And That Makes Us the Lucky Ones

I'm a sucker for a rich-sounding radio voice and I'm also a sucker for eloquent writing and people who speak with a certain poetic flair. 

The other day I was driving and listening to the radio. The show, which I missed the beginning of, was talking about the power of the written word. They were talking about the author and scientist Richard Dawkins. 

I have read and thoroughly enjoyed several of his books but not the one they were talking about. It's called Unweaving the Rainbow and they read his opening paragraph to illustrate the power of great writing. 

By the time they had finished the paragraph, I was on Amazon downloading the book and I have been savouring it ever since. 

His opening paragraph went like this: 

"We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been here in my place but who will in fact never see the light of day outnumber the sand grains of Arabia. Certainly those unborn ghosts include greater poets than Keats, scientists greater than Newton. We know this because the set of possible people allowed by our DNA so massively exceeds the set of actual people. In the teeth of these stupefying odds it is you and I, in our ordinariness, that are here.We privileged few, who won the lottery of birth against all odds, how dare we whine at our inevitable return to that prior state from which the vast majority have never stirred?”

Read it. 

Read it again. 

Read it out loud. 

Savour the words and how they roll off your tongue. 

Savour the message. 

And take an extra second or two to think about just how right he is. 

Don't Tell Me What To Do!

I'm not a big fan of being told what to do.

I'm even less of a fan of being tricked or manipulated into doing something.

And I'm stubborn enough to cross my arms and refuse to budge when someone tries to push me to do something...even if it's something I secretly want to do.

It wasn't until this weekend that I realized how that particular quirk of mine could be put to good use.

Remember the book I wrote about last Friday? The book called The End of Overeating by David Kessler?

Well I had a bit of time on the weekend so I've made some good headway into it. And what I've learned so far has been fascinating and more than a little disturbing.

The first section of the book is completely dedicated to the science of food production. Specifically the science of producing food that people will anticipate, crave, and, in many cases be unable to resist eating large quantities of....even when they are not at all hungry.

Turns out that, when it comes to producing a lot of the food that graces our grocery store shelves and restaurant menus, it's not about producing food that is delicious, healthy or satisfying. It's about producing food that has the right combination of fats, sugars and salt to trigger a physical response. A response that leads people to come back for more. And more.

As I continued to read, I got more and more annoyed as I thought about all the products on the market that fit this description. Those bags of sweet and salty popcorn that people bring to meetings. Chips, chocolate, fries etc etc. None of these things are good for us and yet these are the things that we are constantly battling against when cravings rear their ugly heads.

Chocolate is one of my weaknesses and I do battle every day in my head against the little voices that try to convince me to buy some.

It's one thing to crave a chocolate bar.

It's another thing to know why I crave it. Turns out that I crave it because a bunch of people did some research and figured out how to make it taste and what ingredients to include so that I would crave it. Then they make commercials and posters that advertise their products in enticing ways that make me want it even more.

They are trying to manipulate me.

Assholes!

Funny thing is that, since I read about how this happens, it's been much easier to resist. In fact, when Doug and I were at the bulk food store buying Easter chocolates for next weekend's Easter egg hunt, we bought exactly the number of eggs we needed and I wasn't even tempted to add one more to the bag. When we were in the grocery store and my favourite chocolate was on sale, I wasn't even tempted to toss one in the cart.

Instead of feeling that familiar ache of a chocolate craving, I felt a twinge of annoyance. I wondered if the reason it was my favourite chocolate bar was because it really was a delicious piece of chocolate or because the manufacturer got the combination of fat, sugar and salt just right to trigger the pleasure receptors in my brain.

So I've learned a few things this weekend.

Turns out that the best way to beat back a craving is not to use self control or distraction techniques. The best way to beat back a craving is to learn why the craving exists, get pissed off about it, and refuse to play their little game.

The End of Overeating

A few weeks ago I wrote about a book I was reading called Vitamania.

I finished it the other night and, I have to say, it was a fascinating read.

There was enough science in it to keep the geeky part of me really happy. It's been 18 years since my last university biology class and books like this one remind me how much I loved learning about anything biology-related and how much I miss being immersed in that kind of brain-expanding knowledge.

