Effects of going to the gym

Posted on August 2, 2008 by abcxenony

I have now been going to the gym for 2 months every second day, except for the days I get migraines, which I’ve always had. It changes your psyche as well as your body.

I did a lot of sport as a child and an adolescent. I loved it. My father had a strong view that a healthy mind came with a healthy body. However, he didn’t factor in the gender question.

When I went to university, there was a distinct atmosphere that women who exercised were not cool at all. You had to look really miserable, wear sunglasses and smoke dope. That was back in the late 60s.

So I stopped doing any sport or exercise and started doing what everyone did in the 60s. I didn’t go for the drug bit much myself, but everyone around me did.

I went on to teaching and I was still very thin anyway so weight wasn’t a problem, until I had a baby at aged 35. I put on a stone then, but it didn’t matter because I quite liked the extra pounds in certain areas.

I was always a person interested in ideas, literature, philosophies, psychology so it was a cerebral life. My family too were very academic, but looking back that didn’t stop my brother from continuing with his sports and exercise.

He can ride a bike round the Melbourne Bay area with no trouble and he is older than me.

So the gym was completely new to me. I had never ever done weights. My program was to build those muscles up before I could even do aerobatics. I forgot to mention that from time to time I did play tennis, swim and go to aerobatic classes.

I looked at all the bodies in the gym and noticed that everyone was there for remedial purposes. I admired even the fattest person for giving it a go. I knew how hard it was to keep motivated myself, when it takes a long time to take off weight.

Today though, and I feel strange saying it, I saw a magnificent specimen of a man. He was clearly trained as an athlete and had a singlet on with a Melbourne Marathon insignia. I’ve seen other very fit men, but this man blew me away. He was such a joy to watch. His running style on the treadmill was perfect. His form and rhythm were excellent. He kicked up his legs at the back which no-one else seems to do. I wished I had a camera, but that’s not etiquette at the gym. Nor is me perving either.

I wanted to say something to him about his beautiful body, but of course I didn’t have the guts. I’m 60 and he was half my age so it wasn’t that I was wanting to get into bed with him or anything. He just provided some joy for the hour.

It made me realise though, that all my life until now, I have never taken much notice of male bodies. Mostly there are men in the gym building up their muscles. I don’t find that attractive. I take notice of men’s faces and what those faces tell me and then what they say and how they act.

So I wish I had started gym in my youth. I wish I hadn’t had a mental block about bodies, including my own. And I’m certainly wondering whether I should post this message.

By the way, the MP 3 player did help today to rid myself from boredom. Suddenly music is a part of my life again. I really have to get some more songs. My oldies are somewhat jaded now. They are all about disappointment in love or girlfriends committing suicide. Not good anymore.

My new MP3 player

Posted on July 31, 2008 by artbiala

Wow! Technology is marvellous. I’m listening to FM as I write which is broadcasting from my new MP 3 player. I don’t have to listen to anyone ever again. Still have to download my favourite music (for which I got a $5 dollar credit). It’s not an ipod and it didn’t cost $800. I already have a 3G phone so why do I need a combination of a mobile and an MP3 player. I am not a mobile worker. Whoops, the chat is a bit adolescent.

This new acquisition is for the gym. It does get boring doing 25 minutes on the bike and I’ve now read all the magazines available. I tried a Running magazine last time. I’m not about to run a marathon at my age, so that was no use.

Anyway, have to now fill it up with music and podcasts. The other use is to have it on when my partner plays opera loudly.

Scams and scam baiters

Posted on July 23, 2008 by artbiala

Everyone now knows of the great Nigerian scam , where you got emailed by someone who promised you riches if you transferred a processing fee into a bank account. The amount you had to transfer was $5000. This fraud is so well known now that it is called the Nigerian 419 scam. It began in the 1990s.

Millions got caught with this scam and other like scams. Research in the US has shown that since 2004 about 50 million people worldwide have been sucked in by these scams. At Fraud.org, of the top internet scams for 2007, Nigerian money offers rank 4, with the highest average loss of $4043. Friendship and love frauds now net an average of $3038. Scamming in Nigeria is now the fourth largest industry there behind oil, natural gas and cocoa.

On a personal level my son was scammed. He clicked on one of those “Lucky you. You are the 1 millionth viewer of this page. Click here”. It was a holiday for much reduced rates. He went for it, used my credit card and got caught because it was in the Bahamas, which is miles from where we live and of course airfares were not included. That’s precisely what they bargained on. That you wouldn’t be able to take up the holiday. It wasn’t something he could ever really use. So he had to pay me back and he could never use my credit card again. Now, my boy is a bright boy, so if got caught then anyone can.

