April taken care of

Well, after a week at home last week, I was able to place some focus on my lovely wife, and make her feel loved. The three things were a moonlight beach walk, a nice dinner for two and a love letter. Well, the moonlight walk was taken care of by an evening drive along the Gladstone foreshore (not quite a beach, but similar). Dinner for two was lovely, at the Library Square Brasserie in Gladstone. The love letter has just left my email, and it was very nice, and I await a reply tomorrow. I hope she likes it. In summary, April was love month at the Guinea's, and I really enjoyed being home and connecting emotionally with my wife Julie (and the boys, Toby and Zac). I really hope Julie enjoyed it as much as I did.

So, what will May be? Not sure as yet, stay tune. I am thinking that I might contact one of my heroes (or authors). I love reading, and have read some amazing books recently. For a blog about book reading, check out: http://reading52booksin52weeksin2010.blogspot.com/. Contacting my favourite author sounds like a great idea.

Anyway, what else is happening in May. Well, the 100k run in one day will be out of the way in mid May. Only 3 weeks away now. That will be tough. I am not sure if the 5 weeks training will be enough. Anyway, time will soon tell. Looking forward to getting it out of the way. For more information on how that event goes, check out: http://enduranceandexhilarationin2010.blogspot.com/.

Life is great, really.

If you need anymore lfe improvement ideas, check out: http://www.antonguinea.com.au/.

Keep ticking things off your list.

Anton

Easter

We really did have a great weekend. We spent Easter on a little Island off the Queensland coast (Curtis Island), where my parents have a Holiday home. It was great, we were joined by friends, and we fished, swam, walked, four wheel drove and generally lived the dream.

I must say though, that I missed the opportunity to do anything really romantic with my wife, and given that April is romance month for me - with the 101 things to do in life for 2010 - I probably should have made more of an effort. My excuse is that we only really had one day together, as we had friends for the other two days, and Monday was spent travelling home and cleaning up after the weekend. I will think about it this week, and make up for it next Saturday or Sunday night. Julie will love it. Maybe romantic dinner at a nice restaurant, or an evening walk up town or something similar. It will be great fun, what ever we do. The kids will be cranky, as we will probably leave them with Uncle Joe, or at home. They will be fine, as they are now 10 and 12, and big enough and ugly enough to look after themselves.

It was though, nice to share the nice bottle of wine that I bought after the Mooloolaba triathlon with my wife. She actually said that it was nice - she rarely drinks wine - so that was a nice moment last week. We have not finished the bottle, and we may not for a while, as I am thinking of doing another six week stint without drinking. I have another sporting event coming up, so might go alcohol free for six weeks. The sporting event is the North Face 100, which is another one of the 101 things to do (a 100k run). At that event, I should meet Dean Karnazes, too, who is a superstar in the field of long distance running, and that will be two things ticked off the list in one weekend. Yee hah.

In relation to other 101 things to do this year, we are looking at surf boards on ebay (given that we did not purchase one when we were away last weekend. I think surfing lessons are not far away. I am really pumped about that, as I have always wondered what the secret with surfing is. I have always loved Occy and other great surfers, and admired their skill levels. We will end up getting lessons at Agnes Waters, I am guessing, so that will be fun just going down there for the weekend.

I am not really sure how to know that I have 'learnt to surf' and to be able to tick it off the list for this year. I am guessing that lessons might be enough. Maybe being able to stand up is the real test - not sure, and I will let you know when I actually have a go. I will keep you posted.

The other thing I am starting to think about is parachuting. Now that sounds scary, and I am not sure why I signed up for that this year. I have never done it, and it scares the crap out of me, but other people seem to be able to do it, so it can't be that hard (my life motto, when it comes to crazy stuff to do). I will have to ask Professor Google where I can do it, and line it up for a weekend later in the year. Actually, if I plan it soon, I can lock it into the calendar now. Maybe Julie will like to do it, too. I will ask her - will be a good bonding experience. More to come.

Until next time, keep ticking the things to do off your list.

Anton

Another one off the list ...

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

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

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

Next challenge

Well, as February draws to a close, and with the Mooloolaba triathlon only 4.5 weeks away, I thought it would be time to spend a month without alcohol. Yep, until March 28, there will be no drinking for Antonio.

That will tick off another thing from my list this year. This is all too easy. I need harder challenges, I think.

