Thumb up the Reebok Hexride

I might finally have to say goodbye to my Reebok Hexride.  I have no clue how long I have had them for, all I know is that they are a very good pair of running shoes.

I started using them again in 2013 when I attended my first Spartan Sprint.  Prior to that, they have been shelved.  I pulled them back out because I did not want to dirty any of my other unshelved shoes.  To date, they have came along with me on all outdoor obstacle races.  They are great because the bottom is hard and does not scrape off.  I have retired two pairs of Reebok shoes last year, those were bought later than this pair and because the bottom was not made of the same material, it was unwearable a lot sooner.  For example, a majority of the cushioning at bottom left corner for the left feet was scraped off.  It's very unhealthy to run in a pair of shoes like those. 

With this pair, it is nice and snug, it keeps my feet pointing straight.  Its unfortunate that I have now openned two big holes at the front. It is still wearable, I'll see if I can go to one more race with them or if I should really break out another shelved pair with a good bottom.

I usually shelve the ones that are ugly and non-fashionable but they could actually provide great support for your feet.

Anyways enjoy my photo of this retired or soon to be retired Reebok Hexride shoes. Visit my Instagram for more photos of this pair of shoes in its current state.

Spartan Hurricane

I finally attended my first Spartan Hurricane Heat.  I was lucky because it wasn't hot at all.  The turn out was pretty good and everyone was positive and happy.  I would not be able to find four men that would duct tape with me (arms only) by myself, let alone four men duct tape to me and jump over some 7' wall.

I would not be carrying a man down a mountain while being duct tape to three other men.  The four of us was carrying him down and he sat there looking like the emperor.  I was glad when the exercise of carrying him was finally over.  I don't think my team would have been able to carry him the entire course.  His leg alone was heavier then the log I had to carry later on.

It was quite memorable.

A good thing about teamwork is that you don't have to try as hard and you may achieve better results.

Reward Thyself

Today is Monday, June 18, 2018.  Father's day was yesterday, today is today!

We all work very hard.  If you work hard, you know you work hard.  If you can't say "Hell yeah, I work hard", after you read my "we all work very hard'" then I guess maybe you should stop reading forthwith. The statement "we all work very hard" without an undertone of "but I work harder/smarter/faster/etc. than you" or "but I don't work hard enough/smart enough/fast enough/etc. in comparison to you".

I work hard mostly because I want to say the statement "I work very hard" or proudly and loudly say with others "we all work very hard".  Doesn't it feel good to say that out loud with no reservation whatsoever?

If you work hard and you make money, you have more options to buy things.  I am at an age where it's rare to have things I want or things I really want.  I have been wanting to buy a new laptop a while ago but I don't really have time to use a laptop and I still have an old ass desktop, broken, maybe virus filled but I don't do any work on it.  It has all the basic function I need and it is probably energy efficient because I only use processes that do not require a lot of memories or ram or processing or whatever.  It is annoying because it is old and make old computer noises (i.e. the fan), it was most likely a refurbished desktop when I first got it. Prone to blue screen of death even when it was proclaimed to be brand new.  I didn't really want to deal with customer service so it sat in the house unused for a few years.  It was not an expensive purchase.  I don't do any spyware check on this thing. I don't even want to install anti-virus software, I am just waiting for it to die so I can throw it out.  However because I don't use it often at all and because I use such low-end function on it, it will most likely last for a few more years.  That is why I have been putting off on buying a new "computer" for at least six years.  You see, at the time this desktop was purchased I was already using a laptop that I loved (meaning the laptop is older than this desktop).  The laptop never left home, it was reserved for school work, it was also cheap.  Unfortunately, one day I spilled water on it.  During damage repair, it was set on fire.  It springed back to life for a few short months and then permanently never turned on again.  I miss my laptop very much.

Shopping for a new computer is no easy task because I am shopping for a low end, low maintenance computer.  I am now gainfully employ and can definitely afford a low-end computer.  I don't want to buy another computer that is prone to blue screen of death or keeps popping up with error messages when all I am using is a word proccessing application.  That's poor product design.  I don't even want to connect with the internet with my new computer.  I am hoping to use my laptop in my leisurely time and I will have another computer in front of me providing me with access to the internet.  It will become my library with only my work.  I want to keep that laptop clean so it will be the most boring laptop.

