23 May 2013

shame on me

so, with all the business of breaking fillings and gum surgery and bridgework, i didn't go for my retainer check in january (why go then when i'd need a new one soon anyway?) and then i couldn't wear it after the gum surgery and was worried that if i wore just my upper it would be added pressure on the ever-breaking back tooth, and then... well excuses.

anyway i put my upper back in the other night for the first time in months, and... yow.

so, i know my lowers are shifting - i can feel it, i can see it - but i'm embarrassed to go back to my ortho. more to the point, i'm afraid. i'm afraid he'll say i need more work done, and i can't afford it, and just don't want to!

so, i'm thinking, maybe i can trim away the bit at the back that won't fit anymore, and then try to wear it like that for a bit so at least my teeth are less bad when i go back and say "i need a new retainer." am i crazy? i figure i've nothing to lose, it's not like i can wear the retainer the way it is now...

03 May 2013

glorious summer!

well, maybe not officially, but it certainly feels like it today!

we're going on a picnic to see the cherry blossoms in high park tonight (sunday is supposed to be "the big day," but will be too crowded for my liking - don't mind a few fewer blossoms if it also means fewer people), bringing sushi more due to portability than cultural appropriateness. i'll pick up at lunchtime, and pack alongside a couple of frozen juice boxes for the kiddo. yay picnics. oh happy day.

speaking of good days, i forgot my fish oil this morning, but after inputting everything i intend to eat and then adding a few extra snacks to get up to rda in potassium and whatnot, i think today is going to be about as nutritionally perfect as can be - all the necessary vitamins and minerals, with loads of protein and fibre besides, and a glass of wine.

i could technically use a few more calories though, since i'm currently under budget by about 50, and that's not counting all the hiking that will happen when we get to the park. so maybe i'll have a little treat later on, too.

02 May 2013

bikes vs. cars?

i've been a cyclist for decades - i've even biked to niagara falls and back including the climb up the escarpment - as well as being a regular bicycle commuter during the less-snowy months. i also drive. and walk. and take public transit. all things being equal, i'd probably make walking my transportation of choice. but my schedule doesn't allow for that.

in toronto, we hear often about the "war on cars" or "war on bikes" (what they call it depends on who's talking). and i think about it a lot, because i experience it (i.e. hear complaints) from all sides.
herewith, my oversimplified breakdown of the situation.

the way i see it, there are two main groups of people: the self-righteous, and the apathetic.
the self-righteous can be further divided into two groups: the nervous-nellie subtype and the belligerent warrior subtype.

i tend to be the former: i stick to bike lanes as much as possible as a show of good faith, religiously using hand-signals, stopping at every stop sign even if no other soul is in sight, and muttering "don't forget to ring your bell" at the various cyclists who whiz past me.

the warrior is the sort who feels that, as long as the world is stacked against them, they have the right to do what they have to to survive. this may include riding on sidewalks, going the wrong way down a one-way street, and yelling at anyone who gets in their way or complains. they might even go out of their own way to prove a point, also known as biting off one's nose to spite one's face.

the apathetic people are just going about their business, not really thinking about whether or not laws apply to them. not necessarily breaking them, but not necessarily following them either. there are apathetic law-abiders, and apathetic law-breakers. these tend to be the cyclists who are just biking to get around and save money, not because they care about fitness or the environment or whatever. the point is, they don't spend a lot of time thinking about their behaviour, or the behaviour of others.
these categories apply equally to car drivers, pedestrians, and every other subgroup of human you can imagine.

each category can be annoying to one degree or another, the most annoying being the belligerent self-righteous types. they're the ones we notice the most as well, because they're the ones yelling expeletives, cutting people off, passing unsafely, and on and on.

it's the belligerent self-righteous cyclists that give all cyclists a bad name. and it's the belligerent self-righteous drivers that give all drivers a bad name among cyclists.

the thing that people forget is this: belligerent self-righteous cyclists also annoy other cyclists, and belligerent self-righteous drivers also annoy other drivers.

drivers attribute their most unpleasant qualities to the fact that they are cyclists, and vice-versa.
but you know what?

take put a belligerent self-righteous cyclist behind a steering wheel, and you'll have a belligerent self-righteous driver. and vice-versa.

it's not the mode of transportation that makes them horrible people, it's their personalities.
would rob ford suddenly become a lovely person if he rode a bicycle? i doubt it!

and as long as these people - the loudest and angriest bunch - are controlling the conversation, we'll never get anywhere. they make it divisive, because they like it divisive. fighting is what belligerent people do. it's hard to get them to sit down and be quiet.

so what to do?

be nice. make eye contact. follow the rules. wave "hello" to the bus driver and the crossing guard, every neighbourhood face you encounter every day. respect everybody you encounter, however they get around.

and when someone does something belligerent, resist the urge to yell at them how wrong they are. because it never, ever, ever changes anyone's mind.

have you ever had someone behind you in traffic honk at you to hurry up? did it make you hurry up, or make you go slower?

personally, i'm working on becoming an apathetic law-abider, instead of muttering obnoxious passive-aggressive comments at the people around me. it's harder than it looks.

01 May 2013

looking good today

just input everything i plan to eat today and discovered that i was close to reaching all my nutrition goals with almost 700 calories to spare! so i added in some extra almonds and a glass of milk and stuff. love being able to get all of my vitamins and minerals from food.

in other news, i shaved about five minutes off my commute time by borrowing a neighbour's bicycle pump. imagine how fast i'll be once i get around to oiling the chain! ha. today was a glorious morning to ride, all shining sun and green leaves sprouting. just beautiful. first time this year i've risked not even bringing a just-in-case jacket!