12 Years
October 30, 2006Donna and I were married 12 years ago today … and still going strong. Happy Anniversary to us.
Back on
October 11, 2006Back on the bike again! Heidelberg -> Collingwood in 45min. this morning.
Omnivore No More!
October 6, 2006It’s been six weeks since I last ate meat.
There is no one single reason for making this decision, but rather a number of factors such as wanting to eat a more natural, healthy diet; not wanting to participate in the death or suffering of other sentient beings; and the desire to have less impact on the planet (via the inefficiency of meat production). I find explaining my motivation for going Vegetarian difficult to put into words–Marty has gone Veg too and his own (more elloquent) thoughts pretty much echo mine.
Initially, I thought that the change might be difficult, but it’s going really well. Donna has been really supportive and is helping by cooking diffent meals and trying out new recipes. I am still enjoying food (perhaps even more), and have managed to drop a couple of kilo’s without ever feeling hungry.
I’ve experienced some interesting reactions to my choice, particularly from family and people close to me. Mostly, everyone has been really supportive, but not everyone copes too well when you make fairly significant changes to your life. I guess its the fear of change and that the person they ‘knew’ wont exist anymore. But this is an illusion anyway, we’re constantly evolving and changing, it’s a natural process.
On Your Bike
October 5, 2006It was ‘Ride to Work’ day yesterday in Melbourne, and I’d been looking for an excuse to leave the gas-guzzler at home and get back on the bike. What better opportunity? So with a bit of planning and the weather on my side, I managed to do it! 
The 15-20km route that I took was mostly following bike paths along the Darebin Creek, hooking up with the Yarra Trail to Dight Falls and following the track on the city-side of the river until it ends at Gipps St. in Collingwood. We are truly blessed here in Melbourne to have such great bike paths!
The trip in I found relatively easy, with most of the ride being slightly downhill. The sun shone and there was a sweet smell of honeysuckle washing over a gentle breeze at my back from the North. To support the day, Vic Police were engraving bikes at Dight Falls, a nice gesture. They were good humoured too. One guy askes one of the cops how long they had to go and what they were doing afterwards. His answer? “We’re going for donuts!”
The trip home was a little harder with the wind still blowing in from the North and at a much greater rate of knots that in the moring. To be honest, I was struggling in the end to keep going, but I got a second wind and finally made it home. It took me 20 minutes longer on the return leg.
So today, I’m a little saddle sore, but feeling great about making the effort. So much so, I’m going to make the effort to do it more often.
