Friday, May 27, 2011

What the!

Hello.....

what the.....

My mind has been thinking too much over the last week and has been a bit all over the place. That is what happens when good mates pass away. The scary thing is that it is almost 12 months to the day after another mate died....and for what. Somehow these young men need to know that there are options available. Both lads part aboriginal....coincidence??? 18 months ago I also attended another mates funeral. It seems as you get over one, another tragedy occurs.
Yesterday morning my brother Josh and I attended the final goodbye for my mate Slade McElhone. I think myself and others have been holding together pretty well but we let everything out and nothing was left unsaid. We all had our own stories and memories of Slade. I found the day pretty difficult as did others and we arrived locked in arms as a guard of honour and left the same way showing to all that none of us are alone and with a couple hundred people at the funeral neither was my brother boy.

When you are confronted with these situations it does reinforce what you have and how lucky you are. My wife and my boys are my life, I would do anything for any of them.

See ya mate, I will see you agian in another life!

On the 5th June (Danielle's birthday) is judgment day for me. I have my Police fitness and theory testing. I had a practice run about two weeks ago at a Police open day and scored 91 out of 100, getting 11.2 on the beep test and receiving full marks on everything else except for the sit and reach. This is not just going to be another job for me, this is going to be my career and something I will do for the rest of my life. I have got alot of drive to smash this test and the theory afterwards, not just for me but for my family. Danielle is working four days a week. Two days at the hospital which she loves (nursing) and the other two days at a doctors surgery doing admin work. I know that the admin stuff is frustrating Danielle and I don't blame her. I need to get into the police to give her a break and not have to do admin work for a bunch of people who don't give her the respect that she deserves.

The hospital has been really good and I have been open to them about applying for the police. They have given me next week off and have just offered me a new job which will take me up to when the police training starts in October. Everyone has been very positive and supportive during this process. So I am currently 81kg and the fittest that I have been. Unfortunately I have had a couple of niggling injuries that hopefully I can smooth out over the next week.

So the countdown is now on, it seems like I have been waiting for this test forever and it is now here. I will blog regularly over the next week to keep everyone updated on how it is going.

9 DAYS TO GO!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Onwards and Upwards!

Things are looking up! I contacted the police recruitment office in regards to my eyes and there response was

"All medical conditions are judged on a case by case basis and if you are successful in the selection process you may be offered a position with the condition that you wear contacts or glasses at all times whilst on duty."

Talk about relief! I was worried there, but now back on track. This does mean though that I am going to have to so much better than all other applicants. In the process of cracking the shits I have slipped back a few steps in regards to my strength and conditioning. I have been eating crap, not doing nearly enough exercise and when I do get off my backside only going half arsed.

This morning I went to the gym and absolutely smashed my upper body....damn even after two weeks I had forgotten that rush of energy you get when you hit the weights early. Great start to the day! Combine that with a carefully measured amount of CSIRO Protein cereal for breakfast and a homemade pasta and chicken salad out of...yes you guessed it the CSIRO recipe book for lunch and I can't really think of too many day starters better than that. Considering on my last weigh in I tipped the scales at 83kg on the dot...which is a gain of 1.1kg from my low point of 81.9kg it is time go hard or should not even bother.

Police testing is now less than two months away and the count down is now on time for me to start finalising what I need to do and where I need to be, so for the next little while I will be posting regularly not just to let everyone know how I am going but also to give me motivation to keep going and so I can look back and know that I gave it my all!

Seriously CSIRO need to pay Danielle and I some form of advertising fee or something!!!!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Lighten Things Up!


I thought that it was about time that I brighten the @#$% up, so what better way than with a prayer.....

A Rugby Prayer
Our beer, Which art in kegs
Hallowed be thy Sport
Thy will be drunk, I will be drunk
At home, As it is in the pub
Give us each day our daily beverage
And forgive us our spillage,
As we forgive those who spillest against us
Lead us not into poofy wine tasting
And deliver us from Tequila
For mine is the lager,

The ale and the Rugby
Forever and ever.
AMEN

Monday, March 21, 2011

A Slap in the Face

Hello no bullshit just straight to it. I had an eye test on Friday last week (one of the requirements for the police) and they ask for not only your corrected vision test but also your uncorrected vision ie: no glasses or contacts. With my contacts in perfect vision 6/6 which is the same as 20/20 vision. It is my uncorrected vision which is the interesting part for entrance into the police you need to have an uncorreected visual acuity of 6/19 in the bad eye, which is equivelent to 1/3 of normal vision in the bad eye....here is the good part. My good eye's visual acuity is 6/24 which is the the same as having 1/4 of normal vision, my bad eye is 6/30. If you do the math that is 1/5 normal vision.

