I’m sick. I’m tired. I’m borderline injured with knee problems and shin splints.
This week hasn’t been the greatest and the weather still is acting post-apocolypty. Yes, I just made that word up. Deal with it.
The only thing that could cheer me up is a much needed family-reunion inspired wedding.
Good thing that’s exactly what the doctor ordered!
I’m off to Kelowna to celebrate Ryan and Krista’s love and to see family members that I haven’t seen for years… without trying to sound cliched, this weekend will simply be epic.
I’ve been practicing my dance moves and I got my hair did…. Kelowna won’t know what hit ‘em!
Wooohoooo! As I’m slowly clawing my way back from the jetlag induced haze that characterized my day and blog post yesterday, I am feeling a tad more ambitious in regards to elaborating on my Japanese Adventures.
In my opinion, the ice in Obihiro is in great shape, albeit a bit peculiar. In some aspects I feel as though I can get a ton of grip/pressure, and in others, I’m afraid of having the ice break away underneath my skates. It’s a brand new facility and the ice surface is massive; the outer lane stretches out probably a good meter and a half wider than in Calgary… so it sort of makes you feel insignificant, like when looking up at the stars.
The building is also equipped with a good sound system that tends to blare out either Ne-Yo or Michael Jackson on repeat. I’m not complaining about the MJ, but after about the fourth time of hearing Ne-Yo croon out “So sick” I started to not only lose my mind, but also my complete understanding of reality. Hello Ne-Yo induced vertigo!
Unfortunately we haven’t gone for sushi yet, but I’m confident that we’ll be basking in its deliciousness sooner than later. The food at the hotel is good, and the waiters may be the cutest thing since Hello Kitty.
Perhaps the most bizarre and foreign aspect of Japan is their complete and unyielding love for vending machines. Man! Seriously. Canada really needs to step up our game when it comes to prefab, manufactured food edible products. My personal favorite is the tin-can, ready made, always hot, bottled coffee. It’s actually delicious! With just the right amount and blend of sugar/cream/coffee ratio… I’m sure even Clara Hughes the most hardcore of coffee connoisseurs would become instant fans!
Aside from the coffee, I was also impressed when I spotted a V-Machine that dished out respectable looking chicken nuggets and fries… which is funny, because personally, to me, chicken fingers and vending machines have always naturally gone together, like… Milli and Vanilli, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, and Tonya Harding with pure ladylike high class.
Oh well. One things for certain: even if the Japanese are eating Chicken Nuggets from robot vending machines, their nation’s average BMI is still a lot more respectable than ours!
Well here I am. Sitting in the Air Canada lounge with my BFF YamTampura, sipping on a smooth and creamy grande latte. We’re currently waiting patiently to board our flight to the great land of Japan; joining us is my coach Mark Wild, physiotherapist Martin, and teammates Will Dutton, Matt Mclean and Tyler Derraugh. We will be meeting up with Vincent Labrie and Robert Tromblay en route to Obihiro from Tokyo, so we’ve got a lot of adventure ahead of us!
I’ve just been informed that there will be juice boxes filled with sake in vending machines within our hotel. I love Japan already.
I’ll update when we arrive; hopefully I’ll have something entertaining to rant about after our 20+ hour travel day. As I know that you will all be incredibly bored for this next update-less/fruitless day, I’m going to leave you with some of my favorite websites:
The following are websites of two of my teammates. Maybe you’ve heard of them? They aren’t coming on our trip to Japan, but I already miss them!
www.kristinagroves.ca
www.clara-hughes.com
The following websites are just plain filler. I visit them when I have nothing else to do, and as I’m sure none of you live busy lives, I hope you enjoy them as well!
Who knew that Kristina was so revolutionary? I for one didn’t realize that she’s the only skater to have ever hit a puck … She’s not only ripping up the track, but she’s also revolutionizing speed skating safety and keeping a lot of people busy!
Well, there’s only a few more hours of 2009 and as I am racing a 1500m tomorrow, I’ve found myself chillen with my parents and dogs watching an AMC Three Stooges marathon.
