IRONMAN CANADA

WIth just 10 weeks to go, Ironman Canada is just around the corner. Hard to believe that I am half way through my training program. At this point, I am up to 8000 yards swimming, 100 miles cycling, and 20 miles running per week. Within 4-5 weeks, I will be close to 11000 yards swimming, 150 miles cycling and 35 miles running per week. Whoa, tired just thinking about it. As it stands, I am looking to break 13 hours, but also have a specific goal of 12h 30m, which will be 1 hour better than Ironman Arizona in 2008. It will be a bit tough since the bike course in Canada is not exactly flat. There are 2 significant climbs: one is an 7 mile climb at 6% grade and another 4 mile climb at 6%. Needless to say that hilly rides are in the program. I will keep you posted as the weeks continue.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

For Dad, Mike, Joe, and Grandpa Otto, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!! We love you and admire you, and will continue looking up to you for your wisdom. And you guys make it so easy to love you.

Love,

Us

Week Back from Vacation

Hello :o) We're feeling acclimated, now. I'm a little sick, and Corey's fighting one off, but other than that, the transition has been made. The transition to normal life was a multistep process:

pet Pudge, Aja, and Ra

take Pudge on a morning walk

unpack/laundry

eat or drink whatever you missed most. For me, it was cake doughnuts and our own coffee. Corey was a sweet man! He bought me doughnuts for breakfast and made a pot of coffee on Sunday morning, before I was even out of bed.

go to the gym, or go on a long bike ride, if you are Corey

go to Moo

go to work

...I'm also willing to bet that Corey had one extra step in there, which would be get back to McMurtrey for lap swimming.

Corey is in the thick of his Ironman training schedule right now. 10 weeks to Pinticton!!!

I am starting training with a personal trainer at Body Exchange. I have only had one session with my trainer, Sandy Long, and she is pleasant :o) 3 months to my sprint tri here in Bako. Between Sandy and Corey, I have the guidence. Now I have to bring the discipline!

This morning, we started a seven week bible study with our favorite pastor in the world, Galen. It is "Knowing God's Will." Of course, it was good, and it will continue to be good teaching. So, I guess the previous statement applies to THIS too... Galen will bring the guidence, and it is up to me (and Corey) to bring the self discipline :o)

Hope everyone is doing well today. Love you guys!

Where Should I Eat My Cheese?

I brought back a nice wedge of semi-soft cheese. It tastes great! That's why I bought it. But yesterday morning, I cut the cheese out of its vacuum sealed packaging and WHHOOOOAAA! It smelled like a dirty diaper!!! Holy cow (and goat)! The cheese was still good and fresh. It was just stinky. I don't remember any smell coming out of it at all, when I was in the cheesemonger's shop. The smell filled the kitchen with its stinkiness. The cheese tasted good still, but holy moly! I guess I don't have to tell you that the smell did not encourage me to put a piece of that cheese in my mouth.

The only explanation I have for why I bought dirty diaper cheese without KNOWING that it smelled terrible (but tastes good) is that the cheesemonger's shop smelled really bad. You smelled it as soon as you got in the door "like a punch in the face" as Jerry Seinfeld would say. (Hey, cheese is based upon mold and bacteria, so it shouldn't be shocking) My guess is that our senses had acclimated to the smell of the shop, so I didn't smell anything from that Gab Ietou.

Now, being the cheap person I am, in combination of being prissy about stinkiness, I have am in a predicament. I want to eat my cheese, because we paid for it and carted it back here to the states, AND it still tastes good once you get past the smell. However, do I get past the smell? My first thought is to sit on the front porch and eat it. That way, I'm not subjecting Corey and the "children" to it. But what does that do for me? So, maybe I need to eat it in a stinky setting? Where would that be? A cheesemonger's shop would be ideal, but Bako doesn't have any cheese shops. Eat at the county dump? How about a cigar bar? Cigars smell nasty. That could work. --and absolutely NO EATING in the bathroom!!! Nobody suggest that. You may as well suggest that a lady gives birth in a sixfoot grave.

I'll ask Jessica at Moo to suggest what to do about the cheese. Maybe that's why it goes will coffee or wine? Maybe the drinks somehow compensate for the stink?

Amsterdam, Holland

Wow, our first day of steady rain. Quite unexpected but it did not stop us from enjoying a beautiful day in our 2nd to last port: Amsterdam, Holland. Quite an interesting city since it is built around a large number of canals. This is definitely a city I would not want to drive in. Too many bicycles, trams, people, boats, and cars. Everyone is going every which way and you are constantly watching out for everyone. Definitely a bicycle town--thousands of bicycles everywhere. People even have their own bicycles paths, walking paths, tram paths, and streets for cars. I think it is worse than Dublin or Glasgow.

