Coffee Date & A Catch Up

I think it’s best to catch you up really quickly over a cup of coffee. So pull up a mug and join me!

I realise it has been a while since my last post. I keep meaning to make time to write, but then either I jet off to places far away, or I get distracted by our fast-growing puppy, or I find myself on the sofa trying to kick a pesky cold I have caught not really wanting to turn on a computer.

First, what do you think of my new specs?  I got them for Chinese New Year – any excuse to go shopping, right?! I call them my “creative” look. I think they “round out” my spec collection nicely, especially as all of my other frames are rectangular!

Now, onto the coffee. If we were at my house, you’d be enjoying Nude Espresso East blend with me.  I finally got around to buying a new bag of beans from Nude.  It was quite the experience. I took Felix the puppy with me, and it was his first time “across Commercial Street”. He was a little panicked, and I managed to squeeze the lid off my complimentary coffee and scald my hand. The burn is finally healing. After the scalding experience I can completely understand why McDonalds got sued for their coffee cup breaking all those years ago – it was super painful.

Anyway, we’d be enjoying our coffee in a more relaxed environment – my kitchen… And Felix would probably be upstairs so as to not disturb us…

I would tell you that…

…I had my first work trip of 2014 at the start of February to Japan, swiftly followed by a trip last week to Hong Kong. 

I find the travel exhausting, but we always try to make the most out of our work trips.  In Japan we had an afternoon free, so I went to the Asakusa Shrine with one of my work colleagues, to get some fresh air and soak in a bit of atmosphere.

… I’d share that already my 2014 travel schedule is looking to be as challenging as my 2011 travel schedule.

I expect I’ll be averaging two long haul trips a month for a while. It’s pretty punishing on the body, but of course I try to make the time to get in a bit of training while on the road.  Just like in 2011 I am signed up to do the Swimathon this year, so it’s really important for me to get time in the pool.  The pools on the road are not nearly as nice as my home swimming pool – the outdoor 50m heated pool at London Fields.  But I’m not complaining too hard.  I mean, hot tub…

…I’d confess that when I get tired, my motivation to train gets low.

I haven’t really done any cycle training in a while. And due to my ankle sprain I haven’t really been running. I am finding it hard to get back into a consistent groove.  Travel is definitely not my friend in this regard. But that hasn’t stopped me from planning my 2014 race calendar.  I will be racing the Egg Hunt Triathlon in Florida at Easter, the CapTex triathlon at the end of May, the Chicago ITU triathlon at the end of June, and London Triathlon at the end of July.  All sprint distance, which hopefully will be a bit kinder on my joints.

…I’d also tell you that I hate being sick, although it is more fun now that I have a dog.

Thanks to my colleague who was sick while we were in Japan, I contracted the mother of all sore throat cold things last week. It made for a really unpleasant trip back from Hong Kong.  I didn’t train once while away, nor over the weekend, as I decided to prioritise recovery over training – and I even took a few days off sick to start this week – something I have not done in ages!  After four days with my feet up, relaxing and drinking plenty of fluids, I am finally feeling more myself again.

…And speaking of Felix the Dog – you would have seen him on the way to the kitchen for our coffee.  You’d notice that he’s growing up fast…

We initially thought a Korthals Griffon would be a medium sized dog that would be perfect for us, as the breed were disposed to both running and swimming.  Well, it turns out that Mr Felix 3Spot may wind up being a smaller large dog.  He is 16 weeks old and already 11kg. 

Given that he is going to be much bigger than expected we are spending a lot of time learning how to train him, and working with him to make sure that he knows the rules. So far Felix has one training class a week, on average, both through puppy classes at the vet’s office as well as with a trainer, Nina Bondarenko, who visits our home and gives us private sessions so that we can focus on key behaviour points with Felix.

Right now we are working on recall and fetch.

We are also contemplating investing in a dog door bell so that Felix can tell us when he needs to go out. Felix already understands to sit next to the door when he needs to relieve himself – it’s the natural next step.  I mean – it’s totally normal to install a doorbell for your pet, right?!

That’s what’s been happening in my life.  What’s going on with you?

#swimathon #blogsquad

One response to “Coffee Date & A Catch Up”

  1. My neighbors use a cow bell on a ribbon on their back door at dog nose height; their dog nudges it when she needs to go out.  It might be worth a try.

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