Sunday, July 29, 2007
TDF
What a blast it was to watch le Tour roll into Paris. Having been there so recently, I felt very enamoured with the entire scene.This feeling, a fresh one, since the tour has got me yo-yo-ing pretty good this year. I know I posted a few weeks ago about my enthusiasm for the Tour and the progress of Canchellara in the first week. Mid-tour, I got pretty down about the whole event because of Vinokourov. The Kazahk rider, who I had heartily believed was all heart, all man, all determination proved to be blood-doping. Shame on you, Vino. As a result of Vino's doping, his whole team was pulled from the race in disgrace. Seriously, man, Bobke called you Vinoshtompenzie... how can you be so cruel?
I didn't watch the stage the next day. I felt completely down about the whole thing. Of course, I felt I needed to hear from Liggett and Roll before totally shutting the TDF off. I'm really glad I did. Versus' didn't prohibit their commentators from laying down the law and reinforcing that cheaters will not be tolerated and that cycling must go on.
Shortly after that, Rasmussen was pulled, while in the maillot jeune! WTF! He failed to report his whereabouts during training, which is required by the professional cycling association, and when he finally did report about his training location, he said he was in Mexico. Nope, turns out he was in Italy. Liar!
Liggett again, unguarded and convincingly said "May he never ride again". I was astounded by the authentic comments made by each commentator, three of which are prior le Tour riders. These commentators, who should feel the most betrayed by the news after commentating on how brilliant, brave and astounding these very riders had ridden, plowed on even more in love with the sport. I had to concede that I too would love the race, this after contemplating a complete abandon of supporting the event.
So, I love that Contador won. I love that Evans was second (only 23 seconds behind Contador). I love that Leipheimer (a mere 31 seconds behind Contador) won third position and Stage 18. I love that Popo is such a workhorse. I love that Solar gangled his way to the King of the Mountains. I love that crashes don't always mean defeat (Casar on Stage 18 hit a wandering dog, crashed hard, and still won the stage in the breakaway). I love those riders that 'dug deep into the suitcase of courage' to do the race clean and true (Liggettism).
All of that said, I thought I'd finish le Tour with babe in arms. Oh well, vive le Tour!
Friday, July 27, 2007
D-day
So my due date - July 25 - has come and gone. The few days before d-day, I felt somewhat antsy about baby's arrival, like I could will my labour to commence or something. I quickly identified that my angst (although very minor, I might add) about baby's arrival was more about my character than my circumstance. Quite frankly, I am a punctual person. In fact, I consider being on time arriving ten minutes early. It drives me crazy when I have to make a call, albeit very infrequent, to say that I will be late. Usually, in the event I make that call, I arrive on time anyway. So, I felt that baby would be... you know... on time. It just goes to show that this kid is going to test my character. Haha on me.
I had a great d-day, hanging with my sister and my neices at Harrison Lake. We drank in the sun, ate yummy summer eats and licked plenty of ice cream, for me, with full knowledge that at some point my ice cream eating days are soon to be over (my one prego indulgence). I escaped the d-day panic completely, later hanging with the whole family at my sister's eating more good food and celebrating life, imminent change and sunshine days.
On d-day and since, my energy levels have been high. I enjoy long walks, picking up daily groceries (the cashiers anxiously awaiting my absence from the daily check-out), reading great books and, of course, watching movies.
I just finished Richard Russo's Pulitzer Prize winning novel Empire Falls. I love it when I find a new writer to read. I can see myself consuming the rest of his work quickly over the next while. I have to learn to pace myself though, more often than not I read all a writer's work and then feel annoyed that I'm waiting around for their next piece. I do this with films too. Or, I o.d. and tire of their writing voice, which is so silly of me to do. Or, even worse, the writer dies! Then I'm s.o.l..
