Creating a sensible life!

Well, I am in limbo a little at the moment as I am not sure how much work I am going to get this year!





I have some work organised already but need a few more hours to construct a life that is based around the three days of work and four days to do the things that are important to me lifestyle pattern that I favour.

I am fortunate in that I can generally gain enough work in an industry that pays well enough for me to construct this sort of a lifestyle.
I have put a bit of effort into this mind you.
It has taken nearly thirty six years to get to this point!

It is mainly a matter of prioritising what is important to you.

For me it is organising my week around:

• Enjoying my relationship with Michelle - doing much of what follows!
  
• The opportunity to go surfing - wherever there is a wave!
  
• Working on my health and fitness if the surf is not up - at the gym!
  
• The acquisition of new skills and knowledge - studying for a degree in Internet Computing!
  
• Creating the space and time to make music - either playing classical guitar or with the band Floodgates!
  
• Periods of doing nothing much at all - contemplation/crosswords/television/stumbling/reading
• Enjoying the company of my poodles Hamish and Hermyne- walkies at the beach a particular favourite!
• keeping contact with other important members of my family including my Mum, Amy and sons Tim, Oscar and Angus.
  

Because of that:

• I choose not to live in a big city - I have never regretted moving to the south coast nearly twenty years ago!
• I rent - but I have million dollar views luckily!
• I have no investments - but then I don't have credit card with credit available either which sorta balances out!
  
• I don't have a flash car - but I do have the car I need!
  
• I very rarely go on holidays - but we are hoping to change that!
• I cannot just go and buy what I want anytime - I have to save for it!

I am one damned lucky guy to have the opportunity to construct this life when so many millions elsewhere in the world do not have this opportunity!
I try every day to remember how lucky I am!

Daylight saving sucks!

Can we please get rid of daylight saving in Western Australia?
Reasons you want!
Well here they are:

1. It is too hot here and daylight saving seems to exacerbate that condition more so! And I live in Albany on the South Coast where it is markedly cooler! I feel for you Perth folks and the poor buggars up North even more so.
   
2. I end up waiting for the bloody sun to disappear so as I can go to bed and I am damn sure that parents of small children are going through a very similar situation - the difficulty of getting their own kids to go to bed at a reasonable hour!
3. I seem to be eating just before I get to bed as it seems either too hot or too early to eat and that is not a good thing.
4. As a surfer, the loss of an hour of daylight in the morning before having to go to work is a bloody nuisance as the morning is generally when the best surfing conditions occur.

Can I think of any positive things about daylight saving..............No! I cannot, so can we please turn the clock back to where it should be!
A recent poll on Channel Seven resulted in 75% of respondents wanting to vote on daylight saving at the end of this summer rather than after three and I reckon I know why?.........Because they all feel exactly like me and want to make sure that we are not subjected to it next summer!

Vista is released to the domestic market very soon!

Here are 10 reasons why you should not bother purchasing Vista followed by 10 reasons why you should bother purchasing it.

You make the decision.
I won't be purchasing Vista as I am far more excited about Linux than anything Microsoft can offer. Even if I was not a Linux user I would not be entertaining upgrading to Vista on the grounds of integrated DRM (Digital Rights Management) alone. A feature Linus Torvalds supports in the Linux kernel as long as it can be turned off by the user - unlike Vista!

I would like to acknowledge Dan Warne and Ashton Mills for these two articles and Joytech.com for the great cartoon which I have slightly modified!;-)

10 reasons why you SHOULD NOT to get Vista.

1. You don't actually need it -- No, think about this. Vista doesn't do anything you can't already do with XP. About the only significant shift requiring Vista is DirextX10, but as no titles support it yet and, according to John Carmack (the godfather of modern gaming) there's no need to yet either.

2. Cost $$ -- It's so blindingly obvious, most people will be blinded to it. You already have XP, and alternatives like Linux are free. If you really want to throw money away, go give it to a local charity.