As we head into March, I am trying to think of what to do for that month, as a challenge. I am thinking about either celebrating the Mooloolaba tri with a $200 bottle of red wine (I have never spent that sort of money on wine (or alcohol before). The wine would have to be a special bottle, and Julie (wife) would have to love it, too. Or, go to the tallest building in a capital city, and savour the view, or organise a charity event (like a ride or a run for charity, maybe). Or, take the kids on a charter boat fishing for the day. That would be good. Anyway, I will keep you informed as March approaches.

On the yearly plan, there is not much to report, other than that I have started the month of no drinking. The overseas holiday is booked, as you know, and I am still looking forward to the week or sex every day (I keep forgetting to mention that to Julie).

Anyway, live the dream, stay strong, and make your life count.

Have fun.

Anton

February Challenge

Well, the February challenge is done and dusted. The challenge was to go to a live performance of some sort.

I thought I would pick something that was a little unusual (for me at least)

Last night, for the first time in my life, so it was quite an experience, I went to a Jazz concert.

It was just a great evening, and something that I want to do again soon. The band that was playing was the Tal Cohen Trio, with Jamie Oehlers. I have included the information from the Perth Jazz Club web site below, to provide more information. They played at the Charles Hotel at North Perth.

Look, for a country boy from Queensland, with not a great deal of culture, mind you, last night was just great fun. The music was lively, the performers pumping, and the audience engaged. It was not a huge audience, perhaps 70 people were there, enjoying the fun. The four guys played for an hour, had half and hour break, then got back into it.

The Bassist reminded me of the shaggy out of Scooby Doo, he was lanky and gee he could play that instrument. He rocked, as did the drummer and of course Tal and Jamie.

Get this, some of their songs were like 10 minutes long. They just kept going. In one song, they could go up, down, loud, soft, slow fast and anything in between. The four lads really enjoyed what they were doing. I loved the way that they moved when they were doing solos, they were just engrossed, and passionate - living the dream. Good on you boys.

I have played the alto sax for a short time, so I love that instrument. The bass and the piano and the drums were also smoking, too, and when you put it all together the music was quite groovy. Most of it appeared to be written by Tal, I am guessing, given his short announcements (gee, he needs to work on his speeches though, his stage presence behind the microphone was very ordinary - but that is not why he was there after all) prior to each song. He talked about Bach's Prelude there at one stage, which sounded a little like he was speaking Chinese, as I have no idea, but audience seemed to get a little excited.

The one thing that I thought about was, how much do these blokes get paid for their efforts. It really can't be much. See, there were about 70 people there, all having paid either $10 or $15 entry. Now, that can only equate to between $700 and $1,000 ish. And there were four of them, and the house needs to take a bit, I guess. So, really they would get paid next to nothing, I would presume. The next thing that went through my mind was, so what. Really, I reckon there was no other place those four blokes wanted to be on Monday night. They really were loving it.

The question is, is money everything. Maybe not, you know. Look, I like earning a good wage, as we all do, but is there a point where you just live the dream. See, if you are living your passion, the theory is that you will make heaps, and this is generally true. Maybe these guys make heaps outside these small shows (Tal and Jamie appear to work at a Music School, so they get a wage there, presumably). It is really none of my business, it was just a thought. Two things are for certain, though, they are at the top of their game, and they are loving what they are doing. Good on 'em! How many people can really, truly, say the same.

FYI, here is the information that I found on the Perth Jazz Society Web site:

TAL COHEN TRIO ...with special guest JAMIE OEHLERS

Mon 15 Feb 2010 @ 8:00pm

Admission Members $10 Student members $5 Non members $15

DON'T MISS this energized evening of hard bop, original ideas and virtuoso performance! Joining pianist Tal Cohen and special guest, the supreme tenor saxophonist, Jamie Oehlers, will be two of the most promising musicians that ‘stoke the fire and burn the fuel’ – bassist Karl Florrison and on drums, Sean Phillips.

TAL COHEN left Israel at the age of 16 where he studied classical piano and traditional Jewish folk culture. Upon arrival in Perth Tal received a music scholarship to Churchlands and in 2006 gained entrance into jazz at WAAPA. Tal is currently completing his Masters degree under the guidance of Jamie Oehlers - that makes for a stream of musical consciousness that will literally ‘blow your mind’.

Western Australian jazz saxophonist, Jamie Oehlers is one of those phenomena that comes along once in a generation. Already he has a string of awards to his name including Winner of the 2003 White Foundation World Saxophone Competition and Winner of 2007 Bell Award for Australian Jazz Musician of the Year. Jamie has not even reached his zenith so every performance is an exciting voyage of discovery for both audience and artist.