Victoria's Island

Missing Out?

As you may know, Marc and I do not have "television". We do have a television but if I push the power button, nothing will happen. I won't see a list of 200 channels begging me to sit down and watch them. Nope, nothing really will happen when the power button is pressed.

We used to have all the television channels a person could want. But now we don't. Instead we watch shows online or via subscription services. This works for us - we watch what we're interested in.

But a strange side effect of this type of television viewing is a disconnectedness with popular culture, news, scandal, and other entertainment stuff. We find that we really don't know anything about the latest scandals/news regarding entertainment stars. We typically aren't aware of the newest movies coming out. We really are out of touch with the new televison shows. We are not subject to advertising.

Yes, we still have access to this "stuff" but because we choose what we want to watch and rely on the Internet and radio for staying up-to-date it is easy to ignore the noise and focus on only what we are interested in. I was initially worried that we'd miss out with not being able to sit down and turn on the television, but now it just seems completely normal. When we do find ourselves in a hotel room we both get a good television fix - typically we end up turning off the television because there is "nothing on". 

We get our news from CBC Radio and online news sites.

We get our entertainment from books (read on our ereaders) and the Internet. 

We still watch movies but rely on our friends to keep us up-to-date with the latest films out there.

We still watch bike racing but do so with the online live feeds.

I still watch Grey's Anatomy but do so online.

Are we missing out by not having television? I don't think so. I don't need to know about the latest episode of Big Brother or care to know about some short-lived celebrity wedding. I seek out what I want to know about instead. In fact, I think without television there is a lot less "noise" in my life - giving me/us a chance to focus on what really makes us happy and smiling.

(No, we didn't watch the Academy Awards last night. We watched the TinTin movie instead - it was very good. Though I did fall asleep and missed the last 45 minutes of it...)

Randomness

Well, we are almost through February... This is a good thing. There is something about this second month of the year that can be a challenge. The highs of the holidays are over, the weather can be not so nice, and it seems like summer is a long way off - all this has a way of culminating in a tough month.

So with this in mind, I thought I'd share some of the nifty things I've read, bookmarked, or pondered - all thanks to the Internet of course:

Pinterest - I'm on Pinterest. This virtual pinboard site is really cool. If you're into something (i.e. hobby), you can use Pinterest to track these hobby-related things/ideas/thoughts/etc. Anyway, I'm up there, check me out and start following me.

Fast Company - this is an excellent magazine and the website is top-notch as well. Not just for tech-heads this magazine has the pulse on innovation, business, technology, and people.

Do Lectures - you've heard of Ted Talks - well time to check out this ground-breaking series of lectures. They're free. They're practical. They're useful. They're inspiring. 

Magical Loaf Studio - do you have a hankering to make a vegetarian or vegan "meat" loaf but don't know where to start? Use this super smart website to create a recipe that will work. 

Longreads - take a few minutes and really read an article online. Don't scan and don't skim. Read this very real writing and journalism that you've likely missed.

So there you have it, some interesting "stuff" for you to check out. 

On another note, Lent is starting tomorrow. Now I'm not a religious person per se but Lent does give me the opportunity to make a change. So I've decided to give up all pop/soda/soft drinks as well as drinks with soy in them (in other words break the Starbucks addiction) for the duration of Lent. I don't drink a lot of pop but aspartame and high fructose corn syrup simply aren't good for anyone. As for the soy-based drinks - I seem to have an affinity for over-priced drinks at coffee shops - giving up soy is a great way to break this and keep some dollars in my pocket. Tea and black coffee it is!

So there you have it some guaranteed randomness. Fingers crossed that this warm weather keeps up - if so I'll be out on my bike outside this weekend! 

 

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Don't scrunch up your nose - it is Valentine's Day! This day could be considered a Hallmark holiday - but I don't really care. You don't need to buy roses, a diamond ring, chocolates or bake a very tasty German chocolate cake (my favourite). What you need to do is to be thankful.

Be thankful that you're blessed with wonderful people in your life. Valentine's Day isn't just for couples. It is for people. Since you're reading this blog, you're fortunate - you have leisure time, an Internet connection, a computer, etc. Yes you have problems but these are first world problems...

Regardless of how you feel about Valentine's Day and its saacharine message - do something nice for someone today. Hold the door open for a stranger. Let the motorist into the lane. Stop for a pedestrian to cross the street. Help someone with their groceries. These might sound simple but I believe it is the small acts that can go a long way in making a person's day better. Heck, just smile at someone - this is huge.

Sitting here at my desk, I spend a lot of time glancing and pondering these two framed photos (thanks Dad for framing these):

These two photos are of Lennon's Wall in Prague, Czech Republic. Lennon's Wall has since the 1980s been a place where graffiti artists and others, post John Lennon lyrics. I've visited Lennon's Wall twice and I find it to be a truly inspirational experience. On my last trip to Prague, I bought these two photos while walking along the Charles Bridge and I really think they make an important statement in this frame.

They kind of do speak to the essence of Valentine's Day....

Fantastic News!!!

Today is a very good day! This morning I had an appointment with my sports medicine doctor and I received some excellent news about my fractured L3...

Well, it has healed - two weeks ahead of schedule. After some tests and movement analysis, my doctor has given me the all-clear. So this means I can get back to yoga and really go full-steam ahead with training for the upcoming spring and early summer racing season.

Even better news is that my bone density scan revealed very positive results regarding my bone strength. There was some concern that I might have osteoporosis - but the bone density scan has revealed that my bones are actually stronger than average.

All of this news gives much some extreme confidence in my body and overall health. There will be no lingering thoughts in my head when I start the cyclo-cross season in September that my back is not ready for the impacts of cyclo-cross racing.

A good day indeed! 2012 is looking better and better each week. 

Now Is A Good Time

Now is the perfect time to take a break and watch this video. You won't regret it. A good 16 minutes spent. After you watch it - I want to know what you're going to do next: