Monthly Archive: March 2009

Knee clicking

Been a while since I’ve written about my running activities. Really, that’s mostly because there have been a lot of other activities that I’ve been up to that have kind of trumped running in terms of stuff that I want to report here. That being said, a lot has happened over the past week or so.

So, last Tuesday, after work I was walking down the stairs at the subway station to find a subway waiting for the signal to leave. I ran right into the first car only to find it packed with people. Apparently, the train had been waiting for a while and most people had the same idea to rush into the first car instead of risking being left behind. Fair enough. I couldn’t really make it far into the car. I tried to nudge my way in a little bit but unlike the crowds you see on those Japanese subway videos where you see everyone getting packed in like a bunch of sardines, people here were pretty unyielding. It’s probably for the best, I guess because I’d rather not have station attendants really shoving my ass to get me on. I ended up having to hold onto a panel by the doors, which still remained open.

After a few moments of uncomfortably hanging on, I just said “nuts to this” and decided to dash for the next car. I figured that there’d be a lot more space there anyway. Thing is, I didn’t want to risk getting shut out–last thing I wanted was to step off the train, hear the chimes and get closed out making me wait for the next, and surely delayed train. Well, I took the chance and stepped off. I started making my way, but wouldn’t you know it, the train the whole *pin pan pon* causing me to bolt for the doors. I made it to the next car, and indeed it was spacious–I was even able to find a seat. Issue was though, as soon as I sat down I could feel that my right knee was really achy. Oops.

I didn’t want to start bending and unbending it because I didn’t want to draw attention to it. So, I just sat there waiting for my stop to come. When I got off and started walking over to my car, I started to feel a clicking in my knee. Definitely odd. Whenever I straightened my leg, I could feel my kneecap kind of doing something, like every time it straightened it was somehow constantly realigning itself. It’s hard to explain. If I had to compare the feeling to something, I’d compare it to the feeling you get when you crack a knuckle. If you can imagine it, it seems a little unnerving, doesn’t it? Well, I figured I’d head to the Running Room anyway to hear the talk–that’s what the plan was anyway. I figured that I’d just run gently to assess if my knee was really injured. As I started out, I knew immediately that I was off. I was really hobbling with every step. Landing on my right leg was crazy–I couldn’t bend it all that much. Despite all this I was ready to do the whole 5K around the block thing. My stubborn mind would have won out if it wasn’t for the clinic instructor telling me that it would be best to just head back to the store. I knew she was right, so I headed back. Yeah, I bailed, but it was completely for the right reasons.

So, I’ve missed a week’s worth of runs. I’ve been resting it, and slowly the clicking has died down. I was going to head out on Sunday morning, but the heavy rains kept me indoors. I blamed my knee–I didn’t want my first run on the bad knee to be a cold and miserable one. Fair, right? Well, tonight was my first night out since the injury. Verdict? The knee held up well. There were a few moments where the clicking was prominent. This happened especially on uneven bits of sidewalk. Nonetheless, I feel like I’m on the mend. Tomorrow might be another story with the burden of hill training upon us. That’s all hard on the knees, eh? We’ll see how it goes.

Dreaming of the end

It’s been a while since I’ve had a dream that I can remember. Usually, they’re really vivid: packed with small details that seem to paint an interesting picture. So, when I have a dream that’s relatively simple and to the point it worries me. It’s not that I believe that the dream is more likely to come true. My worry comes more from the fact that it feels like the point that my subconscious is trying to get across is just there. Usually I expect the messages to be shrouded and wrapped in multiple enigmas.

Anyway, what am I going on about? This past Saturday night I had a dream that I was basically fired from my current job by an old PM who had left a long while ago. I could sense there was a lot of confusion over the firing. There was some conversation beforehand, with me plainly wondering where I’d gone wrong. I don’t remember what the responses were, though I know I was getting worked up and upset. Even in my sleep state, I could feel the chemicals due to the generated emotions running through my body. I remember giving an ultimatum of sorts. I asked “well what…do you want me to come back tomorrow or should I just not show up?” With a stern look and a hint of regret, he nodded and said “you’re not to show up tomorrow.” I felt like I was punched in the gut–it was entirely shocking. I started walking away, sobbing at the rejection. I had given the job my best, and apparently it wasn’t good enough. And that’s when I woke up.

What I find interesting about this dream is the fact that I’ve dreamt about being fired in the past. The last time it happened, I didn’t feel so bad–there were no weird chemical reactions going on. This time is quite different in that regard. This time the dream hit me kind of hard, and I woke up feeling worn out. What’s going on then? Well, these days everyone’s feeling twitchy and looking for a change. One of our team members has chosen to leave for another job. The rest of us are just worn out and tired. That would explain some of the things in the forefront of my mind. It’s no surprise that the topic has appeared in a dream. Seriously.

