Freedom is beautiful

 No comments necessary really...

Last cycle of the 2013-14 school year

Not going to happen ;(

It was going to be the last ride with some colleagues who are moving on this year. My last ride before a trip to the US and then France for the summer. Bugger!

Swimming

So we did a sprint triathlon last weekend, and I discovered that I have not, in fact, been training. I had thought that knocking out between 40 and 50 laps twice a week would do it. As it turns out I did 18 mins for a 800m swim - could Not breathe and ended up doing breast stroke the whole race. 

This morning, I swam each lap as fast as I could and, using a 45 second total, rested before attacking the next. So each rest gets shorter as each lap takes longer...

Hardest 20 min swim session I've ever done. Roll on triathlon 2 on Oct 12th!

Bond gets silver in kids' triathlon

Why you should NEVER eat 'French fries' again. EVER.

This is an absolute MUST to watch if you care abut food, cooking, eating or your health. That's everyone, right?

Cycling only tangentially involved

Yesterday was a fairly typical day for a holiday where we stay put. I took off at 7.30 with some colleagues for a cycle around Purple Mountain - trying out the triathlon route for May. A bit fast for my liking but managed the climbs at a bpm of under 180, which is surely a sign of increasing fitness.

My wife took the kids, with one of their friends, to school to swim. I met them there as our internet at home was dropping in and out, so I couldn't do ay of my TOK marking (with which I am currently a tad behind).

We went for lunch at The Potato - a kind of bistro/pub with a vaguely Western feel. It was the first place to open in Xianlin (where school is) catering for the ex-pat community in any way, shape or form so remains an option, though it is loosing its appeal these days as it becomes more local. We sat outside despite the threatening rain, but conceded to the weather as the drinks arrive. So we move inside, where some of the only people in the place are smoking. Now, technically, smoking is illegal in food establishments. This means nothing in China - to the point where restaurants provide ashtrays and if you complain about patrons smoking you are often told, with a smile, 'Oh it's OK, we don't mind!' With anticipation of a battle, I asked the waitress if she could ask them to stop smoking and, to my surprise, they did so obligingly. Round one to me. We hadn't even got to out table yet. On being seated, I notice that the three people at the next table are watching cartoons on their tablet computer, at full volume. I ask them to turn it down, am greeting with smiles, so I mime headphones and they actually get the message and turn it off, after a short exchange with the waitress which I have the impression is on the 'stupid foreigner' theme. I might have been wrong, but I'm beginning to feel jaded already and we haven't even ordered food, with all the potential that has for going wrong. To be fair, food arrived, as ordered, and was acceptably mediocre as we knew it would be. Then the music starts, too loudly. I'm not overly fussy, honestly, but we had to raise our voices to talk to the children across the table. We asked for it to be turned down, were successful in this endeavour, to the accompaniment of more smiles and animated discussion between waitresses. And then Lily Allen's cheerful 'Fuck You, Fuck You very, very much' starts playing, which causes huge merriment amongst the kids who recognize a rude word in public when they hear one, and I have to ask the staff to change the song. This they do, but clearly now think they have the customers from Hell to deal with...

My 8yr old son nails profound philosophical argument

My 8yr old son has some friends who believe in God, and apparently his discussions with them are  progressing beyond the 'yes, there is' and 'no there isn't' stage.

This is the gist of what he said, with very little prompting....

'So, if God is real..and I don't believe he is...but if he was real...then he'd love everybody, because he's supposed to do that {be all-loving}. And he's also supposed to be...you know...like a superhero, only more....like powerful {omnipotent}.  So why does bad stuff happen? I mean either he can stop it or he can't, right? Or he doesn't want to?...That doesn't make sense....so I guess he's not real'

This an an 8yr old's version of The Problem of Evil, which dates back to Epicurus! I am a rather proud dad.

Tonight we're going to sort out the problem of free will. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Just deserts?

So, I'm cycling in Nanjing. Coming towards me on the wrong side of the road (well, to be fair, there is no wrong side of teh road from a Chinese motorcyclist's point of view) is a motorcyclist. He's going quite slowly on his electric 'motor' bike and checking his phone, reading a text or sending one, as he drives. His phone in his left hand, he leans to his right to spit on the road (again, a very normal event, nothing shocking so far) and then things go wrong for him.

He doesn't spit hard enough - or the wind is stronger than he thinks - and the spit lands on his right coat sleeve. He quickly tries to wipe it off with his left hand and manages to drop his phone in the process. As he makes a desperate snatch for his phone, and misses, he hits a parked car in front of him.

And I'm almost laughing hard enough to fall off my own bike...

First ride of 2014

2014/02/15 09:44

Long overdue, my first ride of 2014 - first since 13 Nov 2013 in fact. 70km was a bit much, cramps and saddle sore, but good to have completed...

Not much going on

I guess to have a cycling adventure, one first should get on one's bike. It's been since before Christmas. In my defence, it is both cold and polluted here, and I'm extremely busy. Lame, I know. I've lent out my indoor trainer, and should maybe think about getting it back if I'm not to totally lose any fitness I built up before the winter. The kids are getting busier with school as they get older and eating into weekends more and more often with sports and drama events...excuses, excuses!

New Year stuff...

So it's New Year and a time for fresh starts. Mmmm... I have my eye on a Triathlon in May. And a half-marathon in December. And a 160km bike ride in June. Actually, that'll do.

Just the next few difficult weeks to get through... I haven't even been on my bike yet this year, let alone visited the pool or ran.