Ironing Out Some Bugs

Apparently I'm being punished for the cocky way I've been thinking about things lately.  Yup, I've been feeling pretty smug about my training -- boots feel great, no hot spots or blisters, nothing else hurts...much.

Then I did an uphill-downhill hike, about 3 hours round trip.  And my 2nd toe -- you know, the one beside the big toe -- was sore at the end.  Like pressure sore. Lasted a few days.  Even the weight of the sheet on it in bed hurt a little.  So I picked up one of these to try out -- a gel toe protector. One size fits all and you just cut it down to fit, even if your toes aren't well...even if they aren't quite separated all the way.  Okay, webbed.  Even if you have webbed toes.  But dang if that thing didn't work.  Test drove it on my next two uphill-downhills and no more pressure toes.  They're washable and reusable.  I'll be picking up a couple of those for sure.

But the next little bug has me perplexed.  A red rash on the inside of both legs just above the ankle.  Right where my sock ends. And it can't be an allergy to my socks.  They're merino wool and I've been test driving them for a year with no problems.  The first time it happened I thought maybe I had my boots laced too tight and they were chafing.  But it's happened twice since and I know that's not the case.  It's kind of like...remember when you were a kid and you'd put a glass over your mouth and chin then suck in so the glass would stick to your face without holding it?  And then when you took the glass off, the blood had been pulled to the surface of the skin and it left a big round goofy circle on your face so that everyone knew what you'd done?  Well it's kind of like that.

I sort of self-diagnosed it as a heat rash but it's not sore or itchy or bumpy -- not like those pus filled bumps in the pics on the internet (shudder).  It's just there.  And it goes away in a few days.  So do I just ignore it?  Cross my fingers and hope for the best?

I'm open to suggestions.


Book Review:  Two Canadian novels for your consideration...

If you like to be bashed over the head with a series of unending metaphors and similes, read Lullabies For Little Criminals.  Some of them were quite lovely, some were exquisitely descriptive, but even a good thing can be overdone.  And the story telling just seemed random, one thread disappearing into another.  Perhaps that accurately reflects the thought processes of 12 year Baby, a kid growing up on the streets of Montreal.  But it just reminded me too much of all the kids I use to deal with when I was policing. All the kids who didn't stand a chance from the get go.  Some people call this book heart-wrenching.  For me it was just plain depressing.

I read Rush Home Road, the first novel by Lori Lansens, after I read her subsequent two books, The Girls and The Wife's Tale, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed.  Rush Home Road did not disappoint.  Told in the present day and in flash backs, it examines the life of Adelaide Shadd, a black woman who, in her declining years, takes in a six year old girl abandoned by her mother.  Lansen's characters are her strong suit and in Addy Shadd she's created a woman I very much enjoyed getting to know.
 

Training Mind as Well as Body

When I was at Depot training for the RCMP one of our training requirements was being subjected to tear gas.  Before the main event we had to go for a run to ensure we were good and sweaty.  The tear gas stings more that way...sadistic bastards.  We were then led into the "gas chamber" three or four at a time where we had to do some jumping jacks while wearing our gas masks to get our breathing elevated...sadistic bastards.  When instructed, we individually removed our masks and attempted to state our names or answer any other question posed by our drill sergeant through the intercom.  Some people gagged out a semi-response before bolting, others just went straight for the door.  The rest of the troop who hadn't gone in yet, stood behind the glass and laughed, nervously waiting their turn.

In the days leading up to the gassing, my troop mates were getting more and more paranoid.  Everyone, that is, but me.  I couldn't figure out why they were all freaking out about it.  I mean, how bad could it be?  You take off your mask, state your name, try not to breathe too deeply, then go out the door.  Piece of cake.  To what did I owe my nonchalant attitude?  Not a bloody thing, apparently.  I can't remember if I managed to choke out anything more than "gaaaah" before making a run for it.  There were people outside to take care of us as we staggered out the door; troop mates held troop mates who were bent over oozing mucus and saliva, coughing and hacking.  As everyone started to recover, the general consensus of the troop was, "Hey, that wasn't so bad!"  Everyone, that is, but me.  Were these people nuts?  How bad was it? Try the most excruciatingly painful experience of my life, that's how bad.  (Of course, that was before I experienced child birth...no wait...it was worse than that.)

