Aroha

Update

martsb — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 04:07:58 +0000

Post Christmas has been crazy:

finishing up at Vineyard College
Iona visiting from the UK
Luke and Kristin ad Alex and Isabelle visiting from the Waikato
me having 2 weeks off and doing some household related jobs like tackling an overgrown backyard (with 5 years of rotting undergrowth!)
several mountain bike rides (including an epic stack on Livewires)
a Wellington anniversary weekend trip to Wanganui to see Nigel
starting my new job at the Salvation Army (this is my main focus)

Learning from a pro

martsb — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 20:50:32 +0000

My wonderful wife bought me a great book for Christmas: titled “Mastering Mountain Biking Skills” by pro rider Brian Lopes. Its is the all-time best-selling how-to mountain bike book, selling over 60,000 copies in 7 different languages.

It’s not only a fun and informative read but quite technical (I haven’t read any other bikes books that talk about drift, camber, g-forces, turn radius, elevation, lean angles, and downward forces!) but already i have been putting some of the lessons into practice at Makara Peak.

After a near 3 hour ride practicing various things I felt I was riding better than I have been for a while…which is encouraging. Practice makes perfect though and with a couple of weeks off I should be able to get a few more rides in.

If you know anything about MTB, you will know about Brian Lopes . He has had an unprecedented 20 year career as a professional cyclist, labeled by USA Today as “Undisputedly the best all around world class cycling athlete”. He has earned the prestigious title of Mountain Bike World Champion four times, first in 2001, then again in 2002, 2005 and most currently in 2007. Racing BMX for most of his childhood, Brian learned how to ride a bike at the tender age of 4, turning Pro at the age of 17 and competing in the BMX circuit for 7 years before channeling all his efforts in 1993 to mountain biking. In 2008 he was inducted into the Mountain Bike and BMX Hall of Fame.

Brianan has won over 19 titles in his mountain biking career: 9 National Championship titles, 6 UCI World Cup Championship and 4 World Championships. He has more UCI World Cup career wins than any other male mountain biker in the history of the sport.

If there is any one person worth learning some MTB skills from, its him. If you want to get a glimpse of how good he is, then watch this!

(The section at 3.40-3.50 i can’t even SEE never mind know how to ride it or be brave enough to do it at that speed; sheer brilliance!)

New house

martsb — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 20:35:55 +0000

Sunny, spacious, close to the bush and with a logburner…nice!

Big day

martsb — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 20:31:24 +0000

Last day at Vineyard College today and Ingrid and i also have our 20 week scan…

I’m looking forward to a couple of weeks off before i start my new job.

Images of 2011

martsb — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:47:49 +0000

The Texas Forest Service undertook controlled burns to get rid of fuel on the mountains around McDonald Observatory in the Davis Mountains of West Texas, which were experiencing widespread forest fires. Here, Black Mountain is burning. The Hobby-Eberly Telescope dome is at right. (Frank Cianciolo/McDonald Observatory)

ISAF soldiers leave the Intercontinental Hotel at the end of a military operation against Taliban militants who had stormed the hotel in Kabul. Taliban suicide bombers and gunmen attacked the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, sparking a five-hour battle with Afghan commandos backed by a NATO helicopter gunship in an assault that left at least 10 people dead. (Pedro Ugarte/AFP/Getty Images)

A massive tsunami sweeps in to engulf a residential area after a powerful earthquake in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture in northeastern Japan. (Reuters/KYODO)

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo throws during the eighth inning of Game 1 of baseball’s National League division series against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

Lightning flashes around the ash plume above the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano chain near Entrelagos, Chile. The volcano in the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle chain, dormant for decades, erupted in south-central Chile, belching ash over 6 miles (10 km) into the sky, as winds fanned it toward neighboring Argentina, and prompted the government to evacuate several thousand residents, authorities said. (Reuters/Carlos Gutierrez)

The year in review

martsb — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:09:53 +0000

My year in review…

Moment of the year: getting married of course!

