I realise it's been a few days since I've written anything but that doesn't mean nothing has happened recently. In fact, it's quite the opposite. I've got so many fun photos and videos from my adventure so far that I want to do them justice when I write about them here. Until I get round to doing that properly, though, I'll give you a sneak peek just now of the things I'm going to be talking about.
1) Sailing on Lake Ontario
2) Eating in my favourite places in Toronto
3) Staying with friends in a house that looks out over endless fields
4) Going to Heidi & Brian's wedding
I don't know if this is worse than not posting at all, but I just wanted everyone to know I've not forgotten about you and I'll write more details soon.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
I have slept
I'm now part way through my first full day in Canada. I got up at about 10:15 which was a fairly reasonable time to get up. I had gone to bed at about 11 o'clock the night before. Oddly enough, despite my being awake for so long, it still took me a wee while to eventually get to sleep.
I was trying to figure out just how long I had been awake when I did finally go to bed. I had got up at 4:10 am (Glasgow time) the morning of the flight. I then went to bed at 11 pm (Toronto time). That's about 24 hours all together!
This morning when I woke up, I had no idea what time it was because I was in the basement and my phone which is my only clock was in the other room. I thought I would probably wake early since I've moved 5 time zones to the left. :) The first few times I therefore went back to sleep.
The other odd thing is that my throat is really sore today. It's possible it is from the flight but I don't think that could be it, because I had already been in Canada 12 hours since the flight without any problems. I actually think it's an odd sleeping characteristic of mine. I know that I can snore for Scotland and I think this is especially true when my body has missed out on some slumber. Perhaps I have a "snore quota" that needs to be fulfilled and the lack of recent sleep has left my body with little option but to compensate. I'll keep drinking lots of water and see how it goes from here.
I was trying to figure out just how long I had been awake when I did finally go to bed. I had got up at 4:10 am (Glasgow time) the morning of the flight. I then went to bed at 11 pm (Toronto time). That's about 24 hours all together!
This morning when I woke up, I had no idea what time it was because I was in the basement and my phone which is my only clock was in the other room. I thought I would probably wake early since I've moved 5 time zones to the left. :) The first few times I therefore went back to sleep.
The other odd thing is that my throat is really sore today. It's possible it is from the flight but I don't think that could be it, because I had already been in Canada 12 hours since the flight without any problems. I actually think it's an odd sleeping characteristic of mine. I know that I can snore for Scotland and I think this is especially true when my body has missed out on some slumber. Perhaps I have a "snore quota" that needs to be fulfilled and the lack of recent sleep has left my body with little option but to compensate. I'll keep drinking lots of water and see how it goes from here.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Kenada
I have arrived safe and sound in Toronto. I had a direct flight from Glasgow. It was cool to get a direct flight rather than having to change planes somewhere.
The flight was scheduled to depart at 8:15 am which all sounds very civilised, but in reality I was meant to be there three hours in advance. Yep, that's 5:15 am. Well I was a couple of minutes late but it was fine. Checking in was a bit slower than usual because they were being very strict with the security measures.
First of all, passengers were only allowed one carry on item each. Secondly, it had to fit in a wooden box near the counter. They were very strict with the fact that the bag had to completely be contained within the box. This meant a lot of people had to re-pack certain items. I had to move my musical instruments from my backpack to my suitcase.
I had a bit of a silly moment when waiting to board the plane. They were boarding by row number which was fine. They started off with rows 1-4 or something like that for first class. Then they did something like rows 22 to 32. My boarding card said row 33 so I groaned inwardly and then waited for my row to be called. Next they said something like rows 16 to 32. I thought it was odd that they were going in the wrong direction. It was then that I noticed that 33 was actually the GATE number and I was actually in row 22. I could have gone earlier!
I got a whole row to myself which was so cool. There were three seats, from the right windows to an aisle. Unfortunately the nearest TV screen wasn't working so I had to watch the one a bit further down the plane.
All in all the flight was good and the cabin crew were very cheerful and helpful which always makes a difference.
Stay tuned for more updates of my antics!
The flight was scheduled to depart at 8:15 am which all sounds very civilised, but in reality I was meant to be there three hours in advance. Yep, that's 5:15 am. Well I was a couple of minutes late but it was fine. Checking in was a bit slower than usual because they were being very strict with the security measures.
