting another pair of shoes. I’m currently using the NB 858‘s I got back in September. They’re still alright and treat me well enough. However, I’m questioning whether they’re wide enough. After a long run, the medial parts of my feet inevitably feel bruised. Since I over-pronate, when I walk I really feel the bruising. It goes away after a few days, but I can’t help but wonder if the shoes are wide enough. I’m currently in a 2E width, and the medial part of my foot still overhangs the sole by a little bit. I think the overhang is what’s causing the pain. I mean, that part isn’t being supported properly, so of course it’s going to ache, right?
I’m thinking that I might want to try out the Brooks Beast in a 4E width. Yes, I had a previous bad experience with the Beasts. Back then, I was actually using the shoes incorrectly. How the hell did I bungle something like that? Seriously! That one bad run back in May, I remember actually running without the sock liner and the orthotics. No wonder I was in horrible pain. The difference this time then, I think, is that I’ll be sticking with the liners that come with the shoes. I stopped using orthotics when running back in October/November. If the Beasts are really the gold-standards for my type of foot, then I really think I should give them another look. I can at least rotate them in an out with my current shoes.
We’ll see if I actually dive in and make the purchase in the next few weeks.
Running log: 2008/03/19
No one said it would be easy.
Yesterday, I headed back to RR for my first run in 2.5 months. I was ready to do an easy run, but as it turned out there was no 10K group there doing 6. See, the new 10K group starts today, and yesterday was sort of just an in between day. Well, there was a half-marathon group in store. I recognized a lot of the members of the group and a lot of them were welcoming me back too after my long absence. So, as we were going off I was faced with the choice of joining the 5K group doing their 5 minute intervals, or joining the half-marathon group in their hill training. Eh…I dunno. I think the thing that made me choose to go with the half group is just that I knew the people in it. Sure, they’re all super-speedy but I was fully planning on just taking it easy, so whatever.
As we started out of store, I kept up with the group and felt alright. However that faded pretty quickly. It’s probably due to the whole rush of getting out of the gate, but I seemed to have abandoned my intention of going slow. I was really pushing just to keep up with the rear, and eventually I was just forced to slow down. My heart was pounding hard. My rate was in the puke-inducing 190′s and I wasn’t feeling good. My throat was starting to get clogged with mucus, and I told myself that I would have slow down significantly just to avoid puking. Lovely, no? Well, due to pushing too hard I took a few long walk breaks. I just couldn’t get myself to start running again for a longer period than a few minutes because I was still attempting to hold my lunch down.
What the hell was I thinking when I tried to keep up with them?
I did eventually make it to the big hill, and someone was there asking me how I was feeling. I told him my situation and he said that he recommended that I not do hills at all. Well, since I just ran 2K to get there I wanted to at least do one of the four repetitions that they were going to do. I told him that I would do one and see how I felt after. He told me he would wait at the top, and to start halfway up, so I did. I pushed and I pushed, and I felt like crap! I stopped about 50-100m from the top and I just walked it off. I was thinking about how this was all a really bad idea, so I was ready to head back when I got to the top. However, the guy that said he would wait wasn’t there. So…I thought I’d give it another go. I ran down, and on the way back up I pushed hard for half the distance. Once again, I ran out of steam with 50-100m left and I walked it off. I felt a little better. Sure my heart rate was still way up there, but I wasn’t close to puking anymore. I thought I’d try it one more time and see if I felt horrible after. I got to the bottom and headed back up. Once again I stopped and thought, “NO MORE.” I felt all sorts of gross and walked for a bit up the hill. Close to the top I did an easy jog to get to the top. Up there, there were a few people resting including the guy who told me to take it easy. We were laughing at how we were all struggling. Yeah, it’s funny, but humbling at the same time. The were set to run back to the store, so I thought I would join them. However, when I passed the starting point of the hill, I thought…”I came here to do four!” Uh oh. So, as they continued on, I just turned and went back down the hill! I took it easy. Again I had to walk it off about 50-100m from the top, but it was alright. When I got to the top, I walked it off.
