Students embarking on a career in hairdressing are often quite anxious to skip the prelims and jump into the inventive part of the course. In this exceptional career, not placing the emphasis on the fundamental principles can only lead to catastrophe. Making major mistakes when it comes to hair does not allow for easy camouflage. The basic principles including learning texture, shape and balance. These are the fundamentals of any great hairstyle and then it leads to a little more creativity in the pattern creation. Proportions are elements that the upcoming hairstylist must be come adept at as well. They must be able to use their sense of opinion. Often the pupil is oblivious that there are basic techniques that must be mastered when it comes to the tools of the trade. These are blow dryers, curling irons, and straighteners just to name a few. A student in hairdressing must learn to adapt solid study habits, patience and endurance. As we mentioned there isn’t much of a allowance for mistakes when it comes to the hair. They must also learn to be observant and prepared to stay attuned to the world of fashion. In many cases, they complement each other.

Three Apprenticeships I went through and all were a life experience. These three gentlemen had a different knack to what they did, and hopefully the students who come out of the hairdressing schools will please appreciate the value of learning under a Master. Though there are not any Degrees in my profession that will give you the level of Master. When you apply for the stewardship you will be able to tell immediately if it is a good fit for you!

Joseph Kellner

The Real Hair Truth Facebook.com

Citrus Soldier describes itself as: A daily webcomic randomly snatched from the good people at Flickr™.  The guy that runs the site, picks a random photo from the photo sharing website Flickr, and writes a caption for it.  Although he has stopped updating on a daily basis, there are over 300 funny archived photos to browse through.  Check it out when you have a few minutes to spare (or especially if you have some procrastination to do).  Here are some examples of his work:

Gjett hvem som kommer i  Asker og Bærum Budstikka i morgen?
…….
Klarte du ikke gåten? Nei vel, jeg kan si det: Det er meg, og curlinglaget mitt, tjohoo. Kjendisstatusen er allerede på vei, snart er det vel verdenspressen som står utenfor rommene våre snart…… Næt, hoho.

Aaah, jeg føler meg så skyldig for å ikke ha oppdatert dere på lørdagen. Sorry!
Vel vel, vi vant jo ikke kampene da, så det var jo ikke mye å fortelle…  På kvelden på lørdagen var jeg hos Ragnhild sammen med en del andre folk, det var cosy. Bortsett fra gåturen hjem i regnet kl. halv fire.

Og i går var jeg, Silje og martine og så New Moon. Jeg digga den, men jeg er jo Twilightfan så… Ikke så rart. Det gledet meg at Tylor Lautner hadde mer spilletid i denne filmen, og han spilte ganske bra + gledet det kvinnelige publikummet ved å vise frem den bola kroppen sin. Niceprice!

Hva har du gjort i helgen?

49er Takes To Ice To Try Winter Olympic Sport

SF 49ers’ Vernon Davis stepped on the ice to give the olympic sport of curling a try. Curling is played by more than a million Canadians and is expect … more

Latest News & Media | Source 1 News | Source1news.com.

Norgescup runde 3 er i gang, og vår første kamp begynte kl. 18.00, der vi spilte mot Team Fas (Norges juniorlandslag for gutter, nesten ihvertfall). Og vi spilte JEVNT med de, og hadde faktisk overtaket en del ganger, ledet gjorde vi faktisk også. Men så kom 7 omgang, og vi gikk på en stor smell, vi skylder på dårlig taktikk… hehe. Så guttene vant, men vi spilte bra, så egentlig ingen krise. Neste kamp er kl. 11 i morgen. Gleder meg!

If you were paying attention, and I’ll assume that you were, as hanging on my every word is quite unavoidable, you’ll notice where I called this page a sports site. This is only partially true (you’ll find, as we go forward, that partial truths are one of my many fortes, along with sneaky lies, eloquent hyperbole, and expertly placed scorn). In addition to sports, I will also be covering games. To deal with issues of server space and short attention spans, the two have been amalgamated under the catch-all phrase “sports” in such a way that they’ve lost all distinction. Well, I’m here to set the record straight… which should have been listed amongst my fortes… setting the record straight. I’m very good at it.

And actually, the distinction is quite simple to understand… and here’s the litmus test; if a fat 60 year old can do it moderately well, it’s not a sport, it’s a game. Simple as that.

So let’s get to it, shall we?

But first, let’s start by saying I’m not going to mention anything that’s so obviously a game that its’ combatants won’t even complain at having it called so. These include poker, backgammon, Madden challenge, Scrabble, spelling bees, etc… These have at most a very little physical aspect to them, and thus don’t qualify as a sport under any definition of the world. Plus, a fat 60 year old, after some practice, could be the best in the world at any of them.

American Football – Sport. Clearly, our fat 60 year old could strap on a helmet and shoulder pads and proceed to play the game, but this is where the “moderately well” portion of our litmus test comes into play. I would also recommend a stretcher, ambulance, priest and his loved ones be nearby.

Archery - Game. Games can be broken down into two categories… strictly mental games, like the ones mentioned above (Poker, Backgammon, etc…), or games that combine both mental and physical aspects. Alas, when it comes to archery’s physicality, we’re talking hand-eye coordination (true of many games) and average levels of strength. A fat 60 year old can handle those aspects.

Australian Rules Football – Sport. I would, though, like to see our fat 60 year old in one of these. Wait, no I wouldn’t. Forget I said that.

