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Preparing for a bungee jump includes ridding your pockets of all loose objects, tying your shoelaces properly and tucking the laces back neatly, having a giant elastic band fastened to your ankles and numerous counts of deep breaths. It may sound like a death trap but it is said that many jumpers become addicted to the intense adrenalin rush that overcomes you when you take the leap; the leap of faith that everybody should attempt at least once.

What’s it all about?

Bungee jumping is one of the world’s premier extreme sports which involve jumping off a high point, usually a bridge, with an elastic rope and harness secured either to the ankles or waist. The fun starts when the jumper leaps over the edge; the bungee cord stretches to its maximum length and as it snaps back the jumper is shot upwards again. As the energy of the elastic rope is dissipated the jumper is shot back and forth in a bouncing motion until the jumper is safely lowered to the ground.

Bungee locations in South Africa

South Africa is an ideal holiday location for adventure sport enthusiasts across the globe as it is home to not one of, but the tallest bungee jump in the world. The Bloukrans Bridge near Plettenberg Bay measures 216 meters and currently holds the official title in the Guinness Book of World Records as being the highest place that you can bungee from.

But bungee jumping is not the only way to experience the addictive adrenalin rush at the Bloukrans Bridge. Because the region has become a real tourist hub for anyone who passes through South Africa, a milder, less scary addition has been added to the Bloukrans menu: the Flying Fox. The Flying Fox was designed for families and the individual who’s not really amped yet for the big air drive.
The Flying Fox (known to the locals as a “Foofy Slide”) works like this: You will travel along a 200 meter cable slide secured by a harness all along the archway of the bridge. The Flying Fox is an adventure on its own though it is also used by the very daring as a “warm-up” to the bungee jump.

There is of course a little something for the faint-hearted, to keep you entertained as well. The Bloukrans hosts a live bungee show where the public can observe as the daring take their leap of faith. Seeing the jumpers’ bodies being catapulted through the air and hanging down so many feet off the ground is enough of a thrill for anyone who cannot muster up the courage to jump.

There are many other bungee jumping spots in South Africa, including the Gouritz River Bridge near Mossel Bay, and further north of the border, the bridge over the Zambezi River in between Zambia and Zimbabwe. And other variations of bungee jumping include bridge swinging, the “catapult”, which is in essence a reverse bungee: the cord is pulled down and the jumper is shot upwards!

The Gouritz Bridge bungee jump is equally exhilarating as the Bloukrans, though not as daunting. However all things are relatively equal when you’re plunging off a bridge. You exit the platform over 65 meters with your elastic band secured safely to your ankles and as you leap, feel the forces of gravity pulling you closer to the riverbed. Nowhere in the world would you get to view the river from this angle again. The Gouritz Bridge bungee is an excellent taster to bungee jumping and makes for great training ground when you make the ultimate jump at the Bloukrans Bridge.

Bungee jumping started ages ago as a tribal ritual for young boys to enter manhood. For most people staring down the edge of a 216 meter bridge can be plenty intimidating. Although there is much controversy about the safety level of bungee jumping, South Africa has world class bungee equipment that is designed to protect the jumper while taking the plunge.

Apart from the equipment we have experienced and trained bungee trainers at every bungee jumping location to make sure that every safety precaution is taken. So the next time you’re in the mood for something extra-ordinary, do yourself a favour and get down to one of South Africa’s world class bungee jumping locations for an adrenalin rush like no other.

Buy In:
50 Jumping Jacks

WOD:
Tabata Intervals – 20sec of work followed by 10sec of rest.

2 Rounds
Push ups
Sit ups
Squats

Do as many pushups as you can in 20s, then rest for 10s, and then do as many as you can again for 20s. Rest 10s and move onto situps…etc.

Record your number of reps for each exercise.

Cash Out:
Stretch

young woman jumping in the air

young woman jumping in the air

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Want to hear some good advice about: family, relationships are strained by stored in their world.

Do you want to get up before dawn and tired of being, pain and hunger throughout the day? If you do, then find a trail and walk it with your children. I personally do not like it. I did not like it when I was young and now that I'm almost fifty, which I certainly do not like it. But I have teenage kids, then you hear what happened.

Three before the fall (August'04), Right after one of my children began a new high school, things were tense between us. He was the new movement nervous, I was nervous, the new movement and he felt like making my thoughts. This was in fact does create a no-confidence vote in him not a great relationship. He avoided me, it was quiet around me and was not too helpful in the house. My wife reminded me that he loves to hike, so she suggested that one week, I take him nice long walk one, to see if this will helpAsk.

Like I said, I do not know why people are burdening themselves and tired, but I listened to her and something he likes, and something that has made him what a good feeling.

It was like magic! At the beginning of the line things were as usual quiet and tense. But if we thus started through the woods, he (and me) began to joke and hum songs go together. If suddenly this huge pond appeared before us (they do not say, before Istarted) and we had to swim across, he laughed and giggled, almost anything that he had not done in a long time. (In spite of my bruises and abrasions, I laughed too). When we got home, he spoke a little of his fear of the new school and other feelings he school on. The change was unbelievable.

The bottom line, and my advice is: Family, relationships are strained by doing them yourself in their world and what they do save you. If you do thisThis they feel comfortable and are able to speak and connect to you more freely. It is certainly worth the few (?) Aches and pains which you bear!

http://yourself-network.blogspot.com/ motivationalnetwork.wordpress.com yourselfimprovement.wordpress.com

Over the past several months, I’ve been having these recurring dreams where I can fly.

Well, not really fly all, like, Superman style and all.

It’s more like there are these two different kinds of “flying” I can do in these dreams.

