Optimists like me keep hoping smart people will figure out how to start reducing the CO2 in the atmosphere.
There is hope.
And Carbon Capture looks to be a huge future business. Young people should be studying this technology in University.
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Having grown up in Calgary, I’d done a LOT of hiking in the Canadian Rockies in the SUMMER.
But for the past 3 years I’ve stayed in Banff for Spring skiing and Spring hiking.
Hiking in March / April was NEW to me.
Each time I stayed in the Samesun Hostel, the best overall of 3 good hostels in Banff.
I learned the hard way trying Sundance Canyon that micro spikes are essential for hiking ice. I backtracked to town and bought Yaktrax. An excellent product.
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For sure that’s Sulphur Mountain. You MIGHT be able to ride the gondola down free. Soak in the Hot Springs at the bottom.
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For a short hike right from town I typically simply walk the rivers and creeks. Lovely.
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Rocco has a season pass. I joined him on a quiet Wednesday at Banff Sunshine Village.
Great snow. Mixed but generally good weather.
I do love downhill skiing.
LUNCH was … hot dog wrapped with Beaver Tail.
Instead of doing Wordle online once a day, I downloaded a free app called Word Guess and have now done the challenge 5000 times. I use it as relaxation time — not a mental challenge.
I use the same strategy every time:
All the vowels — but not “Y”. (I consider going WINGY if it seems a Y might be needed.)
I usually get a good idea of the word at that point. And next guess a word
If not, I go FLOCK or FILCH or FLUKE or FLUNK or some variation.
I now have 2 dentures.
The upper looks good. And is not all that uncomfortable. It does require some concentration to speak clearly. And I do have to eat … differently.
The bottom is larger and much less comfortable. I’m hoping it gets better seated over time. The denturist made some adjustments after a couple of weeks. That has helped. Some.
I’ll go back again in 6 months.
My remaining REAL bottom teeth are in rough shape, as well. I’ll probably have to do something with them in the next couple of years.
One downside with dentures is that you must remove and clean them at night. Put them back in place in the morning.
I do recommend my Denturist Vlad Dumbrava. FutureSmiles, Calgary. Two locations.
Vlad guesstimated the total work at about CAD $3000 — and that Alberta government insurance for Seniors of low income would cover about $2500. That sounded GREAT to me.
He also agreed to rush the top temporary denture so I could travel. And install the other denture on my return to Calgary.
Final ACTUAL cost to me: $648.
I had 5 teeth extracted, as well, in order to make room for the dentures. Those seems to have been 100% covered by my insurance.
Hopefully I can learn to live with dentures. I’m still considering it an experiment.
There are other more expensive options.
Sure my machine is probably faulty.
But this was the closest I’ve ever been to 120 / 80 blood pressure since I started on medication years ago.
At one point I claimed I could do a 10k race in one hour any time. Without training.
That MIGHT have been true … at one point.
I did work up to it in 2019.
Day two 2023 I felt pretty good. Running steadily, made 8km in an hour. About 7.5 minutes / km.
My goal is 6 minutes / km.
A few days later I ran much better. I was well below 6 minutes / km to start — but couldn’t keep up the pace.
Ended up 6min and 45sec / km.
Next day I switched to Strava, an app much more accurate than Apple Watch Workouts if you make U-turns. (Apple Watch is ideal for checking pace on the fly, however.)
Ran better. 6min and 11sec / km.
On Feb 3rd I psyched up to make my goal. And pulled it off. Started slow. Sprinted the end … to make it. Barely. 😀
In real life I never have to run an hour. This was base training. I’ll switch to sprints and hills now as I find those help more for my cycling and hiking.
Click PLAY or get a glimpse of running in Bermuda on YouTube.
NO … I’m not worried about cardiovascular disease or stroke. The tiny risk is far outweighed by the benefit of the vaccine.
The XBB.1.5 variant is super infectious, though not all that dangerous.
We’re all going to be exposed. Scientists feel about 80% of those exposed will get it sometime soon, even if you are vaccinated or have had Covid in the past.
I’m hoping another vaccine might help (a bit) when I get it.
So far as I know, I haven’t had Covid yet.
Also, I’m traveling soon to Bermuda, a nation that is behind most of the rest of the developing world in vaccine & natural protection.
There’s a pretty good argument not to bother with #5 — but getting the vaccine is free, easy, and I’ve never had a side effects.
Not wanting to EVER badly suffer from Shingles, I finally got the treatment.
Two doses of Shingrix are recommended in Canada, which provides about 90% protection at 3.5 years.
It’s recommended for those age-50 or older. It may be less effective in those age-80 and older.
Shingrix is not free in Canada.
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The Canada Fitness Award Program was subjected to Canadian school kids from 1970 to 1992.
I remember the annual challenge fondly, being something of a jock.
50 yard run, the 300 yard run, flexed arm hangs, the shuttle run, speed situps, and the standing long jump.
I can’t recall getting the highest Excellence rating — but always got Gold, the second highest.
Worst was the … PARTICIPATION ribbon. 😀
Unsurprisingly, it was finally cancelled due to being “discouraging to those who needed the most encouragement“. And sometimes resulted in “destructive eating and exercise practices” by the least fit.
I’m always leery of awards programs for kids. At many Gymnastics Clubs I tried to discontinue the annual “awards” night.
These memories came back after listening to Canada’s greatest comedian talking about how traumatized he was by the annual humiliation. Rick Mercer couldn’t do the flex arm hang.
As an adult Rick become surprisingly fit, trying many different sports for his TV shows.
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It was related to another government program called ParticipACTION. We blamed the Swedes. 😀
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ParticipACTION included a TV show, started 1988, with interracial couple Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod. Every Canadian of my age remembers BodyBreak.
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Rick McCharles 