Wednesday, March 31, 2010

The following letter was forwarded to me by my dad this morning, and I was so moved I wanted to share it with everyone who reads this blog.

I have never met Michael Hewitson in person, but from what I've gathered from our short correspondence, cancer couldn't have touched a nicer guy. A young man, living his life, who even enjoyed cycling until rectal cancer put everything on hold. Some of you may know him from Bruce Power -- or may be seeing this email for the second time. Maybe you even put some money in the hat at the gate collection on your way to work.

I wanted to thank Mike for sharing his story, and for donating to my Ride to Conquer Cancer. But most importantly, I want to thank him for reminding all of us that you can never start screening too early. But, as we are too often reminded, you can catch it too late. The only person who will ever truly advocate for your care, is you. So take care of you.

To the Management staff

My Co-workers, Friends and Strangers

Of Bruce Power

My name is Michael Hewitson. My friends and co-workers organized and held the gate collection on my behalf, on March 10, 2010. I don’t know where or how to begin to express my overwhelming appreciation of the generosity shown that day. This past 6 months has been a roller coaster of emotion as you can well imagine, with endless trips to and from London and countless nights in hotel rooms down there while undergoing endless testing and monitoring. The expenses incurred through this time have just added up on top of everything else that is going on. I volunteered to take part in a cancer clinical study including 75 individuals across North America, with the hope that at the very least I could contribute to further education and a better understanding of rectal cancer through this trial, with perhaps new and hopefully improved methods of treatment for cases in the future. This has caused even more trips and tests at the London Cancer Research Center. We at Bruce Power are very fortunate as everyone there has medial coverage of some kind, but NO ONE IN THIS COUNTRY is more fortunate than Bruce Power workers when it comes to receiving a hand when in need. When Gord Young sent me an e-mail at 3:00 pm March 10th, there is no way that I could have been prepared for the words that it said….. “We’ve raised $12,525.17 …“ tears instantly filled my eyes, tears of joy for the first time in over 6 months.

We all know someone who has fought the battle of cancer and watched how it has turned their world upside-down. Believe me, I was a healthy, just turned 42 year old man when a trip to the Dr.’s office turned everything into a crazy tailspin. “You have cancer” are the harshest words I have ever heard. The financial burden had taken its toll as, I have been off work since September 2009, and with recent medical setbacks won’t be back before September 2010. My fiancĂ© has also taken 7 weeks off from her work to be by my side through my 2 week hospital stay and to do the endless work of looking after my never ending medical and day to day needs once we returned home.

Emotions take an even harder toll when you don’t know what’s going on, whether you will make it or be a statistic. I’ve closed my eyes often, in severe pain, wondering if this was going to be for the last time, I make sure to call my son in Toronto and tell him how much I love him and hold my fiancĂ© an extra while on these nights, trying to remain calm and as strong and as normal as possible. The mind is cruel when you have lots of time to think, along with relentless pain. When this gate collection came in, the money certainly meant a great deal, but just as important was the renewed faith that there are so many caring, generous, good hearted people that we work with every day. I haven’t worked at Bruce Power for very long, I work shift work on a small crew, so most of this money actually came from strangers, of course not only from Bruce Power employees but contractors, appendix A employees, restart trades people, their support staff and so many others. Money can’t buy the feeling of knowing that people have given through their hearts with warm wishes and their kind thoughts the way all of you people have. With your generosity we won’t have to worry about finances any time in the near future, we have covered the racked up credit cards and will have money left for future trips and lodgings in London. When all is said and done, any left over money will be donated to cancer research, someone else in need or any good cause that comes up that is cancer related, your generosity will definitely be passed on.

I do ask one more thing of everyone! Especially you shy men, If something doesn’t feel right don’t be afraid to get it looked after, 5 years ago this tumour would have been removed during a routine colonoscopy examination, I had no idea at that time there was a problem and wasn’t due for my first colonoscopy for 13 more years. What would have been a polyp had grown into a tumour the size of a soft ball, still with minimal signs, but the signs were there, I figured I was just getting older and not eating enough fibre, now it’s a year of sheer hell. What was so easily preventable if it had been detected… A 15 minute, painless colonoscopy while you’re knocked out is absolutely nothing compared to this….

Thank you everyone, so very much.

With a special thanks to Gord Young (Bruce A control mtce.), D-crew and all of the volunteers that dedicated their time to make this such a huge success.