The first is this thing where I can jump about 10 or so feet in the air. And from that point, I can jump off of the air another 10 feet upward to raise myself to about 20 feet in the air. And then I can do it one more time to get myself up to about 30 feet.

Each time I jump up, the elevating becomes slower. The first jump up is pretty quick and smooth. The second lift up to 20 feet is a little slower. The third jump is even slower, and sometimes feels difficult and makes me I wonder if I’ll make it all the way up the last 10 feet.

But I always do.

Sometimes, though, I try to go for a fourth jump upward, but it never works. Usually, when I try for a fourth jump, it immediately starts my descent to back to the ground.

If I don’t try for a fourth jump, I tend to get some decent hang time up at that 30 feet in the air before my descent back to the ground starts. However, the hang time is even better the lower in the air I am. At 10 feet, I may as well be walking on the air.

Overall, the descent is a little steep, but it’s a sort of pleasant float back down. It’s like the raccoon-tail Mario from Super Mario 3. The only time the float down isn’t pleasant is when people are chasing me, which happens from time to time. In those cases, I try to aim my landing over a fence or in a tree so whoever’s chasing me can’t get me. And then I usually just do the triple jump to get back up in the air.

Any forward motion I get comes from the direction I jump when I make my jumps. I can also sort of sail forward or in different directions when I’m in hang-time mode or when I’m descending back down.

The second type of “flying” I can do in these dreams is similar to the first, but has only come about more recently.

I don’t really do the jumping thing; instead, I just get this one lift up to about 45 or 50 feet or so. To get airborn, I just try to lift myself off the ground. It’s like sort of when you stand on your tip-toes, but instead of just standing up taller, you pull yourself off the ground and into the air.

This type of elevating (which, btw, is roughly as quick as the middle jump from the triple jump method) allows me more control in my direction as I’m raising upward than the jumps allow, although the jumps allow me to change direction more drastically every 10 feet when I jump.

The hang time at peak height seems to be a little less, but my descent is pretty obtuse and slow, and I can control my direction just as much as during my descent in the jump method. Obviously, though, a slower, more obtuse descent with the same control mechanics tends to result in even greater overall control of my landing.

It’s crazy.

I’ve had enough of these dreams where if I think about it in regular non-dream mode, my body feels like it can actually do it, like there’s some sort of muscle memory to it.

I wish that were true, because that’d be awesome.

Someone needs to figure out how to translate the physics within dreams over into real life.

Intro:

I start my adventure into the land of Whoopi today, November 20th 2009.  This day will be written about in history books, and I shall be as highly regarded as Lewis and Clark.  Netflix will be my Sacagawea, my Native American Indian lady leading me through this land of the Whoopi, and we shall embark on this journey as soon as I finish making nachos in the microwave oven.  My Netflix account has a few Whoopi movies lined up, or “queued” to all those familiar with hipster Netflix lingo, for instant viewing, and I have chosen one of the more highly regarded of her films to start with, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” My choice wasn’t simply based on reviews of the movie, it’s just really hard to resist a tagline like, “A man named Jack has got her Jumpin’ and the world may never be the same!”  Though, it also helped that I consider my expedition an adventure, and the film’s full title is Jumpin Jack Flash: An Adventure in Comedy.  It just seemed like a match made in heaven, or at least an uninteresting coincidence.

For those of you who do not know the story of Jumpin’ Jack Flash here is a summary of the plot from Netflix filled in with thoughts from yours truly:

Terry, played by Whoopi Goldberg (YAY WHOOPI!), is a banker with an international clientele, gets a cryptic message from an unknown source. After decoding the missive (The fucks a missive?), Terry finds herself in the middle of an international espionage ring with bodies piling up faster than the line at a faulty ATM machine (What does this even mean!? Did someone write a joke in the summary you will only understand after you watch the movie?  Son of a bitch…). Directed by Penny Marshall, this riotous comedy also stars Annie Potts, Carol Kane, Jeroen Krabbe and Roscoe Lee Browne (Who were never heard from again, except for Penny, who partied with the Fonz, and therefore is immortal…Google it)

Movie Poster!

My predictions:

Whoopi is going to get herself into a whole heap of trouble, and she’s inviting me on her laugh riot adventure into the mystical world of banking!  This is going to be a fun trip!  As far as plot points go, I predict there will be a faulty ATM machine…Also, the movie was made in 1986, and during this time period whenever there’s an “international espionage ring” of some kind, it simply means the Russians are going to fuck shit up.  Yes, so the movie is going to playing like a banker’s version of Red Dawn, without the nice glutes of Patrick Swayze, or the whole ‘Russians invading the United States’ thing.  And so, these Commie bastards are going to fuck up Whoopi’s ATM machines, and she’s going to be all like, “AWWW HELL NO!”  Then, she’s going to fly over to Russia, and just start punching people in the face.

Movie:

0:00:00 – Movie Buffering, taking time to look up what missive is

0:00:11 – Dictionary.com claims “missive” is:

“–noun

1. a written message; letter.

–adjective

2.sent or about to be sent, esp. of a letter from an official source.”

Now I truly feel retarded

0:01:02 – “The President forgot Hawaii was a state, and referred to it as ‘Our strongest ally’” Oh Whoopi!  Your movie is already great!

00:01:46 – Whoopi has appeared!  She’s waking up in her PJs and has penguin slippers!

Jon Lovitz Loves His Banking Job!

00:05:49 – Entered work, which is surprisingly a bank…She works with ancient computers, which nowadays are on par with our most intelligent paper weights.  Jon Lovitz is in this movie!  First line, “You ready to saddle up and ride this software?”  Classic.

00:08:22 – Phil Hartman too?  “You could crush bowling balls between those thighs.” Classic #2.  Comedians are funny.

