Well,
After a month without alcohol, leading up to the Mooloolaba triathlon, which I completed on the weekend, I finished the race with a bottle of wine (which was my March challenge). I wanted to spend one or two hundred, but in Gladstone, the most expensive bottle my wife (the purchaser) could find was a $30 bottle from South Australia. It was very nice, and it is worth mentioning that it was the most expensive bottle of wine I have ever drank.
So, it was still a first. But the bar is still high, and one day, I will lash out and buy a very expensive bottle. For the record, I had three XXXX Summers, also. They tasted nice, too. I am glad I did a great detox for a month, I lost a heap of weight, but I don't know if I got under the 80 kilo mark, as I did not measure myself, due to not being home to do that between travel and going to Mooloolaba. By the way, that month of not drinking was the first one of the 101 things for 2010 to be ticked off the list. Yee Hah.
I thought it might be worth doing a quarterly update of where I am at the moment, with the year to do list. Here it is:
1. I think it might be to Asia again, probably after Christmas, though, definitely in 2010 - BOOKED
2. Learn how to surf (holy crap - that sounds hard) - NEARLY BOUGHT A SURF BOARD ON THE WEEKEND, AM THINKING MORE ABOUT THIS ONE CURRENTLY
3. Run 100 kilometres in a day (the North Face 100 - May 2010) - REGISTERED
4. Parachute (holy crap again) - SCARY
5. Buy a General Lee (Dukes of Hazard) '69 Dodge or Valiant Charger (yee hah) - NOTHING
6. Meet Dean Karnazes (long distance runner) - IN MAY
7. Put some of my presentations on You Tube - TO DO LIST
8. Change a life, though not sure who's life I will change, as yet, might be a little hard to plan that one - NOT YET
9. Have sex every day for a week - NOT YET
10. No alcohol for one month - DONE
So, in summary, one done, three booked in. Heading in the right direction.
It is only 7 weeks until the 100k run. That is not a lot of preparation time. Anyway, must keep working towards it.
The big question is, though, what to do for April. February and March were good - Jazz concert and an expensive bottle of wine, what will April do. I am going to ask professor google for some advice ...
I think April should have a focus of romance with my wife. I should maker her feel loved, I think. So, with that in mind, a moonlight beach walk, a love letter whilst away for work, and a dinner for two, without the kids is the focus for April. There you go, what a great way to strengthen our marriage. Mind you, we have been married for nearly 16 years, so we know each other well ... or we should.
Until next time. stay strong and do more of the 101 things.
Anton
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Another one off the list
Really, I started this blog to help keep me honest for the year, and to hold me publicly accountable to the 10 (ish) things that I wanted to achieve. Well, that has been good, and is going well, but occasionally, I am managing to tick things off my full 101 things to do list. Now, I won't share that list with you, as it will too long, and growing regularly, but when I do something off that list, I will share it, with you.
Firstly, though, onto the alcohol restriction for this month. No problems, and it will only get easier from here on in, as I am away for the next two weeks, for work. So, that will be fine. That is a good thing to do, and I recommend it to everyone. It just takes a bit of will power. I have only really been tempted on one occasion, and was able to resist.
In two weeks though, it is into an expensive bottle of red. Now, the person that I was going to share that with is not drinking either at the moment, so that will mean that I might be into it on my own. Oh well, looking at the positives, it should be enjoyable.
Now, onto what I did on the weekend, from the 101 list. I went and saw the musical Les Miserables. It was great fun. I enjoyed it, but had trouble following it in places. If you haven't been, the whole show is sung, not spoken. so it is important to listen carefully to what is being sung, and by whom. It was a Gladstone (Queensland) performance, so it was not done by a major production company or the like, though the quality was exceptional. Very enjoyable. The story has several components, with one being a convict (it is sent in 1815) serving 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his starving niece. The other story line is of Cozzette, who was orphaned when her mother died. The convict ended up raising the girl, and saving the life of the man that she would eventually marry. Very nice. I was able to share the experience with my 10 year old son, who, thankfully did not really understand some of the sexual connotations throughout the show. The singing, the music and the acting were all of a high quality, really. Very impressive. I must admit that I found it a little long to sit through at times, but overall it was another great experience. It has been a year of great experiences already.