What has developed in reponse to this is scambaiting. In 2004 TheScambaiter.com was born and has 20,000 members. There are many others like this now too. What they concentrate on is humiliating the scammers. They try to catch them out with their own game, but not illegally. Others email the scammers back so they lose money and time.

Here are some links if you’d like to join the anti-spam movement.

thescambaiter.com

ebolamonkeyman.com

scambuster419.co.uk

419eater.com

aus-scambaiters.com

Source: Green Guide, The Age, 17 July, 2008, p.28

Blogging is good for you

Posted on July 19, 2008 by artbiala

I read in the Green Guide, The Age, July 3, 2008, that research done recently on social networkers and bloggers altered the view of some that bloggers are lonely and desperate people.

Blogging began in 1998 and I couldn’t tell you how many blogs there are out there now. I played around a bit on blogger.com, but didn’t really get into blogging seriously until I got bored with my site. Things were changing so rapidly in the web design world with XHTML and css becoming a necessity as well as PHP, that my site was becoming outdated and I couldn’t keep up with it, because every time something new came up, I’d have to change every page. There is still some useful stuff there by the way, but I now prefer blogging.

I tried another CMS program first for my tennis site, but then decided to up me fees with my host and go for a self-hosted word press blog. Now that required a steep learning curve just in itself.

As you would know if you follow my blog, I turned 60 this year and started up at the gym. But still, I needed intellectual stimulation. Yes I do the sudoku every day, code words, crosswords, killer sudoku and keep up with current events, but I needed more. Well, it seems blogging does just that for bloggers.

Some studies say that blogging fosters critical thinking and feelings of connection and that bloggers feel better about their situation.

US researchers say blogging makes us better thinkers and that blogging can be a powerful promotor of creative, intuitive and associational thinking.

Swinburne University in Melbourne did a study of bloggers and one of their cases said it made her saner. Another said that writing helped her through mental dilemmas as well as discussing them online. My post on Bill Henson’s photography has certainly done that.

Swinburne gives us examples of some of the bloggers’ blogs they interviewed. They are mostly Melbourne bloggers which is my city.

Link

The Brain of a Blogger

Bloggers
Blogger on a Cast Iron Balcony
Loobylu
Personal political
Life in Chippendale
Fitzroyalty
The Adventures of ShinyShiny and Halfeman

Enjoy!

Which MP3 player to buy

Posted on July 4, 2008 by artbiala

Now that I’m going to the gym, I do get a bit bored on that bike for 20 minutes. So I’ve been thinking about an MP3 Player. Well, oh my god, I just did some research on the internet. I don’t see any use for just music. There is music at the gym. I wanted maybe something that would play podcasts. Well they say MP3s play podcasts except that the very word podcast comes from the Apple Ipod. So do I need an Ipod?

Then looking further and ignoring costs, they now have MP3 players which can store photos, videos, audio and just about anything else you might want. Are MP3 players now competing against mobiles. Why would you need both, especially if you have a G3 mobile.

They are so enticing though, and I haven’t even looked at blackberries yet. Still don’t know how they differ. Is the world going mad?

I think I’ll end up going to my local store and buying an old ipod so I can download podcasts I want to hear.

If I got something that showed me TV as well as everything else and which was a mobile as well, I’d never have to leave my bed. Now I know why kids are getting obese. I thought it was just computer games and those Nintendo things. But no, my son just bought an Xbox something and he is 24.

I feel overwhelmed with choice. Too much choice can be very stressful. I hate this form of capitalism.

Terry Lane ( my guru on cameras and gadgets) has reviewed both SanDisk Sansa View 16 GB Video MP3 Player (Black) and Sony 8GB Digital Music Player – Pink (NWZA728PNK)
Terry Lane, Green Guide, The Age, Thursday, July 3, 2008

These MP3 Players are much more sophisticated than I was contemplating for myself, but if you want more than just music have a look at these links.

Blogging costs and getting older

Posted on July 2, 2008 by artbiala

Let’s face it. Most of us do not make money on the internet. Maybe a bit of pocket money. So why do we blog and design websites and learn photoshop, paintshop pro, css, java, xhtml? In my case, it’s an intellectual exercise for my retirement years. I love learning about computers and web design. However, I have never done a course in computers or IT. There are big gaps in my knowledge and sometimes you discover a really simple function that everyone else has learned years ago.

Darebin Creek

Not working in the IT industry has its drawbacks too. You can’t keep up, despite all the reading one might do of the daily papers and the IT blogs around.

Well, I found out about utorrent and bittorrent last month. My son had had bittorrent on my computer for years and I never knew what it was. I’d ask and get a rather vague response. Aren’t they little buggers?

So I had a look. I didn’t want music though. I wanted software. I tried it out I must admit, but the time it took to download was too long and wasted pretty well all of my broadband allocation for the month. I can’t afford unlimited broadband. So much for that idea. Maybe I should go for DSL. One of the results was that I didn’t want to write too many posts here.

