For my Internet heart that is. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you: Stinakat!
She is an acoustic guitar playing gal with the voice of an angel and a body to match! Amixia, you better call me girl if you don't want to lose me!
I like this cover version of this song better than the last one I posted.
This one is an original song! It has a very soothing, jazzy vibe. Wonderful!
This is a great song in its own right. She really makes it her own though. Wow! I think I have a case of the vapors coming on! Oh wait. Just gas...
THAT IS ALL
Hey there, campers (and lurkers)! Here's the run down of my Thanksgiving Holiday. But before that, I want to share this video with you. I'm sure I could have done it in the last post, but this one is serious (and can't be embedded). I posted the song a while ago and here is the video. I have but one thing to say: Shakira is teh HAWT. LOL!!!!!!101
And that's all I have to say about that!
Special Visitor
On Tuesday night, the Medic came by class and we went to eat Thai food afterward. I also paid for my TA dojo shirts and the initial run of the JKS shirts. Basically, I sunk about $700 into the venture. I hope I can sell those damn shirts. They're pretty nice. The TA shirt says "TA" in Japanese and then has Y* underneath that. The shirt is royal blue like those ones I have from Japan. The cool thing is that they are moisture wicking shirts. Perfect for going underneath a uniform. The shirt will run $25.
The JKS shirts are a different matter. There quite a few of them I will be giving away. The whole premise of the JKS is to promote full contact fighting and act as a Booster Club for the main Y* organization. The whole thing could come crashing down on my face if the higher ups end up not liking it. What I've learned though is that my career is pretty much over and I probably won't be moving up again so instead of running things up the flag pole and seeing if people salute, I'm going to just get things going and if they want me to shut it down, I'll shut it down. Everything is sort of a "proof of concept" to me now. At any rate, we'll see if I at least make back my initial investment. These shirts are pretty cool, too. It says JKS in Japanese on the front left and then Y* on the left sleeve. It is an interesting design to say the least.
Back to the point, it was nice to have another instructor come and visit the class. The Medic is very good at karate and I can tell he has the drive to become a premier instructor. He is always looking to make things better. He just needs more facetime with the top guys, and he'll be allowed into the leadership structure.
Medic's wife and son observed class and went with us to dinner. I've never seen the Medic's boy be so onery. I mean really. Anyone who won't give the Admiral "Good bye" loves is in a foul mood. It's been a while since I've seen him though so maybe it was the whole "not used to other people thing".
We had a delicious dinner and the owner gave us a free dessert. The Medic and I benefitted from this because it was a free Mango and sticky rice. Since the Admiral hates coconut as does Mrs. Medic, we each ate an entire serving ourselves. Yum!
Thankful
My holiday wasn't that eventful. I played video games, relaxed, did laundry and dishes. I am thankful though for the support all my friends and family have given me this past year. I'm going to need a lot more in the coming months I'm sure, but I have a feeling that everything will work out in the end.
Not Thankful
I'll tell you one thing I'm not thankful for though. I have to preface this with a statement or two. First, I do all my business in the master bedroom bathroom. On occasion I will release a Code Yellow in the upstairs bathroom, but other than that, I don't go in there much. Second, I think it has been awhile since the Boss has come by the house. Third, when she does come over she does her business on the 2nd floor. All that being said, I went into the upstairs bathroom for a Code Yellow while I was playing video games. Much to my chargrin there was a probably 3 week old Kansas City Floater in the bowl. Ugh!
What kind of world do we live in where a person refuses to flush out of spite! I should have taken a picture and had it entered into evidence for the divorce proceedings as Exhibit P. The "P" is for "Poop". Just damn!
Games
I'm not going to do full reviews of the games I got. I'll have to say that I got quite a deal. I got Assassin's Creed II, Borderlands, Battlefield: Bad Company, and Prince of Persia (4? - Whatever it is, it is the latest iteration of the game. I don't think they are linear anymore). Basically, I had a coupon for buy AC II get a used game for 20% off. They were also running a special on buy two used games and get one free. I talked with the manager and convinced him to let me stack the discounts. I ended up getting to play video games pretty much throughout the holiday. I probably won't get to play again until X-Mas what with all the goings on and all. I didn't get to the Prince, but I finished AC and got deep into Borderlands, and scratched the surface with Battlefield.
Assassin's Creed II
I really enjoyed playing this. I finished it (but not with all the collectables found and what not). I liked the first AC and it seems like they fixed the problems that were in the original. Most importantly, they moved the plot of the story forward. I'm not saying I agree with the direction, but it moved forward and I am greatly anticipating the next installment (I think it is the final one).
If you like conspiracy theories and Dan Brown type plot lines, then this game is for you. The story really sucks you in and there are points where you have to remind yourself that the game is just a game and it is NOT a clever tool used by the Knights Templar to make revenue and draw attention away from what they're really doing. Or is it...
As I said, all the game mechanics have been improved, but there are still a few things that seem pointless. There is a "Noteriety" system much akin to the GTA stars. The thing is that there isn't any penalty for being completely notorious. Supposedly, guards recognize you right away and start chasing you, but there was still a significant delay before they would actually chase you.