Well, we had a great experience trying to locate the tram to take us to the Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh Museum. Since everything is in Dutch, it made for quite the adventure, a la The Amazing Race. Once we figured out which tram to take and how to pay, then we were on our way. Now it was determining which stop to take, but that was soon remedied when it stopped right in front of the Rijksmuseum.

What an amazing and gorgeous building. It housed so many paintings and sculptures. Its prized collection was that of Rembrants' paintings, both his and his pupils. Stunning works throughout the museum. A bit crowded since it is a school day. Too many students.

After lunch, we headed down the street to the Van Gogh museum. Another amazing museum since it houses virtually all of his collections, both painting and drawings. One fact I did not know is that Van Gogh killed himself.

(As I sit here and write this, our ship is departing. What never ceases to amaze us is what the captain of this ship can do. It is a 1000+-foot ship and he turns it around like it's Jen's mini cooper. We are in a tiny port, teeming with dozens of boats and barges, and the ship is being turned around and heading out of port.)

A little fact about Amsterdam: it contains just a few "coffeshops." And by coffeeshops, we mean not only do they sell coffee, but also marijuana. In fact, in Amsterdam, it is legally to own it, it is legally to buy it, and, if you are the proprietor of a hash bar, it is legally to sell it. So John Travola (aka Vincent in Pulp Fiction) was correct. Well, and let's not forget the oldest profession in the world: prostitution. It is huge here (no pun intended). They even have their own section in town--The Red Light District.

Onward to our last port: Belgium. We are docking in Zeebrugge, which is about 30 minutes from Brussels. We will take an excursion to Bruges. Apparently it is supposed to be quite magically and quite a romantic place. Then we head back to London and our flight home to California. Kind of ironic that we are heading home on Virgin Atlantic for our flight home after having visited Amsterdam.

Bruge, Belgium

Bruge, Bruge…. What to say about Bruge that can do it justice???? It’s our favorite excursion of the whole trip! We did the “Romantic Bruge” tour. It certainly lived up to its name! The city is kind of tucked away out of view, kinda like Cambria. It just had so much charm. It seemed not just “cute,” but kind of “untouched” by a lot of big chains. Not a single Burger King, Starbucks, or McDonald’s. The only chains that I think were visible were the snooty-tootie clothing retail stores, but even they were pretty low key. The walk was nice, but we couldn’t understand our tour guide. She was very quiet :o) She walked us over to a canal tour, though, and the boat had a nice little amplification system!

Oh yes… in our walking tour, we stopped in at “Our Lady’s Church”. It was very special! Sure, there was the only Michaelangelo that was allowed to leave Italy inside there, but it was really dwarfed by the other items. Our guide said (this much I actually heard) that people who wanted to be buried inside the cathedral had to donate something valuable to the church. There were many beautiful statues and ornate carvings of the pulpit… a potpourri of ethral gifts. However, over the altar was the organ, and in front of the pipes was this huge cross with Jesus on it. It just sucked the focus there and the backdrop on the wall far behind it was the stained glass… it was breathtaking! Michaelangelo was quickly forgotten, in the face of such a striking picture. It was a very special church. I found it ore moving than the Sistine or the Vatican. Maybe it was the effect of the proportions of the small church and the large Christ… I dunno. Maybe it was so surprising, because it wasn’t featured on greeting cards, desktop wallpaper, and textbooks.

We only had 45 mins of free time (grrr! But I will soon let go of that complaint), and Corey and I spent it in two shops! One was a chocolatier who only used butter –no oils in his chocolate. The other was a fascinating woodcraft shop.

Not much to say… I’m just gonna post pictures, since they’ll say more :o)

Edinburgh, Scotland

Hey :o) Corey wrote the Invergordon blog! He's good, hunh???


Edinburgh has been our favorite stop so far! It's a close call between Cobh and Edinburgh. Edinburough seemed to have the right balance of stuff for us. The city was awake, but it did not carry torrents of rushing locals and tourists. It was pleasantly busy. The city seemed to have levels. Everywhere we looked, we could see buildings set higher than us, and we could see buildings set lower than us. The best part was the number of old buildings. They were stone, had rich carvings, and spectacular structure.