Auto Racing – Game. Let’s be honest here… the cars are the athletes. They’re the ones competing in a sport. The drivers, not so much. Yes, it’s physically and mentally demanding… but can you really sit there and tell me, perched on your high chair like you most certainly are, that a fat 60 year old couldn’t win one race, let alone do moderately well? Already, Mark Martin of Nascar fares quite well at age 50, and the oldest winner was 52. Formula one’s oldest winner was 53. And we’ve got a fat guy that regularly wins in Tony Stewart. Would he win? Probably not. Could he do moderately well? Definitely.

Badminton – Sport. Yes, our fat 60 year old, depending on what strata of society he finds himself within, might play regularly… probably with regular breaks for tea and judging people. But put that same fat 60 year old in a competitive environment, and he loses every time. There’s nothing “moderately well” about that.

Baseball – Sport. Baseball’s one of the trickier ones to call, actually. Most players are involved in a sport, but pitchers, particularly those pansies from the American League (what with the designated hitter rule), might be playing a game. We’ve seen plenty of successful fat guys… C.C. Sabathia, David Wells, Bartolo Colon, Jumbo Brown… most of them pitchers (though certainly the aforementioned designated hitter and first base are prone to successful fat guys, like Cecil Fielder, and John Kruk)… but could our 60 year old do it, at least moderately well? Maybe, but he’d have to be pretty special. And since most baseball players qualify as athletes playing a sport (unless you could see our fat 60 year old chase down a fly ball, or steal second… I don’t), we’ll call baseball a sport.

Basketball – Sport. Through and through. Even if our fat 60 year old was 7′4″, he still wouldn’t hold up, and that’s saying something.

Bobsleigh – Game. Any activity where gravity does the most work is a game. That fact should maybe be at the top, but at least it’s here. A fat person actually benefits from these kinds of games. As a matter of fact, until the governing body instituted a weight-limit rule in 1952, bobsleigh crews were very heavy. It should also be noted that bobsleigh inverse to baseball, as the pusher might actually be playing a sport, at least at the start of the race. This is of course before the gravity takes over, and it’s the pusher’s job to get the sled moving. But for most of the race, all members of the team are playing a game, hence, its’ designation here.

Bossaball – Sport. And a wild one at that. And just look at that photo (you’ll have to hover over “bossaball” to see it)… if any of you know a fat 60 year old that could even do that without gravely injuring him/herself, I want their name and number. I have an idea for a viral video. Oh, and if you want to know just what the hell bossaball is, check this out.

Boules – Game. Uh, yeah. This one’s obvious, right? From a class of games that includes Bocce, Lawn Bowling, Petanque, Boule Lyonaisse, Klootschieten and Varpa… games seemingly specifically created for the elderly (but fun nonetheless).

Bowling – Game. Again, no questions here, right? If so, just head to your local bowling alley. You’ll see plenty of fat, drunk 60 year olds bowling in the 200’s regularly. Not a sport.

Boxing – Sport. This one’s a bit thorny. George Foreman, at this very moment, is a fat 60 year old (ironic for a man synonymous with the Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine, but I digress). Could he really not fare at least moderately well in the ring today? Probably so… but this one comes with a caveat. The only way this could work is in the heavyweight division, where lumbering, plodding heavy punchers will always have a place. You can be all of those things as a fat 60 year old. In no other weight class would this be plausible. So on the whole, boxing’s a sport, whether the heavyweight division is a game or not.

Competitive Dance – Sport. So us macho types, like, for instance, myself, don’t like to admit that dance is a sport. But step back and take a look at it… extreme athleticism? Check. Very competitive? Check. Exclusion of fat 60 year olds? That’s a big fat check. And those of you who have been to a competitive dance… uh… competition?… and seen the merciless backstabbing and cutthroat sabotage that regularly unfolds know damn well that this is no game.

Cricket – Sport. The art of bowling sets cricket apart from baseball. As opposed to the standstill throw a pitcher delivers, the bowler’s is a violent, full-body action with an extended run-up that would certainly throw out the backs of most fat 60 year olds. Even the act of batting is more involved, as batsmen have been known to switch sides of the wicket while the bowler is in his run-up (this would be akin to a right-handed batter jumping over home plate to bat left-handed during a pitcher’s windup). No easy feat, and no place for a fat 60 year old to tread.

Curling – Game. There’s nothing about this game that a fat 60 year old couldn’t handle. They might be the best in the world at it, for all I know.

Cycling – Sport. A fat 60 year old in spandex? We don’t think so.

Darts – Game. One of the few games where being a fat 60 year old is an advantage.

Decathlon/Heptathlon/Pentathlon – Sport. This would, of course, be the end of our fat 60 year old. We had some good times, fat 60 year old. We’ll always remember you.

Disc Golf – Game. Another addendum; if stoners, hippies and other movement-reluctant bums fancy it, it’s a game.

Discus Throw – Game. The actual throwing of the discus any fat 60 year old could handle, and while some of them might be hilariously awful, some could reach the “moderately well” threshold… that’s the rub. It’s the leadup to the toss that gets a bit dicey. Most athletic 25 years olds will end up on their ass following it… and a fat 60 year old? He’ll get vertigo… unless… he/she was already an experienced discus thrower. A former champion, let’s say. Could he/she still fare moderately well? Of course.

Diving – Game. Here’s the thing… at the elite level, yes, diving is heavily populated by 15 year old, 58 pound Asians. But tack on 45 years and 200 pounds to those same Asians… and splashy, cannonball-esque entry aside, could they not at least fare reasonably well in a diving competition? I think so, yes.

