1. Height?
5'-8 1/4"
2. Have you ever smoked heroin?
Do I look that stupid?
3. Do you own a gun?
yes, one pistol-grip shotgun. DO NOT break into my house.
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments?
No, not at all.
6. What do you think of hot dogs?
Eyeech! Well, maybe if it’s covered in chili and cheese and onions.
7. What's your favorite Christmas song?
Little Drummer Boy…play that thing like you mean it!
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
Water. Orange Juice. An occasional Monster KHAOS.
9. Can you do push ups?
Duh. It’s part of my job.
10. Is your bathroom clean?
Um…define ‘clean’.
11. What's your favorite piece of jewelry?
My wedding band. I hardly wear it, but I adore it.
12. Do you like painkillers?
Only if I have a killer headache.
13. Oregon or Maine?
Do what now?
14. Do you have A.D.D.?
I don’t think so….hey, look at the kitty!
15. Whats your favorite State?
Texas!
16. Middle Name?
Whitsitt. And stop that laughing.
17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment?
Man, I should have started my housework two hours ago!
I need to wash the car so I can sell it.
Can’t wait to work out today!
18. Name the last 3 things you have bought?
Franklin Planner refill, a workout book, and a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu book.
19. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink:
Water, Orange Juice, and the occasional Monster.
20. Favorite food?
Usually, it’s pho. But I’m a bit uncertain today. I’ll get back to you.
21. Favorite way to unwind?
Honestly, I love conking out on the couch after a horrific workout. Not much unwinding there, just instant oblivion.
22. Current worry?
No worries…just opportunities for growth.
23. Current hate?
The huge charge for “Operating Costs” for my lease space.
24. Favorite place to be?
Anywhere with my wife and son, but also on the lacrosse field in springtime.
25. How did you bring in the New Year?
Dancing with family at ‘The Katy House’
26. Where would you like to go?
Scotland…och!
27. Do you own slippers?
Yowza.
28. What shirt are you wearing?
gray tshirt
29. Do you tan or burn?
Tan like a Mexican, baby. Oh wait…I’m part Mexican! That explains it!
30. Favorite color(s)?
Green, blue, purple.
31. Would you be a pirate?
Only if I could be a nice pirate.
33. What songs do you sing in the shower?
Tons of songs! None of them terribly well.
34. What did you fear that was going to get you at night as a child?
The IRS.35.
What's in your pockets right now?
Amazingly, nothing.
36. Last thing that made you laugh?
Shoot, I laugh at almost everything…let’s see…someone said something really funny in class last night, and I actually had to sit down, but I don’t recall what it was.
37. Best bed sheets?
Those t-shirt sheets are awesome!
38.Worst injury you've ever had?
Broken toes, stretched tendons in my knees.
40. How many TVs do you have in your house?
Two, but only one is in use.
41. Who is your loudest friend?
Dunno.
42. Who is your most silent friend?
Again, dunno.
43. Does someone have a crush on you?
If so, I’m in the dark about it.
44. Do u wish on shooting stars?
Every single time.
45. What is your favorite book?
Far too many to list. Dennis L. McKiernan is always a favorite author, as is David Gemmell, Simon R. Green, and Stephen R. Donaldson.
47. What song do/did you want played at your wedding?
We made a CD with the themes from Braveheart and Rob Roy. Cool!
48. What song do you want played at your funeral?
Smack My Bitch Up by Prodigy. No, that’s a joke. How about “If I Only Had a Brain” by Harry Connick Junior? That’s more like me.
49. What were you doing @ 12 AM last night?
Sleeping.
50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up?
What?! Morning? Oh, I hope my darling wife’s knee is feeling better!
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Monday, February 26, 2007
Hotel Indigo, Beat by the Maroon Team
It was a great weekend with a bit of a crappy ending. Every so often, my darling bride and I disappear for a little weekend getaway. Her wonderful sister and brother-in-law are nice enough to watch our Monkey while we’re away…at this point, we owe them a ton of babysitting when they have their own kids, and we’ll be happy to do it. We made reservations at Hotel Indigo (we’ve never been there) and after a pretty cool Graduation ceremony at my school, we were off!
