November, 2006
Nov Training Totals
matthew — Thu, 11/30/2006 - 20:37
Looks like I didn't do too bad for the month of November.
Total: 41:46
2006-11-30 Training (good)
matthew — Thu, 11/30/2006 - 20:25
Man I was tired, and everything was hard today. Tomorrow has to be a rest day or else I think I'll fall over.
Total Time: 2:15
12:00 pm - YMCA treadmill, core, and stretch
- Run: 0:30
- Other: 0:15 (core and stretch)
5:30 pm - YMCA swim
- Swim: 1:30 3000 and something meters (1500 free, sets of 500 mixed)
Age of Moment
matthew — Thu, 11/30/2006 - 16:33
I live in an age of moment. Everything so fast so slow. This moment falls into focus while others are lost, though possibly recorded for future viewing. Reliving the present past in the future present. I live in an age of moment, a moment where I sip my coffee and watch a Saturday morning cartoon. A moment when I pause to reflect on how little time I have to reflect if I choose leave the moment.
It's getting cold outside my window. If I blink a week will pass and I'll be frozen to my chair.
Once I Wrote
matthew — Thu, 11/30/2006 - 16:32
Once I wrote that I would be published by the age of 30. Now I'm 6 years late and beginning to write again. However, the old is the same old, and my problems of tale remain. I once wrote because writing was a matter of definition, it was the most important thing, undisputed. When it left me it left a lack.
Now I'm writing to find my subject, my tale, my muse, myself. It's been 10 years past, and the time to tell the difference is now. I still don't have a story, but maybe I can write one.
Storyless Teller
matthew — Thu, 11/30/2006 - 16:21
I've decided that I need a story to tell, and I've decided that I'll have to find one. But this begs the question, as a storyless teller where do I look?
Perhaps being storyless isn't an issue. Perhaps the path to finding one lies in the telling of one. Perhaps a story can be born in ignorance from an ignorant telling. Perhaps that's my way? Perhaps I need nothing.
Avenue du Parc
adie — Thu, 11/30/2006 - 14:19
The Radio Noon call in show on CBC Radio 1 was about Municipal Politics today, and it was pretty much monopolized by the Avenue du Parc issue. Maybe the battle isn't over... Maybe Tremblay's gone insane...
Avenue du Parc, the saga continues
adie — Thu, 11/30/2006 - 12:09
Although I now think that the battle has been lost, others don't appear think so. For me it's now about the next municipal election.
- Canada.com: Save Parc legal actions
- La Presse: the provincial approval step to the name change
- La Presse -- editorial: misreads the "Save Park Avenue" thing as an anti Bourassa thing (because of the Official Language Act) -- most of the protesters that I saw at City Hall were allos not anglos.
Silly Words
adie — Thu, 11/30/2006 - 09:48
I just realized that close and close are the same word. I don't know how I managed not to notice something so strange...
2006-11-29 Training (good)
adie — Wed, 11/29/2006 - 22:15
Another inspired training day. It was really warm out so I chose to run the mountain, and I ended up doing a 21k run. I ran the mountain with 4 loops of the top.
This is the longest run that I've done since my marathon, and it sets the opening bar for my off season long runs. I plan to be up close to 40 by Feb.
FYI: from my house to the foot of the trail, then up the mountain with one loop of top, back to the foot, and back to my house is pretty much 15k. The loop at the top of the mountain is roughly 2k.
Total Time: 2:20
7:00 pm - Mt Royal run
- Run: 21k 1:55
9:00 pm - YMCA weights, core, and stretch
- Weights: 25min (upper body, core, and stretch
2006-11-28 Training (good)
matthew — Tue, 11/28/2006 - 21:38
Inspired training day.
Total Time: 2:45
12 pm - YMCA Swim
- Swim: 1250m 30min (500 mixed, 500 kick w/flippers, 250 free)
5:20 pm - YMCA swim, run, and core
- Swim: 3500m 1:30 (2000 free, sets of 500)
- Run: 30min
- Core: 15min
Sufjan Stevens - Songs For Christmas
adie — Tue, 11/28/2006 - 16:56
Sufjan Stevens - Songs For Christmas
Ok I need to get this... Stupid beautiful Christian artist with a stupid beautiful Christmas box set. Some of it sends chills down my spine... [FYI I'm an athiest who isn't all that into Christmas]
Letter I wrote to Helen Fotopolous, and Mr. Tremblay
adie — Tue, 11/28/2006 - 15:05
Before the subject of renaming Avenue du Parc ever came up I had a fair amount of respect for Mr. Tremblay, I voted his party in the past 2 elections, I supported his stance on several issues, and I liked many things about his vision of the future of Montreal. However, given his actions and bigoted comments surrounding this particular issue, I'm afraid that this "neo-Montrealer" has lost all respect for him as a person.