However yeah…hill training is not recommended when you’re coming back from a long break. Holy crap.
On the way back, I took up a really slow pace and fully intended on doing a continuous run back to store. I didn’t want to break once. On the way back I was passed by some half-marathon people that I knew, and they were happy to see me. I wanted to convey the idea that I was doing something stupid in doing hill training first day back. I think I wanted to elicit something in the area of sympathy. I’m not sure how I sounded, but I think they responded with a “good for you!” attitude. Which…HA! I don’t know, if they were aware of how slow I was taking it and how I was taking a lot of walk breaks, would they be so congratulatory? Whatever. They handily passed me. :-p
The way back was great. Sure, I was alone, but one the way I passed by so many RR people–mostly the marathon group, which was only getting out now to do their run. I greeted most of them. I even ran into the kababayan that helped me through my 13K long run. “Good to see you, my brother!” Hee. Made me smile and laugh. It was great to see her too. I eventually made it back to the store, and yes, I managed to make it a continuous slooooow run. It’s all good. When I got back there were the half-marathon people I knew still hanging out in the parking lot and they were giving me high-fives galore. Again, would they be so congratulatory if…? However they do know that I’ve been gone for a while. Heh. I guess it really is something to complete the set despite just coming back (even though I walked though a good chunk of it).
Well, that’s what happened yesterday. I’m going to be doing the 10K clinic. If you pass by, I’ll be the one at the back holding the rear and plod plod plodding along. 
Getting fired; eating carpaccio in Germany
I said last night that I had a lot on my mind. I wasn’t kidding: I had two dreams last night. I don’t really remember as many details as I would like, but they’re interesting to me nonetheless.
In my first dream I think I was let go from my job without good reason. I just started tearing up as I walked through the office back to my desk. I managed to get back to my terminal before the systems people locked the computer down and took my stuff away. Although…I had nothing on there that I really wanted to take. My colleagues were kind of stone faced as I walked away.
So, apart from the lack of detail, one other thing I can note about the dream is how I wasn’t affected as badly as I normally would have been directly after the dream. Usually after something like this I would feel immediately sad after the dream due to various chemicals released in my body during the dream. No, this time. At least, nothing much. I was even reasoning with myself. After the dream I told myself that I had nothing to worry about with regards to chat logs being saved on the computer because they’d wipe the system clean for the next person. See! It was all rational, except for the fact that I was talking about a non-existent situation. Yeeeah.
My second dream was a bit more interesting. I think I was in an Amazing Race type competition. I was paired up with this guy whom I knew from elementary school but didn’t really get along with. No, in fact he treated me like shit me back then. He mellowed out in high school, but I still hated him entirely. So, I found it strange that I was paired up with him in this dream. Anyway, our current location was Germany, and we were in some location that was close to a riverside. My partner had the first task which involved him eating a rather large plate of carpaccio. It was made of sea bream. While he was attempting to eat all that raw fish, I snuck off to scope out the next task.
I was joined by a girl I knew in university. She was dressed all in black and knew exactly where to go. The next task involved searching this watery area for two mini oars. The area was actually dry at the time, so I was able to pick out exactly what I needed to get. So, I ran back to my partner and was only halfway through his carpaccio. I told him “it can’t be that bad, right? I’d be able to eat it!” He just grumbled. Instead of waiting, I ran back to the next task area but this time it was flooded. Instead of the oars floating to the top of the water, they must have been weighted down because I couldn’t see any of them. They were buried in the river water. I started swinging from the bars surrounding the area because I had no intentions of wading in the water. I grabbed an oar and took it with me back to the guy eating the carpaccio. On the way though, I asked the girl I was with whether the oar needed some sort of insignia on it. I didn’t have a clue on me so I wasn’t sure. Luckily she did have a clue. It said that I had to pick out an oar that had a red cross insignia on it. So, I ran back and fished a correct one out. I hid the oar underneath an overturned green canoe, ready for me to grab once we got there. I ran back to the guy who’d just finished all of the raw fish. We both ran over to the watery area, where I grabbed the oar. We got the next clue telling us to get to the airport. I yelled at the guy, “run like the wind!” So we ran for the LRT. Unfortunately, I was weighed down by my backpack, so it wasn’t so much running like the wind, but running like…a really gentle breeze. Ha! I had a map with me and I tried to figure out the train system, but I couldn’t make out the way to the airport. I don’t know what happened next, but we arrived at the airport terminal. We thought we were in first place, but when we got there we spotted another pair of competitors. When we saw each other we let out a big groan. So much for that!