You might remember that I talked about hearing an interview with the author of Vitamania on NPR during our road trip and that was how I learned about the book. Well, during that interview, the author mentioned another book called The End of Overeating - Taking Control of the Insatiable North American Appetite. The author is Dr. David Kessler.

I downloaded both books onto my iPad and, now that I've finished Vitamania, I'm moving on to The End of Overeating.

I wasn't sure what to expect with the second book but, within the first few pages of reading, I thought "this man is on to something". In fact I had a slightly creeped-out feeling that he has been following me around, hanging out in my head and analyzing how I think about food.

He writes about the challenge that many people in North America (and perhaps elsewhere) face around food. He writes about how people lose the ability to focus during a meeting if there is a plate of cookies or a bowl of M&Ms on the table. About how much time many of us spend every day thinking about food, starting off the day with noble goals of eating healthy, convincing ourselves that we don't need to eat something that's unhealthy (like the office meeting cookie), breaking down and eating it anyway, feeling guilty about it, and then having another. And another. And waking up the next day and doing it all over again.

I'm not too far into the book yet but the author has moved from writing about our relationship with food to writing about how the food industry has learned to develop foods that trigger a response in us that has nothing to do with actual hunger. We no longer eat food because we are hungry. In fact we often continue to eat well beyond the point of being full. Dr. Kessler is arguing that we eat food because of how our body responds to the combination of sugar, salt and fat in the food that we eat.

Having type 1 diabetes already puts me in a difficult position when it comes to food and hunger. Low blood sugars have forced me to eat when I am full more times that I want to count and high blood sugars have prevented me from eating when hungry just as often.

My life is often a matter of eating when I have to or when I can rather than eating when I want to and blood sugar readings often supersede feelings of hunger or fullness.

So I will be very interested to learn what Dr. Kessler has to say about the North American diet in general,
the food industry and the unhealthy relationship between the two.

Vitamania

One of the best things about road trips, in my opinion, is getting to listen to all sorts of interviews on the radio while we drive. Interviews that I would not normally have time for, often on topics that I wouldn't naturally gravitate towards. Whenever we hit the road, Doug and I switch back and forth between CBC Radio One and NPR depending on our moods and the topic of the hour.

Last year when we drove to Florida and back I heard several authors interviewed and came away with a list of books that I wanted to read. I downloaded them all and, over the year, have worked my way through them. This year, I had my notebook and fountain pen ready and was not disappointed. I now have 6 more books on my 'to read' list.

The one that I wanted to read first was a new book that just came out called Vitamania: Our Obsessive Quest for Nutritional Perfection. It's written by Catherine Price. She was interviewed for almost an hour and we listened with fascination while she explained what vitamins actually are, what they do and how we have been convinced that we need megadoses of these things in order to be healthy. She talked about the history of vitamins and how devastating it can be if someone is deficient (scurvy anyone?). She talked about how dramatic vitamins could be and how having something as simple as a few oranges could miraculously bring someone back to robust health.

She also talked about how it's not yet clear how much of any of these vitamins we really do need to consume and what the long-term risks are of getting too much. She also talked about how unregulated the production of vitamins is and some of the risks associated with taking pills when we don't know for sure what they contain.

Oh, and she has type 1 diabetes too boot which upped the coolness factor by a few notches.

So I got the book and I've started reading it. We heard that interview last week. Since then I have read an article about her in the National Post and I have seen mention of her book on Diabetes Advocacy Facebook pages. It sounds like she's reached the 'tipping point' (which by the way is another interesting book) and I'm guessing you'll be hearing a lot about this book if you haven't already.

On a personal note, I've been interested in nutrition as long as I can remember. I read everything I can get my hands on about it. Over the years, I've learned that the world of nutrition a slowly evolving one where things like fats, carbs, protein, vitamins, omega 3s and other things come in and out of favour as our knowledge increases. It can seem frustrating as the messages change (I've lost track of whether eggs are good for me or not) but I take comfort in the fact that the messages change because we are learning more.

So I will read Catherine's book with fascination and add what she says to my knowledge base. I may not clean out my vitamin cupboard but I expect I may pare it down a bit and spend a bit more energy trying to get what I need from my diet rather than my pharmacy.

