Sunday 16 September 2007

I really was sick & Can you be a web geek and tri geek at the same time?

What an absolutely awful week. We have all been sick, Teresa still is. She had three days off work and because I was sickI couldn't teach her class which was really disappointing as they are a really fun class to teach. Not only that I had a class to teach at St Mary's, a really great bunch of 12/13 year olds. I hate letting a school down.

On the positive side as there is always a positive side. I haven't missed much training because it was my planned 6 days off (apart from swimming) with my new swim technique training it isn't such a big deal I no longer worry about the elusive 'feel for the water'. This brings me to my next positive, I have dealt with being sick and not training very well. Next positives new website client Aquahawks swim club(just depending on them getting funding), an existing client (as in paid a deposit and needs to choose from design ideas) has got back in touch again and another very likely in a couple of weeks. My quiet time gave me a chance to finish a few things off and do some reading and tutorials. Talk about life long learning, everytime I think I am advanced in CSS I come across stuff that makes me feel like a beginner. So to find out more I just bought 'designing with web standards' by jeffrey zeldman and he produces alistapart.com for webgeeks. I am not or ever will be a webgeek although I do know people who would disagree. It is just like I am not a tri geek although again I know people who would disagree. Is it possible to be a geek in two different subjects at the same time, surely having two interests stops you from being a geek at all.
Back to jeffrey zeldman css and web standards guru (this must be the first time I've returned to an original topic without help) he is keeping it real for me because I am making the effort and striving for complete web compliance I am doing a good job because there are thousands of designers out there who aren't even trying. He includes in his book examples of large commercial sites that could save time, money, improve accessibility and future proof their websites by using web standards.

I can tell by the dazed look you haven't a clue what I am talking about, I recognise it because Teresa uses it on me a lot.

Sunday 9 September 2007

Tired legs and excellent art

Below is a picture that Emily drew on my father's day card. It is her and me (I'm the one with spiky hair and whiskers) and we are doing our silly chicken dance.


Indoor session tough Thursday night didn't get to heart rate targets because legs felt really tired and I couldn't push a bigger gear without blowing up.

Friday night swim - I love total immersion , I've just ordered the fistgloves. Purchasing the dvd, etc and learning to swim properly is much cheaper than buying a new wetsuit and anyway Hawaii is wetsuit free.(this is my goal in 3 or 4 years time.)

Big gear Saturday is going very well (quite exciting), it is leaving me tired for Sunday but Sunday is just easier endurance miles. In the past I have done too much of the same training and that resulted in my plateau or even possible backwards development on the bike last year.

Just finished helping Emily produce a poster for her talk to her class on 'How to plant a mandarin tree.'

Wednesday 5 September 2007

Nuclear Medicine

Spent a couple of hours at Hawkes Bay hospital yesterday, Emily was having another scan , this time it involved some 'nuclear dye'. They are trying to find out if one kidney is enlarged and if so why. It is all to be on the safe side, ever since she was diagnosed with hip dysplasia (spelling????) when she was 9months we always follow through with even the smallest concerns.

Runs are now up to 4miles. I am running without the heart rate monitor because I am just running to try and get some miles in at present.

I'm having a great deal of trouble trying to get a replacement T31 strap from my local sports store, they are the only place that sells them locally.

Race bike - then and now

This is my trusty race bike, the first picture was taken in Lanzarote in 1994 a few days out from the ironman I had owned the bike for about 5months and only ridden it about twice for about 20kms each time. The second picture of the bike is set up on my 15year old wind trainer, I've had 2A frame trainers but they just don't do it for me.




Sunday 2 September 2007

Duvel Beer

The beer was very nice. Children still playing. Dinner is in the oven. Later I am having Hobgoblin beer Real ale from the UK. One thing Teresa and I miss from the UK is Real Ale. New Zealand beer on the whole is crap!

Fathers' Day

When I first became a dad I really couldn't be bothered "Just another commercial invention" blah, blah. However a few years down the road I've had a complete about turn. My children gave me a beautiful homemade card, Cameron gave me a Triathlon/Multisport mag (I never buy magazines these days) and Emily bought me a Duvel gift set. Duvel is a Belgian beer and the gift set is 2 bottles and the special glass. I have a particular weakness for Belgian beer or Trappiste style beer. They are very strong, anywhere between 7% and 10.5% and the strength doesn't really impact on you until after you have knocked them back.
Anyway back to my liking for Fathers' Day, as most people know it is hard work and the better you do at it the more tiring it is, so there is an element of I feel I deserve to be a fuss of, but as I was walking with the family this morning for a large coffee and huge blueberry muffin, I felt a huge sense of wellbeing and pride holding the hand of my 5yearold daughters hand. And as Teresa pointed out Emily (Cameron is still a bit young) wanted to make a fuss of me, she also wanted a cake not sure which she wanted the most.

It is now Sunday afternoon, Teresa has gone for a swim, the children are playing nicely and I have time to sit and type this, and reflect on my easy 20mile cycle this morning and my big gear ride yesterday. My gardening has been restricted to continuing to prune the bushy trees in the front and plant some grapevine cuttings from Peter next door.

Tomorrow I'm going to post a picture of my trusty race bike. I have also thought I might do a gear review of cycling gear, assessing their durability - nothing is allowed to be less than 9years old, so the list would include my desoto racing trunks/briefs (see my profile photo) , my Look cycling shoes, Giro helmet, Pearl Izumi cycling top and shorts, Look pedals, Selle Italia saddle and lots of bits of clothing and of course my racing bike.

This blog definitely very random.
I say this because in my half awake/ half asleep state last night in between singing songs from Cameron's music group I invented water orienteering were all the checkpoints are underwater. Equipment needed would be wetsuit, snorkel, mask and flippers, I'm sure it will catch on as quickly as underwater hockey.

More random musings soon