First of all, passengers were only allowed one carry on item each. Secondly, it had to fit in a wooden box near the counter. They were very strict with the fact that the bag had to completely be contained within the box. This meant a lot of people had to re-pack certain items. I had to move my musical instruments from my backpack to my suitcase.
I had a bit of a silly moment when waiting to board the plane. They were boarding by row number which was fine. They started off with rows 1-4 or something like that for first class. Then they did something like rows 22 to 32. My boarding card said row 33 so I groaned inwardly and then waited for my row to be called. Next they said something like rows 16 to 32. I thought it was odd that they were going in the wrong direction. It was then that I noticed that 33 was actually the GATE number and I was actually in row 22. I could have gone earlier!
I got a whole row to myself which was so cool. There were three seats, from the right windows to an aisle. Unfortunately the nearest TV screen wasn't working so I had to watch the one a bit further down the plane.
All in all the flight was good and the cabin crew were very cheerful and helpful which always makes a difference.
Stay tuned for more updates of my antics!
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Crazy Week
It really has been a crazy week in more ways than one. We have had an amazing prophetic conference at our church this week with Patricia Bootsma and her team from Jubilee Christian Fellowship in Stratford, Ontario. It was especially busy for me because I was doing sound. This meant I had to be there early for each session and available for the band during sound check as well as being there throughout the sessions. I also knew a few of the guys in the team so we invariably hung out together when the evening meetings finally finished around 10:30pm or thereabouts.
As if this wasn't enough to be keeping me busy, I was also packing everything up. I've been getting ready to finally move out of my flat and today was the day. I am writing this at the home of my good friends Phillip and Sarah who have let me stay here tonight. I am currently of no fixed abode! Well, ok, technically speaking my parents' address is the one I use but I'm in transit already, although my flight doesn't leave till Monday morning.
I'm starting to get pretty excited about going to Kansas City. Even though it's been a really busy week, there's something I love about being active. I feel kind of reluctant to say I like being busy because I know the whole School of Ministry thing was so much about rest and not striving. I would say, though, that it's being active rather than striving that I enjoy. :) I like feeling tired when my head finally hits the pillow (or cave floor) at night. It's good to have a sense that I've actually done something today!
With that thought I'm going to leave. It's late and I AM actually tired! Nice one!
As if this wasn't enough to be keeping me busy, I was also packing everything up. I've been getting ready to finally move out of my flat and today was the day. I am writing this at the home of my good friends Phillip and Sarah who have let me stay here tonight. I am currently of no fixed abode! Well, ok, technically speaking my parents' address is the one I use but I'm in transit already, although my flight doesn't leave till Monday morning.
I'm starting to get pretty excited about going to Kansas City. Even though it's been a really busy week, there's something I love about being active. I feel kind of reluctant to say I like being busy because I know the whole School of Ministry thing was so much about rest and not striving. I would say, though, that it's being active rather than striving that I enjoy. :) I like feeling tired when my head finally hits the pillow (or cave floor) at night. It's good to have a sense that I've actually done something today!
With that thought I'm going to leave. It's late and I AM actually tired! Nice one!
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Blog of the Day, apparently
You may have noticed my previous post was a bit more techy than my usual ponderings in here. Part of the reason for that is that I wanted to follow up on a my post about the new look for the blog. It seems that entry earned me the title of "Blog of the Day" on the aptly titled blogoftheday.org website.
Here's a nice wee link to it so you can see for yourself:
For those of you who were a bit perplexed at the complexity of my discussion on CSS and HTML, I want to reassure you that normal blogging will resume momentarily. Thanks for your patience!
Here's a nice wee link to it so you can see for yourself:
For those of you who were a bit perplexed at the complexity of my discussion on CSS and HTML, I want to reassure you that normal blogging will resume momentarily. Thanks for your patience!
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Slight tweak of layout
I noticed that the "Edit HTML" feature of Blogger Beta was now active so I've been trying to make a few small improvements to the layout of my blog by hacking the CSS and HTML a bit. I say "hacking" just because these changes weren't possible through the layout editor itself.
Today's shopping list contained two items:
Right-Justifying the text
The Blog Description is written in Dari, which is an Arabic-based language. It is read from right to left and, consequently, should really be right-justified on the page for normal situations. (Granted, in English we sometimes right-justify things that are written in English, but that is in special cases such as the header of a letter or something.)