The place was pretty different from many of the other hotels we’ve visited. The colors were green, blue, and purple, and it had the feel of a hotel on the beach, in spite of the fact that it was nestled firmly behind the Galleria. And the elevators were BIG. We’ve been to several hotels in Houston, and honestly, they all seem alike to me. But this one stood out. Now, the Room Service menu was crappy, and we had to move out of our first room because the A/C didn’t work, but aside from that, it was a pretty sweet place. They had really big showers. Cool. We slept a lot, visited House of Pies for breakfast and dinner, wandered around Barnes and Noble…generally, just enjoyed our time together. There was some necking, but I’m not going to get into that here.
So Sunday rolls around, and we pack up, go get the Monkey, and head home. Thankfully, I had cleaned up the house before we left so that we wouldn’t come home to a mess, and I had time to bring in our stuff before changing clothes to play lacrosse. The weather was beautiful…perfect lacrosse weather. Blue skies, cool breezes, niiiiiiiice. The opposing team had what our coach refers to as ‘a bunch of young flatbellies’. Yes, the other team did seem a bit young by our standards. Many of them were just barely out of high school, while our youngest guy is 31. We also had heard that this was literally the second game ever for some of these guys. We looked forward to a win.
We started out well, leading by a couple of points at the half, but we had started to notice something…our shots were starting to bounce off the goalie with alarming regularity. I mean, the little guy started heaving himself in front of our shots, and they just stopped going in the goal. Dang. Sure, the other team had a ton of guys, and they were running all over the field with their youthful exuberance, but we handled the ball better, and should have been able to run the score up a bit. Not so, according to the maroon goalie. He had come out there to stop our shots, and was taking his job seriously.
Personally, I was feeling pretty good. I had already given permission to my teammates to rag me if I scooped one-handed (a sure way to get the ball knocked out of your stick because you’re too damn lazy to stoop over and pick it up safely) and so I was coming up with ground balls here and there. And I was hitting well. I recall going for a loose ball and seeing one of their guys coming in at the same time. “I got man!” BANG. Down he went. Good for me! Another time, I played defense on #14, and when I came off the field, someone asked me if he had insulted my mother. So it was a good day for me. I did take one lousy shot and totally missed a pass that I was apparently supposed to catch and immediately shoot, but I’ll do better on offense next time.
In the end, we lost. We just couldn’t make a goal to save our lives, in spite of the vast number of shots we took. They pressured us just enough, and got enough trash goals to beat us. Argh. I hate being their first win. Ah, well. Hopefully, we’ll do better next time.
And so, I’m preparing for another fabulous day of workouts, classes, and housework. Have fun, everyone.
The place was pretty different from many of the other hotels we’ve visited. The colors were green, blue, and purple, and it had the feel of a hotel on the beach, in spite of the fact that it was nestled firmly behind the Galleria. And the elevators were BIG. We’ve been to several hotels in Houston, and honestly, they all seem alike to me. But this one stood out. Now, the Room Service menu was crappy, and we had to move out of our first room because the A/C didn’t work, but aside from that, it was a pretty sweet place. They had really big showers. Cool. We slept a lot, visited House of Pies for breakfast and dinner, wandered around Barnes and Noble…generally, just enjoyed our time together. There was some necking, but I’m not going to get into that here.
So Sunday rolls around, and we pack up, go get the Monkey, and head home. Thankfully, I had cleaned up the house before we left so that we wouldn’t come home to a mess, and I had time to bring in our stuff before changing clothes to play lacrosse. The weather was beautiful…perfect lacrosse weather. Blue skies, cool breezes, niiiiiiiice. The opposing team had what our coach refers to as ‘a bunch of young flatbellies’. Yes, the other team did seem a bit young by our standards. Many of them were just barely out of high school, while our youngest guy is 31. We also had heard that this was literally the second game ever for some of these guys. We looked forward to a win.
