Well, interesting things happening here. I’ve been approached by a local business owner who runs an after-school pickup program and martial arts school that has a really nice location near my home. He’s interested in pulling out of that location, and it’s possible that I might be the one to take over. There’s at least one other instructor they are leaning towards for this project, so I won’t be crying if it’s not me, but it has been quite exciting to think about expanding the school and moving. I’ll keep you posted.
In other news, my dear old Dad may have had a minor stroke. Suddenly hit with acute dizziness, projectile vomiting, and the like, Mom took him to the ER. Once there, he lay on a gurney for a couple of hours before deciding that he’d had about enough of that. Tough old coot, that one. He’s home now, recuperating just fine. Last I heard, he was fixing the toilet or something.
You know, I realize that ER’s are busy places. I know that the doctors are often exhausted, and are doing their best to help everyone as best they can. My mom was an ER nurse for years, so I know a little something about it. However, I still get pissed when my 79 year old father has a stroke and no one can find the time to help him. I think the system should be changed somehow, but I admit to having little idea as to how to do it. I do know that it’s not a good idea to run a short-staffed ER with doctors running on no sleep. That’s always been a recipe for disaster. Anyway, he’s apparently OK, no thanks to the ER.
Played another lacrosse game on Sunday, and did fairly well defensively. The other team was a bunch of young, fast guns from Corpus Christi, and they liked to hit. Fine by me! I enjoyed getting in there and knocking them around here and there, but I should have focused on my offense a bit more. I was happy to block a shot early on in the game, although now I have a deep bruise on my thigh. Hey, at least that’s one shot that didn’t score!
I don’t know if I’ll make the next game, but I may try. I’ll be in Pharr for the weekend doing some training with Israel and our Sifu, Arthur D’Agostino. He leaves on Saturday night, so I may hustle home in time for the game on Sunday afternoon.
We just started our Assistant Instructor training program at JMMA, and I’ve been absolutely thrilled with the response. This will be the first time that I’ve gone away for training that all the classes will be held in my absence. Yay! Special thanks to those who have stepped up to become a bigger part of our school.
That’s about it. I’m thinking lunch should be happening about now. Later.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Monday, March 19, 2007
Back on Track
Honestly, I’d totally forgotten it was St. Patrick’s Day until I was walking around Wal-Mart and wondered why everyone was all greened up. Someone passed me with green hair, and I finally figured it out. What a week!
After my leg injury I spent all of last weekend hobbling around, and got almost no training done when my Sifu came to town. On that Friday, we did a little bit of tai chi, and he said that at least it looked better than it had looked last time he saw me perform that set. Not exactly high praise, but better than ‘wow, that sucks.’ My grimaces gave me away, however, and he spent a few minutes working on my calf before saying that, yes, it’s jacked up, and that our training time was pretty much over for the weekend. I had a choice to either rest it and allow it to recover or work on it, and have it really mess up. So, I sat on my duff during the entire fan seminar and allowed my friend and colleague Sifu Israel Flores to assist Art Laoshi while they taught my students the fan form. Argh. Very frustrating, that was. There was still a lot of good in the weekend, though. We did all manage to go see the movie ‘300’. Twice! It was even better the second time. Awesome, awesome show. Worth the wait. And we did some push hands work that will be quite helpful in addition to the other networking, business plans, and goal setting we did. Which reminds me, I need to get to work on our organizational mission statement ASAP.
So all of last week was spent with no lower body workouts. That was hard to take, especially since I’ve been working out far more consistently of late. I did work on some pushups, ab stuff, and pull-ups, but very little actual martial arts stuff that would inevitably stress my injured calf. I finally met up with Amy last Wednesday for a memorable and painful session, and then continued to stay off of it for the next couple of days. Then came Saturday, which was my first chance to really test my leg at one of our lacrosse games. I showed up late since I couldn’t leave until my classes were done, and I had trouble finding the field. I managed to roll into the parking lot just before halftime, so I was ready to start the second half.
I did worry about the leg…I mean, I need to be able to walk around to teach effectively, and pulling it on the lacrosse field would not be a good idea. I jogged around on it, did some juke moves and sideways shuffles, and everything felt pretty much like it always had. And it stayed that way throughout the rest of the game. My sprint wasn’t what it was a few weeks ago, but I did well overall. I felt good about a few spearing checks that made the opposing midfielders drop the ball a couple of times. My defense was good, but I still need some work on my offense. Our next game is this Sunday, so I plan to be ready to give ‘em hell out there.
Monkey is now with me during the daytime. He was having some trouble assimilating in his classroom at his last school, and we decided to pull him out for awhile. It’s been a great bonding time for us, and I’ve enjoyed it, although I’m still getting used to including him in all of my plans. I used to be able to get out and run the streets as part of my training, but now I’ll have to run on the treadmill at the Y so he can have a place to play nearby. No problem. Minor adjustments, really.
So all is well, life is good, and I’m looking forward to the week. Train hard, everyone. And maybe have some fun while you’re at it.
After my leg injury I spent all of last weekend hobbling around, and got almost no training done when my Sifu came to town. On that Friday, we did a little bit of tai chi, and he said that at least it looked better than it had looked last time he saw me perform that set. Not exactly high praise, but better than ‘wow, that sucks.’ My grimaces gave me away, however, and he spent a few minutes working on my calf before saying that, yes, it’s jacked up, and that our training time was pretty much over for the weekend. I had a choice to either rest it and allow it to recover or work on it, and have it really mess up. So, I sat on my duff during the entire fan seminar and allowed my friend and colleague Sifu Israel Flores to assist Art Laoshi while they taught my students the fan form. Argh. Very frustrating, that was. There was still a lot of good in the weekend, though. We did all manage to go see the movie ‘300’. Twice! It was even better the second time. Awesome, awesome show. Worth the wait. And we did some push hands work that will be quite helpful in addition to the other networking, business plans, and goal setting we did. Which reminds me, I need to get to work on our organizational mission statement ASAP.
So all of last week was spent with no lower body workouts. That was hard to take, especially since I’ve been working out far more consistently of late. I did work on some pushups, ab stuff, and pull-ups, but very little actual martial arts stuff that would inevitably stress my injured calf. I finally met up with Amy last Wednesday for a memorable and painful session, and then continued to stay off of it for the next couple of days. Then came Saturday, which was my first chance to really test my leg at one of our lacrosse games. I showed up late since I couldn’t leave until my classes were done, and I had trouble finding the field. I managed to roll into the parking lot just before halftime, so I was ready to start the second half.
I did worry about the leg…I mean, I need to be able to walk around to teach effectively, and pulling it on the lacrosse field would not be a good idea. I jogged around on it, did some juke moves and sideways shuffles, and everything felt pretty much like it always had. And it stayed that way throughout the rest of the game. My sprint wasn’t what it was a few weeks ago, but I did well overall. I felt good about a few spearing checks that made the opposing midfielders drop the ball a couple of times. My defense was good, but I still need some work on my offense. Our next game is this Sunday, so I plan to be ready to give ‘em hell out there.
Monkey is now with me during the daytime. He was having some trouble assimilating in his classroom at his last school, and we decided to pull him out for awhile. It’s been a great bonding time for us, and I’ve enjoyed it, although I’m still getting used to including him in all of my plans. I used to be able to get out and run the streets as part of my training, but now I’ll have to run on the treadmill at the Y so he can have a place to play nearby. No problem. Minor adjustments, really.
So all is well, life is good, and I’m looking forward to the week. Train hard, everyone. And maybe have some fun while you’re at it.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Aaahhhhh, CRAP!!!
Dang it!!! I decided to go for a timed run this morning, just to see if I’ve made any progress in that area. I’ve been running quite a bit lately, so I was hoping to see some improvement. I used to run 2 miles in about 13 minutes, so I decided to run just one and see if I could keep it under 7 minutes today. Well, I should have known something was up when my mp3 player suddenly went out as I started my run. Dang. I kept going, thinking that I was used to running without musical assistance anyway. My breathing became labored and my legs started to get a bit heavy as I went. Traces of the old asthma were still around. Double dang. I continued on my course, settled into a pace I could handle, and hoped for the best. As I turned down the last, long straightway that leads back to my house, I felt like I’d make it just fine. I refused to look at my watch out of principle, and kept going. With maybe 4 blocks to go, POP! goes something in my left calf. I had an instant of ‘DANG IT!’ before it started to hurt.
I’ve got it all strapped down now, with Nikken supermini magnets applied to the affected area. I’m hoping against hope for a cancellation at precisely 3:30pm today at Massage Envy because that’s the only time this weekend I can make it in for therapeutic massage.
Ah, well. Working out and being a martial artist brings dents and dings. It’ll be fine before too long, and I’ll add it to the list of long-forgotten injuries that have since healed up completely. I’m just complaining because I can.
I’ve got it all strapped down now, with Nikken supermini magnets applied to the affected area. I’m hoping against hope for a cancellation at precisely 3:30pm today at Massage Envy because that’s the only time this weekend I can make it in for therapeutic massage.
Ah, well. Working out and being a martial artist brings dents and dings. It’ll be fine before too long, and I’ll add it to the list of long-forgotten injuries that have since healed up completely. I’m just complaining because I can.
Busted the Bag and Dave Ramsey
It’s been a pretty decent week so far. Workouts have been good, wife is feeling much better, Monkey’s fine…all’s well. I was in my school earlier this week and have added bagwork back into my workout routine. I must say that tracking my workouts has made a huge difference, and I’m feeling better than ever at this point. I’ve been truly inspired since my last Shang Wu Association meeting, and I’ve seen dramatic improvement in my productivity in all areas of my life. I’m managing my time better, my business is improving, I’m keeping up with household chores better, and I’m in the process of using Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover to get a handle on our cash flow issues. More on that later.
But first, a word on Randy Couture vs. Tim Sylvia. GO RANDY!!! What a fight! We had a group at my home watching the UFC last weekend, and WOW…there were some good fights on. Rich Franklin is back on the winning track, as is Matt Hughes, but the fight of the night was Randy vs Tim. With his first punch, Randy put Tim on the mat! Is was all downhill from there for the bigger man as Randy proceeded to bully and manhandle him for the rest of the fight. Tim’s left eye resembled an eggplant by night’s end. Now, THAT was a FIGHT!
OK, back to the money stuff. You know, it really is amazing to me that we’re not taught more about how to handle our money. My Mom and Dad are actually pretty solid in that area, but I know they’ve had their share of tough times and used to carry far more debt than they probably should have. Like most of us. And I didn’t really learn that much about handling money at school or at home. It’s odd, but our culture is not about doing the right things to build true wealth…it’s usually about ‘Bigger, better, faster, more…’ and keeping up with the Joneses.
Now that I’m running my own business, I really feel like I need to do more than that. I need to provide for my family in a much more concrete and reliable way. That means no debt, making and using a budget, and slowly building a financial foundation that will allow us to build a new school on our own land, buy a house with some land around it, send Monkey to the Rodeo Clown school of his choice, and retire well.
DR’s plan isn’t rocket science. It’s just about being disciplined, diligent, and patient. Here’s a nutshell version:
1. Get current with your bills. You’ll have to make an honest, detailed budget. Ouch.
2. Put away $1000 for your Emergency Fund.
3. Use the Debt Snowball concept to eliminate your outstanding debt.
4. Finish your Emergency Fund (3 – 6 months of living expenses).
5. Get busy putting money away for retirement!
I was inspired to look over this material last year by a dear friend who has used it to become totally debt free and financially SOLID. I admire him greatly, and started to work with this concept. For one reason or another (OK, I just messed it up and didn’t follow through with it), it didn’t work that well for me at the time. Well, as the samurai said, ‘Fall down 7 times, get up 8.’ So I’m attacking this plan again with renewed vigor. For more info, you can hit www.daveramsey.com.