There are two ways I knew of to right-justify the text. Firstly, you could use the CSS attribute of "text-align:right". I was able to do this by editing the Template HTML and finding the rule for "#header .description". However, this isn't really the best solution. Why do I say that? Well, because the direction of the text is implied by the content, not just by style. As we are all starting to catch on to these days, Style=CSS and Content=HTML. Therefore, an HTML solution would be better here.
The HTML solution I had in mind was to use the dir attribute. It is used to indicate that a piece of content is either ltr (left to right) or rtl (right to left). To make this change, I had to check the "Expand Widget Templates" checkbox above the HTML editor, because the HTML for the Blog Description is hidden inside the Header widget.
Inside this widget, I tried applying the dir="rtl" attribute to a number of different elements but it didn't work. Now as I write this, I'm wondering if it only affects the direction of the characters while not implying a change in justification of text one way or the other.
A quick check on the web reveals this W3C article which suggests setting the directionality on a block element should change the justification. Oh well. I've stuck with the CSS option for now, but I don't like it.
Changing the Blog Description's Font
The font for the Blog Description can be changed through the Fonts and Colours section of the Template area of Blogger Beta. You can choose the font family and size as well as bold and italic settings. It contains the following fonts:
While I understand that these are probably the only fonts you can assume a user has available, I would still like to add a font of my own choosing to the front of the list. With CSS, the browser will attempt to use the first font family specified and then roll over to the second if the first is not installed and so on.
In my previous Blog Description, I used the Tahoma font which makes Arabic characters look quite nice. I wanted to make that the first font it would attempt to use here, with Verdana and sans-serif as the other options.
Poking about the CSS in the template, I discovered the #header .description rule contained the following attribute for the font:
font: $descriptionFont;
This is using a placeholder which is later substituted with the values you chose earlier in the font settings. Very clever - a spot of dynamic CSS. I tried adding my font to the front of the list like so:
font: Tahoma,$descriptionFont;
This didn't work, though, because the $descriptionFont variable does more than simply state the font family, it specifies font weight, size, boldness, italicisity (?) and finally font family. My attempt to hack it produced this CSS:
font: Tahoma,normal normal 173% Verdana, sans-serif;
This isn't a valid CSS rule since Tahoma should appear between 173% and Verdana.
In the end, what I did was add a font-family attribute immediately after the font: $descriptionFont; line:
font: $descriptionFont;
font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,sans-serif;
This way, I can still use $descriptionFont to alter bold, italic and size settings, while my rule will only override the font family.
I think in the future, custom fonts could be supported through Template -> Fonts and Colours by allowing users to specify a font family in a text box while still forcing them to choose one of the generic fonts as well. Their own font would be put at the start of the list and ignored if the user doesn't have it installed.
Phew! That was quite a long post. Sorry about that!
Today's shopping list contained two items:
- Change my Dari Blog Description to be right-justified.
- Change the font of the Blog Description to one that looks a bit nicer.
Right-Justifying the text
The Blog Description is written in Dari, which is an Arabic-based language. It is read from right to left and, consequently, should really be right-justified on the page for normal situations. (Granted, in English we sometimes right-justify things that are written in English, but that is in special cases such as the header of a letter or something.)
There are two ways I knew of to right-justify the text. Firstly, you could use the CSS attribute of "text-align:right". I was able to do this by editing the Template HTML and finding the rule for "#header .description". However, this isn't really the best solution. Why do I say that? Well, because the direction of the text is implied by the content, not just by style. As we are all starting to catch on to these days, Style=CSS and Content=HTML. Therefore, an HTML solution would be better here.
The HTML solution I had in mind was to use the dir attribute. It is used to indicate that a piece of content is either ltr (left to right) or rtl (right to left). To make this change, I had to check the "Expand Widget Templates" checkbox above the HTML editor, because the HTML for the Blog Description is hidden inside the Header widget.
Inside this widget, I tried applying the dir="rtl" attribute to a number of different elements but it didn't work. Now as I write this, I'm wondering if it only affects the direction of the characters while not implying a change in justification of text one way or the other.
