Green finger

I feel for a scam at the Farmer’s Market last fall.
I’m not the most organized when it comes to vegetables and spices. I buy as small an amount as possible, but I always seem to let it go to waste. I don’t know how many times I’ve bought a head of garlic, used some cloves, and then watched the rest sprout tendrils and try to grow out of my kitchen. I don’t like to eat garlic that is attempting to grow stuff.
I realized that I use parsley very rarely, but I do use it for the occasional recipe. Every time I purchase it from the grocery store I buy a bunch, use a few sprigs and watch the rest go bad before I need to repeat the process. So when I saw that I could buy an entire living parsley plant from the Farmer’s Market, I thought it was a great idea. I could grow the parsley I need. So I plunked down the money for the plant and took it home.
Since it was several parsley plants, I split the bunch with my mother. I took some dirt from her dirt pile to replace the missing earth so the pot could still be level.
The problem is that either I can’t keep a plant alive, or that parsley traditionally dies in winter. (Hence the scam.)
So I was left with a pot of earth. Since I had a head of garlic on my kitchen counter doing its usual thing, I dumped it in the pile of earth. It grew quickly and looked like it was well on its way to… something. Then all of a sudden, all the green withered and died. Did I water it too much, or too little?
I have a poinsettia that I’ve kept alive for a year and a half. I’m proud of that. However, it fell over a month ago and several branches broke off. As an experiment, I took some of the broken branches and planted them in the pot. Usually they never take, but I used recent growths, and they haven’t died yet. They don’t make roots, but I think the two have grown bigger leaves.
Then, at about the same time, something else green sprouted from the pot. I have no idea what it is though. Is it parsley? Is it some garlic that survived from a root? Is it something that was growing in my mother’s dirt pile? Who knows!? I’m not a gardener. But it is getting bigger and trying to get to the window.
To add to the fun, I bought some parsley seeds and dumped them in last week. I’m assuming that is what sprouted there overnight.

Donor

Since I’m injured, and not running for awhile I thought it would be as good a time as any to donate blood. I’m not using it. And if I do it now, I get points for my company in Corporate Challenge.
So after work I headed off to the clinic. It’s a fairly simple process to drain your life force. Usually it is risk free. Not today.
They had the Oiler’s hockey game on television. The nurses were somewhat distracted by it. They claimed they were paying attention to their job, but their eyes kept glancing to the television. When you’re dealing with people waving around sharp needles, that is a little disconcerting.
Thankfully I made my getaway with no major injuries. There was bloodshed, but that’s what I went there for.

Irony? Karma?… Carma?

I went to work on my scooter today. When I got to the place where I was front-ended yesterday, I was behind the exact same truck. He still had no rear bumper. I’m also wondering if the oilers flag that was covering his back window was there yesterday?
We got through the intersection without incident.

Right, decision made. I’m going to go to Calgary this weekend.
So, Improv people, I won’t be attending the Sunday Jam.
Calgary people, I’ll be able to see you, assuming I know of a way to contact you.
Winnipeg people, go back to sleep.

Crummy morning, acceptable afternoon.

I woke up too early and felt a little sick. However, I was able to get back to sleep when I turned my clock off so it wouldn’t alarm later. So I got a bit more sleep and was feeling much better when I did wake. Of course, I left for work late, but I was accepting of that. It is okay to be an hour late if I make up for it later.
Of course I was even later when someone decided to back into my car.
I was traveling west on 107th Avenue, in the left hand turn lane to head south onto 170th Street. Ahead of me was a white truck, also attempting to turn left. He had partially entered the intersection on the green light and was waiting for a gap in the eastbound traffic so that he could complete the turn. That gap never happened, and the light turned red. Instead of proceeding through he decided to get out of the intersection the other way. I.e. To reverse.
Apparently he didn’t see me. Maybe the white of my car blended with the white of his truck. Or maybe his pickup was too big for him to manage and I was hidden behind him. In either case, he reversed slowly into me. I tried to back up out of his way, but he was quicker than me.
It wouldn’t have been too bad under normal circumstances. But, for whatever reason, he decided that his truck didn’t need a rear bumper. So the truck (which is higher than my car) backed its frame into the hood of my car.
We exchanged information. Apparently he didn’t want to proceed forward because he thought a red-light camera might ticket him. I don’t believe that is possible if you are already in the intersection.
In either case I have contacted my insurance company and even gotten an estimate on the damages. It won’t be repaired until mid-June, so I’m thinking of checking a different autobody shop.
My worry is that since there aren’t any witnesses, he might blame me for the accident. I’m depending on human decency right now.
In other news, I got my scooter back from its spring tune up. I rode up and down Whyte Avenue once. It’s a nice change of pace. Since it will be 31 degrees tomorrow, it should be a good day to ride it.

Decisions, decisions

I am contemplating taking a trip to Calgary this weekend. It is a holiday weekend, so I should probably do something. A chance to see the parents and let them spoil me. I could even see some friends while down there. Now I am all in favor of this, but there are a number of reasons not to.
I have various chores that I need to get done. Some are computer based, so I could do them while down there, but it is hard to concentrate on work. Then again, will I have better time concentrating here?
It’s still up in the air. But that’s the good thing about family only being a drive away, I can make the plans at the last minute.

Construction

It’s a beautiful day out. The temperature got into the mid-twenties today. Since we can’t seem to get the air-circulation right at work, it was rather warm. I also didn’t have enough sleep last night, leading to a slight headache. So what I would like to do is sit on my balcony, sip some lemonade and enjoy myself.
Instead I have to close up all the windows because there is a Bobcat playing in the dirt across the street. Those things are far louder than they have a right to be.