One of the other problems in the gameplay was that they gave you a lot of really cool tools to use, but most of them went unused. The only new feature I used was hiring people to distract guards. That's it. You can now move bodies which you can do to hide the bodies or to distract other guards. There also new weapons like poison and smoke bombs, but here's the kicker. You never once get a mission where using the poison is useful or necessary. Sure it's fun to assasinate someone with the poison and watch them thrash around for a minute or two, but that's it.
They changed the blending mechanic so you can put yourself in the middle of any group of citizens and blend in to hide. The problem is that it doesn't work if guards are actively searching for you i.e. you entered combat with them and are running away. That's another thing. There's no point in running away. You are superior to everyone in everyway, so why run. The other thing is that my goal was to assassinate someone in the middle of a market and then just blend into the crowd and walk away. You don't really get to do that because your target is too smart to walk near crowds of people or there is a super alert guard walking right behind the target and if you kill the guard the target gets wise and runs - Mission over.
They added money to the game to buy items, but they give you money as a reward for completing story and secondary missions so you never really need the money. Also, everything you bought was sort of an investment so the money you spent would come back to you later. When I finished the game I had over 300,000 gold florins. In those days, screw being an assassin. I'm going to take it easy for the rest of my life!
Borderlands
This is an action RPG. It's along the lines of Fallout but not as depressing and not nearly as immersive. It is a cel-shaded first person shooter with RPG elements. I really like it, but I've got a beef already. I think my game file got corrupted and I can't complete a mission. The problem is that the mission is to assemble a new revolver. Errrr....
The story is kind of throw away. You are on a desolate planet and there is supposedly a vault of treasure on the planet left by aliens. You are an up and coming adventurer out to find the vault in the hopes of making enough green to blast off to better pastures. Whatever. The thing that keeps you coming back are the weapons. You are always looking for that new weapon. This one does acid damage! Sweet! That one does electric damage! Awesome! This one just hits hard as hell! Boo Yah! Head Shot!
You can't customize your weapons. It's all about finding awesome loot and then having to make hard choices. Do I want raw firepower or a chance at elemental damage. I don't like that you can't store weapons anywhere to come back and look at it later. I have some great weapons that require a few levels higher before I can use them, but I don't necessarily want them in my inventory right now.
I hear that the game can be played split screen and online. That is probably pretty fun. Other than WOW or other MMORPGs the thought of playing an RPG with someone (other than D&D) seems odd. The thing is that whoever hosts the game, that's whose game is affected. So you could call in some ringers to help you with a tough mission or you could invite lower level folks to share in some awesome loot. Nice.
Battlefield: Bad Company
Can a war game be funny? Not really. Can it have a good sense of humor? Absolutely. I got this game as a temporary stop gap before I invest in CoD: MW2. It was a good investment for a mere seeing as it was the free game. It's your typical FPS but with humorous characters at your side. The AI doesn't seem to kill anyone except when I've got the bad guy right in my cross hairs. I find that a little annoying because someone will often times pop up behind me and shoot me in the back.
At any rate the dialogue is snappy and funny. The characters are sort of stereotyped though. You are all part of B company which is the dumping ground for the people too worthless to transfer to other units but not dangerous enough to be locked up. You are basically "cannon fodder". Your squad is lead by a sergeant who is one day from retirement (and he's black), a demolitions guy who is a redneck, and a brainy SAW gunner who wears glasses and talks too much. You play the part of a very Jake Gyllenhall-ish guy who screwed up and was sent to Bad Company but sort of has the heart of a poet and is just along for the ride.
I need to mention that it appears that no one else in the company does any work. I mean a company is three platoons and you only get to see 4 guys. Whatever. The plot of the game is that you are tangling with Russians and then you come in contact with some mercs. The mercs are paid in gold and you stumble across this during a skirmish. Your squad goes AWOL and decides to go after the mercs and their gold. Meh.
The game play is pretty solid. You can heal yourself at anytime. You carry one weapon and a secondary weapon. The secondary weapon is usually grenades or some sort of grenade launcher. If you get the sniper rifle it is paired with a pistol. You also get one gadget. It can be a air gun for repairing vehicles, C4, an RPG, or a radio that can call for mortars. The RPG and C4 have limited ammo. The radio can be used after a 15 second recharge time. The power tool is unlimited.
The guns all pretty much shoot the same. It's all about the aiming reticle. Some guns have better range and others are more powerful while others have a larger magazine capacity, but it's all to the same end. Shoot the enemy. The vehicles differ in that there are tanks and APCs and light duty vehicles like humvees.
The graphics are pretty good, too. Nothing earth shattering, but it looks nice. I like the lighter atmosphere of the game. The antics of your squad mates are actually humorous without being overly annoying. I give this game a bargain thumbs up!
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I intended to have this post up before the Thanksgiving holiday, but oh, well... It's basically a bunch of videos to keep you entertained for a short while. For some reason, it did not post. Hrmmm... My computer was acting sort of funny at the time. I just hope I can remember everything.
Lady Gaga
I don't know much about this lady except that she makes horrible pop songs. She also dresses like a lunatic (see below):
Apparently, there is a lot of internet chatter about her being a he or something. As I said before, she makes pop music, but her songs are catchy if not forgettable in the broad scope of music. In fact, her most recent hit "Poker Face" has drawn some interesting covers. Here's a great mash up video that includes Cartman (featured on BabySteps' blog) AND Walken! That's right, Walken!!