A quick check on the web reveals this W3C article which suggests setting the directionality on a block element should change the justification. Oh well. I've stuck with the CSS option for now, but I don't like it.
Changing the Blog Description's Font
The font for the Blog Description can be changed through the Fonts and Colours section of the Template area of Blogger Beta. You can choose the font family and size as well as bold and italic settings. It contains the following fonts:
- Arial
- Courier
- Georgia
- Times
- Trebuchet
- Verdana
While I understand that these are probably the only fonts you can assume a user has available, I would still like to add a font of my own choosing to the front of the list. With CSS, the browser will attempt to use the first font family specified and then roll over to the second if the first is not installed and so on.
In my previous Blog Description, I used the Tahoma font which makes Arabic characters look quite nice. I wanted to make that the first font it would attempt to use here, with Verdana and sans-serif as the other options.
Poking about the CSS in the template, I discovered the #header .description rule contained the following attribute for the font:
font: $descriptionFont;
This is using a placeholder which is later substituted with the values you chose earlier in the font settings. Very clever - a spot of dynamic CSS. I tried adding my font to the front of the list like so:
font: Tahoma,$descriptionFont;
This didn't work, though, because the $descriptionFont variable does more than simply state the font family, it specifies font weight, size, boldness, italicisity (?) and finally font family. My attempt to hack it produced this CSS:
font: Tahoma,normal normal 173% Verdana, sans-serif;
This isn't a valid CSS rule since Tahoma should appear between 173% and Verdana.
In the end, what I did was add a font-family attribute immediately after the font: $descriptionFont; line:
font: $descriptionFont;
font-family: Tahoma,Verdana,sans-serif;
This way, I can still use $descriptionFont to alter bold, italic and size settings, while my rule will only override the font family.
I think in the future, custom fonts could be supported through Template -> Fonts and Colours by allowing users to specify a font family in a text box while still forcing them to choose one of the generic fonts as well. Their own font would be put at the start of the list and ignored if the user doesn't have it installed.
Phew! That was quite a long post. Sorry about that!
Come Alive
"Do not ask yourself what the world needs, but ask yourself what makes you come alive because the world needs people who have come alive."
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Everythin's up to date in Kansas City
...They've gone about as fur as they c'n go!
(If you have no idea what that's about, don't worry about it. Just read on. It's nothing to do with what I'm about to say.)
Well I'm on the move again. I've only been in Scotland a year since I was unceremoniously dumped by Canadian Immigration, but it feels like a long time.
I've finally decided that since I hate programming so much these days, I should really get on with it and do something else. In the words of Why Don't You (theme song), I'm going to "...switch off my TV set [or monitor in this case] and do something less boring instead."
The "something" I am going to do is a church planting course in Kansas City. I will be at the All Nations Training Center, doing CPx, which is the "Church Planting Experience".
I'm actually leaving in 2 and a half weeks which is not very long at all. There are still a few details to finalise such as my flat and... oh yeh.. all the money!
If you feel like supporting me financially by any chance, have a look to the right of the page here and you should see a PayPal donation button. You can use that to send me money. Isn't technology handy?
(If you have no idea what that's about, don't worry about it. Just read on. It's nothing to do with what I'm about to say.)
Well I'm on the move again. I've only been in Scotland a year since I was unceremoniously dumped by Canadian Immigration, but it feels like a long time.
I've finally decided that since I hate programming so much these days, I should really get on with it and do something else. In the words of Why Don't You (theme song), I'm going to "...switch off my TV set [or monitor in this case] and do something less boring instead."
The "something" I am going to do is a church planting course in Kansas City. I will be at the All Nations Training Center, doing CPx, which is the "Church Planting Experience".
I'm actually leaving in 2 and a half weeks which is not very long at all. There are still a few details to finalise such as my flat and... oh yeh.. all the money!
If you feel like supporting me financially by any chance, have a look to the right of the page here and you should see a PayPal donation button. You can use that to send me money. Isn't technology handy?
New look for the blog
I've been looking at the new Blogger beta and I decided to switch over. To make the most of the new layout tools, I decided to switch over my layout to one of the new templates. Now the layout editor is much more simplistic. It seems that not everyone who edits their blog layout really wants to tinker about with HTML and CSS all day. I have to say that when I'm not getting paid for it, the novelty does wear off a wee bit.