00:11:59 – Jumping Jack Flash sent her a message on her computer!  It said “Yankee Pot Roast Was Delicious.”  Confused by message, and suddenly in the mood for pot roast.

00:15:56 – Whoopi rocking out to the Rolling Stones in her penguin slippers, you go girl!  “Jagger Step!”

00:16:41 – Whoopi thinks second verse of Jumpin’ Jack Flash is “I was raised by two lesbians.” And then says “Lesbians? Com’n Mick!  Fuck a duck!”  Oh boy!  This may be the greatest movie ever made!

00:29:21 – JACK IS BRITISH INTELLIGENCE!  Gosh Whoopi, the things you get yourself into

00:31:24 – Jim Belushi?  Really?  Movie just lost all credibility.  I’m now crying in fetal position yelling, “WHAT HAVE THEY DONE WITH MY BABY!?” at the heavens

00:35:33 – She stole a frying from Jack’s apartment, and is now being held at gunpoint by…Jim Belushi.  I’m now back in my corner crying again in the fetal position yelling “IT WAS ONLY ONE TIME!  IT WAS JUST ONE TIME!” to the heavens.

00:35:55 – She knocked him out with the frying pan; I’m slowly recovering from my Jim Belushi trauma

00:37:00 – There’s people’s names and numbers etched in to bottom of frying pan, and she’s totally calling them!

00:38:10 – “Oh this is great!  I’m down here 1:30 in the morning at the docks!  I should just pin a 100 dollar bill on my ass and scream ‘VICTIM HERE!  VICTIM HERE!’”

00:40:27 – Hahahaha she just got pushed off the dock into the Hudson River, she’s going to be super dirty when she gets out.  You can’t scrub that shit off with soap and water, stuff in that river is highly advanced dirty dirt

00:41:04 – She can’t swim!  She can only doggy paddle!  It’s so cute!

00:41:41- “What is it with you people? Every time you see a black woman there has to be a pimp or a john? What, do you think there’s good business on the pier for hookers? Do you think I’m giving blow jobs down there to goldfish?”

Whoopi Suddenly Turns White!

00:46:10 – “The K mother fucking GB?”  It’s the RUSSIANS!  They’re fucking shit up!

00:55:44 – Big stunt scene where Whoopi is falling off a roof, and when they cut to a shot of her back as she struggles to climb back on the roof, and she is suddenly white, and very muscular.  Must be some kind of super power, thus proving again…Whoopi is super.

00:58:55 – Whoopi’s dress is caught in a paper shedder!  Oh the hilarity of your situation Whoopi!

01:12:30 – Russian guy stole a tow truck and started towing a phone booth Whoopi was in across town…and I have to pee really badly

01:13:53 – Back from bathroom and…OH GOD NO!  NOT JIM BELUSHI AGAIN!  All those horrible repressed memories of According To Jim surfacing…and Blues Brothers 2000…and K-9!  SOMEONE MAKE THEM GO AWAY!

01:26:14 – She got shot in the ass with a tranquilizer, and I’m officially bored.

01:31:37 – They make New York City look so clean…

That's One Way To Get A Dress Off

Hotdogs And Beans For Supper

01:34:56 – SHE JUST BIT A DUDES JUNK!  He goes “Cancel the message!”  and she’s all like “I’ll cancel something better!”  Then chows down on the guy’s bits and pieces like it’s an all you can eat buffet!  Wasn’t she in Disney movies?  Does Disney know she was capable of biting weewees off?  What about the children?  What message are we sending the children?  We put Jim Belushi and a penis biter in children’s movies?  What the fuck kind of movie is K-9 anyway Jim?  What the hell were you thinking?  Why can’t you make good career choices?  IT’S TEARING ME APART

01:35:29 – “HEY FRED!  Take a picture of me next to the dead guy!” Oh Jon Lovitz, you just saved my Whoopi adventure

01:41:45 – Holy crap!  Jack Flash is the Brazil guy from that movie Brazil in which I’m still confused as to the exact reason the movie is named Brazil if it has nothing to do with Brazil, except for that song Brazil that plays every once and awhile.

01:43:00 – Movie over, roll credits…What the hell is a Best Boy?

Afterward:

Almost all my predictions were wrong.  There was no broken ATM, it was nothing like Red Dawn, nor even it’s lesser-known sequel Steel Dawn.  Whoopi didn’t fly to Russia either and slap some bitches, which definitely would have been a much better ending.  In my defense though, Netflix fucking lied to me!  “…with bodies piling up faster than the line at a faulty ATM machine…”  Bodies?  There were no bodies!  There was A body!  One!  Singular!  Uno!  And what’s with the horrible comparison to a broken ATM machine?  It makes no frigin’ sense, and has nothing to do with the actual movie.

One thing was made clear by the movie though, we need Whoopi to combat terr

WTF is a Best Boy?

orism.  She has shown she can do more with a giant toothbrush then most can do with an AK-47.  If she were our first line of defense we wouldn’t need a second.

Fighting Liberty and Gingivitis For All!

Also with her crotch biting abilities no one would mess with her.  Though I do believe the crotch biting was simply to bring in a feminist perspective of the world to a high action comedy.  The movie is all about a woman taking charge of her own life no matter what gets thrown in her path.  She is, by definition, a bra burning, humpback, raving feminist demanding respect from the “man” that’s holding her down.  With KGB agents, the “man” in this situation, after her, she knows she will overcome, and save Jumping Jack Flash’s life.  She will do whatever it takes, even if that means taking a few balls in the mouth for the team.