Warning! This song is an ear worm! Pa-pa-pa Poker Face! Pa-pa-pa Poker Face!
Chris Daughtry Cover
Apparently, this guy was on American Idol and lost. He's a country singer now. He has a pretty decent voice and the tune sounds pretty good!
Derivatives
Next is a recut trailer for 2012. For the record, I don't ever plan on seeing 2012. It looks like a bunch of disaster movies crammed into one, but the story only follows one guy. Stupid... That's the draw of disaster movies. You see the same thing from different perspectives and each character has his/her own dilemmas to solve. (Should that be dilemmae?) Anyway, here's the video in all its embedded glory:
I don't know what it is, but that music makes a lot of things hilarious. Below is an example:
Urban Sprinting
Without the music, this clip would be sort of "Meh". With the music, it is HI-larious.
"Original"
For all you Bluegrass/Folk music enthusiasts, here is Pete Seeger performing the song "Way Out There" in Melbourne, Austrailia circa 1963. I love his explaination of yodelling: "a controlled crack in the voice". It's hard to resist yodelling along. My predicition for 2010 - Yodelling will become the new text messaging! (Don't ask me to explain...)
Covers
Avid readers of this blog know that I love covers. Especially, cross genre covers with acoustic instruments. Here are some more of these YouTube gems.
Final Countdown
I don't know what inspired this kid to make a ukulele out of a toy piano and then attach a kazoo to it, but the result is pure comedy silver. The song choice is perfect, too. BabySteps explained to me that because of the show Arrested Development this song has become synonomous with failure.
Video Killed the Radio Star
These kids called themselves the "Wrong Trousers". What's amazing is the choice of instrumentation. Stand up bass, mandolin, and harp. They're damn good, too. BabySteps showed me this a long time ago, but I don't know if it ever got posted. If so, it's good enough to post twice. Maybe even thrice.
Low
My prayers have been answered! An acoustic version of Flo Rida's "Low"! Also, BabySteps hates this song. Maybe he'll change his mind after listenting to this. I doubt it.
Hit Me Baby, One More Time
My favorite YouTube Songstress, Amixia. I think I'm in love with her. This is an older video, but still a good one.
Hot and Cold
I didn't think anyone could top the Los Colorados version of Katy Perry's "Hot and Cold" but I was wrong. The lovely Amixia has done it again. And by "it", I mean captured my heart. And by "captured" I mean set me to masturbating furiously. And believe me, you don't want to know what I mean by "heart". Maybe, just maybe, she'll do a google search on "Amixia" and this post will pop up. She'll read my blog, contact me, and then we'll fall in love. Such is the way of love on the interwebs! Don't worry, I'm not holding my breath. Unless you think it will help.
Public Affair
OK. Technically, this isn't a cover. This is two Chinese dudes lip synching the song while their roommate (who is in all their videos) farms gold in WOW. It's funny. 'Nuff said.
END OF LINE
The past two nights in class I've been giving my "Thanksgiving" speech. It's sort of a routine for me, but in a way, I feel very strongly about what I'm saying and I think that this shines through even with the people who have heard it multiple times. There's always a danger in putting one's self out there and showing that you are indeed a human being with feelings instead of a fire belching karate robot. I say this because once people see that you do have emotions and a softer side, they tend to expect you to bend more and allow more exceptions to hard and fast rules or make concessions in various situations. At any rate, a student sent me this e-mail:
You made the mistake of telling us in class to thank the people in my life I am grateful for and to tell them how much they mean to me; so in a way, you really asked for this-- because the person I am the most grateful for coming into my life this year is you.
I am so grateful to have you as my teacher. You inspire me to want to be better than I ever thought I could be in every way—not just karate. You really inspire me to want to try harder in every facet of my life, push myself towards excellence in everything I do. You are such an excellent teacher; you really strike the perfect balance between encouraging us and challenging us to try harder and focus more, to give more of ourselves. I know I would not have achieved any of the things I have achieved in karate were it not for how you challenge me and expect so much from me. I can see the quality of how much you put into your lessons reflected in so many of your students, especially the black belts in our dojo. Karate has been such an indescribable gift to me in countless ways, and I can never adequately express my gratitude for this gift you’ve given me.
I am also grateful that my children get the opportunity to learn from and spend time with you. Your character and the example you set for them is such a blessing in our lives. They are so lucky to have you to look up to; people like you--with high moral character and such a sense of dedication and responsibility are very rare in this world. We will never forget the kindness you showed us by coming to XXXXXXXX’s birthday party; it was what she wanted most, and you made it happen for her.
I have to also thank you for teaching the class because it has really become a bastion of sanity for me in an often crazy world. It is such a comfort to know that no matter what happens out in the rest of the messed up world, that I have an hour a day in the dojo of sanity and fairness and positivity. I find such comfort in knowing that I can just go to the dojo and try my best and never give up and that my efforts will be rewarded in a myriad of ways. It is beautifully simple, like you always say, “2+2=4”. I just go to the dojo, do my best and nothing bad happens there. There’s such a spirit of kinship there, and I’m sure it is because of the funny and cool person that you are. You have created a very special dojo. It is nice to have a place in the world like that; I really cherish it.
