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2 handfulls of cooked and cooled noodles (EXACT handfulls please)
1/2 cup Arugula
1/2 cup Raddicchio lettuce chopped
1 can flaked tuna in water (water drained)
1 green onion chopped
1 stalk celery chopped (or sprinkling of celery seeds)
1-2 Tb Miracle whip
Onion powder, garlic powder, S and P to taste (few shakes of each)
Mix and eat!  YUM.

Now I don’t want to jinx myself by saying this, but I’ve completed three runs in two weeks.  I’d like to make this a pattern in my life (perfect timing as winter approaches, time to invest in boot cleats!).  Was sore after the first 3km but one week later I did 3.4 and barely felt it.  Tonight was a 4km night.  So we’ll see how my soft tissue liked it tomorrow.  I’ve seen a number of hardcore souls in this neighborhood who push themselves to the point of amoeba.  That’s right, that should give you a great visual of a jellyfish blobbing around the side walk in running shoes.  No form.  No posture.  Flailing and breathless. All gung-ho.  And SO Phoebe.
I’d really like to work myself up, distance-wise, slowly.  I want to feel good when I run.  Not push myself to the limit every time and end up a goobering sweat sponge with no control of life or limb.  I’m sure it’s fun and all, but I’ll opt out thanks. There must be some harm in getting to the point where you collapse at your front door after a run.  That CAN’T be good for a person/cardiovascular system.  My brain likes oxygen and I intend to keep the supply going at all times.  Plus, people watching me run as they drive past won’t think ‘GAD that looks terrible’ because I actually look like I’m enjoying myself (opposite effect of globby runner).  So, while my well-paced form is keeping my morale and enjoyment factor up, it might actually motivate someone else to do the same.
Running can be fun.  Especially if there are rewards.  Specifically, Starbucks.  Now before you say ‘OH that is SO CORPORATE!!’ (I swear I heard someone say that today), I urge you to try the Cinnamon Dolce Latte with whipped cream.  OH heaven.  And to justify the $5.09 spent on each grande, I say to myself, if you run, you get one.  Done!  Motivation: check.
Now if I was really smart, I’d somehow manage to get the caffeine into me BEFORE running.  Thus decreasing further, the chances of looking like an uncoordinated flob at the end of my run (fake word count so high in this post).
Now if you’ll excuse me, I stink. I might look good when I run, but I sure smell bad.

How far have we come since 1834?
I asked myself this question recently while thinking about the new Afro-centred school in Toronto opened it’s doors for the first time.  Here is the thought process that ensued:
- an all black school?  People would burn down an all-white school…(defensive)
- but in this country, ‘whites’ have never been oppressed like any visible minority therefore the same rules do not apply
- will this school make for higher rates of segregation between the races?
- are they teaching the students there anything different than in the public school system?  more focus on African history? what factor is supposed to make the difference in the lives of these children?
- at this point, I read an article or two on the topic: 40% drop out rate among these students when in public school boards.  why is that?  are they still being openly discriminated against?  do they come from families with fewer resources?  why is that?  what is different about these kids, aside from race, than the kids who succeed?
- and if these families are at a disadvantage - why?  what jobs do their parents have?  where do they live?  what values are taught in the home that are so different than other kids in Toronto?  what makes the difference - enough of a difference to create a 40% drop out rate?
- the government is doing something interesting here… it feels almost like a social experiment.  a ‘let’s see if this makes a difference for these kids’ and ‘judge the impact on the community in a number of years’.  to see if this project can help these students become more successful students, citizens.
- who was on side with this project?  interestingly, not many of the parents of these students.  
- who was pushing this project forward?  What research supports it’s existence?
- will it do any harm?  will it do any good?
Which brings me back to the question at the beginning of this article.  We know racism still exists in this country.  Just today I read about a ’skinhead’ father who sent his daughter to school in Manitoba with racist slogans written, in permanent marker, on her body.  I was outraged.  Then I wondered why I was outraged.  Well, because we are all equal in this country.  It’s wrong to be prejudiced against other races.  The law says so.  People get arrested for hate crimes and racist actions.  People get up in arms about racial profiling and segregation.
This man’s children are being taken away from him and placed in foster care as he seems unfit to care for them because of his beliefs and because of indoctrinating his children with these same beliefs (white pride, immigrants have no right to be in this country etc.).  And this after how many years of the abolition of slavery in Canada/all British colonies?   Did that really send the message that races were equal or merely state that it was wrong to hold another human against his/her will? Did it change how people thought or just how they acted?
Then I thought about other parents.  Parents with strong beliefs.  Strong beliefs about sexual preference, technology or religion.  Raising their children to believe what they do.  What are the differences between these examples?
There is so much black and white in this grey (and vice versa).  Will continue to think on this topic.  Please share your insights.  Let the dialogue continue…