I would highly suggest this movie to anyone who loves rocking out in penguin slippers to Rolling Stones tunes, or, like me, Scooby Doo slippers rocking out the Mamma Mia soundtrack.  I believe it won every single Academy award for the year of 1986, and is banned in 6 nations.  The banning from other countries actually is fairly recent, because Star Jones made them do it after her furious fury of a rampage when she got booted off the View.  Not wanting to be eaten by Star Jones, these countries just agreed to ban anything to do with Star’s replacement, Whoopi Goldberg.  For those of us that are fans of Whoopi though, I have great news.  President Barack Theodore Winston Obama has announced that he is making the members of the View the 4th branch of the US Government, due to Whoopi’s ability to deal with international affairs, as proven through “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.”  It is a happy ending for everyone now!  YAY!

Back up and knee them into their chest…. not hard!  Think about you having a bubble around you.

No attention when jumping. Cross your arms in front of you and then turn around.  Ignore them untill they sit then pet or treat them.

Be consistent!  OFF… OFF… OFF!

Letzte Woche haben wir einen Wochenendtrip nach Paris gemacht, hier schon einmal ein paar Fotos von unserer ersten Station – dem Eiffelturm.

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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.

So there was an interesting article in the NY Times health section about the best exercise for increasing bone density. Just to cut to the heart of the article, simply jumping up and down a few times a week, is the best exercise you can do for your bones. Not only does it help your bones, it also helps improve your balance.

Now my life makes total sense, I was after all nicknamed Jumping Jenny and I only broke my finger once, no other broken bones. I thought it was all the milk I liked to drink.

Speaking of jumping, I did Jillian Michaels ’Boost Your Metabolism’ workout tonight and there was a lot of jumping. I was hating her towards the end, but it was a good workout. Not ideal for those that live in apartments though, you will drive your downstairs neighbors crazy. This whole shorter day thing that’s going on is really getting in the way of my running. My longest run since the marathon has been 3.8 miles, sad. My laziness and 9-5 job are also getting in the way, but I’m hoping to get a long run in this weekend. No excuses!

Maybe I’ll get up tomorrow morning and get a run in before work, in which case I got to hit the hay. Later!

There is a warm and awed feeling I get when I am browsing my worn horse book collection.  Seated in a comfy chair with book in hand, a mug of hot chocolate steaming,  and the morning light tracing golden patterns on the maple floor,  I feel embraced by the horse wisdom of ages past.   I open a book and study the grainy black and white photos of uniformed men, effortlessly erect astride airborne white stallions.  Long gone, some had penned their thoughts & experiences – and now timeless on paper their words carry on in my thoughts today.

Imagine what the world was like when horses far outnumbered cars and commute was actually a trail ride to one’s destination.  How much closer to nature, to the rhythms of one’s mount, and perhaps even to oneself one might have felt.   I choose another book written by the founders of Cavalia.   Enjoyed the show a few years ago;  they must experience true oneness with the heart & soul of horses…

There are

so many

fascinating books

and more to come!

I am thrilled  to be able to open a new BOOK SECTION at Just Equus!!!    I have picked a few titles that I love or am interested in.  But I would love your advice to grow a fine selection in our Library.  Please share your favorites with us (post a comment).  We are listening!

Happy Reading,

Karen – Just Equus

A recent New York Times article, Phys Ed: The Best Exercises for Healthy Bones (thanks for passing it along, Mary) declares that “the best exercise is to simply jump up and down, for as long as the downstairs neighbor will tolerate.”

Well…maybe.  But who the hell wants to do that?

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.  I’m really sick of reporters with no experience in the field having free reign to write whatever they want about health and exercise.

If you read the article, you’ll find that “scientists” are in dispute about how bones respond to exercise, and what type of exercise is best to build bone.

Except, that is, that explosive/heavy weightlifting builds bone well.

But cycling and running are in dispute.  In fact, running might even cause the loss of bone, when calcium lost through sweat or in metabolic processes is replaced by bone material.

Wait…hold on reporterer…go back a step…

Explosive movements and heavy weightlifting build bone.

Ok.  Well then why the fuck aren’t we recommending those activities?

The best thing to do, instead, is to make a joke out of it.  “The best exercise is to simply jump up and down, for as long as the downstairs neighbor will tolerate.”

Why make a joke out of it?  “For as long as the downstairs neighbors will tolerate?”  Why are you jumping indoors?  Why aren’t you going outside and jumping?  Why are you jumping in place?  Why aren’t you running around and jumping onto and over obstacles of varying heights?

That activity also builds the skills of balance and proprioception, which might help to prevent hip fractures even more than the concomitant building of the bone itself!  If you never fall, you don’t need rock-hard hip bones.

And that’s not why I have my clients jump, and lift heavy stuff.  I’m not concerned with their bone density.  That’s a bizarre, reductionist view of the body that I don’t want to buy into.

I have them do those activities because that’s what human bodies are meant to do.

For the last time – YOU ARE AN ANIMAL! You respond best to what all animals best respond to – sunlight, clean water, un-molested foods straight from nature, and lots and lots of physical activity of all types.

The thing all of these “scientists” miss is the big picture – the human body as a whole, as an animal.

If you sit all day, your bones get weak.  If you eat a crappy diet, your bones get weak.  If you run for a long time, and don’t replenish the nutrients you’ve lost, your bones get weak.  Cycling isn’t even a weight-bearing activity, so I’m not sure why the article focuses on it so much…

Also, in response to one of the comments made by a researcher quoted in the article, I’m pretty sure there’s been research that shows that calcium lost during endurance exercise is compensated for by bone if it’s not replaced soon.  I’ll have to double-check that.  I wouldn’t be surprised, though – most researchers are so caught up in trying to keep grants rolling, etc., they don’t even know the research that has been done in the area they themselves are studying.

