RATLOM

Dear blog,

It's been a while since I last visited you. Let me share some things with you:

I received a visit from S and N. Nice it was to catch up with them and nicer even still to hear about their imminent addition. I'm glad to see that they are starting this miracle child on the right foot as we enjoyed a wonderful prime rib dinner together. Even the impromptu jam session brought me back to an enchanted place called 401 Johnson Street, where such things happened often.

At 2 hours, I knew I was in trouble. But this run was important for me because I felt like I was defeated so badly on a psychological level the year before. I had to push through, and push I did. Never mind that I had not trained nearly as hard this year. Never mind that I put way too much confidence in the long run I did in Toronto just two weeks before, forgetting that Calgary is at a much higher elevation. Never mind that though I was still technically jogging, I was getting passed by the walkers. So, nearly 5 hours after the shotgun was fired (yes, only in Calgary would they start off a marathon with a shotgun; no wimpy air pistols here!) I crossed the finish line. As I always do, I vow never to do such stupidity again. And as I always do do, I find myself thinking of the next race as I recover my legs.













Much too happy for someone who just endured near 5 hours of physical pain...



I heart tennis. After over a year of sitting in storage, I have been able to use my racquet on more than one occasion this summer. Fortunate for me, I have met a neighbor and fellow board member who used to be an avid player. She's a good rally partner because she is recovering from a recent injury. So, we typically hit for no more than 30 minutes and then she's done. Well, we hit for 45 minutes today and find ourselves sitting on the bench, packing up. She offers me half of an apple. I'm agreeable, but I wonder how she's going to give me half. Will she eat half of it then give it to me? Will she offer me to eat half of it then give it to her? Will she rip the thing in half with her bare hands? She opens the front pocket of her racquet cover. AND PULLS OUT A 8" KNIFE!! "I can only eat my apples when they are sliced". Apparently, she doesn't share the same the feeling that is causing my jaw to drop to the ground. I ask if she always carries a knife of that size with her to all of her tennis games. She pauses, then lights up. "Oh yeah! That would work well for strategic intimidation!" I eat my half of the apple very quietly.

Is it possible to be a blacklisted guest? Even if there is no actual list that is physically kept, could one be less inclined to host this person in the future, based on a current experience? For example, let say I hypothetically invite S over for dinner. I hypothetically make 4 cups of rice, "muck" they call it in Chinese, thinking that I will have leftovers for the next few meals. I hypothetically cook up 2 heads of broccoli (and not just the crowns, but stalk and all). I also hypothetically reheat leftover roast beef, oyster pancakes and another Chinese green. I find myself hypothetically looking at a spread that is plentiful enough to feed 5, but this should impress my one guest. Hypothetically, S hasn't eaten all day and begins to work on the spread. Hypothetically, he goes through 4 and half bowls of rice (I typically go through 2) and picks at the remaining food, "sowng" they call it in Chinese, until all the plates are empty. Hypothetically, my Family Sized 3.78L jug of Tropicana stands empty, as are 2 1L bottles of Gerolsteiner. I am reluctant in introducing S to my neighbor's Shih Tzu for fear that he will eat that too. Of course, HAD this happened in real life, I would never blacklist my friend S (who is 5'6" and no more than a buck fiddy by the way). I would just make more food for him! But that got me thinking about whether or not it's possible to get blacklisted from people's hospitality...

Confirmed. Another 2 sets of guests will be gracing Camp Timmy's. And they are also 97's (well, N is an adopted 97, but we can't all be perfect - CHA CHEIL!). B's in town next week and S and N are confirmed to be here in September.

Oh blog. I don't even know if that's your name. It sounds so impersonal. Maybe I should call you RATLOM or something smart like that. Anyways, you've been a faithful golden retriever to me, always waiting for me to pay you some attention, attention that you always embrace and never act like you're entitled to. Please know that it is not because of a lack of inspiration that I have left your recent pages empty. I have found other outlets, 'tis all. But, it's nice to talk to you again!