When I was a student, I went to lectures with a pen and a notepad, I studied between classes at the school library and use the school computer.  I emailed my notes home.  I brought my textbooks to school and made notes at the library.  I have completed many projects and assignments while I was in school and I miss that.  Once I find the time to buy a new laptop, I will begin working on my own assignments and it will all be stored in my clean laptop with a back up to the internet.  I know, I know, my thinking is so backwards but it make perfect sense to me.  I am not a computer nerd or geek, I am a literary person who has bad grammar!  I am a creative extraordinaire with ugly drawings that no one wants to buy and no fancy equipment to execute my creative images!

I will feel great when I find the laptop I am looking for.  The search for the PERFECT laptop however, will be a pain in the ass!  That is why my search for a new laptop has been on hold for more than six years.  During that time, techonlogy has improved so much.  But look, this old ass desktop is still working and I am still posting on the world wide web!!!!!

Have you ever

Have you ever stand in the middle of a room?

Have you ever stand in the middle of a room to look at two pieces of art hanging at opposite walls?

I'm writing on my teenie tiny mobile device today so I have to illustrate via text (just in case my decription in the question above is unclear)

| Wall | Art | You | Art | Wall

If my text illustration is confusing then return Sunday for a possible crappy MS Paint illustration which might look exactly the same as the text illustration.

It really doesn't matter if you have because I have and that is what I am writing about.

The two pieces of art I was looking at, I never truly looked at them but I see them everyday.  One day, I was resting in the middle of the room, as I looked to my right I saw that piece of art for the first time ever, it was a drawing of the front porch of a house with two children playing.  I then looked to my left and saw the other piece of art for the first time ever.  It was a calligraphy of mountain(s), river(s), trees, and somewhere in this art was a structure, it could have been a rest stop, a restaurant or maybe a house. 

I hope I have illustrated the difference in close up and far far away shots.

I digress, both pieces were beautiful.

Exploring a new place early in the morning

As you may know, last year I visited Montreal.  Back in the days, I remember going mountain hiking with my aunt's early in the morning to catch the sun rise.  I was hoping we could do that again but all of us are much older now.  Instead, I ran/jogged by myself in the morning, it felt really nice to run in the city while the streets were quiet.  During my run, I came acrossed a bakery.  The smell of fresh coffee brewing and bake goods being baked was really something else.  I couldn't help but walk into the store and see what was baking and brewing.  After buying what was baked and brewed, I ran back to the place I was staying with a loaf of bread in hand and a cup of coffee.  They were really good, especially after running for as many hours as I did that morning. 

Showing up is good enough

I volunteer to gain experiences and (to fail in) networking.  I tend to be that volunteer who doesn't do much.  A lot of volunteers are very enthusiastic and show a lot of initiative.  As a result, I have to move out of their way.

Some organizations have more than enough volunteers while other do not.  I have manned volunteer positions where I was the ONLY volunteer before.  I hope my help was appreciated when I was the only person dealing with the situation. 

Showing up is good enough because if you volunteer for a whole year and you are suppose to show up once a week and people see that you do that, they can at least say you are reliable.  You are someone who would show up and sit and wait.  I say this because I had the privilege to help someone by just sitting at an office.  I was expecting it to be another boring day with no one needing my help.  Well, that  fine day was no ordinary day because  someone did show up.  The office had just me, a directory and an office phone.  If I was not there that day to open the door, there would have been no simplycandee, no phone and no office for that person to turn to.

Apple Daily

When I was younger, there was a newspaper called something along the line of Apple Daily.  In my humble opinion, the content of this paper was often questionable, unreliable and not the most popular newspaper.  You see, at the time, where I was from had a major problem with paparazzi.  I remember watching news coverage about paparazzi following celebrities around causing stars to get into traffic accidents.  This problem persisted and in later years and in my humble opinion got worse.  In later years, paparazzi from that place published photos of a celebrity while that person was changing in a changing space.  To this date, I question the press coverage from that place because I have always only seen bad news from there.

Yesterday, a "child" reminded me of bad press.  This "child" was most likely not a news reporter but I was driving and the light was red.  I looked at my rear mirror and saw this "child", who was behind her wheel, holding her Apple iPhone out to either take a photo or text at the same time.  In Canada, you are not supposed to use a not hand free phone while you are driving.  I made a joke about this "child" being an Apple Daily.

We have a lot of Apple Daily nowadays.  They walk around with their Apple Devices posting content 24/7 thinking it's newsworthy or promotion worthy.

I hope you get my joke.

I never had an apple device so luckily I cannot be an Apple Daily.