I’ll have to update you on my racing tomorrow, as I’m sure I’ll be left with something to say about my experience… the last 1500m I raced was just under a year ago and I managed to die almost 5 seconds within the last lap, so we’ll see how it goes!!!!! YIKES!
As for my New Years resolutions, I really haven’t outlined an official “To Do” list for 2010. I’m going to concentrate on strengthening old friendships, making new ones, meeting new people, and trying to be the best person that I can be. I want to be more charitable, generous, compassionate, patient and understanding… maybe my 1500m tomorrow will teach me a little bit about being compassionate and understanding… especially for when my teammates have the oh so lovely “1500m hack”.
Oh well. We’ll see how it goes.
Aside from the above abstract and subjective resolutions… I guess my only other train of thought is in regards to getting myself a hot stallion Guido boyfriend. If anyone knows any of the guys in this video… please give me their names and numbers. I’ve always liked Jagerbombs, hairspray, fake tans, and wouldn’t mind moving to Jersey…
Well, I guess I’ve got a lot to write about, and surprisingly, I’ve no clue where to start. How can I describe how my life has changed within the past seventy two hours adequately in this stupid little blog? There is absolutely no way to describe how I feel because I’m still numb. I have no words to describe the emotional high(s) and low(s) that I have experienced through my racing and seeing my friends race within this little Olympic-Trial week.
On Sunday December 27th, 2009, I was granted the opportunity to represent my country at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. It seems so incredibly surreal that me, a skinny little awkward, noodle-legged girl will be in Vancouver this February.
The only thing in which I can say, and know how to say is THANK YOU. Honestly. Honest to God. From the bottom of my soul, all I can say is thank you. I’ve been so blessed to have discovered the sport of speed skating. I’ve met the greatest that humanity has to offer and I’m proud to call myself a jock Canadian athlete. I’ve experience and learnt so much within the past fourteen months that I don’t even know where to start… I’ve had more fun than most people experience within their lifetime and I’ve felt and seen more heartache than should be legal. I wouldn’t give it up for all the money and power in the world.
I’ve been skating since I was four years old and the past sixteen years have been an incredible roller coaster ride filled with laughter, tears, CSSA, mass start competitions, the blondies, the link program, quitting for 6 months, getting a job at Shopper Drugs Mart, friends, not so friendly acquaintances, heartache, bat caves, the oval program, the Red Deer Lodge, Whitehorse’s -48 weather, European crushes, Finale parties, 40s of Olde English, Hoestash, Towa sushi, wasabi, mental breakdowns at Junior Trials, China and FISU, hot baths and warm blankets, Chinese Cab Rides, Yelling “Yang Yang A” to Chinese Cab drivers, Pizza hut, Shane, Selina, Crispin, Todd and Mark, CanAms, Canada Cups, Nordegg and Swirly, Fernie and inlining, Slurpees after hill sprints, Dagobert, Storm of the Century, Greggory losing her shoe, Hotel Sepia, botched team pursuits, Tamara Oudenaarden and Alanna Johnston, Hot Lips, Family Crispo, ghost riding the whip, the MS Bike Tour, every Thursden after the season, Raffe and Baby, Tobey losing one of my mother’s mits, graveyards, Single Ladies’ Night, Quebecois friends, Sushi Taxi, St. Hubert, Bette, Tina, Jojo, “Annnnnita’s here!”, dacing to Lil Jon’s “low” in Sibold & Ricky’s hallway, Jelly Bellys, T+D before bed, Butte, pranks: garlic on Greggory’s toothbrush, hairs on my pillow, tsunamis, police taped doors, baguettes in bed, Chez Ashton at 3 in the morning, failing in the weight room, the prowler, “Gurls!”, “Therleaux!”, Milwaukee, C.O.P. challenges, epic mountain runs with Aundrea, Raney’s video, RTK, Rempel’s baking, Sunday brunch, Saskatchewan road trips, Saskatchewan Weddings x2, Saigon Y2K, heart-to-hearts, seances, the healing circle, Beer miles, bonking on rides, flat tires, homemade wine, Swine Flu, Susan Auch, Catriona Le May Doan, P.B’s, finishing a 1500m race and crying over the line, giant cookies, WEM, hate, love, arguments, forgiveness, family and a hell of a lot of hard work.