The fact that you have accomplished so much and are consistently humble about it also makes you such a special person. You live the example of “never give up”. I see it when you choose to break a baseball bat and teach us even though you are injured and have to limp to do it. I see your dedication to karate and your training as you show up for us every time and set an example of hard work and proper focus. You have such spirit and such heart that it is palpable to those of us lucky enough to be your students. You are without a doubt the real deal and my personal hero.
So there you have it. I don't really know what to say or how to respond to that. This is by far one of the highest compliments I have ever been paid.
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Current Standings
Picklez 109 (2nd place, 7 points behind the leader)
BabySteps 101 (8th place)
LG 103 (7th place)
Hangtime 83 (dead last)
Tiny Tanks 108 (tied for 3rd place)
Hangtime forgot to make his picks again so I'm betting he is out for the season. I had 12 right this past week! Boo Yah! BabySteps decided to make fun of my power of Manning! theory, but it held pretty true this week. You can read about it here. Honestly, I don't think his little South Park avatar of me is close to what I really look like.
Week Twelve Picks
I got surprised a little bit, but I was 2 for 3 on my upset picks. I hope I do as well again because I have 4 upsets this week.
GB @ DET - DET sucks. Really and truly, why do we have to suffer through a DET game every Thanksgiving. Maybe it's to make us thankful that there are actually good teams in the NFL worth watching. Picklez Pick: GB
OAK @ DAL - In the bitter struggle in the NFC east to determine who sucks the least, DAL squeaked by with their win against WAS last week. I'm not completely discounting OAK, so Homo better get his act together and win this game at home. Picklez Pick: DAL
NYG @ DEN - The Giants were lucky last Sunday against ATL. They were lucky that it took ATL the entire 1st half to settle into the game. They were also lucky that the IND game didn't go into OT or the power of Manning! wouldn't have pulled their bacon out of the fire. Picklez Pick: NYG
TB @ ATL - Tampa Gay isn't much of a threat. ATL should be able to easily dispatch them. Picklez Pick: ATL
MIA @ BUF - MIA is alive and kicking. Well, as much as a dolphin can kick since it has a big flipper instead of legs. Suckalo deserves more than 2 birds from all the owners. Picklez Pick: MIA
CLE @ CIN - I hate having to make this pick, but CLE does the opposite of "rock". And no, Lebron could not help the Browns. He plays basketball where there is a foul if a bead of sweat hits your opponent. Picklez Pick: CIN
SEA @ STL - Upset #1. Oof. This is going to be an awful game. I'm going with Suck Louis because they are sort of due for a win. Also, that wide out from SEA sort of doomed the team by saying that they wouldn't lose another game this season. Picklez Pick: STL CAR @ NYJ - Upset #2. If my current hypothesis about CAR holds true, then CAR should win this game. I don't believe that CAR can win if they are favored. Also, Delhomme has sort of curbed his appetite to throw INTs. Sanchez, not so much. Picklez Pick: CAR
WAS @ PHI - PHI sort of surprised me. Pork Cutlet did not (seeing as he threw an INT). WAS was abysmal last week. I still hate them with the intensity of 1000 suns. Picklez Pick: PHI
IND @ HOU - The Power of Manning! is being pushed to the limits, but with Eli playing on Thursday, there should be plenty of time for it to recharge. Picklez Pick: IND
KC @ PIT - KC wants to be the AFC giant killer this year. Well, knocking down PIT was a start. Unfortunately for them, SD will come into this game with a much better attitude than PIT did. Picklez Pick: SD
JAC @ SF - SF is due for a win. Plus they are at home. Other than that, I've got nothin'. Picklez Pick: SF
ARI @ TEN - Upset #3. ARI was in the spotlight at the beginning of the season, but their lackluster performance has relegated them to B level status. I've been watching them though and they are very quietly putting together a winning season. Picklez Pick: ARI
CHI @ MIN - A rivalry game. CHI has no chance. Not with Pork Cutlet at the helm. Picklez Pick: MIN
PIT @ BAL - Upset #4. This game could go either way. I'm hoping that PIT plays rather than Shitsburgh. Picklez Pick: PIT
NE @ NO - This will probably be the best game of the week. It will be close, but NO will come out on top and still "perfect". Picklez Pick: NO
BabySteps (after ATL lost in OT): I'M SICK OF HEARING ABOUT YOUR DAMN POINTS! HARDLY ANY OF THE GAMES MEAN ANYTHING SINCE WE ALL PICKED THE SAME! THIS GAME MEANT SOMETHING AND I GOT SCREWED!
I had a number of interesting things happen over the weekend. Join me in the retelling of this epic tale.
Caribbean Food
We tried a new restaurant for lunch on Saturday. It was a Caribbean place. Before we left the house, BabySteps was barking orders telling me to get my shoes on etc. I had slept a little later than usual. I think it was about 11:30 by the time I got up. I asked where we were going for lunch and he said, "Somewhere new. I don't want to hear you're bitching!" I immediately suspected that he was having a craving for a Cuban sandwich. I don't know why I knew that or how, but I was correct.