In other news, I had a big macho moment this week…I kicked one of my school punching bags hard enough to bust it open. I didn’t realize what I had done at first, but I was working front kicks, and after a couple of shots, the bag rotated around so I could see the opposite side…it had split open like a wide grin back there. Don’t worry…I’m not getting a big head about it. Every student in my school has beaten the crap out of that bag, and I just happened to catch it the right way, I guess. Even so, it did make me chuckle at myself.
My Sifu and a fellow instructor are coming to town tomorrow, so we’re planning to get a ton of work done. Physical training, goal setting, business planning, as well as the fun camaraderie that we share, are all things that I really enjoy when we meet. Sifu is doing a fan seminar this weekend, in addition to the intensive training that Izzy and I will receive. I don’t know what the ‘theme’ for the weekend will be, but I’ll be sure and jot it down. On Sunday, we’re planning a group trip to watch the movie 300, and there’s a chance that I might have a lacrosse game right afterwards. Man, I feel badly for the opposing team members…I’m most likely going to be HUGELY fired up from the movie, and I’m gonna hit some folks!
OK, I’ve got work to do! More later!
But first, a word on Randy Couture vs. Tim Sylvia. GO RANDY!!! What a fight! We had a group at my home watching the UFC last weekend, and WOW…there were some good fights on. Rich Franklin is back on the winning track, as is Matt Hughes, but the fight of the night was Randy vs Tim. With his first punch, Randy put Tim on the mat! Is was all downhill from there for the bigger man as Randy proceeded to bully and manhandle him for the rest of the fight. Tim’s left eye resembled an eggplant by night’s end. Now, THAT was a FIGHT!
OK, back to the money stuff. You know, it really is amazing to me that we’re not taught more about how to handle our money. My Mom and Dad are actually pretty solid in that area, but I know they’ve had their share of tough times and used to carry far more debt than they probably should have. Like most of us. And I didn’t really learn that much about handling money at school or at home. It’s odd, but our culture is not about doing the right things to build true wealth…it’s usually about ‘Bigger, better, faster, more…’ and keeping up with the Joneses.
Now that I’m running my own business, I really feel like I need to do more than that. I need to provide for my family in a much more concrete and reliable way. That means no debt, making and using a budget, and slowly building a financial foundation that will allow us to build a new school on our own land, buy a house with some land around it, send Monkey to the Rodeo Clown school of his choice, and retire well.
DR’s plan isn’t rocket science. It’s just about being disciplined, diligent, and patient. Here’s a nutshell version:
1. Get current with your bills. You’ll have to make an honest, detailed budget. Ouch.
2. Put away $1000 for your Emergency Fund.
3. Use the Debt Snowball concept to eliminate your outstanding debt.
4. Finish your Emergency Fund (3 – 6 months of living expenses).
5. Get busy putting money away for retirement!
I was inspired to look over this material last year by a dear friend who has used it to become totally debt free and financially SOLID. I admire him greatly, and started to work with this concept. For one reason or another (OK, I just messed it up and didn’t follow through with it), it didn’t work that well for me at the time. Well, as the samurai said, ‘Fall down 7 times, get up 8.’ So I’m attacking this plan again with renewed vigor. For more info, you can hit www.daveramsey.com.
In other news, I had a big macho moment this week…I kicked one of my school punching bags hard enough to bust it open. I didn’t realize what I had done at first, but I was working front kicks, and after a couple of shots, the bag rotated around so I could see the opposite side…it had split open like a wide grin back there. Don’t worry…I’m not getting a big head about it. Every student in my school has beaten the crap out of that bag, and I just happened to catch it the right way, I guess. Even so, it did make me chuckle at myself.
My Sifu and a fellow instructor are coming to town tomorrow, so we’re planning to get a ton of work done. Physical training, goal setting, business planning, as well as the fun camaraderie that we share, are all things that I really enjoy when we meet. Sifu is doing a fan seminar this weekend, in addition to the intensive training that Izzy and I will receive. I don’t know what the ‘theme’ for the weekend will be, but I’ll be sure and jot it down. On Sunday, we’re planning a group trip to watch the movie 300, and there’s a chance that I might have a lacrosse game right afterwards. Man, I feel badly for the opposing team members…I’m most likely going to be HUGELY fired up from the movie, and I’m gonna hit some folks!
OK, I’ve got work to do! More later!
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
50 Questions
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!
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!
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!
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Back from the Florida Trip
Well, I’m back from my big Florida trip. Lots of good stuff.
After packing, making notes, laying out my clothes, and making sure of my flight information, I finally staggered to bed last Wednesday night at about 1:30am. 4:55am came not long after, let me tell you! I managed to give my wife and son quiet kisses and then made it out the door with little trouble. The traffic at that time of day isn’t bad at all, so I made great time to the Park-n-Fly, and checked in at the airport on time. I waited for my friend and colleague, Israel, to show up from his connecting flight, and I worried that he wouldn’t make it. But he hustled down the terminal just in time, and we even managed to sit together on the way out to Tampa.
This weekend was an instructor’s conference. I am one of the founding members of the Shang Wu Association, dedicated to passing on a blend of Master Art D’Agostino’s Praying Mantis Kung Fu and Hong Style Chen Taijiquan, and we were getting together to see how we were doing, to train and talk, and to discuss goals for the coming year.
I had looked forward to this small gathering, and I was not disappointed in the least. We had a fabulous guest instructor, Paul, who spends months at a time in China or in Canada training with Masters Li Enjiu and Joseph Chen. He gave us some great insights into our Chen Taiji training and pushhands, and also some fabulous exercises to improve our taiji. In addition, Master Arthur went over some of our Kung Fu curriculum and cleaned up some things for us.
The main thing that I got from the weekend was a great sense of community, of camaraderie with the other Shang Wu instructors. We also discussed business strategies, and I’m so glad that I have a group that shares my business ethics. It’s not uncommon to see martial arts schools that are making money hand-over-fist, and churning out black belts by the dozen…but one might also notice that the skill levels of those black belts is not really that high, and they are somewhat sneaky in their sales pitches. Other schools turn out fabulous students of extremely high levels of skill and athleticism and fighting ability…but one might also notice that these schools have the fewest students, and are just getting by each month. We believe that one can run a high level martial arts school, and turn out great students, while making a decent living…without ‘screwing’ our students financially. I won’t get into the politics of the whole concept, but I’ll just say that I’m really excited about the coming year, and I’m looking forward to teaching Shang Wu martial arts to my students!
One thing that inevitably happens when we get together is that there ends up being a theme for the weekend. Someone makes a funny comment early on, and it’s repeated in various situations throughout our gathering, to the laughter of everyone involved. This time, we didn’t really end up with one theme but several funny topics of conversation.
Past themes for Shang Wu gatherings (and no, you’re probably not going to understand any of them):
Tombstone. (“Excuse me, but I believe you’re sittin’ in my chair.”)
Cow Tipping. (thanks, Mr. Lawler)
“(Spanish curse here), Barbacoa!”
“You’re gonna make me look at this @!#$?”
Rakka-takka-tak-takka-tat. (It makes it come out easier, I swear!)
And my personal favorite from past gatherings…
“I didn’t think you were gonna kick me!”
This weekend, we covered the following new topics of conversation:
Raheem’s date. (“Did you have anything to drink?” “Yeah…a hiene.”)
“I got my SWEET LEGS!!”
YOOP! SLAP!! YOOP!! SLAP!!
“How’s you’re pimp hand, Joseph?” “Strong, baby…strong!”
The deadly Chi Log.
“That only a .22. I kung fu master! I kill you with my last breath!”
And so it goes. I’m proud to be a part of a group that shares a vision of helping others, teaching solid kung fu…and has a pretty good sense of humor.
On Sunday, I just managed to get through security at the airport in time to make my flight, and I sat next to a thoroughly wonderful woman named Gwen, who had the sweetest Louisiana drawl. After a pleasant flight, I made it back to the car and headed for our first lacrosse game of the season. I was still changing clothes in the parking lot when the first whistle went off, but I didn’t miss much. We were playing Metro, a solid team that gives us trouble if we’re off our game. OK, I’ll say it…we were off our game. First game of the season, and we barely had 14 guys out there. I know that it’ll get better as we go, and I plan to do some damage on the field every chance I get.
I had only managed to lay one fellow out by the end of the third quarter, and I was exhausted! I had just recovered from my half-marathon and a whole weekend of Chen taiji will really take it out of your legs! I recall sitting on my portable stool with my helmet and gloves off, thinking that maybe I should hang it up for the day. I was beyond running at that point, and I felt like I might blow chunks at any moment.
As I considered leaving early, I suddenly became embarrassed. I mean, what kind of example was I setting? What would my students say? “Never quit!”, that’s what they’d say. So I strapped on my helmet, picked up my gloves and stick, and ambled back to the line to go back on the field. My turn came soon enough, and I’m happy to say that I caused some trouble out there. I’m not much on offense right now, but I can still play some decent defense. ;-)
So now I’m home, classes have resumed, and life is generally good. Aside from taxes that were due today and some paint fumes coming from the place downstairs from the school, everything’s cool.
Here’s another little survey. My Mom says she likes them.
1. What is your occupation? Martial Arts Instructor!!
2. What color are your socks right now? White.
3. What are you listening to right now? The rain outside.
4. What was the last thing that you ate? Turkey sandwich.
5. Can you drive a stick shift? Quite well, yes.
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Green.
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Izzy.
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? I borrowed it from a friend on Myspace…don’t know her well, but she’s cute.
9. How old are you today? 37. All day long.
10. Favorite drink? Ashamed to say that I do enjoy a good Coca-Cola belch.
11. What is your favorite sport to watch? MMA fights.
12. Have you ever colored your hair? Nope.
13. Pets? One beta fish named Willie.
14. Favorite food? Pho Tai with Gui Cuon. Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup with fresh Spring Rolls. Mmmmmmm!!! Honestly, I could have that for lunch every day.
15. What was the last movie you watched? Yellow River Fighter…a classic old Kung Fu movie.
16. What was the last book you read? Probably one of David Gemmell’s books.
17. What do you do, to vent anger? Work out. Breathe. Run. Or head back for more pho.
18. Favorite toy as a child? Star Wars figures….man, those were cool!
19. What is your favorite fall or spring? Fall. It’s such a relief after the scorching hot summer, and I love the deep blue of the sky in October.
20. Hugs or kisses? Both, as often as possible.
21. Cherries or blueberries? Blueberries
22. Do you want your friends to post this? Why not?
23. Who is most likely to respond? Dunno.
24. Who is least likely to respond? Not a clue.
25. Living arrangements? Married, in a house.
26. When was the last time you cried? I’m such a sap, probably during some movie or other.
27. What is on the floor of your closet? Let’s not get into that…
28. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending this to? Not sending to anyone in particular.
29. What did you do last night? Came home early from class, watched shows with my darling wife and went to bed. Nothing fancy.
30. Favorite smells? Usually food related smells are my favorite.
31. What inspires you? Folks who follow a dream, push through adversity to make it happen.
32. What are you afraid of? Nothing comes to mind. I’m sure there’s something.
33. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Spicy cheeseburgers. I’ll take two, please.
34. Favorite dog breed? I miss our pugs.
35. Number of keys on your key ring? Less than a dozen, I’d guess.
36. How many years at your current job? I opened our school in December, 2003, but I’ve been a teacher for a long time.
37. Favorite day of the week? Sunday…family day!
38. How many states have you lived? 1
Be good, everyone!
