First Snow of 2010
Posts
Walk It Out for Wii - what a fun way to exercise!
People from dark rainy Washington, like me, you have GOT to check out this game! Imagine a sunny, gorgeous island to explore, as you walk along in time to cheerful music, collecting tokens to build up stuff all around and unlock more paths.
I tried Wii Sports Resort, it's cute and everything, but feels like a waste of time, and I didn't end up playing. I've investigated the dancing programs but I knew they wouldn't motivate me. I'm not into dancing. But I LOVE walking along exploring! I love maps!
I read the reviews on this, and it just sounded so totally me that I plopped the $30. The game came two days ago and I'm not disappointed, I already know I'm going to love this.
The kids have been playing nonstop, taking turns. Mike walked seven miles yesterday and five miles this morning. Thank goodness there's six profile slots or somebody in this family would be out of luck!
(Ed doesn't want a slot, he already walks 500 miles at work :-)
Me, I can barely go a mile before I'm pooped, but when I stop, it's from sheer tiredness and NOT from boredom. It takes willpower to go twenty minutes staring into space on a treadmill, but playing this game, I have to stop because I can't take another step! And then I hate stopping, because I was having a BLAST!
(Note, I think the game calculates mileage a little short-- if you go by the actual number of steps, you've gone further than that :-)
I didn't realize I was so out of shape! But I feel so cheered and inspired by the prospect of having this game to play every day, that I can't wait to play some more and GET in shape so I can jog around longer and see more of the island every day.
I just now stopped and took a moment to type this. I'll try again a bit later, as soon as I can, because it's just SO FUN!!!
I wondered if walking in place would get boring. It doesn't! Sometimes you can march in place, but for the faster songs you have to speed up. I found I can only go fast enough by jogging in place. As I get more used to it, I'll be able to keep up better! So it is great exercise!
Some people say they use a mini-trampoline, and I think that would work fine. Being overweight and out of shape (right now, soon to change!) I get knee pain easily. So I might try that, or get one of those padded mats they sell for standing in front of the kitchen sink.
Here's the video review that convinced me to get it! Among other things they let you know that you can turn off songs if you don't like them. You will NOT get stuck with some horrible rap song! Most of the songs are okay though, just very upbeat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbvP2I1nh8s
Another great review,
http://www.nutwiisystem.com/blog/review-of-walk-it-out-for-wii-by-konami.html
And more videos:
http://www.konami.com/walkitout
I want to do my little bit to publicize the game, because it's not very well known right now, but it should be! More people should know about this, especially older people! Forget shooting, solving puzzles, competing at games. Here you just walk, and the people wave at you as you go by! So it's calming and soothing, at the same time lifts your spirits and you get a great workout!
I tried Wii Sports Resort, it's cute and everything, but feels like a waste of time, and I didn't end up playing. I've investigated the dancing programs but I knew they wouldn't motivate me. I'm not into dancing. But I LOVE walking along exploring! I love maps!
I read the reviews on this, and it just sounded so totally me that I plopped the $30. The game came two days ago and I'm not disappointed, I already know I'm going to love this.
The kids have been playing nonstop, taking turns. Mike walked seven miles yesterday and five miles this morning. Thank goodness there's six profile slots or somebody in this family would be out of luck!
(Ed doesn't want a slot, he already walks 500 miles at work :-)
Me, I can barely go a mile before I'm pooped, but when I stop, it's from sheer tiredness and NOT from boredom. It takes willpower to go twenty minutes staring into space on a treadmill, but playing this game, I have to stop because I can't take another step! And then I hate stopping, because I was having a BLAST!
(Note, I think the game calculates mileage a little short-- if you go by the actual number of steps, you've gone further than that :-)
I didn't realize I was so out of shape! But I feel so cheered and inspired by the prospect of having this game to play every day, that I can't wait to play some more and GET in shape so I can jog around longer and see more of the island every day.
I just now stopped and took a moment to type this. I'll try again a bit later, as soon as I can, because it's just SO FUN!!!
I wondered if walking in place would get boring. It doesn't! Sometimes you can march in place, but for the faster songs you have to speed up. I found I can only go fast enough by jogging in place. As I get more used to it, I'll be able to keep up better! So it is great exercise!
Some people say they use a mini-trampoline, and I think that would work fine. Being overweight and out of shape (right now, soon to change!) I get knee pain easily. So I might try that, or get one of those padded mats they sell for standing in front of the kitchen sink.