Last month too my monitor expired. My so called new computer was now becoming obsolete. I bought a new one and this month my mouse died too. It was impossible to use. So I got another one and at least they don’t cost as much as the monitors do. My digital camera too is completely obsolete. Why did I get the first ones that came out at astronomical prices? Now you can buy mobile phones which have a higher pixel count than the camera I have.

I was needing some ink too for the printer. Guess what? For this printer which had one of the first photo printing capabilities and which cost a lot, the ink is becoming more and more difficult to source.

I feel left behind. I feel obsolete. I feel annoyed. No longer can I afford such things as Ipods, mobiles, Xboxes, laptops. And now I need an ipod. I see them all the time at my local gym, which I joined last month. At least I’m getting a bit fitter while my blogging has suffered.

And you don’t know how to plan for the future either. Especially during this economic depression. I dare not look at my superannuation account. But one can’t plan for the future technologically either. I hear vague mutterings about the desktop computer being a thing of the past. Is everyone designing for mobiles alone and blackberries (or whatever they are)

Perhaps it’s time to go on ebay and sell all my heirlooms so I can get that plasma TV. But even then, my generation doesn’t really have them. I use my mobile as an alarm clock and for emergencies. We really don’t want or need plasma TVs. We will have to go digital TV shortly however. God, I hope the local nursing home has computers. I couldn’t go back to cards and knitting now.

Hopefully, now that my mouse works I’ll have some more tutorials soon. It was impossible to use photoshop with such a dud mouse.

Computers, gadgets, cameras, printers? How capitalists make millions building in obsolescence.

Turning 60

Posted on May 19, 2008 by admin

I didn’t think much about turning 60, thinking, oh it’s just another day. But it turned out not to be. I didn’t want a party, because I sure wasn’t having any speeches and besides I’d had one when I turned 50.

So I didn’t tell a whole lot of people that it was my birthday and that I was turning 60. So they forgot. Miserable day really. I’d organised for a couple of friends to come over for the afternoon and one of them was sick.

Then on the next night my partner had organised for a dinner out with my family. That was fun.

The following night, my son and his girlfriend came and cooked dinner and gave me an hour’s massage on a proper massage table. That was fun too. Although massages tend to allow a few feelings to surface. My feelings were for all those people I had loved and now missed because they had died.

And the next day some other family came over with presents.

Tonight, I decided that I was going to a gym for the first time in my life. So I did. I just paid a casual rate and a very nice woman who felt sorry for me, just charged me $6 for me to go into the gym and I could have had a swim too if I’d had my bathers.

Well, I got onto the walking and running machine and set it really low and then higher and higher. I walked a kilometre. That was the easiest walk I’ve ever done. There’s no dog pulling you on the lead, no bad weather and it is much easier on the feet.

Then I tried the step machine. I couldn’t get it going properly. I was right down the bottom before I realised that you let the steps up and push them down from the top. I don’t know how many steps I did but it showed how many calories I’d burned.

I was starting to worry that my heart beat might be getting too high because I didn’t know what it should be for my age. In fact for 60, it is 160, but you should only do 85% of that consistently. That is 136. In fact I was nowhere near that, so next time I can go a bit harder. I know my heart beat is much higher just doing housework.

I tried the bike next. Once again I did that to the point I thought my heart beat was going strong enough for a first go. I could see how many calories I’d burned too.

Guess what! I loved it. I can see why people get addicted to it.

There is a program for over 50′s which is cheaper but still expensive to join the gym. But with this I can attend exercise classes and gym classes and swim as often as I want to plus there is a social walking group.

I think I’ll join. It really isn’t hard. You can watch everyone else and listen to music on an ipod if you want. I didn’t feel inadequate. Everyone was concentrating on their own programs. I didn’t think anyone was perving at me. I felt very comfortable. I really recommend it.

So that’s my new after 60 life style change.

Using Adjust Color for Skin Tone in Photoshop Elements

Posted on May 12, 2008 by admin

Using Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 again, here is how you can automatically adjust the skin tone of a person in a photo. This photo is of me taken with flash after a 40 degree day and after finally getting into the air conditioned Rod Laver Arena at the Australian Open tennis at a night session. Obviously I’m not looking my best.

Awful shot of me

By the way I have used the TNT screen capture to take that screen shot. I think it’s worth buying.

Anyway, my face is pale.

So I can go to Enhance> Adjust Color> Adjust Color for Skin Tone and click on the face. You can do that automatically, or use the sliders to do it manually.

Jenny Campbell
You can now see the difference in skin tone. Hey I don’t think I’m a purist anymore about photos, but I’m sorry to have to inflict that awful photo as a demonstration on you.