Empire Falls is the kind of book you settle into. The title of the book is the town in which the characters live and where the reader lives for the duration of the read. Russo knows how to love his characters, even the nasty, crusty and insecure ones. In that love, Russo gives the reader an opportunity to choose to love the characters too, while being completely authentic about their flaws, their sins, their despicable betrayals, and their imminent mistakes. I felt that Russo didn't have to twist my arm to love Jimmy Minty, a small-town policeman with a chip on his shoulder and who ain't all that bright, or the Silver Fox, a wannabe-lothario who is actually really cheap and really old despite his constant verbal jousting with other men in the room. These are annoying characters! But, each of these Russo characters live in a reader's life somewhere, if you look close enough, they're there.
By chance, the film Nobody's Fool played on the telly a few days ago. This film is based on a Russo novel. Paul Newman is glorious - isn't he always? - in this film. I really enjoyed watching the film again, like eating dessert after Empire Falls. EF is one of the best reads for me in a very long time... and I'm reading good books!
I had a great d-day, hanging with my sister and my neices at Harrison Lake. We drank in the sun, ate yummy summer eats and licked plenty of ice cream, for me, with full knowledge that at some point my ice cream eating days are soon to be over (my one prego indulgence). I escaped the d-day panic completely, later hanging with the whole family at my sister's eating more good food and celebrating life, imminent change and sunshine days.
On d-day and since, my energy levels have been high. I enjoy long walks, picking up daily groceries (the cashiers anxiously awaiting my absence from the daily check-out), reading great books and, of course, watching movies.
I just finished Richard Russo's Pulitzer Prize winning novel Empire Falls. I love it when I find a new writer to read. I can see myself consuming the rest of his work quickly over the next while. I have to learn to pace myself though, more often than not I read all a writer's work and then feel annoyed that I'm waiting around for their next piece. I do this with films too. Or, I o.d. and tire of their writing voice, which is so silly of me to do. Or, even worse, the writer dies! Then I'm s.o.l..
Empire Falls is the kind of book you settle into. The title of the book is the town in which the characters live and where the reader lives for the duration of the read. Russo knows how to love his characters, even the nasty, crusty and insecure ones. In that love, Russo gives the reader an opportunity to choose to love the characters too, while being completely authentic about their flaws, their sins, their despicable betrayals, and their imminent mistakes. I felt that Russo didn't have to twist my arm to love Jimmy Minty, a small-town policeman with a chip on his shoulder and who ain't all that bright, or the Silver Fox, a wannabe-lothario who is actually really cheap and really old despite his constant verbal jousting with other men in the room. These are annoying characters! But, each of these Russo characters live in a reader's life somewhere, if you look close enough, they're there.
By chance, the film Nobody's Fool played on the telly a few days ago. This film is based on a Russo novel. Paul Newman is glorious - isn't he always? - in this film. I really enjoyed watching the film again, like eating dessert after Empire Falls. EF is one of the best reads for me in a very long time... and I'm reading good books!
Thursday, July 12, 2007
38+
*Sigh*
It's hot... I'm hot. Surprisingly, I'm quite content albeit hot. I can't complain really, because my first week off of work has been scrumptious so far.
Monday: I had a massage which definitely decreased the swelling in my feet and ankles. I also accomplished quite a few pre-baby errands which made me feel productive (a novelty at this stage of pregnancy).
Tuesday: I went to the pool for several hours... an outdoor pool nearby. The scene was straight out of Little Children, and I drank up every minute of sun and splashy, cool water. A and I attended our bi-weekly birth program and to our delight, a couple had given birth since our last meeting to a healthy and wee baby girl. Seeing the babe and the parents really choked me up in a happy way. It was also reassuring to see a wee newborn (six pounds nothing) because my sister gave birth to a nine pound 13 ounce (by caesarian section) babe recently. Meeting my lovely, yummy new niece was unforgettable, although visualizing me birthing a baby of her size got my heart rate up a bit.
Wednesday: Did a few more errands, watched Mystic River again (wow, Sean Penn is the master actor) and drank a lot of mint and lemon water on ice.
Each one of these days has been accompanied by a nap, le Tour, and reading books that tickle my fancy. I really am having a wonderful time.