Shanda, Mike and Joshua Hewitson


Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Word.

Since the heroic blogging efforts of the Olympics, I feel I should apologize for falling off the posting-wagon a little bit. So here's a few words on what's been up (and down) with me.

1.) Went to my LAST sunday morning spin this past weekend. So no more 6am alarms on the weekend (except for when there is ... but certainly not as often!). I'll be sad to see spinning class go though. Definitely feeling a little bit like a couple extra power workouts would be a great help. Taking three weeks off for the Olympics have turned my racing outlook into a "no expectations" style season. And I'd make the same choice again.

2.) Put new brake$ on the minivan! Woo hoo that was $pectacular. What a nice $urpri$e! Got a tow truck and everything when I couldn't back it out of the garage. But now all i$ well, and $he'$ ready to hit the race circuit again.

3.) First race: Paris to Ancaster. The race I love to hate. It's April 18, 60km and all boring except for the sandwich at the end. I like that part very much. Every year I bitch and moan about entering, and every year I somehow end up on the start line. Sigh. Here we go again! It's good for me though -- it's a great event to practice all the racing "stuff" like getting bottles ready, not forgetting your shoes, prepping bikes, start line jitters, spending a long time at a high intensity and all that jazz. So that way I won't have to go through all that at the first Ocup the next weekend (Mansfield! woot!) Which reminds me ... I need to pick up my rig from Sweet Pete's because $he also needed a brake job, and a $et of bearing$ -- oh, and a freehub body. Secret training tool of mine -- ride around with the rear wheel seized. oh yeah. Tough.

4.) Vacation!! Only two more sleeps til I'm in Kelowna with Gerhard shredding Big White. Gerhard was good enough to win us a trip so we'll be spending Easter spring skiing. Looks like a heat wave is about to hit Toronto -- they're calling for 25 this weekend! I almost feel bad for skipping the amazing biking weather. Almost. ;)

5.) Moving day! May 1st seems like it's still far away but when you consider vacation, fundraiser weekend in Port Elgin, Paris to Ancaster, and then Mansfield, I'm out of weekends. So packing is going to be ... well ... frantic. Let me know if you'll work for food and drinkies because in that case, have I got a job for you!

So that's the big stuff! In little stuff, it's mostly the same old -- lots of training, writing, eating and sleeping. Hope everyone is excited for race season!! Coming up fast!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Free Spaghetti!


If you're in the Port Elgin area on April 10, or want to be, then come by our Fundraising Spaghetti Dinner! It's going to be a delicious good time with my brother-in-law-the-chef in the kitchen, and my culinary-skills-challenged sister safely out of it. And of course, the rest of the family will be there as well to make sure you have an enjoyable evening! Plus, wine's included y'all.

The menu is going to include all kinds of spaghetti dinner goodness including a veggie sauce, meat sauce, crusty breads for dipping, nutritious and delicious mixed greens salad and did I mention the wine?

There's a spot for you and all of your generous friends any time between 5pm and 7pm and all you have to do is email mlake [at] bmts.com to get it. Please RSVP before April 8 so we know what to put on Bryan's shopping list.

What else? Oh yeah, it's at the St. John's Anglican Church hall on the corner of Mill and Stafford, and while there's no fee for dinner, we will be collecting donations in support of our ride to Conquer Cancer. You can visit Dad's page here, and mine here.

PS - Since I'm home that weekend, we'll also be doing some riding on Saturday and Sunday to help with the training. So you're more than welcome to come along for that too. All you need is a bike and a helmet.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Have your wine and drink it too!



This just in: Official Wine Sponsor East Dell Estate Winery will donate $0.50 from every bottle of their wine sold in the LCBO from March 28th to May 22nd, 2010 to The Ride to Conquer Cancer.

Makes sense to have an official wine sponsor for our ride through wine country!

So enjoy a glass of wine, and while you're at it, please remember to donate to our ride!

Kristen:

Dad:




Wednesday, March 17, 2010

You've Got To Be Kidding Me.

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone. Mine started off great, got a free lunch and a green beer, the whole thing. Top it off with some amazing temperatures for an after-work bike ride and that's what you call the Luck of the Irish.

