Freedom Philosophy

Like many others I am working on finishing my masters degree. As such, there is a heap of required reading much of which is in the form of academic journals in pdf. Due to the design of my program, I am carrying two courses at present which is a nightmare at the end of the school year not to mention two small children and a high need for physical exercise. I regularly struggled to get the reading done then I had an idea about using technology for the visually impaired for my own gain and found Ghostreader.

This program simply converts text files to audio mp3 files to play on my blackberry or ipod to listen to as I wash dishes, drive, or walk the dog. It is sophisticated enough to phrase words and sentences naturally (listen to the file). It makes long academic journals or any other text you don’t have time to read accessible. When I am really exhausted and my mind tends to wander, I find I can study later and with more focus if I play the audio and read the pdf along with it.

Ideally I wouldn’t need this but like many I am stretched too thin. This program has given me back not minutes but hours of sleep. It has a free 2 week trial and is only $50 if you decide it is useful for you.

Counselling Study, Editorial, Health, Wellness, & Nutrition, Technology

Some of us watch the olympics and rather than just feel the awe and inspiration of watching top athletes at the top of their careers we think, “hmmmm, betcha I would really enjoy that.” Watching the Nordic skiers battle it out in Feb 2010, I was awed by how fit the athletes were. Then my wife, Asako, saw that look that means two things…that I have new idea and that it is going to cost us money.

Now Nordic skiing for a guy who lives in hot and humid Yokohama, Japan is not exactly the most accessible sport. As a kid I used to either XC ski or play hockey almost every day after school during the winter. Here the options for snow are non-existent but roller skiing would be a definite possibility. I started the quest for the perfect equipment set-up.

The locations where I knew I could ski were the country roads in Nagano where we spend much of the summer, the docks out in Isogo not far from home, and the cycling road out at symbol tower overlooking Tokyo bay. I knew from cycling that none of these locations are particularly smooth. I also knew I wanted skis with some hefty speed control features for the hills in the country and brakes for the people you suddenly encounter living in a city of 9 million.

It didn’t take long reading blog articles and forums to hone in on Jenex’s V2 Roller Skis. They had everything I was looking for including a skate/classic model that would enable me to take the sport in any direction I felt like. 

The other detail to sort out was the boots. The most important thing was to get something for skating that wouldn’t be too hot during the summer months. I came across Alpina’s roller ski skate boot and once I accepted fate about the price tag I ordered up the whole set including Swix poles with the roller ski tip replacements.

After a few sessions in one of the biggest parking lots in the area to bring back what little muscle memory I had from when I was a kid, I was ready to tackle some more open terrain and a bit more of the public eye. I can accept that a guy with ski poles and gear charging down the road is going to get some stares but even well into my mature adulthood, my ego wouldn’t allow me to look like a horse with ice skates on. I practiced up until I was ready then hit the open tarmac.

Now several months into this new hobby I am loving everything they bring to my fitness training. I love the fluid side to side skating motion and the opening extension upward into the glide. I love the challenge to balance. I love double poling with my arms and abs propelling me forward. I love the fact that in well under an hour I can crank through over 1000kcal and feel a quad burn like no other. On days when I am back on the bike, I can feel the power I am picking up with these as cross-training and can audibly hear the curses coming from the guys in my cycling club as they wonder where all the speed is coming from.

This is the conversion rig for the kid trailer that I use to bring my skis out to the docks where pavement is plenty but car parking not so much. Inventions like this are almost reason alone to get into something new. AC

Health, Wellness, & Nutrition, What's Fun, Winter Sports

Counselling Study, Health, Wellness, & Nutrition