Woman of the year: my wife- an amazing woman who puts up with my idiosyncracies

Man of the year: Nigel- he is the funniest bloke alive and also the most reliable and faithful man of God

Favourite film: Toss up between The King’s Speech and The Help. Honourable mention goes to The Adjustment Bureau

Favourite album: Audrey Assad The House You’re Building; simply beautiful, warm, inviting, evocative worship.

Favourite book: Pacific Legacy: Image and Memory from World War II in the Pacific- hard to believe such barbaric things happened in such beautiful places

Favourite sporting moment: England winning the Ashes, All Blacks winning the World Cup and West Ham smashing Man Utd 4-0 in the cup.

Drink of the year: Stoke Gold from Nelson. Maple Tea from Canada is very nice too.

Favourite place: McKenzie Country in September was pretty special, especially seeing Aoraki/Mt Cook for the first time in perfect weather. However it goes to the Matukituki Valley beneath Mt Aspiring; scenic grandeur clothed in ethereal light at the end of the day and with no one else around. Stunning…also it had the coldest river I have ever set foot in.

Least favourite place: Palmerston North- nice people but soulless and anodyne. Seeing three pregnant women smoking in the first 10 minutes of being there told me all I needed to know…

Best purchase: Giant Trance X2- has provided me much mountain biking joy in recent months..and a few scars

Worst purchase: socks- they never seem to last. Maybe i have weird feet…

Scary moment of the year: seeing a bus clip a family crossing Willis St- i was convinced i would see 3 people die in front of me. Blessedly, they were ok but terrified

Most energetic moment: chasing the 2 punks who legged it out of a taxi in front of me without paying. They were shocked when I chased them..and more so when I caught them. The driver got his money…

Worst company to deal with: Student Loan Company UK- as much use as a fork in a sugar bowl. R&R Sports; great help when I buy my bike from you, then you bugger it with your ‘servicing’

Best company to deal with: Westpac are quite lovely and sort things quickly. Air New Zealand for their usual high level of service. Revolution Cycles on Northland Rd- they can teach R&R many things…

Favourite work related thing: I have had some brilliant students this year who have been a huge encouragement

Least favourite work related thing; marking is so tedious. And people who don’t do the things you ask of them

Least favourite NZ thing: the shocking rates of child abuse beggars belief

Most favourite NZ thing; seeing the country come together for Christchurch after the earthquake

Mud mirth

martsb — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 01:53:56 +0000

One of the funniest things i have seen in ages.

I don’t know what is funnier, the rider’s accident or the sheer hilarity it provokes in his friends that renders them utterly unable to help him…

http://www.liveleak.com/e/f94_1322957815

Money Marlins

martsb — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:02:23 +0000

The Florida Marlins have been re-named as the Miami Marlins. Maybe the Miami should be switched for money?

In 2012, they will move into newly constructed Marlins Ballpark in Little Havana, Miami, and in the last few days the Marlins have signed All Star pitcher Mark Buehrle , All-Star shortstop Jose Reyes and All-Star closer Heath Bell.

While it may mean some success on the field, they will however look dreadful in their new uniforms, which look like a 4 year old has been let loose with a box of crayons.

Just goes to show that having lots of money does not equate to having class…

4.2

martsb — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 01:10:59 +0000

Following Saturday’s shake, we had another this morning of 4.2 about 10km west of Porirua and 30km deep. Was the same as Saturday’s in terms of noise and movement but less intense. Still not nice and worse being in the office here on the waterfront where you feel it more.

5.7

martsb — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 22:32:12 +0000

Fairly sizable quake rocked Wellington on Saturday night- epicentre was 30km away in the Cook Strait but it was 60km deep. Still, it made the house rumble and sway and then was followed by a very severe jolt which was pretty alarming. Some minor damage was suffered by waterfront buildings but other than that, everyone and everything is ok.