Friday 23 August 2013

Build up to Lebanon trip

Tickets for Lebanon have been booked for the past month or so and although the trouble has worsened in the region I'm still due to leave on Monday (26th August 2013).

Bombs have been going off left, right and centre and I must admit that I am shitting my pants.

I thought I'd grow a beard but unfortunately bits of that have gone bald from the stresses of life at the moment.

Two bombs went off today and I've decided to invest in a spray tan to get rid of the pale pasty Irish skin for a middle eastern glow!

I might also try and keep a video diary of the upcoming week.


Sunday 10 January 2010

I'm back!

The left knee is now sorted (hopefully). An operation on the 5th November by Panos Thomas. He found a tear to the anterior horn of my medial meniscus and excised it; scar tissue on the fat pad behind my knee cap was also excised; patella tendinopathy was debrided and the whole knee was washed out.

Physio has been going well.

The new year has seen a start to my healthy eating (again). Alongside a programme of daily stretches.

Starting weight is just over 18 1/2 stones. Let's see how it goes.

Friday 5 June 2009

Bull sheet!

Ok, where to start?

Knee start giving way.

Went to see my local GP. Wonderful doctor, probably one of the nicest I've ever been to. Very thorough. Advised I rest knee, take anti-inflammatories and come back in a month.

Did that still having knee problems so she sorted out an appointment the following week to see an orthopaedic surgeon.

Surgeon said, after examination, that meniscus was torn and that there might be some damage to anterior cruciate ligament but wouldn't know until arthroscopy was done. Was going to book me in at the weekend to do the surgery. However, I had a holiday to Bali to go on so decided against it. Booked in for April 27th (surgeon was going to come in during his holiday to do it).

Day after getting back from Bali. Some cunt knocks me off my bike. Spend 2 weeks off work. Also have to postpone my surgery as my hips would not be fully healed.

Surgery rescheduled for 16th June. Knee still giving me problems. Can't kneel on it. Can't play football (shut up those of you that say I never could play football!), can't run or do weights on legs.

Called into head's office at work. School won't allow me time off during term time for surgery. Surgery only allowed during term time if it's emergency. Need to have it done during the summer holidays.

Friend tells me about a surgeon in London. Top class guy works with Arsenal and a few other sporting organisations. Look into having it done in London whilst I'm home.

Surgeon can see me on the 16th July so change flights to make sure I'm there before then to have my pre-op consultation. Heading home on the 9th July. Works out well as insurance will cover me to have the procedure done in the UK, although I have to pay up front and then claim back...nearly 2,500GBP!

Have MRI scan done so that surgeon can get an idea of what needs to be done. Costs me, $870 about 400GBP which I have to pay in advance and claim back! Lots of paying and claiming back, my bank loves me and my credit card bill!

MRI shows torn meniscus and possible ACL damage. Surgeon says that if ACL repair required then I will need to have arthroscopy done in different hospital which means cost will be different. Arthroscopy in new hospital will be 2,800GBP which is more than what the insurance will cover me for, however, if I need the ACL repair it will cost me 4,500GBP. Which could mean me having to pay 1,500GBP myself to have the op done!

Options are running out.

Could have op in RIPAS (local hospital), but then I would not be able to take my flight to KL and then London as would be too soon after the op! So that would mean cancelling all flights and the hotel to Vanessa's wedding.

Could go to London as planned and have the op and pay the extra myself. But then the extra recovery time if ACL repair was done would mean that I would need to change my flights back to Brunei (extra cost) and would miss the start of the academic year.

Could just not have the op done. Wait until I come home in 2010 and go on the NHS. But that means going a year without being able to use my legs properly or to do stuff. No football, jujitsu, running....etc.

Did I mention that right in the middle of all of this my landlord has given me until the end of the month to move out. Apparently, 'I'm difficult!' Must have been when I kicked up a fuss when his workers, who were working on the bathroom, managed to send water through the ceiling onto my xbox.

School don't seem to give a fuck about finding me accommodation and have said there's nothing out there at the moment. Funny, since they are taking a new member of staff , who doesn't start until August, to find an apartment tomorrow!!!

I love working abroad, where you are completely at the mercy of your employer, you have no union and no recourse or means of making a complaint. They don't have to do shit. And what can you do? if you break the contract you have to pay them money!

Wednesday 22 April 2009

What is it with black people and fried chicken?

Is it a stereotype to say that ALL black people like fried chicken? Yes, probably. But it must have come from somewhere. Yes, a few stupid Irish people came to England, not all French people are hairy and smelly and lazy, Germans don't all want to start wars.

But where did this fascination with 'Fried Chicken' start?

It definitely wasn't Africa.

Have you been to Africa? I have.

Have you seen Africa on the National Geographic Channel where they follow a tribe?

They go on the hunt:

"Eh, eh, what you catch?"

"Ah chicken!"

"What da fuck? where is the zebra? the elephant? the monkey? a fuckin chicken? ah cant believe it!"

You don't see any self respecting tribesman coming home from a hunt thinking:

"Hmmm hmmm hmmm, am gonna have some fried chicken."

All the chickens I saw in Kampala were free range. People didn't feed them. They ate off the rubbish tips. They ate plastic!

