Today I woke up and did something that I do not normally do - I ran first thing! What an awesome way to start the weekend! It was crispy and the sun was just high enough to cast long shadows across the pathways that seemed to dance to the same rythym of my pace today. I ran 7.5 miles as follows:
7:31, 7:29, 7:28, 7:29, 7:28, 7:30, 7:25, 7:30 (last 0.5) min/mile
I just love these runs where you just lock into a pace, get lost in your thoughts, and before you know it you are back at your door.
Now we are just getting ready to go storm Paris by bike!
ps - The last 2 days I spent in cultural training and they showed us this video to highlight the differences (and importance) of language...I thought it was hilarious!
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Saturday, November 22, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Nov. 20: TMI?
So, after over 30 years of negligance I finally broke down this week and did some "hair maintenance" on my chest. When I was living in the colder northern climates I found that it was quite advantageous to be born with a natural sweater...in fact a hairy chest such as mine was viewed as a favorable genetic mutation...kinda of like an 'X-Man' quality. I was even referred to by some common X-Men names such as 'Wolverine', 'Sabretooth', and 'Beast'. You can also thank genetically advanced people such as myself for the whole Bigfoot myth - look at all the entertainment my people have provided!
Then I moved to Houston where my natural sweater was no longer an advantage...especially during the hot 'n humid summer months. But this is when I started running and the resistance training proved to be invaluable! Infact, during hurricane season I could just stand outside with no shirt on and let my chest hair catch all the flying debris to keep my neighborhood safe.
Plus the Yeti was something new to the local Texan folk since it is normally found high in the Himalayas feeding on inexperienced ice-climbers and yoodlers. I proved to be an attraction...kinda of like the type you see at the circus (but not the good circus, the kinda seedy - don't bring your kids to the performance - type circus!)
Lately there have been no curious crowds willing to pay 50 cents to see me, the bearded lady, and sword-swallowing midget so I found that I was the one becoming curious...I was curious as to what my belly button actually looked like? I knew that it still excisted deep below the carpeted hair forest because I could still feel its general shape below the turf! To cut a long story short, I can now see my belly button!
Yeah...definitely TMI...and definitely another good day in Paris!
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Then I moved to Houston where my natural sweater was no longer an advantage...especially during the hot 'n humid summer months. But this is when I started running and the resistance training proved to be invaluable! Infact, during hurricane season I could just stand outside with no shirt on and let my chest hair catch all the flying debris to keep my neighborhood safe.
Plus the Yeti was something new to the local Texan folk since it is normally found high in the Himalayas feeding on inexperienced ice-climbers and yoodlers. I proved to be an attraction...kinda of like the type you see at the circus (but not the good circus, the kinda seedy - don't bring your kids to the performance - type circus!)
Lately there have been no curious crowds willing to pay 50 cents to see me, the bearded lady, and sword-swallowing midget so I found that I was the one becoming curious...I was curious as to what my belly button actually looked like? I knew that it still excisted deep below the carpeted hair forest because I could still feel its general shape below the turf! To cut a long story short, I can now see my belly button!
Yeah...definitely TMI...and definitely another good day in Paris!
A+
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Nov. 18: Oh yeah...this is a running blog
Although it is only Tuesday, this is a great week! For starters, when I rolled out of bed on Monday morning and looked out my window I was greeted with this sunrise over the Sacre Coeur:
And on Thursday and Friday I am off work to attend Cultural Training! Ok, to be honest I am not sure what I would rather do...work or attend the training. But I am pretty sure that I will have a steady supply of croissants and pain au chocolats to keep me entertained...we shall see!
And to make this week even better, I have actually been running again lately (hence the title of this blog)! I ran 6 miles on Sunday night with Jennie at ~ 9 minute/mile pace.