Downhill Skiing – Sport. OK, let me explain. Yes, gravity plays a major role here, in fact, it’s the agent propelling the skier down the hill. But what sets downhill skiing apart from say the bobsleigh or the luge is that the skiier must use his/her athleticism against gravity, to turn, sometimes sharply. Without the ability to do so, the ability to fare, oh, I don’t know, let’s say moderately well, goes down the tubes. Our fat 60 year old would be carried faster than most down the hill, thanks to the “fat” part, would his/her 60 year old muscles be able to turn him/her appropriately? We have our doubts.

Equestrian – Game. Again, who’s the athlete here? Is it the person riding the horse, or the horse doing all the work? The horses are certainly competing in a sport… the person sitting on the horse? Not so much. Though we will admit that we certainly feel for the horse that has a fat 60 year old on its’ back.

Fencing – Game. We’ll admit, fencing takes incredible instincts and quickness, and the reflexes of a… uh…. well, something that has really fast reflexes. So we’re under no illusion that a fat 60 year old could be a champion. But let’s say renowned champion Sergei Golubitsky hits 60 and has let himself go a little (or a lot, whatever picture you throw into that head of yours). Were he to enter a competition, could he not fare at least moderately well? It says here he could.

Figure Skating – Sport. Unless points were awarded for sliding along the ice on your ass or stomach, our fat 60 year old would stand no chance here. None at all. Though, this does give me an idea. Who wouldn’t pay money to watch fat 60 year olds attempt some of these advanced moves. It’d be a train wreck, and train wrecks make good televsion… hmmmmm…. We’d have to come up with some appropriate clothing, but yeah, I think I could make it work.

Fishing/Angling – Game. Go watch your local fishing tournament this weekend. Take note of the number of people that aren’t fat 60 year olds. Now, nod in agreement with me.

Gaelic Football – Sport. A fat 60 year old would spend the entire game getting embarrassed, thus causing him, if he’s Irish (as we would expect, if he’s playing Gaelic Football), to pick a fight with every player on the pitch, followed by that particularly intoxicating brand of Irish violence… utter chaos, generally speaking… which would subsequently lead to everyone getting drunk together and singing songs. Stereotypical? You betcha… but I’ve lived it. And stereotypes exist for a reason, right?

Golf – Game. First, it’s a favorite of fat 60 year olds. Second, you could easily see one heating up and shooting a 70 on the same day Tiger Woods shoots a 72. An activity where you could play better than the world’s best? That’s a game, my friends. Let’s put that same fat guy up against Lebron James in a game of one-on-one. Does he ever win? Of course not. If we tied one of James’ arms behind his back, does the fat 60 year old ever win? Of course not. I believe I’ve eagled this one.

Gymnastics – Sport. OK, picture the fat 60 year old, and let’s go with a male. Now… and this won’t be easy… picture him in a unitard. Get past it, you can do it. OK, good. Now, picture him going through a routine on the pommel horse. How many times did he crush his nuts? 30? 40? No, this is no place for a fat 60 year old.

Hammer Throw – Game. Like the discus throw, the problem lies in the lead up to the throw. And like the discus throw, most people would end up on all fours attempting such a thing, with probably a vertigo supplementation for our fat 60 year old. But, like the discus, an experienced discus thrower who just happens to be fat and 60 could fare moderately well… thus… it’s a game.

Handball – Sport. Like many sports, a fat 60 year old could play handball, and like all of them, against decent competition, he’d get embarrassed to the point of taking up shuffleboard.

Hockey – Sport. Whether it be the ice or the field variety, the end results are the same. Our fat 60 year old hospitalized, probably with a feeding tube and catheter. It wouldn’t be pretty.

Horse Racing – Game. A great sport for horses, a decent game for humans. Again, how is this a sport for jockeys? Actually, let’s put it this way, if the real athlete in the sport (the horse) would be better off without human involvement (you know, faster without something on its’ back), then it’s no sport for humans. There. And yes, we’d need a very special, strong horse for our fat 60 year old, but there’s one out there that could lead it to a moderately decent finish.

Hurling – Sport. And one I’m not sure should be legal. Picture, Americans, a combination of baseball, soccer and handball. That’s right, they run around with what amounts to baseball bats in their hands, freely swinging them on the field of battle, with others all around them. Hence the helmets. I don’t think we should allow our fat 60 year old to even try this one. Let’s move on.

Hydroplane Racing – Game. Another sport where the humans are just controlling the athletes… in this case, crazy-fast boats. And another one a fat 60 year old would fancy his chances in. He might even prevent things like this from happening, what with the extra weight and all.

Jai Alai – Sport. I don’t think “the fastest sport in the world” is any place for a fat 60 year old. I don’t know, maybe that’s just me, but I’m gonna go ahead and give this one the sport nod, and move on, thus saving the life of our fat 60 year old, in all probability. Ed Honcho, hero.

Javelin Throw – Game. As with most throwing sports, where your average fat 60 year old wouldn’t be able to compete, one with experience should be able to at least fare moderately well. Hence the designation as a game. They are the Olympic Games, after all, right?

Jumping – Sport. This includes the High Jump, Long/Broad Jump and Triple Jump, not to mention certain obstacles for fat 60 year olds… namely, the whole jumping part.