3. On that note, it's outrageously overpriced -- at least in Australia. As revealed in the current APC, even after taking into account the profit margin Microsoft Australia previously applied to XP (as well as exchange rates, as you would expect), Australians are paying hundreds of dollars more for their copies than in the US. In fact, it's cheaper for Australians to buy Vista direct by mail order from the States. If you think Microsoft Australia is reaming us, vote with your wallet.

4. Upgrading hardware -- XP was demanding at release, but Vista more so. If you have an older machine that struggles with XP at the best of times, Vista is out of your ballpark unless you spend even more money to upgrade. If this is you, see point 1.

5. Driver support -- Key hardware like video and sound is crippled at the moment -- while Nvidia is working furiously to get a stable driver for the 8800 out by the 30th, there's still no SLI support for any of the Nvidia range. And thanks to the removal of hardware accelerated 3D sound in Vista, Creative's popular DirectSound based EAX no longer works at all, muting this feature for just about all gaming titles on the market today. Creative is in the process of coding a layer for its drivers to translate EAX calls to the OpenAL API which is seperate from Vista, but going by past experience with Creative drivers we won't see these any time soon.

6. Applications that don't work -- there's been plenty of coverage about applications that won't work without a vendor update. These include anti-virus, backup and security software such as those from Symantec, Sophos and ilk; CD and DVD burning tools like the suite from Nero need updated versions to work; and even basic disk management and partitioning tools such as Paragon's Hard Disk Manager are awaiting an update for Vista to be compatible. How many more will fail as Vista enters mainstream? Even Firefox has issues with Vista.

7. It's a big fat target -- with a new and untested in the global wild architecture, virus and malware authors are going to work overtime exploiting the holes Microsoft missed. In fact it's already happening. Loath though I am to use the word 'security' and 'Windows' in the same sentence, Windows XP has at least been patched to the hilt and can be used with a plethora of reasonably effective security tools that work now, without waiting for an update down the track.

8. UAC -- Oh yes, the Microsoft solution for an operating system where mutli-user was an afterthought. Sure, you can disable it, but the OS then makes it clear then that the onus is on the user for any damaging programs that got to run with permissions, rather than with Windows in the first place. If you do have it on, it is going to annoy the hell out of you. It pops up far too frequently, and even on a fast PC, the UAC screen takes too long to come up and disappear.

9. DRM -- And to a lesser degree TPM -- were made for the RIAAs and MPAAs of this world, and the even tighter integration of copy protection mechanisms and 'Windows Rights Management' into vista are nothing more than a liability to you, the user. This ComputerWorld piece says is succinctly: 'it's hard to sing the praises of technology designed to make life harder for its users.' As for TPM, this short animated video shows just how far the rabbit hole goes. And to think you pay for the privilege of having the use of media you purchased and own dictated by third parties, even on your own system.

10. The draconian license -- somehow, Microsoft has forgotten that it built its business from products that empowered its customers, not hampered them. Of course, we forget that Microsoft's customers aren't you and I, afterall (see point 9). Aside from the backward thinking that is licensing, and not actually owning, your software new terms with Vista include being able to transfer the license only once; half the limit compared to XP for Home Basic and Premium on how many machines can connect to yours for sharing, printing and accessing the Internet; limits on the number of devices that can use Vista's Media Center features; activation and validation governing your ability to upgrade hardware and use Windows itself; and outlawing the use of Home Basic and Premium with virtualisation software, and Ultimate only if DRM enabled content and applications aren't used. But then again, who reads these anyway?

(http://apcmag.com/5049/10_reasons_not_to_get_vista)

10 reasons why you SHOULD get Vista.

1. UI built for the era of video and digital photography
It's not actually Microsoft's key selling point, but the thing that everyone will probably find the most useful about Vista is that photos, videos and music are not treated the same as Word documents any more. When you open a folder of photos, they come up as they'd appear in Google Picasa or Apple iPhoto. There's inbuilt basic photo editing. Music folders come up in columns of ID3 tags, a bit like iTunes. Finally, you don't have to rely so much on third party apps to work with your files.