What does this mean? Buggered if I know if you use logic it means that there will be no chance of getting into the police. Unless we spend $10,000 getting corrective laser surgery with no assurances that I will get in anyway. The police do say that they take each application and judge it on a case by case basis so my only hope is that I do everything else at 100% and they decide to give me a chance. I have come too far for this to shoot me down. I have lost the 'most' of the excess weight I have been carrying around plus courses and getting fit all for the one goal and that is to get into the police.

No more half ass bullshit from me anymore so far everything physical I have done in the last 6 months I have been pushing myself but not to the extreme, for the simple fact that if I came out of somthing with an injury or the like that put me out of the testing for the police I would crack it big time.....well guess what I have cracked it  anyway. That means that the few rugby tournaments I have played in over the last few months, the gym and anything else physical I have definantly not gone up to that final gear.. well ch chink! (noise of changing gears) full throttle from now on with no backward step. Through my life thing generally happen which make the decisions for me not any more what ever happens from now on it is because I want it to happen not because other outside events or things have changed.......This is my life............


We all have our own life to pursue, our own kind of dream to be weaving. And we all have some power to make wishes come true, as long as we keep believing.
- Louisa May Alcott

Friday, March 18, 2011

I had a plan!

Yesterday I had a little spare time at work so I was having a scan across the net when I thought I would have a look at my wife blog to see if anything interesting was happening at home while I was at work. Something was happening and it was not good. It was a frustrated blog from my wife mixed with all other negative emotions you can think of.......read this seriously made me feel physically sick  in the stomach knowing that this was how she was feeling. Unfortunately we do not get to just sit down and talk much because of the boys, work, rugby and fitness. Here is our typical day. I get up at 5.30am to go to the gym from there I go straight to work sometimes I come home for lunch but usually I don't see my family until after 4.30 in the afternoon. Then at quarter to 5 Danielle goes to the gym and it is my turn to watch the boys. When she gets back it is a mad rush to get dinner boys fed, showered and bed. Danielle generally looks after my youngest son Naythan and I get Tennyson to bed unless he wants to go to bed with mummy. On the other days I am going to rugby or Danielle to work. Currently the weekends haven't been great family time either. Because money isn't our friend I find myself working Saturday and Sunday helping my dad with his gardening business. Any free time I get I am quite literally "Fucked" pardon the french! I know that all of our bills, lack of money and lack of time for each other are playing on both of our minds at the moment.

Anyway my plan. Mum was going to take the boys for the evening while I was at Rugby and Danielle was at work. So I thought after realising Danielle's frustration I would do the initial fitness training at Rugby then go home and give the house a bit of a once over. So I got home plugged in the ipod into the stereo, turned the music up and cleaned up. All I wanted to do was give the house a clean so when Danielle got up this morning all she needs to think about is breakfast and the boys, not the dishes, washing, floors, benches and multitude of crap that some amazingly appears before you know it. I am going to make a consious effort to try and make Danielle's life a little easier...Love you Baby.

Also I also read something about Danielle feels that she is cheating on me when she gives me a cuddle because I have lost so much weight and the good old squishy bits are dissappearing.....I have now created an alter ego aka: Enrique her latin lover.....


Thursday, March 10, 2011

Tenno's first taste of Rugby

Today my son Tennyson had his first training run for the Casuarina Cougars under 5's. In this age group they don't actually tackle it is like a hybrid game of touch. Tennyson was in his element and started running with the under 7's and was loving it.
Tenno is the one on the right of the lad with the ball. Passing in a circle with the under 7's

This, like I said was his first training session, but honestly and ignore that I am a bias, proud and excited father you could not tell. He was like a duck to water. He was running, passing, kicking and even a bit of tackling. Anyway pictures speak louder than words so take a look.