The only other thing to report is that the 100k run is only 9 weeks away. Sheese, that is getting close. I want to do it in a day - 24 hours, though if I can do it in 20 hours, I get a belt buckle. Doesn't really seem worth it, somehow, but the feel good factor, and the bragging rights should be worth it (hopefully). I am getting excited about it, though. I t will be a huge achievement, the sort of thing that most people cannot achieve. Bring it on.
I have to start thinking about something that I can do for April, soon, now that February and March are out of the way. Not sure what that will be yet, but something fun, I am sure.
Until next time, live with passion.
Anton
Firstly, though, onto the alcohol restriction for this month. No problems, and it will only get easier from here on in, as I am away for the next two weeks, for work. So, that will be fine. That is a good thing to do, and I recommend it to everyone. It just takes a bit of will power. I have only really been tempted on one occasion, and was able to resist.
In two weeks though, it is into an expensive bottle of red. Now, the person that I was going to share that with is not drinking either at the moment, so that will mean that I might be into it on my own. Oh well, looking at the positives, it should be enjoyable.
Now, onto what I did on the weekend, from the 101 list. I went and saw the musical Les Miserables. It was great fun. I enjoyed it, but had trouble following it in places. If you haven't been, the whole show is sung, not spoken. so it is important to listen carefully to what is being sung, and by whom. It was a Gladstone (Queensland) performance, so it was not done by a major production company or the like, though the quality was exceptional. Very enjoyable. The story has several components, with one being a convict (it is sent in 1815) serving 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his starving niece. The other story line is of Cozzette, who was orphaned when her mother died. The convict ended up raising the girl, and saving the life of the man that she would eventually marry. Very nice. I was able to share the experience with my 10 year old son, who, thankfully did not really understand some of the sexual connotations throughout the show. The singing, the music and the acting were all of a high quality, really. Very impressive. I must admit that I found it a little long to sit through at times, but overall it was another great experience. It has been a year of great experiences already.
The only other thing to report is that the 100k run is only 9 weeks away. Sheese, that is getting close. I want to do it in a day - 24 hours, though if I can do it in 20 hours, I get a belt buckle. Doesn't really seem worth it, somehow, but the feel good factor, and the bragging rights should be worth it (hopefully). I am getting excited about it, though. I t will be a huge achievement, the sort of thing that most people cannot achieve. Bring it on.
I have to start thinking about something that I can do for April, soon, now that February and March are out of the way. Not sure what that will be yet, but something fun, I am sure.
Until next time, live with passion.
Anton
Friday, March 5, 2010
Another one off the list
Well, we are into March, and it is well into the four week period that I am spending alcohol free. It is going quite well, and there has only been one time really, when I was tempted, and would have enjoyed a quite beer with a mate. We had just ridden 92 k and were quite hot on sweaty on our return, over three hours later. Mark went straight for a XXXX Summer and I went for a protein shake. That was probably healthier anyway. It is only 23 more days, and I am working away for most of that. I will only be home for one weekend, so that will make it easier, as I usually don't drink when I am away for work.
Anyway, the challenge for March is to find a $200 bottle of wine from say the Margaret River region of WA. I am working alot in Perth for the first part of this year, so should support the area with my monthly challenge. I have never drank anything that expensive, so it will be a real novelty. Something different. I know just the person that I will drink it with, too.