2. Image-based install
PC enthusiasts spend a lot of time installing and reinstalling Windows for their own and other people's PCs. The Vista DVD is actually a pre-installed version of the OS in a compressed form, making it substantially quicker to install. It's also much easier to customise for unprompted installation with the correct defaults, and you can even install your own software automatically at the time Vista is installed - like slipstreaming service packs but on steroids. Read more...

3. Up-to-date driver base and better driver handling on installation
Enjoy the just-baked driverbase while it lasts (19,500 drivers large). If you do need to use a special disk driver during installation in the future it won't have to be on floppy disk. Now you can use a USB memory key or CD. Also, Microsoft is now making much greater use of Windows Update for provision of drivers that aren't present in the Windows RTM driver base. Windows Chief Jim Allchin talks about it here.

4. Desktop search and search folders built in
Yes, you could already get umpteen desktop search apps including Windows Desktop Search from Microsoft for XP, but you can't underestimate the importance of it being installed on every single Vista PC. Now when your mum rings saying she's lost a document she's been working on all day you can just direct her to the start menu. Also, desktop search folders are handy for finding stuff you haven't necessarily got stored in one folder but that is useful to gather together from time to time (e.g. documents with "tax, invoice or receipt" in them).

5. Sleep mode that actually works.
It's a small thing, but makes a big difference: Vista has finally caught up to operating systems that can sleep near instantly and wake up reliably, in a couple of seconds. Read more...

6. Rock-solid laptop encryption
The data on your laptop is worth a hell of a lot to an identity thief. Vista's "Bitlocker" encryption (only in Enterprise and Ultimate versions) does heavy-duty, full-drive encryption, so you can be certain that unless a thief has your password there's simply no way they're going to get in. Read more...

7. Better file navigation
Vista now has some time-saving features like favourite folders displayed in the left column of every Explorer window, as well as "breadcrumbed" folder lists allowing you to quickly jump backward and forward through a path. Sure, these should have been put into Windows years ago, but at least they're here now.

8. Inbuilt undelete
Or, depending on how you look at it, inbuilt rolling backup. Every time you make a change to a file or delete it, Windows keeps the previous version. As a result, the "oh !@#$ I just overwrote my entire PhD with Document1" feeling can be quickly assuaged. Read more...

9. DirectX10
OK, this isn't so much a benefit as your hand being forced: DirectX 10 will never be made for XP, and a raft of games have already been announced ‘exclusively' for 10. Admittedly it does take gaming graphics to the next level, but it's very much tied to Vista.

10. Face it, you have no choice
When Microsoft brings out a major renovation to Windows, you can choose to ignore it for a year or two, but then the device drivers start drying up for older versions of Windows, your friends start asking questions about their new PC that you can't answer, and even if you use Linux, you'll inevitably need familiarity with Microsoft's latest interoperability blockers. Face it: your arse belongs to Redmond.

(http://apcmag.com/5082/10_reasons_you_should_get_vista)

It is Australia Day!

I am not a very patriotic sort of person, so it is a bit lost on me really.
The rest of Australia is getting in to it in a big way though! Fireworks, people getting awards, BBQ's, cricket matches, you name it, it is happening today!

I am mainly annoyed by the fact that it is a public holiday and I haven't managed to get a surf today and haven't had one for some days.
Picture of crap surf!


No swell and strong Easterly wind. Tomorrow is a possibility with an Easterly swell due which means Mids or the corner at Nanarup may be working although the wind direction will be onshore, but sometimes that can end up being an OK session.






Just discovered a text from surfer mate Roland -
"Are we going over to his place for an Australia Day drink or two?"
I say "Absolutely, bringing noodles and be over soon as I am bloody starving"
He says "Hang on, out doing washing and won't be lighting fire until later on when wind drops."
I say "Ok we will eat first and be round later"

Will someone please beat Roger Federer!

Because it is getting boring watching his matches, almost as boring as watching cricket matches the Australian team are playing in! If only the Pommes had been able to win that match in Adelaide to level the series one. It woould have been a sizzling summer of cricket rather than a fizzer!