After packing, making notes, laying out my clothes, and making sure of my flight information, I finally staggered to bed last Wednesday night at about 1:30am. 4:55am came not long after, let me tell you! I managed to give my wife and son quiet kisses and then made it out the door with little trouble. The traffic at that time of day isn’t bad at all, so I made great time to the Park-n-Fly, and checked in at the airport on time. I waited for my friend and colleague, Israel, to show up from his connecting flight, and I worried that he wouldn’t make it. But he hustled down the terminal just in time, and we even managed to sit together on the way out to Tampa.
This weekend was an instructor’s conference. I am one of the founding members of the Shang Wu Association, dedicated to passing on a blend of Master Art D’Agostino’s Praying Mantis Kung Fu and Hong Style Chen Taijiquan, and we were getting together to see how we were doing, to train and talk, and to discuss goals for the coming year.
I had looked forward to this small gathering, and I was not disappointed in the least. We had a fabulous guest instructor, Paul, who spends months at a time in China or in Canada training with Masters Li Enjiu and Joseph Chen. He gave us some great insights into our Chen Taiji training and pushhands, and also some fabulous exercises to improve our taiji. In addition, Master Arthur went over some of our Kung Fu curriculum and cleaned up some things for us.
The main thing that I got from the weekend was a great sense of community, of camaraderie with the other Shang Wu instructors. We also discussed business strategies, and I’m so glad that I have a group that shares my business ethics. It’s not uncommon to see martial arts schools that are making money hand-over-fist, and churning out black belts by the dozen…but one might also notice that the skill levels of those black belts is not really that high, and they are somewhat sneaky in their sales pitches. Other schools turn out fabulous students of extremely high levels of skill and athleticism and fighting ability…but one might also notice that these schools have the fewest students, and are just getting by each month. We believe that one can run a high level martial arts school, and turn out great students, while making a decent living…without ‘screwing’ our students financially. I won’t get into the politics of the whole concept, but I’ll just say that I’m really excited about the coming year, and I’m looking forward to teaching Shang Wu martial arts to my students!
One thing that inevitably happens when we get together is that there ends up being a theme for the weekend. Someone makes a funny comment early on, and it’s repeated in various situations throughout our gathering, to the laughter of everyone involved. This time, we didn’t really end up with one theme but several funny topics of conversation.
Past themes for Shang Wu gatherings (and no, you’re probably not going to understand any of them):
Tombstone. (“Excuse me, but I believe you’re sittin’ in my chair.”)
Cow Tipping. (thanks, Mr. Lawler)
“(Spanish curse here), Barbacoa!”
“You’re gonna make me look at this @!#$?”
Rakka-takka-tak-takka-tat. (It makes it come out easier, I swear!)
And my personal favorite from past gatherings…
“I didn’t think you were gonna kick me!”
This weekend, we covered the following new topics of conversation:
Raheem’s date. (“Did you have anything to drink?” “Yeah…a hiene.”)
“I got my SWEET LEGS!!”
YOOP! SLAP!! YOOP!! SLAP!!
“How’s you’re pimp hand, Joseph?” “Strong, baby…strong!”
The deadly Chi Log.
“That only a .22. I kung fu master! I kill you with my last breath!”
And so it goes. I’m proud to be a part of a group that shares a vision of helping others, teaching solid kung fu…and has a pretty good sense of humor.
On Sunday, I just managed to get through security at the airport in time to make my flight, and I sat next to a thoroughly wonderful woman named Gwen, who had the sweetest Louisiana drawl. After a pleasant flight, I made it back to the car and headed for our first lacrosse game of the season. I was still changing clothes in the parking lot when the first whistle went off, but I didn’t miss much. We were playing Metro, a solid team that gives us trouble if we’re off our game. OK, I’ll say it…we were off our game. First game of the season, and we barely had 14 guys out there. I know that it’ll get better as we go, and I plan to do some damage on the field every chance I get.
I had only managed to lay one fellow out by the end of the third quarter, and I was exhausted! I had just recovered from my half-marathon and a whole weekend of Chen taiji will really take it out of your legs! I recall sitting on my portable stool with my helmet and gloves off, thinking that maybe I should hang it up for the day. I was beyond running at that point, and I felt like I might blow chunks at any moment.
As I considered leaving early, I suddenly became embarrassed. I mean, what kind of example was I setting? What would my students say? “Never quit!”, that’s what they’d say. So I strapped on my helmet, picked up my gloves and stick, and ambled back to the line to go back on the field. My turn came soon enough, and I’m happy to say that I caused some trouble out there. I’m not much on offense right now, but I can still play some decent defense. ;-)
So now I’m home, classes have resumed, and life is generally good. Aside from taxes that were due today and some paint fumes coming from the place downstairs from the school, everything’s cool.
Here’s another little survey. My Mom says she likes them.
1. What is your occupation? Martial Arts Instructor!!
2. What color are your socks right now? White.
3. What are you listening to right now? The rain outside.
4. What was the last thing that you ate? Turkey sandwich.
5. Can you drive a stick shift? Quite well, yes.
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Green.
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Izzy.
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? I borrowed it from a friend on Myspace…don’t know her well, but she’s cute.
9. How old are you today? 37. All day long.
10. Favorite drink? Ashamed to say that I do enjoy a good Coca-Cola belch.
11. What is your favorite sport to watch? MMA fights.
12. Have you ever colored your hair? Nope.
13. Pets? One beta fish named Willie.
14. Favorite food? Pho Tai with Gui Cuon. Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup with fresh Spring Rolls. Mmmmmmm!!! Honestly, I could have that for lunch every day.
15. What was the last movie you watched? Yellow River Fighter…a classic old Kung Fu movie.
16. What was the last book you read? Probably one of David Gemmell’s books.
17. What do you do, to vent anger? Work out. Breathe. Run. Or head back for more pho.
18. Favorite toy as a child? Star Wars figures….man, those were cool!
19. What is your favorite fall or spring? Fall. It’s such a relief after the scorching hot summer, and I love the deep blue of the sky in October.
20. Hugs or kisses? Both, as often as possible.
21. Cherries or blueberries? Blueberries
22. Do you want your friends to post this? Why not?
23. Who is most likely to respond? Dunno.
24. Who is least likely to respond? Not a clue.
25. Living arrangements? Married, in a house.
26. When was the last time you cried? I’m such a sap, probably during some movie or other.
27. What is on the floor of your closet? Let’s not get into that…
28. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending this to? Not sending to anyone in particular.
29. What did you do last night? Came home early from class, watched shows with my darling wife and went to bed. Nothing fancy.
30. Favorite smells? Usually food related smells are my favorite.
31. What inspires you? Folks who follow a dream, push through adversity to make it happen.
32. What are you afraid of? Nothing comes to mind. I’m sure there’s something.
33. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Spicy cheeseburgers. I’ll take two, please.
34. Favorite dog breed? I miss our pugs.
35. Number of keys on your key ring? Less than a dozen, I’d guess.
36. How many years at your current job? I opened our school in December, 2003, but I’ve been a teacher for a long time.
37. Favorite day of the week? Sunday…family day!
38. How many states have you lived? 1
Be good, everyone!
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Just a little survey.
1. Who is the next person you'll hold hands with?
Probably Connor, especially if we have to walk across a parking lot or street.
2. Do you sleep with the TV on?
Sleep? No. Nap? Oh, yes.
3. Have you ever drank milk straight out of the carton?
No
4. What did you do today?
So far, I’ve only had breakfast and I’m checking my messages.
5. How fast can you type?
Not sure. But I competed in typing in High School, so I’m still pretty fast.
6. Eye color?
Hazel.
7. Do you like your life right now?
Oh, yes…it’s pretty darned cool!
8. When's the last time you chose a bath over a shower?
Wow, I don’t remember. I know that I have, but it must have been long ago.
9. Do you knock on wood?
Occasionally.
10. Are you drinking anything right now?
No
11. Do you have good vision?
One eye is fine, the other’s a bit off.
12. Can you hula hoop?
Surprisingly, not very well.
13. Could you ever forgive a cheater?
Maybe. Maybe not. Depends.
14. What are you thinking about right now?
My plans for the day.
15. A movie you watched when you were little
The Muppet Movie.
16. What song's in your head right now?
Christina Aguilera’s “Ain’t No Other Man.”
17. What are you doing next week?
Similar to this week. Work out, teach class, fight with the housework.
18. Plans for today?
Visit my sis-in-law to help her with Ebay.
19. what color are ur underwear?
Blue.
20. Name some places you've gone.
Mostly Texas cities…I don’t get out much.
21. When was the last time you told someone "I love you"?
Earlier this morning.
22. Last stupid thing you did drunk?
I have never been drunk.
23. How are you feeling today?
Happy.
24. Are you black?
Not to my knowledge.
25. Have you ever been suspended or expelled from school?
No.
26. Have you ever crawled through a window?
Not lately, but yes.
27. What's for lunch?
Depends on where sis-in-law wants to go.
28. Have you ever eaten dog food?
No. Geez, that’s gross!
29. Can you handle the truth?
Generally speaking, yes.
30. What did you do last night?
Watched ‘Heroes’ after teaching class.
31. Buy anything lately?
No.
32. Any cool scars?
Nothing too interesting.
33. Name an old school song you like?
’I Can Dream About You’ by Dan Hartman
34. How many kids do you plan on having?
1, maybe 2.
35. Do you want to get married?
Already married
36. How often do you talk on the phone?
Often.
37. Do you talk to yourself?
Yes.
38. Is there something you want that you can't have?
More sleep would be nice.
39. Name five things about the opposite sex that you first notice...
1. The way they move.
2. Smile
3. Eyes
4. Shape
5. Smell
40. How do you feel about the word wawa?
Um…do what now?
41. Name a fault?
Always fighting procrastination.
42. What was the last thing you ate?
Cereal.
43. Something pretty you've seen lately?
My darling wife smiled at me last night.
44. Last movie watched?
Arthur and the Invisibles
45. What do you want to hear?
The wind in the trees.
46. What do you want most?
A home on the edge of town with enough land around it that I can feel like I finally have some elbow room.
Probably Connor, especially if we have to walk across a parking lot or street.
2. Do you sleep with the TV on?
Sleep? No. Nap? Oh, yes.
3. Have you ever drank milk straight out of the carton?
No
4. What did you do today?
So far, I’ve only had breakfast and I’m checking my messages.
5. How fast can you type?
Not sure. But I competed in typing in High School, so I’m still pretty fast.
6. Eye color?
Hazel.
7. Do you like your life right now?
Oh, yes…it’s pretty darned cool!
8. When's the last time you chose a bath over a shower?
Wow, I don’t remember. I know that I have, but it must have been long ago.
9. Do you knock on wood?
Occasionally.
10. Are you drinking anything right now?
No
11. Do you have good vision?
One eye is fine, the other’s a bit off.
12. Can you hula hoop?
Surprisingly, not very well.
13. Could you ever forgive a cheater?
Maybe. Maybe not. Depends.
14. What are you thinking about right now?
My plans for the day.
15. A movie you watched when you were little
The Muppet Movie.
16. What song's in your head right now?
Christina Aguilera’s “Ain’t No Other Man.”
17. What are you doing next week?
Similar to this week. Work out, teach class, fight with the housework.
18. Plans for today?
Visit my sis-in-law to help her with Ebay.
19. what color are ur underwear?
Blue.
20. Name some places you've gone.
Mostly Texas cities…I don’t get out much.
21. When was the last time you told someone "I love you"?
Earlier this morning.
22. Last stupid thing you did drunk?
I have never been drunk.
23. How are you feeling today?
Happy.
24. Are you black?
Not to my knowledge.
25. Have you ever been suspended or expelled from school?
No.
26. Have you ever crawled through a window?
Not lately, but yes.
27. What's for lunch?
Depends on where sis-in-law wants to go.
