against naturopath’s orders, i ran 3.2 miles today. they weren’t fast, but they were pain-free. and now comes the stretching and the heat/ice. and then the beet juice. i’m so psyched. pain-free! i’m pretty sure that i’m not cured yet, but i’m definitely on my way.

and spending some time with her little brother in the magic kingdom. because she’s gone, i’m taking full advantage of dude time: catching up on movies i’ve never seen (the manchurian candidate was awesome), buying the queen mother of all juicers (used on craigslist), eating cilantro (she has that thing that makes cilantro taste like soap), going surfing up in the strait, and today i headed over to the range to fire off a few rounds on the rented ar-15 assault rifle.

it’s a fine weapon. light, accurate at 50′, easy to shoot. however, it’s expensive to rent, so i’m not sure i’ll be getting it again.

i got stuck and cupped today. my knee hurt beforehand but after it felt amazing. if they didn’t tell me to wait another week (two more treatments) before running, i’m pretty sure i’d be running both days this weekend. those naturopaths and student naturopaths at the bastyr clinic are super-good.

the acupuncture had much less ache than last time, which i think is supposed to be good. the cupping was another story. i’d never been cupped before. it kind of hurt. i guess the story is that it sucks all the stagnant blocking blood out of where it isn’t supposed to be and up toward the skin where it can easily be washed away. i’m drinking a lot of water.

this is what it looks like eight hours later. the bruising is gonna be around for a few days, i reckon.

today was my first acupuncture appointment for this knee issue. i’m not exactly sure what the needle they put in the middle of my forehead was for. maybe they’re treating something else, too? i don’t know how this works. the needles in my hands were fine. ears hurt. the ones where they think the source of the problem is (a few inches north of my left ankle)? good. lord. jesus. when he put his finger where he was going to put the pin, i knew it was going to hurt. and hurt it did, like a really intense dull ache. though it also felt immobile. it didn’t feel like a leg anymore; it felt like wood with a nail in it.

in addition to the flax oil, vegan glucosamine (regular is made from shellfish), weekly cold-laser treatments, extra post-yoga stretching, hot/cold compresses, and rest, i’ll be adding twice-weekly acupuncture.

on the drive home, i noticed that i didn’t have any pain when shifting gears. is it possible that all of this is happening because of the clutch pedal in my car? i’m going to feel really lame if it is.

You’re being watched: Despite being observed by CCTV cameras, elusive grafitti artist Baksy managed to create his latest - and biggest - work to date under the cover of darkness

word up. all the cctv cameras, and pervasive warnings of cctv cameras, stick out in my mind from my trip to the uk. they are everywhere, and i feel like i can say that without exaggeration. it was enough to make someone who only jokes about wearing a tinfoil hat actually wear a tinfoil hat. i’m not sure who thought this cctv thing was a good idea because it clearly sucks. ‘

england prevails.

via the daily mail via nymag vulture

i first saw the plane on the train from my office window the other day and became giddy with excitement. there’s something about a plane on a train, the same way there would probably be something about a hare on a tortoise, if that ever happened.

my ride this morning took me through the train yards, where i spotted them again. but this time i had (a shitty blackberry) camera with which to document this love story.

a chance encounter on a train. a weekend layover in seattle before they had to get back to work on monday morning.

not even a small stenciled warning could keep them apart.

it’s definitely not as shiny as the american version, but it’ll do. the paper airplane to nowhere (the future?) is a nice touch.

hoping to keep some of my scottish bike fitness, i got up a little earlier than usual this morning to do a longer ride on my way to work. i had that self-satisfied up-early-and-exercising feeling, which started dissipating when it started raining and then was completely obliterated when i double-flatted within a mile. both tires. one was a very slow leak and the other was leaking quickly. i turned around and went home so that i could run to work instead (i was too late for the bus).

i have a new running style that doesn’t hurt my knee quite as much but it still hurts some. and it’s ugly, oh man is it ever ugly: limpy, left leg a little off to the side. it’s not sustainable. i’m seeing a naturopath about it tomorrow.

to recap: flats, rain, running pain.

and then something happened that made me forget all of it. about a block from work, an old broken asian dude looked me in the eye, gave me a gap-toothed grin, and then whipped out his junk and pissed all over a pole outside of the big asian supermarket in front of a crowd of people.

i missed running so much. it’s not just the endorphins, it’s also the waking dream feeling of flying through shit like that. while you can still see the guy pissing when you’re on the bus, you don’t get to really connect with him.

i guess we can have his gun now.

r.i.p.

i am jetlagged and awake at 4am. and my luggage didn’t arrive with me (fuck you, heathrow terminal 5), though that’s not why i’m awake, it’s just something that happened. because i am awake, pictures get posted early. i didn’t take many and what i did take has been edited down.

i’m not sure if there are a lot of costume parties here or just an assload of whores, pirates, and royalty.

briefly:

• the bbc is infinitely more watchable than american tv. i think it’s because they don’t have commercials. and there are only four channels.
• i look forward to no more tv.
• i also look forward to no more sundowners (though i learned that from quann in mexico).
• mia ‘channa’ steinberg and i had a two-week curry tour of edinburgh. we’ll miss it, as it’s much better than the average indian food in seattle (though not redmond).
• i’ll miss match of the day on the beeb. i like football.
• it’s nice to find a place that makes seattle’s weather look good.
• i have been here for one month and haven’t learned how to use the money (all the coins kind of look the same).
• we went mountain biking last weekend at glentress. it was laid out like a xc ski center on managed forestry land. if we had a place like this in seattle, i’d have a new sport.
• my ears perk up whenever i hear some american, trying to figure out what they’re doing here, and to figure out maybe what americans sound like to edinburrowers. i don’t have enough distance to actually know.

ok, i guess that’s it. more soon from seattle.