Interestingly, I'm not in a hurry to have my baby. A lot of people look at me lately like "Poor you, in this heat". I appreciate the concern yet I'm really not unhappy about the whole situation. Every day is full of potential, you know, the arrival of my child is imminent. How can the sun spoil such a beautiful day with such massive wonder? I also love the anticipation of baby's arrival. I'm not one for surprises, but this labour won't be one because I've been expecting it for well over eight months now. Yeah, this part is fun.
It's hot... I'm hot. Surprisingly, I'm quite content albeit hot. I can't complain really, because my first week off of work has been scrumptious so far.
Monday: I had a massage which definitely decreased the swelling in my feet and ankles. I also accomplished quite a few pre-baby errands which made me feel productive (a novelty at this stage of pregnancy).
Tuesday: I went to the pool for several hours... an outdoor pool nearby. The scene was straight out of Little Children, and I drank up every minute of sun and splashy, cool water. A and I attended our bi-weekly birth program and to our delight, a couple had given birth since our last meeting to a healthy and wee baby girl. Seeing the babe and the parents really choked me up in a happy way. It was also reassuring to see a wee newborn (six pounds nothing) because my sister gave birth to a nine pound 13 ounce (by caesarian section) babe recently. Meeting my lovely, yummy new niece was unforgettable, although visualizing me birthing a baby of her size got my heart rate up a bit.
Wednesday: Did a few more errands, watched Mystic River again (wow, Sean Penn is the master actor) and drank a lot of mint and lemon water on ice.
Each one of these days has been accompanied by a nap, le Tour, and reading books that tickle my fancy. I really am having a wonderful time.
Interestingly, I'm not in a hurry to have my baby. A lot of people look at me lately like "Poor you, in this heat". I appreciate the concern yet I'm really not unhappy about the whole situation. Every day is full of potential, you know, the arrival of my child is imminent. How can the sun spoil such a beautiful day with such massive wonder? I also love the anticipation of baby's arrival. I'm not one for surprises, but this labour won't be one because I've been expecting it for well over eight months now. Yeah, this part is fun.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
To me, today feels like the first day of summer after the last day of school. That's probably due to the fact that I finished work yesterday and the weather is screaming summer days. Yeah, I'm pretty excited about the fact that I'm done work until baby arrives. The urge to nap in the middle of the day has been one I've battled quite a bit over the last two weeks of work. Although I didn't always feel it while working, I'm really glad I pushed through and worked until now.
The bonus of that summer holidays feeling is that Le Tour de France started today! Oh, how I love le Tour. I have to admit I've been annoyed with the fallout of last years tour because I had enjoyed the race so much. That said I'm into giving this year a 'clean' bill of health. I've got a special place in my heart for Oscar Pereiro for his valiant efforts last year. I know the jury is still officially out on Landis' win, but I see Pereiro as the winner. I just like him, he's a scrapper, a chachi and an underdog.
Today, Fabian Cancellara rocked the prologue time trial followed by a stellar second placement by Andreas Kloden. Cancellara may be podium bound this year, Phil Liggett has only been a fan of his for the last few years.
I love the sound of Phil Liggett in the morning. Who wouldn't love hearing Liggettisms every day?
The bonus of that summer holidays feeling is that Le Tour de France started today! Oh, how I love le Tour. I have to admit I've been annoyed with the fallout of last years tour because I had enjoyed the race so much. That said I'm into giving this year a 'clean' bill of health. I've got a special place in my heart for Oscar Pereiro for his valiant efforts last year. I know the jury is still officially out on Landis' win, but I see Pereiro as the winner. I just like him, he's a scrapper, a chachi and an underdog.
Today, Fabian Cancellara rocked the prologue time trial followed by a stellar second placement by Andreas Kloden. Cancellara may be podium bound this year, Phil Liggett has only been a fan of his for the last few years.
I love the sound of Phil Liggett in the morning. Who wouldn't love hearing Liggettisms every day?
Sunday, July 01, 2007
volcano
In recent days, I've thought fondly of the evenings A and I had along the Seine in Paris. It was during those times we delved into deep discussions about our imminent life change of having a child. Like I mentioned in those posts (April/May), to me that travel time was critical for us to switch gears and eventually head back home with a clear outlook at what lay ahead of us.