28. Have you ever eaten dog food?
No. Geez, that’s gross!
29. Can you handle the truth?
Generally speaking, yes.
30. What did you do last night?
Watched ‘Heroes’ after teaching class.
31. Buy anything lately?
No.
32. Any cool scars?
Nothing too interesting.
33. Name an old school song you like?
’I Can Dream About You’ by Dan Hartman
34. How many kids do you plan on having?
1, maybe 2.
35. Do you want to get married?
Already married
36. How often do you talk on the phone?
Often.
37. Do you talk to yourself?
Yes.
38. Is there something you want that you can't have?
More sleep would be nice.
39. Name five things about the opposite sex that you first notice...
1. The way they move.
2. Smile
3. Eyes
4. Shape
5. Smell
40. How do you feel about the word wawa?
Um…do what now?
41. Name a fault?
Always fighting procrastination.
42. What was the last thing you ate?
Cereal.
43. Something pretty you've seen lately?
My darling wife smiled at me last night.
44. Last movie watched?
Arthur and the Invisibles
45. What do you want to hear?
The wind in the trees.
46. What do you want most?
A home on the edge of town with enough land around it that I can feel like I finally have some elbow room.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Finished the Race!!
Well, I achieved two goals yesterday. (1) I finished another Half-Marathon. (2) I did better than I did last year. It was only by one minute, but it was still better! Here’s how the whole thing went…
My good friend Brian showed up on Saturday. We had originally planned to run this race together as we did last year, but a nagging calf injury kept him out of it this time. Even so, he braved the oncoming bad weather just to come out and support me. True friend, that one. Anyway, we drove out to the George R. Brown Convention Center to pick up my race packet. That’s the thing that has my race number, timing chip, last minute race info, all that stuff. I had received an official confirmation card recently that was necessary for me to pick up my packet, and after I grabbed it from the house, we were off to the GRB.
Now, it’s been awhile since I’ve been in downtown Houston, but normally, my navigational skills are pretty good. I said “normally.” This time, we ended up driving around Rice University and the zoo for awhile before I bought a map and plotted a new course to our destination. My wife is still laughing at me for that one. In spite of this minor foul-up, we found a parking spot and I looked around for the confirmation card…no luck. I checked the glove compartment and around the seats. No card. We got out of the card and started digging around my car (which is not the best organized on the road) and came up with nothing. I was certain that I had brought it, but it was nowhere to be found. There wasn’t enough time to head home and print a new one from my email and come back before registration would close.
I was somewhat peeved at this point, more about the fact that I just knew that I had brought the card, but couldn’t find it at all. Brian suggested that this had certainly happened before, and that they probably had provisions for such in the convention center. So we headed towards the GRB. As we got closer, we saw a patrol officer ticketing cars, so Brian offered to go back and watch the car and move it if necessary so I could get my situation handled.
Sure enough, they had a large sign at one corner of the Expo that said REPLACEMENT CONFIRMATION CARDS. Problem solved. I picked up my packet, met up with Brian (who said our car was fine), and wandered around the booths for awhile. Since it was the end of the two day Expo, there were some really good deals to be had on shoes, running gear, and such, but we just browsed around before heading home. And we didn’t get lost this time.
Wanna hear the funny part? When we got back to the car, and I sat in the driver’s seat and pulled on my seat belt, I happened to glance up…and found that I had stuck the confirmation card into my sun visor. So I wouldn’t lose it. We laughed until our stomachs hurt.
Then began the search for an mp3 player. My fabulous Mom bought me a doozie of one for Christmas, but neither of us knew that my computer system wouldn’t support it without an upgrade (and that’s a whole other story). So, I was searching for a cheap player that had certain features. (1) Cheap. (2) Must hold at least 2.5 hours of songs (3) Cheap. (4) A shuffle feature. And (5) It had to work with my freakin’ computer. I mentioned the plan to my wife, and she’s now inheriting the player as soon as I get my machine fixed so I can use the one Mom gave me. Anyway, back to the story…
We tried Best Buy…Sam’s Club…Wal Mart…and found exactly what I needed at, of all places, Academy. There was some discussion of finding an armband, but I figured that I had an ordinary sweatband at home that would work just fine. (It did.) So we went home for a big pasta dinner, and early to bed…well, almost. I went to bed at around 1am after loading my new mp3 player, making sure that my clothes were laid out, my bag was packed, and that my race stuff was all set to go.
I carefully set the alarm to go off at 5am…or so I thought. It went off at 4am. Ouch. I reset it, dozed for a bit, and then up again and tearing around the house getting ready to go. This time, we drove straight to one of the designated parking garages, walked to the GRB, and I readied myself for the race, with Brian taking some pics and video.
Here’s a tip for all you marathon runners out there…if you use one of the available port-a-potties at the race site, make sure and shut the latch. I surprised some poor guy as he was taking his pre-race wee-wee. We did not catch this part on video. The weather was warmer than last year, but damp, and we were hoping the knock the race out before the really nasty weather came in.
So I stretched out, got all my stuff ready, waved to the camera, and entered the corral that would funnel me out at the starting gate. I walked with the other runners for awhile and realized that my shoes were tied a bit looser than I’d like. I stooped to tie them, and heard the starting cannon BOOM somewhere up ahead of me. Not a very auspicious start to the race. But then, it’s timed by the special chip that was tied into my shoelaces, not by the gun. So I got my shoes fixed up, and then started jogging with the others to the starting line.
SO MANY PEOPLE! This year, both the full marathon and the half- were at full capacity, so there were 15,000 people on the road with me. Wow. And most of them were wearing mp3 players. So there! Many folks run for fun, some to test themselves, some for more special reasons…I saw many shirts that displayed those reasons…loved ones, charities, organizations. It was all way cool. Seeing the vast, bobbing sea of runners as we ran over the Elysian Viaduct is always a moving experience.
The first few miles were fine. Breathing…check. Legs…check. Feet…uh, oh. My left foot was already starting to get that burning feeling that means something’s up. By mile 5, it was starting to get ugly. At that point, I felt like I had to make a choice: do I keep running on this thing, knowing that I’m probably going to blister the hooey out of my foot, or do I quit?
I didn’t quit.
I decided, with the help of the heavy metal blaring in my ears, that I could fix my foot later. But the race was going on right at that moment, and I wouldn’t have another chance at it ‘til next year. So I ignored it and pushed on. Eventually, that pain faded into all the other general noise and feedback that I was receiving, so it wasn’t a big deal.
And the rest of the race went by without incident. The weather turned out to be perfect for running. Even so, I discovered that my legs are not as conditioned as I had hoped, and I had to walk a few times, but I kept moving forward. “Run, walk, stagger, or crawl” is my motto, and I kept it to the first two. The weather was great, the fans were yelling, and I had music to listen to as I made the turn just before mile 9…that’s where the Half-marathoners start to head back to the finish line and the Full-marathoners just keep….on….going. My hat’s off to them…I think I’ll stick with the shorter race.
I continued my run, run, run, walk, run, run, run, walk, pace until somewhere between mile 11 and 12, just as we headed back into the downtown area. I decided at that point that I would not walk again, no matter what. I was going to finish those last 2+ miles at a run. OK, so it was a slow run, but it was still a run, dang it! And so I plodded on.
Folks around me started to pick up speed as we started running between the skyscrapers and we could hear the huge crowd roaring for us in the distance. I did not pick up speed. I do recall my left hamstring saying something like “Dude…what’s up? Um…we’re having an issue here…could you stop for a minute? Please? No? Hmm…well, OK, I’ll just talk to you later, then. Be cool.” I recall being thankful that I’d made my post-race massage appointment over two months ago, and I just kept running.
In talking with my students, I had joked that, if I had the strength at the end of the race, I would do a race-finish-dance that would be worthy of Youtube. Sorry, folks. No disco here. No running man, no MC Hammer, nothing. I simply raised my arms after I crossed the line, and then I did manage to throw a few punches. Amazingly, my darling wife caught me on TV behind the commentators. Cool!
The walk from the finish line to the GRB is a slow one, worthy of any zombie movie of your choice. Some folks are on the verge of passing out, some are exultant, and then there are folks like me who just amble slowly along. Inside, I received my finisher’s medal (destined for my son’s neck), picked up my bag, and stood in line for my finisher’s shirt. I noticed a little girl standing next to me…maybe ten years old. She had also finished the Half-Marathon. And I think she beat me. Wow. Good for her!
Got my shirt, found my friend Brian, and collapsed on the floor where no one would step on me. It took awhile for me to get my shoes off and see the blister…no, that doesn’t do it justice. The THUNDEROUS BLISTER OF DOOM that had actually doubled the size of my pinky toe. I changed into some dry clothes, slowly packed up, and we walked back to the parking garage. OK, Brian walked, I hobbled/limped. Crossing the street was fun, as I had to stop in the middle of it to rest. I heard some folks laughing, but they were hobbling too, so we all just laughed and waved.
From there, we went and had pho at my favorite local restaurant, Pho Mai. That’s at Westgreen and I-10 in Katy, next to Slick Willies. I ate just about double what I usually get, and it was great. After a shower back at the house, we went for the post-race massage.
Amy is my favorite massage therapist. She’s a good friend of ours, and a friend of Jade Mountain. She’s used to me, and knows how to keep me functional. And this time, she absolutely tore me up. I got more of a workout from squirming around on her table as she dug her elbows into my calves and hamstrings than I had during the race! Yeowch!!! But I know the drill, and after surviving that ordeal, I’m feeling much, much better today. The blister of doom is already almost healed, I’m sore, but not dead, and all is right with the world. I’m ready for next year.
Things I learned during this experience:
1. When choosing music for your race, certain songs should be omitted. Honestly.
2. Hindu squats are necessary for next year’s race. I haven’t been training them as hard as I should, and I could tell the difference. Breathing was fine, but the legs gave out.
3. It’s time for a new race outfit. I looked like a dork.
4. It is more fun to run with someone than alone. So I’m looking for someone who could maintain a ten-minute mile pace with me next year.
5. It’s also time for new socks. Blisters suck.
6. I love this race. Absolutely. It is a total blast, the energy is amazing, and it’s a fabulous experience. Next year, I will sponsor at least two other runners to run this race, no matter their pace or experience. More on that later.
7. I already knew this, but my buddy, Brian, is a true friend. He drove all the way down here just to support me. Thanks, man.
So that’s it. My tale of the race. There’s more, of course, but I’ve got to get some lunch for my son, and there are things to do around here on the cold, rainy MLK Day. Have fun, everybody!
My good friend Brian showed up on Saturday. We had originally planned to run this race together as we did last year, but a nagging calf injury kept him out of it this time. Even so, he braved the oncoming bad weather just to come out and support me. True friend, that one. Anyway, we drove out to the George R. Brown Convention Center to pick up my race packet. That’s the thing that has my race number, timing chip, last minute race info, all that stuff. I had received an official confirmation card recently that was necessary for me to pick up my packet, and after I grabbed it from the house, we were off to the GRB.
Now, it’s been awhile since I’ve been in downtown Houston, but normally, my navigational skills are pretty good. I said “normally.” This time, we ended up driving around Rice University and the zoo for awhile before I bought a map and plotted a new course to our destination. My wife is still laughing at me for that one. In spite of this minor foul-up, we found a parking spot and I looked around for the confirmation card…no luck. I checked the glove compartment and around the seats. No card. We got out of the card and started digging around my car (which is not the best organized on the road) and came up with nothing. I was certain that I had brought it, but it was nowhere to be found. There wasn’t enough time to head home and print a new one from my email and come back before registration would close.