Cuban Sandwich: A look back
I don't know if I've ever told this story on this blog, but I'll tell it again. It was some years ago when BabySteps asked me if I had ever had a cuban sandwich. When I responded in the negative, he went on to talk about the virtues of this lunch item. He said, "If the Jews and Muslims would just sit down and eat this sandwich, we would have WORLD PEACE!" That's a pretty tall order because the meat in a cuban sandwich is pork. Anyway, he kept on and on about this damn sandwich and finally he took me to this dive to get a cuban sandwich. It was extremely underwhelming. It tasted like a ham and cheese sandwich on toast with mustard and pickles. I was not impressed. Ever since then, I've sort of poo poohed his cuban sandwich hankerings and rants.
Retraction
After eating at this restaurant I'll have to take back 27.4% of the bad things I've said about cuban sandwiches and the people that obsesses over them. (That's mainly BabySteps.) I had a few bites of his sandwich and it was pretty damn tasty. I ordered the curry goat and it was excellent by the way. The next time I go to that restaurant, I'll probably be ordering a sandwich de cubano.
Some Enchanted Evening
Saturday evening I went to my Rec Center boss' engagement party. Originally, I had been looking forward to this event because it would have been me + guest. Well, that didn't quite work out so I had to go to the party alone. I wore my Y* dress uniform consisting of a dark Navy blue suit, imported Japanese red tie, Y* lapel pin, and Y* crest. Thanks to a hair cut from the Admiral, I'll have to say that I was looking pretty sharp.
I showed up to the event and immediately found some people I knew from the rec center and talked with them. Our hosts for the evening were nowhere to be found. We were all escorted into the dining room and then the announcement was made. The lovely couple would like to formally invite everyone here to their wedding. Pachabel played over the speakers and I was treated to a surprise wedding ceremony.
The ceremony wasn't overly long and we got to eat after that. I got to know some of the Roswell staff and my fellow rec staff members much better. It was pretty fun.
When it was finally time for dancing, we only ended up having time to dance to about 3 or 4 songs. I did the awful Cha Cha Slide, a lame conga line, and the Cupid Shuffle. I got several compliments from some ladies about my dancing. There was one gal I wanted to chat up, but she left with her group before I even got a chance to learn her name. I talked a little with the cute photographer, but I also didn't get a name or digits. There were some unbelievably good looking women there, but most of them seemed to be attached to their douchebag boyfriends. I say that because these dudes stood outside watching the Georgia game rather than fulfilling their beautiful girlfriends' request to dance. Whatever...
The Turlet
I spent most of Sunday assisting BabySteps with the installation of a new toilet. This was not supposed to be a 2.5 hour process, but you know how things go...
Picking the unit
We went to Home Depot to pick out the new unit. BabySteps decided on the American Standard Champion IV. According to the box, it has the flushing power to expel a basket of golf balls. Knowing BabySteps and his legendary slamming ability, I believe that this was the major selling point over the similarly priced Kohler Highline. Also the Champion had the flushing handle in the front where the Highline had it on the side. For some reason, BabySteps hates that.
Intermission a.k.a. Eau du Toilet
We got the toilet home. Unboxed it, inspected it, and took it upstairs. We then took a short break for lunch. We had double cheeseburgers and chocolate milkshakes for lunch. After which, BabySteps made an announcement, "I have to take a major slam." After he got back, he whistled and said, "Man, that was a massive slam. I think I lost a sock!"
Shortly after that, we started to bring the old toilet down stairs. As we were carrying the toilet down the stairs he said, "Hey listen! You smell that slam I took?" I did indeed smell it and told him to hurry the frak up before I dropped this toilet on him.
In with the new
Basically, we had to do everything twice. We had to set the toilet down twice and put new seals down each time. The first time, after we tighted the main bolts there was a little bit of rocking on the bowl. We tried to tighten it down some more (you have to be careful or you will crack the porcelain) and in the process, I accidently ripped the bowl from the floor. We tightened up the closet flange and set the bowl down on the bolts again after putting on a new wax seal. We also had to recaulk the bowl.
The next step was to attach the tank. The instructions and the way the gasket was fitting on the tank weren't really in sympatico. We tightened the tank down anyway and filled it up with water. The toilet passed all the initial flushings, but BabySteps wasn't happy with the rocking of the tank. Nothing was leaking, but it was a little precarious. Finally, he pushed down on the tank while it was filled with water and a leak was sprung.
We sucked all the water out of the tank and then went to reattach the tank. After doing some research on the interwebs, BabySteps learned that you have to tighten the bejeezus out of the tank to keep it from moving. We did just that and everything seemed fine. He is still going through the testing phase. He said he won't be confident to drop a deuce in the new toilet until it has cleared at least 30 code Yellows.
END OF LINE
In my last numbered post (#334), I talked about how things were starting to get better. Well, I think I might have counted my chickens before I put eggs in the incubator. The wheels haven't completely come off the wagon, but I certainly have a hitch in my git-a-long.
Not getting my mail
I have to go see the postmaster today because for some reason I'm not getting my mail. It's weird. I'll get it and then not get it. Right now my address has a "Vacant" status. I don't know why. I found a "New Resident" card in my mailbox 2 weeks ago, so I filled it out. I was then getting my mail. Now, I'm getting nothing. It's pissing me off. Big time.