Luge – Game. This falls under our aforementioned gravity rule (see: bobsleigh). Our 60 year old’s girth would do nothing but help him/her. Sure, he/she might end up in the hospital, but that’s true of thin 26 year olds as well.

Martial Arts – Sport. Unlike boxing’s heavyweight division, there are very few plodding, heavy hitters when it comes to any discipline of the martial arts. My recommendation to our fat 60 year old? Start tapping out as soon as the competition begins. I’m tired of these hospital bills. It’s starting to add up.

Motorcycle Racing – Game. Again, and maybe I should just put this on repeat. The humans here aren’t the real athletes. The motorcycles are. They’re the ones competing in a sport. The humans… simply enjoying their game. And sure, your average 60 year old would struggle… but a former motorcyle jockey who spent 10 years gorging on Tastykakes? He could fare, you guessed it, moderately well.

Netball/Korfball – Sport. Very similar to basketball, though not quite as arduous physically as one’s movement is restricted. Thus, at amateurish levels, a fat 60 year old could hold his/her own. But once we start to creep into the levels of “moderately decent”, the fat 60 year old falls short.

Orienteering/Rogaining – Game. Navigation-based competitions will always fall into the category of games, for obvious reasons, the most clear being that many fat 60 year olds already participate, and can certainly fare at least moderately well. The “fat” part undoubtedly doesn’t help, as these competitions are all on foot, but this deficiency can be made up for in other areas.

Pole Vault – Sport. The mere idea of a fat 60 year old attempting the pole vault has me sitting in my chair laughing my ass off (or SIMCLMAO, from here forward). This is no game.

Polo – Game. This is a combo event between the horse and the human, with the horse playing a sport and the human playing a hand-eye-coordination-based game. Our fat 60 year old could play this game, with a big enough horse, and play it quite well.

Racewalking – Game. This one just feels like a game, doesn’t it? It’s got that game funk all over it. And I’m not coming at this from a “what’s shoved up those guys asses?” point of view either. Nope. I know they’re great at what they do, and it takes talent. It’s just, what’s the ceiling on speed if you’re walking? And what’s the ceiling on speed if you’re a former racewalking champ who’s put on a few and 60 years old? Are they that far apart? That’s the thing. The slower racewalking speeds allow for the discrepancies in time to remain close, as opposed to running, where the difference increases exponentially. Thus, our fat 60 year old can log his/her moderately well and move on with his/her life.

Rock Climbing/Bouldering – Sport. Yeah, our guy would be dead. Fat and rock climbing/bouldering go together like…. uh, fat and… modeling. I don’t know. Two things that don’t go together very well. Cut me some slack, I’ve run out of coffee.

Rowing – Game. This one’s not so easy. Could a fat 60 year old row well. Yes, and with great power. Would his/her girth keep him/her from our “moderately well” standard? We say no, not if he/she were an experienced rower. This one definitely toes the border between sport and game, though. But hey, the rules are the rules… hard and fast. Just like me. Except for fast. Sometimes… depends what we’re talking about. Let’s just move on.

Rugby – Sport. Sure, Rugby (both League and Union) has its’ fat guys, but they’re not really fat guys, they’re just sports fat guys. You know, the kind of guy that drinks all night and doesn’t pay any attention to what he puts in his body… fish & chips, meat pies, etc… But they’re not really fat, not by society’s standards, at least. They’re just sports fat. Our 60 year old is society fat, plus, you know, he’s 60. He might hold his own in a scrum, but otherwise, it’s back to the hospital with him.

Running – Sport. Including sprints, marathons, hurdles, etc… And we’re moving on.

Sailing – Game. Now, we certainly don’t want to downplay what they do, but could a fat 60 year old be part of a winning team? You betcha. Could he win an individual competition? Unlikely, but could we expect him to do reasonably well? Were he a former champion, yes, we could. And I’m sticking with it, no matter how many hateful emails I get.

Shooting – Game. Encompassing sporting clays, skeet and trap shooting, our fat 60 year old is already moving into the semifinals.

Shot Put – Game. Our fat 60 year old is excited to try this one out. No running, no jumping, just sheer strength. And it says here they’ll fare at least moderately well.

Shuffleboard – Game. Funny story, our fat 60 year old is actually the reigning world shuffleboard champion. True story.

Skateboarding – Sport. We’re eagerly anticipating our fat 60 year old’s turn on the half-pipe. We’re guessing the judges don’t throw the term “moderately well” around. Maybe something more along the lines of “OH MY GOD! CALL 9-1-1!!!”

Ski Jump – Game. The ski jump, as opposed to downhill skiing, requires very little active resistance to gravity. Gravity hurls it’s participants down the ramp, a small, quick, powerful burst of the legs when the ramp turns up, then it’s all about holding your form. Our fat 60 year old, a former ski jumper, could handle this sort of thing, and his performance would be deemed “moderately well,” grammar be damned.

Snowboarding – Sport. And this includes virtually every form of snowboarding sport there is, whether it be boardercross, halfpipe, big air, slopestyle or simply racing. Now, some of them do start to creep into game territory… for instance, our fat 60 year old could get good air, and maybe perform enough tricks to fare moderately well… but we doubt it. And the rest of the events would leave him/her at the ski lodge in a full body cast… so yeah, we’re going sport.