Learn already

Well Forestt Gump had it right. “Stupid is as stupid does.”
A friend called me and wanted to go on a short run. Apparently I can’t say no to runs. So despite all evidence that my foot would rather I not go running, I felt it would be my best interests to pound the pavement.
In my defense, my foot didn’t hurt too badly at the time he called. And really, it is a beautiful day out.
It doesn’t feel too bad now. I’ve put a cold compress on it. I should be fine, but I big part of me is thinking of bailing on the regular Sunday morning run.

Word of the day: Laterality

I don’t know what happened to me. Despite all the abuse over the past week, noted and otherwise (I ran up Emily Murphy Hill ten times on Wednesday), everything below the waist was feeling fairly good. Then yesterday I woke up with pain in my right foot; Horrifyingly similar to pain I felt two years ago that put me out for two months.
Every step makes the outside of the foot throb with a dull pain. Yet, if I walk around on my tiptoes (oh, that doesn’t look weird) it goes away.
What gets me is that on Thursday I did nothing unusual, or even exercise related. And yet here I am with pain.

Further evidence that the right side of my body hates me. That’s what you get for giving a side of yourself laterality. It thinks it should get all the perks.

Beautiful Day

The problem with beautiful days is that you are obligated to use them. Saturday was rainy, so there wasn’t a reason to do anything. But today it was nice out. After half a year of winter, you have to seize these moments.
But there is the chance of overusing them.
This morning was the traditional run. 26km of beautiful trails.
Then this afternoon, I went rollerblading with a friend for two hours.
Needless to say, I am tired. I am hoping the next few days have poor weather so I can recover. It looks like rain tonight, so it’s a good sign.

Doctor’s orders

I thought I would be a good environmental citizen today.
Due to the medical test yesterday, I have to eat certain fruits and vegetables. The fruit isn’t a problem, but vegetables have been a personal nemesis. Fortunately, carrots were on the list. I can enjoy munching on a carrot.
While at the grocery store today I had two options. A 5lb bag of carrots or a 2lb bag of organic carrots. They were about the same price. And I knew that there was no way I would be able to eat 5lb of carrots, so I went with the organic.
I got home, cracked open the package, washed an orange stick of vegetative goodness and proceeded to follow doctor’s orders, with a healthy environmental consciousness.

Those were the worst carrots I have ever had.

What have we learned today?

My old nemesis, Irony

I read today’s Penny-Arcade comic.
The commentary that went along with it was interesting. Particularly this:

I couldn’t help thinking about the Goddamn deathmarch the people over at Bungie have been in for what has got to be going on eight years now. I guess I shouldn’t invent motivations for them.  As people are bored by the time we have created the third panel of a comic, we may represent a statistical abberation. Maybe they still like Halo.  You know?  Maybe they are unstoppably enthusiastic.

That brings me back to the distant past. I played the Marathon game when it first came out. It was great. What sucked me in was the great story that was revealed as you played it. That quality has continued on at Bungie, even when they were bought out by Microsoft.
I don’t know if they still enjoy making Halo, or if Microsoft has them chained to their computers in some slave galley making its way around Peugeot Sound.
But I do remember a comment that was made by them after they had released the third Marathon game.

Imagine a painting of a horse, a marvellous white stallion. This stallion happens to be lying in a crumpled heap on the ground, dead. And Bungie employees are standing around it in a semicircle, beating the horse with various blunt objects. The painting is titled “Marathon 4.”

Irony? Prophecy? Karma?

In an interesting parallel, I was going through some old notes I had at work. I ran across a quote from one of the founders of the company.

“That’s why I would make a terrible product manager. I’m supposed to be the customer’s advocate when I’d rather just whack them with a big stick.”

The gentleman who send that in 2001, is now the product manager.

Weird digestion

My meal times have gotten weird lately.
Yesterday I planned to make a nice chicken dish. I whipped up the marinade, using fresh lemons and soya sauce. I’ve made it in the past and it has always been good. Then I reach into the refrigerator and take out the chicken that was about to accept this delicious basting.
It, of course, had gone bad.
I can’t seem to plan my thawings lately. I either take them out of the freezer too soon as demonstrated, or too late so that the meat has a frozen core.
I tossed it and had some frozen fish instead.
Then today, I didn’t have breakfast. It wasn’t by choice. I had a medical appointment that said no food or drink after midnight. I wasn’t as starving hungry as I thought I would be. Luckily before the test they feed you something.
A barium drink. Mmmm. Nucleary.
After the lovely bit of scanning me (and a fire alarm) I horked down some donuts and a muffin from Tim Hortens. But for the rest of the day I’ve been gassy, and my digestive track has been feeling it isn’t appreciated.
I’m supposed to eat high fiber and bran food stuffs. I think you can guess where this is going. Or rather, what isn’t.

Awkward Dinner

So I was in Chiantis on Whyte Avenue today for dinner. The place was rather dead. There is a pool hall/bar on the floor above it. I guess that’s where everyone was. Every so often there was a large pounding from up top. You would almost think that the ceiling was going to cave in.
Oh, did I mention that it was game six of the Oilers vs. Detroit. The Oilers are now going to the second round of the playoffs. Detroit is not.
Whyte Avenue is where it is happening in Edmonton. The equivalent in Calgary would be the Red Mile.
While walking home it was hard not to be affected by all the screaming people. They were everywhere. I felt like an intruder though. I still have yet to watch a game of hockey, and here are all these people for whom it is the most important thing in the world. They were all so happy and so was the group consciousness. I did have a longing to be part of it, but that would require me to watch hockey, and I don’t have the time.
Edmonton treats its hockey players like Gods! I wonder if the players get the same kind of attention in the southern states.