One woman (the one with the dog) in Invergordon told us that we should take a tour of Edinburgh's underground city. Like many other cities, the Edinburgh that we were visiting was not the first city. The city was built upon the ruins of a previous city. So, I was all excited to look for the underground. The only thing I found were a few young people who set up a luan sign for underground tours and ghost tours and stuff. They looked like they couldn't have been more than 20 years old. They had a 50 miunute tour of the underground with a shot of whiskey and a shortbread at the end of the tour.. This looked like the best we could do, so Corey agreed to pay the 14 bucks per person, and we left to get lunch. When we came back for the tour, another young couple joined us. Four of us and our tour guide. Our guide grabbed a cheap looking flashlight and took us into this cool tunnel thing, and then she started talking about ghosts and witches and paranormal stuff she has seen happen to people during the tours. This was not what we expected at all. We were expecting a historical tour, but what the heck, we've already paid, and the tunnels were cool. We did get some info from her that sounded like it was historical, but then some sounded exaggerated. I am curious, though, and would like to read more about it. We were mostly creeped out about the thought of homeless people, vermin, and offal we could run into. Anyhow, the tour was fun in a campy way. I will say that there was one room I wouldn't walk into. It creeped me out. I don't like to disobey my gut instincts :o) I got a skimpy shot of whiskey at the end, and left my shortbread to feed the hungry ghosts. All I could think as I walked away was that my girlfriend Becky would be soooooooo creeped out! Becs, if you're reading this, it would almost be worth the plan fare for me to fly you to Edinburgh and take that tour! LOL!

We also saw some great churches and neat buildings. We took lots of pictures, but most of the time, we didn't know what we were looking at :o) Edinburgh also was a great place for us to find gifts! Hooray!

There was one funny thing... we almost missed our bus back! Haha! Good thing Corey is a runner and could catch the bus before it took off --my hero! Corey said that it was good practice for the Amazing Race, but unfortunately, we were the last team to arrive. Good thing it was a non-elimination round! LOL!

Ate teppanyaki for dinner on the ship and went to bed. We agree, though, that Edinburgh is definitely worth coming back to. We'd really like to look for the real underground tour.

Invergordon, Scotland

After a wonderful, lazy, restful day at sea, our last 2 stops in Scotland were sure to be wonderful. Since Jen is still sleeping, I decided to write today's posting.


Our first stop was a quiet, sleepy town called Invergordon. It is at the mouth of the River Ness. You guessed it!!! We are close to Loch Ness. However, we did not go and visit Nessie since many of the would-be tourists were flocking to the famous loch. So we decided to stay in town and just roam peacefully. Unlike the huge metropolis of Glasgow at 1.5 million people, Invergordon has about 5 streets and a population of 4200. We stopped by the museum, which outlined the history of the area and its role in WWII and the oil boom. There are still several oil derricks in the bay and several oil tanks on land. It leads us to believe that the area is very rich in the industry and still produces a fair amount. As we walked down the main street and to the outskirts of town, it was so nice not to dodge people, wrestle with the autos, and be on sensory overload. We stopped to take pictures of Jen's foliage. We also got the puppy fix when we were approached by a very friendly 11-year-old shepard, whose owner proceeded to tell about the area and our next stop. We located a wee little church and several wee little shops before heading back to the ship. This is certainly the type of town that we would love to live, as long it was close to a major area, such as Edinburgh.
We have noticed many things so far on this trip. The most obvious is the traffic driving on the wrong side. But that was a given. The one thing that stands out is the lack of fast food restaurants on every corner. In Bakersfield, for example, there are a minimum of 14 fast food restaurants within a 1-mile radius of my work. I don't think I have counted 14 on this entire trip. The point is the America is really a fast food nation. There are very few petrol stations. There is not one on every corner either. It seems that they are only spread about severals few kilometers apart. Again, Americans are so reliant on their autos. Anyway, there are so many stark differences that shows why many nations think we are so wasteful.


Anyway, onward to Edinburgh. We are looking forward to this city rich in Scottish history.

Greenock, Scotland

Today was the first day that we actually got cold wind and rain! The rain was brief, though, thank goodness :o)


Another day of self guided tourism. I love it :o)


We took a train from our port in Greenock to the 4th largest city in Europe, Glasgow.


My favorite was the Glasgow Cathedral! The place was pretty. Different from the other cathedrals I have seen, this one seemed more ACTIVE. They had stained glass and plaques that gave tributes to military and civil servants. I enjoyed discussing the areas of the cathedral with Corey, what was used for what purposes and by whom... insights into catholicism. It was pleasant comparing and contrasting catholicism with protestant beliefs! As we talked, we also meandered down to Central Necropolis. We wanted to go in, because we've never been in a necropolis before. Neat place! Very old. Lots and lots of burial sites, sepulchers and monuments.


Then we walked around the town. We were headed to a place called "Where the Monkey Sleeps Cafe" for lunch, but our plans were thwarted by a sudden downpour. I didn't feel like walking a mile in heavy rain. Of course, once I decided this, and we set an alternate course, the rain and wind stopped, and the sun came out again. Haha! Must not have been meant to be. We ended up eating in this restauruant in a mall. It was called "Ally and Fifi's." VERY girlie, but I didn't realize this, until we were seated. The wallpaper was white with black velvet dog sillhouettes! I still didn't quite catch on, until the girls at the table next to us ordered thesde cupcakes that we so pretty, I'd be afraid to eat one! Nevertheless, I had a great cup of "White Coffee" and tasty roasted chicken salad. They put roasted potatoes in the salad. It was good! Never would have thought of it...

