Fred Sanford walkin', A Party, and Dance

Saturday started as it usually does...with a Tai Chi class and a Kung Fu class. Afterwards, I hustled home to change, and was then off to Bush Park for another lacrosse game. We had previously beaten our opponents of the day, the Southside Predators, and were hoping for a repeat of that performance.

It became apparent early on that it was going to be a looooong game. We only had 10 people. A good team needs at least a handful of substitutes on the sidelines to give the players an occasional rest...but there just weren't any. We had to play Iron Man, as we call it, where everyone plays on field for the entire game. If you've never seen a lacrosse game, you should know that there's a lot of running involved. And fighting with sticks. And more running. So playing Iron Man is a challenge, to say the least.

Tom, otherwise known as Green Goalie, had managed to injure himself at another sporting endeavor, leaving us without a trained goalie for the day. Our valiant team captain, Lee Shelton, donned the pads, grabbed the giant fishnet that we call a goalie stick, and headed resolutely towards the goal to take his place.

"Guys, I'm telling you right now that I'm going to be cheating quite a bit during the game today...but none of it is intentional," Lee told the refs before the game. He was totally serious, too. Hey, when you have to play a position you don't usually play...stuff happens. The refs laughed and promised to keep an eye on him.

Here's the short report of my own, personal performance. As if you've been waiting for it with baited breath, of course. Hey, it's my blog, and I'll write what I want...so there. Anyway, here we go:

I got nailed once and hit the ground flat on my back. I'm not sure when or why, exactly.

I tried to hit one guy, but got the angle wrong, and ended up doing a diving roll to get back to my feet. When I stood up, I promptly turned and swatted the guy I'd bumped, only to hear him say, 'Uh...the ball is over there now. Sorry.' Crap.

I took several shots at the goal that had absolutely no chance of scoring whatsoever. My 'Bugs Bunny Slowball' approach only works once in a while, it seems.

And I got completely burned by a guy who was racing towards our goal. I should have just plowed into him, but foolishly tried to knock the ball out of his stick instead. He dodged, shot, and scored. Double-crap.

On the good side, I knocked two of the opposing players completely off their feet. One of those was floored by a two-fisted punch to the shoulder. I felt like a Spartan there for a second.

Our faceoff man for the day, the fabulous Todd, just wasn't having any luck at all that day. His opponents were just too quick, or had an awesome technique, or some such. During the beginning of the 3rd quarter, I asked for a chance, and he gladly let me take the face. Would you believe that I started winning all the faceoffs? That was fun!! I'm not quite 5'-9" and a solid 195 lbs, so if I suddenly decide to bowl you over when the whistle blows, it can come as an unpleasant surprise...which it did for #5. Once they got used to that, I tried something else, and it worked too. It was a great feeling to contribute, let me tell you.

Checking an opposing players stick in such a way that it spins out of his hand, thus effectively dislodging the ball, is called 'pinwheeling'. Got me one of those, too.

In the end, they just plain outmanned us. We played our guts out, but couldn't catch them once they pulled ahead. Even so, we had a ton of fun, and are already looking forward to next Sunday's game against Metro.

Now if you're thinking that I'm bragging about my amazing athletic prowess, let me tell you about the rest of the afternoon. Ever watch Sanford and Son? Red Foxx's character, Fred Sanford, had a kind of wobbling walk that was quite distinctive. Once I had cooled off from the game, driven home, and then managed to extract myself from the car, I spent the rest of the day wobbling just...like...that. Nothing worked quite right until Sunday morning. And it was quite a silly sight to see. Yeah...some tough guy.

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Today's Sunday, and I've recovered. We managed some serious house cleaning because we had a little surprise brewing...my dear friend Larry's birthday is Monday, and we were planning a party for him. We all thought that I'd give it away, but it went off without a hitch, and the gang showed up at 5, ready to have some fun. He seemed pleased with the party, and with the sword we gave him, and we all had a blast laughing at a couple of our favorite movies. Sometimes, the movie is funny by itself, and other times, our commentary was far funnier than anything on screen. So Happy Birthday, Larry!

