Archives for 2009

My New Kindle 2

March 1, 2009 by keiron 4 Comments

I just got my new Kindle 2 from Amazon, what a great device for one-handed folks (although I’m sure that wasn’t their primary design goal).

I’ve found that when I’m reading a book I have to hold it open with my one hand, which depending on the size and weight of the book can get tiring after a while. Also, I then don’t have a spare hand to turn the page and sometimes the book just doesn’t want to stay open. If I’m laying in bed reading it’s a little hard to hold a book open when I’m on my side reading, especially if it’s a hardback.

Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s not like this is a major obstacle in life, but it’s always a delight when something comes along like solves these minor irritants and currently I’m being delighted by my Kindle 2.

The Kindle is easy to hold in one hand, or lay flat on the bed, or rest on one’s knees and the e-Ink reflective screen really looks like the printed page, quite amazing and a pleasure to read even at an angle, just like a real book. I don’t have to try to keep it open or put it down to flip pages, I can even hold it with my i-Limb hand!

But wait, there’s more…I can buy and download books on the fly, have all my books immediately to hand anywhere I go and all in a device that’s slim, trim and looks like a super-sized iPhone.

Thank you Amazon!

Deny Lightfoot

February 22, 2009 by keiron Leave a Comment

I met Deny (he’s 22) a few weeks back, I was introduced to him via TouchBionics since he lives in the Northern California area and was very interested in the i-Limb hand after losing his hand in an industrial accident, back in December.

He dropped by with his sister, Rebecka, on their way to his medical appointment in San Francisco. Deny’s hand was literally ripped of when his jacket got caught in a machine at work and for someone barely a month post accident, he’s recovering extremely well, and for someone only 22, has a great positive outlook on life. It was interesting to swap “war” stories, he was comparing the feelings and sensations he gets with what I’d described on my blog during my recovery.

It was great to meet Deny and hopefully, in time, he’ll be able to get fitted for an i-Limb hand and I hope he enjoys as much success with it as I have.

Swimming For Treasure

January 26, 2009 by keiron Leave a Comment

This weekend Kerry and I participated in the 1st Annual Halfway to Hawaii Practice Triathlon on Treasure Island as part of our training for Lavaman in March.

Now, why swimming in a wetsuit in the frigid waters off Treasure Island in January is considered training for swimming in the warm waters of Hawaii without a wetsuit is beyond me, but what the hell.

So on Sunday we all gathered at Treasure Island with our TNT team mates, many off whom had never done a triathlon before, to take part in a sprint triathlon (which is half the distance of the Olympic distance we’ll be doing in Hawaii). Even though it was a practice, the TNT staffers and volunteers put on a great event and it was pretty much like the real thing. Fortunately it wasn’t raining as per the forecast and it turned out to be a great day, considering it’s January!

It was funny watching all the participates snaking up the road towards the beach ready for the start, made for quite a sight I’m sure, however, that was nothing compared to watching everyone racing into the water once the race started.

After a quick 14 minute swim I was running back to the transition area for my bike ride.

Cycling around Treasure Island wasn’t all that easy, it’s a twisty course as you wind around the roads and there are potholes everywhere, I even had to stop a few times at stop signs to let cars pass. The bike probably took a little less than an hour and then it was off for the run, only 3 miles, but, definitely not my favourite part.

After 1hr and 42 minutes I crossed the finish line, pleased it was all over. Kerry was barely 8 minutes behind me, she’s getting more determined to beat me and at this rate she might just do it (she’s faster on the swim, not too far behind on the bike and just needs to catch up on the run).

So we are doing all this to raise funds for the The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), we’ve raised over $1,000 towards our $5,880 goal, if you’d like to make a donation to help us along our way it would be greatly appreciated, it’s easy to
do online: http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/lavatri09/kezandkeiron

In The Drink

January 17, 2009 by keiron Leave a Comment

Another day in the life of a triathlete, today was our first open water swim of the season at Aquatic Park in San Francisco and the water was a balmy 48F (9C), what a joy! Despite the chilly water we still had a great turnout by the team, all in their shiny new wetsuits.

I must say, it was a beautiful day once the sun came out, considering it’s winter we’ve been very lucky with the weather.

After our swim we then headed out for a 40 minute run up to Crissy Fields and back, probably about 3 or so miles. After the swim my feet were so cold that when I started my run they felt like wooden blocks, I just couldn’t feel them. The things we do, eh!

So far we’ve raised over $1,000 towards our $5,880 goal, thank you to all those that have been so generous in these tough times. If you’d like to make a donation it would be greatly appreciated, it’s easy to do online: http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/lavatri09/kezandkeiron

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