5 Provinces over 3 Days, or, How I Spent My Weekend.

Wow.

Courtesy of Google Earth, you see the route taken by yours truly and his father-in-law in the latest episode of the Stone/Shagwell in-law Support Operation. Penny and I flew out to Newfie on Sept 30, and she and her mother flew back on the 3rd. Her father and I dropped them at the airport in Gander (a pale shadow of itself from its heyday as the key Transatlantic stopover point) and we headed for their place in Pickering.

Note to future Newfoundland Travelers: I actively encourage you to visit this Province. It really is a rich experience, particularly for those who like a more grounded and wholesome populace with no pretentions. However, don't underestimate the size of The Rock. I know people who think they can "Do Newfoundland" in a day (yes, I am talking about YOU...you know who you are). It took Dad and I the better part of 8 hours just to drive from Gander to Port-aux-Basques to pick up the Ferry. (Oh yes, the Ferry. IF you go, book ahead. Reservations are needed if you want to avoid sitting on your ass in the ferry terminal queue line on a stand-by ticket...that didn't happen to us, but I figured I should give you the heads-up, dear reader.)

Anywhoodle, Dad and I slept, more or less, during the overnight the Ferry crossing, then went from Sydney to Montmagny, QC. We had enough energy to push past the planned stop in Riviere-du-Loup (translated into English as 'Wolf River') and got closer to Quebec City. I managed to get a half-decent sleep in the motel that night, and we roared in from Montmagny to Pickering.

Penny was very happy to see us both and we endured a mind-numbing trip to get groceries for a fridge we hadn't seen in 6 days.

We are home, safe, and sound, although somewhat travel weary.

Penny will blog the details surrounding the need to head eastward. Just as soon as her brains stop pouring our her ears...

When Mossy met Outburst

Through a series of strange little coincidences (no, I won't call it a Series of Unfortunate Events), I discovered that Outburst and I work for different parts of the same organziation. It's not really surprising that we didn't figure this out sooner given the size of the org., but it was still nice to make the connection. He was mulling over new work opportunities, and I offered to help. While that piece of things didn't come to pass, we decided to celebrate the breaking of the fourth (blog) wall when he was down in my neck of the woods.

It's always nice to confirm that bloggers are as affable and articulate in person as they are in their various entries, and he's certainly no exception. We enjoyed a rare afternoon (post-work) on a local patio and I got to introduce him to the joys of Keith's Red Amber ale.

Consider it a standing invitation, Outburst. :)

207.4 (or, an Answer for Bat-Rider)

Was happy to see the scale down a little bit more this morning.

After a long, four month absence, I returned to the rink last night. I admit, I was a little nervous about playing again. I was worried about the amount of rust on my already shaky game as well as being worried about how the knee would hold up.

In spite of a loss, I managed to make it through the game intact and uninjured. Now that I'm only playing one night a week (thanks to some nicely immature communications on the part of my former Thursday team) it will take me a while to get back into the groove. (or is that "rut?)

P and I are back with the midwife tomorrow and because the appointment is a little later in the morning I will be able to have my morning workout at a semi-reasonable hour.

Can I get a "yay"?

208.8

So far so good. I bounced back up a few pounds but I expect that as part of the process.

I hit the gym pretty hard after work today, and I managed to work off some lingering bullshit. I won't get into the details, but suffice it to say some people have no balls at all.

Anyway, I'm feeling better and Penny says she's noticing a difference. I'm probably losing fat and regaining some muscle, so I don't have a true picture of what's been lost versus anything gained....I just know the bottom line.

Hockey starts on Monday. Will be interesting to see how much rust I have to shake off after 4 months of not playing. ~yikes~

209.4

The weight has been coming off at a reasonable rate and I've been pretty good about the gym. It's not quite as effective as getting pushed by Wesley Crusher, but I think I'm doing okay. I've started incorporating the bosu ball with a few of my exercises, and it really is a challenge. On Monday, I decided to do my cardio work by walking to/from the gym. It's 6.4 km as a round trip, so that's not a bad way to do it.

Still aiming to be below 200 by the end of this month and I'd REALLY like to be under 190 when convocation rolls around. I'd settle for being back down a pant size, though....

Thoughts on the Labour Day Classics

There's nothing quite like spending Labour Day enjoying the real turning point of the CFL season. I got to enjoy the two big rivalries on Monday, Edmonton/Calgary, and Toronto/Hamilton. (I also enjoyed Michael Bishop's debut for Saskatchewan on Sunday, where they got a convincing win over Winnipeg in the so-called "Banjo Bowl")

Anyway, there's not too much to say about the western game except I wasn't sure why the Esks were sporting green helmets, and that the Calgary offence seemed to disappear after half-time....to say nothing of the defensive secondary.

The Argos/Cats tilt lived up to its usual level of intensity. While I'm happy with the result, I'm not thrilled about a few things.

1) Poor capitalization on turnovers. The Argos left a lot of points un-taken and we wound up setting for FG instead of TD.
2) Dropped passes. It looked once again like Nigel Williams tribute night out there. I love Bethel Johnson's speed, but even he knew he blew some really catchable balls
3) Stupid Penalties. Can someone please explain how Adriano Belli managed to cost the D 25 yards of field position and NOT get benched for his efforts?? There's intensity of play, and then there's stupid. You do the math.
4) Blown Field Goal. Pretty sure the Special Teams coach will be drilling the boys after that botched attempt in the 2nd quarter.

On the positive side, there were some nice things to be seen, like Bryan Crawford getting that late TD, Mike O'Shea picking up the blocked kick and turning himself into a running back, Kerry Joseph's running, and a team back at .500.

I do feel bad for Winnipeg and Hamilton, now stuck at 2-7 records because the East should be more competitive. I wonder when the plug will be pulled on Doug Berry and Charlie Taaffe? Those two 3rd and short decisions Taaffe made will likeluy come back to haunt him. The Argo "D" couldn't have come up with a stop at a better time for the second one.

Let the run to the playoffs begin!!!