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I was reminded today of how much I love...well...dance. Ever since I started watching 'So You Think You Can Dance', I gained a new appreciation for the deep and powerful emotional beauty of certain styles of dance. I've mentioned this before in a previous note, so I won't really get into it again, but my feelings are the same...I'm moved quite deeply by certain combinations of dance and music. Some things really seem to get inside me, dig deep into my heart, and I just love that. I often can't explain what emotions swell within me when I watch this stuff, but it feels absolutely wonderful.

Here are a couple for your viewing pleasure:





And my All-Time Favorite, the top 10 from season 3 dancing a contemporary piece choreographed by Mia Michaels. I've posted this before, but it was removed. I'm hoping that this clip doesn't get yanked, because I. LOVE. IT.

The Moment I Said It


Have a fabulous week, everyone. And take a moment here and there to let some beauty into your life. It'll be good for you.

Aftermath of the Wreck

It was quite sudden. The weather had been really, really bad when we went to pick up Connor from school...raining hard, a bit windy. It slackened a bit as we escorted him (under our umbrellas) across the street to our Honda. As we headed towards Connor's swim lesson, we debated about whether we should even go. I had been feeling broody and melancholy for most of the day, and really thought that maybe we should just stay home for once. As we rolled past the Junior High, a white SUV pulled out of that school and over into our lane, almost hitting us.

We honked, they swerved, and everyone was fine. I thought "See...maybe we really should stay home today." But the weather was still clearing up, still raining but not nearly as badly as before, so we decided to continue onward.

As it turns out, this was a colossal mistake.

We turned down a busy road, between the local Sam's Club and Best Buy, and were only a couple of blocks away from our destination...when a young fellow and his girlfriend made a left turn directly into our path. No time to dodge, no time to swerve, only time to stomp on the brakes as hard as humanly possible and hope for the best for about 1/4th of second.

You know, I can't even recall exactly what the impact sounded like. I search my memory, and there's just a blank where that sound should be. Hm. I remember that I had actually pushed up out of the seat with both hands (I wasn't driving) and was somehow holding my legs up towards the dashboard in some kind of crazy attempt to brace myself. Yes, I realize the foolishness of such acrobatics, but I didn't have time for a more well-thought out plan of action.

We hit them directly in the side of their vehicle. The jeep rode higher than our Honda, so we hit them in the lower part of the car, which probably saved the passenger's life. We slammed to a stop, and they swerved out and away from us from the force of the impact.

I looked around and checked on everyone...I was ok so far, Connor was already squawking in the back seat "We had a wreck...and we SURVIVED!!" so I knew that he was probably OK, and Christina was shocked and wide-eyed but otherwise seemed fine as well. It took a few seconds to regain my bearings, and then I figured I needed to check on the other guys. I could see that the girl in the passenger seat was crying, and the driver, a young guy in his late teens or early 20's, had come out to check on us as well. So far, so good...no major injuries. Connor somehow slammed his face into the padded back of Christina's seat, but didn't even get a bloody nose for his trouble, and we had nothing to speak of.

So then began the process of calling the police, exchanging insurance information in the rain, watching all the tow-truck drivers flooding the area (really, it was like we were bleeding in the water during shark season) and then finally realizing that we needed to get out of the car and find a safer place to wait.

Connor had somehow changed into his swimsuit in the backseat after the wreck. Whether this was his way of dealing with the sudden shock, or he just thought that we'd still be getting him to swim class on time, I'll never know. But we walked over to sit in one of the tow trucks until everything was sorted out. When he finally saw how badly the Honda had been damaged (honestly, the pics don't do it justice...the front end looks about a foot shorter than I remember), he broke down and cried. Hard. 10 minutes later he was tugging my sleeve. 'Dad...I have to pee!' Pretty resilient, that one. He's playing video games with his mother now. All good.

The young driver was very apologetic and quickly asserted that the wreck was his fault. 'I wasn't paying attention...I didn't even see you guys, I'm sorry.' He cooperated fully with us and with the police, and I don't harbor any ill will towards the guy. I've been on that end of an accident, and if he's anything that resembles a decent human being inside, he's thinking that life absolutely sucks right now. He could have killed us. And he knows it. Some of the tow truck drivers loudly voiced their opinions that he should be clapped in irons and hauled away by the police, but hey, stuff happens. Looks like it was just our turn today.