CBC and NPR

I'm a huge fan of radio stations like CBC and NPR. I'll take fascinating interviews on subjects both familiar and foreign over music and commercials any day.

Some of my favourite interviews to listen to are interviews with authors. They introduce me to fascinating people I have never heard of and also give me book suggestions to help feed my insatiable reading appetite.

Last February, Doug and I went on a road trip and spent many hours listening to the radio as we drove. By the end of the trip I had five new books downloaded on my iPad ready for reading. As I also had a pile of books on my nightstand and armfuls of magazines to work through, I'm still reading my way through those books I first heard about as we were making our way down through the Eastern United States.

The other day I started one of those books. It is called the Once and Future World. Being a huge fan of the Once and Future King (it's about King Arthur and, if you haven't read it, please drop what you're doing and start) I was immediately drawn to someone who would pick that as their title.

The book is about nature which appeals to my biology-loving side. The author talks about the idea that the state of nature as we know it is the state that we use as a basis of comparison. In other words, the number of birds singing in the trees when I was a child, the volume of the frog chorus in the nearby pond and the diversity of plants and trees in the forest when I grew up is, to me, the way nature should be.

My 'normal' would shock the people who lived there two generations earlier and their normal would shock the people who lived there two generations before that. Our world is slowly but steadily loosing richness and diversity but, in many cases, it's happening too slowly for anyone but scientists to really freak out about it.

He talks about how there are efforts all over the world to return natural areas to an even more natural state but that there is great debate about what that natural state actually is. Do we want to return our forests and prairies to what they were before 1492, when Christopher Columbus arrived? Or earlier than that, when it was even richer and more diverse? And, if we really are committed to this, what does that mean for the animals that used to be here that we might not want to have walking around? Like elephants in North America? And large members of the cat family (think lions only bigger)?

I'm only a handful of chapters into the book so far but it already has me thinking a lot about our ideas about what nature is and what value we put on it. And how our age and where we grew up plays a huge role in how we feel about the state of things today.

Thank you NPR for yet another thought-provoking book suggestion.

Wednesday W'oundup

I was feeling a little bullet point-ish when I sat down to compose Wednesday's blog so here is my Wednesday W'oundup for y'all.

- I swam 10x100m on Friday morning. Eight of ten of them were done in exactly 1:47.

- I swam 10x150m on Monday morning. Despite pushing hard on some and feeling slow on others, eight of ten of them were done in exactly 2:47. Consistent much?

- When Dexter was a big part of my life (I miss his cute little smile so much!), I had a special name for him when I resurrected him after 7 days. Zombie Dex was his nickname when he woke from the dead on command. Now I have Rose who is a little more dainty - although she can be a tough cookie when she needs to be. She is currently 15 days old which means she's been resurrected twice. What do I call her? Zombie Rose? Seems a little too unladylike for the wee lassie. How about a tribute to Zombies? I could call her Buffy? Or Willow?

- 18 days ago I got my nails done for Friends for Life. At my mother's suggestion I decided to try bio gel nails and then, instead of regular nail polish that chips in two days, I went with the super duper  shellac nail polish that is supposed to last for weeks. Well, 18 days later my nails look the same as they did the first day which is amazing considering they have survived hours of chlorinated water as well as the general banging around that my nails undergo every day. The only problem is that they are growing out and there is now a few millimetres of bare nail growing in. Now I need to figure out how to safety remove said bio gel nails with shellac before I end up gouging my or someone else's eyes out accidentally. These puppies are getting loooong.

- Doug took me to the golf course on Monday night to practice. Practice my chipping and my putting. I probably hit 100+ chips and putted close to that much again. I got pretty good by the end.

- Doug took me to the golf course on Tuesday night to play nine holes and practice what I practiced. I played really well on 6 of the holes. I played horribly on three of them. My score ended up the same that it always is. Consistent much?

- I just finished the latest book in the Outlander series. For anyone who knows what I'm talking about and who has also read said book, please tell me. I'm desperate for someone to hyper-analyze the book with. So many things happened. So many things to agonize about. And who is excited for the season premiere of Season One? Anyone??