Speed Skating – Sport. It’s a matter of sheer physics, really. As our fat 60 year old made a turn, provided he/she had any sort of speed built up, the centrifugal force would carry him/her into the boards, everytime… partly because their mass would be difficult to stop/turn, and also because their older legs wouldn’t be able to do it. I like to call it the “law of hilarious crashes where hopefully nobody gets hurt”. I am having some trouble getting it to stick. Maybe you guys can help me out? Spread the word. Spread the love.

Soccer/Football/Calcio/Futbol – Sport. Sure, lots of fat 60 year olds play soccer, but have you watched them? Let’s just say that their version is a sedentary one, rife with mis-kicks, hand-balls, shin-shots, beer and singing. OK, so it’s not that much different than the EPL… but just enough that our fat 60 year old narrowly fails the test.

Softball – Game. Though really, the way women play it, it’s a sport. But the way the vast majority of people play it, it’s barely a game. More like a mixer, or a party, or something between grilling and horseshoes. Our fat 60 year old is right at home.

Surfing – Sport. First of all, fat, in the surfing world, means shark food. Second, well, let’s go back to physics. The best surfers don’t sit too far down in the water. They skim the surface. Fat means skimming becomes more difficult… means jumps don’t look as good… means tubes aren’t properly navigated… means “moderately well” is out of the picture.

Swimming – Sport. Unless you consider drowning a success, in which case, you need to go talk to someone. Seriously.

Table Tennis – Game. To play at the highest level, with the best of the best, you cannot be fat, or 60. It takes hummingbird-like reflexes that, let’s face it, have left our fat 60 year old over time. But to play the game moderately well? Our fat 60 year old can handle that, especially if he/she has history in the game.

Tennis – Sport. It’s like table tennis, if the table were expanded to 10 times it’s normal size and you got on top of it. This means 10 times more ground to cover for our fat 60 year old. That’s about 9 times too much.

Triathlon – Sport. Maybe if the swim were 25 yards, the bike 1/4 of a mile, and the run 30 steps… maybe, our fat 60 year old could fight his/her way into the “moderately well” category. Anything more and he/she suffers a stroke.

Ultimate Frisbee – Sport. That’s right. Ultimate has moved out of the realm of hippies and stoners and been taken over by real athletes. The amount of athleticism required to catch the many errant throws that occur alone dooms our fat 60 year old (and if you don’t believe me, check out the photo if you hover over “ultimate frisbee”, or this one).

Volleyball – Sport. If we’re talking water volleyball, our 60 year old might stand a chance. But beach, or indoor? Uh, no. Even if he/she were 7′0″ tall, his/her lack of quicks would doom him/her. Plus, that’s not even an insurmountable heighth these days when it comes to volleyball. No, we’re quite sure our fat 60 year old would be humiliated.

Water Polo – Sport. Treading water is an underestimated exercise. It’s exhausting. Trust me. Ed Honcho spent his formative years as a lifeguard (what did you expect?), where part of the certification process was to hold a brick over your head and tread water for 1 minute. Go ahead and try it, we’ll wait… no? Pansies. What you’d find is that it’s not the sort of thing a fat 60 year old should be attempting under any circumstances, brick or no. Though, I will admit, it might come in handy during a lifeguard certification class, as you would most certainly be dragging them off the bottom of the pool, maybe putting them on a backboard, and potentially administering a little mouth-to-mouth. Three birds with one stone. I’m surprised they haven’t thought of this one yet. What I’m not surprised about, is that I have.

Waterskiing – Sport. Have you seen some of the things these people do? Yes? Can you imagine a fat 60 year old doing any of them? Yes, but only poorly, and quickly followed by a horrible wipeout? Me too!

Weightlifting – Game. Plenty of fat people excel at weightlifting… remember, fat people can be very strong, whether they be 20, 40, 60 or 80 years old.

Wrestling – Sport/Game. Truly, in wrestling moreso than any other sport, it depends on the discipline. Freestyle or Collegiate wrestling is a sport. Fat 60 year olds would get twisted into pretzels. Greco-Roman wrestling is a game, since it relies almost solely on upper body strength, which a fat 60 year old might have in spades… or, at least enough to fare moderately well. Submission wrestling is a sport, as a fat 60 year old wouldn’t have the speed to contain someone at the top of their game… not to mention someone at an average level of their game. Arm wrestling is a game, which should be patently obvious to anyone but the dullest of minds. Sumo wrestling is a sport, as, though our 60 year old is fat… that gives him no advantages. Instead, it’s about quickness at that size, something that puts our 60 year old at a decided disadvantage. And, of course, professional wrestling is neither a game or a sport, it’s what we like to call “acting” in the business.

So there you have it… I would normally spend the next few hours waxing poetic about my prophetic… ness. But it does appear as if our fat 60 year old is in need of immediate attention. What do eyes rolled back in the head usually mean? Is that bad? Yeah. OK, I gotta go. Spread the word people. Let’s make this stuff fact. Oh, and if you want to send any particularly hateful emails my way, sure, I can take it. Just send it to icanbesurprisinglysensitive@edhoncho.com. Yo.

Har du provat curling någon gång. Vi på 1.6 tog oss ut till Stocksund norr om Stockholm i måndag för att testa. Det var jätteroligt men svårare än man trott. Att glida på isen med en kvast som stöd och ha en hal sko på vänster fot samtidigt som den tunga stenen ska snurra sig bort till boet långt, långt borta på andra sidan panel… Det var en utmaning! Kallt också, med isen som underlag. Och hårt när vi trillade. Men tre av våra tjejer var jätteduktiga, det gav säkert mersmak.

