Jan 2021 - Anticus Canis Novus Calliditas

Anticus Canis Novus Calliditas

Some say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. But what exactly do we mean by “old dog?” If you mean descendants of canis lupis (the wolf) living in many of our homes, I think there is truth in the aphorism. By the time a dog is six years old, he has figured out where to poop and pee, how to get food, and what window gives the best view of the neighbor’s cat. Asking that dog to fetch your newspaper or get you a beer will likely fail.

But if old dog refers to homo sapiens (humans) over the age of 30, I think we can learn some new tricks (unless a good bowel movement and a bowl of kibble is your idea of happiness.)

By new tricks we mean the Half Life kind. Cool skills you don’t already have and cool things you’ve never done. After all, Evel Knievel was an “old dog” at 36 when he attempted to jump the Snake River Canyon in a rocket bike.

What, dare-deviling isn’t for you? Remember what Evel said (it could be the Half Life motto):

Bones heal, chicks dig scars, and pain is temporary.

Of course jumping your motorcycle over 28 buses in front of Caesar’s Palace is just not doable as long as this pandemic keeps us social distancing. So what else is there?

I made some German Christmas bread called stollen, over the holidays. Wimpy you say? Just try kneading dough for what seems like a month, my forearms cramping, flour flying into my eyes, then burning my hand in the oven—twice. (My wife thinks the scars are sexy.) The next morning. . . sipping coffee, eating the pastry with my dog, watching that neighbor’s cat through the window. . . good stuff.

And there are plenty of ideas between the extremes of baking bread and death defying. Winter sports you can do now include: snow shoeing, cross-country skiing, cold-water swimming, snow-mobiling, even fur-bearing mammal trapping. . .

We put together a few videos to kick off the new year and to help inspire you to learn anything that lights your fire!

Over the age of 30, 40, or 50 and wondering if you can learn a new sport? Look no further! Old dogs can learn new tricks. This video talks about the hydrofoil revolution for wake foiling, surf foiling, wing foiling, windfoiling, and all hydrofoil sports.

Want to learn a new language, an instrument, or a new sport? Wall Street Journal best selling author and Tedx speaker Scott H. Young has some ideas for you. As one Half-Life viewer put it “Embrace your inner Kook”!

Face Your Fear! Sam Willing, podcast author of Imperfection Wins, shares her story of overcoming her fear of watersports just past the age of 30. Since that time she's learned to wakesurf, wakeboard, and to waterski.

In case you missed it - Ski season is upon us and it's time to pick out what snow ski you'll be skiing for the 2021 ski season. Are you looking to buy THE all mountain ski that can be your one ski quiver? If you only want to own one pair of skis, this is the category for you.

Spring is just a few months away and when the pandemic unleashes us, there will be hundreds of things to do. I bet you have a few activities you have wanted to try. Reach out to us at halflifet.5@gmail.com and maybe we can help. Our members have done just about everything. . .

Except this—I just saw it on ESPN 8 so it is a real thing—Death Diving. Seriously. It is the national sport of Norway. Belly-flopping from thirty feet into a Scandinavian fjord. . . of course I didn’t see any old dogs competing in this event.

Maybe I’ll stick to bread baking.

I want to personally thank you for your support of Half-Life. We're now over 3,000 strong and growing. It's not about being awesome at a sport or activity, it's just about doing more of what we love to do. Your notes of encouragement mean everything to us and when we've heard that we've inspired you, please know that you in turn have inspired us. Life is short. Let's spend it doing what we love to do.

Happy New Year! We hope that this year brings new experiences, happiness, good health, and plenty more of what you love to do. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out and oh by the way….Pick up one of our surf WA hats!

All the best,
Tim