Life – Rich Prohaska

A time caption of driving to Fort Langley and back, with a couple of stops along the way.

Is it every boys dream to have a drum set? It was mine. Growing up I don’t even remember bringing it up. I somehow felt it would not be welcome. It was never really a thing I seriously wanted, but on the other hand every time I walked by a set of drums I wanted to sit down and bang away. I have no real music talent although as a child I took piano and organ lessons and in high school we had a music class and I even joined the band where we took a trip to New York City to take in the music and acting scene. That was my music highlight. The thing that happens nearly every week for me though is church in Pemberton where we get to sing aloud and exercise the lungs. Just because I’m often late does not mean that I am trying to avoid singing its just that I can tell time that well. I really do enjoy singing and music. I love having music playing in the background and I am ok paying for a Sirius satellite subscription as well as a paid Spotify account. Something I have been know to say is that the world is going downhill because of the specialization of everything. Need to learn? Go to school. Are you sick? Go to the doctor. Car has a flat or needs an oil change? Take it to the mechanic. Hungry? Open a box or get take away. I think this is all bad news. We should learn to do new things, to repair things and yes even make our own music. People will laugh at things i’ve built and me I am sure they will laugh at my music, and that’s ok laughing and smiling are healthy.

So one Sunday in December at church I was thinking the music and singing were a bit too quiet and I noticed that there was a drum kit in the corner, alone and sad. For some reason I declared aloud that I was going to learn to play and take on the role of the beat maker. I asked around and I was able to borrow a drum kit to put in my very own house. But I didn’t rush into it, we are trying to clear out our junk (stuff we wanted once but now don’t) including a little climbing wall that was in the place I imagined the drums. I eventually cleared out the spot and after checking with Heather multiple times that she was ok with the plan I picked up the drums. As she is away this weekend I thought this might be a good time to make some noise.

Now as I come to the end of my dinner (chewing well you know) I will return to the throne and make a racket that will ensure the cats are happy to be outside. Ive heard if you drum hard enough you can have a real workout and get the sweat pores open.

Dear Clark, Glen and Dylan, my nearest neighbours, we are all happy that we are not living in attached housing.

Rock on!

Rich

Another Week of Success

In the fall bought pair of running shoes. It was an impulse buy when I was at MEC, I walked by the discount shoe bin and saw a pair of shoes similar to Naomis. So I figured they were ok and as they were only $50 I picked them up. I usually make fun of runners and running but I hear about it all the time because I am a regular listener to the “Rich Roll” podcast and I love hearing about things that guys and gals like Kílian Jornet and Courtney Dauwalter can do. I like the idea of being able to cover so much ground in a short amount of time. Exactly the opposite of mountaineering where the desired task is so very slow and the more difficult the route the longer it takes. Any late last fall I did a short run with Heather and we did 5 min jog, 5 min walk, repeat for 30min. It sounded so easy so the running part I did on my toes, it did feel easy but the next day I was crippled. Not just the next day, it actually lasted for two months or so. During our deep snow and deep cold event I was able to again walk for 30 min without pain. And ski touring was fine. A couple of weeks ago I decided to try running again. I googled how to start running and the plans all seemed too complicated. I would need a spreadsheet while on the road to know what to do next. Run-walk-jog slowly-sprint-and all for different times. So I came up with my own plan. The first day I ran away from the house for one minute, then turn around and run home. Repeat that the next time. Then move up to two minutes out then home. Repeat. Three minutes and so on. Now I’m up to six minutes one way and I just broke the 2km barrier, ha. I don’t run everyday, just when it is suitable. Heather often joins me, which is so nice to have a break mid day together. Another thing I like is that it really is hard but it only takes a short time. Shoes on, walk down the driveway to warm up, run, cooldown as we walk back up the driveway.

On Saturday I was able to work again for Whistler Heliskiing. The day wasn’t quite as perfect as the first, but I think we all had a great time. The day felt a lot like a normal day of work, I wasn’t nervous/excited and I was able to enjoy every bit of it. The photo below is actually from my first day. I didn’t even pull out my camera as it was flat light and I guess I didn’t feel creative.

Not every day is sunny, but when it is, is sure a pleasure.

I was asked to work again on Sunday but I declined because i’ve decided that I want to work only one day at a time. The ski days are quite long, I cannot eat as well as i’d like to, it can be mentally taxing and every day does involve some amount of stress. I was content to take the whole day off and go to church and relax, but, it also happened to be the 30th Spud Valley Loppet. Heather and I decided to enter into that. The turnout was great, the weather was ok and Heather and I stayed together and enjoyed the skiing and visiting as there were many old friends there too. We did the loop twice completing 10k. It was our first time on x-country gear this year and we felt happy. Although we did not make it to the podium I did win a draw and ended up with 10 pound bag of Shaw Creek Potatoes. How is that for a Pemberton prize?

For the 2nd time this year I was able to get out ice climbing. The first day was on the Duffey lake road at a climb called “Closet Secrets”

Rich on pitch 2 of Closet Secrets. Photo Jia Condon

Yesterday Jia again invited me out for a day on the ice. On Blackcomb we climbed most of the routes, both pure ice and mixed. I was feeling good and safe with those bolts protecting the tenuous moves, so much so that I even fell on one. A swing in the air was the only result. Boy my forearms were pumped by the end of the day. To complete the day I had some blood drawn for new tumour markers, then I had my 2nd round of acupuncture. This time on my back, I was a bit too comfortable and fell asleep for some unknown time.

The stretching pays off. Photo Jia Condon

Forearm pump and hip flexibility were in play here. Photo Jia Condon

Finishing up my visit to Whistler I picked up my CT Scan images. Ive had a look and finding anything interesting is not something that comes without the training. I did find this full torso image that I though was fun to see.

Back to Full Time Work

As fall came in full force I was encourage to work more. This was due to job deadlines, poor timing on my part and the threat of snow slowing everything down like it does. The thing is though I felt so good through it all. Chemo ended in July, hernia repair surgery in August, slow recovery due to a large hematoma after the surgery but still I was sleeping less, I had more energy and I was very motivated to earn some money. I began with a railing out Pemberton Meadows. It was a heavy one with 1 1/4 solid steel spindles that were hammered on edge, I did have a helper for some of this job but he left for a full time position in Whistler. Each of those spindles weighs 16 pounds so I built the railing in place.

Then I moved down to Whistler where I build a kitchen. Well I didn’t build it but I did cover the walls and make some nice floating shelves. The hard part does not really show in the photos. It was making the window returns.