Nu på söndag är det öppet hus på Stocksunds Curlingklubb. Läs mer på deras hemsida och våga prova. Garanterat en kul upplevelse.

I’m voting for the “hibernational party” this Winter.

It’s time for people not to wake up

… and smell the roses until Spring

… or whenever roses start smelling.

note: some birds fly south for the Winter … where do penguins fly to?

double note: bears don’t truly hibernate: they do something called “denning“. I think I could get into this “denning” business.

.

notes to myself #61

You never learn to skate adequately to play ice hockey, but you do dabble with curling and enjoy it. I know … it’s unbelievable!

Torch Relay Reporter Chris Wheeler follows the Olympic flame to St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador where he loses himself in a vibrant storytelling culture and finds himself traveling to the most eastern point in North America!

Sorry people! Har ikke fått oppdatert i helgen, og det er vel delvis min feil siden jeg har glemt det. Jaja, her kommer et kort lite sammendrag av helgen i Karlstad:
Fredag: Dagen for reisen til Karlstad. Var ikke mye som skjedde på den bilturen gitt… Bortsett fra at Marie lærte meg et nytt, kult fototriks. Når vi kom frem til Curlinghallen (ca. 10 over 5 eller no) skulle vi delta på en sak som kalles After Work, en sosial curlinggreie der man blander lag og spiller, men det var en annen slags poenggiving som jeg ikke orker å forklare… Jeg havnet på et veldig morsomt lag  fordi vi spilte hverandre gode, og at folkene jeg spilte med (Glenn, Clas(?), Frederik og Markus) var veldig hyggelige! Clas kjenner også faktisk faren min.

Hva er så dette? Piece of art?

Uansett, etter After Work måtte vi vente en stund på prisutdelingen (For de som hadde fått best individuell score) og siden det tok laaang tid, gikk vi en tur i butikken først. Da vi kom tilbake begynte de med prisutdelingen, og jeg og Markus delte andreplassen(!).. Etter en prat med Markus endte det med at jeg fikk meg en whiskyshot. Interessante saker må jeg jo si. Og mens dette skjedde stod mine lagkamerater (Pia) og tok snikbilder av meg og Markus (av en eller annen merkelig grunn) og Nora tok bilder av Pia som tok bilder av meg. Jaddaa?

Prisutdeling… Vi ble nesten tvunget til å synge solo O_o

På lørdag skulle vi spille tre kamper etter hverandre, og den første begynte kl. 9 på morgenen… Hardcore. Den tapte vi dessverre, men vi slo til og vant de to siste, noe som første oss videre til A-sluttspillet. Det var fun! Resten av kvelden brukte vi til å være sosiale, bli kastet isbiter på i heisen, og ja, andre gøyale ting.

I dag tapte vi dessverre kvartfinalen, så da endte vi på en delt 5 eller 6 plass. Ikke så ille egentlig.

“Lagbilde” (fra v. Pia, meg, Nora og Marie)

Jau, hva har du gjort i helgen da?

Considéré pour beaucoup comme le “sport officiel des agents d’entretien”, le curling est pourtant tout sauf une simple affaire de nettoyage. La France affiche même de très sérieuses ambitions sportives. A un peu moins de 3 mois du début des Jeux Olympiques de Vancouver au Canada, coup de projecteur sur ce sport méconnu en France où le balai est roi.

Au curling, ce sont les hommes qui passent le balai. (crédit: inthebag.golf/flickr.com)

Eric Le Chanony, directeur technique national (DTN) en charge du curling est catégorique. L’équipe de France de curling vise une médaille aux J.O. de Vancouver en février prochain. “Les Canadiens semblent intouchables, parce qu’ils sont techniquement trop forts, mais derrière… Lors des 3 derniers championnats du monde, l’équipe a affiché de belles promesses. On peut espérer.” L’équipe de France va participer pour la 2^ème fois aux J.O., après ceux de Salt Lake City en 2002, et à donc d’ors et déjà de l’ambition à revendre. Elle est intégralement constituée de l’équipe championne de France, Chamonix, autour de son capitaine Thomas Dufour.

Un jeu simple, un balai omniprésent

Pour expliquer les règles du jeu du curling, Alain Contat, président de la commission sportive nationale du curling français affirme que c’est “surtout un jeu d’adresse, de stratégie et de glisse.” 2 équipes de 4 curleurs s’affrontent. Le but du jeu est simple. Faire glisser une pierre de granit d’environ 20 kilos sur une piste de glace mesurant 42 mètres, de manière à ce qu’elle s’arrête au plus près d’une cible, appelée maison. Au terme de la manche, l’équipe qui compte une ou plusieurs pierres le plus proche du centre marque un nombre équivalent de points. Une rencontre se joue sur 8 voire 10 manches selon le type de compétition.

Et le balai dans tout cela? Il est utilisé pour chaque tir. 2 joueurs frottent vigoureusement la glace, modifiant ainsi la trajectoire ou augmentant la distance de la pierre. Un curleur ne peut pas jouer sans balai.

En France, le nombre de curleurs licenciés est de 300. Devant un chiffre si peu élevé, les perspectives de développement et de promotion semblent limitées. Alain Contat évoque ces difficultés : “On a expliqué à la fédé (ndlr fédération française des sports de glace) qu’il nous fallait une halle dédiée au curling. Nos meilleurs représentants sont dans l’obligation d’aller s’entrainer à l’étranger, et notamment en Suisse. Une médaille aux Jeux nous permettrait, je crois, de faire avancer les choses.” Il y a quand même un projet de construction d’une halle à Besançon qui part d’une initiative privée.