Everything was going so well until nearing the end of my ride on Queen's Quay by the ferry docks, I realized I was not going fast enough to clear the light on its way to red. So I was hard on the brakes. If you've stopped a road bike before, you know it takes a little longer than say, disc brakes. As such, My wheels came to rest just past the cross walk. I did the usual lean on the top tube, most of my weight on my down foot as I waited for the light to change.

Next thing I know the bike is sideways, held up only by my cleat. WTF.

There were no other people around, no crowds, no cars, except for this older, handsome looking couple. Dressed like they were off to a show or something. The man sneered and stomped across the intersection. As I raised my arms, now realizing what had happened, his lady yelled at me, "You're blocking the whole crosswalk".

Flabbergasted, the only thing I could think to say was "Excuse me? Why don't you kick my bike then?" Genius. It always is, isn't it?

So this blog is dedicated to what I wish I'd done.

I wish I'd unclipped and walked with them across the street, asking for their names. I don't know what I'd have done with their names, filed a police report I guess, maybe in front of them. Because I'm pretty sure it's against the law to go around kicking people and their property. I wish I'd demanded an apology. I wish we'd finished the whole thing with a "Happy St. Paddy's".

Instead, I picked my jaw up off the ground and pedaled away furious, pushing back tears of frustration both over the incident and also allowing myself to be trompled on like that.

Comments comiserating, or expressing shared outrage would really make me feel better. However, if you somehow think I deserved to be kicked, then please keep it to yourself until I've had a beer and have calmed the eff down.

Good News for Racing ... but not for Farmers' Markets

An early forecast was released today by the weather people indicating that our summer is looking to be on the hot and dry side.

From a racing perspective, that makes me happy because nobody likes switching tires to accomodate the mud, least of all me.

We'll see how I feel about the high temperatures though. Need more hot yoga to get ready!

Check it out at Thestar.com, or read it right here:


Summer outlook: Lots more sun and heat than last year
Debra Black
Staff Reporter

After last summer’s rain and cool temperatures, Toronto residents can look forward to a more traditional, “warmer and drier” summer, according to Environment Canada.

The season, which the weather service defines as June, July and August, will feature more days where temperatures hover above 30 C, more hours of sunshine and less rain than last year, according to climatologist David Phillips.

Officially, Environment Canada doesn’t release its summer forecast until June 1, but provisional models are currently being developed with the help of the weather service’s supercomputer.

And so far it’s all up roses, assuming you love the heat.

“Initially it looks like it will be drier than normal and warmer than normal,” said Phillips.

But those warmer and drier temperatures will also come with problems, Phillips said. The soaring temperatures and southerly winds may mean haze and smog, and that could translate into respiratory problems for those who have asthma or allergies or lung conditions.

The drier conditions could also be hard on crops, gardens, water levels and possibly lead to more forest fires, especially following the drought-like conditions of this winter with very little snow falling in the GTA.

After the past two summers — the wettest back-to-back summers on record — many of us have forgotten what the dog days of summer are like. In 2008 — the wettest summer of record — Toronto received close to 400 millimetres of rain. In the summer of 2009, we got 300 millimetres. The normal amount is about 228 millimetres.

So Phillips believes that this summer will at least feel drier. “This is my fearless forecast,” he said, “We’d feel it was dry compared to the last two summers.”

One of the rare benefits to a wet summer, Phillips suggested, is that there is virtually no smog — a delight for those with breathing conditions.

But that relief might be a distant memory in a few months if the weather model is accurate. This summer, Phillips is calling for plenty of days topping 30 C — more in line with 2007, when we had 27 of them, compared with the paltry three we had last summer.

There will also be more sunshine, Phillips said. Typically, Toronto gets 276 hours of sunshine in June, 302 hours in July and 264 in August. Those numbers were all down in 2009 thanks to all the rain, most dramatically in July, when we had almost 60 fewer hours of sun. This summer, Phillips said the models are now calling for more sunshine than normal, so break out your sunglasses.

Phillips cautioned that things could change by June 1 when the official summer forecast is unveiled. Until then, he’s not going to bet his pension on the forecast.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Winter Training with World Cup DH-ers



Trek tweeted this little video about their DH-er Tracy Moseley ... interesting. Cross training on a dirt bike?! I'm in the wrong discipline. ;) PS - the soundtrack is an awesome song on high rotation on my ipod. So I'm also tagging this post a RACE TRACK. ("Home is where the heart is" by The Sounds)

And ... for a lighter look at the off-season, check out a day-in-the-life with World Champion, Steve Peat.