Yesterday I was leaving work to catch the metro only to discover that the metro was on strike and that all of Paris seemed to be jammed into the metro station trying to catch the 1 train that was running every 20 minutes. "No problem," I thought - like any well planned runner I have a pair of running shoes, shorts, shirt, and clean socks in my office, "I can just run home." And run home I did and it was a BLAST!! It has been a while since I have done serious urban adventure running - I usually avoid it due to the threat of injury or the fact that my legs are just too brittle from extensive training to do some of the maneuvering required to jump obstacles, side step people, and hang fakies when blasting over 5-6 stairs at a time! But yesterday I was just a running fool...now I just need to perfect the army roll while running mid-stride - that would look so cool to do randomly infront of a group of people and just keep running without breaking stride afterwards!!
Today I ran 6 miles in what I believe the Kenyan Way people would call a "progressive run." I had no intention of doing this but once my feet hit the pavement I just let them make the decisions for me. This was not an easy run, nor was it an overly hard run, but it was a GREAT run! It went as follows:
7:30, 7:13, 7:04, 6:39, 5:52, 5:43 min/mile
I have had to restructure my running route to follow alongside lit roads now since it is dusky by 4:45pm and dark by 5:00pm. Since I do not start running until 7:30-8:00pm, I run in search of light! My usual running routes are a little too dark and I believe are used for extracurricular tranny activities during this time of year (2 sightings tonight). My new 6 mile running route is below - it just pains me to see all those beautiful pathways inbetween that I will not be able to run along until next spring sometime!
Speaking of running in darker conditions though - does anyone notice how super dilated their eyes get when coming in from a, generally, dark run. It is obvious why...but after my run today my pupils were huge - I scared myself when I looked into the mirror!
Tomorrow is pilates...going to get my stretch on...sucre!
A+
And on Thursday and Friday I am off work to attend Cultural Training! Ok, to be honest I am not sure what I would rather do...work or attend the training. But I am pretty sure that I will have a steady supply of croissants and pain au chocolats to keep me entertained...we shall see!
And to make this week even better, I have actually been running again lately (hence the title of this blog)! I ran 6 miles on Sunday night with Jennie at ~ 9 minute/mile pace.
Yesterday I was leaving work to catch the metro only to discover that the metro was on strike and that all of Paris seemed to be jammed into the metro station trying to catch the 1 train that was running every 20 minutes. "No problem," I thought - like any well planned runner I have a pair of running shoes, shorts, shirt, and clean socks in my office, "I can just run home." And run home I did and it was a BLAST!! It has been a while since I have done serious urban adventure running - I usually avoid it due to the threat of injury or the fact that my legs are just too brittle from extensive training to do some of the maneuvering required to jump obstacles, side step people, and hang fakies when blasting over 5-6 stairs at a time! But yesterday I was just a running fool...now I just need to perfect the army roll while running mid-stride - that would look so cool to do randomly infront of a group of people and just keep running without breaking stride afterwards!!
Today I ran 6 miles in what I believe the Kenyan Way people would call a "progressive run." I had no intention of doing this but once my feet hit the pavement I just let them make the decisions for me. This was not an easy run, nor was it an overly hard run, but it was a GREAT run! It went as follows:
7:30, 7:13, 7:04, 6:39, 5:52, 5:43 min/mile
I have had to restructure my running route to follow alongside lit roads now since it is dusky by 4:45pm and dark by 5:00pm. Since I do not start running until 7:30-8:00pm, I run in search of light! My usual running routes are a little too dark and I believe are used for extracurricular tranny activities during this time of year (2 sightings tonight). My new 6 mile running route is below - it just pains me to see all those beautiful pathways inbetween that I will not be able to run along until next spring sometime!
Speaking of running in darker conditions though - does anyone notice how super dilated their eyes get when coming in from a, generally, dark run. It is obvious why...but after my run today my pupils were huge - I scared myself when I looked into the mirror!
Tomorrow is pilates...going to get my stretch on...sucre!
A+
Sunday, November 16, 2008
You think you are having a bad day?
This guy just accidentally sat on the sharp end of a tree stump...naked! OUCH!
Nov. 15: Parc Montsouris
Another fun-filled day was spent cruising the streets of Paris by bike on the Velib! Today we rode south to Parc Montsouris. It was originally called Moquesouris (mouse mockery) not without cause as the abandoned windmills of the barren plain were devoid of grain - even for the mice. It was a Parc designed by Napoléon III and Baron Haussmann to give Paris large green areas at its four cardinal points (this one being the southern point).
