Friday notes

Some assorted Friday notes:

The results are on-line for the Saddleback Marathon, and I'm disappointed that I did not end up finishing in the top half, as I had hoped.  Yes, it was a competitive field, but  more folks dropped out than I had realized.  I came in 57th out of 107 (43rd of 77 men).  Note:  107 runners finished, but only two in the entire field were under 30 years of age, both men!  The youngest female finisher was 32, and though the forty-somethings were the largest age-group,  there were as many marathoners over 50 than under 40. (The overall winner was 44, the second place fellow 50.)

I didn't run my first marathon until I was 30.  Most of my friends are far fitter in their 30s, 40s, and 50s than they were in the teens and 20s.  Few younger people have the discipline, the financial resources, the motivation,and above all, the time to train regularly for long-distance events.  I will say, it's quite heartening to be 37 and among the younger competitors anywhere.  Gives one a sense of much to look forward to!

Today's Los Angeles Times reports that many progressives in this country are seriously considering a move to Canada in the aftermath of the Great Disappointment:

In the last week, more than 300 people in L.A., Seattle and San Francisco paid $25 each to attend how-to seminars put on by a Canadian immigration law firm. And traffic on a variety of Canadian websites is higher than normal.

In the capital of Canada (50 points if you can name it), immigration officials dubbed the huge increase in visits to their official website "the November spike." Traffic grew from an average number of around 50,000 hits a day to 180,000 on Nov. 3. A majority of the hits — 64% — came from south of the border. Traffic on the site did not return to normal for 10 days, then shot up again and is still running above average.

What do I get with Ottawa and my 50 points?

The Times article summarizes the reasons why liberals might consider the North a friendlier locale:

For disappointed blue-state types, the list of reasons to consider Canada are featured succinctly on a portal website called CanadianAlternative.com: The country has universal health care, no troops in Iraq, has signed the Kyoto Protocol, and its Senate has recommended legalizing marijuana.

"We are certainly promoting a certain vision of Canada," said the site's creator, Jason Mogus, 31, CEO of a communications firm that works for progressive nonprofit groups. "We love the fact that Canada is a more tolerant and open society."

On Thursday, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the government can redefine marriage to include gay couples. Public opinion in the country is about evenly split on the matter, but six out of the country's 10 provinces have already legalized such unions.

When they were first married, my parents lived in Canada, where my father taught at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.  My mother -- a native Californian -- hasn't forgotten those winters, and her horror stories about the cold have put me off. 

Lots of grading to do today.  I'm off to Peet's Coffee soon with a stack of papers; I'll sit in the sun and mark and drink coffee.  This time of year, I'm usually one of several "grading types" at this particular coffee shop (which is close to Cal Tech).  On my way over, I'll listen to my new favorite CD  and if I have time, spend a few minutes with a new novel.

Comments

[jenell]

Sitting in the sun...what a fantasy. I just went for a walk in my neighborhood wearing mittens, a hat, and a wool coat.

[ksteven]

don't despair Hugo, or make plans to move to Canada just yet. I'm sure that you know that politics and culture are on a pendulum... and we are at one end of the pendulum now, it will swing back in a few years. I remember as a child, my parents dreaming of moving to Australia during the Vietnam War. Besides if all the progrssive liberals leave, we'll REALLY be in trouble... the US might even invade Canada.. looking for WMDs or something.

k

[Fred Vincy]

Coffee shops are the best for grading -- so long as I disable my wireless internet card. No sun here in the Midwest, though.

[DJW]

Portland, Oregon is the single of 2004 for my money. Great album.

[Kelly]

Great choice of cd's Hugo.

[The Angry Clam]

Vancouver is a really nice city, actually- when I was there, I thought it was a clean version of San Francisco.

Warmer too.

[Hugo]

You know, it took a while for "Portland" to grow on me -- the song is terrific, but the guitar intro is too self-indulgent. The title track is my favorite -- but I'm sentimental that way -- and "Miss being Mrs." is an instant classic.