Tenno with his arms out making sure the spacing is right!
A bit of agility training.

Tenno in full flight out to get a football.
 
Running with some team mates

Tenno running up to Dad to let me know how much fun he is having and to tell me what he is doing.

That's my boy the first of many I think. Well done Tennyson!

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

General Update

I have been really slack of late but seriously, are you suprised? Last week I came down with some random bug that the boys had which knocked me around a bit. Then this week I had the flu pretty good and I have had to take the last two days off. As with most things there is a silver lining and that was that my boys were home with me. What would have capped it off would have been if Danielle was home to but the last two days she has been working at the hospital.

Obviously being crook and living in Darwin where it rains most of the day lately there was not much outside time. But today I was able to sqeeze a bit of time at the park with the boys and this was the result.


And with this result my face was looking the same they had a ball and I don't get to do this much with my sons because I am at work all week and most weekends I am working with my dad halping out with his gardening business. So I savour these moments, like I said the perfect day would have had my wife in the middle of the boys.


Just thought I would throw this photo in because I could.


On another issue, my weight loss/fitness update. Current weight stands at 82.9kg down 13.4kg since I started this blog. It is amazing how you feel when you loose weight and get fit. We have been in full swing at Rugby doing the beep test then sprint after sprint mix a bit of impact work and ball skills followed by timed multiple 400, 200, 100 and 50 metre sprints, before I know it the oval's lights are on and we have been doing this for almost 2 hours. Add my 6am gym sessions three days a week and doing garden work with dad on weekends, I think I am on track to smash this police testing. Which might I add has been scheduled for the 5th of June......Danielle's birthday! Did I mention that the testing starts at 6am and finishes at about 4.30am..........Bugger!! Applications for the police close on the 13th of May so not long to go now. Also at Rugby training our fitness trainer is actually one of the police trainers at the college, so Matty has been pushing me at training...which I love almost like having your own personal trainer...for free!

Ok that is it for me today and I promise my next blog will have some updated photos of me. See ya!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Top End Rugby

Hello I have created a new blog called Top End Rugby. This blog will have a pile of information on both forms of rugby from the Top End and beyond.

It is a work in progress so have a look and see what you think!

Monday, February 7, 2011

Another Step Forward

Another step towards the Police is now complete.

In the Police application you need to supply a completed form which says that you can complete a 200m swim. That form needs to be signed of by a life guard or someone that holds a bronze medallion. The last time I went for the Police I did exactly that. Do I need to remind anyone that I did not get into the Police last time around.

So how did I improve myself in this regard? Well weekend just gone I completed my bronze medallion course through the Royal Lifesavers. The course went all weekend so unfortunately I did not see my family for the third weekend running but at least I have something out of it.

I have decided that I am going to put everything into getting into the Police this time. If I am not accepted this time, I will not try again! I have been trying for at least three years and I am goinig to do everything in my power to get through this time but if it is not to be I need to look at other opportunities.


"Some men succeed because they are destined to, but most men succeed because they are determined to."

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Doubters!!

Yes my first blog for this year is a February blog and a slight bitch session.

Why oh why does it seem that everywhere I look there are people around who seem to just look for things that I am doing that they can tell me how much short of the mark I am. My wife 99% of the time is the reason I stick things out and try for a positive outcome. Whether it is in sport or lately my professional aspirations it seems that most people are saying good for you for trying even though you know it is out of your league! WTF is wrong with people??
If people are thinking this about what I am doing now what do they really think about my dream of becoming a police officer?? What am I supposed to start acting like a complete prick like most people seem to think all cops are like??

As you could probably tell this is starting to really get to me. As the old saying says "If you have nothing nice to say shut the #@*! up" It is funny what motivation you get when you are doing weights at 11pm....ps still training to be a cop! I am going to be doing my Bronze Medallion this weekend.

Anyway this is a good vent at the beginning of the year.

Because I have not updated my weight or anything I shall inform you that right now for the first time in my life I am now lighter than my two younger brothers @ 84.6kg, only 6kg to go until my goal and in the health BMI catagory. And yes I am slowly starting to see abs emerge from my stomach, something I have not seen since school. I would insert a photo here but our camera has decided to stop working so this is the best I can do until next time. Both shot at the Darwin Wave pool.