And that’s when I woke up. I honestly have no interpretations for this one. Why the bully? Why Germany? Why carpaccio? Why oars with red insignias on ‘em?
In any case, it’s really been a while since I’ve had a dream like this. It’s all kind of entertaining, no?
Everyday is a lazy day
During my time off, everyday is feeling like a lazy Saturday afternoon. I’m not sure I like it. It’s not that I want to be at work–that’s not it this time. I just need to channel my energies because I’m not enjoying that whole stagnant feeling. I still have to do my taxes. I suppose I could use my time being creative and baking things.
Actually, tomorrow should be a good day. After the winter hiatus I plan on getting back into running starting tomorrow. The next RR 10K clinic starts this Thursday. I’m looking forward to getting back into the groove of things for sure, but I’m also apprehensive because it’s been so long since I’ve done a good distance run. Is it a good idea to jump right in an do 6K right away? I think I’ll manage.
To be honest, I’m really just waiting for Friday and the weekend. It’s not about me wanting the vacation to end. It’s just that this is holy week and I’m waiting for the whole Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter thing to arrive. Mentally, I just need for these landmarks to arrive, though I’m not really sure why.
Whoo. There’s a lot on my mind right now. I just can articulate it all right now, which is just too bad. It’s like it’s all congested up there. I need to find a way to mentally blow my nose. Heh.
A bit too early for my liking
I’m taking vacation days up until Monday of next week. This is my first day off and what did I just do? I woke up at 6 am.
UGH.
Choosing a ringtone
I guess I’m still in that so-called honeymoon phase with my new phone. I’m in the process of trying to pick out all the settings that I want to be representative of who I am. I guess it’s not exactly like you can tell a whole lot from a person by seeing their cell phone settings. It’s not like reading a birth chart or something, right? Still, I’m feeling the need for it to be distinctly all about me.
Anyway, who would have known that finding the perfect ringtone would be such a ridiculous process? I guess for some people it’s pretty easy–pick one of the default tones, or pick a ringtone of a song that you enjoy. Well sure. In my case though, the process seems to reveal me as being pretty neurotic. I was originally going to settle on one of the defaults, but like with my last phone I was interested in personalizing. In searching for a ringtone to buy, I had some requirements. First of all, I didn’t want any lyrics in the tone. I didn’t want to somehow identify myself with a particular phrase. I mean, moods change! I’m much more of a fan of instrumental ringtones like recognizable song intros or interesting guitar riffs.
On my previous phone my tone was Back In Black by AC/DC. I had it on there as a result of a bit of identification with that song back in 2003-2004, and I carried it with me since then. That worked out well. I think, with the new phone I wanted to partially shed my past. So that’s why I went searching for something new. In the end, I pick out an instrumental version of the intro to Oh Timbaland. On loop, it’s an interesting tone. However, now that I’ve purchased it I’m really questioning whether it’s a correct fit. It’s also starting to annoy me how it’s actually a short tone.
See! Crazy!
I’m going to give it a month–at least until my next billing cycle. I might just stop caring after a while. If I really can’t stand it I’m going back to Back In Black. As much as I want to change things up, whenever I hear that song I can’t help but grab for my phone. And in the end, isn’t that what a ringtone is all about?
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