Look! Up in the Sky - It’s a bird, It’s a plane…it’s a kite board!

I’ve always thought I was special and my mom has always confirmed this but I'm not sure I fall into the elite top 1%. I’m referring to my newly attempted hobby of kite boarding. My friend/trainer who excels at kite boarding describes it as “absolutely positively the wrong sport for 99% of the population”.

In case you don’t know about kite boarding or kite surfing it involves a big kite that uses the wind to propel you on a board through the water. You will probably see someone attempting this if you get to the beach on a slightly windy day anytime soon. Plus you can kite on land and ice so you may see the big colorful kites on non-beachy areas as well.

I’ve wanted to try this sport for years so I was happy when I finally met someone who could teach me. I usually don’t need lessons when I take up a new sport but this one seems more complicated than most. So far I’m falling into the 99% category since I’m a bit scared of all the power you can get from the wind and the weather never seems to be quite right when I finally make the hour long drive to the beach. But I haven’t given up yet. I have a dream…that one day I will be able to get up on a kite board for at least a few feet. I’ll keep you posted.

But even if I never get up on the board it’s still been a positive experience. I've had fun learning to fly the kite on the beach and getting dragged in the water, I've made some new friends and I've learned to pay more attention to wind speed and direction. I recommend trying a new sport or hobby to everyone as a good way to learn something new and keep life interesting and challenging. Perhaps just not kite boarding.

Cat “Not Flying High” Cathy

Build A Better Mouse Trap And You Will Catch More Mice....Duh

Yesterday I spent the afternoon checking traps for mice and other small mammals. There were no small mammals to be found but the traps did catch a spider and a lizard and I had the added fun of pulling two ticks off of me. You may wonder what this has to do with my chosen career as a petroleum cleanup engineer. The answer is absolutely positively nothing. I just heard of this opportunity and thought it might be a fun experience and a good chance to learn something new.

Stepping outside the box of my normal daily grind is not a new thing for me. I’ve always volunteered for extra curricular activities at work including demonstrating a 1½ million dollar prototype hydrogen fuel cell car, being a science fair judge and doing a controlled burn. A controlled burn would be a dream job for a pyromaniac since it involves purposely setting a forest on fire. What do you suppose Smokey the Bear would say about this? “Only you can cause forest fires, only you”! It doesn’t sound very environmental but I learned of the many benefits it has while I was choking on the thick black smoke.

So the idea of doing something outside my normal career path is not unusual for me. I recommend this approach to everyone. Next time you have the opportunity to try something different give it a chance. You never know what you will learn, who you will meet and what fun you will have. After all variety is the spice of life! The worst thing that can happen is you remove a few ticks, have a funny story to tell your friends and a little bit more knowledge to carry with you on your journey through life.

Cat "eeks a mouse" Cathy