THANK YOU.
I started this blog as a silly little hobby to highlight things that inspire me. YOU inspire me. You make my life better, and I couldn’t imagine living it any other way. I’ve got the greatest friends in the entire world (not to mention the best looking too) and I appreciate every single one of you. The support you’ve all shown has humbled me to my core.
2009 was an amazing ride and I hate to see it end, but I’ll raise my imaginary glass and toast to 2010. Here’s to having an epic, crazy, peaceful and prosperous year ahead of us!
I’m feeling incredibly Zen right now, and I’m loving it!
I don’t know about all of you (aka there are thousands) but I find it easy to become wrapped up in the craziness of Christmas shopping and holiday hoopla. I forget to breathe, to really take in my surroundings, to relax and really enjoy all of the beauty around me.
The past few weeks have been a complete whirlwind and I feel as though I’m only coming down from the storm right now. Racing, travel, exams, and shopping turned me into a cheaply made wound-up toy running on fumes of fumes. My tank was empty and I was about hundred miles outside of the nearest Saskatchewan ghost town.
I’m glad that today I found myself surrounded by those I love; through hanging out with family and friends, I finally have found myself settling down into a somewhat healthier (no pun intended- but I am feeling much better regarding my cold) physical and mental frame of life.
I know I make this little ol’ blog pretty tongue-n-cheek but I want to emphasize that I really enjoy and appreciate everyone who gives me feedback regarding The Daily. Thank you. I understand that everyone is busy during the holidays, and if you’ve taken your precious time to visit this little silly blog, I sincerely thank you. I started this blog as an outlet for inspiration, and through writing, I never expected that you- the trusted reader- would in turn inspire me as much as you have.
So… I’ve had a little bit of a cold these past few days and to get my mind off of it I decided to start Christmas Baking!!
Lightly humming Christmas carols and baking cookies has gotta be one of the most peaceful and therapeutic activities in the entire world! For forty five short minutes I forgot about my cold, lack of Christmas shopping, and the hard program eagerly waiting for me tomorrow. I forgot about everything and everyone and found myself truly living in the moment!
The holidays in general are hectic: school is ending, exams are beginning, parties, shopping, and the inevitable eggnog hangover are all looming over our heads like that little flying Koopa that pops up when going the wrong way while playing Mario Kart. Hell, all we need is for SSC to throw in a week long set of Olympic trials to really get in the holiday spirit!
But honestly. Stop and smell the roses. Or… I guess not roses, as it is December and I’m sure the only roses around are either really expensive or plastic… So,… stop and smell the cookies. Everyone should go and bake right about…. NOW! And then eat all of the cookies. And then eat some more.
Life is too short; live in the moment! It’s easier said than done, I know… but you’ll thank me (p.s. when the hell did I become all high and mighty with this other-worldy knowledge? OMG I seriously need to check my ego; who the hell do I think I am? I’m only 20 for heavens sake!) because when we’re 50 (which is only a short time away!) we’ll be squawking to our children,“If only I was your age!”
I sure hope you all enjoy this little inside scoop on Canadian speed skating royalty OMG I can’t believe I just wrote that, Nesbitt is going to kill me.
Hope everyone is having a great holiday and are getting ready for Christmas and Trials!
I’ll try to update EVERY DAY!!!!!!! I’ve got a ton to write about and even more to rant about.
Enjoi the following set of RANDOM but VERY IMPORTANT questions. I’ll be shocked if this little vid doesn’t drastically change your life.
As racing is done, I’ve found myself pathetically attempting to study. My mind is about as strong as Victoria Beckham right now and I just can’t seem to concentrate. Thank God I’ve got youtube to keep me from doing what actually needs to be done…
Gentle Viewers Readers, Almost a year ago I was inspired by a good friend to start documenting the craziness and happenings in and around the speed skating world. Almost half a year ago I suspended the Daily A-Buce indefinitiely. Almost a week ago I decided to reinvent this lil’ ol’ ... Continue reading »