I’m in no position to interpret the message, although on a simple level I’m guessing it’s just telling me to leave. Nonetheless, a dream is a dream: I does not have enough rooting in reality for me to act on it, right?

*grumble*

Most races

This is now my third time going to the MRSOE! at the Panasonic Theatre. For me, what made this outing quite awesome was the fact that I got more people to come out for the show–usually it’s just me and my buddy, but this time we were five-strong. Maybe next year we can do even more, eh?

Anyway, I’d say the show was really quite great. Just about everyone was solid. Even one of the kinda weaker acts was a step up from last year’s hateful bitch and frat lush. Everyone was on the money, and they were hitting us with jokes, like BAM BAM BAM. Some of the acts were such that there really was only a little bit of time to catch my breath before I was laughing like mad again. I kind of appreciate that this year’s house band didn’t piss the crap out of the comics.

For an improvement, next year I kind of want to see more playing from the house band. I don’t mean I want to see them doing songs during the intermission, but like…they’d play the comedians in, but didn’t play them out. At the end of each act, it was kind of a little disjointed. I’d say a little music would lube up the transition. Also, it’s probably a little quibble, but for the acts that I saw in previous years, I recognized a lot of the jokes. I guess, on some level, what can you do about that? I mean, the comedians only have a certain amount of material. There’s probably going to be some overlap. Still, it’s kind of hard to get terribly excited over stuff you’ve heard before. It’s not that it’s bad at all, but it’s not the freshest. I guess in some cases you want an encore–especially if the comedian is famous for a particular bit. Example that comes to mind is Margaret Cho and her Ass Master bit.

In any case, good job, show. My throat is sore from laughing so hard. You know what? I don’t care. Putting up with a hoarse voice is worth it.

Kill Bill Parts 1 & 2, in One Minute


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex0ANhZ1Y6o

Well, that was to the point. Great video.

Four Seasons

See, Jersey Boys has been on my list of things that “would be nice to see” in the city for a long while. There just hasn’t been enough push for me to actually go out and see it. Why? Well, I guess I just hadn’t found the right motivated people to check it out with. So, when a friend brought up the fact that tickets were discounted and asked me to come along, despite it being short notice I tagged along. I’m entirely happy that I did because, wow, that was a really great show.

The show tells the story of the rise of the American band The Four Seasons as told from the perspective of each of the original members of the band. There was enough history there to be able to put together a solid coherent story. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would the drama dominate? Would the songbook kind of clobber us over the head? I think, just by the nature of the story being presented there’s a good balance. The story supports the inclusion of the songs, and the songs carry the story. The flow was very natural; the pacing grips you and draws you in.

For me, the songs were entirely familiar. When I was younger, I used to listen to Saturday Night Oldies pretty frequently. I don’t as much these days, but I still switch it on now and then. That’s why I’m familiar with the songs. For me, the familiarity really helped me get more out of the musical. There were a lot of “OH!” moments when I came to the realization that a certain song was part of their catalogue. I guess, even if I didn’t know any of the songs, the performers were all so sincere and had the right amount of energy such that it would still have enjoyable. The actors and actresses seemed spot on. I guess, sure, if they’re performing in their roles night in, night out, they should have a good handle on everything, right? I’m quite amazed–they all must have a lot of stamina to be able to maintain the energy needed to make it through the whole show.

All in all, last night was an enjoyable night out with friends. Yeah, no doubt, Jersey Boys has got to be one of the best shows going on in Toronto right now. If you have the chance to go see the show, go! Now! Take it in while you can!

Enculturation

I’m not sure what’s going on, but all of a sudden in the past few weeks it seems like I’m doing more stuff in the city than I’ve done in a few months. It’s kind of making my head spin. A few days ago my friend was alerted to a deal that ended this past Wednesday (sorry!). Apparently tickets to Jersey Boys were half price for dates on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Tickets for the mezzanine were going for $30 while orchestra seating was $60. That’s a really good deal. So, on short notice, here I am heading to North York Centre station to meet up with the others and take in the show. I’ll let y’all know how it went.

Everyone’s a character

Yes. Everyone’s a character. In the workplace, if you’ve got a well-balanced team, everyone’s got a role to play. I’m not talking about work-related roles, but rather easily identified personality types that somehow contribute to the mosaic of the team psyche. I had to ponder this for a while. How do people consider me? In my mind, perhaps I could be considered the hard-worker, or the eccentric one. Hmm… When it comes down to it though, it’s quite clear. Whether or not I wish it to be otherwise, I’m clearly “the angry one.”