Alone Time
I have to go to a party this weekend. I had a date originally, but now I have to go by myself. Not looking forward to that...
I also had plans for Thanksgiving and now those are shot, too. Looks like I'll be spending Thanksgiving alone in my house. Everyone I know is apparently going out of town for the holiday. Not to worry, though. I plan on eating spam, rice, and eggs every day as well as drinking a whole lot. It might not be so bad.
Working is costing me money
Our VP of Admin and Finance announced a change in the cost of our medical benefits that basically eats up the big 2% raise I got this year. Furthermore, it is now costing me an extra $10 per paycheck for my medical insurance. So basically, it cost me over $250 per year to work here. Not too bad, I guess...
One bright spot
With all this not so good news, there has to be a bright spot. Yes, there is. This is the end of the post.
END OF LINE
Current Standings
Picklez 97 (tied for 2nd place, 7 points behind the leader)
BabySteps 90 (8th place)
LG 92 (7th place)
Hangtime 83 (dead last)
Tiny Tanks 97 (tied for 2nd place)
Overall, there is a 3 way tie for second and the leader is 7 points ahead. I don't have much hope of winning the group, but I seem to be holding my commanding lead of the Vox group. (Tiny Tanks doesn't count as he doesn't have a blog.) At first, I thought I would have my first sub .500 week, but luckily, I ended up getting 9 right. Poor Hangtime. Let's say that he had made his picks for week three and gotten 12 right. He'd still be 2 points behind me...
Week Eleven Picks
I've made a few revelations this week. First, no matter how much I despise them, CIN is for real. Second, Bilichek isn't as smart as I thought he was (4th and 2 at their own 28 with the lead and only 2 minutes to go?). Third, ATL is woefully inconsistent and may be out to screw me. Fourth, KC is better than OAK.
MIA @ CAR - Upset #1. CAR has a habit of losing whenever they are favored to win. Also, I think they are out to screw me. On paper, CAR is better and they seem to have taken a turn for the better, but their inconsistency will be their undoing (I hope). Picklez Pick: MIA
WAS @ DAL - Overconfidence is a problem that DAL suffers. Because of that, this could be an upset, but I think that last weeks loss to GB will be a wake up call for the C-boys. Picklez Pick: DAL
CLE @ DET - So many reasons NOT to pick the Browns. First, they suck. Second, Mangini sucks. Third, they lost on Mon night. It's painful, but I have to go with the suckiest sucks that ever sucked. Sterquilius will find a new initiate in this game. Picklez Pick: DET
SF @ GB - GB really surprised me last week against DAL. Here I thought they had given up the ghost, but now there are signs of new life. SF on the other hand seems to be struggling despite their win against the awful CHI. Picklez Pick: GB
PIT @ KC - PIT's at home loss against CIN isn't a big deal because I've made the realization that CIN (despite my hatred) is a decent team this year. They should have no trouble with Kansas Shitty though. Picklez Pick: PIT
SEA @ MIN - Favre and the Vikings should be able to easily roll over the Suckhawks. Picklez Pick: MIN
ATL @ NYG - I've gone back and forth on this one. NYG haven't played well this year and seem to be in a bit of a slump since their loss to NO. ATL is woefully inconsistent and the offense doesn't seem to perform well against quality teams. Especially on the road. Eli will be able to tear apart the ATL secondary, too. Picklez Pick: NYG NO @ TB - The 2nd string NO should be able to defeat the 1st string Tampa Gay. Picklez Pick: NO
BUF @ JAC - What was up with that JAC running back? Apologizing to the Fantasy owners? This is why JAC sucks. BUF sucks worse though and with the exit of their head coach... Picklez Pick: JAC
IND @ BAL - Upset #2. Poor coaching for NE won the day for IND. That and the power of Manning! which is running strong in Peypey these days. I don't think that the ailing BAL Murder Birds will be able to mount much of a defense or offense against the Indiana Powerhouse. Picklez Pick: IND
ARI @ STL - So Kurt Warner returns to Suck Louis on the opposite side of the ball. Let's make drama where none exists! Picklez Pick: ARI
SD @ DEN - Upset #3. The sugar coating on the turd that is DEN has finally been worn away. SD has been on quite a roll. Picklez Pick: SD
CIN @ OAK - Losing to Kansas Shitty doesn't do much for morale. Also, CIN is kind of good. Picklez Pick: CIN
NYJ @ NE - The Jets got lucky against JAC last week. The same won't be true this week. Picklez Pick: NE
PHI @ CHI - Everyone knows that Pork Cutlet sucks; however, CHI defense isn't without its merits even with the absence of Urlaquer. Westbrook is out with yet another concussion leaving the PHI running game sort of stymied. This will be an ugly game. Picklez Pick: CHI
TEN @ HOU - Wow! If this was last season, this might have been a half-way decent game to watch. It's not last season though. Picklez Pick: HOU
AM I THE ONLY ONE WITH THE URGE TO MUTE THE TV WHEN THE NBC FOOTBALL INTRO COMES ON? FAITH HILL IS DELICIOUS, BUT THAT SONG IS ATROCIOUS.
For the first time in a while, I feel like my life is taking a turn for the better. Maybe it's because the pressure of GM coming is gone, but I think it is a lot of other things, too.