The new layout editor is much more like a proper content management system with blocks on the page where you can add/edit/delete page elements. All very nice.
Being the details kind of guy, though, I still want to make a couple of tiny CSS tweaks that I can't seem to get at right now. All in all, though, it's pretty good.
The new layout editor is much more like a proper content management system with blocks on the page where you can add/edit/delete page elements. All very nice.
Being the details kind of guy, though, I still want to make a couple of tiny CSS tweaks that I can't seem to get at right now. All in all, though, it's pretty good.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
War Wounds on Flickr
For those of you who've been unable to play my video of my recent longboarding "war wounds", I've uploaded some pics to Flickr.
Go to this page to check them out:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/theken/tags/warwounds/
Go to this page to check them out:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/theken/tags/warwounds/
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Reflections on risk, pain and failure
I was reflecting for a brief second there on my experience yesterday with the longboard. If you didn't read yesterday's post, the gist of it is that I fell off and it was sore.
I was just thinking about various people's attitude to what happened. Someone said that it was time for me to start "acting my age" and that I can't treat my body like that. I began to think about what they meant by that. Was it simply the idea that grown-ups don't ride longboards (or any skateboards) or was it something else? Maybe it was an attitude that since grown-ups don't heal as quickly, we shouldn't risk things like that any more.
It just made me think, because I feel as if we lose our sense of adventure as we get older. Children are expected to take risks, to learn to ride their bike, skin their knee occasionally. However, if I, being 29, decide to take up a new hobby such as longboarding, there's not the same social acceptance of that. The general attitude is "ooh - watch you don't hurt yourself" and that sort of thing.
I was weighing up the two sides of my longboarding experience. I have had three months of fun with my board so far. I ride to church, I use it to get around and I really love the ride. There's something liberating about carving your way down the street with a smooth ride.
The flip side (excuse the pun) of my experience is the fall I had yesterday. Assessing how I feel just now, I have a bit of a sting on my left shoulder, elbow and hip. (Can you tell I ride regular?) I also have a bit of what I assume to be whiplash in my neck. I just realised today that I totally think all the fun I've had balances out the pain I've felt, and continue to feel. If I had never got on a longboard for fear of falling off then sure, I wouldn't be in pain just now, but I wouldn't have had the same great experences either.
Is this a pointless discussion? I don't think so. I think it highlights our attitude to risk, fear of pain, fear of failure and so on. I don't ride because I want to get hurt, that'd be pretty twisted. I ride because I love it. If I fail from time to time, I will learn from it and get up and start again. I reckon the only way you can guarantee you never fail is to never try.
I like taking risks. I think God made me that way for a reason. Time will tell!
I was just thinking about various people's attitude to what happened. Someone said that it was time for me to start "acting my age" and that I can't treat my body like that. I began to think about what they meant by that. Was it simply the idea that grown-ups don't ride longboards (or any skateboards) or was it something else? Maybe it was an attitude that since grown-ups don't heal as quickly, we shouldn't risk things like that any more.
It just made me think, because I feel as if we lose our sense of adventure as we get older. Children are expected to take risks, to learn to ride their bike, skin their knee occasionally. However, if I, being 29, decide to take up a new hobby such as longboarding, there's not the same social acceptance of that. The general attitude is "ooh - watch you don't hurt yourself" and that sort of thing.
I was weighing up the two sides of my longboarding experience. I have had three months of fun with my board so far. I ride to church, I use it to get around and I really love the ride. There's something liberating about carving your way down the street with a smooth ride.
The flip side (excuse the pun) of my experience is the fall I had yesterday. Assessing how I feel just now, I have a bit of a sting on my left shoulder, elbow and hip. (Can you tell I ride regular?) I also have a bit of what I assume to be whiplash in my neck. I just realised today that I totally think all the fun I've had balances out the pain I've felt, and continue to feel. If I had never got on a longboard for fear of falling off then sure, I wouldn't be in pain just now, but I wouldn't have had the same great experences either.
Is this a pointless discussion? I don't think so. I think it highlights our attitude to risk, fear of pain, fear of failure and so on. I don't ride because I want to get hurt, that'd be pretty twisted. I ride because I love it. If I fail from time to time, I will learn from it and get up and start again. I reckon the only way you can guarantee you never fail is to never try.
