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ARCHIVE: MARCH, 2010

----- 03.10.2010 --------
Wow, 10th of March already! Time really flies! In fact, it seemed like just yesterday that I sat down to do an update on my site and got sidetracked. That was on Sunday, the 7th... 3 days ago! And literally, it seems like yesterday! I've been very busy, but things are going well. Work is keeping me busy and I find myself in the saturday midnight until 6am maintenance window working pretty much every weekend. It can put a strain on the body and mind when combined with full monday - friday work weeks! Resting on a weekend is a great way to recharge for the next week, and it also seperates work into chunks... typically 5 day ones. These weekends really blur the lines and I'm really looking forward to my next FULL weekend :)

Besides work, lots of stuff on the go at home with the baby fast approaching. THe baby's room is ready and we've got our necessary supplies (and then some!) to get us started. A very special thank you to everyone who made it to Kim's shower. Thank you so much for your generosity! And the little "onsies" you decorated were amazing! I had a fun time guessing who did which... and I was probably about 75% right! :) Just over a month, but less than 5 weeks to go! I better do a photoshoot with Kim and her big (sexy) belly soon, before it's gone! I am renting some lights next weekend (2 x Alien Bees 800w strobes) and have purchased a couple AB 400's off ebay, which should be here anytime. I got them for 2 reasons... one is to do a proper shoot of Kim and see what kind of pics I can get to preserve this moment forever, and the other is I have a photo shoot for a friend and some of her friends coming up on March 20th. I'll have 3 shoots that day... seemed worthwhile to get some lights for the occasion :)

With all this busy-ness, I have let one thing slip: my physical fitness. I was so proud of what I have accomplished with the gym and through other activites, and lately, I feel like I've completely let it all go. On Friday night past, I was in for another sleep study at the sleep clinic. One of the standard procedures is to weigh you and put it on file. 215 lbs. The last time I was there was december 2008.... a year and 2 months prior. Weight? 190 lbs. And I had a lot more muscle-mass then! So, what do you do? Nothing? NO WAY! Time to do something.... anything!!! I feel discouraged about going to a new gym and my old one closed down. It's not really a big deal, but it feels like I'm staring at the side of the mountain, wondering where in the hell to start and being totally intimidated. First things first... get moving. Anything! Me and my buddies Mike & SteveO signed up for Harry's Spring run off... a 5 KM run on April 3rd. I've done this run the past few years, and last year I did the 8KM. I am not ready for 8.... or really 5 (yet), but I will be.

I am pleased to announce I finally got my ass and gear, got outside, and sweated. Me, Mike & SteveO went for a group run on Saturday. It hurt. It burned.... and it felt wonderful to feel alive again! We ran and walked a 5 KM course through the city. And then last night, to continue the momentum, I set out for a 5KM run on my own. And to my surprise, I actually ran 6 KM (6.11KM to be exact)... and even better, I did it without stopping to rest or walk! It took me about 45 mins, and it felt awesome! My trail I chose was sooo great! I felt like the only one out there... a very peaceful feeling. If you're interested, I've marked my trail HERE on google maps.

So, I am proud to say I am moving again, and starting to exercise. My goal is to drop the 25 lbs I put on by the end of summer. That's going to be pretty hard since I've had trouble finding time and the baby hasn't even come yet! So I need to get into the routine now if I'm hoping to have a chance at it sticking in a month's time. And eating? I'm trying to get back to nutrious eating, and at regular time intervals.

I'm sure there's lots more to talk about since my last update, but I'll leave you with a story, then call it quits. As many of you know (the Canadians, atleast)... Tim Hortons has started their roll up the RIM contest.

Roll up the RIM and destroy the planet, one cup at a time!
So Tim Horton's has started their roll up the RIM contest. Switching the regular paper coffee cups for other paper ones that have a prize rolled up into the rim, or a nice "Thanks, please play again" message. I drink Tim's coffee daily and I want to do my part to minimize the amount of waste going into landfills. What's that you say? Recycle the cups? Recycling's good.... if you've already produced the waste, but the 3 R's (Reduce, Re-use, Recycle) remind us that reduction is best. So I use a thermos to cut down on waste. And as an added bonus, it keeps my coffee hot for a long time.

Last Monday, when I tried to enter the Tim Horton's en route to work like I do every morning, I see the place is packed! Must be that time of the year... Roll up the rim has all the Starbuckers and other coffee drinkers in trying their luck. And even non-coffee drinkers, since I hear a lot of hot chocolate orders, which is almost unheard of any other time.

The thought of winning something is very exciting! I decide I want in on this! But what do I do? I have an ethical dilemma? Do I try my luck getting a free coffee/donut/cash/car? Or do I do the "right thing" and try to save the planet, one cup at a time? I decided to do the right thing and have been getting my coffee in my usual thermos. To Tim's credit, they deduct $0.10 off your coffee if you have your own container, which amounts to a free coffee after 13 or so. But if I were rolling up the rim, I'd be seeing a freebie every 5 - 10, based on past years.

OK, no biggie... I miss out on a chance to win. 3 days ago, I go into a different Tim's... not my regular one. I ask for my "medium mug" and they ring it in and I hand over my thermos. The girl at the coffee pots holds it up, looks at it and tries to decide if it is in fact a medium, or if I'm trying to give them the once over. She takes out a medium cup, a paper one (regular, not roll-up-the-rim) and fills it with coffee. She then pours that into mug and throws out the paper cup!!! I was astonished! If a cup were to be wasted anyway, I'd have taken a chance at winning!

And if that's not enough... she actually tops up my mug with coffee..... defeating the whole purpose of measuring a medium. I guess she just wanted to see? I think my mug holds 11 oz, where a medium is 10 oz. GRRRR!!! So what do I do? Nothing :( Kim and I were in a rush to get to our first prenatal class, plus I didn't want to hold up the line to raise it as an issue. And, I was so shocked that I didn't even know how to react and we walked out. OK, maybe I didn't do "nothing"... I did write this and who knows who will read it.

So, what can be done? First of all, I think that Tim's should have a contest, but not at the price of our precious earth. Surely there must be better ways. How about leveraging their computers to connect back to HQ and randomly spit out "try again" or "free coffee" codes at the till. If you win a free one, they could load it on your re-usable Tim's card for you. They could even give you a small paper voucher. Yes, it defeats the purpose of my rant, but it's a lot less wasteful than a whole cup for the winners AND losers.

And what about the other muggers, like myself? Many retire their mugs for a couple months in favour for a chance to win. Maybe our chances should be doubled for doing the right thing? Any suggestions are welcome!

Well, that's all folks, . Just remember, you too can make a difference... choose re-usable over disposible. Give a hoot... don't polute :)

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