Leadership Training for Dogs

I get the feeling that Ben bullies Lucy a bit. He always gets fed first, and is quite pushy with her on our walks.

In an effort to build Lucy's confidence, I have recently been encouraging her to take the lead on our walks. I do this by holding Ben back a little with his leash. And then I'll let Ben scurry to catch up, only to hold him back a little again so that Lucy can get the experience of running past the larger (and normally faster) Ben.

The first time I did this, a discombobulated Ben completely forgot to go potty in the woods! I was overjoyed to have taken the dogs for a walk without having to pick up after anyone. I tried this again, and you'll never guess what happened. Ben now no longer poos on our walks, but LUCY is now pooing in the woods!

I think pooing in the woods must be some show of dominance or something.

I wonder if the dogs respect me less because I don't poo in the woods.

Who Let the Dogs Out?

Despite both dogs being the same type of poodle mix, they are very different looking.

The smaller one is named Lucy and the bigger one is named Ben. Ben has the unfortunate habit of jumping up onto people. He's also very needy.

We've settled into a regular walking route. We do a loop around the neighbourhood, a path which the dogs must have done many times before because they lead me around with great confidence. I think I could actually do the whole walk blindfolded if I had to.

The last part of the walk cuts through the forest behind the house. Ben always, always poops in the woods. It's like clockwork. So far, in all our walks, I've never had to pick up after Lucy at all.

Adventures in Dog Sitting

I'm dog sitting for someone at work.

There are two dogs. They are both poodle mixes.

I give them a biscuit in the morning, and then let them out into the yard for the day. When I come home, I give them a walk and some dinner. They usually laze around the house until I put them in the garage to sleep.

I've thought about getting a dog, and this is my trial run!

Running!

I've been trotting around my neighbourhood when I can. I'm in training, you see.

I'm doing my first ever 10km race!

Hooray!

Please help me fundraise.

Surf Journal

Break: Torquay (main beach)
Conditions: Choppy, messy


Being back on my own board after the 10 foot boards in Byron Bay proved to be very challenging. I had a lot of difficulty standing up.
I attribute this to:
1. tippier board
2. slippery board
3. crappy conditions

I'm going to try waxing my board a bit more, especially along the rails. Will also start popping up on dry land more to get the motion smooth.

Those little kiddies I see seem to catch waves so effortlessly! Learning stuff young seems to be the way to go.

Private Schools

Private schools (ie. A school for which you must pay tuition.), are a much more a thing here in Melbourne than in Canada. At work, most of my co-workers attended private schools and send their kids to them as well.

I think there is a tipping point, where once enough of your 'crowd' sends their kids to private school, you feel compelled to do the same.

You'd think that the education would be better. And certainly the resources commanded by some of these private schools is extremely impressive.

You'd think that they'd rub shoulders with a different crowd. And certainly you'd suspect that only families with the priorities and the means would send their children to private school.

And for these and a whole bunch of reasons, you'd think that private school would maximize your child's chances of success.

I think it would be nice to think that you could go to your local school and turn out just the same as if you went to a expensive private school. I certainly felt that way for me growing up!

Farewell Byron Bay!

Tonight is my final night here in Byron Bay.

I take a bus tomorrow to Brisbane, and then a plane back to Melbourne in the evening.

Byron Bay has been lovely. Whenever I'm in places like this, I wonder if the kids I see roaming around realize how lucky they are to grow up in such an environment. I can't imagine what it would be like to grow up with the ocean and all that surf right on your door step.

Surf Journal

Break: Shaw's Bay
Conditions: Clean 1-2 foot waves.

More success catching waves today. I found though that they tended to break around me, so I was surrounded by white water.

I think I need to catch the wave a little further from where it breaks. Also, may need to stand up faster.

Surf Journal

Break: Shaw's Bay
Conditions: Choppy and small. 0.5-1 foot waves

In general, I'm catching waves a bit too late, after they've already broken, or as they're about to break on top of my head.

Must catch waves a bit sooner.

Also, not much luck trying to turn today. Perhaps need to lean back more?

Surf Journal

Break: Shaw's Bay
Conditions: 0.5-2 foot. Clean right-hander

I think I'm getting better at catching waves. I did great at the beginning, but then fatigue diminished by abilities.

It is important to paddle OUT if you think the wave will break too soon for you to catch it. Catching the white water isn't the goal anymore.

I must respond to changing conditions more quickly. The tide caused the break to move a bit, and I need to learn to read the ocean better.

Hello from Byron Bay!

I found on on Tuesday that due to some cancellations, I didn't have to work on Thursday OR Friday!
Coupled with the Queen's birthday on Monday, this meant I had an unexpected 5 day holiday!

It was a bit of a rush, but I managed to book a flight to Byron Bay for a bit of a surfing boot camp. Five lessons over five days with Terry of Kool Katz fame. I had my first session yesterday. It was great fun.

Byron Bay is a beautiful place. It has a reputation for being a bit of a hippie hang out, and I can understand that. I passed at least two drum circles on the way to the beach.

I'm staying in a hostel right outside of Byron Bay. It's a clean, friendly kind of place. I paid a bit extra for a single room. I'm getting curmudgeonly in my old age and demand a certain solitude.

Surf Journal

I read recently (in a how-to-surf book) that it is very important to keep a journal of your surf sessions.

3 - 4 sentences to document your progress. Apparently this will improve one's progress.

I've been surfing on and off since I've arrived on this continent. I will start journalling about it now.


Break: Shaw's Bay (south of Byron Bay)
Conditions: 1-2 foot high right handers. Clean.

I went out on a longboard today, and the added stability was helpful, compared to my usual board, which is a hybrid. I was more successful today in catching waves, and I think this was due to a combination of larger board, and smaller, beginner friendly waves. I think I sorta turned on one wave, and that was quite thrilling.

Going forward, I need to work on trying to catch the wave in the right place, and at the right speed. There is such a thing as paddling too much!

I Have a Fat Lip

I was stretching out a piece of thing wire at work.

The wire broke, and I punched myself in the face.

I now have a fat lip. A quarter of my upper lip is bruised purple.