Green house cleaning

Posted on May 10, 2008 by admin

I have had a stain on a wool rug for ages now and it was getting me down. I had used chemicals and rubbed them in and it had all got worse. I searched the internet for something that I would have at home anyway to clean it. Yes! Bi Carb Soda. I used this and it got a bit better, but my vacuum cleaner wasn’t strong enough to get all the Bi Carb Soda off.

Really this rug has had its day, but while was doing it I thought I should learn all the ways one can use green agents to clean my house. I mean it’s cheaper and it’s eco friendly.

I must acknowledge my source here and this is what the article said.

7 Agents to Keep You Home Naturally Clean

1. Lemons or Lemon Juice

What Can it Clean?

Lemon juice is an all around natural cleaning wonder. With it, you can remove lime scale, make windows and mirrors shine, polish copper or brass, clean kitchen and bathroom surfaces, and remove sweat stains.

Why Does it Work?

Lemon Juice is one of the strongest food acids, marked by its sour taste. Because the pH is so low, lemon juice can kill most household bacteria, while also leaving your home smelling fresh.
2. Baking Soda

What Can it Clean?

Baking soda is unrivaled in its wide variety of uses. It not only cleans, it also polishes, deodorizes and softens water.

For these reasons you can use baking soda as an agent when cleaning multiple surfaces, jewelry, carpet, ink stains, fish tanks, windows, and window screens. Baking soda also works well as an air freshener, and in your personal care routine.

Why Does it Work?

Baking soda is a naturally occurring, but often artificially produced, substance that is slightly alkaline.

Because of its basic nature, baking soda works well as a water softener and can easily break down proteins. Baking soda also works well as a deodorizer because as a basic compound, it easily neutralizes acidic scent molecules.
3. Castile Soap

What Can it Clean?

Castile soap might sound fancy, but it’s really not. Liquid, powder, or bars of soap that are unscented are biodegradable and can clean just about anything.

Castile soap, however, can be made with just oils, lye, and water, so you can be sure it will get your home clean without leaving any buildup.

Why Does it Work?

Any surface you want to clean probably has a build up of both dirt and oils. Dirt can simply be wiped away with plain water, but oil is another story. Thanks to some basic chemistry, soap is what makes these oils stick to your damp cloth so they can be easily wiped away.
4. Borax or Boric Acid

What Does it Clean?

Borax is best known as an alternative to bleach. However, this natural cleaning product also cleans, deodorizes, disinfects, softens water, and effectively renews painted and wallpapered walls.

Note: While borax has a wide array of uses, and is naturally occurring, it can irritate the skin, and is toxic if ingested. Please keep borax out of reach of children and pets, and make sure to rinse clothes and surfaces before use.

Why Does it Work?

Borax has many defining properties that make it an excellent cleaning agent. When mixed with water, borax reacts to make a hydrogen peroxide / water solution. It also can act as a chemical buffer when cleaning, so the pH is what it needs to be to make something effectively clean.
5. White Vinegar

What Does it Clean?

While you actually have the option of using typical yellow vinegar as well, white vinegar cleans without the possibility of staining. White vinegar’s is best used to cut grease, clean wood floors and multiple other surfaces, remove mildew, deodorize, and clean certain stains and wax build-up.

Why Does it Work?

Vinegar is actually weakly acidic, making it a powerful cleaning agent. The acid in vinegar cuts through grease and germs found on counter tops while also inhibiting bacteria and mold.

6. Washing Soda

What Does it Clean?

Washing soda is scientifically known as sodium carbonate decahydrate, a naturally occurring mineral. Washing soda cuts grease, removes stains, softens water, cleans walls, tiles, sinks and tubs.

How Does it Clean?

When it comes to chemical properties, washing soda is a close relative to baking soda, with a slightly lower pH level. As a stronger base, washing soda easily breaks down proteins and neutralizes odors.
7. Cornstarch

What Does it Clean?

Cornstarch is one of the lesser known natural cleaning agents though it is a very effective ingredient in home solutions. Cornstarch can be used to clean windows, polish furniture, be used when ironing, and shampoo carpets and rugs.

However, one of it’s most amazing cleaning qualities is its ability to remove grease stains. Not many products can claim to do that!

How Does it Clean?

Corn starch is actually derived from corn and is known its fine, silky texture. Since it is a great deodorizer and can get into very small spaces, corn starch is great for cleaning carpets and shining smooth surfaces. Also, as a starch it can be added to water to make a liquid starch solution perfect for ironing.

If you are wondering why I’m suddenly writing about this, I’m a woman. I have to clean.

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Category Archives: personal

Effects of going to the gym

My new MP3 player

Scams and scam baiters

Which MP3 player to buy

Blogging costs and getting older

Turning 60

Using Adjust Color for Skin Tone in Photoshop Elements

Green house cleaning