I’m grumbly. I’ve accidentally let out growls on the phone out of irritation, making the client think there was a wild cat in the room or something. It’s not unusual to find me irritated at something. I’ve wished for a punching bag hanging from the ceiling in the vicinity of my desk. My eyes are often piercing making even my PM think that I’m likely to snap. Maybe I’m exaggerating, maybe I’m not. However, my reputation is definitely that of the angry and irritated guy.

Obviously, I have a lot of other sides, but it kind of strikes me how that’s the dominant trait people have chosen to pick up on. It’s the role that I fill. Other people have got their roles: serious, human punching bag, fresh off the boat, etc. All in all it’s the variation that allows the team to function as well as it does. If everyone’s bringing something different to the table, it means that everyone’s got something unique to contribute. What that does is facilitate the free flow of ideas.

So yes, I’m willing to be the angry one to be the driving force for change, as long as there’s the serious one to keep people on task, and the fresh-eyed one to bring fresh ideas from new perspectives, and the lazy one to remind the group to relax a bit more. Ultimately it all works out.

The big pillow fight

Back when planning the big food tour, my friend told me that she had the perfect plan at 3 p.m. to burn some calories. She sent me a link for this event: Pillow Fight Toronto 2009. Oh Lord. When I first heard about it, I was just wary at the idea of it. I mean, what if some drunken ass decided to just stuff a pillow sack with a few beer bottles and started swinging through the crowd? In my mind, there were just too many variables to the event, so I made no commitment, but told her that I’d at least be on the sidelines as support. Fine, right?

Anyway, after stopping at Soma Chocolate instead of sitting to enjoy a mug of hot chocolate (which is what I kind of had my heart set on) we had to hurry to Yonge-Dundas Square because she had to meet people there at 3 and we were 20 minutes away. We left the Distillery District and started hustling up Parliament St. Unfortunately, we were so full of food that running a good distance just wasn’t a good thing–not if I wanted to keep my black fungal ovary quesadilla down. Heh. We got up to Shuter St. before she wanted to stop and take a bus that was coming up the road. I told her that Dundas was the next street up but she didn’t believe me. When we got on the bus, the automatic announcer announced: “Next stop: Dundas St. E.” Ha!

Anyway, we got off and boarded a streetcar going westbound. As we went round the bend, we stared intently at the square to see if there was anything going on. At first we only saw people standing with cameras from a few high vantage points. We didn’t see any people swinging. No feathers were flying. As the streetcar got closer though, everything came into view. Indeed, the fight was on.

We met up with her friends who were all set with pillows in hand. She fished her pillow out of her backpack looked eager to just get in there. I told her I’d carry the backpack, so in they went. Man, the mayhem was pretty insane. There was a lot of laughing and screaming. It was quite awesome to watch. I had my camera out and was taking a few shots when out of the blue my friend comes and starts whacking me. I was shocked. She then offered me her pillow to allow me have a run through the crowd. I was hesitant, but I gave in. I took the pillow and felt that it was kind of flimsy. I ended up folding it in half which allowed me to wield it like a nerf bat.

Aaaand in I went.

I actually stayed around the periphery of the crowd instead of going into the heart of things. It allowed me to get many good swings at unsuspecting people. WHACK WHACK WHACK. I totally didn’t want to admit it, but I was enjoying it. There was one point where I saw this girl in her late teens play fighting among her friends. I went in and gave her a whack from behind. She stopped fighting, and her mouth started quivering. Maaaan. I saw that and started walking away slowly. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her start to tear up. Her friends started coming around her to comfort her. I was of two minds. Sure, I felt a little bad for making her cry. On the other hand, she’s in a very public pillow fight where if you’re going to whack people in the head (read: you have a pillow in your hand), you have to expect to get whacked back. Bah!

I found my friend again and returned her pillow to allow her to get in there. A few minutes later she gave me the pillow again and I was back in. There were a couple of people sitting on the shoulders of other people. I made it a point to get in there and whack ‘em from up high. I got some good hits. Eventually there was a big “WHOA” from the crowd when someone’s pillow broke. Feathers were flying everywhere. It was all very dream-like. During my third outing, I decided just really get into the middle of everything. That really wasn’t quite as fun because there was just no room to swing.

I guess about 45 minutes after we started, we decided to call it a day. The fight itself was slated to last well until sunset. Us, on the other hand, had had enough. We were covered in feathers and cotton batting that was just floating in the air. We were a funny looking bunch. No kidding! From there we headed over to the burger place to resume our food tour feeling refreshed and invigorated. And that’s that!

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Pillow fight at Yonge-Dundas SquareCowering!Ready to pounceIn the meleeGetting ready for a swingSneak attack

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