SNOWBOARDING!

So I did it. Snowboarding! I chucked myself down the side of an icey/rock/tree/people covered mountain slope with a board that stood up to my shoulder strapped to my feet and held my breath.

Dang it - it HURT! I had stacks of fun, but not before I stacked it enough times to be covered from head to toe with bruises (the more prominent one coming from my mobile phone in my pocket. Incidentally, don't put phones in your pockets when you are learning to board. It didn't break, but I'm pretty sure I have a nice imprint of a key pad on my thigh thanks to that thing.).

Let's just put it this way - when you read up on learning to snowboard, the articles all say that the first two-three days are spent butt, back, face, fist, knee first in the snow. All the articles are right.

The first day was seriously hard. It's a good thing I'm so stubborn or I probably would have given up. There were a couple of falls where I seriously thought that I wasn't going to get up. After one particullarly nasty thump on to my conveniant backside (which did not thank me for all the abuse I can tell you!) I decided to christen my board "Wallace" as it was a total pain of a thing with a mind of it's own. I promised I'd upgrade it's title to "Sir Wallace" if it behaved... Well, let's just say that didn't happen.

So. First day. I felt like someone had ridden the calvery charge over my limp and lifeless body. You might as well have put a gravestone on my head and have it read "Killed by Saunter". >< (Who was my instructor with endless patiance, but yeah.)

Second day - the sun was out, and it felt like the whole world was holding its breath as it waited to see what the day would bring. There wasn't a whisper of wind and the glistening cloak of shimmering snow stretched out endlessly under an ocean-blue sky. At the top of the hill, the top of the world, you could see the gum trees guarding the sides of inviting runs, and although I was quivering with apprehension, I knew that if I could do this, it would be. *can't find the words* Well cool.

So I did it. Mind you, I didn't reach my goal of getting down a run without falling over, but the difference between the first day and second day falling over was substantial. This time, I didn't stack it hardcore. When I knew I couldn't make the turn, or was heading the wrong direction, I could pull up and stop. I think the hardest thing at this stage of learning to board is when you loose momentum it's really, really hard to get going again. I didn't mind fast and faster (more of that later!), it was slow and stop that bothered me.

But I made part of a run without going down, in fact, I actually made most of it and it was fantastic. I had to stop towards the end coz my legs were about to up and quit on me, but yeh, I got a taste of what it could be like and that is enough for me.

When you are skimming over the snow, you can feel your board flexing and twisting, responding to the bumps and lumps of snow. Or the back edge of your board holds you up, cutting deep into a drift as you glide across the face of a hill. Soft powder shhhhsss away behind you as you swoop across fields untouched, tracking your own path down the shoulder of the mountain. As the trees rush by, you swerve around the bends with all the grace of a otter cutting through the waves. The cool air claws at you, trying to slow you down, but your feet are unfettered and gravity is your friend because you are there - controlling your board, working with your surrounds, but better than that; you are making your own way on your own terms. You take off and you fly.

And this was me after two days!! Push past the pain and it is worth it. I think it won't take much, and add another addiction to the list - it's just another way I can satisify my insatiable desire for speed, thrills and adventure. Push it hard and never give up. Life is far too much fun to roll over and say die!

So yeh. Plans to go back and do it again? Absolutely.

I can't wait.

b. >_<

Mitsubishi Evo VI Tommi Makinen ed. and other such stuff.

Well, like I promised previously I feel it is time to rave about my new favourite imagination-passing-time-coz-I'm-bored-day-dream. My next car, which will, pretty much guaranteed, look something like this:

but only before I've finished with it that is.....

Like all respectable car-mad, mod-mad and whatever other kind of octane-related diseases speed freaks can catch, I've well and truly gotten myself addicted to hot cars.

You know the kind - the ones that make you go *phwoar!* when they pass you on the street and no matter whether you are walking, riding a bike or driving you've just got to watch them streak by - even at the expense of that tree/baby-in-a-pram/pedestrian/dog/cat/etc...

Now don't get me wrong - I'm not a fan of illegal driving (much... o_O..... Joking alright?!), and I hate it when people risk other's peoples lives. (Sure, go break your own neck on a race track if you want - just leave the innocents out of it)

But the roar of a V8 - can you say "Hell yehs!" much?

Now, really, I'd love a Porche GT3 (if I'm dreaming - why not a Bugatti Veyron *drool*) or something, but let's face it. My chances of being able to afford any high-end super-sports car is zero to none.

So, if you're going to go mid-range, I thought I might as well get something with a bit of oompf, and more than it's far share of sticking power for whatever else may take my fancy. And if we are talking about 4 wheel drive for fun-sized affordability I really felt I couldn't go past an WRX or an Evo.

However, since every man and his dog (and the dog's fleas) have a Rexy in Canberra I went - thanks, but no thanks. I'm just not into driving what everyone else is.

Plus, according to Top Gear performance reviews - the WRX and the Evo are pretty well matched stride for stride with the exception of the Evo being a tad faster off the mark (as it is lighter) and the WRX having a bit more sticking power around the corners thanks to the extra weight.

I personally think that 4 wheel drive is enough to keep me grounded, so the lighter, faster Evo it is. And then you can't go past the Tommi Makinen edition of the Evo VI (pictured above) for sheer smexyness, so that was it. I've decided what car I'm going to get after BoB (Ford Laser KA that is 27 years old.) officially coughs his last cough and wheezes his way to the scrap heap. *tear* I will miss my BoB, despite needing four hands to drive him (he stalls something chronic at any given moment) and pouring silly amounts of money into him to keep him going - you never forget your first car.

Now as it seems I've gone on long enough for one post, I guess the blurb about what I actually want to do to this car will have to wait. Part 2 will come later.

b. :3

P.s. - I think it's about time I got back to Wakefield. I'm getting speed withdrawals as I type. Aww....

Privacy

Internet globalization is a creepy thing. See, I used to think that the Internet was a pretty private place.
(Let's not go into to illogicality of my thinking please; we'll be here forever. Just hear me out ok?)

I mean sure, pretty much anything you put on the net is available for public viewing and even if it isn't there's always the hackers and the crackers. But my thinking for the privacy came from the fact that even though the information is there you have got to know where to look for it to find it. Sure, Google has made this easier, but honestly, how many people WANT to look at all the random blogs out there, let alone mine...

SO you can see how I arrive at a conclusion of certain anonymity and privacy due to hiding in the masses per say.

But then I realized how the Internet has been very steadily (and quickly) stripping away that ability to hide amongst the masses when I realized I wanted to blog about a certain subject (and I can't even tell you the topic) and I couldn't. Because now my blog is hooked up to Facebook and all the other websites I frequent. Which in turn means that when you want to blog about something personal (which may or may not involve other people) you no longer have the sweet security that only one or two of your friends actually know about your blog and actually care to read it.

Now you have FB stalkers (who go through everything on your FB page - which sounds totally creepy when you put it like that even though it's really not when you think about it seeing as they are your friends and probably just want to get to know you better) and randoms who are bored and will look at anything for s&g*.

So thanks to the inter-connectivity of the Internet, we no longer have anonymity in the wide space of the web. Darn socializing websites!!

However, such is life and that is the reason after all why I keep a journal. You can never have too many outlets to rant in!

That's it from me for now. I think the next blog will cover the topic of my car (the next after BoB) as I have been pondering the mysterious ways of modding and have some very interesting ideas... No body will care, but then again, no body has to read this. So may be I will get some of my anonymity back!

Ciao, b. x


*If you don't know what s&g is - too bad, I ain't explaining it.