I've made some improvements to my finances. They aren't earth shattering, but I seem to be doing a little better now. In about 3 years or so, I should be free of some major credit card debt. Boo Yah! I just need to stay smart and stay frugal. Also, I've had word that the housing market is starting to recover a little bit and by this time next year, I should be able to re-fi without much difficulty. I'm doing research into seeing if I can get it done now (while interest rates are lower), but everyone I've talked to says that I'll have to pay for an appraisal and because the market is crap, I won't qualify... At any rate, I'm feeling more secure about my fiscal security.
This weekend I got to act as a DM for a 4th ed. D&D game. I had a lot of fun. The person I played with had fun, too. I learned a lot and I know that I will have to be better prepared to manage the combat encounters. Mainly, having 3x5 index cards with vital monster stats rather than having to flip around in the Monster Manual. I think I understand the basic gameplay rules much better now too.
I'm excited about this because I am going to re-use some of the encounters/quests I'm creating to DM a game for my sister and brother-in-law at our "Family Reunion" in December. Who knows, maybe my brother and sister-in-law and maybe even Pinky and PopPop will play along too. If I can get my mom to play, then that's saying something. She was caught up in the anti-D&D hype of the late 80's. I think she saw Tom Hanks in Mazes and Monsters and freaked out.
The big thing about it was that it was nice to escape to a fantasy world. It was also fun to roll dice without having money on the line. As the DM you get to roll alot of attacks. I found out that I liked hitting the players and NPCs some of the time, but I still felt elation when they hit the monsters. It was the excitement of playing the game without having to wait my turn. It was like it was always my turn to go. Pretty cool. I'd love to DM on a regular basis with a regular group.
Injury Update
My knee is feeling much better. I am no longer wearing the knee brace. I can go up stairs pretty much nomally and I can go down stairs with a very minimal amount of discomfort. I even jogged a little today! I still can't kneel down and seiza is out of the question. I can almost throw a hiza without wanting to howl like a banshee.
My goal is to start running again by next week. I've really packed on some pounds over the last few months after the full contact tournament. I need to get back into shape!
Campus Controversy
Apparently, the Equestrian Club on campus is circulating a petition to get funds from the student activities committee and the SGA. The issue is that many of the EC members don't know how to ride so they need significant funding for lessons. They have fulfilled all the other requirements of a campus club (i.e. faculty advisement, community service, administrative hoop jumping). The SGA apparently disapproved the money for the lessons as "frivolous". The entire campus is sort of split on the issue.
I don't really care either way, but I don't think I'll be signing the petition. I see both sides of the issue. The EC has done what it's supposed to do, but they aren't getting funded like the other clubs. On the flip side, riding lessons are pretty damn expensive. Riding lessons for 10+ people are even more expensive. Their main arguement is that they need the lessons for certification so that they can attend/compete in horse shows, etc. I don't believe that our collegiate athletic conference has an equestrian component, so they are SOL if they want to compete and truly represent the college. Their second major arguement is that there is a paintball club. They claim that paintball is a frivolous and pointless activity. You could say that is true, but the paintball club isn't asking for over 5K in funding.
The EC also argues that the purpose of all the clubs on campus is to introduce students to new activities/hobbies. I argue that the EC can still do that without participating and competing in shows. If they want to do that, then they should have to pay for their own lessons. No one said they couldn't do fundraisers. The powers that be are just saying that the SGA and the college as a whole won't give them the money for the lessons. If they want money for little trips to pay for horse rental etc, I'm sure they'd get it, but to pay big $$$ to teach people how to ride horses for competition is asking a bit too much in my opinion.
Don't get me wrong. Paying an expert a one time fee to give a seminar is one thing, but ongoing lessons leading toward certification are another. I've given this matter a lot of thought because I've been approached many times to start a martial arts club or be the faculty advisor for one. I've put together proposals and sent them to the VP of Student Affairs, but I think that it keeps getting shot down because the college is essentially paying for the students' lessons. I've offered to teach for free, but they don't like the idea of students representing the college in an unrecognized athletic competition nor do they like the idea of students getting free certification/education on the college's dime. After all, if a student gets a black belt through the karate club, they get absolutely 0 benefit from it in a financial sense.
All that being said, I'm still surprised at how polarized the campus is on the issue. It's sort of come across as this: a group of misfit girls is complaining because they aren't getting funded like the popular kids. Again, my arguement is that the popular kids aren't asking for big money. Something else that is hurting these ladies is that they keep belittling the "usefulness" of the other clubs on campus. Paintball seems to be their biggest nemesis, but they are even tooling on the innocuous clubs like the Anime club (which is just a bunch of nerds going to an occasional convention). You're certainly not going to win any friends with those sort of tactics. Besides, they aren't asking for money to learn basic riding skills. They are asking for money for a very specific set of skills. Skills that I would say are completely useless in today's society. I, mean, I would be teaching people how to defend themselves and giving lessons in morality and building character and I'm not even approved to start a club. They're wanting to learn how to jump thoroughbred horses over fake hedges.