- My ear buds finally bit the dust a few weeks ago. I am on super budget mode as we save for a trip this fall so I am only spending money on thing I need (like bills, groceries and toothpaste). Earbuds don't fall in that category so I've been running to the beat of my panting breaths and pounding feet. It was weird the first day. Less weird the next. Now I really enjoy the quiet.

That's all folks. See you tomorrow!

The Week Without Bullet Points

What happened this week?

I rediscovered my love for Margaret Atwood. I am rereading Oryx and Crake (which is just as good the second time) and have the next two books in the trilogy lined up and ready to go. I am endlessly fascinated with the way she writes - the language, the undertones of irony, the societal warnings, the humour. Such a Canadian treasure.

I showed up to work on Thursday wearing purple. It was World Diabetes Day which means I should have worn blue but I only have two blue tops and neither were really warm enough for the day. I figured no one I worked with would really care since I'm the only pancreatically-challenged one of the bunch. I arrived to discover that one of them had discovered the importance of blue on November 14th and sent an email out to the rest of them. Almost everyone showed up at the staff meeting in blue. So nice!

I renewed my Canadian passport. It expires in early 2014 and we are already planning a winter escape so I figured I'd better get on it. I got my photo taken and application submitted within 40 minutes. The new one arrives in 10 days. And won't expire until I'm, wait for it, 49 years old. Eeep!

I discovered that regular nail polish can survive two swims in the pool before it really starts chipping. Metallic ones, as pretty as they are, don't survive one chlorine dip. I put on a pretty copper colour on Sunday evening. I went swimming on Monday morning and every nail has chipped or worse by the end of the swim. Sad day. Guess I'll have to save that colour for weeks when the pool is closed.

I was reminded what happens when we close up the house and turn the heat on. I wake up every single morning convinced I am getting sick. My throat is dry, my lips feel cracked. Then I have a few sips of water and remember, again, that it's the dry heat that kills me. Instead of grumbling about the heat, I thank the gods I'm not getting sick fix the problem with a few extra gulps of water.

I run in the dark now, like a vampire, with my red light flashing on my toque and my reflective vest warning cars that, yes indeed, that is a human approaching. Tuesday morning there was a light dusting of snow on the rooftops, the sky was clear and the stars were twinkling. On Thursday morning the wind was howling and the sky was full of clouds. Both mornings I dragged myself out of bed and spent the next 30 minutes trying to convince myself not to crawl back in...until I walked out the door. The wild, unpredictable and beautiful weather this time of year is my favourite. Funny how I forget every time the alarm goes off and yet NEVER regret forcing myself out of bed once I get out into it.

I realized that Christmas is in something crazy like 42 days and I haven't even thought about Christmas gifts. For anyone. I'm just so excited for my family to be together, to meet my new nephew who I have yet to actually see in real life, to spend time giggling with my sisters - I don't care one whit about the presents. Bring on the hugs!!

I only got one swim in this week. I missed two due to early morning commitments that I could not escape from. I dislike missing one swim. I hate missing two. I'm already looking forward to Monday morning so I can slip back into the water again. I hope I remember how to do that body roll I'm working on...

I did, however, have two wonderful runs (see above) and am looking forward to squeezing in a quick 12k run before Doug and I head to Toronto for a day of family visits, friends and trips to fountain pen stores.

For those of you who care about such things, did you see what is coming out very soon?

Pretty! Soooooo pretty!!! 

And this week I made a date with three fabulous ladies to go see the second Hunger Games movie. Dinner first. Then wicked movie. We're all so excited that it's almost funny. 

Except it's not. 

Because we're just so excited. 

Talk to you all on Monday eh?

My New Favourite Thing

I've been reading books on my iPhone, and then my iPad mini, for a few years now. I still read the ol'fashioned paper kind too but I have certainly come to appreciate the convenience and portability of books on electronic devices.

Heck, I used to lug three or four hardcovers on vacation with me. Now I download a few before I leave and they all fit nicely into my purse. As long as I keep the battery charged, I have hours of reading pleasure at my fingertips.

It's a pretty sweet setup.

Recently, I've made a new discovery.

Magazines.

Magazines and I have a love hate relationship.