Un sport souvent méprisé

A la question “comment réagissent les curleurs lorsqu’on leur dit qu’ils font le métier des agents d’entretien”, Alain Contat répond et avec le sourire que c’est la mauvaise blague habituelle. “De toute manière, on ne peut pas descendre plus bas depuis que l’on nous a dit que nous étions une bande de ménagères dégénérés sur congélateur géant. On ne se préoccupe pas de cela.” Emmener une équipe de France aux Jeux, avec simplement 300 licenciés, reste, à ses yeux une sacrée performance. Pour la médaille, il faudra balayer. Vite et bien. C’est la dure loi du curling.

Valentin Gendrot

Next stop: Karlstad!
Curlingturneringer er alltid gøy, særlig når det er en juniorturnering, og at den er i utlandet (Sverige er nesten ikke utland en gang, men like gøy). Vi spilte den samme turneringen i fjor, og da vant vi til og med en pengepremie, så det var bra, får håpe vi gjør det like bra denne gangen.

Moro skal vi ihvertfall ha det, og jeg skal ta en haug med vellykkede og mindre vellykkede bilder, og noen få smakebiter kan jeg vel vise dere, en da når jeg er hjemme igjen. Kanskje får jeg oppdatert bloggen i helgen, men bare kanskje. Så dere får håpe og tro på det beste, hihi.

Quand le Hockey rencontre le curling. Ca donne une bonne vidéo virale pour Samsung made by The VIral Factory !

Source

Du hittade inte ett enda nytt inlägg under hela veckan som har gått. Det finns en enkel förklaring för det: jag har varit sen i måndags på olika uppdrag och kom först idag hem igen. I början av veckan var jag i Sverige och föreläste för curlingspelare om mental träning. Efter jag upplevt curling från mycket nära håll, är jag ännu mera fascinerad av denna idrott. Är helt övertygad om att curling blir den stora attraktionen under vinter OS i Vancouver i slutet av februari. Kanada gäller ju som bekant som curlingsportens moderland. Det blir verkligen något att se fram emot.

Under veckan fanns det dagar jag höll sju föreläsningar. I Mariehamn har jag varit med om en premiär. Mitt under föreläsningen ”Hur kan jag stöda mitt barns självkänsla” blev det ett strömavbrott över hela Åland. Det var bara att fortsätta att trots att jag inte längre såg en enda av de över 100 lyssnare. På sätt och vis blev det en ganska mysig stämning i Hotell- och Restaurangskolans stora auditorium. I veckan startade på Åland också den andra upplagan av projektet ”Skapa ett unikt välbefinnande” som går ut på att deltagarna får motivationshjälp i att förändra något i deras livsstil till det bättre. Tack vare det fick jag träffa i torsdags och fredags tolv oerhört intressanta och trevliga människor. I onsdags körde jag också igång en ny ”Sluta röka” grupp. Utöver det fylldes veckan med föreläsningar på tv å olika föräldrarkvällar och handledningar för vård- resp. daghemspersonal.

Veckan var intensiv men samtidigt mycket givande inte minst tack vare jag fick samarbeta med och träffa med väldigt trevliga människor. Det bevisar återigen en gång att man orkar nästan med så mycket som helst så länge man har de ”rätta” människor runt sig.

j’aime bien mais toute la journée …

I veckan har jag varit i Sverige och föreläst om mental träning för curlingspelare i Sverige. Jag ska inom kort återkomma om det i ett inlägg. Curling är en utpräglad mental idrott med mycket specifika krav. Titta in på bloggen under de närmaste dagarna för att få veta mera hur en curlingspelare kan förbättra sina prestationer tack vare mental träning.

Stone e Broom

Vancouver, città costiera della provincia canadese della British Columbia, si prepara ad ospitare i giochi olimpici invernali.
Il 26 e 27 febbraio sono previste le finali di Curling e la nazionale Svizzera punta diretta al gradino più alto del podio.

Programma di preparazione Olimpica molto ambizioso per la Svizzera, che ha fatto arrivare dal Canada due coach d’eccezione: Lorne e Chris Hamblin. I coniugi Hamblin sono un’istituzione del curling nord americano. Entrambi hanno maturato importanti esperienze allenando la Nazionale Canadese junior con cui hanno vinto il titolo Mondiale nel 2002. Lorne e Chris Hamblin seguiranno la formazione maschile e femminile a Berna, sede stabile di lavoro delle squadre.

Il curling è un gioco di squadra con una lunga tradizione: l’invenzione è fatta risalire al XVI secolo in Scozia ma in realtà era diffuso già da qualche tempo nel nord dell’Europa. Divenuto sport olimpico nel 1924, dopo i giochi del 1932 a Lake Placid è stato letteralmente dimenticato per oltre cinquant’anni. Nagano 1998 ha segnato il ritorno del curling ai giochi olimpici, ed è stata proprio la nazionale rossocrociata a conquistare l’oro in campo maschile.
La popolarità del curling è in costante aumento. Le Olimpiadi Invernali di Torino 2006 lo hanno visto protagonista di un enorme successo internazionale e di un’eccezionale audience televisiva a livello mondiale. Il Curling è uno sport adatto a ogni età. Facile da imparare, non richiede l’acquisto di particolare e costosa attrezzatura perché nella maggiorparte dei casi i club la mettono a disposizione gratuitamente.

