Tuesday August 9, 2005
I'm sure it's a good thing. No, I hope it's a good thing. This pain thing that the toning exercises are bringing on. I'm revising my Go Kayaking goal to next year. I'll probably be able to paddle for shortish periods this season but nothing worth calling Kayaking - at least not what I mean when I use the word.
Revising: don't live life without it!
I chuckled through some pain yesterday and today. Yesterday I was just plain giddy from sleep deprivation (I'm revising my medication regimen to exclude the sleep aid - which means: you guessed it - sleeplessness for a few nights.) and worn out from physio and driving to see my GP. During this altered state I noticed the landlord and a couple trouping up the stairs to the empty apartment above me.
It was a blisteringly hot day here in Ottawa, it was late afternoon and the place had been closed up with no blinds covering the windows. I know down here on the first floor it gets nasty with the curtains pulled if the a/c isn't on so upstairs it must have been close to 45° C. There is the smallness of the purported one bedroom apartments here as well. There's almost enough room for one person but definitely not room for two.
So I laughed when they all came out immediately. I know, it wasn't nice, but it was funny to me. There is the fact that when anyone comes back to this end of the building they also get a lovely view of the patch of desert that is about one half of the space in the "yard". The landlord is so very proud of his new roof but he doesn't seem to get that most of the "improvements" he's making to the property are of no interest to tenants. A decently kept back yard - that's of interest.
Today I was less giddy but in some pain and resting with ice on my shoulder when I heard footsteps on the stairs again. It was late morning and the landlord had come to open the windows. He doesn't know I was laughing so that makes it less of a nasty thing to do. It seems better to laugh at him than trying to educate him. Neither is going to change things it seems, but the first makes me feel better - in a humourous, non-judgemental way. There's another story there and it will come in time. For now I'll just say that we've had some interesting chats this past week and I'm starting to give up on the education part of my crusade.
I am rather pleased to report that I have successfully installed a handlebar stem extender bar (vertical) and a new front brake cable on my bike. Which means it's pretty well neck friendly and ready to roll whenever I am. I am haunted by my physiotherapist's advice on cycling: Just don't fall over. That's all I can think about now when I contemplate re-learning to ride. How bad will it be if I do?