Ok, so it's been a while since my last post i know, but i have been working hard in my absence from the blog! Besides revision, yes mum, i really have been revising!, i have managed to find a suitable boat that i like, kayak that is, and have now purchased it for the delightful price of £360! XD i'm now just looking for a paddle, and possibly a helmet in the near future, to complete my kayaking assets. I have also managed to find the time to visit Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy at Portland's Osprey key who were hosting the Optimist Selections Trials, one half of a two weekend event designed to split young sailors up the the age of 16 into teams that are then sent to the Optimist Worlds, Europeans and French Nationals. Now you may be wondering both why I was there, what an optimist is, and what on earth could i possibly find to do at such an event?! Well, an Optimist is a sailing dinghy designed to be sailed by one person, usually under the age of 16 on the 31st of december of that year, and is about 6ft long and 3ft wide. they are usually described as bath tubs due the the flat bow that Optimists have. they are rigged with a single sail and can travel at up to 6 knots through the water. A Knot is one nautical mile per hour.
The reason i was at this event, was threefold. A) my little brother was competing in it, B) i wanted to visit my family, and C) i earned some pocket money by attending as i played the onshore gopher for the Beach master and Class coordinator.
Unfortunately I wasn't in weymouth long enough to gain a decent tan, though i think i may be slightly browner! It was also pretty cold for sunbathing due to the windchill from a stiff breeze blowing in straight off the see at a brisk 10 knots, yes that is faster than 10mph, as a nautical mile is one mile round the curvature of the earth over the sea, instead of being one mile that is travelled over land, which includes all the ups and downs which add onto the distance.
Also, dropping into the And More part of this blog, i have decided that i fancy a girl i met at the beginning of last semester, but i still haven't worked up the damn courage to ask her out, i guess it's the fear of being rejected that is stopping me! I am fairly certain that said
Tuesday, 20 April 2010
Monday, 5 April 2010
Easter Holidays
So, It's the start of Easter! I love this time of year, all the creme egg's big easter eggs and all the happiness in the atmosphere! Even the Facebook apps have taken up the holiday! In Farmville we are collecting little easter eggs in a funky little basket that we can then use to buy stuff with, in Mafia Wars we are doing something similar if we desire, and i'm sure there is much more happening else where on Facebook!
Kayaking wise we have several trips coming up, including Div 3 Polo on sunday following the SUCC pub crawl. Then next week we are taking a chill out trip somewhere and hopefully i shall be trying out a boat that i'm looking at buying! So at the moment I'm just revising but hopefully i will have done enough by each of these events that i can go out and have fun!
On a side note I'm meeting up with some friends from high school to celebrate a 19th birthday and to catch up on the last semester, should be fun as long as i get picked up from the bus! I would normally rely on my parents for this but as they are in Weymouth with my two brothers I need to be picked up by one of my friends, hopefully I shall find out who is taking that responsibility soon!
Well I know it's been a short one, but i shall be back to you soon with another post, probably on Wednesday or Thursday and you can meet the friends!
Kayaking wise we have several trips coming up, including Div 3 Polo on sunday following the SUCC pub crawl. Then next week we are taking a chill out trip somewhere and hopefully i shall be trying out a boat that i'm looking at buying! So at the moment I'm just revising but hopefully i will have done enough by each of these events that i can go out and have fun!
On a side note I'm meeting up with some friends from high school to celebrate a 19th birthday and to catch up on the last semester, should be fun as long as i get picked up from the bus! I would normally rely on my parents for this but as they are in Weymouth with my two brothers I need to be picked up by one of my friends, hopefully I shall find out who is taking that responsibility soon!
Well I know it's been a short one, but i shall be back to you soon with another post, probably on Wednesday or Thursday and you can meet the friends!