Keep your pants on!


Last night, before setting out on a glorious afternoon ride in the spring sun, I posted a quick status update on Bookface: "Riding! In knee warmers!". I'd meant it to be an hallelujah chorus that the temperatures had risen enough to forgo tights, but a friend quickly lambasted me for being overdressed, citing his own hard-man style commute in the winter in "-15" wearing "only jeans".

A debate was sparked, and this blog post is my official rebuttal.

My rule of thumb (er ... knee?) is knees and the big quad muscles that are doing all the work must be kept covered until it is at least +15 degrees celsius (about 60F). I usually follow the same rule for arm warmers.

Why? Because an amazing, well-respected coach once told me that was what to do.
And there are tons of reasons you should consider doing the same. Especially this time of year when it's so tempting to jump into shorts and jersey riding after a winter on the trainer. For your own good, don't rush mother nature.

1.) Keeping your knees covered will reduce your chance of developing a knee injury. And the kicker is you might not even feel it right away, so you think "oh, I'm good to go!" But really you risk slowly adding unnecessary wear and tear to your joints. I for one don't want to wake up with arthritis when I'm 50. Besides, everyone knows keeping your muscles warm will help to prevent strains and pulled muscles, as well as torn ligaments.

2.) If your rides are longer, even if you start out and it's ten degrees and sunny, after about 2 or 3 hours, your extremeties are the first to cool down as your body prioritizes your survival organs -- heart, lungs, brain etc -- for the fresh, warm blood. Best to have versatile layers like knee and arm warmers on hand so you can start and finish with them on, and maybe get some tanning time in the middle by shoving them in your jersey pocket. That way, you won't have to cut your ride short for being cold!

3.) Tendonitis: By definition, tendonitis means that your tendons are inflamed. The tendons around your knees and at your Achilles tendon are especially vulnerable when cycling in cool weather because there is not much blood in these areas to keep them warm and injury free. Tendonitis can be quite serious if not taken care of and could possibly lead to a career ending injury. Some riders are more prone to this than others but you don't want to find out the hard way so it is best to take precautions to prevent the problem from developing in the first place. Many riders with tendonitis can often trace it back to one particular day of cool weather riding without proper protection.

4.) Finally, circulation. I'm no expert, I just have what I've experienced and what I've been coached. But basically, the engine room is in your torso, and your legs are the pistons. Your engine -- heart and lungs -- are busy pumping blood into your legs, brain, and hands to keep up with the lactic acid exchange that happens in a hard workout. The last thing you need is for your engine room to be pulling double duty to keep your extremeties warm. You'll see your heart rate drop, and your "zone" work will become totally artificial. To get the most out of your workouts, you should help it along in this department, until the temperature rises above that magic 15 degrees C.

And so with that, happy trails, and wear your knee warmers!

Monday, March 15, 2010

Genius: Bikely.com

The other weekend, I was determined to get in some base miles, but with my days full of other non-cycling things, scheduling was going to be too cumbersome to incorporate any kind of group ride. I don't mind sucking wind by myself, but my own repetoire of known routes is a little scant.

Which is why Bikely.com is my new hero!

With my new GPS (thanks again DAD!!!) I'm well-equipped to handle solo missions, inspired by Bikley. All I have to do is visit the site, enter some geographic key words and a list of routes posted by my two-wheeled colleagues appears. There are routes available all over THE WORLD, so the sky's the limit!

If you have a GPS unit of your own, it's even better.

How about a tour?

First stop: the homepage! It's nothing fancy, but it's easy to navigate. For this little tour, I entered "Forks of the Credit" as a sample. It's definitely one of my favourite places to ride, but I've always been a little intimidated by the seemingly endless network of roads. Now I can ride with confidence I'll be able to find my way back!


So, once you've entered your home town/destination/cottage/whatever! a list appears showing where riders have rode before you. You can see from this one how some users even add helpful tags for even narrower searching in the "advanced" section on the header!


For our sample, I chose the route posted by "eaves". This is what pops up: a google map of the entire route (totally zoomable as well).

And finally, if you have a GPS unit, click on the share tab to access the drop down menu. Choose "download .gpx" to your computer. That file can be read by your Garmin GPS (probably others too, but I'll stick to what I know!) as a "saved ride" and will give you turn-by-turn directions while you're out completing your workout.