We started out well, leading by a couple of points at the half, but we had started to notice something…our shots were starting to bounce off the goalie with alarming regularity. I mean, the little guy started heaving himself in front of our shots, and they just stopped going in the goal. Dang. Sure, the other team had a ton of guys, and they were running all over the field with their youthful exuberance, but we handled the ball better, and should have been able to run the score up a bit. Not so, according to the maroon goalie. He had come out there to stop our shots, and was taking his job seriously.
Personally, I was feeling pretty good. I had already given permission to my teammates to rag me if I scooped one-handed (a sure way to get the ball knocked out of your stick because you’re too damn lazy to stoop over and pick it up safely) and so I was coming up with ground balls here and there. And I was hitting well. I recall going for a loose ball and seeing one of their guys coming in at the same time. “I got man!” BANG. Down he went. Good for me! Another time, I played defense on #14, and when I came off the field, someone asked me if he had insulted my mother. So it was a good day for me. I did take one lousy shot and totally missed a pass that I was apparently supposed to catch and immediately shoot, but I’ll do better on offense next time.
In the end, we lost. We just couldn’t make a goal to save our lives, in spite of the vast number of shots we took. They pressured us just enough, and got enough trash goals to beat us. Argh. I hate being their first win. Ah, well. Hopefully, we’ll do better next time.
And so, I’m preparing for another fabulous day of workouts, classes, and housework. Have fun, everyone.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
300 Spartans and Colon Blow
Ah, beautiful weather again! Spring has apparently arrived, bringing pretty, blooming flowers, the chirping of birds in the air, beautiful blue skies…and loads of horse pucky. I had decided to go run some sprints this morning at my usual park, but when I got there, I noticed that there were tons of horse trailers parked in every possible spot. I didn’t see any horses, but I did notice that the road that runs down the middle of the park (which is usually an asphalt black color) had taken on a very decidedly brownish tint. And it smelled. I turned around and left immediately, trying to stay upwind of the gathering as I went. I’ve been told that the trailride is planned for this weekend, and I have apparently discovered it’s starting line.
So what else is new? Well, we’ve been enjoying a combination of frosted mini-wheats and raisin bran in the mornings. And let me tell you, that stuff should just be nicknamed ‘Colon Blow’. Wow. My pipes have never been so clean. Our little Monkey has been taking piano lessons from our lovely sis-in-law, and has been doing fairly well. When he’s not climbing the walls, that is.
My darling wife has been sick, I’m sad to say. This past weekend was a bit of a mess. She rallied on Saturday afternoon enough for us all to go see Bridge to Terabithia after my lacrosse game that day, but it was downhill from there. Poor thing spent Sunday on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket. No sleep was had by anyone that night, so Monday was a haze of sleep-deprived grogginess and crankiness. She is feeling better now, and I’m extremely grateful to Dr. A. for helping her out. Things are much happier in the household at this point.
Workouts have been going well. Taiji, kung fu, strength training, all going just fine, thanks. I’ve decided that King Leonidas’ abs would look much better on me, so I’m working daily on that little project. I’ve gotta say, I can hardly wait for the movie 300 to come out. If the trailers are any indication, this movie looks like an awesome, testosterone-filled action flick, and I am just counting the days until it hits the theatres. I mean what kind of stones do you have to have to not only fight a quarter-million angry Persians to the death, but to then inspire your 299 buddies to face them with you! Du-u-u-de. That’s a tough bunch of guys right there, and one kick-ass king. “OK, boys…yeah, they outnumber us, but if we divide it up, each of us has only got eight hundred and thirty-three Persians to kill. And wound one more for good measure. Let’s get to work!” My understanding is that, although the Spartans were killed to a man, they did so much damage to the Persian army that they had to pack up and go home. Whoa. That’s an ass-whupping of monumental proportions right there. Go Spartans! I’m sure that quite a bit of artistic license was taken, but the essentials of a free people fighting against an encroaching autocracy are still there. And I’m all about that kind of thing. I’d much prefer dying on my feet to living on my knees.
So what else is new? Well, we’ve been enjoying a combination of frosted mini-wheats and raisin bran in the mornings. And let me tell you, that stuff should just be nicknamed ‘Colon Blow’. Wow. My pipes have never been so clean. Our little Monkey has been taking piano lessons from our lovely sis-in-law, and has been doing fairly well. When he’s not climbing the walls, that is.
