Showing posts with label Carrie Brownstein. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carrie Brownstein. Show all posts

May 5, 2016

The Path Taken

There’s a good chance that both my ankles are broken.


They’re not so bad when I am sitting, but ask me to get up and grab a glass of water and it feels like Kathy Bates has taken a sledge hammer to them both.


I ran home today say and in an effort to “push myself” in “preparation” for my upcoming run, I decided to take the long way home. So instead of the easy seven kilometer door-to-door route I am used to, I added a few kilometers to the run. Six to be exact. I ran 13km home today, and this is the farthest I’ve ever run. And now, both my ankles might be broken. Apparently pushing yourself hurts pretty badly.


But let me tell you a little story, another lesson I learned today on the park connector path just passed The Aquarius condo building. I had just crossed a bridge and started heading down the path adjacent to the viaduct, when I realzied that I was on the wrong side. The path I was on would end in a few feet and the smart thing to do would have been to turn around and back track to the bridge and start again on the other side, down the correct path which we would have taken me to the next street.


I was pretty tired at this point and the idea of back tracking seemed too much to handle. So I just kept running on the now grass path, thinking that I could bush-whack my way through the foliage if it became too dense. A few feet later a small gang of workers told me to turn around because the path would end abruptly shortly up ahead, and like a pompous asshole, I waved off their warning and just kept running. Until…yup you guessed it the path became impassable. No problem, I scaled the short fence and ran down by the water. It was low tide and there was enough dry land to make it the one kilometer or so I need to traverse.


When I got to the end, and was feeling quite pleased with myself, I must say, I needed to run up the slope to get back to the street. I took a few steps back to get a running start when I stepped ankle deep into an almost black mound of sludge, which delightfully smelled like Ursula’s armpits and, there is no graceful way of saying this- shit. Both of my shoes were covered in the stuff and it stank so bad I almost puked.


I eventually made my way up the embankment and with no other choice for me to make I kept running home. Holding my breath until the smell abated. The lesson:


You know all that B.S. about the road not taken, and think outside of the box? I am here to tell you that sometimes there is a reason a path is not taken. Sometimes it makes sense to TURN AROUND, when you know you are making a mistake. No amount of obstinate posturing in life is worth it if you are stubbornly doing the wrong thing just to take a risk or trying something new. For all the times that this risky behavior might pay off, there are also times when you must be practical and smart enough to just turn around and stay on the safe path.


The young radical rule-breaker me, shudders as I write these words, although he often kept running with shit on his shoes, but the older wiser means is learning that you don’t always have to go against the grain or try new things, sometimes it makes sense to stay on the path that has been indicated for you to be on.



I kind of already miss Ted Cruz’s demonic, creepy, pathetic, jowl-ridden face. (Off Tangent- Seth Meyer’s “Closer Look” segments which can be found on Youtube are pretty great.)



Last night, a few minutes passed midnight, I finished the Carrie Brownstein book. And all I can say is that it is perfect. I loved every word, every page, every story. You know who you are- the people, who must read this book. I actually considered starting over as soon as I finished, and I never do that, but I am going to re-read Murikami’s What I talk About When I Talk About Running instead. I read it a few years ago as a writer, but now I hope to discover new insights as a runner too.

May 2, 2016

A Series of Ruts

I took Kaia out on the skateboard again today. We were properly padded up this time to encourage slightly more aggressive skating and to avoid injury. Which is a good thing because she took a pretty hard fall. The board slipped out from under her and she went full horizontal and landed on her elbow and hip. It had to hurt. She cried. I hugged. We sat and waited away the pain. And then, just like that we were back at it.


She is getting much better. She’s still a bit stiff and unbalanced, but she is getting the hang of it slowly. We need a good smooth place with a slight incline. The tunnel was okay, but not the best. Looking forward to getting her back out again soon. The time has come for my long board purchase. I will be a bit more aggressive about buying my board so the two of us can cruise East Coast Park together soon.



Ran tonight. A healthy and comfortable 8km. It is all coming back to me. Felt mentally okay and the legs and lungs felt good. I am looking at signing up for another 10km at the end of May and maybe the half-marathon in Cambodia in December. Gonna push my distances in the coming weeks no matter what. My accidental break is over. Time to get back into the routine.



I’ve been in a s series ruts since the April break. I think I have been so looking forward to the summer that I have not really been living in the now. Last night, I finally found out why. My reading life was comatose. I wasn’t reading anything. I realised that if I am not reading something fun, thought provoking, gut wrenching or just simply interesting than everything else in my life feels dull and uninspired.


I came to this epiphany last night in bed as I started Carrie Brownstein’s book called Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl. For those of you who do not know who Carrie is- she is the singer and guitarist of the punk(ish) band Sleater Kinney and the writer and star of Portlandia. She has also appeared on shows like Transparent. And as if that wasn’t a resume enough, now she can add bad-ass writer to her CV. I am only 56 pages into it so far, but it has gotten me so fired up about life, art, music, being an obsessive fan and more. The prose is tight and her insights are powerful.


It doesn’t matter if you are a fan of her music or her acting or not, this book is for anyone who loves the idea of music and art as salvation. For people who believe in heros and fandom and the power of music to transcend any and all of life struggles and pain. This book is for anyone who has ever been obsessed with music to the point of it acting as your best friend, counselor or priest.


I am so excited because this book has finally kick started my reading life and I can feel the loosening of the other ruts that may have calcified since April.



Stumbled upin the hashtag #GiveElsaAGirlfriend. How cool would it be if Disney of all people could move beyond the heteronormative stories we tell children? I would love to have the conversation about Elsa’s girlfriend with both of my kids. I am not holding my breath that one of the largest corporations in the world will make this move, but I hope we are moving in that direction.



The three day weekend has come to an end and that is fine. It was well spent. Hung out with friends, with my kids, my students, in nature and at restaurants. Saw movies. Took naps. Ran. Drank. Wrote and Read. Now it is time for some Game of Thrones and a new week up ahead.


Bring it.