Myles Goodwyn….the band April Wine…a huge part of my life, could say I grew up listening……

Could have been alright, could have been good night, could have been sweet as wine, could have been a lady…..

I met the man a few time….that’s the really cool about that life, meeting a hero, or at least someone you listened to a lot

I cannot remember the last time I saw them play live, gotta be in the 90s when I was in Kamloops, but there were so many great shows when I called Edmonton home and was still in, or just finished high school….

I’ve got to dig through the archive and see what else I can come up with, I’m pretty sure I have a vid of an interview…..those are always good…

back on the good old days….when maybe I had a life…

Tomorrow’s another week, another week to turn a page…another chance to do positive

the goal…get active, and get as social as heck……I’ve gotta make connections to the past, and more for now…….the days of being a hermit need to end….I need people….

So todays my day….I’m the house cleaner….

So far, straightened out our garbage can….for some one I’m the only one that knows how to tie up the ends securely, and to be able to stuff all the bags in so the lid closes and the birds, crows and magbies don’t think it a smorgasbord…..

Then clean up the kitchen, wash dishes, wipe off the counters and table, sweep and mop…..

Vacuum the downstairs and the cold and hot air vents (we’re getting them and the furance are being cleaned next Thursday, so why not?) I did the upstairs yesterday……went back outside to clean up the garage…the garage mice have been helping themselves to bird seed, and make a mess while they do…so I swept all that up, which mean clearing everything off the work counters first…looks better, and the extra seeds went outisde to the birds…..

Laundry, got that caught up….played the guitar a bit…worked on my Deep Purple and Def Leppard riffs after a lot of tuning…..

And then, well, this is my daughter Sasha

It was time for me to attack her room…specifically one wall, and the flooring beneath that wall, that corner….

Sasha sometimes throws eggs……Sasha is autistic……in her 30s, …..she’s verbal, but a limited amount of verbal, she understands a lot, but doesn’t always understand, and she gets fruatraited….also she hates birds…..

Sometimes she’ll throw the eggs towards the brick post in front of house, or at the brick work in the front of our garage……and if she feels the urge, a wall, a random wall in our house, pretty much in her room….

At times we don’t notice right away…..if we get to the mess quickly enough, with some elbow grease, a mop, sponges, vacuum cleaner, not an big deal….if we don’t, a little more elbow grease……

I know it has, well maybe the birds…..outside her window there’s a huge tree that’s usually filled with sparrows and/or finches….

We do have a bird feeder that stays pretty busy so that’s attracts her feathered friends even more.

I don’t know if that’s the reason for the eggs, or if it’s just frustation…..

I’ve asked, we’ve asked…..but Sasha never says…

But that was my morning……swept the floor, vacuumed the floor, moped, scrubbed the walls, then swept, vacuumed and moped again…but looks better, and yes it looks like it’s time to paint those walls…

Now, it’s time for tea, lunch…grilled cheese sandwiches for her, left over pasta and sauce for dad….and watching docs on Apple TV…….one right now about a volcano explossion on New Zealand……the decision to cut out those 24 hours news channels continues…so lots of music, reading, and everything else but the news….going through things on the PVR that I’ve yet to watch, so watch and delete….

I guess I’m making dinner tonight, but I need a run either tonight, or may go twice during one of the up coming days to keep that 31 in 31 days on track…

I wonder how many calories I’ve burned doin’ the chores today…..?

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Interesting thing….did Starbucks today…..I guess I knew this, but more than just coffee!

Did a steamer (steamed milk) with almond flavor…..not coffee, not caffeine, but good..I guess, sure, sweet so sugar of some kind…..but may be a good opion for a month without tea or coffee….

I know running everyday isn’t always a great thing, but am going to just go and see how things go…I think running, edurance, and keeping active, keeping that metabolism up will help with the weight loss goal of 10 pounds off in 31 days…..I did start early, today was day 3 for 3, and along with the spin on my bike trainer Monday, I guess I’m on a good path…

It just felt good to get outside….not all that cold, I think it was -5C, which is – I have no idea what in Fahrenheit, maybe +23?……but actually felt a little over dressed…

I’ve taken to wearing a BUFF throughout the colder parts of the year…keeps the heat in, the cold out….and kinda cool..and with that I need all the help I can get….

I really didn’t feel like a run today, but figure whatever, go for 20 minutes, and start off that Advent Calendar on the right foot……head hurts now, another headache, am not sure where that came from or comes from…is it the 4 year old concussion reminding me that it’s still there and may be come cronic?….I’m gettin the eyes checked next week, my annual checkup, will have to see if that’s an issue…

I also received a new prescription for my enlarged prostate, so maybe that’s it….but otherwise, as with every run, feeling okay otherwise, actaually feeling good..

Along with a diet that involved real food, and lots of water, I’m kicking the habit of watching 24 hour news TV, and staying away from newspapers….am not sure when that all changed, but seriously the majority of time it’s not news, it’s editorials and opinions and commentary, which are all as valid as whatever those people in the senior’s corner at Tim Horton’s……so kicking a couple of habits for the month of December…so day 1…

So day 1…………….30 days to go

Where does this come from?

I just noticed that Putin in Russia continues to make being gay against the law…

Here where I live, our government has pretty much made being gay for adolescents the same……I guess no one under the age of 16 is allowed to self identify, and our constutional rights and freedom protections now no longer apply to those youths.

In some of our communities Pride crosswalks are being removed, and the desecration of Pride Flags is encouraged.

It’s like we’re regressing rather than progessing…..where dinosaurs walk the earth.

