Tag: friends

Posted in Life sparks, Sparks in the wild, Travel sparks

My friend Doug is an Ironman

Posted on by Cate

My friend Doug is an Ironman. Not the superhero, but an actual triathlete who is competing in the California Ironman event this weekend in Sacramento. California is Doug’s home state, but I’m betting that he has never experienced it like this before. For those of you who are more armchair athletes than superheroes in lycra, let me recap what is involved in the Ironman triathlon.

I guess at least it’s flat for cycling and running, and a nice temperature?
https://www.ironman.com/im-california

Firstly, Doug will swim 3.9km. Yes, really. Starting in the American River, which then joins the Sacramento River – I imagine it would be lovely in a boat or even a kayak, but am not sure that Doug and his 3,000 mates racing down the river will be in the mood for sightseeing.

After that refreshing dip, the Ironmen find their bikes (imagine the logistics of 3,000 bikes parked ready for the tired swimmers to locate), with an outfit change to carry them from the water to the pedals. Then it’s just your average Sunday bike ride, guys. 180.2km that sounds delightful on the official website: “two-loop tour of the beautiful farm and wine country” of the Sacramento River delta region. Apparently “athletes will tour what makes Sacramento the farm to fork city, which will showcase the great agricultural region of the Central Valley”. Almost sounds like competitors should bring a baguette and wheel of brie to pop in the wicker baskets they must surely have on their road bikes as they savour the journey!

Here is Doug with his bike in the parking lot for bikes that all appear to be black and look very similar. Like identical luggage on the carousel at the airport, with a tiny tag to avoid confusion. I very much hope that Doug is smiling like this when he next sees his bike – after his 3.9km River swim!

And then, as you leave your bike somewhere in yet another logistical feat of event management, you head off for a run. I should say, A MARATHON. Yep, 42.2km along the Sacramento River, old town, some “tree-lined paved trail” and then ending with a couple of laps around the California State Capitol building.

An easier way to kinda be an Ironman is to follow the course video on the website. I’ve done it now and you’ll be fine, Doug.
https://www.ironman.com/im-california-course

I will be tracking my friend Doug like a stalker via the very cool “Ironman Tracker” app. Given the time difference between California and Sydney, Doug will be starting at around 1am our time and suggests that he will “hopefully be done with the swim and bike” by the time his supporters in Sydney wake up. Perfect timing for me to track his marathon run over a coffee and cheer Doug on with one of his favourite cinnamon scrolls from the amazing bakery near where we both live on Sydney’s northern beaches.

Now that I think of it, baked goods are a cornerstone of our friendship. When I messaged Doug during the week to see if he was carb loading in preparation for the race, he mentioned that his Mom was helping with his prep. With these amazing looking Halloween sugar cookies, of course. Seasonally appropriate and full of energy and colourful goodness that every Iron-man, woman and child needs.

Good luck, my friend! Stay safe and may the sugar cookies you trained with fuel you with the wisdom of owls, the wingspan of bats, and the ability to roll like a pumpkin to the finish line. Go Doug, go!

Posted in Travel sparks

Village oasis

Posted on by Cate

On Friday, I met my lovely friend Sophie for lunch in NYC. Soph and I used to work together, joining our professional services firm on the same day around six years ago. Fortunately, we have remained friends long after our interesting challenges at that place were over. (But those days will be a chapter in my book one day: the working title for that section, “Mon Dieu! Surviving the GFC and a crazy French Canadian boss”.)

Anyways, Soph is now living and working in New York, so it was great to get the chance to catch up while I’m in town. We met at a great little restaurant, Rosemary’s, near Soph’s home in the West Village. (Not that this is a food blog, but I definitely recommend Rosemary’s for a casual meal – they even have a rooftop garden that supplies some of their delicious fresh ingredients.)

[Image from rosemarysnyc.com]
 
I arrived early, so spent time wandering around the Village and discovered an amazing oasis amidst the bustle of the busy city, where sounds of sirens, car horns and construction can be kinda overwhelming. This magical place was filled with the sounds of birds, insects and quiet chatter (plus one man talking loudly on his phone for a loooong time). Turns out it’s also the site of Miranda and Steve’s wedding in Sex and the City. And normal people can get married there too, just fyi.    

    
    
    
 Jefferson Market Garden. An amazing place, staffed by volunteers, and well worth a visit if you’re in town – a perfect spot to take a break, take a breath, and enjoy this oasis in the Village.

