Six Things for Sunday

Number 1

A little while ago I decided to upgrade my TV in my living room. I had a 30-something inch Acer that had been given to me, but it used to be a demo TV and the screen has issues. So when Costco was running a deal on a 40 inch Samsung LCD, plus get a Samsung blu-ray player for an extra $100 it seemed like a good deal. But now I had four TVs. The first TV I got when I moved away from home that is upstairs in my bedroom. The upgrade to TV number one, a 27” Sony flat screen that is hanging out in my garage for trainer workouts. Plus the Acer and the new Samsung. Four TVs for one person seems a bit excessive, right?

Number 2

So I put an ad out to sell the 27” Sony last week. And here is the response I got back from someone:

“I am looking for a TV to donate to an elderly gentleman in a nursing home. As he doesn't have any family in Calgary nor does it appear he has anyone to visit him, he is always striking a conversation with people going by to find out the highlights of hockey games - for which he is very interested in and loves the game. Due to his eyesight not being what it used to be, he is unable to read the paper. Therefore, a thought was to try to find this gentleman a TV so he can enjoy watching a game and bring a little pleasure over the holiday season.”

So he came by and picked up the TV yesterday, and I’m happy that I was able to give it to someone who will get some enjoyment out of it.  The Acer is now hanging out in the garage.

Number 3

Things have been a little bit…arctic…in Calgary this week! Work (and a few fun activities too) sucked up all my time and Wednesday, Thursday and Friday wound up being rest days. Unless you count a bunch of walking that I did to get to meetings or pick up Christmas presents. It has been in the minus teens and twenties around here with snow falling off and on for what seems like about three weeks straight now. November was so beautiful that December is a bit of a shock.

Number 4

I managed to knock off a great trainer ride on Saturday morning. It involved a bunch of gear pyramids, which are always fun, and took me 55 minutes. Later in the day I dropped my bike off at Bow Cycle to have a few things adjusted – the derailleur needed to be repositioned as the chain was rubbing on it. An easy fix though. She’s also getting some new bar tape and will be cleaned and shined up.

Number 5

It would feel wrong to not run once all week, so I made it to the Y just as they were opening up at 7 am. Given that it was -28C (-18F) outside a treadmill run was really the only option. At least I got to run in shorts though! I hopped on for 30 fun filled minutes. I kept cranking up the speed as the run went along and watched the visual display show me as a little red dot running around a track. Talk about boring! You are running on a treadmill, visualizing yourself running round and around on a track…

Number 6

And reserves are coming along. Everyone keeps asking how they are going but it is really hard to quantify. The best I can say is that they HAVE to be done by December 18^th. And that I’m getting on a plane at 8 pm on December 18^th. And that I’ll most likely pass out the entire way after being so sleep deprived for so long..!!

Hope you guys had a great weekend!

Which one are you?

So today I bit the bullet.
Jumped on the bandwagon as it were.

I called up the Apple store in town to find out if they had the iPhone I was interested in stock.  I went there straight from work to make sure I could get my hands on one of these fancy little units.
For the record, I am most definitely a PC, in many senses of the term.  Apart from being a bit of a technological geek where running gadgets are concerned that is about the extent of it.  It took me years to figure out how to text.  I only have a flat screen TV because a guy that I was dating wanted a new one so he gave his old flat screen to me.  I really didn’t see much point in a “smart phone.”  But today I was ready to bite the bullet.

The Apple store is an interesting place.  It has its own kind of subculture.  Everyone working there is wearing either cargo shorts or plaid shorts.  There are the folks wearing orange shirts that are kind of like a concierge.  Give them your name and get on a waiting list.  When your name moves to the top of the list an Apple shopping specialist wearing an aqua t-shirt will be introduced to you.  Then there are the folks wearing dark blue shirts who I never quite figured out who they were.  Personal shoppers to help with previously made appointments? 

As I sat around and waited for my own personal shopper my stomach was in knots.  Hopefully they really would have enough iPhones in the back so that I could get one.  I probably should have packed a snack…I didn’t realize it was going to be quite so busy!  An hour and a half after checking in I left the store with my snazzy new iPhone tucked safely in my purse.  Sweet!  Now I just have to figure out how to use it…
To bring things slightly back on topic…1-1/2 hour bike done on Thursday, 2300 m swim done today…120K ride on tap for tomorrow!  Have a great weekend all!