in transit

Yesterday I had a somewhat dramatic bus ride.

I boarded the 99 at UBC and began my trek home. I was rather absorbed in the book I am currently reading (Jitterbug Perfume) and rather unaware of the comings and goings of those around me. That is until a particular fellow boarded with his backpack in tow. He sat himself next to me and then a moment later shuffled over by one seat leaving a space between us.

Once the bus started rolling he raised his backpack about half a meter and the let it drop to the floor. The percussive power of his bag’s mass against the bus floor was both startling and annoying. I kept my eyes on the page. He leaned in close. I could feel his breath on my cheek as he spoke. “You better hope I don’t start swinging this. It’s full of cans. And when I start swinging, I don’t stop.”

As it seemed negotiation was perhaps not the preferred discourse of this brute, I elected to adopt a position of indifference. I neither looked up nor altered my breathing, though I felt my ears redden and my heart pick up a few beats.

Having apparently not found a suitable confrontation in me, he turned away and began talking at various passengers. Eventually he began offering startlingly specific hygiene advice to some of the women on the bus. My patience and tolerance promptly evaporated. I navigated my way to the front of the bus and worked with the driver to make disembarking arrangements for this decidedly unpleasant fellow.

For my troubles, in addition to the complimentary shots of adrenaline, I now have my name in yet another police report.

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Walking on glass

I had recently been hobbling around for about a week and a half (just before I started running again). I stepped on some glass that managed to embed itself in my foot. I bounced from clinic to clinic in search of the necessary images and scalpels. In the end, the x-rays revealed nothing and the surgeon just went for a dig. The glass is now out and my foot is pretty much healed.

This is what my foot looks like naked.

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leveraging lynn

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picking up slack

I went for a morning run in the beautiful sunshine. It was a bit over six kilometers. I wore my gps thinger and the heart rate monitor to see how I would measure up as compared to when I was running frequently.

I manged to complete the run in pretty much bang on 30 minutes. At the suggestion of my physiotherapist I stopped after the first 1.5 km for a stretch session (about 3 minutes) which, when deducted, suggests a pace of 4:30 per km. That is not too far where I left off but the difference is that I was totally bagged. A quick data download from my wired life showed my heart rate over 180 bpm on several occasions. I guess sitting on your ass takes its toll.

Here is a shot of the beautiful morning I had the pleasure of being in.

 

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back in the saddle

After a month without blogging, I declare that I am back.

It took an absurdly long time for my knee to fully recover from the abuse it suffered this past summer. I have pretty much been a super lazy ass – using the knee as my excuse. I have gone on a couple of short runs recently that did not make me hate life, so I declare that I am back on the running train too.

The most suitable way I can think of to get (back) into anything is to make a splash. This is awfully congruent with a special request made by someone who donated to my Run to End Poverty campaign. Meghan can often be found causing a ruckus around Kamloops. You can pretty much track her movements in real-time on twitter: sometimes lending hope, sometimes crushing itsometimes randy, sometimes rational, guaranteed exciting. This one is for you Meghan.

Now I think I will have a grilled cheese sandwich.

photo credit
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IATI redux

It was never my intention to take a big hiatus from blogging. Given the topic of my last post, perhaps this is a fitting arc to bring it back.

Yesterday Bev Oda (the Canadian Minister of International Cooperation), announced that the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has become a member of the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI).

Here is the press release.

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IATI

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) is a branch of the federal government that oversees billions of dollars worth of aid each year. In most cases it is very difficult to determine how that money is spent and who ultimately is receiving it within a recipient country.

For example, in 2009-2010 Canadians provided $123.85 million in aid to Ghana through CIDA. In exchange, CIDA gave Canadians a TWO PAGE  report. The report is interesting and may be useful for someone writing a press release but it contains very little useful information for someone keen on details and it certainly does not demonstrate transparency or accountability.

Today I joined the thousands of Canadians asking our Government to sign on to the International Aid Transparency Agreement. It is time for Canada to lead North America by joining the European countries that have agreed to change the way we look at international aid.

I signed a postcard for Bev Oda (the minister in charge of CIDA) and sent an e-mail to my MP asking them to make Canadian foreign aid more effective while simultaneously reducing waste and corruption. I asked them to sign the IATI.

You can too: http://www.ewb.ca/yourvoice

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How high?

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This is a helluva big jump for some hella big fish to make.

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Naturalisting

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As adventure approaches maximum, whale bone collection approaches gnar.

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Island weekend

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A new adeventure dawns with a beautiful sunset.

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