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January 16, 2005
School Yard Bullies
I went for a run Friday afternoon with my buddy Chris. We decided, (or rather I convinced him), that running from UVic to Mount Douglas, and back, would be a nice after school mission. The temperature was a cool -2 and with wind chill it was reported to be -10. We met at 2:30 at the gymnasium and headed off on our jaunt.
After about 15 minutes we started to see the outline of the not-so-impressive inner city "mountain”. Continuing towards our goal my legs were feeling pretty good. At 28 minutes we reached the lower parking lot of Mount Doug and figured if we were planning on walking tomorrow, we should turn around now. The return was a little rougher. With a tightening hamstring and aching legs I checked to see the stopwatch reach 42 minutes. At this point Chris and I decided to start cutting through schoolyards. This would shorten the distance and decrease our pain.
The first schoolyard was great as it was an elementary school. I even stopped to ask the crossing guard which way was the quickest way back to UVic. She responded in nonsensical phrases, using retirement homes and fire hydrants as landmarks. She was quite unhelpful, but non-the-less quite polite. The second school, however, was a junior high. If anyone remembers being a teenager on a Friday afternoon, you’ll remember this is when you felt that you were on top of the world. Full of piss and vinegar, one might say.
We ran past a group of gossipy girls only to hear one of them yell out, "Going for a run! Good plan!" Within moments our lonely group of two all of a sudden had doubled. Two of the girls were trailing us and talking smack.
"I, like, run all the time," the second girl mouthed out. "I enjoy running with you!"
"Totally, this running is awesome, not very fast though." The first girl managed to get out between gasps of air. "I'd run faster with my Grandma!"
At this point I didn't know what to do. I turned to see the two girls in their tapered jeans and poofy jackets toddling along behind us. I knew they were making fun of us. I also knew anything I would say won't be very witty, or even intelligible, as I believe my brain shut off at the 45 minute mark. All I could do is look at the trail ahead and keep putting one foot in front of the other.
For that brief instance I was overwhelmed with memories of junior high. The awkward uncertain feelings rushed back, as well as the confusion as to how I had somehow become their target.
Then it all stopped as quickly as it started. The girls signed off, "Knees up, keep going! Same time next week." And the puffing girls stopped 100 meters from where they started. They returned to the giggling mob of 14-year olds.
Chris and I just looked at one and other. I think we both were a bit bewildered as to what had just happened. "Were we just being mocked?" I managed to blurt out between inhales.
"Yeah, I think so," was Chris' answer, "I think so."
Posted by jmclean at 05:36 PM | Comments (2)
January 03, 2005
Hamburgers
With this short-lived plethora of time I have, I decided to investigate one of my burning questions. "Why is a hamburger called a (emphasis on HAM) ham-burger, if there is no ham in it?"
I was given a quick-no-thinking answer, "Because they are from Hamburg Germany."
I quickly responded, "Really?"
"I don't know, it just sounded good."
***
Well, after a few moments of searching around on the www I found a couple answers.
From The History and Legends of Hamburgers site, I found out that "tracing history back thousands of years, we learn that even the ancient Egyptians ate ground meat, and down through the ages we also find that ground meat has been shaped into patties and eaten all over the world under many different name."
In the 18th and 19th Centuries the term Hamburg Steak caught on. "The largest ports in Europe were in Germany. Sailors, who had visited the ports of Hamburg, Germany and New York, brought the food and term "Hamburg Steak" into popular usage. To attract German sailors, eating stands along the New York City harbour offered, "steak cooked in the Hamburg style.""
As far as the actual term "Hamburger", its origin is unknown. Common theory is that "European emigrants reached America on the ships of the Hamburg Lines and were served meat patties quickly cooked on the grill and placed between two pieces of bread." They donned the name "Hamburger".
*** Please note if you choose to eat the burger pictured above you will have to visit your local Wendy's and purchase a Classic Triple with Cheese. Its serving size is 0.75 lbs and contains 40.0 grams of fat and 590 calories. For more information visit the Wendy's site.
Posted by jmclean at 05:01 PM | Comments (2)
January 01, 2005
Mount Finlayson / Damn Sony
We awoke this morning, New Years Morning, with a skiff of snow covering our Victoria back yard. Snow in Victoria?!? Well, to avoid it we decided to head for the hills. The goal was to peak Mt. Finlayson, (something Jon had already done three times last year, I had not). The hike up was invigorating and at a record breaking 38 minutes it was a fast ascent. We passed the snow line, at about 300 meters, and finished the trek up to the peak, which was at 419 meters above our Pacific Ocean. The snow was wet enough that it clung to the trees making for incredible photo opportunities. Unfortunately my lovely digital camera isn't so lovely right now and is back at the Sony shop anxiously awaiting its treatment.
Sitting here at home with my legs tingling, (slightly burning) and my lungs full of fresh air, I am ready to conquer the New Year. Ready to reclaim my camera. Ready to hear the slight hum of the digital camera as it is turned on. Ready to forget the barrage of gear grinding, and uncalled for beeps and the error code, "E 61:00" flashing across the display screen of the camera every time it was turned on.
With that slight rant out of the way I am ready to relax, have a martini, maybe a bowl of lemon chicken, (leftovers from last night's evening festivities), and enjoy the rest of the new year!
PS. The lack of pictures to commemorate our first adventure of the New Year was because my Sony Cybershot is still in disrepair. Did I mention the scenery was beautiful...
Posted by jmclean at 02:50 PM | Comments (3)