Whitewashes are exceedingly uninteresting to view and I have far more enjoyed watching many of the other great matches that have been played during the Australian Open. Williams and Peer, Hewitt and Russell, Nadan and Murray etc. Absolutely sensational tennis matches to watch as both players were competitive. So unlike watching Federer's matches, whose awesome skill I admire like everybody, that are so one sided and bloody boring and disheartening to watch.

So come on guys - stand up to him! give him a bit of stick!! upset the unflappable swiss man! create a bit of doubt in his mind!! hit a few balls straight at him!! argue with umpires about Hawkeye! do a bloody McEnroe for god's sake!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5 things you might not know about me!

I stumbled upon Erik in Oahu's blog, Board Shorts and Business Suits, which is pretty interesting - very focused on making money online which is not so much my desire, I just enjoy writing about things that interest me that might interest others.
Anyway I liked the 5 things you might not know about me post and I have decided to follow up also - here they are:

1. Although I ended up living in Albany on the south coast of Western Australia, I was born in Glasgow, Scotland (left when I was eight months old) and spent much of my childhood in Singapore before being sent to boarding school at the age of 9 in Perth, Western Australia.
   
   
2. I am a graduate of the West Australian Conservatorium of Music having majored in Classical Guitar and............ minored in Viola Da Gamba! Used to play in a Consort (gamba band basically) at the UWA - now not many people have done that anywhere!
   
   3. I was a founder member of the BMW Motorcycle Club of Western Australia. I have owned a beautiful black 1973 R60/5 and silver R90/6 which I dropped on a gravel track in the middle of nowhere between Hyden and Norseman a week after I had purchased it. I was really pissed off, although there was little damage, (apart from a ding in the tank and a slight twist to the front forks) and I rode straight home in disgust once we arrived at our final destination of Kalgoorlie
   
   4. Over the years I have had seven longterm relationships Hilary, Ros, Karen, Annie, Gaye (stepdaughter Amba - 28 and two sons Tim 20 and Oscar 17), Lisa (son Angus 6) including my current partner Michelle of five years who coincidentally has also had seven. Do not come to me for advice about relationships - I know nothing!
   
   5. I was nearly 50 when I took up stand up surfing!! - took me a year to get fit enough and to stand up consistently on a clean wave. Best thing I have ever done for myself!
   

Well, there you go here, have a look at Erik's 5 things posts.

Another reason not to use Windows!

Wow! I have just got Internet Explorer 6 running in Kubuntu! So now, I don't need to boot back into Windows to test a webpage design anymore. That is so cool.
How you ask!
Well, as you know already I am a fan of Stumbleupon and today I stumbled upon Ies4Linux.
This is a terrific little application (open source of course) that runs IE6, 5.5 and 5 under Wine in many flavours of Linux distributions.
No problems installing it and voila IE6.
















And here is the proof - Sorry the image is not super sharp! Now that could be useful for any of you using Linux, to develop web pages requiring testing in the worlds most used browser? I am certainly glad to have found it.

She's crook now - Godamnit! and Linux!

Poor Michelle now has my cold - and she is not happy!!!!!!!!!!!! I can hardly blame her as it is a debilitating experience that seemingly hangs around forever - still suffering the after effects myself.....stuffed up nose, foul taste in mouth and intermittent coughing.
It is not a good time for her to get ill as she is:

• In the middle of completing her Masters Candidacy
• Applying for a job
• Preparing vast amount of documentation for teaching in another area she may well not need if she gets the job referred to above!
• Preparing for a sculpture workshop for the TAFE PD day in a few week

Hence her unhappiness!

Just about to take Michelle's van in to have her new stereo system (Mum and I gave it to her for Christmas) fitted which will be excellent for her as she loves her music and where better to listen to music? Yep on the road in your own vehicle! She is already collating favourite music and burning CDs to listen to.

Linux

I am a convert to Linux - specifically Ubuntu/Kubuntu (Kubuntu being a version of Ubuntu using the KDE Desktop environment rather than Gnome) and currently have the latest version, Edgy Eft, installed on my laptop. Windows is still there on another partition but I might boot into it once in a fortnight only nowadays as 99% of my needs are met with Ubuntu/Kubuntu.


