November 17, 2008
Fitness Pays Off
Every year, Mr. BBM makes suggestions to the girls about what they "want" for Christmas. The year the Wii came out, he started talking about it immediately after pre-orders were taken which meant that I spent weeks driving around searching until I got lucky just a few days before Christmas.
This year, he started talking up Wii Fit. I've watched the demo. It is a really cool game and it would be good for all of us. I mean, have you seen the balancing exercises? It would be great for my knee. So, we started the search this weekend and came up empty.
The sales person at Gamestop basically told us we were SOL. I searched the internet and all I could find were bundles with junk we don't need. I swore I wouldn't do this searching for the big favorite toy thing ever again, but here I was doing it.
After watching the Steelers game and The Unit last night, I went to bed really late. I usually hit the gym on Monday mornings but I wasn't feeling it today. I talked to Mr. BBM though and he told me to just go. So I did. I found some new exercises to do for my legs and busted my butt on the stationary bike too. I spent an hour and then picked up Lil C from the Kid Zone and drove to the store. There just so happened to be a Gamestop right next door so I thought I'd just inquire about the availability of Wii Fit. After all, since I looked sweaty and tired, I figured someone might feel sorry for me and hold one back.
It wasn't necessary. Behind the girl were stacked a bunch of new delivery boxes. "I know this is a stupid question, but do you have any of the Wii Fit games in stock?"
She turned around, slit open a box and handed one to me. No bundle, no inflated price, just like that.
Suffice it to say that I am thrilled as I'm sure Big I will be on Christmas morning. And this year relatives, we'll be doing yoga after dinner. Just warning you now.
November 16, 2008
Open House Part 1
I've been working non-stop to get this house in order, and I am finally ready to show you part of the house. Here goes:
The foyer. . . (That mirror is centered on an angled wall. It's hard to tell that it's angled from this picture.)
The dining room. . .
The living room. . .
The view from the back of the family room to the entrance. . .
The family room (we're still working on hanging pictures and curtains) from upstairs. . .
Can you tell that this is my favorite room?
The back of the family room "hallway" and back staircase. . .
The kitchen. . .
Part of the back yard which is starting to get grass but would still be a great place for mud wrestling. . .
Stay tuned for the bedrooms, master bathroom (my other favorite room), etc.
November 14, 2008
A Little Motivation
When I bought my first set of sai a couple years ago, I got them from a catalog figuring all sai were the same. I quickly learned, while trying to do various kata and bunkai, that all sai are not the same. My sai didn't have a flat place to place your thumb. They small prongs/spikes/whatever you call them were the wrong angle which made gripping an incoming bo next to impossible. And, when you hold the sai, the longest blade should rest against the gap between your thumb and forefinger, but the weight was off on mine and the sai naturally moved so that the weight was placed closer to the smaller blades instead. It made doing kata tricky and I swore I'd find a way to make them better.
One of my fellow karate-ka made his own weapons and was good with both metal-working and wood-working. So, I asked him if he'd take a look at my sai for me. He spent a week working on them and they were better, still not great, but better.
When I tried to return to karate a few weeks ago, I left my weapons bag at home. I had to borrow a pair of Hanshi's sai. They are Shureido sai and they are sweet. I couldn't believe how much easier it was to use them. I couldn't believe how good they felt in my hands. I told Hanshi I wanted a pair. At their price though, it was going to have to count as Christmas and birthday presents. I figured it would take a long time to get them too. There's a waiting list apparently.
Last night, Hanshi handed me a brand new pair of Shuriedo sai. Their handles are wrapped beautifully. They are the perfect length for my arms and the grip is phenomenal. Although the price is a bit steep, I'm able to subtract it from the credit I'm owed from being on hiatus all this time.
If ever there was a motivating factor to return. . .
Now I just need my other friend to make me a cool bag for them.
November 13, 2008
Rat Attack
I arrived at my campus classroom at exactly 8 a.m. this morning. As usual, my students were all seated quietly and the room was completely dark. They groaned as I turned on the lights, shielding their eyes like vampires, some complaining to their neighbor how this teacher never misses a class.
I am a creature of habit, so I walked to the computer desk and went to sit my bag down beside the desk where I always put it. And that's when I saw it.
A huge rat, teeth sharp and forboding, a matted furry body, and a grotesque tail to match. I jumped back in horror and screamed, "What the. . . " as my heart started to race and I leaped onto the nearest table.
Half of my students burst out laughing. The other half were innocently wondering what had just happened.
As my heart raced and my hands shook, I asked who had done it. I felt like I had just run a mile on the treadmill. No one volunteered, but there were two girls who were laughing a bit too much. Finally, one of them raised her hand.
Reason #1 of why you should never tell your students you are deathly afraid of rodents. There will be no additional reasons. This one should suffice.
Once I had calmed myself down, we started class. I made my culprit put the offending stuffed rodent back into her school bag because I was not about to touch that thing, real or not.
Later in the class, my students asked me when the final will be for the class. I told them that with the exception of the rat-bearing girl, we weren't having a final.
I have to hand it to her though. She got me. She got me good.
November 12, 2008
It’s All About the Money
I went to the gym today to meet with the trainer who seemed so willing to help me. I found him, and he told me to hop on a treadmill while he talked to me. He talked to me about the importance of stretching, strength training, flexibility, and exercises to work on balance. I was polite but I felt like telling him he was preaching to the choir. You don't remain oblivous to these things when you're an ACL statistic.
When he was finished telling me what I already know, he launched into his sales pitch. Been there, done that. He told me when I was ready to sign a contract, he'd be happy to help me. So much for that.
I spent an hour doing my arms work-out before heading out. If it wasn't for a ridiculous initiation fee to get into the program, I might actually consider it. Until they agree to waive it though, I'm not interested in giving them all my hard-earned money. I already paid to join the gym. A friend recommended another trainer who charges a lot less and I'm going to give her a call to see what she has to say.
I feel like writing to the owners of the gym to tell them their approach is shady and a big turn-off. I feel like not signing up for a contract just for spite. You shouldn't tell someone you want to show them an exercise that will help and then hang it over their heads until they sign a long contract. Plus, the sales pitch guys with all the so-called experience just turn you over to a less-experienced trainer for your actual work-outs.
Plus, I'm sure I can find some exercises on my own that will help my knee. That's what google is for people; and google is free.
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