I love them. I love buying them. I love reading them. I love the shiny pages and the fabulous photos. I love the variety and I love how much I can learn in a leisurely afternoon of page turning on the deck.

I hate how they pile up so quickly and how, once I've read them once, they sit on shelves never to be opened again. I get rid of stacks of them every few years when I start running out of room.

Imagine my excitement when I discovered that I can buy a magazine, or a magazine subscription, on my iPad.

I started off with some easy reading fluffy stuff right before my trip to Israel. I got a subscription to Vogue and one to Elle Canada. Super cheap and guaranteed to keep me occupied for at least a small chunk of my 23-hour journey.

Last month, I discovered that I could get a subscription to Triathlete magazine. The night before Gravenhurst I signed up for a year subscription and enjoyed a leisurely read in bed. I checked out pictures of the latest triathlon gear, read all about the latest training plans and learned about the best recovery foods. I felt so 'triathletic' as Doug calls it.

Yesterday, I signed up for Runners World. I've bought that magazine off the rack enough times to make a subscription worth it.

Now, every week or so, I get a notification saying that the latest issue of one of my magazines is out. I download it in a few seconds and spend the next few days lingering over the pages, the stories and the photos. (By the way, the photos are even more stunning on an iPad than they are in print.)

These emagazines are a little dangerous though. It's just too easy to click 'subscribe'. Yesterday, I almost signed up for Golf Magazine and Cycling Magazine - because I had gone golfing and cycling on the weekend and wanted to get better at both. I'm sure I would learn a lot from either of them and I'm sure I would enjoy reading them.

But c'mon! Really?!?

I've never bought either of them at the store and yet I'm willing to put down my $19.99 for a year subscription sight unseen?

I'm exercising restraint...for now.

At least until I get through my first issue of Runners' World.

No Contest

If there was a battle - Christian versus Jamie or Anastasia versus Claire - Jamie and Claire would win hands down. 

If you know who I'm talking about, you know who I'm talking about. If you don't - here's the primer. 

Christian and Anastasia are the main characters in the ridiculously popular 50 Shades of Grey series. There are three books in the series and I have read the first one. At the risk of alienating people who loved the books, I will NOT be reading the next two books in the series. Why? Because I just really don't care one whit about what happens. 

Christian and Anastasia are beautiful, gorgeous, perfect in every physical way but they have no oomph (well, outside the bedroom anyway). They are not real people, they have no real personalities, they are mere shells (albeit pretty ones). I am drawn to books that have memorable characters. Characters that are well-developed, that have depth and breadth. Characters that I can relate to, that I want to be like and that I care what happens to. 

When I started writing this blog entry I had to Google the first names of the main characters of 50 Shades of Grey because I had forgotten them already. 

Jamie and Claire, now they are another story altogether. I can spend all day talking about those two. They are the main characters in the series called Outlander. A series set in Scotland back in the 1700s, with a few visits to the 1900s just for kicks. A series with characters that grow and develop over time until you feel like they have always been part of your life. A series where people struggle, some to do the right thing, some to just survive, some to figure out who they are. One of the only series I have read more than once and one that I am currently considering reading again. 

Why?

Because they just announced that Ron Moore will be adapting the series for Sony Pictures TV. 

Omigod! 

Diana Gabaldon, the author, announced it on her Facebook page yesterday afternoon and had over 1,200 comments in under ten minutes. There are a lot of vera vera happy people out there right now. 

I'm picturing a series that looks kinda like Game of Thrones in terms of its visual richness but with Scottish accents, kilts, and no dragons. Just regular folk trying to survive, falling in love and growing old together. 

In 50 Shades of Grey - there is a lot of hot steamy sex. In Outlander, there is also a lot of hot steamy sex. 

But it's what happens between the sex scenes that really counts. And Jamie and Claire win that contest hands down. 

Everything But Diabetes

Ever get sick of reading about diabetes?

I get sick of writing about it sometimes.

I get even more sick of having it.

Nothing I can do about having it but I can sure do something about writing about it.

So today, in celebration of Fridays and weekends and long runs and leisurely morning coffees, I'm going to write about fun things. Non-diabetes things.  Basically, I'm going to ramble for a bit if you care to join me...