Wednesday, 31 March 2010
Facebook Annoyances
We all have our pet hates with facebook, for some of us its the constant updates from friends on what is happening on farmville or mafia wars, and yes, I do post regular updates for both these applications, but I believe that there should be two tabs for "Recent News" and these should be "Application Updates" and "Normal News". This would mean many more people would be happy on Facebook and would stop posting on peoples profiles telling them to stop posting things for the applications that they use. We need to post stuff for our applications so that we can continue to advance in our applications and to help others advance. There are many parts to both of the afore mentioned applications which require help from friends to complete, for instance the chop shop in Mafia Wars and the Stable in Farmville!
Another pet hate I have found to be the constant "Become a fan to see..." and whatever it is. So you become a fan and find out you then need to invite your friends. The final bomb shell, and reason for the previous two steps becomes clear when you are finally allowed to click on the link, it takes you to the page, but you have to complete an offer to see whatever it is you just went through all the pain to see! I'm sure I'm not the only one out there who feels this way, and I'm sure there is something in facebook legislation that outlaws this practice. I also feel that all of these pages should immediately be deleted on sight!
So, thank you to all of those Facebook page producers out there who just post up the picture and that is that, you can see it without having to join or become a fan to see it, but if you like it you can always become a fan after you have viewed it and suggest it to your friends. Also, thank you to those groups that promote the cause of conditions like Cystic Fibrosis, I have several friends who suffer from CF, and due to the increased awareness, they will start to receive more help with their condition, don't get me wrong, they all have amazing lives, however with increased funding, scientists may soon find a cure to allow these people to lead what we would call "Normal" lives without relying on many medicines and inhalers to allow them to breath. so far, three of my friends CF buddies have died, that we know of. So thank you all those creators out there who build these pages!
Lastly, i urge you all to go out and make a small donation to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust who can be found here, Thank You!
Another pet hate I have found to be the constant "Become a fan to see..." and whatever it is. So you become a fan and find out you then need to invite your friends. The final bomb shell, and reason for the previous two steps becomes clear when you are finally allowed to click on the link, it takes you to the page, but you have to complete an offer to see whatever it is you just went through all the pain to see! I'm sure I'm not the only one out there who feels this way, and I'm sure there is something in facebook legislation that outlaws this practice. I also feel that all of these pages should immediately be deleted on sight!
So, thank you to all of those Facebook page producers out there who just post up the picture and that is that, you can see it without having to join or become a fan to see it, but if you like it you can always become a fan after you have viewed it and suggest it to your friends. Also, thank you to those groups that promote the cause of conditions like Cystic Fibrosis, I have several friends who suffer from CF, and due to the increased awareness, they will start to receive more help with their condition, don't get me wrong, they all have amazing lives, however with increased funding, scientists may soon find a cure to allow these people to lead what we would call "Normal" lives without relying on many medicines and inhalers to allow them to breath. so far, three of my friends CF buddies have died, that we know of. So thank you all those creators out there who build these pages!
Lastly, i urge you all to go out and make a small donation to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust who can be found here, Thank You!
Thursday, 25 March 2010
Well Here Goes Nothing!
Hey, this is my first blog, so please bear with me!
Yea, Kayaking! Well, you all probably have some idea of what kayaking involves, but i can tell you that you could be a long way off unless you actually take part in the sport! It usually involves getting into a short plastic boat with a small cockpit hole and throwing yourself down rapids and off waterfalls! At the moment, i'm only really going down grade 3/3+ stuff, nothing compared to what some of the older members throw themselves down!
Then we come to the professionals who will paddle down the hardest, gnarliest rivers they can find, and over the tallest falls! The current world record drop is held by Tyler Bradt of the USA who paddled down Palouse Falls, 186 feet of vertical white water! You can see footage of this world record breaking drop in Tyler's film: The Dream Result which can be found at http://www.dreamresultmovie.com/
There's only one thing I hate about kayaking, and thats having to get off the river at the end of the day! If it were possible i would just keep on kayaking for ever! Just the Exhilaration of completing a rapid or fall, and the adrenaline during the fact is enough to keep you addicted to the river!
Oh well, time for me to go, but look out for my next post!
EwanA
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