For example:
Open Office very effectively replaces Microsoft Office
Gimp replaces Photoshop
Scribus replaces Publisher
Inkscape replaces Illustrator
KB3 replaces Nero and other Windows based CD/DVD burning programs
Firefox replaces Internet Explorer
Evolution replaces Outlook/Outlook Express
Amarok/Kaffiene replace Windows Media Player
etc etc

Previously, I had tried Mandrake and SuSe but have found Ubuntu a highly usable distribution and that it works best on my laptop.

Why do I like Ubuntu/Kubuntu?

• Philosophically I am sympathetic to open source/free software movements as are many others in the world unhappy with Microsoft's domination
• The operating system is indeed free as are the thousands of fantastic programs available
• It is a more rewarding and challenging experience to use a Linux based operating system
  
• I don't have to worry about viruses/malware/adware etc. No antivirus software installed at all except of course on the Windows partition!!
• The applications I choose to use are constantly updated as developers continue to make improvements
• A new version of Ubuntu/Kubuntu is released on a 6 monthly cycle unlike Windows where years go by before a new version is released

Ubuntu/Kubuntu will post you 5 free cds containing their operating sysem that you can pass on to others that may be interested.
Can you imagine Microsoft doing that?
I have one left of my last batch and have requested 10 more.
What is great about these cds is that they are a live version of Ubuntu/Kubuntu allowing you to try the operating system out before you install it. If you choose to install then it will partition your hard drive leaving you with a dual boot system that allows you to choose whether you want to boot in to Windows or Ubuntu/Kubuntu.

I would encourage you to check Ubuntu/Kubuntu out as you may not have realised what you have been missing out on!

I'm crook - Godamnit! and Firefox Extensions!

Yep it is the truth I am not well - a cold just popped up out of nowhere, sinuses buggared, barely able to breathe last night and relying on drugs to feel half way decent!!!!!!!!!!!
Did manage to go to the Gym today and managed to do more than I thought I would be able to and I reckon I should be properly OK tomorrow.
Wind is blowing a gale so that will bring the swell up over the next couple of days. Honestly, the conditions are reminiscent of winter at the moment and it is the middle of summer?I cannot remember a summer where we had so much swell and surfing opportunities as a result. In fact I would go so far as to say the the conditions we are experiencing at the moment are more like winter should be ssw, sw and s swells which we didn't get much of this winter as the swell was wsw or w a lot of the time. That means that Nanarup works more like it should and that being our favourite break is a real bonus as we are normally scrabbling to find a surfable wave at this time of year.
Anyway, if it means we get to have reasonable surf all year round rather than just in winter as the now old pattern was then that is probably OK by me.

I use a great little Firefox (I hope you are all using Firefox!) add-on called StumbleUpon! which pulls up sites off the WWW related to your stated interests.

It has introduced me to so many great sites that I would never have come across and it is highly recommended! I am often to be found stumbling the net! and bookmarking like crazy!!!!!!!!!!
This is just one of many extra extensions that you can use with FireFox- currently I use:

• Gmail Space - online data storage if you have a gmail account and you should!
• Ook! Video Ook! - allows downloading of videos from sites like You Tube
• FasterFox - makes a Firefox work quicker
• FireBug - a webdevelopment tool that allows you to view and debug javascript, css Ajax in a web site you are building
• Del.icio.us Bookmarks - integrates your browser with this popular social bookmarking service
  

There are heaps of other extensions that you can enhance your browsing experience with.

I also have a couple of different themes rather than the standard Firefox version that I use including:

• Aluminium Kai 2
• PitchDark

Of course there are many other great things about Firefox such as:

• It has a really effective popup blocker
• RSS feeds inbuilt
• It is free and open source
• Tabs - what would I do without them
  

Anyway, if you are not using FireFox I highly recommend you do so!

I hope I sleep better tonight!???

Perth trip over!

Arrived back from Perth yesterday about 3 pm after a pretty reasonable two days away with Mum consulting medicos. Probably the longest continuous period of time my Mum and I have spent together for many, many years. We get on well - and always have really. We will be going back in three weeks for a single blast of radiation. Considering the onerousness of the need for the Perth visit we had a reasonable time although sleep was an issue!
Always hard for me in a strange place.