Officer Terry Thurman, future Harris County Constable and a member of our fabulous Jade Mountain team, was kind enough to come right out and make sure that everyone handled everything properly, and then he drove us home. The other drivers insurance will be taking care of everything.

The fact that we're all OK (and so are the other guys) has made this a lot easier to handle. I'm disappointed, sure, but so very glad that everyone's alive and well. No one's in the hospital with life-threatening injuries, and no one's dead. In light of that fact, I just don't care about the car. A car is just a thing. It has no soul, no life, no spirit. Heck, I can RUN to work if need be...my school's only 5 miles from home, and I could use that as additional conditioning. Or I could ride Dad's scooter. Not in the rain, though, not in the rain.

But the lives of my family are worth a million cars. A billion. I'd walk my feet bloody before I'd spare any emotions for a car over them. So tonight, we we're going to sit at home and be grateful for the days we have together. And we're going to bed early...I think we all could use some rest after such an eventful day.

Here are the pics we've got so far...this is the side of the Jeep.



Not a whole lot of damage there. Oh, the rear window of the Jeep was shattered as well, but that was it. Sorry for the blur, but there was a drop of water on my phone's camera lens, and I didn't know it.

Here's a few shots of the Honda.



Again with the blur...these are NOT action shots. Here's a closer shot of the front end of the car. I'm upgrading my phone tomorrow, by the way. Maybe then I can take decent pics for a change.



And here it is, loaded onto the tow-truck, headed to wherever totaled cars go to die.

Modern Art.

One of the exhibits that we viewed while we visited the museum in Dallas had several rather...interesting...pieces. For instance, there was a long cable hanging from the ceiling, and at its end was a black electric fan. It was set on 'High', and it blew merrily around in lazy circles. Nothing more. Just a fan, blowing around over our heads.

One room could only be accessed through a long, prismatic tunnel, made of triangular panels of reflective plexiglas. I enjoyed the play of lights and colors in the tunnel...everything was quite pretty. A bright yellow glow seeped into the end of the tunnel, and as we stepped into the room, it was like stepping onto another planet. The room was empty, save for the yellow incandescent lights in the ceiling.

It was the oddest thing...in that bright yellow illumination, all other colors were rendered in black and white. Wow. After getting accustomed to the room, the yellow tint seemed to disappear, and we all looked like players in a silent movie. Very interesting.

The next room was a circular, translucent plexiglas enclosure. I figured that it was another play on light, and I was correct. When we walked in, everything looked normal. The enclosure was white. Slowly, it shifted to pink...and then red. Just as I got accustomed to the red, it shifted into green. Everyone was The Hulk! It continued to shift to other colors. That was just a bit too much for me...it made me quite queasy, so I had to make a break for it. The museum security guard smiled and chuckled at me as I wobbled by. Apparently, she had seen this reaction before.

There were other pieces, including a series of identical squares that were different colors. Ever see something and think, 'Heck, I could do that!'? I had one of those moments looking at those different colored squares. I know that many of the pieces were supposed to evoke emotions in the viewers, and that different viewers are affected differently. Where some would be inspired, or joyful, others might be repulsed, fearful, or even completely unaffected. I like that about art. Not only is every piece of art an individual expression of emotion, intent, and magic from within an artist, but it can bring out emotions that the viewer did not know were there, an infinite number of different responses, thoughts, and feelings.

Once, in my distant past, I thought I would take up oil painting. I'd been watching Bob Ross on his show 'Joy of Painting', and he made it look sooooooooo EASY!!! I taped one of his shows that showed a painting that I thought I could manage, and made a list of supplies. The Hobby House, unfortunately, did not have the first necessity, "Liquid White". You're supposed to cover the canvas with it before you start. Apparently, this makes all the other paints act the way that they're supposed to...the way that they do on Bob's show. More or less, anyway. I bought what I thought was a decent substitute, but it did not work. At all. I thought I could hear Bob Ross laughing at me the whole time. I did the best I could, but wow, what an absolute failure that was! Even so, the process was a lot of fun.