I got a delivery from Amazon on Wednesday night. Inside the box were two identical copies of this book:

Have you heard of The Bloggess? Have you read her often hysterical, sometimes heart wrenching blog? My favourite story and one of her most famous is the one about the metal chicken. It's Friday, go on, give it a read. You'll laugh.

The Bloggess announced months ago that her first book was coming out. I immediately ordered two copies; one for me and one for my youngest sis. We're going to read it at the same time and text incessantly about the hilarity of it all. She and I still can't talk about Bridget Jones' Diary or Bossypant without succumbing to hysterical laughter - I'm guessing this won't be any different.

I'm getting my hair cut tonight. And coloured. I started colouring my hair last November and I discovered it's a very fun two hours. They give me lattes, we share stories and compare life adventures and I leave feeling like a glamour girl. The fact that I will wake up the next morning and take my perfectly straightened hair, tie it back in a ponytail, yank on a hat and sweat for two hours doesn't take away from the experience one bit - although I'm sure they might cringe and perhaps take a bit less time with the straightening if they knew...

I bought a new sports bra the other night. (Is it a sports bra if I only use it for running or is it a running bra?) Either way, I went in to Runners' Edge and complained that, during the last few runs, my current bra left some pretty horrible chafing. The ever-helpful Christina immediately replied "well, that's because you lost weight and it's too loose". Makes sense.

Then she asked how long I had it. "Um, three or four years?"  "Honey, these things have a lifespan you know. Based on your current mileage - you might get eight months out of a bra."

Oh good lord! I have to replace my running shoes every three or four months. Not my sports bras too?

Apparently bouncing has a positive effect on some things and negatively affects the life span of others...

So I have a new sports bra - and it's pretty comfy. And I'm really excited at the thought that I might not chafe on Saturday when I head out for my 18k run.

I also got a new running belt.  Mine is years old and it's a little too big now. So I got a new one with a big enough pouch to carry all the stuff I need to deal with emergency (for reasons we're not talking about today) situations. I like pink but opted for the blue one because, well, I don't always like pink. But I always like blue.

I ordered a new camera bag the other day. We're flying out to Cape Breton at the end of May for the Cabot Trail Relay Race and I needed a carry on that could carry my camera, my (we're not talking about it today) stuff and my snacks, reading materials and lip gloss. I wanted something that could work as a camera bag but ideally also work as a big purse-type bag for trips. I had no idea what to get so I asked Doug. He immediately opened a bookmarked website and...it was perfect. (Is there anything this man doesn't know?)

This should arrive in the mail in a few weeks:

It's orange with a purple interior. It's like a huge purse that can handle lots of professional camera equipment and still has tons of space. Her name is Libby. Kelly Moore makes her and all sorts of other fabulous camera bags if you're interested. 

I can't wait to meet her. 

Other than that, I've been drinking my water, eating well, feeling strong while swimming and running, making time for family and friends and getting my sleep. I can consistently swim 20m underwater now - five more and I can officially swim across the pool underwater!

Thanks for checking in. Have a great weekend and I'll see you all on the other side!

All Or Nothing

I often think that having a seven day week is rather inconvenient.

Especially when you have to (or want to) do something every second day.

Having an odd number of days in the week means that what you did on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday last week you will now be doing on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday this week.

Example:

I swim Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.  Those days never change and I like the predictability of that schedule.

Currently, my back to running program has me running every second day.  Last week, I ran Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.  It worked beautifully.  I got out of bed every morning and did something.  I showered, dressed, had breakfast and felt energized and ready to tackle the day.

Even if the day was spent reading on the couch.

This week, thanks to our seven day cycle, I have to run on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  I am not going to give up my swimming on those days so now I am faced with a dilemma.

Do I swim, shower, come home and eat breakfast and then run later on in the day - only to have to shower a second time?

Do I swim, pull on running clothes, drive home, run, stretch, shower then have breakfast?

Do I drive my car to the pool at 5:45am, run for 17 minutes, stretch, then swim for an hour?

Two showers in one day makes for a lot of wet hair.  Swimming for an hour + running and stretching means that breakfast won't be happening until 9am (even though I got up at 5:30).

None of these options are particularly appealing.