I don't like leaving the place I consider home - it slightly traumatises me and I believe it is related to when I had to leave home (Singapore) to return to boarding school at the end of the school holidays. I used to return home three times a year and as the end of the holidays drew near I would have bad dreams that I was already back at school and would wake up with such a relief to find I was still in bed at home in Singapore! Michelle has similar issues so both of us have to really muster up our courage even to go away on a holiday! Bizarre - considering how willing others are to leave home!!

Very pleased to see Michelle and the dogs and to head straight out for a surf as I needed to get into the ocean again especially as I was keen to try out - yes, you guessed it - another new surfboard.
This time it is a 9' BIC which is near new, only used 5 times, and cost a mere $595! This is now the 5th board that Michelle and I have purchased from Ross at Longboards Scarborough.
I also went on a saga to find the longboard shop in Fremantle (which in the end I discovered by mistake - drove past it unintentionally) which ended up with me putting $5 down on a Dave Smith 9' board and changing my mind as I waited at the ATM to get the cash out to pay for the board. Ummm! you ask - what is going on Robin? Well, I decided:

• I didn't like the guy that ran the shop (Asking for $5 to hold the board while I went around the corner to get the cash!)
• The Dave Smith was looking a little ragged and I had a near new board lined up with Ross at Longboards Scarborough.
  
• It was more money than I had originally intended so I decided to be conservative and to go with my original intention to buy the 9' BIC I had organised with Ross.

I am very glad I did as I can report that it is a sensational little board. Little!? - you ask when it is 9' long? Well that is because that is actually what it feels like - it is light in weight and very quick on to a wave and I can really chuck it around. Same as the pics on the left but a quite interesting sea blue colour all over. Did some great carving turns yesterday - freaking out other surfers on the way back out to the take off spot! Such a lot of fun. So my big 10' BIC is now for sale and I have a couple of likely buyers in mind. so in the end the changeover to both the new boards will have only actually cost me $110 which is a very good result.

Anyway it is good to be home again!

Festivities complete!

Finally all the madness of the Xmas/New Year period is over culminating in Pete and Penny's engagement party on Saturday arvo.
Even with all the swell that has been around I only managed to get in the water yesterday at Mutton Bird where there was a nice clean wave at the Goat track for half an hour or so. Then it turned a bit and I really needed to take out the longboard but by then it was getting busy and there were really very few waves to go around. Roland had got a lift up the beach with me which he appreciated and I left him to it and went home to see Michelle who was still suffering at this point in the month.

I now own a fantastic little Daihatsu Feroza SX 4WD. It is such a capable little car and easily accomodates Michelle and I and all our gear (up to five boards on top at times). Very similar to the pic on the left but wider tyres, a substantial roo bar and aluminum sidesteps.
What is really significant about this little vehicle for us as surfers is that it has galvanised body panels so it is very resistant to rust. So it should do the job for years to come as it will be worthwhile replacing the motor when that time comes.

This week it will have a long run as Mum and I are going to Perth to see the medicos about her lung tumour. It is all very up in the air as we are unsure what is going to happen in the way of treatment or not - and that is an issue as a nearly 84 year old woman cannot be expected to travel 10 hours to Perth and back every time they require her for treatment. We shall see.

While we are up there I will look around for a replacement longboard for my 10' Bic as I mentioned I wanted to do in an earlier post.
There are two places I will look. Firstly Scarborough Longboards where I have bought a few boards off Ross in the last few years and if he has nothing suitable then down to Freo to the other longboard shop of which I am unsure of the name. I am just after a secondhand board around $600 as I reckon I can sell the Bic for $500 as it is still in great condition. They are so indestructible - might even consider a 9' Bic which I know are also good boards.

Huge at Middleton! Awesome!

Well, what a day at Middleton Beach yesterday! The swell was gigantic because of the superstorm off Esperance. I wish I had some pics to show you but Michelle didn't think to take her camera down mainly because she hides it away so effectively that she forgets that she has it! I think I might have to get one for myself although it will probably be a video camera that takes stills.