Which speaks to another issue I have with this type of reporting.  Science is a process of exploration.  It is curiosity.  It is asking questions and trying to find the answers.

IT IS NOT THE PLACE OF SCIENCE TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS.

We put science in such a place of authority in our country that brains shut off like lights in a blackout.  I can see them all the way down the street, blinking off.  No thinking required.  Science has me covered.  The scientists will tell me the right thing to do.  The government will talk to the scientists and protect me.

Bullshit.  Turn your brain back on.

I take such offense to this, because people who don’t know any better are going to read this article, and others like it.

What is someone going to do who reads this article?  They’re going to say, “oh to hell with it…exercise isn’t helping my bones…” or “I need to jump up and down more!”  Which is silly!!!  I mean, if you’re just jumping up and down in place…ridiculous.  See the above comments about balance and proprioception and nature and the requirements of a healthy animal.

And what about the bones in your arms?  How do you get those stronger?  Jumping up and down doesn’t put any strain on your arms.

How about crawling?  Explosive pushups?  Heavy bench pressing?

Oh no…we shouldn’t do that!  Let’s just play patty-cake until the downstairs neighbors complain!

I hope you’re not tired of seeing Fort Point. Now that I know about this place I am totally in love with it. So many possibilities. My sister came up with the idea of doing some jumping so we set the scene and timer and jumped and jumped and jumped. lol. 

Edit: Fine fine, here are a couple outtakes. lol. Getting the timing right was soooo hard. Most of our pics were with us *almost* jumping, or just landing. lol.  In the second outtake, my sister wanted to jump a distance behind me. But for some reason the sense of depth is rather lost and she just looks real tiny…almost as if I’m jumping with my mini me. lol

What a weekend!  Got to ride both days and had the special treat of having a friend from high school days come and visit!  It is so rare when I have friends visit at the barns (one can’t expect visitors often, though, as let’s face it, riding is really boring to watch!) so it feels like Christmas when they do. 

On Saturday, I rode at Denise’s on little Molly mare.  She was a really good girl and I really enjoyed that ride.  I rode with Bob and Maeve in their lesson again – I always enjoy riding with them.  Such a nice couple.  Denise had to run to a show after that so I drove my friend back to Fairfax so they could see the rest of the people on their list, then I headed back to horse country for a ride at Jess’s.  I rode Phaleen, who is just pretty, pretty, pretty!  She has huge ears but I love them!  She has the prettiest dishy face too.  Phaleen was my practice ride.

Cool pic! I love it!!!

Next day, I went back to Jess’s and had a lesson on Lenny.  Ack!  I’m such an idiot on Lenny!  Lenny has a huge thrust off the ground and for the life of me, I have the hardest time staying with his jump!  I’ve mentioned it before when I ride him – he really forces me to ride right.  God save me if I don’t!  All I can say is, there was a lot of mane grabbin’ goin’ on!  My friend took a video of me and I can see (and trust me, people have told me this before) that if I get there long, I sit up too soon (basically, I’m sitting up over the jump) and at that point, the horse is just kicking his hind-end up which means I then get kicked in the butt and land in a heap on the other side.  Over the next jump in this line we practiced, I had my foot more out in front of me and it gave me a much more secure seat in the air and on landing.  

I was so displeased with my being such a chicken on Lenny that I asked Jess if we could do as many lessons as possible on Lenny moving forward.  It’s just absurd that a person with as many years experience as I have is reduced to such a goofball when riding a certain type of horse!  So, that’s gonna stop and we’re gonna get that right.  GAME ON!!!

All of that was yesterday and the weather was just spectacular.  I am afraid it is probably one of the last days we are going to have like that.  But, soon, things will get chilly enough to where a day in the 40’s is going to feel fantastic.  So, I should stop whining.

Sitting in class working.
-it is a grey day again.

Though I am listening to some good music to keep me up, like this one; ‘Keep on Jumping‘.
I think that piece of music really defines my 2008 quite alot, I have so many memories connected with it for some reason. First heard it when the guys and I went playing pool in the spring, a time of happiness, adventure and experience.

“Her absense is no greater question, I wonder if she ever learnt her lesson?
She does not consider why, she does not even seem to cry, her mind is weak and dumb, her agenda primal and to some; she would be called a whore…“

This week though I have a few things to look forward to
Like on wednesday I might be going out with my old kung fu teacher for a drink, along with his Uni friends
And, on Friday, lol, my sister and I are maybe going on a ’singles evening’, a dinner/ get together for single people, just for fun.
Also, this saturday; I hope I can get together a crew and go out partying.

Had a dream last night, that I was a spokesperson for the clothes brand SuperDry
I woke myself up by uttering weird phrases like ” It’s Superdry, but also Super expensive!“.
Superdry is btw a pretty cool brand, especially because the japanese influated prints and designs along with the cool fashion.
Also, this jacket it very neat, but pricy

Im planning on making a Christmas Carol shortfilm, got the idea last night in another dream
Briefly, it is about an unhappy guy, who learns the meaning of christmas thru a series of fortunate and some misfortunate events the day before christmasday.
There will be romance, action, comedy and also sensmorale in the story, so I think the finished product will be quite interesting.
Production will begin in the middle of december, and come out in good time for christmas^^

Y3 Online Games

Snow Bowl Royale
Tags: HT83 Games, Y3 games, Flash, Defend, Throwing, Animal, Bowling, Unrated games, 1 Player, Snow,
Infomation: You are the Monarch of the Moguls in this game, but for how long? You must defend the summit from those who would dethrone you.
How to play: Arrow Up/Down- To change lanes. Arrow right- To bowl. P- Panic.
Free Play at http://www.y3games.net/