Neither is the idea of not doing anything on Tuesday and Thursday.  I am under strict instructions to take rest days for running.  I can't swim those days since the pool hours don't work for me. It's getting pretty cold out so cycling is not happening unless I want to get on my trainer in the spider infested, kinda musty basement.  Even power walking needs to be limited because it's too much too soon for my recently healed stress fracture.

Only a few more weeks of tightly scheduled runs and then things lighten up a bit - in terms of schedule strictness.

Then I can happily swim Monday, Wednesday, Friday.  Run Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.  And luxuriate in bed on Sunday morning with a good book.

Speaking of books, I am in the middle of reading Tina Fey's book Bossypants and have put myself on restricted reading access.  No reading in public.  No reading when someone else is in the room.  Most importantly, no reading when someone is lying in bed beside me.

This book is so ridiculously funny that I break into frequent bouts of hysteria (complete with tears running down my face and no-so-ladylike snorts).  I put the book down, giggle like mad, finally gain some semblance of control, pick up the book and dissolve into hysteria again.  And again.  And again.

Gentlemen, I'm not sure how entertaining you'll find the book.  Not because it's anti-men in any way - just because her stories are often about the craziness of being a woman (brick-sized maxi pads, trips to Korean-owned mani/pedi shops that are apparently the same anywhere you go etc etc).  It is however a fascinating story to follow as Tina Fey learns improv, joins SNL and then goes on to 30 Rock.

Just don't read it alone on the subway.

The Book of Better

I like the blogging world for a whole bucket full of reasons.

I love writing and blogging is an easy way for me to get my daily writing fix.

I love reading other blogs and meeting new people who have similar interests - running, cycling, cooking, diabetes (not that that's an interest so much as a reality but still...).

Speaking of diabetes - the fact that I can read, almost daily, other blogs about diabetes mishaps, frustrations and successes that closely mirror my life makes me feel like I'm part of a crazy group of people who are just like me.

Recently, I'm loving all the bizarre connections that seem to happen because one person reads somethings and shares it with someone else who is somehow knowledgeable about (or merely interested in) the topic and suddenly I have a new friend. Considering how many connections I've made in the 10 months that I've been doing this, I can't even begin to imagine where this journey will take me next.

The most recent unexpected thing that happened as a direct result of Running on Carbs is that I was contacted by Jonathan at Three Rivers Press.  He found my blog and wanted to know if I would be interested in reading a new book that's just been published about Type 1 Diabetes.  No strings attached.  No requests to blog about it.  He just thought it was a wonderfully positive book about Type 1 and thought  I might like it.

I wrote back and, when I got home today, there was the FedEx envelope from the publishing house with my brand new book.

Instead of a book about the bad stuff.  The scary stuff.  The dire consequences we will ALL face if we don't maintain tight control and an A1C of 6.0, it's a book about the positive stuff.  

....I know, it's crazy! 

The basic message, from what I've gleamed from reading the back and flipping through the pictures is: 

Don't aim for perfect.  

Aim for better.  

You can't ever be perfect but you can always be better.  

Ahhhhh.  That's music to my ears.  I'm guessing it will be music to a lot of T1 ears.

So this weekend I will be plopping on the couch with a glass or two of wine, a big bowl of pomegranates and my shiny new book of better.  

And, even though they have not asked me to do this, you can expect a book review asap.

I Heart Books

Signs, signs, everywhere signs...

Some signs I find a little farfetched -  like seeing baby Jesus' face in the icing sugar topping of a piece of chocolate cake.

Seriously folks??!

Other signs, like four separate people telling me that I look exhausted, I pay attention to.

Apparently a month of early morning runs can wear a person down.  I was feeling it but I often feel tired which means that it's a challenge to figure out how tired I really am.  So I look for the signs.  Typically, when people tell me that I'm looking worn out, that's a sign that I'm about at my limit. 

So, I have switched back to running after work and getting up at a more decent 6:30am.  Today is my second day in a row of 'sleeping in'. While I certainly won't catch up after only a few nights, I am feeling a little more perky than I was last week so I'm taking that as a good sign.  Especially considering that I am a) going to be up at odd hours this weekend driving runners around and b) starting three more weeks of hard running. 