I'm thinking that I'd like to try it again. I don't have any ambitions about being in a museum someday...that would be ridiculous. I don't know that I would be attempting to express some inner emotion, either. At the very least, though, I would like to produce a pretty scene on canvas. I'll keep you posted.

Uh oh...he's learned to use the camera-phone.

My wife has been ill for the last few days with a nasty case of chest congestion and coughing. This had led to some sleepless nights for both of us, but more so for her. Today, she slept in while I went to teach classes at my school. After I had finished, I called to check in and was surprised when my son answered the phone.

We talked for a few minutes, and he let me know that she was still sleeping peacefully in the bedroom. I told him where I was, and that I'd be back soon.

Later on, my phone rang, and I saw that it was my wife. She must have awakened..or so I thought. The little crank had figured out how to call me back on her phone. This involves a rather involved 'unlocking' process to get the virtual buttons to work on the phone, but he figured it out. Smart little fellow, that one.

When I arrived at home, he came out to meet me. He proudly informed me that he had just sent me some pictures.

"No, I didn't see that you sent anything..." and at that moment, my phone buzzed. Here are the results.



And my personal favorite...



Have a great Saturday!

Old stuff and old paintings

It was a short trip, barely 30 hours total, but it was a good one. It was actually made a bit shorter by my tendency to doze off in mid-sentence whenever I'm a passenger on a long car ride, but I tried to stay awake.

We left Katy on Wednesday afternoon, piled into Mom-in-law's Prius, and headed off to Dallas to visit the King Tut exhibit at the museum and to visit Ann Margaret, a long-time family friend of Christina's family. The weather was beautiful, the ride was nice and smooth, and it was quite enjoyable.

However, we discovered upon arrival that it's important to have the correct address when searching for directions on Google Maps. If you don't have the right address, then you'll end up in the wrong place. Imagine that! However, we weren't terribly far off, so the delay was minimal. Ann's house was in a stately and elegant part of Dallas, and it was just gorgeous. It was great to hang out with her, even during the short time we were there, and then we all went straight to bed.

The next morning dawned bright and clear. We loaded up the car again and made our way towards the museum. The directions were correct this time, and we found the place with little fuss. Parking was a breeze, and we got in line as instructed. We opted to watch the movie about the exhibit first, rather than afterwards. It was the first time I've seen a 3D movie that really worked! It was pretty cool.

There were well over a hundred pieces in the exhibit, many of which had never been seen in the exhibit before. The artistry was amazing...some of the items were so incredibly intricate in their design, I couldn't imagine how long it had taken their craftsmen to create. One piece that stood out was the yellow glass scarab. The carved scarab was the centerpiece on one of King Tut's ornate chest-pieces. Apparently, the glass had not been created by human hands, but by an ancient meteorite strike in the Sahara desert instead, and it seems to glow with a faint inner light. The glass itself was many thousands of years older than the Egyptian culture. Coooooool.



One thing I never knew was the fact that Tut's actual mummy was protected by series of nesting boxes and sarcophagi. I can only imagine what it must have been like to stumble upon that magnificent tomb, filled with all of its treasures and links to the distant past. Wow.

Here we are in front of the exhibit banner:



And here's Connor being...well...Connor.



As much as I might enjoy seeing antiquities and great art, I'm not one who enjoys walking around aimlessly, hoping to see something cool. This is probably a character flaw of mine, but I usually end up feeling like I'm missing something, or that I'd rather be elsewhere.

That being said, I'm so very glad that we went on this trip. As we walked around the area of more modern art (last 200 years or so), I rounded a corner and saw a painting that I recognized...at least, I knew that I had seen it before. Checking the info plaque, I saw that it was a Mary Cassat, 'The Reading Lesson'. I recognized it because our 7-year-old had done a presentation on the artist.

Here's Connor and Grandma Julie in front of the painting.



