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Hair Dryers and Fridges

Jan 30th, 2012
by Rodney Olsen.
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I don’t know what you did with your Sunday afternoon but I spent a fair bit of time lying on the kitchen floor wielding a hairdryer yesterday.

Our 17 year old fridge has been having issues as old fridges sometimes do. The freezer’s been doing it’s job but the fridge compartment could have been aptly described as a cupboard. A well insulated cupboard but a cupboard none the less. We had been putting iceblocks from the freezer compartment into the fridge to try to keep food fresh.

We took action yesterday by packing everything into eskies and sinks, covered in ice from the local servo.

I then got down on the floor and removed a panel to see a fair bit of ice. I used the hairdryer to do a complete defrost before putting everything back together and hoping for the best.

I’m pleased to say that it seemed to work. The fact that the frost free feature is no longer working suggests that it might be in it’s final days but I was more than happy to be able to buy us some time.

It’s nice to have a win every now and then but I don’t think I’ll be going into the fridge fixing business any time soon.

You might think that a hair dryer is an unusual tool for fridge fixing, and you’d be right, but I’m wondering what unusual but effective tools you’ve used for a particular job. Please let me know in the comments section of this post.

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12 Week Challenge

Jan 27th, 2012
by Rodney Olsen.
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One of the segments on my Morning Café radio program on 98.5 Sonshine FM is a look at fitness and health with personal trainer Kellie Long.

When we began the segment last year we started out with a little of Kellie’s story. It’s a story with which many of us can identify. It’s a story about dissatisfaction from where we find ourselves but the difference in Kellie’s story is that she did something about it then set about inspiring others.

I am not unfamiliar with the pain of being unhappy in my own skin, both physically and emotionally. I was once 93kgs and can proudly say that after 18 months of hard work lost 30 kgs and have never looked back. Was it easy? NO! Was it worth it? Yes! This is why I have been working and studying in the fitness industry for the past five years. I enjoy training people of all walks of life whether they are mothers, aspiring firemen, police recruits or business men and women. I’m proud to be a partner in their lives and a catalyst for them to reach the goals they strive for.

My goals for my clients are to see not just the improvement of their physical capabilities but their mental and emotional progress also. Physical training cannot be separated from a person’s emotional state. Therefore, my training has a holistic approach in building self confidence through client’s achievements and newly formed lifestyles of clean eating, their ability to handle stress and of course their new found strength in all their physical achievements. – KellieLong.com

Something very exciting is happening with the segment this year. We’re offering a couple of listeners the opportunity to undertake a 12 Week Challenge that will help them make a life transformation. It’s not just a weight loss challenge, it’s an opportunity to turn their life around while being supported by a great bunch of people. We’re teaming up with Goodlife Health Clubs to change lives.

Kellie and I chatted briefly about the 12 Week Challenge on air this morning. You can hear our conversation by clicking play on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

Oh … by the way … I’ve agreed to take part in the challenge as well. Watch this space for more details. :)

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Australia Day 2012

Jan 25th, 2012
by Rodney Olsen.
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Are you ready for Australia Day tomorrow?

We celebrate Australia Day on the 26th of January each year because it was that day in 1788 that Captain Arthur Phillip took formal possession of the colony of New South Wales and became its first Governor. The first official celebrations were held in 1818 to mark the 30th anniversary of white settlement.

If you want to find out more about Australia Day you can go to the official website here.

Watching fireworks on Australia Day has become a solid tradition in Perth but over the past several years many people have started looking for ways to avoid the parking hassles and find a family friendly event. Answering the call is the 98.5 Sonshine FM Town of Bassendean Australia Day Celebrations and Fireworks event which has built a reputation as a safe place to spend Australia Day with friends and family as well as providing a spectacular show.

If you’re in the Perth area it’d be great to catch up with you at Ashfield Reserve, Guildford Road, Ashfield, for the evening. It’s a great event that culminates in a massive fireworks display away from the big and sometimes rowdy crowds of the city fireworks. 98.5 Sonshine FM is proud to be providing the soundtrack and we’ll be broadcasting live from the venue.

I’ll be joined on stage by my friend and colleague, Arthur Muhl, to MC the live entertainment which starts from 5:00 p.m. There’ll also be an awards ceremony. The fireworks will begin lighting up the skies later in the evening with the whole event finishing at 9:00 p.m.

If you want to enjoy some great entertainment in a more relaxed family atmosphere, without having to wait hours in traffic on the way home, come on down.

Either way, make sure that you’ve got some plans in place to celebrate.

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The 25000 Spins Story

Jan 19th, 2012
by Rodney Olsen.
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25000 Spins is a non-profit business dedicated to making a difference to children in need. Their vision is to not only make the lives of children better but to empower and challenge people to get involved in the cause through physical challenges.

Craig Shipton was living in London back in 2008 when he decided to do something that would help some of the one billion children in our world who live in poverty. Craig joined me on the phone this afternoon during my program on 98.5 Sonshine FM.

I talked to Craig about why he created 25000 Spins, what the name means, what they’ve achieved so far and what plans are in place. You can listen to our conversation by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

25000 Spins is of particular interest to me because I’ll be cycling with Craig and a group of others next month. The video below explains why I’m so passionate about riding with 25000 Spins. In it I tell the story of escaping Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, as rioting escalated and smoke from burning barricades filled the air.

Having seen first hand, both in Haiti and Dominican Republic, how effective Compassion’s work is, I am determined to do more to help. That’s why from the 12th to the 14th of February 2012 I’ll be taking part in the 25000 Spins Great Ocean Road Challenge.

I’ll be riding 290 kilometres in three days and I need your support. By sponsoring my efforts on the challenge you’ll be releasing children from poverty. You’ll be giving children a real chance at life. Please visit my fundraising page and make a contribution. Maybe you can afford to sponsor me for a dollar a kilometre, maybe 50 cents a kilometre, or perhaps you’d just like to donate $10, $20, $50 or any other amount.

The other thing I’d ask you to do is to spread the video as far and as wide as you can so that it make the biggest impact in releasing children from poverty. Please put it on your blog, share it on Facebook, use the sharing buttons below and do whatever else you can do to help raise much needed funding to support the work of Compassion.

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Pull It Apart

Jan 19th, 2012
by Rodney Olsen.
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I think I fixed my phone.

Over the last week or two I’ve noticed that my mobile phone hasn’t been holding its charge as long as it should. In fact, if I didn’t recharge it every day it’d run down and switch itself off within twenty four hours.

I checked online for the price of a new battery and was looking at the options, then, for no reason, I decided to try something different. I switched the phone off, took out the battery, put it straight back in and then charged it.

That was about 40 hours ago and it’s still showing an almost full charge. I have no idea how that works but I’m happy to go with it.

I might start offering a new handyman service. If you have an appliance that’s stopped working I’ll come over to your place, pull it apart, put it back together, and charge you for the service.

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