To do that, just plug your garmin into the computer and access the unit's memory drive. Mine pops up automatically as an external "F" drive. In that drive's folder, there's a sub folder called "GPX". Drag and drop your route file, disconnect, and you're ready to go!


So whether you have a Garmin or not, now that the great weather has cancelled an extended trainer season, try out Bikely to find a new and exciting route. My username is klake, and I'll be posting up routes soon!

Friday, March 12, 2010

Spin Class Top 8

I take a spinning class. I've said before that the group work we do there is the easily one of the most important things I do to prepare for an upcoming race season. I've been taking it for four years now or thereabouts, always with the same instructor.

Last night we had a different instructor and he is the inspiration for this blog post.

First of all, in fairness to him, because I'm sure on any other day I would not have been quite as picky, I was in no mood to go to spinning. I was feeling very much like I'd prefer a movie night on the couch, but having already taken three weeks off training for the Olympics, there wasn't really much lee-way for laziness. Off I went, bad attitude and all.

In such a mood, the following things were crystalized for me in terms of what I like best about spin instructors.

1.) I like to know where we're going (even if it's technically nowhere). I like to know how many pieces, how many sets, what zones we'll visit and how much rest. I like to know all of this before we start so I know where we are in the workout and how much I'll need left in the tank (and when I know it's time to empty it).

2.) I like varied music. Rage Against the Machine and Rammstein for sure have their place. It's a dark, hurtful place, but totally applicable to a power workout. But four RATM songs in a row, and little outside the genre to fill the 90 minute class makes me feel a little bit stabby. Feel free to throw in a little Glee soundtrack, or Taylor Swift.

3.) I like to be told again and again what we're doing, and what zone I should be aiming for. Because when I'm sweating it out in zone 4 or 5, I tend to forget.

4.) If I ask a question, usually related to the forgetting mentioned in number 3, I like to be answered politely, and with a certain forgiveness for letting some details slip.

5.) I like a proper cool down, and stretch. And if we can add in some core work before that, that's okay with me too.

6.) I like chit chat, or "stand up" when we're not working. Anything to make me smile again after grinding out whatever piece we've just finished.

7.) I like real-life simulations. I don't like to do anything on a spin bike that I wouldn't do on my bicycle.

8.) I think proper rest should be built into the workout so that when we're working on power, you don't hit that point where you're just beating yourself up.

So there you have it. If you're a spin instructor, I bet I'm not the only person who values these points. In the mean time, I'll work on cheering up. :)

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Do you love a speechwriter??

Then you can order this AMAZING t-shirt (and endless accessories!!!) online! I need to get one of these for my mom, my sister, and I'm sure my dad could use the coffee mug. (That's assuming they all love me of course.)

God bless the internet.


PS - when I saw this one I first thought it said "speechwriters CHECK" ... which would have made sense. Instead we have a lovely homage to the wives and girlfriends of speechwriters -- but not the boyfriends or husbands. I shall patiently await a version suitable for G (not that he'd ever in a million and one years wear it. He's just not into ball caps).
Girls can be speechwriters too y'all!

Monday, March 8, 2010

So ... How was the Bike Show?

Where did this weather come from? Traditionally, the Bike Show weekend is the last blizzard of the year, but it couldn't have been further from the truth in 2010. There was no way I was going to spend the weekend looking at bikes when I could be out riding them.

So I prepped the road bike right up to the point of swapping out my trainer skewer, but I didn't want to jinx it so I rode with it in. Secretly, I'm wondering if my trainer days are over ...


Saturday, I decided to ride right from my house via the new house! That's right, a new place in my future. Gerhard and I are moving to the west end as of May 1 -- maybe more on that later. I continued west past our new amazing grocery store and onto Dundas West. Then it was a complicated maze of city streets (mostly with bike lanes ... some without) until finally, at last, the city ended.

Every year it seems to take a little longer to get to that last house or shopping plaza. Sigh. I rode along Lower Baseline for a bit, making sure to ride over my favourite old wooden bailey bridge, and past the curvy river that will be filled with fishermen soon enough. Can't wait for the summer -- that spot gets so green and the sun comes through the trees all golden-like. It's hard to imagine the city just a concession away.