Somehow, it all came alive for me then. I got a close up look at the painting, and saw the thousands of tiny brushstrokes that, together, created the image. I moved to the next painting, and stood looking at it for a moment.



'Children in the Woods', by Frank W. Benson in 1898, slowly moved me to tears. How someone could take a blank canvas, and, using nothing more than pigments on a palette and a handful of brushes, create such a beautiful scene from nothing more than a mental image...astonishing.

After that, I enjoyed everything much more than before. I saw Van Gogh's, Monet's, Picasso's, and even some Jackson Pollack's. Very, very cool.

There was a wonderful Maya exhibit as well, but that area smelled like dog poo and dirty feet. Weird. The pieces were fantastic, though, especially after Christina and Connor's trip to Mexico.

The ride home was uneventful, and the weather was great. We made great time, and Christina was astonished to find that I have some of 'her' music on my mp3 player. Hey, it's not ALL Kelly Clarkson!

Spring Break draws to a close, and it's been fun. Take care, folks!

A Kid's Questionaire about Dad

Kid Questionnaire
Ask your child(ren) to answer the questions and type their answers in.
Connor – age 7 Sunday March 15, 2009 at 12:10pm
(I've tried to write these answers exactly as he gave them to me.)

1. What is something dad always says to you?
I love you!

2. What makes dad happy?
Being with me.

3. What makes dad sad?
Not being with me.

4. How does your dad make you laugh?
You tickle me!

5. What was your dad like as a child?
You loved kung fu.

6. How old is your dad?
28 (Thanks, Connor!)

7. How tall is your dad?
20 or 30 inches.

8. What is his favorite thing to watch on TV?
Chinese Kung Fu

9. What does your dad do when you're not around?
Usually go to your school.

10. If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for?
Because you teach so much kung fu!

11. What is your dad really good at?
Kung Fu.

12. What is your dad not very good at?
Not loving me!

13. What does your dad do for his job?
Do Kung Fu!

14. What is your dad's favorite food
Noodles!

15. What makes you proud of your dad?
Beating Halo 3 on XBOX.

16. If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be?
Tom from Tom and Jerry.

17. What do you and your dad do together?
Make my breakfast, take me to school, put me to bed, read stories.

18. How are you and your dad the same?
We’re both boys…I think I know that.

19. How are you and your dad different?
We don’t have the same colored eyes.

20. How do you know your dad loves you?
You do things for me, you care for me, and you tickle me.

21. What does your dad like most about your mom?
Her eyes…they’re the same color as mine.

22. Where is your dad's favorite place to go?
Lemme guess…The Noodle House! Geez….

A Rainy Saturday Survey

What is on your bed right now?
Comforters, sheets, and pillows

When was the last time you threw up?
Oh...um...I was sick several weeks ago, but can't remember exactly when.

What's your favorite word or phrase?
I have to pick just ONE? Geez, I'm such a verbal guy, and there are tons of silly comments, quotes, and one-liners to pick from...

Name 3 people who made you smile today?
Christina, Connor, and Kelly

What were you doing at 8 am this morning?
Fixing an omelette and watching a video on proper application of tai chi techniques.

What is your favorite holiday?
Halloween!

What is the last thing you said aloud?
"Hey, Dummy..." I was talking sweetly to our pug puppy.

What is the best ice cream flavor?
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

What was the last thing you had to drink?
Water

What are you wearing right now?
I'm fully dressed for a change. Jeans, underarmor long-sleeve shirt, Katy Krav Maga t-shirt, sock, shoes, underwear. Wait, lemme check...yes, underwear.

What was the last thing you ate?
I hate to admit it, but I was in a rush, and got a cheeseburger.

Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
I bought some new wrestling shoes.

When was the last time you ran?
I did some interval sprints on Monday.

What's the last sporting event you watched?
UFC 96

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Scotland, or Australia

Who is the last person you sent a comment/​message on myspace?
My brother.

Ever go camping?
Yup...love it!!

Do you have a tan?
Nope.

Have you ever lost anything down a toilet?
Only stuff that really, really belonged down there in the first place.

Do you use smiley faces on the computer alot?
Fairly often.