So what, if anything, does this have to do with the Camino?  Days 1 and 2 in the Pyrenees, that's what.  The two days that can take people out of the game.  Because even Emilio Estevez, in his movie The Way, (**SPOILER ALERT**) bought it on the hike over the Pyrenees -- that dreaded section where you climb to 1450 m before descending to Roncesvalles at 950 m.  It's all about the mindset.  I have to lose my nonchalant "piece of cake" attitude. 'Cause I sure don't want a repeat of the gassing experience.  I have to tell myself it will be tough.  I have to tell myself it will be gruelling.  I have to tell myself no amount of training will prepare me for it.   

I have to get myself so psyched out that when I finish that section I'll be able to say, "Hey, that wasn't so bad!"


Book Review:  Every year I attend my local Arts Council book sale...and every year I donate back half the books I bought the year before.  This year I picked up 13 books for the grand sum of $6.00 -- it  would still be a deal at twice the price.  And it's like a treasure hunt looking for books by authors I like to collect.  Like Michael Connelly.  I started reading Connelly somewhere in the middle of the Harry Bosch novels.  The great thing about a Connelly series is you don't have to read them from the start or in order, even though the characters build over time and some of them cross over between his different series.  This year I was lucky to latch onto a copy of The Poet, an oldie from 1996 but one I'd been wanting to read.  The main character is Jack McEvoy, a reporter, writing about police suicides after his police officer brother apparently eats his own gun.  As with all Connelly novels, the story is strong and the writing is good.  What more do you need for a compelling read?  Except I get a little tired of how quickly his male characters bed the female ones.

 

Gearing Up

I've got to get my head around the fact that the summer months fly by and before I know it I'll be loading up my pack with things other than weights. Some of those things I've been collecting for a while, others still need to be purchased.  Like clothes.  So off I toodled to Walk the Coast, my favourite store in town.  Their tag line is From Hikers to High Heels.  I bought my hiking boots there and they carry a fantastic shoe line.  Plus lots of great clothing brands like ExOfficio and chlorophylle.  So how did I make out...

I knew I wanted an ExOfficio shirt (to go with my ExOfficio travel underwear) because the ExOfficio shirt has it all -- ventilation, wicking, lightweight, quick drying, sun guard 30+ and a security pocket.  As luck would have it they had a new shipment in.  Hmmm....what colour do I chose?  Clean white?  Cool blue?  Fiery orange? Who says there shouldn't be a little colour on the Camino?  Orange it is.  That it was the only colour in my size didn't influence my decision at all.

My biggest dilemma has been what to take as my second pair of shoes.  The ones that go on when the boots come off to give the old feet a breather.  I'd been contemplating some Old Navy flip flops, or my old Sanuks.  But here's the thing -- I have flat feet.  They injure easily.  I've had plantar faceitis and it's no fun.  I wear custom made orthotics in my runners and boots.  So I really felt I needed something with support.  And VOILA!  The Vionic orthaheel flip.  Support, cool, and comfy all in one.  Plus they can go in the shower so as to avoid slimy crawly things that would like to make their home between my toes.  And yup, those are little sequins on the straps.

Who says there shouldn't be a little bling on the Camino?


Book Review:  Not really sure why I read Creativity Inc by Ed Catmull.  At least I'm not really sure why I kept reading this book, given that it's subtitle is Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration. Ed Catmull is the president of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. Being a big movie fan, a big Pixar fan, (I mean the Toy Story trilogy is epic film making in every single way) I found the parts about the birth of Pixar and the making of some of the movies very interesting.  The stuff about how to manage creative people not so much, but it was never a dry boring read.  My feeling when I finished the book was, "damn, I wished I worked for Pixar."  It's no wonder they get tens of thousands of applications to fill 100 positions.

I don't usually reread books.  There are some I would like to -- like the whole Harry Potter series from beginning to end in one go.  Or some early Stephen King.  My fear in rereading a book I loved is that it won't live up to my memory of it.  That happened with The Catcher in the Rye.  But the real reason I don't reread books is that there are too many new ones to discover. So when my book club was given The Art of Racing in the Rain I figured I would just skim through it to refresh my memory on names and such.  But I started reading and in no time had finished it again.  Some in my book club hated it.  Others liked it.  Me?  I love it.  Without giving anything away if you haven't read it, for me, as a dog owner, I found great comfort in those pages.