In 1980, Mt. St. Helens erupted. Although the event was about 200 miles from our home in Abbotsford, the sky went black in the middle of the day and stayed black until the next morning. This historical volcanic eruption profoundly altered my understanding of the world. I was six years old at the time and faced thoughts of mortality, the end of the world, the magnitude of greater spiritual powers, and ultimately that there are many things that could happen in my life which are beyond my control.
One of the questions I posed to A was, "Who do we want to be in baby's life?". This question was not intended to target the obvious folks in our lives - like moms and dads and so on. Rather, the questions was to identify who in our lives influence, inspire, encourage and challenge us and as a result who we want baby to know. What's interesting is that we didn't answer the question. Instead, we trailed into a discussion about whether or not it's people or events that shape a person.
Naturally, to answer the first question thoughtfully, we made attempts to identify people who had influenced our lives and why. This was a difficult task. I found myself naming people I never even met who influenced me - like Terry Fox, Anne Frank, or Nicky Cruz.
Then, we drifted into the idea that events were more significant than people. Testing this theory out was fascinating. Here are a couple of examples of events early in my life that formed my idea of the world and ultimately, the way in which I react to it.
In 1980, Mt. St. Helens erupted. Although the event was about 200 miles from our home in Abbotsford, the sky went black in the middle of the day and stayed black until the next morning. This historical volcanic eruption profoundly altered my understanding of the world. I was six years old at the time and faced thoughts of mortality, the end of the world, the magnitude of greater spiritual powers, and ultimately that there are many things that could happen in my life which are beyond my control. The economic recession of the early 80s was a critical time for me. Although I was very young, I was well aware of the financial chaos that my parents were enduring. As a result of the economic downturn it was a painful and exhausting period in their lives. I know they did their best to protect me during this heartbreaking time in their lives. Nevertheless, the external factors that changed were obvious to me - my dad had to struggle to find work that paid him fairly (at the time he, a building contractor, in the declining construction industry), my mom returned to the work force with some reluctance I imagine, we moved away from our lovely home which my dad had built for us (only a few years earlier) in a great neighbourhood and into a rental (gasp!) in a not so awesome neighbourhood, sold a vehicle and got a used one (oh, 'the Beast' as we fondly referred to it as), and so on...
What the recession forced me to consider is what impact unforseen , unmanageable debt has on a person's life. I wondered if we had lived with less from the beginning of our family's formation if this period of our lives could be less devestating. I made a choice at that age that material things were of little importance to me. In that same vein, I made a conscious decision that I would not incur debt over any other important person or experience in my life. In my own way I made a committment to not follow 'the American/Canadian dream'. The long term impact of that decision lives with me every day. In rare moments, I dread this absolutism because it's so not 'normal' and more often than not it causes others to bristle at my comments and decisions about - for example - not having any interest to own a home. That said most of the time I'm well aware and grateful about the direction that this personal, lifestyle value has formed me.
These are two events that distinctly and certainly shaped me, prior to age eight.
So, events form a person - that is for sure. In that though, I imagine that the influence of people within those events shape the event itself. I'm not quite done mulling this thought through although I believe that a parents' role, my eventual role, is to facilitate life events in my child's life. And when unforseen things happen - like a recession or a natural disaster - it's my role to respond to the impact of those events on my child.
*Sigh* I really am glad I waited so long to have a babe.... this is all just so major.
vanity fair
At the time this photo (1991) was published, I was shocked by Demi's brazen move to pose nude while pregnant. I was 16 years old at the time. I remember that I couldn't stop looking at it - not judging or offended, but drawn to it. Of course she's a beautiful woman who was at her peak of stardom with the blockbuster that year, Ghost, and married to Bruce Willis. It was the era of Planet Hollywood and glamour was at its finest.
Being highly pregnant now, I think I have finally made up my mind about this photo - no longer in my teen starry-eyed head. I believe it's confident and staggeringly beautiful. What a gutsy move.