Do you drink your soda from a straw?
Hmmm....I guess I do! Had to stop and think about that.

What did your last text message say?
OK, be 15 mins

Are you someone's best friend?
I believe I do hold that honor.

What are you doing tomorrow?
A whole bunch of nothin'!!!!

Where is your mom right now?
I would guess that she's at her house in Indiana.

Look to your left, what do you see?
Our pug puppy, Boba. Or "Dummy", if you prefer.

Ever ridden on a roller coaster?
Oh, yes...many times.

What is your birthstone?
Opal

Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru?
Usually the drive through.

Do you have any friends on myspace that you actually hate?
Nope.

Do you have a dog?
Yes, the aforementioned Boba.

Last person you talked to on the phone?
Brian

Any plans today?
Yep...going to a birthday party.

Are you happy?
Yup. I tend to be quite happy, but not quite satisfied. That attitude keeps me training and working towards better things.

Where are you right now?
I'm in our guestroom...it's where we keep the 'big' computer.

Biggest annoyance in your life right now?
Taxes and homeowner's associations.

Last songs listened to?
Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You". She's in love with me, I tell you!

Last movie you saw?
Watchmen. I just loved the Rorschach character, if not the rest of the movie. Upon being placed in prison, along with many hardened criminals that he sent there, Rorschach was told, "Hey, there's about 50 guys gunnin' for you, and you're locked in here with us." His response was simple, "You're wrong...you're locked in here with me." The little guy was such a bad-ass!!

Are you allergic to anything?
I occasionally have to work around my asthma, which is aggravated by dust, ragweed, cats, and a few other things here and there. I'm sure that was more than you needed to know about my inner workings.

Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?
Whatever pair of wrestling shoes I'm currently using for my training.

Is anyone jealous of you?
Uh...I have no idea.

Do any of your friends have children?
Most of them do.

Do you eat healthy?
Most of the time, absolutely. However, my students all know that I'm also partial to chocolate cake and orange Monsters.

What do you usually do during the day?
I enjoy working out (I know those abs are around here somewhere...), training to improve my martial arts skills, and I teach at my school 6 days a week.

Do you use the word 'hello' daily?
Yup.

How old will you be turning on your next birthday?
40. I'm strongly considering the idea of running a full marathon to celebrate my birthday. I might actually have to train for this one, though...I can survive a 13.1 mile Half-Marathon with nothing more than my usual martial arts conditioning and training, but the full 26.2 miles? I'll actually have to work up to that.

How did u get one of your scars?
I have a handful of burn scars on my lower legs. They're barely visible now, but I managed to set myself on fire as a toddler...not a happy time for my folks, but I came out of it perfectly OK.

Success! Lacrosse hits and decent knees.

Many of you know that my knee has been a bit gimpy this past month or so. There was no single injury to which I could point and say, 'Oh, yeah, THAT's what hurt my knee!' Most likely, it was simply a cumulative thing that finally showed up. Squats have been out of the question for weeks, and I haven't been able to do nearly as much running and conditioning as I'd like...frustrating, to say the least. However, I decided to play it smart for once, and let the knee rest so that it would have a chance to heal.

This past week, I've noticed big improvements every day, and I decided to try the knee out at todays lacrosse game. I had already planned to pay very close attention to it during the game, and if it felt wonky at all at any time, I'd just step off the field and call it a day.

I'm thrilled to say that, not only did the knee function perfectly well, but I actually played a decent game this time around! I didn't score at all, but I won a couple of faceoffs, blocked one shot with my thigh (OK, that really hurt), and managed to put two of the opposing players out of the game with perfectly legal hits. They both came back to play later, and I was pretty concerned about them, but they were both fine...just had the wind knocked out of them by yours truly.

Now for the other side of that coin, I'd like to mention that my first hit of the game was actually done to me, rather than by me. Didn't even see the guy. I caught a pass, dodged the guy playing defense on me and shot at the goal...and BAM!!! Friends, that guy hit me so hard that I rolled backwards and ended up standing on my feet again. No kidding. After a quick systems check, I was thrilled to find that nothing was injured, so I just went back to playing. Yay for me! Of course, my shot had gone nowhere near the goal. Such is life.

