Song of the Day: Future Strings, Catrin Finch & Seckou Keita
London Stuff: Old London Paintings in front of a Google Map rendering of their current day cityscapes. Bad hair day? The future of the skyline.
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This week is a smorgasbord. I decided, against my better judgement, to clog the blog with a few videos.
Quin and I rode his skateboard a bit while in Hong Kong.
Quin & Zora do a Sumo drill during wrestling practice.
Sam does a cannonball into the pool.
Kenz comments on the melancholy of a monkey call.
A horse race starts right in front of our spot.
Another race.
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After returning on Friday, Kenz and I geared up to go to the London Marathon on Sunday. Celia was running, so Owen had organized a few friends to come out and stand alongside the course at a strategic spot - one that she'd pass twice (at mile 9 and 15 or something like that).
Kenz and I got there before anyone else and had a chance to see Mo Farah run past us at the speed of light. You Americans may not be all that familiar with him, but he's a UK hero after his performance at the 2012 Olympics wherein he won two gold medals for Team GB. He was running by himself, just outside the lead pack. The swell of enthusiasm from the crowd was unmistakable. I got a quick little video of him passing.
Five minutes later, Owen & Co. showed up to find a spot along the fence.
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| A one-man inspiration train, beating the field. |
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| Getting set up. |
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| Alex brought her dog, Buttons. |
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| Our crew, waiting anxiously. |
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| Nervous we'd miss her. |
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| Lots of people. |
But, after a bit, our little runner arrived!
Since we had time before she looped back around, the seven of us went for a stroll.
By the time we made it back, Owen's mum had arrived.
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| I failed to make it to the street by the time Celia came back around... |
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| ...I had to take pictures from a distance (Look how freaking smiley she is! it's as if she's not been running all morning!) |
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| Hugs! |
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| And she's off again! |
This was the second year I'd attended the London Marathon, and I have to say it's just as inspirational the second time around. To see that many people running that far is amazing. Folks are dressed up in costumes - sometimes to their own detriment - and the majority of folks are running in support of a charity they've chosen. To have an actual friend in the event made it that much more special. Celia was running to raise money for Shelter England, a housing and homelessness charity. If you'd like to learn more about it, you can do so here.
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Kenz has been steadily putting in work since returning from HK. The wood shop is open, so she's been able to complete the mold for her rope chair:
I say "complete" the mold for her rope chair, but I'm not sure it's finished. I guess I'll find out in June when I go to her final show.
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London's experiencing a bout of nice weather. Folks are out in parks during lunch, enjoying the sunshine, and smiles are beginning to emerge on faces. It's nice.
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| Taken from inside a bus near Waterloo. The entire park was littered with folks. |
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| It's good to be back around The Shard. I used to hate this building. |
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| Easter specials at the Mixed Blessings Bakery yesterday. I wanted some patties, but couldn't wait in line. |
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Last (and certainly least), I got prodded into putting these videos up from last month's competition. At these competitions, you get three chances at the snatch and three chances at a clean & jerk. In those three chances, you want to lift as heavy as possible. I missed a lift in each category, so I didn't break any personal records but at least I matched them. It was quite an interesting day, to say the least.
The snatch is 220 pounds and the clean & jerk is 265. Enjoy a chuckle at the sight of 30 year-old David back in a singlet (never thought that would happen!).
That's it for this week. Thanks for reading (and watching). If you didn't see the Hong Kong post, it's the one after this. Have a great weekend!