One thing that I have not put on this blog, is that I also have a 101 to do list outside of what I am going to achieve this year. That involves all sorts of things like walking the Kokoda Trail, climbing Mount Everest, going to the Olympics etc, and one of the things on that list is to visit the Kimberleys, in Western Australia. It is rumoured to be an amazing part of the country. Well, would you believe it, but for the work that I am currently doing in WA, I am right this moment sitting on a diamond mine in the East Kimberleys. And yes, the scenery is amazing. Yee hah, another one crossed off the list. I am going running each night, and it is amazing to be running along roads that are skirted with amazing mountain ranges that show thousands of years of ground movement, amongst other things.
So, it is probably time for a recap of the 10 things I was going to do this year, as well as the monthly challenges.
Here are the 10 things, and a progress report:
1. Travel overseas (travel booked for December, though I suspect I will be going to Thailand earlier than that for work - As soon as June)
2. Learn how to do something new (something that takes more than a week to learn) - No progress
3. Do an endurance sporting event - Planned for May 15 and 16
4. Do an extreme sport - No progress
5. Achieve an unrealistic goal - No progress
6. Meet someone famous - Planned for May 16
7. Put something on You Tube - No progress
8. Change someone's life - No progress
9. Have sex every day for a week - No progress, but excited
10. Give up alcohol for at least one month - Under way, to be completed by March 28, without too much trouble
February was to attend a live event - which was a jazz concert - great fun, and another first.
March is to buy an expensive bottle of wine - sounds nice.
You know, it is great to have a list like this to achieve each year, and I can't believe that I didn't do it sooner. It is not only fun doing stuff I have never done before, but it is a great way to keep doing amazing things. I can't wait to learn to surf, though Summer is nearly coming to an end, so it is going to get cold soon. Bummer, might wait until next Summer. The cold weather is too tough for me.
Anyway, life rocks. Keep at the 101 things to do, and live the dream.
Anton
Anyway, the challenge for March is to find a $200 bottle of wine from say the Margaret River region of WA. I am working alot in Perth for the first part of this year, so should support the area with my monthly challenge. I have never drank anything that expensive, so it will be a real novelty. Something different. I know just the person that I will drink it with, too.
One thing that I have not put on this blog, is that I also have a 101 to do list outside of what I am going to achieve this year. That involves all sorts of things like walking the Kokoda Trail, climbing Mount Everest, going to the Olympics etc, and one of the things on that list is to visit the Kimberleys, in Western Australia. It is rumoured to be an amazing part of the country. Well, would you believe it, but for the work that I am currently doing in WA, I am right this moment sitting on a diamond mine in the East Kimberleys. And yes, the scenery is amazing. Yee hah, another one crossed off the list. I am going running each night, and it is amazing to be running along roads that are skirted with amazing mountain ranges that show thousands of years of ground movement, amongst other things.
So, it is probably time for a recap of the 10 things I was going to do this year, as well as the monthly challenges.
Here are the 10 things, and a progress report:
1. Travel overseas (travel booked for December, though I suspect I will be going to Thailand earlier than that for work - As soon as June)
2. Learn how to do something new (something that takes more than a week to learn) - No progress
3. Do an endurance sporting event - Planned for May 15 and 16
4. Do an extreme sport - No progress
5. Achieve an unrealistic goal - No progress
6. Meet someone famous - Planned for May 16
7. Put something on You Tube - No progress
8. Change someone's life - No progress
9. Have sex every day for a week - No progress, but excited
10. Give up alcohol for at least one month - Under way, to be completed by March 28, without too much trouble
February was to attend a live event - which was a jazz concert - great fun, and another first.
March is to buy an expensive bottle of wine - sounds nice.
You know, it is great to have a list like this to achieve each year, and I can't believe that I didn't do it sooner. It is not only fun doing stuff I have never done before, but it is a great way to keep doing amazing things. I can't wait to learn to surf, though Summer is nearly coming to an end, so it is going to get cold soon. Bummer, might wait until next Summer. The cold weather is too tough for me.
Anyway, life rocks. Keep at the 101 things to do, and live the dream.
Anton
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