So we're all home now, resting. My wife is snoring quietly on the couch, Connor is playing computer games in his room, and I'm thinking that the idea of dinner is getting more and more interesting by the minute...guess I'd better get up and find something to eat.

ABC's

1. A is for age: 39...honestly, still feel like I'm in my late 20's, but slightly more round.

2. B is for beer of choice: I don't drink...you never know when the ninjas will attack.

3. C is for career right now: Owner and Head Instructor of Jade Mountain Martial Arts

4. D is for your dog's name: Boba. As in Boba Fett. As in "You wanna little piece of Boba?"

5. E is for essential item you use everyday: Food. Must...have...food.

6. F is for favorite TV show at the moment: Several...Eleventh Hour, CSI:NY and Vegas, Legend of the Seeker.

7. G is for favorite game: Lacrosse

8. H is for Home town: Angleton, TX

9. I is for instruments you play: voice (in the shower only), clarinet

10. J is for favorite juice: orange

11. K is for whose butt you'd like to kick: My wife's former boss...he lives only because I decided not to kill him.

12. L is for last place you ate: Home.

13. M is for marriage: 5 years to first wife, then 10 years to Christina

14. N is for your full name: William Whitsitt McClendon III

15. O is for overnight hospital stays: None for me. A few with my wife and son.

16. P is for people you were with today: Mostly, my students (Kung Fu Family) and son.

17. Q is for quote: "Sometimes...that happens."

18. R is for Biggest Regret: I've learned many lessons during my life, and some of those were painful. I do try to live without regrets as much as possible.

19. S is for status: Feeling pretty darned groovy today!

20. T is for time you woke up today: 7:00am

21. U is for underwear you have on now: Lemme check...gray. I left my leopard print undies at home.

22. V is for vegetable you love: lots...broccoli, green beans, peas

23. W is for worst habit: Daily Monsters.

24. X is for x-rays you've had: right wrist, groin (kidney stone back in HS)

25. Y is for yummy food you ate today: I had a fabulous omelet for breakfast!

26. Z is for zodiac sign: Scorpio and Rooster. Some folks say that this explains a lot.

Just another Friday...

It's Friday morning, and I'm really having trouble believing my eyes...our 5 month old pug, Boba (I actually call him Dummy more than anything else) is quietly laying on the floor, chewing a rawhide thing, and staying out of trouble for a change. Wait...ok, now he's chewing on the rug again. I knew that couldn't last, but it was a really, really nice 18 seconds of peace and quiet.

Everyone's home again, and I've been regaled with tales of Maya ruins, cenotes, and fun on the cruise ship. They've just about got me sold on the idea that I need to go next time and enjoy my first cruise.

I should say my first 'real' cruise. I have been on a cruise ship before, a gambling cruise out of Galveston. It was years ago, and we were supposed to head out into the Gulf for a few hours, enjoy the onboard casinos, and then return. Unfortunately, the weather was not so good, and we were enshrouded in fog. And we got stuck out there in the Gulf. All night. Folks were sleeping wherever they could find floor space, and the choppy waters made the whole deal rather icky. I recall walking on the deck in search of a bathroom and feeling like a drunk, only to look up and see another guy ahead of me weaving along just the same as me...it was just the motion of the ship making us walk that way. We finally returned to port at around 8am the next morning, instead of 11pm the night before as planned. Blech!

Since then, I haven't been thrilled to go on another cruise, even a 'real' one. But, maybe that time has come. Hey, all the food is included, and that's music to my ears!! I'll keep you posted.

The knee seems almost healed up...tai chi and kung fu are easier every day, and I've begun working out again with some minor changes in the routines. I'm still feeling a bit weak in that area, but I'm pleased with the progress. We've got a game this Sunday, and I'm hoping that I'll be good to go. It's been a really long three weeks since this whole thing started, and I'm looking forward to getting back in action!

That's about it for now. Nothing spectacular. I'm looking forward to an enjoyable day teaching martial arts and I might even squeeze in some house cleaning. I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!