I was somewhat peeved at this point, more about the fact that I just knew that I had brought the card, but couldn’t find it at all. Brian suggested that this had certainly happened before, and that they probably had provisions for such in the convention center. So we headed towards the GRB. As we got closer, we saw a patrol officer ticketing cars, so Brian offered to go back and watch the car and move it if necessary so I could get my situation handled.
Sure enough, they had a large sign at one corner of the Expo that said REPLACEMENT CONFIRMATION CARDS. Problem solved. I picked up my packet, met up with Brian (who said our car was fine), and wandered around the booths for awhile. Since it was the end of the two day Expo, there were some really good deals to be had on shoes, running gear, and such, but we just browsed around before heading home. And we didn’t get lost this time.
Wanna hear the funny part? When we got back to the car, and I sat in the driver’s seat and pulled on my seat belt, I happened to glance up…and found that I had stuck the confirmation card into my sun visor. So I wouldn’t lose it. We laughed until our stomachs hurt.
Then began the search for an mp3 player. My fabulous Mom bought me a doozie of one for Christmas, but neither of us knew that my computer system wouldn’t support it without an upgrade (and that’s a whole other story). So, I was searching for a cheap player that had certain features. (1) Cheap. (2) Must hold at least 2.5 hours of songs (3) Cheap. (4) A shuffle feature. And (5) It had to work with my freakin’ computer. I mentioned the plan to my wife, and she’s now inheriting the player as soon as I get my machine fixed so I can use the one Mom gave me. Anyway, back to the story…
We tried Best Buy…Sam’s Club…Wal Mart…and found exactly what I needed at, of all places, Academy. There was some discussion of finding an armband, but I figured that I had an ordinary sweatband at home that would work just fine. (It did.) So we went home for a big pasta dinner, and early to bed…well, almost. I went to bed at around 1am after loading my new mp3 player, making sure that my clothes were laid out, my bag was packed, and that my race stuff was all set to go.
I carefully set the alarm to go off at 5am…or so I thought. It went off at 4am. Ouch. I reset it, dozed for a bit, and then up again and tearing around the house getting ready to go. This time, we drove straight to one of the designated parking garages, walked to the GRB, and I readied myself for the race, with Brian taking some pics and video.
Here’s a tip for all you marathon runners out there…if you use one of the available port-a-potties at the race site, make sure and shut the latch. I surprised some poor guy as he was taking his pre-race wee-wee. We did not catch this part on video. The weather was warmer than last year, but damp, and we were hoping the knock the race out before the really nasty weather came in.
So I stretched out, got all my stuff ready, waved to the camera, and entered the corral that would funnel me out at the starting gate. I walked with the other runners for awhile and realized that my shoes were tied a bit looser than I’d like. I stooped to tie them, and heard the starting cannon BOOM somewhere up ahead of me. Not a very auspicious start to the race. But then, it’s timed by the special chip that was tied into my shoelaces, not by the gun. So I got my shoes fixed up, and then started jogging with the others to the starting line.
SO MANY PEOPLE! This year, both the full marathon and the half- were at full capacity, so there were 15,000 people on the road with me. Wow. And most of them were wearing mp3 players. So there! Many folks run for fun, some to test themselves, some for more special reasons…I saw many shirts that displayed those reasons…loved ones, charities, organizations. It was all way cool. Seeing the vast, bobbing sea of runners as we ran over the Elysian Viaduct is always a moving experience.
The first few miles were fine. Breathing…check. Legs…check. Feet…uh, oh. My left foot was already starting to get that burning feeling that means something’s up. By mile 5, it was starting to get ugly. At that point, I felt like I had to make a choice: do I keep running on this thing, knowing that I’m probably going to blister the hooey out of my foot, or do I quit?
I didn’t quit.
I decided, with the help of the heavy metal blaring in my ears, that I could fix my foot later. But the race was going on right at that moment, and I wouldn’t have another chance at it ‘til next year. So I ignored it and pushed on. Eventually, that pain faded into all the other general noise and feedback that I was receiving, so it wasn’t a big deal.
And the rest of the race went by without incident. The weather turned out to be perfect for running. Even so, I discovered that my legs are not as conditioned as I had hoped, and I had to walk a few times, but I kept moving forward. “Run, walk, stagger, or crawl” is my motto, and I kept it to the first two. The weather was great, the fans were yelling, and I had music to listen to as I made the turn just before mile 9…that’s where the Half-marathoners start to head back to the finish line and the Full-marathoners just keep….on….going. My hat’s off to them…I think I’ll stick with the shorter race.
I continued my run, run, run, walk, run, run, run, walk, pace until somewhere between mile 11 and 12, just as we headed back into the downtown area. I decided at that point that I would not walk again, no matter what. I was going to finish those last 2+ miles at a run. OK, so it was a slow run, but it was still a run, dang it! And so I plodded on.
Folks around me started to pick up speed as we started running between the skyscrapers and we could hear the huge crowd roaring for us in the distance. I did not pick up speed. I do recall my left hamstring saying something like “Dude…what’s up? Um…we’re having an issue here…could you stop for a minute? Please? No? Hmm…well, OK, I’ll just talk to you later, then. Be cool.” I recall being thankful that I’d made my post-race massage appointment over two months ago, and I just kept running.
In talking with my students, I had joked that, if I had the strength at the end of the race, I would do a race-finish-dance that would be worthy of Youtube. Sorry, folks. No disco here. No running man, no MC Hammer, nothing. I simply raised my arms after I crossed the line, and then I did manage to throw a few punches. Amazingly, my darling wife caught me on TV behind the commentators. Cool!
The walk from the finish line to the GRB is a slow one, worthy of any zombie movie of your choice. Some folks are on the verge of passing out, some are exultant, and then there are folks like me who just amble slowly along. Inside, I received my finisher’s medal (destined for my son’s neck), picked up my bag, and stood in line for my finisher’s shirt. I noticed a little girl standing next to me…maybe ten years old. She had also finished the Half-Marathon. And I think she beat me. Wow. Good for her!
Got my shirt, found my friend Brian, and collapsed on the floor where no one would step on me. It took awhile for me to get my shoes off and see the blister…no, that doesn’t do it justice. The THUNDEROUS BLISTER OF DOOM that had actually doubled the size of my pinky toe. I changed into some dry clothes, slowly packed up, and we walked back to the parking garage. OK, Brian walked, I hobbled/limped. Crossing the street was fun, as I had to stop in the middle of it to rest. I heard some folks laughing, but they were hobbling too, so we all just laughed and waved.
From there, we went and had pho at my favorite local restaurant, Pho Mai. That’s at Westgreen and I-10 in Katy, next to Slick Willies. I ate just about double what I usually get, and it was great. After a shower back at the house, we went for the post-race massage.
Amy is my favorite massage therapist. She’s a good friend of ours, and a friend of Jade Mountain. She’s used to me, and knows how to keep me functional. And this time, she absolutely tore me up. I got more of a workout from squirming around on her table as she dug her elbows into my calves and hamstrings than I had during the race! Yeowch!!! But I know the drill, and after surviving that ordeal, I’m feeling much, much better today. The blister of doom is already almost healed, I’m sore, but not dead, and all is right with the world. I’m ready for next year.
Things I learned during this experience:
1. When choosing music for your race, certain songs should be omitted. Honestly.
2. Hindu squats are necessary for next year’s race. I haven’t been training them as hard as I should, and I could tell the difference. Breathing was fine, but the legs gave out.
3. It’s time for a new race outfit. I looked like a dork.
4. It is more fun to run with someone than alone. So I’m looking for someone who could maintain a ten-minute mile pace with me next year.
5. It’s also time for new socks. Blisters suck.
6. I love this race. Absolutely. It is a total blast, the energy is amazing, and it’s a fabulous experience. Next year, I will sponsor at least two other runners to run this race, no matter their pace or experience. More on that later.
7. I already knew this, but my buddy, Brian, is a true friend. He drove all the way down here just to support me. Thanks, man.
So that’s it. My tale of the race. There’s more, of course, but I’ve got to get some lunch for my son, and there are things to do around here on the cold, rainy MLK Day. Have fun, everybody!
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Running Strawberries and such...
Just got in from a shorter run…3 miles at an easy 9 minute pace. My calves have been barking at me for the last few weeks, so I’ll probably go in for a massage between now and the weekend. The race is almost here! I’m pretty excited about it. I don’t know that I’ll be able to beat my first time of 2:10:46. Holy crap, how did I do that? The next year was considerably slower due to the onset of my asthma…2:24:13. If I can keep it at or under a 10 minute per mile pace this year, I’ll meet my best time. Or not. Just depends on whether I pass out on the road or manage to keep my feet moving.
They are officially discouraging the use of headphones and portable music devices this year, but have stated that they won’t yank runners off the course for wearing them. Considering that I’ve seen folks running this race dressed up as giant strawberries, I figure my mp3 player won’t cause too much of a fuss, and that’s only if I can get the thing working in time for the race. The first two times I ran, I was adamant that I wanted to explore my mind/body connection, to feel every breath and footstep during the race, to truly experience the grueling challenge of running such a long distance. This year, I just want to hear the theme from Rocky as I roll towards the finish line. And Cameo’s ‘Word Up’ at some point along the course, just to make me smile instead of holding that runner’s scowl that I’m so prone to wearing. By the way, my bib number is 22999, in case you want to track my progress.
In other news, I surprised my wife yesterday by cleaning out the clutter in our bedroom. It still needs some work, but I’m pleased with the progress I made in there. She got home with our monkey well after dark, and I guessed correctly that she’d have plopped down on the couch with him to recover from the day without ever going back to the bedroom. So during one of our phone conversations, I casually asked her to go and pick up a set of spare keys that I had left in there…she was thrilled! Ah, happy day.
I’ll be heading out to Florida to train with my Sifu, Art D’Agostino at the end of the month. I’m looking forward to it, since I need some work on a few things, and since our meetings always leave me energized and ready to implement some new technique at our school. The day I get back, I also have a lacrosse game, so I’ll basically go straight from the plane to the field. I’ve been waiting for our season to start ever since the playoffs ended last spring, so look out!
Have a happy day, all.
They are officially discouraging the use of headphones and portable music devices this year, but have stated that they won’t yank runners off the course for wearing them. Considering that I’ve seen folks running this race dressed up as giant strawberries, I figure my mp3 player won’t cause too much of a fuss, and that’s only if I can get the thing working in time for the race. The first two times I ran, I was adamant that I wanted to explore my mind/body connection, to feel every breath and footstep during the race, to truly experience the grueling challenge of running such a long distance. This year, I just want to hear the theme from Rocky as I roll towards the finish line. And Cameo’s ‘Word Up’ at some point along the course, just to make me smile instead of holding that runner’s scowl that I’m so prone to wearing. By the way, my bib number is 22999, in case you want to track my progress.
In other news, I surprised my wife yesterday by cleaning out the clutter in our bedroom. It still needs some work, but I’m pleased with the progress I made in there. She got home with our monkey well after dark, and I guessed correctly that she’d have plopped down on the couch with him to recover from the day without ever going back to the bedroom. So during one of our phone conversations, I casually asked her to go and pick up a set of spare keys that I had left in there…she was thrilled! Ah, happy day.
I’ll be heading out to Florida to train with my Sifu, Art D’Agostino at the end of the month. I’m looking forward to it, since I need some work on a few things, and since our meetings always leave me energized and ready to implement some new technique at our school. The day I get back, I also have a lacrosse game, so I’ll basically go straight from the plane to the field. I’ve been waiting for our season to start ever since the playoffs ended last spring, so look out!
Have a happy day, all.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Big, Honkin' Survey
Well, my Mom complained that I don't update my blog enough. So here's a little something:
Big Honkin' Survey
What do you wanna be when you grow up? I’m already a martial arts instructor. To me, that’s way cool.