Nov. 16: The Louvre
Today we spent a few hours in the Louvre. I have a free pass to go anytime I want so we generally just pop in for an hour or 2 at a time because, who am I kidding, I can only process so much in a museum during a given time. Perhaps it says something about me that my attention span for a museum is less than that for a crappy teeny-bobber movie? At any rate, we decided to visit the German, Flemish and Dutch Paintings. Here are some of my highlights:
The Beggars (Pieter Brugel the Elder)
The Baptism of Christ (Cornelis van Haarlem)
The Beggars (Pieter Brugel the Elder)
1568
This is a very small picture. I found it quite amusing. Apparently it could be a social satire where the beggars represent different classes of society that are on their way to destruction. The classes are indicated by their headgear: a cardboard crown for the king, a paper coiffe for the army, a beret for the bourgeoisie, a cap for the peasantry, and a bishop's mitre for the church.
The Village Fete (Peter Paul RUBENS)
1635-1638
This picture depicts what I want to do every weekend...eat, drink, dance and be merry with the ones that you love! Apparently, the landscape was painted ~15 years prior to the rest of the painting. The feast is most likely representing the end of the harvest (as noticed by the sheaves of wheat in the foreground). My favorite thing about this painting is the pig's snout poking out of the sty in the bottom right - this is a symbol of gluttony, which is meant to empahisize the picture's moralist intentions.
The Baptism of Christ (Cornelis van Haarlem)
1588
I just found that the actual part of the picture showing the baptism gave me a very eerie feeling - it just seems so dark and cold. If you look above the baptism you will see a dove flying towards you - I suspect that this is representative of the Holy Ghost.
The Slaughtered Ox (Rembrandt Harmenzoon van Rijn)
1655
There are a lot of things one can interpret from this painting ranging from how a once powerful beast has been brought to death not by his own wishes but by those of others. Now he hangs in the same form as Christ during the crusifiction and like Christ, eating his flesh will provide nourishment and salvation to those that eat it. The woman in the background has a slightly bowed head, almost giving respect and honor. Or it is just a dead Ox...you choose!
The Lacemaker (Johannes Vermeer)
1665-1675
This was my whole motivation to going to the Louvre today...I really wanted to see this painting. The book to her right is likely the bible and highlights Vermeer's fascination of combining everyday objects around him into his paintings. I found this picture very peaceful - by being drawn into and focused into the task in which she is very clearly concentrating on gave me the same comfoting feeling I have when working on similar tasks (i.e. making a model as a kid). The picture is done to center our attention on her painstaking work as it is focused and shown in great detail. You notice that other elements of the painting, such as the white and red string coming out of her sewing cushion on the left, are drawn in almost abstract dribbles of paint.
I hope you enjoyed some of these as much as I did!
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I totally want to go to Canada now....
Lately in the Paris Metro stations I have noticed an abundance of advertisements for Canada. It is not uncommon to see country advertisements in the Metro and to be honest, I often find myself going, "Wow, I would love to go there someday!" However, I have to say that I am a little disappointed in the effort Canada made to promote herself. Of all the treasures that we have to boast my country could only manage to come up with the 4 posters below (I apologize for the glare of the lights). I have included rough translations for those who do not know french...
"Come to Canada so you can stay in a TeePee with no heat in the middle of winter when it is -30 degrees outside...WooHoo!"
"Come to Canada where it is so cold that even our bikini model could not pose in her full bikini. Come huddle on our rocky beaches."
"Canadians are so tough that we hike to mountain vistas barefoot."
"Spend 2000 Euros flying to Canada just so you can have a dinner exactly like you have here in Paris."
"Come to Canada so you can stay in a TeePee with no heat in the middle of winter when it is -30 degrees outside...WooHoo!"
"Come to Canada where it is so cold that even our bikini model could not pose in her full bikini. Come huddle on our rocky beaches."
"Canadians are so tough that we hike to mountain vistas barefoot."
"Spend 2000 Euros flying to Canada just so you can have a dinner exactly like you have here in Paris."
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