In una gara di curling si affrontano due squadre, ciascuna composta da quattro giocatori. Lo skip, che lancia per ultimo, è il capitano della squadra ed elabora la strategia di gioco. Una partita consiste in dieci mani (end). A ogni mano tutti i giocatori, alternando i componenti delle squadre, lanciano a turno due stones. Scopo del gioco è far scivolare le stones sul ghiaccio fino a farle fermare su un bersaglio circolare detto house. Vince la gara chi riesce a piazzare più stones vicino al centro della house. Tipico movimento del curling è lo sweeping: i giocatori che non tirano “spazzano” il ghiaccio con speciali scope davanti alla stone in movimento, per scaldarlo e modificare la traiettoria della pietra ralllentandone o prolungandone la corsa. Dopo che entrambe le squadre hanno lanciato tutte e otto le stones a loro disposizione viene determinato il punteggio. La squadra con la stone più vicina al centro riceve un punto per ogni stone che sia a una distanza minore dal tee della più vicina stone avversaria.

Curling in Canton Ticino

]]> http://teamattinger.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/gp-bern-inter/ Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:27:48 +0000 mjf http://teamattinger.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/gp-bern-inter/

Durchzogenes Wochenende am GP Bern Inter
2 Wochen nach dem Bern Open fuhren wir schon wieder nach Bern an den traditionellen GP Bern Inter. Wie das Bern Open wurde auch der GP Bern Inter als Triple-Knockout Turnier gespielt. Die ersten beiden Spiele gegen England und Schottland verloren wir beide. Wir konnten leider in beiden Spielen nicht unsere beste Leistung abrufen, darum vielen dann auch beide Niederlagen recht deutlich aus. Am Abend spielten wir dann gegen ein Team aus Österreicht. Dieses Spiel konnten wir für uns entscheiden. Schon am Samstag kassierten wir aber dann gegen Uzwil die nächste Niederlage, wieder blieben unsere Leistungen weit hinter unserern eigenen Erwartungen zurück.
So fanden wir uns also im Consolation Cup wieder. Da konnten wir unsere Leistung steigern und gewannen 4 Spiele in Serie, gegen Lyss, Hamburg, Thun-Kyburg sowie Lausanne Olympique. So durften wir also im Finale des Consolation Cup gegen Garmisch mit Skip Stock antreten. In einem spannenden Spiel mussten wir uns dann knapp geschlagen geben. Bilanz des Wochenende: 9 Spiele, 5 Siege, 4 Niederlagen. Erfreulich war auf jeden Fall, dass wir nach dem schwachen Start unsere Leistung verbessern konnten. Uns wurde aber auch bewusst, dass wir noch sehr viel Arbeit vor uns haben!

What a difference a couple of years makes! Back in 2006, right after the last winter Olympics, before having a child EVER was even in our thoughts, we and some good friends of ours, decided that we would go to the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

We both started savings accounts called our Olympic funds. We subscribed to the Vancouver 2010 e-mail alerts, knew exactly when tickets went on sale, etc.

That was then, and now, needless to say that in 2008 we both had babies and our Olympics savings account quickly disappeared. Especially with me staying at home now.

It doesn’t look like we’ll be at the Vancouver Winter Olympics in person, but my spirit will definitely be there along with all of the Olympic athletes – and I’ll be glued to my television almost 100 days from now- February 12, 2010 to be exact.

Maybe we’ll have our own family olympics activities for a couple of weeks. Comment and send me any ideas you have that an 18 month old could do to tie in to the Olympics. I’m thinking olympic ring cookies, ring toss. Hopefully it will snow at that same time and we’ll be able to get outside and pretend we’re in Vancouver! Maybe we’ll even decorate the house with the olympic rings and 2010 Vancouver logo. Maybe this will give my dear husband and I an excuse to hit the slope at nearby Paoli Peaks.

And I’m considering an opening ceremonies get together. We’ll see how that turns out.

Growing up and even as an adult, the olympics, both winter and summer are some of my favorite sporting events to watch. I don’t even care if it is curling! I can even remember saving Coke points to get an olympic sweatshirt when I was like 8. My parents would take me ice skating from a very young age and I can still remember dreaming of being an olympic athlete myself someday (I didn’t know at the time I was athletically challenged…)

Here’s looking forward to 100 days from now!

Ja, da var denne curlingfylte helgen ferdig, og den har vært megabra!
På fredag spilte vi tre kamper, hvor vi vant de to første av dem, henholdsvis mot Italia og Sverige, men vi gikk på en smell mot Sveits (forøvrig de som vant turneringen av jentene). På lørdag spilte vi bare to, men de gikk ikke så bra dessverre, så vi kom ikke til sluttspillet… Jaja, slik kan det gå, men moro var det!

På lørdagen var det bankett og disko på radisson SAS-hotellet på Snarøya, og det var jo… litt lame fordi ingen gadd å danse, men jeg og mine lagvenninner satte oss heller ned med noen sveitsere og snakket med dem. Sveitsisk tysk er foresten veldig vanskelig å forstå. Etter det så gikk jeg og Ingvild og Nora opp til noen nederlendere sitt rom og så på film der, og det ble en seen kveld, synd for meg og Nora som måtte opp halv 9 (Nora overnattet hos meg)

Some pictures

Og: Liverpool og Stabæk vant i dag! JADDA!!!