My darling wife has been sick, I’m sad to say. This past weekend was a bit of a mess. She rallied on Saturday afternoon enough for us all to go see Bridge to Terabithia after my lacrosse game that day, but it was downhill from there. Poor thing spent Sunday on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket. No sleep was had by anyone that night, so Monday was a haze of sleep-deprived grogginess and crankiness. She is feeling better now, and I’m extremely grateful to Dr. A. for helping her out. Things are much happier in the household at this point.
Workouts have been going well. Taiji, kung fu, strength training, all going just fine, thanks. I’ve decided that King Leonidas’ abs would look much better on me, so I’m working daily on that little project. I’ve gotta say, I can hardly wait for the movie 300 to come out. If the trailers are any indication, this movie looks like an awesome, testosterone-filled action flick, and I am just counting the days until it hits the theatres. I mean what kind of stones do you have to have to not only fight a quarter-million angry Persians to the death, but to then inspire your 299 buddies to face them with you! Du-u-u-de. That’s a tough bunch of guys right there, and one kick-ass king. “OK, boys…yeah, they outnumber us, but if we divide it up, each of us has only got eight hundred and thirty-three Persians to kill. And wound one more for good measure. Let’s get to work!” My understanding is that, although the Spartans were killed to a man, they did so much damage to the Persian army that they had to pack up and go home. Whoa. That’s an ass-whupping of monumental proportions right there. Go Spartans! I’m sure that quite a bit of artistic license was taken, but the essentials of a free people fighting against an encroaching autocracy are still there. And I’m all about that kind of thing. I’d much prefer dying on my feet to living on my knees.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Weekend update
Man, I’m really digging this mp3 player! After culling some annoying songs from my playlist, I’m finally rocking and rolling when I’m running, doing pushups, weights, even when I do taiji. Chen taiji done to Prodigy is quite an interesting experience! I even wear it when I do housework…makes the chores go by faster, that’s for sure.
My good friend Larry came up for a Stick Fighting seminar this weekend, and we always end up having fun, and getting very little ‘work’ done. We did discuss some updates for the website over lunch, but that’s about it. That doesn’t really matter though, ‘cause we had a kick-ass seminar on Saturday! Attacks and blocks with the single stick, as well as some trapping, self-defense, and even a few nasty takedowns. ‘Twas way cool.
On Sunday, I had another lacrosse game, this time against last year’s league champs. They won. Go figure. The good news is that I felt pretty good…I ran well, appeared to be in the right place at more or less the right time, and didn’t have any massive mistakes. The bad news was that I’m in the process of breaking in a couple of new sticks, and my aim is a bit shaky. And I got totally run over by some big dude from the other team. We were fighting for a ground ball and I managed to look up to see a huge number headed my way. I didn’t even have time to register exactly what number it was…I recall taking an instant inventory of my situation and realizing that I was off balance and about to go for a ride…OOF…I hit the ground, rolled, and came up laughing. Whew! No injuries! Just a well-timed hit. Good job, whoever you were.
I had decided to take Connor with me again, but I was disappointed to see that he wasn’t nearly as interested in the game this time, so I had to split my attention between the game and making sure that he wasn’t neck-deep in the nearest ditch. Still, he’s a great kid…if a bit on the noisy side. I enjoy spending the time with him…he does come up with some interesting topics of conversation.
Today, it’s back to business as usual. I made some calls, chatted with my buddy Paul for awhile. Then it was off to the Y for a change of scenery and a workout. It’s raining today, so I passed on my usual run, forms practice, and run. I hit the treadmill and did a couple of miles with intervals at a pace that felt a bit faster than I’m used to. I worked on some taiji for awhile, but then the gym I was using was opened up for a class. I tried finishing up my taiji in another gym, but the ‘after school kids’ were in there, and balls of all types were flying everywhere. Not good for taiji.
I finished up by hitting a round of pushups, divebomber pushups, crunches, v-tucks, pull-ups, and medicine ball situps. Happily, I’m feeling rather drained. I’m going to make a sandwich, doze on the couch, then finish my housework before heading back to the school for the evening’s classes.
