Zombies, Run! 2018 March 18

I had a good run this morning to and through Point Pleasant Park. It was a cold late-winter day, but it felt good to be surrounded by trees for a while.

I’ve been rerunning season 2 of Zombies, Run! ahead of the April virtual race. Running along trains, heading off bandits and keeping Able safe has been fun to experience again.

Run to the Deep

This my second Saturday in a row enjoying a virtual race from the British Science Association and Racelink. Run to the Deep takes a horizontal 10 km and maps a descent of the same distance onto it, so that sea life, ship wrecks and the barely known depths are explored. The run is narrated by Pierre-Yves Cousteau and it’s every bit as good as I had hoped.

Following in the footsteps of the hugely popular Run the Solar System, Run to the Deep is a 10k ‘virtual race’ which involves journeying from the sea surface to the bottom of the ocean– accompanied by music and audio commentary from explorer Pierre-Yves Cousteau, son of the famous marine conservationist Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Discover mysterious creatures, amazing seascapes, and explore alien environments as you run down to the depths of the ocean.

My running today wasn’t as strong as I might have liked, but it was fun. I made the mistake of ending my run at Dartmouth Crossing, a hideously anti-pedestrian shopping zone, so there was a lot of stopping and starting at poorly designed traffic lights.

The race is free to enter and is running from March 9th until March 18, 2018.

Run the Solar System

This morning I ran Racelink (Six to Start) and the British Science Association‘s Run the Solar System virtual 10k. It scaled down the solar system to the 10 km length of the run so that as distances were reached new facts and comments were shared about each planet passed between the sun and Neptune. Like the other Six to Start virtual races I’ve done (Zombies, Run!’s 5 virtual races) it was an engaging audio experience.

 Run the Solar System is a 10k ‘virtual race’ which involves journeying across the Solar System from the Sun to Neptune in just 10 kilometres, accompanied by music and audio commentary from science broadcaster Dallas Campbell.

This virtual race was first created for British Science Week 2017 (10-19 March) and is supported by Yakult UK. Now, due to the race’s huge success, we’re thrilled to announce that we’ve reopened it. You can download the app and take part wherever you like, whenever you like, with no time limit!

The virtual race will be available to run until June 20, 2018, and I recommend you take advantage of the free entry.

My pace was a bit slower than I would have hoped, but overall I’m happy to have run 10 km in under an hour.

Altered Sweet

Altered Sweet is an overflowing, delightful tribute album featuring covers of Matthew Sweet songs. Futureman Records has put together 27 cover songs from as many artists and overall it’s a great collection. I would have liked to hear more brave reinterpretations of the songs, and a few dozen more songs, but it does pay capable tribute to one of the greatest songwriters and his diverse body of work. Highlights for me include Fireking‘s take on “Dead Smile“,  simplefriend’s version of the hit “Sick of Myself“, and Gretchen’s Wheel‘s “Walk Out“.

“What is for the public good?”

One of the sights in downtown Dartmouth that should catch every eye are the words “What is for the public good?” on the wall of Celtic Corner. They are words taken from a speech Joseph Howe gave as he defended himself against a charge of libel for exposing corruption in local government and law enforcement. What constitutes social justice and the public good has grown since his time, but the words matter today just as much.

Cabbage Steak and 'Tatoes

Cabbage steak might seem boring, but it’s actually holds rich flavour and a great texture. I knew as soon as I read the Cabbage Steak and ‘Tatoes recipe from The Vegan Stoner that it was exactly what I like in a recipe. A few ingredients and simple prep always make for a better experience preparing a meal, and usually in actually eating it. The results were just what I hoped for. I made some minor changes, including topping with garlic chili sauce, but I highly recommend looking at the original if only for the great design.

Ingredients:

  • 1 red cabbage, cut into large wedges
  • 2 large potatoes, cut into pieces
  • 5 cloves of garlic, minced
  • garlic powder
  • black pepper
  • olive oil

Steps:

  1. Preheat an oven to 420° F.
  2. Oil casserole dishes or cooking sheets.
  3. Place potatoes and cabbage on the sheets.
  4. Sprinkle olive oil, garlic powder and pepper to taste.
  5.  Bake for 20 minutes.
  6. Flip cabbage and potatoes.
  7. Add the minced garlic on top of the cabbage.
  8. Bake for another 20 minutes.