Unfortunately, I will now have to actively campaign against him and his party in the next municipal election. This is unfortunate because I find that I've developed even more respect for Helen Fotopolous, and while I derive no pleasure in political activism, I cannot in good conscious remain silent with a bigot as mayor of city I love.
Please note that this would have been the case even if the vote went in favor of Avenue du Parc.
Sorry Helen,
Matthew Adie
Robert-Bourassa Avenue
matthew — Tue, 11/28/2006 - 12:30
Well it's over, and we lost :( Avenue du Parc will be changed to Robert-Bourassa Avenue.
40 counsellors voted for the change and 22 against (Helen Fotopoulos being one of them). I respect her, but I will be actively campaigning against her and Tremblay in the next municipal election.
This really pisses me off...
These are various running shoes I wear to run (clockwise from top):
- Nike ACG Gortex winter trail running shoes (still good)
- Saucony Hurricane 8 (new pair at Christmas)
- Nike Free (wearing out)
- Asics Gel-1100
Generally I don't like Nike, but my ACGs have worked great for winter running (they feel good but I bought them before I had a gate analysis done so they might not be ideal for me), and the Nike Free are very good for the treadmill (but they've developed a tear and need replaced).
I love my Saucony Hurricane 8s and I'll be buying them again in December when I'll retire this pair.
The Asics are already retired, but I wear them around and use them for shorter rainy runs (soon to be replaced by the Saucony).
It doesn't look good for Avenue du Parc. From what the media are saying it looks like the majority of Councillors are going to vote for the change. I hope they don't but... Anyway, at least I made an effort to stop it... In the end I've lost all respect for Tremblay and will, in my slacker way, campaign against him in the next election regardless (I think neo-montrealer t-shirts are called for).
Avenue du Parc Protest
matthew — Mon, 11/27/2006 - 23:29
So I went to the Park Avenue protest and the turn out was quite good for a rainy evening. If I were to hazard a guess I'd say there were 200 or so people there. I waited to be one of the last protesters to enter city hall (didn't want to get stuck in the middle of the crowd inside), and by the time I got into the building the upstairs was filled to capacity. I hung around for a bit and then left when the union protesters began entering the building (a different protest).
I took some poor quality video which I will post soon.
Apparently they are either going to announce the decision tomorrow morning or postpone it again. I don't know why Tremblay is choosing to be such a twit.
Bourassa's nephew (see my earlier post about him) has apparently been on the TV news as well this evening speaking out in favor of the name change. On the radio this morning he made comments about how his uncle had done enough to justify the name change. I personally think that unless he were some indisputable hero or saint the name change isn't justified, and even then I'm not sure...
2006-11-27 Training (rest)
matthew — Mon, 11/27/2006 - 23:05
So little, but tired at noon, and then I had to attend the Parc Ave protest in the evening.
Total Time: 0:20
12 pm - YMCA Swim
- Swim: 1500m 20min (500 mixed, 250 kick w/flippers, 250 free)
Rename Ave du Parc
matthew — Mon, 11/27/2006 - 09:19
Well to be fair here's an opposing opinion on the Parc name change. It's a letter written by a nephew of Robert Bourassa:
Où est la gratitude? -- François Le Bel
and with that being said I will be at the protest tonight at 6:15 if anyone wishes to join me.
“Save Park Avenue" protest
matthew — Sun, 11/26/2006 - 23:19
Taken from Lesley's Blog
“Save Park Avenue" protest
**City Hall Montreal, November 27th 2006**
Shuttle service to and from City Hall
Merchants and concerned citizens are sponsoring buses for the “Save Park
Avenue" protest at Montreal city council meeting on Monday. The free bus
rides are available to all who wish to participate in the protest outside of
City Hall beginning at 6:15pm. They will be departing from the following
locations:
Park Avenue corner St-Joseph
Park Avenue corner St-Viateur (YMCA)
Park Avenue corner Bernard (5899 Park Avenue)
Park-Extension, St-Roch corner Champagneur (Evangelismos Church. 777 St-
Roch)
Time of departure : 17h30
Time of return : 20h30
Slow Twitch
adie — Sun, 11/26/2006 - 22:26
Slow Twitch is a great site for triathlon articles and reviews. I highly recommend looking through it.