I’m not gay, but have never understood why others feel it’s their goal in life to put a stop to anything LGBTQ2S……how exactly does someone’s sexual orientation become anyone elses business?

It seems stupid to me that this is even an issue. I live in a country where someone that eventually because our Prime Minister that the government has no business in the bedrooms of the nation…..now it seems, our current government disagrees with that premise … some going to the point on absouloutely against protecting a woman’s reproductive rights…..where does this all come from.

I’m old…I grew up in the 60s….all about freedom and love and peace…..it seems my contemporaries no longer hold those values…

Hate seems to be the current thing…we hate everyone different from us….everyone that disagrees with us, and against freed

I keep thinking that the only way any of this gets better will be if a lot of us start geting loud and just say NO!

The Vietnam War, the American involvement in that war stopped after people started taking to the streets and doing just that…..we said no, we said stop…yes, kids coming home in body bags helped change, but

we used to talk about the silent majority….maybe we need to be silent no longer..

I guess I’m allowed to post a pix that I hate

It was a good day, an okay day…am allowed to say I’m happy I did stuff.

Someone else recently posted something about social anxiety, as I read it, and reread, and more I did, the more I thought, THAT’S ME!

I have to say though, I don’t know. Is it something I can hide….or fool others or myself ….?

As the day goes by, I put a virtual check mark next to anything……driving to get my car’s tires torqued, yeah done…had to talk to other people, and got that done….so a check marks and giving myself a pat on the back…not huge, but for me to leave my couch, from being in front of my TV and from my laptop is something…..then walked into COSTO, did some shopping, crossed with someone I hadn’t seen for a while, and yeah got it done, another getting out and about check mark..

Then getting home, throwing my gear on and went for a run……again, normally, I woud have said, I did a few things, that’s enough…now to cocoon?…..I’ve planned to run a lot for what’s left of 2023, so the goal was that I had to get outside, but still, amongst people?

Actually there weren’t a lot of people out on the trails, and actually no runners, just really dog walkers…but still I got outside, and out….and it was okay, and it felt good…

I stopped by my Running Room store for a social visit aftwards, and that felt good too…chatted with two I guess still are co-workers….it was good, we chatted…and then went home and made dinner for the family

I’ve always had this……..not well, understanding or trusting myself, or being comfortable with myself….

Always feeling out here on my own…

I have to admit, I like organizing things like this, but am constantly shocked when anyone shows up…..

I’m not someone that attracts, I occasionally feel like a bit of a fraud, and I’m pretty sure there’s other reasons that people show up and join in and run with me….I’m usually not someone other people think of, or if they do, I’m like their 3rd or fourth choices….and seriously, I wouldn’t think about me either…..

This is from years ago, another group, another run…….I do hate pictures of myself too….but yeah orgainzing is good, I think this is one of the runs, training runs I’d organized and people that weren’t even a part of our usual group, they just joined in

Ywah…I don’t know if you even get over this type of stuff…but at least it has a term social anxiety…..or maybe just depression?…..

But, maybe, just maybe there’s a path out of this?

Last night was good…a good run with friends, and Christmas lights!

Yep, it still surprises me when I organize stuff and stuff happens……

For our second Wednesday in a row we checked out even more Christmas lights….and it was fun and fine.

I felt strong, and because I was the only one that knew the route (yes, I got lost at one point…things look different in the dark)…..I got to lead…the planned route

This is what we did

So I think we took only one turn……

The attempt to get rid of 10 lbs before January 1st continues…..to do that, I need more runs like yesterdays.

My diet is fine…lots of water, and honestly our meals have always been all about veggies and healthy food…..tonight is all about tofu…at 65 I don’t imagine I’ll ever be slim again, but at least healthy and fit would be a good thing….

I seem to have an issue when it comes time to hit the gym or the pool…..running is okay, I just step out my front door, and spinning on my bike training can be done at home in front of my laptop…..but getting into my car and driving somewhere to pump iron on a regular basis, will it happen?…maybe…

Today’s work out will be a short run soon……and oh yah, COSTCO!

Love this song….simple, yet says so much.

I’ve met Valdy – Paul Valdermar Horsdal – years ago, possible 1998? – I interviewed not long after..but have been a fan seemingly forever……

And right now, have been thinking about this song…maybe that’s the key of life….like someone posted somewhere, maybe the key of life is living, being in the moment…..simple.

today was simple…bust, but simple…..from laying out mouse traps, sweeping, moping, vacuuming, a cup of tea and a stir fry for lunch, laundry, putting up that artificial Christmas tree…..I actually haven’t been on this lap top since about 8AM…….but, yeah, feels so good….not complicating things…

I’m a huge fan of ultra marathoner Courtney Dauwalter….no coach, doesn’t have a training plan, doesn’t use a special watch to track every little thing she does…..we can learn from that…can we?

We all are so connected, that watch…I did that a few days ago…forgot my watch, but I still needed to use my phone to track and post what I did….that’s an obsession…if you don’t track and post it did you still do it?

And if you miss a training session….a run….is it the end of the world?

Simple Man Simple Dreams?

Yeah, I know Linda Ronstadt did a version of this tune too….but I this guess speaks to me

Instead of digging through training plans, trying to figure out every workout…how about just doing what ever, but just do something..

and hey it’s almost Christmas, so time to chill….eat everything…..enjoy the season, and shop…

and yeah simple…

One thing I always remember Valdy saying…he was/is living on Salt Spring Island off of Canada’s west coast….he liked the freedom of being able to stand on his front porch to pee….I know yeah, gross…..but no neighbours, nothing but trees and water, and freedom to pee!…..

and well, free to keep things simple