Is 30 old? Man, I’m just getting started, and 40 is closing fast. So, no.
What's your major? Martial Arts.
Do you have a crush on anyone? Nope.
What's the prettiest part of your body? My wife says she loves my hands and butt.
What celebrity would you shag? Let me get back to you on that…
Have you shagged any celebrities? No.
Have you met any celebrities? Olivia Newton-John. What a cutie!
Do you think you'll ever get married? Twice. Second time’s the charm.
What do you want your wedding song to be? We walked to our wedding site to the theme from Braveheart.
If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go? I’ve always wanted to visit Scotland, but it’s awfully cold there just now. Maybe the Grand Canyon.
If you were stranded on a desert island,what 2 things would you take with you? A Cold Steel Trailmaster knife, and a satellite phone.
What is your favorite club? I kind of like the big wooden ones that have nails on the business end and a good grip on the other end.
Movie you wished you had starred in? The Matrix trilogy or any of the Star Wars movies.
Any other celebrities you would shag? Still working on that. Most of them are just too slender for me.
Who is the coolest person you know? That’d be my wife. Honestly.
Who do you know of that you wanna meet, but you've never met? I’d enjoy meeting Randy Couture.
Whats the best class you ever took? I really enjoyed Tumbling in college. Lots of cute girls.
What's the best job you've ever had? I’m in it right now. Martial arts instructor.
Is there someone that you can’t stop thinking about that doesn’t know it? Nope.
What song is in your head right now? Hang on while I listen….OK, it’s apparently ‘Ain’t No Other Man’ by Christina Aguilera. No, I don’t know why.
What did you eat for breakfast this morning? Eggs with cheese on toast.
Do you love your mom? Do you love your dad? Do you love your siblings? Yes, to all three.
Do you get along better with men or women? Usually women. I don’t have much in common with most guys.
Plain or peanut? Plain
Smooth or crunchy? Crunchy
White or wheat? Wheat
Coldplay or Nivana? Do what now?
Purple or Chartruese? Definitely Purple
Aliens or Ghosts? Both
Do you believe in ghosts? Yes, of course.
Favorite movie? Just one?
Favorite drink? That’s bad for me…coke.
Favorite alchoholic drink? I almost never drink alcohol.
Favorite mixed drink? See above.
Favorite city? I’m pretty partial to Katy.
Favorite store? Half.com
Favorite sport? Lacrosse and MMA fighting.
Vices? Chocolate and sodas.
Addictions? None, really.
Favorite food? Pho tai with goi cuon.
Favorite animal? I like pugs.
Best friends name(s)? I talk to Brian and Larry almost every day. I’m always amazed at their tolerance of my foibles.
Have you ever thrown up on someone really hot? Uh…no.
Has anyone really hot ever thrown up on you? No. I don’t go to parties much.
Have you ever been to Mexico? Yes, twice.
Do you obsess over little things? Occasionally.
Do you have any tattoos? Not unless you count the happy face my son drew on me once.
Do you have any piercings? Nope.
What is your ethnic background? Vaguely Scottish and Mexican. Go figure.
Name three sexy people's myspace names. Trouble here…
Have you ever broken anyones heart? Unfortunately, yes.
Has anyone ever broken your heart? Yes, of course.
Do you refer to anyone as "the one that got away"? No, not really. Although there was that gorgeous young lady from Tumbling that was interested in me…and I didn’t realize it until years later. Man, what an idiot!
Have you slept with anyone that is on myspace? My wife’s on there, so yes.
Did you think that that question was a little too personal? Probably, but it’s no biggie.
Republican or democrat? Actually, I’d like to slap almost every politician I’ve ever heard of.
Liberal or conservative? Probably more liberal.
What's your favorite word? Monkey. It’s just a funny sounding word.
Who is the hottest woman/man in the world? I’m still working on the whole celebrity thing, so I’ll get back to you.
Who would you kill if your morals would allow? Amazingly, my hit list has vanished.
What's your favorite restaurant? Pho Mai in Katy on Westgreen and I-10. I’d be there right now, if I could.
What color are your underwear right now? Let’s see…looks like blue.
If you could join one band, what would it be? If you could resurrect one band, who would it be? Easy…I’d be a roadie for the Go-Go’s back in the 80’s.
Favorite male vocalist? Chris Daughtry’s been impressive lately.
Favorite female vocalist? Amy Lee from Evanescence.
Favorite athlete? Randy Couture
Favorite body part on a guy/girl? OK, I’m blushing now.
What your ideal mate should look like? Like my wife.
What your ideal mate should act like? Like my wife.
What your ideal mate should be interested in? She’s entered a career in Montessori teaching, and she’s loving it. It also helps that she’s interested in me.
How he/she should propose. I took care of that already.
What band does your ideal mate absolutely have to love? She can love whatever band she likes…that’s her prerogative.
What can your ideal mate not do? Well, she had to give up running with the bulls due to bad knees.
Give 10 initials (max) of the boys/girls first names that you want. Do what now?? 10 kids? I don’t want 10 kids!!
Do you believe in soul mates? Wholeheartedly.
Do you love yourself? Yes. Although forgiving myself is sometimes a challenge.
Do you love your friends? Yes.
Who do you love the most in the whole wide world? My wife and son.
Big Honkin' Survey
What do you wanna be when you grow up? I’m already a martial arts instructor. To me, that’s way cool.
Is 30 old? Man, I’m just getting started, and 40 is closing fast. So, no.
What's your major? Martial Arts.
Do you have a crush on anyone? Nope.
What's the prettiest part of your body? My wife says she loves my hands and butt.
What celebrity would you shag? Let me get back to you on that…
Have you shagged any celebrities? No.
Have you met any celebrities? Olivia Newton-John. What a cutie!
Do you think you'll ever get married? Twice. Second time’s the charm.
What do you want your wedding song to be? We walked to our wedding site to the theme from Braveheart.
If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go? I’ve always wanted to visit Scotland, but it’s awfully cold there just now. Maybe the Grand Canyon.
If you were stranded on a desert island,what 2 things would you take with you? A Cold Steel Trailmaster knife, and a satellite phone.
What is your favorite club? I kind of like the big wooden ones that have nails on the business end and a good grip on the other end.
Movie you wished you had starred in? The Matrix trilogy or any of the Star Wars movies.
Any other celebrities you would shag? Still working on that. Most of them are just too slender for me.
Who is the coolest person you know? That’d be my wife. Honestly.
Who do you know of that you wanna meet, but you've never met? I’d enjoy meeting Randy Couture.
Whats the best class you ever took? I really enjoyed Tumbling in college. Lots of cute girls.
What's the best job you've ever had? I’m in it right now. Martial arts instructor.
Is there someone that you can’t stop thinking about that doesn’t know it? Nope.
What song is in your head right now? Hang on while I listen….OK, it’s apparently ‘Ain’t No Other Man’ by Christina Aguilera. No, I don’t know why.
What did you eat for breakfast this morning? Eggs with cheese on toast.
Do you love your mom? Do you love your dad? Do you love your siblings? Yes, to all three.
Do you get along better with men or women? Usually women. I don’t have much in common with most guys.
Plain or peanut? Plain
Smooth or crunchy? Crunchy
White or wheat? Wheat
Coldplay or Nivana? Do what now?
Purple or Chartruese? Definitely Purple
Aliens or Ghosts? Both
Do you believe in ghosts? Yes, of course.
Favorite movie? Just one?
Favorite drink? That’s bad for me…coke.
Favorite alchoholic drink? I almost never drink alcohol.
Favorite mixed drink? See above.
Favorite city? I’m pretty partial to Katy.
Favorite store? Half.com
Favorite sport? Lacrosse and MMA fighting.
Vices? Chocolate and sodas.
Addictions? None, really.
Favorite food? Pho tai with goi cuon.
Favorite animal? I like pugs.
Best friends name(s)? I talk to Brian and Larry almost every day. I’m always amazed at their tolerance of my foibles.
Have you ever thrown up on someone really hot? Uh…no.
Has anyone really hot ever thrown up on you? No. I don’t go to parties much.
Have you ever been to Mexico? Yes, twice.
Do you obsess over little things? Occasionally.
Do you have any tattoos? Not unless you count the happy face my son drew on me once.
Do you have any piercings? Nope.
What is your ethnic background? Vaguely Scottish and Mexican. Go figure.
Name three sexy people's myspace names. Trouble here…
Have you ever broken anyones heart? Unfortunately, yes.
Has anyone ever broken your heart? Yes, of course.
Do you refer to anyone as "the one that got away"? No, not really. Although there was that gorgeous young lady from Tumbling that was interested in me…and I didn’t realize it until years later. Man, what an idiot!
Have you slept with anyone that is on myspace? My wife’s on there, so yes.
Did you think that that question was a little too personal? Probably, but it’s no biggie.
Republican or democrat? Actually, I’d like to slap almost every politician I’ve ever heard of.
Liberal or conservative? Probably more liberal.
What's your favorite word? Monkey. It’s just a funny sounding word.
Who is the hottest woman/man in the world? I’m still working on the whole celebrity thing, so I’ll get back to you.
Who would you kill if your morals would allow? Amazingly, my hit list has vanished.
What's your favorite restaurant? Pho Mai in Katy on Westgreen and I-10. I’d be there right now, if I could.
What color are your underwear right now? Let’s see…looks like blue.
If you could join one band, what would it be? If you could resurrect one band, who would it be? Easy…I’d be a roadie for the Go-Go’s back in the 80’s.
Favorite male vocalist? Chris Daughtry’s been impressive lately.
Favorite female vocalist? Amy Lee from Evanescence.
Favorite athlete? Randy Couture
Favorite body part on a guy/girl? OK, I’m blushing now.
What your ideal mate should look like? Like my wife.
What your ideal mate should act like? Like my wife.
What your ideal mate should be interested in? She’s entered a career in Montessori teaching, and she’s loving it. It also helps that she’s interested in me.
How he/she should propose. I took care of that already.
What band does your ideal mate absolutely have to love? She can love whatever band she likes…that’s her prerogative.
What can your ideal mate not do? Well, she had to give up running with the bulls due to bad knees.
Give 10 initials (max) of the boys/girls first names that you want. Do what now?? 10 kids? I don’t want 10 kids!!
Do you believe in soul mates? Wholeheartedly.
Do you love yourself? Yes. Although forgiving myself is sometimes a challenge.
Do you love your friends? Yes.
Who do you love the most in the whole wide world? My wife and son.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Running, the Tooth Faerie, and the Trials of Windows
Ouch! Wow, my calves are sore! You see, I figured that since the Half-Marathon is only 9 days away, I should get out and run more often. And my calves are feeling it! The good news is that my asthma is apparently in check. No problems there (thanks Chris!!), so I don’t have to wear myself out just trying to breathe. Since my legs are generally pretty strong after years of martial arts, I can run fairly well, if not terribly fast. My calves are hurting because I generally run on the balls of my feet, rather than heel-toe, as I should. It’s a holdover from playing lacrosse, and I just never felt that comfortable running heel-toe until I actually get to the Half-Marathon. Somewhere around mile 5, I end up running heel-toe whether I like it or not! In any event, I ran around 3.5 miles yesterday with no trouble whatsoever, so I should survive the race next weekend. I don’t think that Nicodemus Malakwen, Brian Sell, and Jason Hartmann have anything to worry about this year…I’ll not be fighting them for the win. They run about twice as fast as I do.
In other news, I’ve decided to allow my assistant instructor, Sihing Shaun Lawler, to take over some classes for me a couple of times a week. That will allow him some teaching opportunities, a chance for me to do some other work, and give the students a chance of pace. Everybody wins! I can see Mr. Lawler running his own school one of these days, in spite of his inability to pick a winner in the UFC.