Feed The Birds
Tags: HT83 Games, Y3 games, Unrated games, Animal, Arcade, 1 Player, Flash, Mouse Skill,
Infomation: Feed the birds with water but watch out they are quick.
How to play: Use mouse to interact.
Free Play at http://www.y3games.net/

Bomb Bandits
Tags: HT83 Games, Y3 games, Unrated games, Flash, Collecting Games, Boat, Bomb, 1 Player,
Infomation: Neutralize bombs and don`t blow up! Snake-style game.
How to play: Use Arrow Keys to interact.
Free Play at http://www.y3games.net/

Surf
Tags: HT83 Games, Y3 games, Flash, Unrated games, 1 Player, Sports, Surfboard,
Infomation: Collect fruits while riding your surfboard!
How to play: Arrow Keys – Movement
Free Play at http://www.y3games.net/

Escape Mission
Tags: HT83 Games, Y3 games, Unrated games, Shockwave, 1 Player, Obstacle, Escape,
Infomation: The Objective of the game is to find the best escpae route theough the treehouse in as few steps as possible. You have to get to the blinking square.
How to play: Use Arrow Keys for movement.
Free Play at http://www.y3games.net/

Catch Fish
Tags: HT83 Games, Y3 games, Flash, Throwing, Unrated games, 1 Player, Shoot Em Up, Fish,
Infomation: Catch the fish by throwing stones at them.
How to play: Hold Down the Left Mouse Button to set your power. The longer you hold it down the farther the stone will go. Then release the Mouse Button to throw the stone.
Free Play at http://www.y3games.net/

Tunnel Rush
Tags: HT83 Games, Y3 games, Flash, Collecting Games, Unrated games, 1 Player,
Infomation: Race through the tunnel dodging all obstacles and grabbing power ups.
How to play: Instructions and Controls are in the game
Free Play at http://www.y3games.net/

XXXL Burger
Tags: HT83 Games, Y3 games, Flash, Burger, Unrated games, 1 Player,
Infomation: Try to make some burgers according to the recipe!
How to play: Mouse – Prepare the food.
Free Play at http://www.y3games.net/

Soopa Sprinta
Tags: HT83 Games, Y3 games, Flash, Unrated games, 1 Player, Running, Jumping,
Infomation: Run and Jump over garbage cans and walls.
How to play: Right Arrow Key – Run. Spacebar – Jump.
Free Play at http://www.y3games.net/

Ultimate Dog Racer
Tags: HT83 Games, Y3 games, Unrated games, Flash, Bet, 1 Player, Racing, Obstacle, Dog,
Infomation: Enjoy a night at the Dogs! Race your dog in this ultimate dog race track. Place your bet on your dog. Avoid obstacles along the way and collect the stars.
How to play: Arrow up- To run. Arrow left/right- Turn left/right. Arrow down- Slow down.
Free Play at http://www.y3games.net/

ధడేల్ గాడూ చిన్నూ గాడూ కలిసి ఆడుకొనేందుకు మరో ఇద్దరు ఊళ్ళో పిల్లలను వెంటబెట్టుకొని రేవు ఒడ్డున లంకల్లో ఉండే తోటలకు బయలు దేరారు. మామిడి తోటల్లో వాళ్ళకి కోతుల గుంపు ఒకటి కనిపించింది. వాటి పై రాళ్ళు రువ్వటం మొదలెట్టారు. చివరికి ఈ పిల్ల కోతులుల గుంపుని తట్టుకో లేక ఆ అసలు కోతుల గుంపు పారిపోయింది. ధడేల్ గాడూ మిగిలిన ఇద్దరు పిల్లలూ మామిడి చెట్లెక్కి కొతి కొమ్మచ్చి ఆడటం ఆరంభించారు. పిల్లలు దూకుతుంటే ఒక్కోసారి పెళుసు గా ఉండే మామిడి కొమ్మలు విరుగుతున్నాయి. కొమ్మలతో పాటు వీళ్ళ కాళ్ళు కూడా బెణుకుతున్నాయి. తోట లో ఒక చిన్న గుడిసె ఉంది. చిన్నూ గుడిసె చూరు లో ఓ కథల పుస్తకం దాచి పెట్టుకొన్నాడు. చందమామ లో ప్రతి నెలా సీరియల్ గా వచ్చే రాజుల సీరీల్స్ ని కత్తిరించి ఒకటి గా కుట్టిన పుస్తకం అది. శ్రీధర్ ఏడో క్లాస్ కి ఫస్ట్ గా వచ్చినందుకు వాడి పిన్నమ్మ వాడికి ప్రజెంట్ చేసింది ఆ పుస్తకాన్ని. చిన్నూ పుస్తకం తీసి చదవటం మొదలు పెట్టాడు. నెమ్మది గా వాడికి ఆ తోట కథ లో ఉండే అరణ్యం లా అనిపించసాగింది. కథ లో అరన్యం లో తిరిగే మాంత్రికులు ఏకాక్షీ చటుర్నేత్రుడూ ఆ తోట లో నే తిరుగాడుతున్నట్లు అనిపించసాగింది వాడికి.