'Walked around the city a bit more, butthen came back to the boat. I was tired. Both Corey and I are looking forward to a day at sea tomorrow. We've been going non stop since Thursday last week, so we're ready to be lazy!

Belfast, Ireland

Today was the first day that was not 70-80 degrees with clear skies! Today was a little chilly and had some cloud cover. Nevertheless, we had a great time. We took a leisurely guided 14 mile ride on a bike path along the river Lagan. Beautifu!!! Green everywhere, the river was actually full, and there were lots of dogs! We've been having severe puppy withdrawals, so it was like a little "fix" to see some happy dog faces on the trail. We stopped at a place called The Giant's Ring. It's a crater-shaped grassy area measuring 200m in diameter, built sometime in the neolithic period. The center was very flat, and the people had built up the sides using no metal tools. The area appeared to be a place for gathering. There were horse races, burial ceremonies, and other activities. In the center of the ring was a standing stone memorial. Cool place.

As part of the excursion, at the end of the ride, we gathered at this "hip" riverside pub for drinks. I had a Coke, and Corey got a Guiness. As we relaxed, our guide referred us to a downtown pub called the Royal Crown or Crown Pub. It is a restored Victorian building. Boy were we grateful for her recommendation! That place was so neat! All of the original fixtures were intact: carved booths complete with four walls and a door on each booth, stained glass everywhere, and even the victorian lamps were LAMPS! They were somewhat modernized, I think, because they burned on mantles, like camping lamps, but they still held some awe for us. There was even a plaque on the wall of our booth, that informed us that one of the mirrors in the booth was installed in 1859, but got cracked by a bombing in 1999, and was restored. I was a bit taken aback.... Who is throwing bombs these days??? Well, I hear about it on the news, but I forgot where I was... Anyhow, Corey and I ordered Irish Stew for lunch. Yuuum-my!

Back on the ship for a nap and some food

Watched a comedian. He was funny about a third of the time. Oh well, they all can't be Jerry Seinfeld :o)

Dublin, Ireland

• Took shuttle into Dublin.



• Walked to Guiness Store House



• Did self guided tour. Very shwanky! Had free beer and bought some stuff at the gift shop



• Walked to St. Peter's cathedral or some other cathedral... decided not to pay 20 bucks per person to get in!



• Checked out lots of shops and dodged lots of people, until we came to Sheridan Cheesemonger's



• I tried a couple cheeses, and settled quickly upon a semi soft mild cheese. I'm totally excited to bring home my vacuum packed 1/4 Kg. Can't wait to bvreak into that little slice of goodness. I practically say goodnight to it every night!



• Dodged more people and looked in more shops



• Took a walk through Trinity College's grounds



• Checked out Tower Records. I got a Dead Fred. He's pretty cool. He holds my pen.. inside a hole in his back! Ha!



• Headed back to the boat!

Cobh, Ireland

Today was so fun!!!!! Corey and I didn't have any excursions booked. We read about a wild animal park between Cobh and Cork. We took a train that had a stop right at the park. Convenient, since we didn't know where exactly the zoo was :o) So, we like this zoo!! There must not have been as many lawsuits in Ireland, as there were in the US, because we weren't constantly looking through bars, and there was no over abundance of danger signs. You'll just have to see the pictures :o) I wish I had an audio clip, though, of the gibbons making "whooooop!" noises.

Then we took the train back to Cobh to check out the city. Very cute. Cool shops. I bought a pair of handwraps, since I discovered a punching bag in the gym.

THEN, we heard the music on the street. It sounded like someone was playing "Bad," by U2. We followed the music, and looked at the performers. Oh yeah, this guy had big sunglasses on, semi-slicked back hair, black jeans, and a scruffy face. We were standing outside of a pub called "Rob Roy's." It was the offical meeting place of the "Electric Co. U2 Fan Club." So, of course, we bought t-shirts and a beer, and listened to the band. The band actually played Pink Floyd and a few other bands, too, but they were awesome. The bar owner told us that this particular band played a great April Fool's joke on Dublin, playing their U2 music from the top of a building. People were crowding around and the news came and everything. A reporter was so convinced, that she interviewed the fake Bono, and he revealed the prank to her on TV! How embarassing :o) I'd like to call it karma ;o)

So far, this has been our favorite day! Can't help but notice that we stumbled upon stuff that we never would have seen, if we were on a guided tour.