I like taking risks. I think God made me that way for a reason. Time will tell!
Saturday, August 12, 2006
War Wounds
Today, I fell off my longboard for the first time. Hopefully it'll be the last time as well! I was carving and the board turned too far and stopped instantly. I think I went over some loose stones that made it skid. I flew off it, rolled a bit and then landed on my back, finishing off with a wee bump to the head as well.
Being the sharing sort, I thought I would let everyone else see the assorted scrapes for themselves. (Mum, you probably wouldn't enjoy this one.)
Note: I realise I look somewhat out of it in this video. I just want to reassure everyone that I was very tired, slightly sunburnt, possibly whiplashed and in no way under the influence of anything questionable.
Being the sharing sort, I thought I would let everyone else see the assorted scrapes for themselves. (Mum, you probably wouldn't enjoy this one.)
Note: I realise I look somewhat out of it in this video. I just want to reassure everyone that I was very tired, slightly sunburnt, possibly whiplashed and in no way under the influence of anything questionable.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Tentmaking
I've been wondering about something lately. It's something about a biblical character that most people have probably never given a thought, or seen the relevance of. However, it kind of sums up where I am just now.
"Did Paul enjoy making tents?"
There's only one reference I could find to Paul being a "tentmaker" in the bible. (I used Bible Gateway, as opposed to a thorough personal study.) Despite the fact that so little is said of Paul's tentmaking skills, the word "tentmaker" has become a Christianese term for a job you do that isn't especially spiritual or enjoyable but you do it to pay the bills. I'm finding myself dying a bit each day as I sit in front of a computer in my empty flat. It really is rubbish. I'm convinced I should be doing something I'm passionate about.
This brings me back to the question, "Did Paul enjoy making tents?" Was it something he was passionate about or did it kill him on the inside? I only had a very brief look at the chapter where Paul's tentmaking was mentioned (Acts 18) but I can't help feeling the meaning was one of a brief, transitional phase where he returned to his previous trade because the people he was staying with also made tents. He didn't do it for years, desperate for something else.
Maybe the term "tentmaker" has been exaggerated from the original context, or maybe I just can't accept the conclusion that everyone else seems to have settled for, that fulfillment in your work is unimportant, and the paying of bills is all that really matters.
For me, I have this possibly naïve notion that we should be passionate about what we do. We'll see how it goes. I'll bet my income on it.
"Did Paul enjoy making tents?"
There's only one reference I could find to Paul being a "tentmaker" in the bible. (I used Bible Gateway, as opposed to a thorough personal study.) Despite the fact that so little is said of Paul's tentmaking skills, the word "tentmaker" has become a Christianese term for a job you do that isn't especially spiritual or enjoyable but you do it to pay the bills. I'm finding myself dying a bit each day as I sit in front of a computer in my empty flat. It really is rubbish. I'm convinced I should be doing something I'm passionate about.
This brings me back to the question, "Did Paul enjoy making tents?" Was it something he was passionate about or did it kill him on the inside? I only had a very brief look at the chapter where Paul's tentmaking was mentioned (Acts 18) but I can't help feeling the meaning was one of a brief, transitional phase where he returned to his previous trade because the people he was staying with also made tents. He didn't do it for years, desperate for something else.
Maybe the term "tentmaker" has been exaggerated from the original context, or maybe I just can't accept the conclusion that everyone else seems to have settled for, that fulfillment in your work is unimportant, and the paying of bills is all that really matters.
For me, I have this possibly naïve notion that we should be passionate about what we do. We'll see how it goes. I'll bet my income on it.
Friday, July 21, 2006
Snowboarding in July - God is good
Last night I went for a lesson at the sno zone at the Braehead Xscape centre. It was pretty good stuff. For those who don't already know, it's an indoor slope with actual snow. The whole area is kept at a temperature of -5. (It feels so hot when you come out.)
I did a 1.5 hour lesson in Freestyle Level 1. Freestyle refers to doing tricks such as jumps and spins rather than simply riding down the hill. Level 1 refers to the fact that it's as basic as they can make it. I figured that since it's not a very big slope anyway, I'm not going to get too much of a thrill from just bombing the hill because it'll be over in 10 seconds.