Anyway, now that you all know that I'm tired, let's move on to something a little more interesting.

BOOKS!!

I'm a big reader.  Love love love getting lost in a book. 

I love reading books.  I love telling people about books I've read and loved.  I pass them around like heroin and enjoy them a second (third and fourth) time through other people.

Next week is vacation time and, after we survive the relay, Doug and I are heading off for a few days of sitting by a lake.  He's a perpetual bundle of energy so he'll putter around, sit for ten minutes and then putter around again.  I, on the other hand, will happily sit all day buried in a book, lifting my head to acknowledge the call of the loon and then burying back down again. 

Recently, I have discovered the joys of the public library and I'm working out my strategy to maximize my reading opportunities.  Here's what I do. I find all sorts of good book recommendations on the CBCBooks website, put them all on hold and then read them as they come in. 

It's fabulous!

And free.

And it encourages me to read things I wouldn't normally read because I don't like spending money on books that I don't enjoy. 

I have a whole bunch of books on hold right now and just received a recorded message telling me that one of them came in. 

I have no idea which one. 

It's like Christmas!

I'm heading in there tomorrow to pick it up and it will be my vacation book. 

So friends, if anyone out there has a fabulous book recommendation, let me know.  I'll add it to my hold list at the library.

iDream of iPads

Anyone know of a little company called Apple? 

They make neat little gadgets that play music and sexy-looking computers and laptops. 

You may have heard of them.

My family and I have been fans of Apple since their first computer came out and, other than my computer at work *sigh* my life is 100% Mac.  The Mac vs PC debate does not need to happen in our house.  There are three laptops, one desktop, two phones and several mp3 players that are all sporting the ubiquitous apple logo on them.  Oh and an AppleTV just to round things out in the entertainment department.

If Apple made insulin pumps, I would use theirs without question.  It would be stylish, have fabulous features, be absolutely intuitive and probably sing me to sleep if I wanted.

I have a few loves in my life.  Apple products are one of them. 

Reading is another. 

I learned how to read before they taught us in school and never looked back. I devour books and share the best ones with friends.  I've been accused of peddling books the way some people deal heroin.  At one point, three ladies with whom I shared an office were all reading the same book series at the same time and each one of them came in every morning with their update.  Having already read the books, I loved hearing their reactions to the latest plot twist - knowing that an even crazier one was lurking in the next chapter. 

For me, reading is both a solitary and a group activity.  Holding a book is a very tactile experience. I love watching my books get more and more worn as they exchange hands. I love a bookshelf overloaded with memories and I love rereading the best of the best. 

So here's the problem. I'm feeling a greater and greater pull to merge my two loves: Apple and reading.

The reason that I am agonizing?  the iPad. 

The thought of reading the newspaper or my favourite blogs on an iPad is quite appealing.  Yet, the thought of reading a book on an iPad still feels very aversive to me. 

I understand the appeal, I really do.  It's portable - I can bring a huge collection of books on vacation and never exceed the weight restriction on the plane.  It's instant.  I decide I want to read a book and it's on the iPad in seconds.  It's environmentally friendly - no trees will be cut down to support my habit. 

But I like holding my books.  I like the weight of them on my chest when I read in bed.  I like watching the bookmark migrate a little more each day. I like how pretty books can be.  I love lending them to friends and having them returned covered in coffee stains and apologies.  Books are meant to be read, shared and treasured.

*sigh*

The sad thing is that I know how this will turn out.  I know what will win out in the end.  I will be reading books on an iPad.

I think I'm just sad because it feels like the end of an era.  It was no big deal to go from cassettes to CDs and an even smaller deal to go from CD walkmen to iPods.  But it felt like the end of something important when we went from records to cassettes. 

That's how I feel now.  Maybe because books have been the norm for my entire life and, in a world that changes by the minute, that's a very very long time.  Maybe because I will agonize until I finally get an iPad and then, in a few years, there will be something to replace that.  I feels like I will be trading in a faithful friend for the gadget of the moment. 

Let me just get through the pile of books by the bed first and then I'll decide...

Of course by then it will be my birthday and I will probably get a few books as gifts...

...and then it's Christmas...

*sigh*