What needs to be said to these folks is that the issue is all about money and precedent. First of all, these other clubs aren't asking for the same amount of funding that the EC is requesting. Secondly, if the college says, "Fine, here's the money for your lessons." There are going to be a lot of other clubs springing up using them as precedent. For example, someone could start a NASCAR racing club. Now, the club needs a car so that it can compete and represent the college. The staff and driver are the club members, but now they need over $400K to get a car so that they can compete.
Don't like that one. Here's another one. Someone wants to start an agricultural club. They want to use some of the college's land to have a small farm. Now they need livestock, seed, farm equipment, an irrigation system, etc. This is far more useful than any other club. People are learning basic agricultural skills. Also, there needs to be a full time attendant to take care of the farm when the student's aren't here. This person can also act as the primary teacher of all the various skills. Is the college going to pay for that? Hellz no!
What about a piloting club? People want to learn how to fly planes and helicopters. Now the college needs to pay for the people's flying lessons as well as for vehicle rental, fuel, etc. That's a useful skill, isn't it? They can represent the school in air races.
These are all extremes, but I'm just saying that I know that their resolution won't get passed no matter how many signatures are on the petition. Besides, the students of the EC haven't even attempted a compromise! They want all the money and aren't willing to try and say, "The students pay half and the college pays half." Shenanigans. I'm praying that no one asks me to sign the petition because they are going to get an earful from me. Mainly along the lines of "The college just informed me that my medical insurance premiums are going up by about $20 per paycheck. My raise for this year was about $10 per paycheck. So basically, my pay got cut by $10 and you want me to sign a petition so you get free equestrian lessons? I'll tell you what, why don't you all start a petition to have the college pay the staff (not the faculty) better so that they can make a living and then I'll sign your petition for you to ride your little horsies and jump them over fences." Yeah. I keeps it real like that.
END OF LINE
Avid readers of this blog know that I suffered a knee injury at the Dothan Tournament while fighting Big Red. This got me thinking about some of the injuries I've received over the years (including non-karate related ones), and I've come to the realization that I'm a fast healer. I say that in the sense that I don't experience "major" pain for a long period of time. In other words, if it takes 4 weeks to recover from an injury, then I stop being affected in a significant way after 1 week. I'm not completely cured, but I don't suffer terribly for long periods of time. This might be a result of a higher pain tolerance, but I think that I actually heal more quickly from the onset. I'll use my last 3 injuries as an example.
Separated Ribs
After about 1 week I could move and breathe normally without any pain. The injury was tender to the touch, but only hurt if I tried to bend or stretch beyond a normal range of motion. Laughing only hurt if I really laughed hard.
The first 4 days was pretty rough. I couldn't sleep well and I couldn't move my right arm freely. On the 5th day, the constant pain ceased and I had 70% mobility in my arm.
Sprained Foot
I sprained my foot about 1 week after the full contact tournament. For about 2 days, I could only put 30% of my weight on my foot. On the third day I could move normally. It was about 3 more weeks before I could sit in seiza without significant pain.
Sprained Knee
It hurt like hell that evening and I could only put about 30% of my weight on my leg. That first night, I barely slept. After the 2nd day and night, I could put 50% of my weight on my leg. I still couldn't go up or down stairs without difficulty. On the 3rd day, I could put 70% of my weight on my leg and go up stairs with minor discomfort. I slept normally that night.
Right now, I'm at the point where I can put 100% of my weight on my leg, but I only have about 80% mobility. I can go up stairs with no pain, and I can go down stairs with slight discomfort if I do so quickly. I still can't bend my knee to go into iaidachi or seiza. I think it will be about 2 more weeks for iaidachi and about 4 more weeks for seiza. I'm hoping that I can recover sooner than that.
Don't want it 'til you can't have it
It's weird but I have a really strong urge to practice karate now. I guess it's because I get into class and I can't do it. Also, I'm beginning to realize how difficult it is to teach without being able to demonstrate. From a student perspective, a teacher unable to demonstrate has always been something that I've sort of ignored (if I liked/respected the teacher). Being on the other side of it, I find it absolutely maddening.
Take Master C for example. I can't tell you how many times he has taught me a karate lesson and has said, "Well, I can't do this right now," or "I wish I could show you". Most of the time, it was an issue with his knee. Most recently, he told me that he couldn't do a shotei (palm heel) because of arthritis. When he does a palm heel, it's like a palm down nukite.
Now, in my mind, I completely understand the concepts he is trying to convey; however, if he were talking to a newer student, they may not understand. The solution is to actually position the student's appropriate body part. Again, since I know Master C, I wouldn't have a problem with it, but what if I didn't know him? One of the things that infuriates me is when someone tries to tell me how to do something when they have know idea what they're talking about.
Don't get me wrong. I remain as humble as possible especially with something that is new to me, but if I have any experience at all then I'm going to be extremely intolerant of someone's BS. That being said, I generally avoid teaching things that I'm not very good at performing. For example, spinning back hook kicks. I suck at these. I understand the concept, the mechanics, and how it can be integrated into combinations, but I absolutely suck at performing them. I'll even go so far as to say that I'm somewhat reluctant to correct someone's technique on that particular move because I can't properly demonstrate how it should be done.
For those kinds of kicks I look to the PFCs and the Hangtimes of the world to instruct them. Now a spinning back kick? Yeah, I rock on those!
END OF LINE..."I'm the best at what I do. And what I do isn't very nice, bub."