In the lesson I did the following:
It was pretty cool stuff. It was encouraging to find that my ollies were actually better than I thought they were. I was able to jump 3 rows of cones and my instructor was finally relieved when I clipped one because I kept clearing everything he put in front of me.
Another part that was really encouraging was when I started to ride switch. I found that once I got over my fear of putting my weight on my right foot (normally the rear foot for me) I was able to link a few turns and swing my back foot round pretty well. I'm still not quite ambidextrous by any means but I'm a lot better than I was.
The flatland spins were a useful introduction to riding fakie. The deal is that as you go down the hill, you keep rotating the board in one direction. This means that for half of the spin your usual front foot is leading and then for the other half, you're leading with your weaker foot. The trick is really to shift your weight from one foot to the other when your board is across the slope.
After the lesson we had half an hour of practice time on the big slope. It's not HUGE but for an indoor venue it's pretty impressive. I did a few runs riding fakie and only fell once. (and I was actually watching someone else fall when it happened)
Today I'm feeling a bit worse for wear. This usually happens the first time you ride in a season. My back's pretty tight and my triceps are a wee bit achey too. I feel it in the back of my neck - possibly from trying to jump and spin. My bum muscles hurt when I walk as well.
All in all, though, it was a grand day out, and I would heartily recomment a spot of freestyle riding to anyone who's getting bored with simply carving down the hill.
While writing this entry, I found an amusing list of snowboarding terminology.
I did a 1.5 hour lesson in Freestyle Level 1. Freestyle refers to doing tricks such as jumps and spins rather than simply riding down the hill. Level 1 refers to the fact that it's as basic as they can make it. I figured that since it's not a very big slope anyway, I'm not going to get too much of a thrill from just bombing the hill because it'll be over in 10 seconds.
In the lesson I did the following:
- Nose press
- Tail press
- Ollies
- Nollies
- Flatland spins (both frontside and backside)
- Switch (Fakie) Riding
It was pretty cool stuff. It was encouraging to find that my ollies were actually better than I thought they were. I was able to jump 3 rows of cones and my instructor was finally relieved when I clipped one because I kept clearing everything he put in front of me.
Another part that was really encouraging was when I started to ride switch. I found that once I got over my fear of putting my weight on my right foot (normally the rear foot for me) I was able to link a few turns and swing my back foot round pretty well. I'm still not quite ambidextrous by any means but I'm a lot better than I was.
The flatland spins were a useful introduction to riding fakie. The deal is that as you go down the hill, you keep rotating the board in one direction. This means that for half of the spin your usual front foot is leading and then for the other half, you're leading with your weaker foot. The trick is really to shift your weight from one foot to the other when your board is across the slope.
After the lesson we had half an hour of practice time on the big slope. It's not HUGE but for an indoor venue it's pretty impressive. I did a few runs riding fakie and only fell once. (and I was actually watching someone else fall when it happened)
Today I'm feeling a bit worse for wear. This usually happens the first time you ride in a season. My back's pretty tight and my triceps are a wee bit achey too. I feel it in the back of my neck - possibly from trying to jump and spin. My bum muscles hurt when I walk as well.
All in all, though, it was a grand day out, and I would heartily recomment a spot of freestyle riding to anyone who's getting bored with simply carving down the hill.
While writing this entry, I found an amusing list of snowboarding terminology.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Esau living as Jacob
I've been thinking a lot recently about the two personalities of Isaac's sons - Esau and Jacob. I'm not going down the road of Esau despising his birthright or Jacob being a cheat. I'm thinking more of the notion of Esau being a wild man of the outdoors and Jacob preferring to spend his time around the tents. I feel as if I'm an Esau who has been raised as Jacob.
I became interested in computers in childhood when I didn't really get the chance to go "out" just for the sake of going out. I would go to friends' houses. Consequently we did Jacob-ish things like sit around computers for hours on end. Now, years later, I've developed a love for the outdoors that I really wonder what would have been different if I had found this sooner.
I have told friends before that I would love to go back in time to the day I decided computers were cool. I'd love to take that kid and say "Hey, here's a skateboard, a snowboard, a kite, a tent..."
I know God can still use what I've learned. I have skills that are useful. (Still don't know much about bo staff or numchucks, though.) I've realised, though, that my future is not yet written. I don't have to think down the narrow lines of computer programming forever and a day. I think there is a better way...
