2007 - Page 11 of 15 - ActiveSteve

Turning Shoes into a Kayak

Howdy all, as you might be able to tell from both my clever title, and the accompanying picture, I am now the proud owner of a new kayak! Well, not quite a new kayak, but definitely new to me. What you are looking at is the gorgeous Perception Kayaks’ Cadence 14 boat. This little gem was just introduced last year, so it’s a relatively new model. So just how exactly did I go from shoes to a kayak? Well, that’s pretty simple to answer. As many of you are aware, I’m a bit of a frugal fellow when it comes to the little things, but I have this rather odd compulsion to drop large piles of money on new toys at the drop of the hat when something strikes my fancy and the mood strikes me. This little gem was just one such of those experiences. I was heading to Bushtukah for the semi-annual VIP sale when good shoppers like me are given the chance to save some coin over regular prices. I was originally going in to buy a new pair of runners, trail shoes, and / or bike shoes, but instead was wowed into getting this boat. Read on for the rest of the story. Oh, and check out the rest of the pictures I took.

Race Reports

Racing and Training Updates

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Hello all out there! I figure it’s time to update you on the progress of Team Hyper-Active, as well as my personal training and athletic pursuits for the coming months. WIth the addition of my handy-dandy new Garmin Forerunner 305, I’ve been able to basically track all my workouts, and then review the stats. No, I’m not going to bore you with the reams of data that I’m now collecting 😉 Suffice it to say, it’s an engineering geek turned athlete’s dream come true. Even when spinning indoors, I’ve been at least able to log my heart rate data and time of workouts; and when I trained on my tri bike, I was also able to track virtual distance and cadence data as well. I tells ya, it’s absolutely sweet! Now, when I’m not training, I feel bad, because the calendar has a blank spot. But I digress. Of course I’m not always out training, but I’ve been doing my damndest to get out there as much as possible with everything else. During the week, I try to get out running at lunchtime at least 3 times a week. Then in the evenings, it’s been all about biking, swimming, paddling, and whatever else I can squeeze in. Weekends? Well, they’re all about the long-time endurance stuff. That’s what this is all about. Read on, if you’re curious. If not, sorry for boring you 😉

Life in General

Helena hits the big One!

One year old that is! Yup, just over a week ago we celebrated Helena Murielle Hill Meyer’s first birthday. The actual birthday fell on Friday the 13th, make what you will of that fateful day. However, to celebrate, Jody and I actually joined Andrea, Patrick, and a group of their friends at Patty Bolands in the market. They had decided that rather than drag everyone to a baby’s first birthday, which admittedly isn’t usually all that much fun for the adults, they opted to have a ‘surviving one year of parenthood’ party. The actual birthday girl was being babysat by her grandparents who made the trip up from Prince Edward County to help celebrate. I had been in Toronto for most of the week on business, so I showed up a bit late for the fun, but still managed to see some of the friends and the Godmother. The mother and father seemed to be having a good time, so we left them at the bar and headed home around 10pm after having a bite to eat. Read on to hear about the rest of Helena’s birthday weekend.

Life in General

Going Down in History

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Welcome back to the ongoing tales of excitement from my life! It’s been a few weeks since my last post, and I know that I’m due, as usual. Sorry to keep you all waiting, but it’s been an exciting few weeks for us over here. I’ve actually been doing some travel for work, as well as having a nice long Easter weekend. Instead of going anywhere far away, Jody and I opted to stay in the area, and do touristy things in our own neck of the woods. The picture you see to your right shows you one such little event. This shot is from the famous Diefenbunker, , Canada’s cold war museum. I’ve been wanting to go there for quite some time, and Easter Friday was finally the time for it. We actually had a 2-for-1 coupon from the Ottawa entertainment book, which made it even more of a reason to head out. If you don’t know what the Diefenbunker is all about, head over to the website and read up on it. Or read on for a bit more from me.

Life in General

Uncle’s Log – 1 Year In

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Wow, it’s hard to believe, but it’s been almost a year since I became an uncle (and subsequently Godfather) to the cute Helena Murielle Meyer! On Friday, April 13th, she’ll be one year old! So how exactly has all this changed me, you might wonder? Well, on the global scheme, I’d have to say that it hasn’t really changed me too much, but it has certainly added a bit of extra joy in my life! Of course, the group of you who have already jumped into parenthood are no doubt fully aware of this concept of new joy, but for a guy like me, well it’s a new experience. Anywho, to learn more about my thoughts and experiences one year into this gig, read on.

When Helena first arrived, I’m not sure what I was expecting. I suppose I thought that right away, I’d have a little niece to play with and be entertained by. Well, that really isn’t the case for the first few months. Each time I would go and visit Helena, invariably, it would basically just be a visit with Andrea and Patrick while Helena slept. The nice part about that was that Helena wasn’t too noisy or fussy. She was quite content to sleep away the time. She also wasn’t exactly growing at a very rapid pace. For quite a while, she stayed tiny, which had her mom and dad a little concerned. They had her on a rigourous diet, having her eat all the time pretty much. She started putting on a little weight, but was still at the bottom of the charts as far as size was concerned. But really, does that surprise anyone? Have a look at both parents, and tell me what you think?!