కాసేపటికి పిల్లలు ముగ్గురూ ఆటలు కట్టిపెట్టి శ్రీధర్ ని పిలిచారు. మధ్యాహ్నమయి పోయింది. వాళ్ళకి ఆకలవుతోంది. తోట కంచె తో పాటు నేరేడు చెట్లూ, పెద్ద ఉసిరి చెట్లూ, వెలగ చెట్లూ అక్కడక్కడా ఉన్నాయి. పిల్లలు రాళ్ళతో నేరేడు కాయలు రాల గొట్టారు. ఒక ఎండు చెట్టు కొమ్మ తో వగరు గా ఉండే వెలగ కాయలు రాల్చారు. చిన్నూ మాత్రం రేగు కాయలు కోశాడు జాగ్రత్త గా, ముళ్ళు గుచ్చుకోకుండా. వీటికంటే తాజా కాయలు ఎక్కడ దొరుకుతాయి గనుక!   పిల్లలు రాలగొట్టిన కాయలన్నింటినీ నాలుగు భాగాలు గా చేసి, సమానం గా పంచుకొని తిన్నారు. చివరి గా ఉసిరి కాయలు రాల కొట్టి తిన్నారు. మోటారు  దగ్గరికి వెళ్ళి నీళ్ళు తాగారు. నీళ్ళు తీయ గా అనిపించాయి.
నీళ్ళు తాగింతరవాత పిల్లలు మోటారు బోదె లో స్నానానికి సిద్దమయ్యారు. ఇంతలో కృష్ణా రావు గారి కొత్త పాలేరు, సిద్దడు వచ్చి, “బాబూ, బోదె లో కి దిగితే మీ నాన్న గారు కోప్పడతారు”, అని వాడే శ్రీధర్ ని కోప్పడ్డాడు. ఈ కొత్త్త పాలేరు నల్ల గా ఉండటం వలన పిల్లలు వాడికి “నల్ల చింతపండు” అని పేరు పెట్టారు. పిల్లలు నల్ల చింతపండు గాణ్ణి “చెత్త చింతపండు గాడు” అని తిట్టుకొన్నారు . “ఇదే నాగులు అయితే ఆడుకోనిచ్చే వాడు”, అంటున్నాడు శ్రీధర్ పిల్లలతో.
పిల్లల కి నీళ్ళలో ఆడాలనే కోరిక తీరకపోవటం తో రేవు వైపుకి బయలుదేరారు, కరకట్ట మీద నుడుచుకొంటూ. సూర్యుడు పడమట  అస్తమిచబోతున్నాడు. ధడేల్ గాడు దిగంతానికేసి చెయ్యి చూపించి చిన్నూ గాడి తో, “అరేయ్, సూర్యుడి దగ్గరికి వెళ్దాం రా!” అన్నాడు.
“సూర్యుడికి ఎంత దూరం ఉంటుంది  రా”, అన్నాడు చిన్నూ.
“అక్కడే! కరకట్ట చివర అనుకొంటాన్రా!”, అన్నాడు ధడేల్ గాడు.
“సూర్యుణ్ణి ఎంత దూరం వెళ్ళినా చేరుకోలేమనుకొంటా రా”, అన్నాడు వాళ్ళలో  మూడో వాడు.
“సరే చూద్దాం రా”,  అని ధడేల్  గాడు పరి గెత్తతం మొదలెట్టాడు.
వాడితో పాటు మిగతా పిల్లలు కూడా పరిగెడుతున్నారు.
ఇంతలో ఎదురు గా వచ్చాడు గాంధీ మాస్టరు. ఆయన్ని చూసి మిగిలిన ఇద్దరు పిల్లలూ ఓ తాడి చెట్టు చాటు కి పోయి నక్కారు. ధడేల్ గాడు గాంధీ మాస్టర్ ని లెఖ్ఖచేయదలుచుకోలేదు. వాడితో పాటు చిన్నూ  గాడు కూడా “నమస్తే సార్”, అనాడు. గాంధీ మాస్టర్  అలియాస్ రామారావు ఎప్పుడూ గాంధీ గారి సిద్దాంతాల  గురించి ఉపన్యాసాలు ఇస్తాడు.  అందుకే ఆయనకా పేరు. అయితే బూతులు మాత్రం ఎక్కువ మాట్లాడతాడు.
“ఈ కరకట్ట మీద ఎక్కడికి రా బయలు దేరారు, సాడదాని కొడకల్లారా?”, అన్నాడు గాంధీ మస్టరు.
“సూర్యుడి దగ్గరికి సార్”, అన్నాడు చిన్నూ గాడు.
” సూర్యుడి దగ్గరికేంటి రా. ఓహో ఈ బడుధ్ధాయి ఉన్నాడు గా”, అని ధడేల్ గాదికేసి చూశాడు. వాడి పేరు ప్రఖ్యాతులు అప్పతి కే మాస్టర్ చెవిన పడ్డాయి.”కూసే గాడిద వచ్చి మేసే గాడిద ని చెడ గొట్టిందట. అయినా ఎవరన్నా ఏమన్నా చెబితే నమ్మేయటమేనా. నిజమేదో తెలుసుకొనే పన్లే, నీ లాంటి వాడు కూడా” అని శ్రీధర్ కి చెప్పి, గాంధీ మాస్టరు సాగిపోయాడు. ఆయనకి శ్రీధర్ తెలివైన వాడని నమ్మకం.
సాయంత్రం  కావస్తోంది. అయినా పిల్లలకేమీ ఆకలీ అలుపూ తెలియటం లేదు. వాళ్ళు తిన్న కాయల మహత్యమో, వాళ్ళ పసిమనసు ల మహత్యమో!. నది కంటే ముందు వాళ్ళని నది హోరు తాకింది. ఆ నది రొద లో పిల్లలు గొంతు పెంచి బిగ్గరగా అరుపుల తో మాట్లాడు కొంటున్నారు. కృష్ణా నది ఇసుక ఎక్కువ గా, నీళ్ళు  తక్కువ గా నూ కనపడుతోంది. ఇదే నది వరద వస్తే పరవళ్ళూ తొక్కుతూ, కొట్టుకు వచ్చే చెట్ల తో నూ, పశువుల కళేబరాల తో నూ,సుడులు తిరిగే బురద రంగు నీటి తో నూ కరకట్ట ను తాకుతూ భీకరం గా ఉంటుంది.
అందరూ నది నీళ్ళ  లో మునుగుతూ ఆత మొదలు పెట్టారు. “ఒరేయ్, ఎవరూ లోతు కు వెళ్ళ్కండి రా, మా తాత ఇక్కడే పడి కొట్టుకుపోయాడట. మా నాన్న చెప్పడు”, శ్రీధర్ బిగ్గరగా చెప్తున్నడు. పిల్లలంతా నీళ్ళలో మునిగి దాక్కునే ఆట ఆడుతున్నారు. ఆ క్రమం లో వాళ్ళకి తెలియ కుండానే నెమ్మది గా నది లొపలికి జరగ సాగారు.
శ్రీధర్ కాలి కింది బుసక కి హఠాత్తు గా డొల్ల పడి కిందికి దిగింది.. దాంతో వాడి తల నీళ్ళ కిందికి మునిగిపోయింది. కాసేపతికి తల మళ్ళీ పైకి తేలింది. వెంటనే వాడు గాభరా గా కేకలు వేశాడు. మళ్ళీ నీళ్ళ అడుగుకి మునిగి పోయాడు. ధడేల్ గాడికి ఈత బాగానే వచ్చు. వాడు ఈదు కొంటూ చిన్నూ వెనకాల కి వచ్చి, వాడిని ఒడ్డు వైపుకు బలం గా నెట్టాడు.. దాంతో చిన్నూ తల నీటి పైకి వచ్చింది. వాది కంగారు తగ్గింది. నీత్లో నడుచుకొంటూ ఒడ్డుకు చేరుకొన్నాడు. వాది తో పాటు అందరూ ఒడ్డూ కి చేరారు. “ఈ విషయం వాళ్ళ ఇళ్ళలో చెప్పబోమని” శ్రీధర్ మిగిలిన వాళ్ళ దగ్గర ప్రమాణాలు చేయించుకొన్నాడు. పిల్లలంతా ఇంటి ముఖం పట్టారు.
“అందర్నీ లోతుకెళ్ళోద్దని చెప్పి నువ్వెట్లా వెళ్ళావు రా? అందరికీ శకునం చెప్పే బల్లి తానే కుడితి లో పడ్డట్టుంది”, ధడేల్ గాడు శ్రీధర్ ని ఆట పట్టించసాగాడు.
‘నేనేమీ లోపలికెళ్ళలేదు రా, కాలికింద ఇసుక కుంగింది”, శ్రీధర్ సమర్ధించుకున్నాడు.