I see fried chicken as a conspiracy.

It's the "white man's" way of making black people FAT and KILLING them.

Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) - southern states;
Dixie Fried Chicken (DFC) - southern states;
Tennessee Fried Chicken (TFC) - southern states.

Fuck you might as well be eating KKKFC! (Klu Klux Klan Fried Chicken). You don't see New York Fried Chicken or Chicago Fried Chicken. It's all the old confederate states.

Damn Dixie Fried Chicken has the confederate flag on it's advertising!

"Those Yankee abolitionist bastards got us goood pop, wot we go do?"

"Fried chicken son. We is gonna make them fat and giv them heart disease with fried chicken!"

Look at Colonel Sanders. You can't get more white than that. The motherfucker's hair is white, he's got a white moustache, a white suit and white shoes...only thing he ain't wearing is his white pointy hat!

Enough of the conspiracy theories.

Did you know that in the US more black males and females die from heart disease than any other group?

The American Heart Association (http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4478) statistics showed that in 2005:

Final death rates from Cardio Vascular Disease per 100,000 people were 324.7 for white males and 438.4 for black males; for white females 230.4 and for black females 319.7.

Ain't so finger lickin good now is it?

Monday 20 April 2009

Physical Training

You have got to be shitting me! I'm sitting here opening the attachments of the email that they sent me and it just seems to be getting worse and worse. First attach...welcome to the blah blah blah, second attachment, please find below your physical training schedule...comes in 2 parts. Category I for beginners and then Category II.

I thought I'm pretty fit, I won't bother with the beginner bit and will head straight to Category II (Category 2 for those of you that haven't got with the program yet...it's so much quicker than typing programme!)

Had a look at Category I. Pretty much shit my pants (which means I've lost at least a pound already).

Have a look for yourself (I'll post Category II another time after I've gotten over the shock of having to do Category I):

Workout for Category I (Beginner - don't be fooled by the term 'beginner', I was and then had to have a sit down after I read the workout)

The goal of Category I is to work up to 16 miles per week of running. Then, and only then, should you continue on to the Category II exercise (not sure if I'll be moving to Category II lol).

Category I is a nine week build-up program (a build-up program...to what a fucking heart attack?).

Running Schedule - Level I

WEEKS #1, 2: 2 miles/day, 8:30 pace, M/W/F (6 miles/ week)

WEEK #3: No running. High risk of stress fractures. (something to look forward to in week 3 then, if the running doesn't kill me then my bones will be so stressed they'll break)

WEEK #4: 3 miles/day, M/W/F (9 miles/wk)

WEEKS #5, 6: 2/3/4/2 miles, M/Tu/Th/F (11 miles/wk)

WEEKS #7,8: 4/4/5/3 miles, M/Tu/Th/F (16 miles/ wk)

WEEK #9: same as #7,8 (16 miles/ wk)

Physical Training(PT) Schedule - Level I (Mon/Wed/Fri) Sets and Repetitions

WEEK #1: 4X15 PUSHUPS, 4X20 SITUPS, 3X3 PULL UPS

WEEK #2: 5X20 PUSHUPS, 5X20 SITUPS, 3X3 PULL UPS

WEEK #3,4: 5X25 PUSHUPS, 5X25 SITUPS, 3X4 PULL UPS

WEEK #5,6: 6X25 PUSHUPS, 6X25 SITUPS, 2X8 PULL UPS

WEEK #7,8: 6X30 PUSHUPS, 6X30 SITUPS, 2X10 PULL UPS

WEEK #9: 6X30 PUSHUPS, 6X30 SITUPS, 3X10 PULL UPS

* Note: For best results, alternate exercises. Do a set of pushups, then a set of situps, followed by a set of pull ups, immediately with no rest. (For best results? no rest? what have I let myself in for?)

Swimming schedule - Level I (sidestroke with no fins 4-5 days a week) (I'm not sure why I have to practise the swimming. We should land using the shuttle and if we do crash land in water I'll need to swim for a lot longer than an hour to reach dry land. Does it not come with a lifeboat?)

WEEKS #1, 2: Swim continuously for 15 min.

WEEKS #3, 4: Swim continuously for 20 min.

WEEKS #5, 6: Swim continuously for 25 min.

WEEKS #7, 8: Swim continuously for 30 min.

WEEK #9: Swim continuously for 35 min.

* Note: If you have no access to a pool, ride a bicycle for twice as long as you would swim. If you do have access to a pool, swim every day available. Four to five days a week and 200 meters in one session is your initial workup goal. Also, you want to develop your sidestroke on both the left and the right side. Try to swim 50 meters in one minute or less.

Let us bow our heads and pray: Dear Lord, please protect this foolish man as he attempts the above and Lord please forewarn St Peter that he may come a knocking after week 4. Cheers God. AMEN.

Training schedule

Before we can fly in space, astronauts have to undergo hundreds of hours of training.

This is split into three main sections:

Candidates who have been selected need to pass a one-year course of basic training. The candidates learn about space technology and science, basic medical skills, and how the International Space Station (ISS) works. They also under intense physical fitness training (I’ll be logging my training here on the blog so you can compare me progress to what’s expected – obviously getting knocked off the scooter hasn’t helped) and will become familiar with scuba diving.

