My Philosophy

"Don't tell me the sky's the limit when we have footsteps on the moon!"

Thursday 28 July 2011

20's Bucket list


I have many lists on pieces of paper from throughout the years saying stuff like, things I want to accomplish before I'm 30 or things I want to accomplish this year. This list though I will share with the world, so now that you guys know it makes it more compelling to actually go out and do them.

I would like to point out though that a lot of stuff on my previous "ambitions lists" I have already done, some day I may write a post about some of them, but nor right now.

So, in no particular order, here is my 20's bucket list:
  1. Visit every continent (Originally this one was to go to a strip club on every continent but I ruled that out because I don't think I'll find one in Antarctica)
  2. Be fluent in German
  3. Climb the Col du Tourmalet
  4. Run a marathon
  5. Race a Triathlon
  6. Bungee Jump
  7. Do the Africa Rally
  8. Cycle the Euro Velo 8 (Mediterranean route)
  9. Do the Mongol Rally
  10. Sleep in a hammock 
  11. Go skydiving
  12. Go to the "Heart Attack Grill"
  13. Home brew some hard spirit
  14. Make a computer game
  15. Go 200mph in a car
  16. Do a brewery road trip of the UK
  17. Learn to play Hotel California (The Eagles) on guitar
  18. Learn to sail
  19. Learn to use manual settings on digital cameras
  20. Learn to ski
  21. Get a Masters degree
  22. Have a night out drinking only Tequila
  23. Visit Oktoberfest
  24. Visit 10 NEW European Capital cities
  25. Get 100,000 gamerscore on my XBL account
  26. Own land
  27. Get a tattoo
  28. Run an assault course
  29. Learn an Eastern language
  30. Go to the airport and get the next flight... to anywhere
This doesn't have everything, but my parents and possibly grandparents read this blog so I wasn't going to put all of then here ;)

So what do you think? Any ideas for more? Want to join me on any of the particularly crazy stuff?

Post a comment :)

Viel Spaß homies

Sunday 17 July 2011

Langwieder See (7 "cat-lives" remaining)

I've been over the injury I picked up on my "Tour de Austria" for quite a while, but a combination of the strange June weather in Munich and not having anything to train for I haven't really done much cycling around Munich. I have cycled to work quite a bit, which is 22 miles per day, so I have been keeping up my fitness and thought I would test myself.

There are 2 big lakes around Munich, one of which I have been to and talked about in a previous post is Starnberger, the other is Ammersee. I thought this time I would try and go to Ammersee - although it is further away and I hadn't done a ride like that in a while.

The ride was slower than I would have liked at the start because I had to get through the city, but eventually the traffic lights went away and managed to pick up some speed. Unfortunately it didn't take long to realize that I wasn't strong enough to make it all the way, so when I saw a sign pointing to a different lake that I didn't even realize was there I went for that one instead. That way I knew I would be able to go there, look around, lie in the sun and still be able to ride back home.

I was surprised to find that this lake was not just one lake, but 2 split by a fairly narrow path with space to lie on either side.




I lay down for about half an hour reading my book (Magnificat by Julian May) and ate lunch in the sun, this place must be really popular because there was people all the way round both lakes. I decided that if I were to train for a Triathlon then this is where I would go for the swimming and running parts.

I still had plenty of energy to get home but I could see that it was going to rain soon and decided to shorten my day a bit and go part of the way back by train. I was going to head for the nearest S-Bahn, but when the rain fell it felt really nice. It was that kind of warm refreshing rain, which if anything made cycling more comfortable, so I decided to head for Marienplatz (Munich Centre) and take the U-Bahn home. This is 10 miles (16k) from that lake, which made my daily riding at a nice round 30 miles.

The warm rain stopped and turned instead to a downpour, which wasn't so nice to cycle in, and when I got back into Munich I lost my second "cat-life". I realize now that I didn't write about that but this is basically what happened. I was trying for a 10 mile PB on the way home from work and in the last mile really gave it my all, on a road. The notification that I had finished 10 miles came and I slowed down and stopped concentrating. Then I rode off to the side off the road (which had a dip) and I lost control. I knew the bike was going to go down so I somehow dumped over it and landed on my feet, going at over 20 mph at the time! That is what I call losing my first "cat-life"

So this day I lost my second. When I got to the city centre I started heading for Odeonsplatz, which is the easiest station for me to travel from as it doesn't need cycling into the busiest part of the city. On the way there there is some tram lines. Normally I handle these just fine, riding over them with a sufficient angle NOT to fall in the line with my wheel, but not this time! I went into the tram line, couldn't get out and fell, but again landed on my feet! Seriously I don't know how I am doing it, but I am glad not to have had an injury!

Today I rode 31 miles in 2h 20m.

The workouts were split into 2, you can find them here and here.

Viel Spaß homies!