And our Monkey has lost his first tooth. Man, he’s cute with that gap in his lower teeth! He mentioned that it was ‘short’. So I took a look, and noticed that it wasn’t short…it was wiggling! So we discussed the idea of his tooth coming out, and mentioned the possibility of the Tooth Faerie. He was down with all that, and kept gently wiggling his tooth. It came out a day or so later, and everyone was thrilled. However, I must admit to a certain amount of sniffling and discussing how our little boy is growing up too fast…I mean, he loses his first tooth one day, and the next, he’s applying for college. Too fast. He was nothing more than a 4 pound baby just yesterday, right? Where did the last 5 years go??
By the way, did you know that you should be careful when buying software? I mean, if you go to a local electronics store and by Windows XP Home Edition Upgrade, and your machine has Windows 2000 Pro on it, you’re going to be out of luck when you try and return the XP because it doesn’t work. Go figure. Like they thought I’d copied the software or something just because I opened it already. Geez. However, the Larryman has offered to help me get my system up and running. You’re a saint, my friend. How does that sound…Saint Larry?
Today’s a rainy, cold Friday, and I’m tempted to take a short nap on the couch. I mean, it’s only 8:30am, the dishes are already done, there’s laundry thumping around in the dryer, and I don’t have anywhere to be until this afternoon, so why not? I’ve got plenty of time for my Friday workout. So a-napping, I think I’ll go. See ya.
In other news, I’ve decided to allow my assistant instructor, Sihing Shaun Lawler, to take over some classes for me a couple of times a week. That will allow him some teaching opportunities, a chance for me to do some other work, and give the students a chance of pace. Everybody wins! I can see Mr. Lawler running his own school one of these days, in spite of his inability to pick a winner in the UFC.
And our Monkey has lost his first tooth. Man, he’s cute with that gap in his lower teeth! He mentioned that it was ‘short’. So I took a look, and noticed that it wasn’t short…it was wiggling! So we discussed the idea of his tooth coming out, and mentioned the possibility of the Tooth Faerie. He was down with all that, and kept gently wiggling his tooth. It came out a day or so later, and everyone was thrilled. However, I must admit to a certain amount of sniffling and discussing how our little boy is growing up too fast…I mean, he loses his first tooth one day, and the next, he’s applying for college. Too fast. He was nothing more than a 4 pound baby just yesterday, right? Where did the last 5 years go??
By the way, did you know that you should be careful when buying software? I mean, if you go to a local electronics store and by Windows XP Home Edition Upgrade, and your machine has Windows 2000 Pro on it, you’re going to be out of luck when you try and return the XP because it doesn’t work. Go figure. Like they thought I’d copied the software or something just because I opened it already. Geez. However, the Larryman has offered to help me get my system up and running. You’re a saint, my friend. How does that sound…Saint Larry?
Today’s a rainy, cold Friday, and I’m tempted to take a short nap on the couch. I mean, it’s only 8:30am, the dishes are already done, there’s laundry thumping around in the dryer, and I don’t have anywhere to be until this afternoon, so why not? I’ve got plenty of time for my Friday workout. So a-napping, I think I’ll go. See ya.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Surviving the Holidays
Whew! We’re back. After a wonderful trip up north to visit my folks, we returned last Thursday and have been struggling with various issues ever since. Argh! Did you know that eating a left-over cheeseburger that remained in your car for a couple of hours in the afternoon is an extremely BAD idea? Well, it is. Take it from me. I haven’t thrown up that hard in quite some time, and I don’t ever want to do that again. Ever. Eeyech.
Some of the highlights from our holiday season:
Flying on yet another tiny, propeller-driven plane. And they actually told us not to sit in the back seats, “because it makes the plane tip.”
Seeing my mom and dad.
Feeling sad that their dog, Ricco, had just run away.
Feeling happy when he showed up the next day after being inadvertently locked in the shed overnight.
Visiting with my brother, who now has a Saint Bernard in his back yard. No, I don’t know why.
The Guerilla Attack Family Gathering at Aunt Linda’s house. Over and done with in 42 minutes flat.
Watching our Monkey chase my Mom around at the playground.
Waiting for our luggage at the airport for a half-hour and then spotting it laying against the wall nearby.
Christmas Eve at my in-law’s, where there was a nativity scene skit (my son was the pirate).
Spending time at my dear friend Jason’s parent’s houseboat.
There’s more, but I need to hustle out of here soon. Now that I’m fully recovered from the food poisoning issue, I’ve got lessons to teach.
Some of the highlights from our holiday season:
Flying on yet another tiny, propeller-driven plane. And they actually told us not to sit in the back seats, “because it makes the plane tip.”
Seeing my mom and dad.
Feeling sad that their dog, Ricco, had just run away.
Feeling happy when he showed up the next day after being inadvertently locked in the shed overnight.
Visiting with my brother, who now has a Saint Bernard in his back yard. No, I don’t know why.
The Guerilla Attack Family Gathering at Aunt Linda’s house. Over and done with in 42 minutes flat.
Watching our Monkey chase my Mom around at the playground.
Waiting for our luggage at the airport for a half-hour and then spotting it laying against the wall nearby.
Christmas Eve at my in-law’s, where there was a nativity scene skit (my son was the pirate).
Spending time at my dear friend Jason’s parent’s houseboat.
There’s more, but I need to hustle out of here soon. Now that I’m fully recovered from the food poisoning issue, I’ve got lessons to teach.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Hack, Snort, Cough, Snnaaarrk.
Argh. This week has been a bit of a trial. Monkey's been sick with an ear infection, so he stayed home much of the week. Actually, we didn't know it was an ear infection until the doctor looked at his ear and said "WHOA! Does that hurt?" Monkey replied that it didn't, but he couldn't hear out of it too well. "Wow. Your son must have a high pain tolerance." He must have gotten that from his gorgeous Momma...I'm a big baby when I get sick.
So I've been sick all week. The sheer amount of mucus that has made its way through my system has been staggering. I mean, I don't think that elephants can produce this much snot. Geez! I've been basically miserable for most of the week, but I'm finally nearing the end of it. I hope. So I've lost another week of training for the Half-Marathon, and I'm about to go up to Indiana to visit my folks for several days. I wonder if they'll let me sneak off to the YMCA to hit the treadmill here and there?
We're all looking forward to the trip. My darling wife is just about to drop from the 12 hour workdays she's been putting in, and I'm pretty sure that she's ready to nap in Mom's basement for hours on end. I've been missing my family lately, so I'm really looking forward to seeing them all. Mom, Dad, and Pee Wee, my brother. Granted, I'm the only one allowed to call him that since he's 25 and at least as tall as me, but that's what I've called him his whole life. He still calls me Brother, and I have to admit that I really like that. Pee Wee's really come into his own lately...two cute kids, about to break into the home-building business, and he's got more college degrees than I, by far. Proud of that one, I am.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing everyone up there, aunts, uncles, cousins (there must be a million of 'em), everyone. The plane rides I'm not too thrilled about. We generally take one big flight most of the way and then transfer to a puddle-jumper to get to the South Bend airport...I swear, one time we walked out to the runway to board and a mechanic was cussing at one of the propellers on our plane. That's right, propellers. I thought the pilot was going to stick his head out of the cockpit wearing one of those leather helmets with earflaps on it like Snoopy used to wear. It was not a large plane. By the way, did you know that those little barf bags will hold a fist-sized apple and a whole can of ginger ale? They will. Yessiree, they sure will.
So classes will be run by SiHing Shaun Lawler while I'm away. I understand that he's quite excited to run class...that probably means trouble for the rest of the students, but they could use a change of pace now and then. I hope nobody pukes on our mat.
So I've been sick all week. The sheer amount of mucus that has made its way through my system has been staggering. I mean, I don't think that elephants can produce this much snot. Geez! I've been basically miserable for most of the week, but I'm finally nearing the end of it. I hope. So I've lost another week of training for the Half-Marathon, and I'm about to go up to Indiana to visit my folks for several days. I wonder if they'll let me sneak off to the YMCA to hit the treadmill here and there?
We're all looking forward to the trip. My darling wife is just about to drop from the 12 hour workdays she's been putting in, and I'm pretty sure that she's ready to nap in Mom's basement for hours on end. I've been missing my family lately, so I'm really looking forward to seeing them all. Mom, Dad, and Pee Wee, my brother. Granted, I'm the only one allowed to call him that since he's 25 and at least as tall as me, but that's what I've called him his whole life. He still calls me Brother, and I have to admit that I really like that. Pee Wee's really come into his own lately...two cute kids, about to break into the home-building business, and he's got more college degrees than I, by far. Proud of that one, I am.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing everyone up there, aunts, uncles, cousins (there must be a million of 'em), everyone. The plane rides I'm not too thrilled about. We generally take one big flight most of the way and then transfer to a puddle-jumper to get to the South Bend airport...I swear, one time we walked out to the runway to board and a mechanic was cussing at one of the propellers on our plane. That's right, propellers. I thought the pilot was going to stick his head out of the cockpit wearing one of those leather helmets with earflaps on it like Snoopy used to wear. It was not a large plane. By the way, did you know that those little barf bags will hold a fist-sized apple and a whole can of ginger ale? They will. Yessiree, they sure will.
So classes will be run by SiHing Shaun Lawler while I'm away. I understand that he's quite excited to run class...that probably means trouble for the rest of the students, but they could use a change of pace now and then. I hope nobody pukes on our mat.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Ninja Warrior!!!
After a bit of an absence, I’m finally back to the regular routine. More or less. I just got in from a 2 mile run, the first run in more than 2 weeks. Argh. I admit that I was a little less than diligent during Thanksgiving week. And the week after that, the weather turned nasty, and I didn’t bother to jump rope at my school…yes, I, too, can have my lazy moments. But now I’ve returned to my regular workout schedule, and I’m currently sitting with that slack-jawed look of exhaustion as I type. I sense a nap coming on.
Things are generally good. Our little monkey is recovering from a bug that had him feverish and puking the last few days, but he’s back in school today. Poor kid…he took it well. He just lay there on the couch, covered in blankets, just looking worn out. At one point, he looked sadly at me and then relocated to the floor just in time to throw up on himself. It was mostly water, and he actually did a pretty good job of keeping the worst of it from hitting the floor. So we cleaned him up and gave him some water. Instant repeat of the previous three sentences. But then he started to feel better, and was able to start his recovery from there. OK, so maybe this is more than you want to know on the subject, but this is my blog, so there.
He felt better in the afternoons, and since his gorgeous Momma was at work, I just took him with me to class. He stayed in the back office watching vids most of the time, but when he got tired of that, he’d come out and sit next to me while I ran the workouts. He enjoyed yelling ‘BREAK!’ for me when my timer would beep, signaling the end of a round of pushups or squats or whatever. I really enjoyed the time I spent with him this past few days. He’s grown up a lot, practicing his letters and numbers on his own, singing songs to himself, building things with his Lincoln Logs and such. It’s cool being a Dad…even with the puke.
So while we were home, vegging in front of the TV, I found this awesome new show. It’s called Ninja Warrior! It consists of four absolutely insane obstacle courses, and of course, it’s a Japanese program. WOW! These guys are put to the test, to be sure. The course is timed, and consists of some tremendously challenging obstacles with names like ‘Warped Wall’, ‘Curtain Cling’, ‘Circle Slide’, and so on. You have to jump, run, swing, climb, and some other methods of locomotion that defy description, all the way through the course before time runs out. Most of the course is 10-20 feet above large pools of muddy water (I guess that’s a cheaper way to break a fall than having expensive crash pads). Paul Hamm, gymnast from the 2004 USA Olympic team couldn’t finish the first course…that’s how tough it is. It’s got me to thinking, yes it has. Hmmmmm…..
