Today I worked from home, but popped out at 6 for a run, to try to wipe all traces of XSL-FO from my mind. If those initials mean nothing to you, fall to your knees now and praise the Lord for your good fortune. And on no account be tempted to go to Google and do a search. That’s how we all started. A quick look won’t do any harm… But alas, the genie won’t be tempted back into the bottle. Just say no, or you could be in for a lifetime of profound wretchedness.
Er, where was I? Ah yes, pounding along the canal on a pleasant summer’s evening, chomping mouthfuls of flies and desperately wondering how I might resolve the Palestine-Israel conflict and bring peace to the Middle East by next Tuesday lunchtime.
After a day with XSL-FO, anything is possible.
Just after I left the house, the batteries in my speed-and-distance monitor gadget expired, so I decided to repeat Sunday’s 5 miler so at least I could have a direct time comparison. I’m too shy to reveal my splits — which is just as well, as I know you’re not interested in them — but I can reveal that I got round 4 minutes less slowly than two days ago. And no passes! By which I mean no stops at all this time.
In short, it was a really good run: the best for a few weeks. If I can keep this up, manage to run regularly while I’m away and avoid injury, I might yet make it to Newcastle for the Great North Run.
There’ll come a time when struggling down to the Post Office to collect my pension will be the greatest challenge in my life, so I guess we should appreciate these more exciting ones while we can.