I became interested in computers in childhood when I didn't really get the chance to go "out" just for the sake of going out. I would go to friends' houses. Consequently we did Jacob-ish things like sit around computers for hours on end. Now, years later, I've developed a love for the outdoors that I really wonder what would have been different if I had found this sooner.
I have told friends before that I would love to go back in time to the day I decided computers were cool. I'd love to take that kid and say "Hey, here's a skateboard, a snowboard, a kite, a tent..."
I know God can still use what I've learned. I have skills that are useful. (Still don't know much about bo staff or numchucks, though.) I've realised, though, that my future is not yet written. I don't have to think down the narrow lines of computer programming forever and a day. I think there is a better way...
A week without Levi
It's been an interesting week or so. I had to send Levi (Ken's faithful lappy) back to Samsung to get a problem fixed. It's interesting how different my life has been without it.
I've been listening to teaching tapes from when Graham Cooke was at our church last year. I've also been worshipping, reading my bible and basically doing useful, productive things.
God's been showing me some cool stuff about myself and my future as well which is all pretty encouraging.
I've been listening to teaching tapes from when Graham Cooke was at our church last year. I've also been worshipping, reading my bible and basically doing useful, productive things.
God's been showing me some cool stuff about myself and my future as well which is all pretty encouraging.
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Back from Rio
I just got back from Rio a few days ago and I'm slowly adjusting back to life in Scotland. The biggest thing right now is trying to adjust to the timezone. It's 1:30 am and I'm not especially tired. I hope I get to sleep when I finally go to bed.
The trip was amazing. It was such an experience to see another world. The kids in the favela were so sweet. They were always smiling and happy to see us. They remembered my name and the second day they were shouting "Ken! Ken!" as they ran up to me. They really do love very easily.
One day I was playing a game with them where they would describe something with gestures till I guessed the name of it in English. (This game was motivated by my lack of Portuguese.) To begin with it was things like bicycle, kite, dog, bird and so on - the kind of things you would expect. Then things took an interesting turn when they said "granad". From their description it was clear that they were talking about a hand-grenade. It brought it home to me that despite their loving, playful innocence, they were essentially living in a warzone where violence and death were not uncommon.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Leaving for Rio in the morning
Well, it's finally here - my last night in Scotland before the much-anticipated trip to Rio. I think I'm excited about it now. Some people get excited about things way in advance but I'm quite short-sighted in a sense when it comes to things like this. Once I'm on the plane, I'll be forced to contemplate what's about to happen. I find a change from your normal surroundings tends to prompt the brain to focus on what's about to take place.
We're going to be away for just under two weeks. We'll be doing some physical work on a school/orphanage of sorts in one of the favelas of Rio. I'm excited about getting away from the computer, actually. I have my doubts about being a programmer, as it happens. I just think I like the outdoors and people too much to make a true programmer. I mean, I can do it if I have to but generally it bores me to tears. Now professional snowboarder or longboarder might be a different story...
We're going to be away for just under two weeks. We'll be doing some physical work on a school/orphanage of sorts in one of the favelas of Rio. I'm excited about getting away from the computer, actually. I have my doubts about being a programmer, as it happens. I just think I like the outdoors and people too much to make a true programmer. I mean, I can do it if I have to but generally it bores me to tears. Now professional snowboarder or longboarder might be a different story...
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Longboard
On Monday, I bought myself a longboard.
I've been riding it every day since then. In fact, it's been a bit painful on the right hamstring (my kicking leg) which took me by surprise a bit. I've been trying to learn how to stop properly. It seems the best technique for me to learn at this stage is footbraking. That doesn't mean breaking your foot, incidentally, but using your foot to slow down the board.
Yesterday I was riding through the park and a group of girls whistled and waved at me. It seems I'm drawing attention to myself, although that wasn't my purpose.
I've been riding it every day since then. In fact, it's been a bit painful on the right hamstring (my kicking leg) which took me by surprise a bit. I've been trying to learn how to stop properly. It seems the best technique for me to learn at this stage is footbraking. That doesn't mean breaking your foot, incidentally, but using your foot to slow down the board.
Yesterday I was riding through the park and a group of girls whistled and waved at me. It seems I'm drawing attention to myself, although that wasn't my purpose.
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