Training Log Archive: iansmith

Katie and I went on a walk to Chipotle, Sherwood Park, Blythwood Ravine Park, and Muir Gardens. Sherwood Park in particular had excellent sledding hills and a crowd of kids taking advantage of the snow.

While walking on Gormley Ave on our way home, we encountered an overly friendly orange cat who was meowing for attention. He was clearly well cared for, and he seemed to be in some distress because of the cold conditions (-3 C). He was on the street, and he seemed to be trying to get into a particular house. I knocked on the door for a few minutes with no response. We noticed that the cat had a tag that said "Toby" and had a phone number. I called the number, went to voicemail, and left a message. We decided that we couldn't leave Toby out in the cold, and we were on the verge of taking him home with us. I tried to instigate him to wander back to his place, and he somewhat hesitantly went up the adjacent walk. I knocked on the door, and when the denizen answered it, Toby just strolled into the house to the owner's surprise. While the house was not Toby's home, after I asked if the denizen knew where Toby came from, they graciously agreed to let Toby hang out there.

I texted the number again, and when I returned home, I had received a text from Toby's owner. It turned out that Toby and his family had moved a few days ago, and presumably Toby was disoriented. The owner was overjoyed that we found the cat, and he successfully retrieved Toby when I messaged him the address of the friendly neighbor. Toby had managed to wander about one block from his home. He was an excellent cat.

Balcony ride, -3 C. There is sufficient snow that my fourth floor sheltered balcony has a small accumulation. Texas ERCOT electrical grid has implemented widespread rolling blackouts this week because declining supply and increased demand due to a polar vortex bringing especially frigid conditions to central Texas. Several people have died, largely from secondary effects like carbon monoxide poisoning trying to stay warm in a car inside a garage. It is a calamity, and I am reminded of my fortunate circumstances.

Running in about 10 cm of snow from the past 24 hours.