After this first part, they go on to another year of advanced training (this takes place in the USA, Russia, Japan, Canada and in Europe). They learn in more detail about the various parts of the ISS, the experiments and the transport vehicles, and the involvement of ground control.

Working as much as possible with the other members of the crew, they learn about the special tasks linked with their mission and they become familiar with weightlessness doing parabolic flights.

Obviously I can't go into too much detail with regards the scientific/technological side of things (National security don't you know) but I will be giving details of the physical training side of things shortly. Apparently, at my current size I wouldn't be able to get inside the actual capsule, nor would I fit into the seat of the module.

How difficult can it be to lose a bit of weight and get fit? I've trained before and a little running, some sit ups and press ups and I'll be sorted.

NASA - training starts now!

This will come as a bit of a shock to a lot of you but I’ve been shortlisted into the NASA Intensive Astronaut Candidate training program.

I applied in 2006 as I was graduating and was contacted in 2007. I had to under go a number of interviews and testing processes in order to be shortlisted but after 2 years I’ve finally been notified. Woo Hoo!

I’m using this blog to keep you all informed and to let you know what it’s like to go through the training and how it feels to be considered for SPACE EXPLORATION!

I’ve copied the press release below with the details of a few of us that have been shortlisted. In total there are 50 candidates.


NASA INTRODUCES THE NEXT GENERATION OF EXPLORERS
www.nasa.gov/pressrelease/intcand041809.html

NASA's 2010 astronaut candidate class was announced today during Space Day activities at the National Air and Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.

"These are the candidates who will be selected to lead us through the next steps in the new exploration vision," NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe said. "The class will be made up of pilots and engineers who will help us develop the next generation vehicle, scientists who will do research to help humans live and travel in space and three new educator astronauts to help ensure a new generation is ready for the challenges of exploration," he said.

The new astronaut candidates:

Mission Specialist-Educator Richard Arnold, 40, of Berlin, Md.; currently lives in Bucharest, Romania; math and science teacher at the American International School of Bucharest; born in Cheverly, Md. and raised in Bowie, Md. Arnold has degrees from Frostburg State University, Md., and the University of Maryland. Arnold has also taught in Morocco, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia.

Pilot Randolph Bresnik, Major, U.S. Marine Corps, 36, an F/A-18 pilot and experimental test pilot based in San Diego, Calif.; born in Fort Knox, Ky. Bresnik has degrees from The Citadel, S.C., and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. He is getting married this month in a Scottish castle.

Mission Specialist Christopher Cassidy, Lt. Cmdr., U.S. Navy, 34; Navy SEAL based in Norfolk, Va.; born in Salem, Mass.; raised in York, Maine. He has degrees from the U.S. Naval Academy and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mass. Cassidy completed two tours of duty in Afghanistan and earned a Bronze Star.

Pilot James Dutton, Major, U.S. Air Force, 35; an F/A-22 test pilot stationed in Edwards, Calif.; born and raised in Eugene, Ore. Dutton has degrees from the U.S. Air Force Academy and the University of Washington. During the 1990s, Dutton flew combat air patrols over northern Iraq.

Mission Specialist Jose Hernandez, 41, of Houston; engineer and branch chief at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC); born in French Camp, Calif.; grew up as a migrant farm worker before settling in Stockton, Calif. Hernandez has degrees from the University of the Pacific and the University of California at Santa Barbara. His work at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the 1990s contributed to a new tool for early breast cancer detection.

Mission Specialist-Educator Paul Gallagher, 33, of London, England; primary school teacher at International School Brunei; born in Islington, London. Gallagher has a degree from the University of Middlesex. He is a former volunteer in Uganda setting up soccer outreach programs and has also worked in disadvantaged areas of the UK.

Mission Specialist R. Shane Kimbrough, 36, Major, U.S. Army, of Houston; flight simulation engineer at JSC; born in Killeen, Tex.; considers Atlanta his hometown. Kimbrough has degrees from the U.S. Military Academy (USMA) and the Georgia Institute of Technology. Kimbrough was captain of the baseball team at USMA. He served as a platoon leader in an Apache attack helicopter company during Desert Storm.

(I’ve cut out the rest of the candidates as the list was quite comprehensive.)

"With the new exploration vision, human space flight is really moving into its next era," said NASA Associate Administrator for Space Flight William Readdy. "Members of this class have terrific experience behind them already, and we're thrilled to have their smarts and skills to help us move forward," he said.

"We are especially excited to welcome the introduction of new educator astronauts," said NASA Associate Administrator for Education, Dr. Adena Loston. "They will help inspire a new generation of explorers."

NASA TV will feed video of the astronaut class beginning at noon EDT today. The Video File will include sound bites and b-roll of the class members. NASA TV is available on AMC-9, transponder 9C, C-Band, located at 85 degrees west longitude. The frequency is 3880.0 MHz. Polarization is vertical, and audio is monaural at 6.80 MHz.

Full biographies and still photos of the astronaut candidates will be available at:
http://www.nasa.gov