Posted in Life sparks, Sydney sparks

Just say yes

Posted on by Cate

Yesterday, I went shopping for a new pair of shoes. Not just ordinary shoes, but a pair of soccer boots. For me. Because I AM GOING TO PLAY SOCCER. Yes, really. I’m excited and nervous and not sure what I am doing (literally, as I have never ever played soccer before). And those are pretty much the reasons that I said yes when my friend Janet asked me if I wanted to join her in a new team for mature (cough, cough) ladies.

footballThere’s a quote that I’ve seen somewhere that asks When was the last time you did something for the first time? Particularly after my Camino experience last year, it has really sunk in that the older we get, the less we try new things. Not necessarily because we’ve done them all already, but often because we feel like the time has passed to give something new a go. Maybe we just don’t see new opportunities, or we quickly say no (I couldn’t possibly do that!) because we’re scared, or it could just be the irresistible lure of that ol’ comfort zone. Boo.

My friend Jo started singing lessons in her late 30s because it was something she’d always wanted to try. It quickly became one of her favourite things. My folks learned how to use an ipad and iphone in their 70s. Aside from the occasional emergency calls for tech support (WHY HAS MY WORDS WITH FRIENDS GONE BLANK?), it’s opened up a whole new interesting world of technology for them. My sister-in-law started piano lessons in her 40s and can now play the theme song from Titanic (ok, so that’s possibly not a highlight). My virtual friend Jo (from This Sydney Life) finally satisfied a long-standing curiosity and took up crochet, attending a local class, with some hilarious results.

And so I went into 2014 with a focus on saying yes to more things – especially new things – or, at least, not immediately saying no. Which is where my new boots come in – they’re pinker than pink, with a fluoro green lining and I found it a little intimidating just prancing around the shop in them.

Uh huh.Uh huh.

I’m going to my first training session on Thursday night (it runs for two – count them, TWO – hours) and hopefully the people will be nice (and patient!) and my shoes will give me super powers and it will be fun. Whatever happens from here, just saying yes can be pretty exciting!

Posted in Travel sparks

There is no place like home. Except when there is.

Posted on by Cate

So, here’s my last travellin’ post for a little while. A collection of some of the pics from my final days in Ireland – after a fortnight of mostly perfect weather, these last few days have been rainy and pretty chilly, so it’s a good time to head home to the sun. Always tough to leave here, but I have had a fantastic holiday and it has been great to be able to catch up with old friends and check out some of my old haunts. There’s a line in that John O’Donohue poem (‘For the Traveller’, which I posted a few weeks ago) about old friends making it seem like nothing has changed since you were last with them, and that is exactly how it’s been. Whether it’s five years or ten years since I’ve seen some of my Irish mates, they’re the kind of friends who fit like a glove. Some people don’t have any place that feels like home – I know I’m super lucky to have two. Waa waa waa – here are the photos!

Beautiful day for a run in Phoenix Park, Dublin. I tried to get a photo of the herd of deer that live in the park, but from this distance they looked sort of like a pile of logs, so I didn’t think you’d believe me anyway.

Phoenix Park – it’s one of the largest enclosed parks in Europe. Yes, I did double check that fact online.

About 30% of the Phoenix Park is covered by trees, which are mainly broadleaf parkland species such as oak, ash, lime, beech, sycamore and horsechestnut. Yes, that’s from the PhoenixPark.ie website too.

Now THAT’s a Banoffee pie. With about 10cm of cream on top, at Avoca cafe.

The first rule of Cake Club? Talk to everyone about Cake Club, I’d say.

Ah, modern pharmaceutical art. From an exhibition at a Wexford art gallery.

It’s a Jedward chocolate bar. A twin bar, to be precise. The side of the packet says, “FULL ON, CRAZY, JEADLEY!” Yes, really.

Some of the locals saying hello in Wexford.

One of the many pretty thatched houses in Kilmore, Wexford.

Kilmore, Wexford.

Great name.

Ah, country life. Stuck behind this big guy for around 20 mins as it made its way along the narrow roads to the farm.

It’s real and it’s in Dublin. I was too scared to go in, though, so I can’t tell you any more about it.

Posted in Sparks in the wild, Sparky gifts, WWWhat?

Whale of a time

Posted on by Cate

Struggling to find a gift for that man or woman who has everything? Searched all the usual gift shops and online retailers? Want something unique, that will impress and make you stand out from the crowd? Then allow me to introduce The Killer Whale Submarine. For a lazy $100k, your friends (well, two of them at a time) can hop on board this “watercraft that breaches and submerges just like the Orcinus orca after which it is designed”.

The pilot (let’s call him Cap’n Ahab) pulls the levers to roll and dive, apparently “enabling realistic behaviors such as porpoising or skyhopping”. This “whale” can hydroplane up to 50 miles per hour over the water’s surface and cruise up to 25 miles per hour while submerged. The “dorsal fin” includes a snorkel that ensures air supply (to a limited depth) and also features a built-in camera, whose images are displayed on the LSD screen in Cap’n Ahab’s cockpit.

I am still not sure that this isn’t a cruel April Fool’s joke from the good people at Hammacher Schlemmer, but if you have $100k spare and have always wanted either a whale or a submarine, you can investigate further here.