Here's the video review that convinced me to get it! Among other things they let you know that you can turn off songs if you don't like them. You will NOT get stuck with some horrible rap song! Most of the songs are okay though, just very upbeat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbvP2I1nh8s
Another great review,
http://www.nutwiisystem.com/blog/review-of-walk-it-out-for-wii-by-konami.html
And more videos:
http://www.konami.com/walkitout
I want to do my little bit to publicize the game, because it's not very well known right now, but it should be! More people should know about this, especially older people! Forget shooting, solving puzzles, competing at games. Here you just walk, and the people wave at you as you go by! So it's calming and soothing, at the same time lifts your spirits and you get a great workout!
The Place I Come From
North California. I was only here during my teen years, but it's where I identify more than anywhere else. I found myself here!
I spent a lot of time up on these hills, often just far enough above the house to be "elsewhere", but sometimes I'd take my doggie and a roll of Ritz crackers, and wander all day, back up the ridge a couple miles.
Here's a panorama I put together the old-fashioned way! Took the pictures aeons ago and had them printed, and only recently scanned them in so I could have the computer stitch them together.
My doggie is visible at the far right, a little black blob against the white snow.
And "home" is down on the other side of that bare patch in the middle left.
Another picture of the pup.
I spent a lot of time up on these hills, often just far enough above the house to be "elsewhere", but sometimes I'd take my doggie and a roll of Ritz crackers, and wander all day, back up the ridge a couple miles.
Here's a panorama I put together the old-fashioned way! Took the pictures aeons ago and had them printed, and only recently scanned them in so I could have the computer stitch them together.
My doggie is visible at the far right, a little black blob against the white snow.
And "home" is down on the other side of that bare patch in the middle left.
Unfinished painting on a wall
Unfinished, unfortunately, and what's worse, since it was drawn directly on sheetrock, it'll have to stay that way! But still worth a look. Look at the tiny details, the bench, the lantern, and there would have been a duck, lizard, floating water lilies...
And Did the Tower Come Tumbling Down?
News of this morning, a tower in Shanghai burnt, killing many people. THIS is an inferno. Yet, did it melt its steel beams and drop past the non-burning levels at freefall speed to land in its own footprint?
I don’t think they really care if we believe their stupid story any more. They’ve gotten what they wanted and from now on it's just something to let us entertain ourselves talking about.
Link to Shanghai fire, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40190224/ns/world_news-asiapacific/
I don’t think they really care if we believe their stupid story any more. They’ve gotten what they wanted and from now on it's just something to let us entertain ourselves talking about.
Link to Shanghai fire, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40190224/ns/world_news-asiapacific/
I Always Thought I was FROM Mars
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101115/ap_on_sc/us_one_way_to_mars
Me! I would go! No money, hmmm… well, then I need a sponsor :-)
Invoking the spirit of “Star Trek” in a scholarly article entitled “To Boldly Go,” two scientists contend human travel to Mars could happen much more quickly and cheaply if the missions are made one-way. They argue that it would be little different from early settlers to North America, who left Europe with little expectation of return...
Mars is a six-month flight away, possesses surface gravity, an atmosphere, abundant water, carbon dioxide and essential minerals. They propose the missions start by sending two two-person teams, in separate ships, to Mars. More colonists and regular supply ships would follow...
They think the private sector might be a better place to try their plan. “What we would need is an eccentric billionaire,” Schulze-Makuch said. “There are people who have the money to put this into reality.”
Psychological profiling and training of the astronauts, plus constant communication with Earth, will reduce debilitating mental strains, the two scientists said.
“They would in fact feel more connected to home than the early Antarctic explorers,” according to the article.
But the mental health of humans who spent time in space has been extensively studied. Depression can set in, people become irritated with each other, and sleep can be disrupted, the studies have found. The knowledge that there is no quick return to Earth would likely make that worse.
Schulze-Makuch and Davies contend that Mars has abundant resources to help the colonists become self-sufficient over time. The colony should be next to a large ice cave, to provide shelter from radiation, plus water and oxygen, they wrote.
They believe the one-way trips could start in two decades.
“You would send a little bit older folks, around 60 or something like that,” Schulze-Makuch said...
Me! I would go! No money, hmmm… well, then I need a sponsor :-)
Mike quilt update - okay and horrible
The design got simpler! And I'm having a pretty good time getting these pieces together. I think this'll work out.
I can't do any math for this because it's all going by how much fabric I have. There'll be as many nine patch squares as it turns out I have green fabric for :-)
I have a large amount of the red calico which WAS going to be for the backing, but I put it as sashing to increase contrast. I've finally gotten Mike to admit that we need more contrast!
Here's the results so far.
HORRIBLE! N'est ce pas?
I can't do any math for this because it's all going by how much fabric I have. There'll be as many nine patch squares as it turns out I have green fabric for :-)
I have a large amount of the red calico which WAS going to be for the backing, but I put it as sashing to increase contrast. I've finally gotten Mike to admit that we need more contrast!
Here's the results so far.
HORRIBLE! N'est ce pas?