I came home via the College Way/Mississauga Road and the Lakeshore, stopping for a restorative Dr. Pepper, and wishing we lived in the west end NOW, because I would have been home that much sooner. My neck and shoulders definitely weren't ready for 4+ hours in the saddle, but my legs held up great, so I'm happy for that. After the Olympics I was afraid I'd be starting from zero again.

With a great ride under my belt, what more was there to do besides make a healthy dinner, and watch a movie?



Sunday, our spin instructor has decided to take himself to Cuba (whatever!) so the 7am spinning session was to be "self-led". I decided to self-lead myself on another epic solo mission.

I was a little later getting started (blueberry pancakes take time, y'know), so my ride time ended up bumping into sunset, but it was all good. That, and an unepxected training partner decided to join me -- Head Wind. What a re-introduction to riding outdoors. This time, I decided to drive to basically the same place I left off the day before and continue from there, skipping city roads, lack of bike lanes and traffic lights for a more consistent workout.

I saw a few funny things -- like snowmobilers out in the 7 degree sunny afternoon. I don't think I've ever waved to a snowmobile from my bicycle before.

The GPS did most of the driving, but I did manage to get lost anyway. I thought I was on a bikely.com route, and then all of a sudden while we were on our way to Belfountain, it started chirping "U-turn" at me although I know I was going the right way. Just as well, because I think I was about as far as I ought to have gone at that point.

By the end, I was so happy to see the van where I parked it. I hopped in, cranked the heat and drove home ... and pretty much went straight to bed.

All told, the weekend total was about 190km. Stoked.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Sweet Pete's (and Toronto) Gets Its Own Bike!


I was in the shop last night catching up and what do I find but a brand new offering from Kona and Sweet Pete's! Here's a little write up from the site:

The Door Prize is a collaboration between Kona Bicycles and Sweet Pete's Bike Shop. Together we wanted to make a bike built specifically for the streets of Toronto. The Door Prize will accept racks, fenders, and baskets for all your commuter needs. It is Designed to be lighter, faster and nimbler, and is appropriately named for a city that seriously lacks bike lanes. The Door Prize is available in a full range of sizes and can be all yours for $579.99. So come on over and experience the good kinda of Door Prize, and remember this bike is sold exclusively at Sweet Pete's.

This is the commuter for me! The name is perfect, the styling cool, yet subdued so there's lots of room for customization. Check out the stickers! Awesome!

A special bike just for Torontonians is so cool. Have a little bit of city pride in your ride!

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Olympic Update: Did it really happen?

Back in Toronto now, and it all seems like a dream.

Was I really there? Did it really happen?

In the aftermath, I'm looking forward to holding onto the amazing mood Canada's in right now. I'm also looking forward to a few good nights' sleep.

My last night in Squamish was spent with the Scarth's, who will be parents the next time I see them!! We made a tapas feast, and watched as the Closing Ceremonies finished off the games. Only Canada could get away with clowning about our initial troubles with the fourth cauldron arm. And kudos to us for not missing the opportunity to remind the world that we've got a sense of humour, even if we're the butt of the joke.

Once the Closing Ceremonies were over, we were all perplexed as to what we should do next. No Olympics to watch?! What?? Luckily, the Goonies were on and saved the day ... after all the amazing [experimental at times] treats, all four of us were soon blobs on the couch.


A fitting end.

My last day, I had time to kill before heading to the airport. So what else to do besides cut G's hair? I'll let the photos speak for themselves. Check out the full story on facebook.

Then my GQ man and I went to the Watershed for a quiet lunch, and a walk along the river. All too soon, it was time to go to the airport where I thought all kinds of pandemonium would await. But the Olympics weren't there anymore, either. By the time I checked in, it was just like any other day at YVR.

My flight wasn't until about 11pm Pacific Time ... which meant I landed at about 6:22am Eastern Time. Thank god Nancy was there to give me a lift downtown (nice or what?!) or who knows where I would have ended up in that state!

So ... now I'm back in Toronto and all screwed up. I woke up in the night, and couldn't figure out where I was. Oddly, my previous night terrors about the Sliding Centre returned because in the long list of possible sleeping spots (Squamish? no. Whistler? no. Bus? no. Airplane? no.), "stuck at the WSC" was back in the mix.

It's nice to be back ... I'm so glad I got to go ... but I sure miss the Olympics.