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్  వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ – ఒకటవ భాగం

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్  వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ -రెండవ భాగం

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్  వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ -మూడవ భాగం

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్  వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ -నాలుగవ భాగం

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్  వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ -ఐదవ భాగం

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్  వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ -ఆరవ భాగం

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్ వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ – ఏడవ భాగం

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్ వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ – ఎనిమిదవ భాగం

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్ వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ-9

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్ వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ-10

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్ వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ-11

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్ వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ-12

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్ వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ-13

ఒక తెలుగు సాఫ్ట్ వేర్ ఇంజినీర్ కథ-14

ఇంకా ఉంది…

As a young child, I looked forward to the last day of my swimming lessons each year with a mixture of dread and fascination. Our community pool had a high-diving board, approximately 10 meters. Today it is rare to find a board so high at the local swimming pool, but liability issues weren’t such a consideration back then. The final day of lessons brought the opportunity for each child to jump from the high dive. I relished the prospect, in spite of my fears. On the last day of the session, I would carefully climb the ladder and inch toward the end of the board. Looking down 30 feet into the crystal water usually sent my heart into palpitations – but the lifeguards had a rule – if you decided to climb the ladder, the only way down was by jumping. I didn’t understand how patient the instructors were, treading water in the deep end and coaxing me to jump, until I became a lifeguard as a teenager and joined the annual ritual from their perspective.

And so, I’ve been taking my author lessons for awhile now, writing, selling manuscripts, and watching my first novel become a real, live book out there in the world.  But blogging has been my high dive. I’ve inched closer and closer by guest blogging with my author groups, commenting here and there on other blogs, and generally coaxing myself toward the precipice. I’ve been standing here for awhile, toes curled around the edge of the board, and it’s about time I close my eyes and jump.

Here I go – wheee!

do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.

this verse is heavy on my heart…as i worry about tomorrow.  i can’t think of a part of tomorrow that will be “easy.” tomorrow will be a very trying day. i’m going to hear messages that i’m not ready to hear, i’m going to wrestle with topics that make my heart hurt, i may have very difficult conversations, i’m going to work on relationships that i’ve messed up, and i’m probably going to meet someone i’ve never met before.

talk about stepping out of my comfort zone… i think i’ll have those space-shoes on and i’ll just fly out of my comfort zone.

but even when i’m in mid-air… even when i land into the prickly bushes…even when i can’t hold my own weight in the sky…even when i’m completely struggs with a scraped knee…God will be with me.  always. and completely. He’s not in it half-way for me. He’s in it to give me life. to give me hope. to help me know Him more.

I gotta put my hope in Him though. Not the day after tomorrow. Not today. In the person of Jesus Christ.

I want my focus to be on the Lord, not the day or day to come. Because He knows that the day to come has enough to worry about itself.

God is good. Today, yesterday, tomorrow, and the day after. Forever.

trying to obsess over God instead of the trials tomorrow,

coop