Four years ago, Kris & I went to St. Lucia for our honeymoon. (Pics) While the vacation was splendid, we saw a poor nation with a struggling economy. One day we went on a guided mountain biking tour which included a tour of the island. We went through many banana and plantain fields, and it seemed like every other one was either broke or going under.
So just today, it was good news to see that a UK supermarket is buying St. Lucia's bananas in response to consumer demand to fair trade goods.
There is an area on the Madison isthmus known as snow emergency zone. In the winter, residents in the zone are allowed to park anywhere it's legal, while the rest of the city must park on alternate sides of the street depending on the day. When a storm hits, the city declares a "snow emergency" and those of us in isthmus must adhere to the same alternate parking rules. In fact, the city declared an emergency due to the recent storm.
Running in an urban area, it's tough to find good routes that you can regularly run. There's many bike paths, but nothing really meant for running loops. So I made this one up. The run above perfectly circumvents the snow emergency zone. It's great little run, about 7miles total. You run along both Lake Monona and Mendota and the Yahara River. There also a little bit of the UW campus, particularly the Memorial Union Terrace. I added a little extra on the one shown above. In honor of our storm, I plan to run as much of the route as can tonight.
Update: I wrongly assumed that others in my neighborhood would clear their sidewalks like I did. I struggled to find clear routes, but worst of all were the street crossings. If they were clear (rare), the snowmelt filled in the gap with water. So I was leaping either over snow mounds, or large puddles. I felt like a gazelle. Eventually, I decided to head up to the Capitol square, assuming that the State would clear their sidewalks. They did. So I stayed there and ran around and around and around again until it was time to run home. I got in 8 miles when it was all said and done.
Last week, we were enjoying the winter thaw with 45 degree sunny days. I hesitantly welcomed the weather, knowing that winter would rear its snowy head. And then it came. Winter storm watch, then warning, and then -- a blizzard warning. Strong winds, blowing snow, yada yada yada.
Friday, the forecasted 1-2 inches turned into six. We shoveled three times just to keep ahead of it. We even pushed a car out Saturday morning. The rest of the day was calm until the thundersnow started. It was windy, snowy, but not too much accumulation. Every now and then, we'd hear a vehicle drive by, most often a truck from the dairy. But then as we were heading to bed, one car was desperately trying to get out of its parking spot. Back and forth, we could almost smell the tires burning from our room.
The next morning, I was heading out to shovel the new snow. There were some steps in the snow on our porch from what I thought was from the paper delivery. But there was no paper. And the car was gone. good for him I thought. I turned to grab th shovel from where we left them on the porch. One was gone. And that's when it hit me. That jackass took our shovel. And it was the good one with the metal edge.
Shoveling the snow was a pain in the ass. Heavy, wet, and already packed down from some walkers (Just how early do people get up when everything is canceled?), the snow really didn't feel like moving easily. And while I was out there, it started raining. So now I'm soaked, tired and pushing as much water around as snow. And then the shovel I'm using cracks. Sonofabitch. I just hope the jackass intends to return our shovel to the porch.
You may have missed me. Or not.
I've held off posting any triathlon activities because of the back-end action. (No not my back-end, the site's back end. You have a dirty mind.) I don't know if you noticed, but the site now sends everything to the new subdomain, tri.robbyb.com. Old links to workouts are automatically redirected seamlessly. Now that I've got a redesign in place, expect to see more posts on the already successful 2007 season. It's going to be heavy on running and racing. (See the event list on the right.)
The original domain was set up to track me working out. I had no idea how much the triathlon adventure would eventually change my life. I'm excited that there are so many people that blog their triathlon adventures, and I look forward to participating as much as possible.
So Britney ties the bald look. (The local ABC affiliate has some video.) Be sure to check People.com's pictures. Like the rest of the country, we were talking about what the hell she was thinking. Here's what came up:
My basic thought (and the most likely) is that she's suffering from postpartem depression. TJ quickly corrected me and added that it's more likely "post-stardom depression." Nice.
When discussing her recent "drive-through" rehab session, Kris commented that that when when hears that any celebrity has to go to rehab, if they're not out within twenty-four hours, they're not as good as Britney. (Though, after her recent actions, the treatment she received may be questionable.)
Update: She did it again! Damn! she's good.
It's gotten so cold here, school was canceled. Here are some examples what happens when it's this cold:
If you're really bored in the cold, you could always boil water and throw it up in the air and watch it rapidly evaporate.
One more thing: When it's this cold, chances are that your car and all the meal parts inside it are just as cold. So, when you shut off the car and take the key out, do NOT put the key in your mouth to gather your stuff from the car. The cold, metal key will stick to your lips and tongue and it will not feel good. Just ask Flick.