We didn't go in as the best waves were to big for us to contemplate trying and the waves that were more ridable were taken up by many others and there was a really strong current running.

Simon (our band keyboard player) was up to the task and we watched as he tackled triple overhead swells managing to get three rides. We saw him come off one and his board was vertical in the water until it popped back up and then eventually so did he. He said he felt like he was fifty foot down and got back up up by following his leg rope? That is the scary part of going out in swell like that. If your leg rope breaks you can be seriously buggared!

Today it has settled down alot and there are quite a few out at the first point as the outer points are not working anymore. Contemplated going in but China and Greavesy were just on their way out with longboards so nobody would have got a ride.
Going to go out to Nanarup this afternoon for a look after Pete and Penn's engagement party as I reckon it will have settled down enough to get in - at last.
Anyway I am sure there will be swell around for a few days so should get in before I have to subject myself to going to Perth next week with Mum. Oh Well!

Had a great session at the gym yesterday as they showed us the weights which I did two repetitions of and then did a 15 minute session on the Spin cycle and that was excruciating! two minutes sitting and one minute standing - absolutely killed my quads!! Michelle is a bit under the weather at this time of the month so she only did a light session.

New Years Resolution implemented!

On the 2nd day of the New Year, Michelle and I marched into one of the local gyms and signed on as gym junkies for a trial month!
There are various reasons :

1. Although we have both trimmed up somewhat as we are are both pretty active, surfing at every opportunity, both of us still carry to much weight particularly me (an issue I have been dealing with all my life as I was obese as a child) and extra assistance is required to lose more.
2. We are off to Bali in April and need to be as fit as possible so as we can cope with and enjoy as much surfing as possible.
3. It will be great to have an opportunity to have a good workout on the days when we don't get a surf.
4. Maintaining a reasonable weight is one of the few things left in my life that I would like to have had more success at and now is the time to get stuck in to it.
5. I have also been keen to get back to Yoga again which I have done in the past especially important for me to retain my flexibility. Today I got the mat, block and belt out and had a little session to remind myself of the poses I used to do. It is tough work for me now because I am overweight.
   

All going well with successfully integrating this new regime into our life then we will continue are membership permanently and should reap the benefits of less weight, a higher degree of fitness and an overall improvement in general wellbeing.

So far we have been along for two sessions and it hasn't been too bad at all. I have a little quad soreness today but otherwise I am feeling fine - Michelle has a sore bum!

We are going to the Albany Body Studio which is a small and quirky gym with a 3 lane, 25 metre swimming pool and sauna as well as all the other equipment.
I really like the set up there as it has views to the harbour and when the weather is appropriate they leave the front doors open so as plenty of air gets in to the place and you can grab a cross-trainer in the breeze which makes the task a little more pleasurable.

One of our surfing acquaintances Lara, inducted us which was nice. I discovered I weigh 109 kilos (240 pounds)and have 37% body fat. Not good I know!

I would love to get down to a normal weight around 85 kilos but am not sure that is very realistic but I will keep that as the top goal with increments of 5 kilos below that and you never know. Imagine how it would feel to be 52 pounds lighter! Perhaps 200 pounds (90 kilos) would be more realistic - that is a 40 pound loss. That would make a significant difference.

Anyway our goal for the month is a kilo a week which is apparently easy and we have a weigh in to look forward to next Wednesday to make sure we are on track!

Of course diet is a big part of all this and we generally eat sensibly but need to cut the carbs out at night so pasta rice bread etc is off the menu. This evening I cooked a green Thai curry with a salad so I am starting to look for replacement sofr what we might normally eat in the evening.

I am feeling very good about having taken this step and it seems to be a continuation of a general taking control of my life process that has been ongoing since I turned fifty.

I surf, play live music again with the band "Floodgates", have changed careers again to IT (something I had initially considered when I left school but thought at the time I had missed the boat), made a conscious decision to confine the working week to three days if possible and I am continuing my studies having enrolled in an Internet Computing degree at Murdoch University. A pretty good life with less emphasis on money but rich in other ways - actually the money is OK too!