It’s not really that exciting. But I dig it! Oh, and congratulations to my buddy BB for passing his most recent Krav Maga test! Those things are grueling affairs, I hear. He’s apparently quite sore. So if you get the chance, poke him and see if he yelps.
My good friend Larry came up for a Stick Fighting seminar this weekend, and we always end up having fun, and getting very little ‘work’ done. We did discuss some updates for the website over lunch, but that’s about it. That doesn’t really matter though, ‘cause we had a kick-ass seminar on Saturday! Attacks and blocks with the single stick, as well as some trapping, self-defense, and even a few nasty takedowns. ‘Twas way cool.
On Sunday, I had another lacrosse game, this time against last year’s league champs. They won. Go figure. The good news is that I felt pretty good…I ran well, appeared to be in the right place at more or less the right time, and didn’t have any massive mistakes. The bad news was that I’m in the process of breaking in a couple of new sticks, and my aim is a bit shaky. And I got totally run over by some big dude from the other team. We were fighting for a ground ball and I managed to look up to see a huge number headed my way. I didn’t even have time to register exactly what number it was…I recall taking an instant inventory of my situation and realizing that I was off balance and about to go for a ride…OOF…I hit the ground, rolled, and came up laughing. Whew! No injuries! Just a well-timed hit. Good job, whoever you were.
I had decided to take Connor with me again, but I was disappointed to see that he wasn’t nearly as interested in the game this time, so I had to split my attention between the game and making sure that he wasn’t neck-deep in the nearest ditch. Still, he’s a great kid…if a bit on the noisy side. I enjoy spending the time with him…he does come up with some interesting topics of conversation.
Today, it’s back to business as usual. I made some calls, chatted with my buddy Paul for awhile. Then it was off to the Y for a change of scenery and a workout. It’s raining today, so I passed on my usual run, forms practice, and run. I hit the treadmill and did a couple of miles with intervals at a pace that felt a bit faster than I’m used to. I worked on some taiji for awhile, but then the gym I was using was opened up for a class. I tried finishing up my taiji in another gym, but the ‘after school kids’ were in there, and balls of all types were flying everywhere. Not good for taiji.
I finished up by hitting a round of pushups, divebomber pushups, crunches, v-tucks, pull-ups, and medicine ball situps. Happily, I’m feeling rather drained. I’m going to make a sandwich, doze on the couch, then finish my housework before heading back to the school for the evening’s classes.
It’s not really that exciting. But I dig it! Oh, and congratulations to my buddy BB for passing his most recent Krav Maga test! Those things are grueling affairs, I hear. He’s apparently quite sore. So if you get the chance, poke him and see if he yelps.
Monday, February 05, 2007
Nice weather...at last!
Ahhh….the weather is absolutely gorgeous! It’s a welcome break from the cold and rainy nonsense that’s been going on out here lately. I don’t much like running in the rain, and I prefer running outdoors to the treadmill, so when the weather’s bad, I end up making a choice between getting cold and wet, or letting another run pass me by. Neither prospect thrills me, but today, I hit the road with my mp3 player blaring.
I’ve discovered that my jogging track at the nearby park is just about 2 miles from my home, so now I run out there to practice taiji and forms in the morning and then run back. I know I look a little bit odd out there doing Chen taiji or mantis kung fu, but no one bothers me, and the police seem used to me by now. Today, I had a great workout, and I’m looking forward to doing a bit more when I get to the school later this afternoon.
Last week was kind of rough. Although my visit to Florida had energized me and I was ready to teach, some new tenants had just started painting the space downstairs, and the fumes found their way into our school. WOW, that was bad! After awhile, all of our kung fu was ‘drunken’ kung fu! We cancelled the later classes on Tuesday and Wednesday because of the smell, but the place started to air out towards the end of the week, so we were able to get back to work. Saturday’s open class was FULL, and I was really happy to see so many people training.