One thing I love about the Japanese…they are all about the ‘fighting spirit’. I mean, you will see the most unlikely folks trying to make it through this course. Some of them are repeat customers who have never made it more than 3 steps, yes, you read that right, 1-2-3 steps into the course before being eliminated. Some of them are wearing their work clothes (as in the case of the sushi chef, construction workers, and bicycle racers) while competing, but they are dead serious about their effort. Dudes almost in their 60’s are out there giving it all they’ve got, and consequences be damned. So what if their chances are somewhere between slim and none? They’re gonna get out there and give it their best shot. It’s that fighting spirit that counts!!! Man, I love that. I’m gonna start my research and see what it takes to get into one of these things. I’m hoping I can make it more than 3 steps in.
Graduation is Friday night, so I’m looking forward to awarding new ranks to several of our students…they’ve earned it. And many of them are enjoying the new workouts I’ve been running lately. Especially Annie, who sent me a pleasant email that actually included the word @&%$#(*&!@#$%#$%^& in describing how sore her arms were. You go, Annie!!!
OK, that nap is calling me. Time for me to answer.
Things are generally good. Our little monkey is recovering from a bug that had him feverish and puking the last few days, but he’s back in school today. Poor kid…he took it well. He just lay there on the couch, covered in blankets, just looking worn out. At one point, he looked sadly at me and then relocated to the floor just in time to throw up on himself. It was mostly water, and he actually did a pretty good job of keeping the worst of it from hitting the floor. So we cleaned him up and gave him some water. Instant repeat of the previous three sentences. But then he started to feel better, and was able to start his recovery from there. OK, so maybe this is more than you want to know on the subject, but this is my blog, so there.
He felt better in the afternoons, and since his gorgeous Momma was at work, I just took him with me to class. He stayed in the back office watching vids most of the time, but when he got tired of that, he’d come out and sit next to me while I ran the workouts. He enjoyed yelling ‘BREAK!’ for me when my timer would beep, signaling the end of a round of pushups or squats or whatever. I really enjoyed the time I spent with him this past few days. He’s grown up a lot, practicing his letters and numbers on his own, singing songs to himself, building things with his Lincoln Logs and such. It’s cool being a Dad…even with the puke.
So while we were home, vegging in front of the TV, I found this awesome new show. It’s called Ninja Warrior! It consists of four absolutely insane obstacle courses, and of course, it’s a Japanese program. WOW! These guys are put to the test, to be sure. The course is timed, and consists of some tremendously challenging obstacles with names like ‘Warped Wall’, ‘Curtain Cling’, ‘Circle Slide’, and so on. You have to jump, run, swing, climb, and some other methods of locomotion that defy description, all the way through the course before time runs out. Most of the course is 10-20 feet above large pools of muddy water (I guess that’s a cheaper way to break a fall than having expensive crash pads). Paul Hamm, gymnast from the 2004 USA Olympic team couldn’t finish the first course…that’s how tough it is. It’s got me to thinking, yes it has. Hmmmmm…..
One thing I love about the Japanese…they are all about the ‘fighting spirit’. I mean, you will see the most unlikely folks trying to make it through this course. Some of them are repeat customers who have never made it more than 3 steps, yes, you read that right, 1-2-3 steps into the course before being eliminated. Some of them are wearing their work clothes (as in the case of the sushi chef, construction workers, and bicycle racers) while competing, but they are dead serious about their effort. Dudes almost in their 60’s are out there giving it all they’ve got, and consequences be damned. So what if their chances are somewhere between slim and none? They’re gonna get out there and give it their best shot. It’s that fighting spirit that counts!!! Man, I love that. I’m gonna start my research and see what it takes to get into one of these things. I’m hoping I can make it more than 3 steps in.
Graduation is Friday night, so I’m looking forward to awarding new ranks to several of our students…they’ve earned it. And many of them are enjoying the new workouts I’ve been running lately. Especially Annie, who sent me a pleasant email that actually included the word @&%$#(*&!@#$%#$%^& in describing how sore her arms were. You go, Annie!!!
OK, that nap is calling me. Time for me to answer.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Bowling, anyone?
Today was Daddy-Monkey day. It was the last day of school for him before they let out for Thanksgiving break, and I didn't have class until 6pm...so I kept him home for some quality time. We went to his OT appointment, had lunch at Dairy Queen, watched some TV, and then went bowling. Hoooo, yeah, bowling. Now THAT was some kind of fun!
We took the back way home from DQ, and I noticed the old bowling alley as we passed by. I thought about it for awhile, and figured it would be fun to get out there and bowl, so we headed off to a closer facility to give it a shot. It's a new place, and knew that it had an arcade and laser tag as well as bowling, so it seemed worth a look.
In no time at all, we're set up with a lane and some shoes. Honestly, I've never seen bowling shoes that small, but they plopped his right down on the counter next to mine like it was no problem. We headed off to our lane, put on the shoes, and then spent 10 minutes trying to figure out the scoring system keyboard. I finally got it to work well enough to put our initials on the overhead screen, and then we bowled our tails off!
Here are some things I learned today by watching my son learning to bowl:
1. With the bumpers up, almost any ball with the tiniest bit of forward momentum will probably make it all the way down to the pins and knock several of them over.
2. When you underhand a bowling ball as hard as you can, and it catches some air, it will land with a mighty THUD. Much to the delight of everyone around you.
3. After a mighty THUD, if a small person's ball gets stuck five feet away from the line, you might consider asking an attendant to go get it for you. The alleys are slippery, my friends. I mean "super-crazy-Wesson Oil-Vaseline-fall flat on your butt in front of everybody" slippery. And that's all I have to say about that.
4. Form is important. The little dude actually got a strike by imitating my follow-through.
5. Score, however, is truly unimportant. Watching my 5-year-old son throw his first ball down the lane is far cooler than any perfect game I might ever have a chance to bowl.
When our time was up, we played a few games in the arcade before heading home to doze on the couch in front of Lazytown. It was a pretty great day.
In other news, we're closed for the rest of the week. Even I need a break now and then, so we're having some heavy-duty family time, and then we'll get back to work next week. I'm still training for that half-marathon, though. My dear friend BB is working on an ailing calf muscle, so he'll probably not be able to run with me this time. However, he has said that he'll still come down to help me totter back to the van after the race and we can go have lunch.
Class was fun tonight...I had more folks than I expected come in this close to the holiday, and we worked on some good stuff. The grappling class is coming along well, although everyone there is pretty much at square one. That's OK...we've all got to start somewhere.
We took the back way home from DQ, and I noticed the old bowling alley as we passed by. I thought about it for awhile, and figured it would be fun to get out there and bowl, so we headed off to a closer facility to give it a shot. It's a new place, and knew that it had an arcade and laser tag as well as bowling, so it seemed worth a look.
In no time at all, we're set up with a lane and some shoes. Honestly, I've never seen bowling shoes that small, but they plopped his right down on the counter next to mine like it was no problem. We headed off to our lane, put on the shoes, and then spent 10 minutes trying to figure out the scoring system keyboard. I finally got it to work well enough to put our initials on the overhead screen, and then we bowled our tails off!
Here are some things I learned today by watching my son learning to bowl:
1. With the bumpers up, almost any ball with the tiniest bit of forward momentum will probably make it all the way down to the pins and knock several of them over.
2. When you underhand a bowling ball as hard as you can, and it catches some air, it will land with a mighty THUD. Much to the delight of everyone around you.
3. After a mighty THUD, if a small person's ball gets stuck five feet away from the line, you might consider asking an attendant to go get it for you. The alleys are slippery, my friends. I mean "super-crazy-Wesson Oil-Vaseline-fall flat on your butt in front of everybody" slippery. And that's all I have to say about that.
4. Form is important. The little dude actually got a strike by imitating my follow-through.
5. Score, however, is truly unimportant. Watching my 5-year-old son throw his first ball down the lane is far cooler than any perfect game I might ever have a chance to bowl.
When our time was up, we played a few games in the arcade before heading home to doze on the couch in front of Lazytown. It was a pretty great day.
In other news, we're closed for the rest of the week. Even I need a break now and then, so we're having some heavy-duty family time, and then we'll get back to work next week. I'm still training for that half-marathon, though. My dear friend BB is working on an ailing calf muscle, so he'll probably not be able to run with me this time. However, he has said that he'll still come down to help me totter back to the van after the race and we can go have lunch.
Class was fun tonight...I had more folks than I expected come in this close to the holiday, and we worked on some good stuff. The grappling class is coming along well, although everyone there is pretty much at square one. That's OK...we've all got to start somewhere.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Nothing much...
Go GSP! We had a relaxing weekend, but an exciting Saturday night as we watched Georges St. Pierre beat the stuffing out of Matt Hughes at the UFC. WOW! The Sylvia/Monson fight may have been a snoozefest, but GSP came out ready to throw down! After battering Matt with punches and kicks (yes, a couple of them came in a bit low by accident) Matt got caught with a shinbone to the noggin in round two, and went down thinking that he was Batman. When asked later, he said he really didn't know what hit him...he thought it was a punch. GSP is a really nice guy who totally deserves this title. What a fight! We only had a few good friends over to watch the show this time...our favorite bellydancing massage therapist (with a killer outfit, I must say!) and our new favorite doctor were here, as was the fabulous Green Goalie.
So now it's Monday, and I have a pile of laundry that resembles Mt. Everest, a list of chores to do, and I've just rolled in from teaching class and working out. I have to admit that I really love this feeling...when I've pushed myself hard, I usually come in and just sit, slack-jawed and exhausted, until I recover enough to get on with my day. Just fighting off Father Time for another day. He's a sneaky bugger, and I know that if I don't keep working out and staying strong, he'll start slapping me around. Today, I managed some strength training up at the school and then I hustled off to the park for some intervals...I didn't run nearly as far as usual, but considering the workout I'd already put in, I was fairly pleased.
It's Thanksgiving Week, and we're only having class on Monday and Tuesday so that we can have some family time. I'm thinking of keeping The Monkey home from school tomorrow so that we can go ride bikes or something...we haven't had much Daddy-Son time lately, and I'd like to hang out with him a bit. We're staying home for Thanksgiving and heading up to Indiana to see my family in December. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone up there, and watching Grandma and Grandpa play with the Monkey. He misses them and talks of them often.
So now I'm going to watch Y&R until I can move again, then jump into the laundry. Funny...a martial arts instructor's life shouldn't be this boring! Next time, I'll find something more interesting to do so I can write about it.
So now it's Monday, and I have a pile of laundry that resembles Mt. Everest, a list of chores to do, and I've just rolled in from teaching class and working out. I have to admit that I really love this feeling...when I've pushed myself hard, I usually come in and just sit, slack-jawed and exhausted, until I recover enough to get on with my day. Just fighting off Father Time for another day. He's a sneaky bugger, and I know that if I don't keep working out and staying strong, he'll start slapping me around. Today, I managed some strength training up at the school and then I hustled off to the park for some intervals...I didn't run nearly as far as usual, but considering the workout I'd already put in, I was fairly pleased.
It's Thanksgiving Week, and we're only having class on Monday and Tuesday so that we can have some family time. I'm thinking of keeping The Monkey home from school tomorrow so that we can go ride bikes or something...we haven't had much Daddy-Son time lately, and I'd like to hang out with him a bit. We're staying home for Thanksgiving and heading up to Indiana to see my family in December. I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone up there, and watching Grandma and Grandpa play with the Monkey. He misses them and talks of them often.
So now I'm going to watch Y&R until I can move again, then jump into the laundry. Funny...a martial arts instructor's life shouldn't be this boring! Next time, I'll find something more interesting to do so I can write about it.
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