Saturday, I had my 5-year-old son with me, since his gorgeous Momma had her monthly training session to attend in Houston, and I took him and a friend of ours to one of our lacrosse games. You know, I haven’t had Monkey out at a game in a long time, and the last time, he was so young that he really didn’t know what was going on. Things have changed. I set him up with some toys and lunch, made sure his coat and hat were on firmly, and pointed out where I would be playing before donning my gear and green-and-white jersey. When I was ready, and standing in the line of substitutes about to go in and play, I heard him walk up and say, ‘Daddy! Good luck!’ When I turned to see his little gap-toothed grin looking up at me, I’m not ashamed to say that my vision blurred more than a little. Later, when I was running with the ball at some point, I could hear him yelling, ‘Go, Daddy!! Go!’ And that’s how he earned a season ticket to our lacrosse games. Well, that and the fact that he talked to each of the players when they came off the field to rest, and somehow managed to include himself in the end-of-game handshake with the opposing team. He’s a good kid…I’m lucky to have him.
The UFC fights were on this weekend, and I was pleased to see everyone stocking up on chips and snacks on Saturday to get ready for the fights. Then someone reminded me that it was Superbowl weekend. Ah, well. Anyway, the fights were lots of fun, we had a dozen or so folks come out to see them with us, and I’m already looking forward to the next UFC. We did have a big laugh when Scott Smith did the Karate Kid crane stance during his fight with Patrick Cote…it didn’t help him win the fight, but he did get some style points.
I get lots of email (don’t we all), but I get a quote of the day each morning. Some are more useful to me than others, but this one resonates with me lately.
"The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one." Mark Twain 1835-1910 writer
I’ve been applying this principle since I returned from Florida, and it’s helping a ton! Have a great day, everyone!
I’ve discovered that my jogging track at the nearby park is just about 2 miles from my home, so now I run out there to practice taiji and forms in the morning and then run back. I know I look a little bit odd out there doing Chen taiji or mantis kung fu, but no one bothers me, and the police seem used to me by now. Today, I had a great workout, and I’m looking forward to doing a bit more when I get to the school later this afternoon.
Last week was kind of rough. Although my visit to Florida had energized me and I was ready to teach, some new tenants had just started painting the space downstairs, and the fumes found their way into our school. WOW, that was bad! After awhile, all of our kung fu was ‘drunken’ kung fu! We cancelled the later classes on Tuesday and Wednesday because of the smell, but the place started to air out towards the end of the week, so we were able to get back to work. Saturday’s open class was FULL, and I was really happy to see so many people training.
Saturday, I had my 5-year-old son with me, since his gorgeous Momma had her monthly training session to attend in Houston, and I took him and a friend of ours to one of our lacrosse games. You know, I haven’t had Monkey out at a game in a long time, and the last time, he was so young that he really didn’t know what was going on. Things have changed. I set him up with some toys and lunch, made sure his coat and hat were on firmly, and pointed out where I would be playing before donning my gear and green-and-white jersey. When I was ready, and standing in the line of substitutes about to go in and play, I heard him walk up and say, ‘Daddy! Good luck!’ When I turned to see his little gap-toothed grin looking up at me, I’m not ashamed to say that my vision blurred more than a little. Later, when I was running with the ball at some point, I could hear him yelling, ‘Go, Daddy!! Go!’ And that’s how he earned a season ticket to our lacrosse games. Well, that and the fact that he talked to each of the players when they came off the field to rest, and somehow managed to include himself in the end-of-game handshake with the opposing team. He’s a good kid…I’m lucky to have him.
The UFC fights were on this weekend, and I was pleased to see everyone stocking up on chips and snacks on Saturday to get ready for the fights. Then someone reminded me that it was Superbowl weekend. Ah, well. Anyway, the fights were lots of fun, we had a dozen or so folks come out to see them with us, and I’m already looking forward to the next UFC. We did have a big laugh when Scott Smith did the Karate Kid crane stance during his fight with Patrick Cote…it didn’t help him win the fight, but he did get some style points.
I get lots of email (don’t we all), but I get a quote of the day each morning. Some are more useful to me than others, but this one resonates with me lately.
"The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex, overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one." Mark Twain 1835-1910 writer
I’ve been applying this principle since I returned from Florida, and it’s helping a ton! Have a great day, everyone!
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