Phew, almost lost this entire post to a surprise Windows update, man you gotta love those >.<
Morning, I could say I was up at the crack of dawn, but I was already up and driving before that. Been a busy few days that I've actually got some stuff done in.
The rain we had a few days made working in the garden bliss. The packed clay I was having to hack through with a pick axe turned into something that actually looks like soil, and the patch is just now starting to look like a garden and not just a dead patch of dirt. I'm having two friends over for lunch and fellowship and I will put them to work with me while they are here, and they won't mind because they are awesome like that.
Had a rough night teaching Kusanku Tuesday night, admittedly the student already new it but he has been out for awhile so working on it was challenging as it was a combination of not only tweaks, but basic patterns as well. It didn't help that it hurt to rotate my neck more than a few degrees either way from how sore my neck was from Monday night. My brain was dead but my body was still moving and thankfully my wonderful wife to be was able to pitch in and nit-pick while my brain slowly churned along. I'm only feeling a little bit of soreness from Monday still, so maybe a little kata this morning will even me out.
While coming back from dropping my girlfriend off this morning I noticed something humorous, the order of feeding in my household goes as follows: Cat, Dog, Me O.o After a little thought I understood the reason, as my cat will not stop bugging you or weaving through your feet as you walk, and my dog will just sit there with those forlorn eyes if I try and make myself food first. He's doing well though, this is his second day on a raw meat diet that I switched him to and thankfully no vomiting or diarrhea to be found, which many of the websites I did research on warned of the switch. He gets about 1.25lbs of chicken leg quater, bones and all, along with two eggs in the morning which I am still working on teaching him to break himself, as he will just lick the eggs unless I do the dirty work for him. He's also still working out how to properly chew as many dogs fed only kibble tend to inhale their food and not understand the concept of chewing, kinda like teenagers. I hold the chicken leg for him to munch on right now, but we will eventually get to the point where it's his nature again to chomp down on some raw meat properly.
A nice little break came my way with my NEW 100 class, the introductory class for my interdisciplinary studies program, as we will not be meeting for the next three weeks, which definitely frees up a day of mine big time. We are instead working on individual learning projects, their pet word for do as you please but tell us what you do. A minimum of 20+ hours is supposed to be spent for a high pass grade on this project. Don't know if I will meet those requirements but I do know the perfect project idea, I am going to construct my own worm tower of power. That's right, a tower in which worms can compost freely in, and not suffer the high costs of buying their own land. I got the idea when I did a little research into worm composting online and saw a site which claimed to offer the only worm composting tower on the market, for close to $115 worms included. Now the idea wormed it's way into my head, bad pun I know, and I decided that hey! I could do that myself easily and save money. So for the next few weeks that will be an active project I will be working on and blogging about so I will post news, pictures, and maybe even ask for ideas these coming weeks.
Until my life is exciting enough to post again
Doug
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Thursday, September 30, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Meth Heads and Sore Muscles
/rant
So to begin, towards the end of a long drive home from class, I almost rear-ended two degenerates who inhabit this world as they pulled onto the highway from their side road in a beat up, rusted oldsmobile and proceeded to creep along at 10 freaking miles an hour! After swerving into the other lane and honking I came to a red light, at which I rolled down my passenger side window in time for these two meth heads to creep past me yelling "Fuck you!(but in their inebriation and southern drawl it sounded like Fuuuck Yew)" Those poor, dead men walking proceeded not to notice the red light I was stopped at and rolled through it at their stately 20mph. Luckily the traffic had already turned and there was not an accident. I was then treated to the sight of them cutting across all four lanes of traffic almost causing another wreck with oncoming traffic as they pulled into the nearby gas station.
Luckily, I was too tired to even care about the wastes of flesh inhabiting our society. And of course I almost get into three different wrecks before I get home due to Alabama drivers not having a freaking clue how to drive.
/endrant
On a different note, I am now typing this while feeling every muscle in my body radiate intense hate towards me for the beatings they took at class tonight. To start class with we did 250 jumping jacks, 300 sit-ups(I led), as well as 200 push-ups. , and that was the warm-up for the two and a half hour hell we volunteer for several times a week. We then proceeded to do team competitions involving basics and kata's, with the winners getting a break, 2nd place team getting only 50 of an exercise, and the team coming in last having to do 100. Then we started adult class. The rest of the night was a blur of more exercises, laps, and crazy exercises along with muscle condition exercises and more competitions.
I am very blessed to have two very awesome people accompany me home as I would have had a terribly difficult time trying to stay awake on the ride home. I go now to drop my girlfriend off at work and to go catch some dead man's sleep.
Until I type again
Doug
So to begin, towards the end of a long drive home from class, I almost rear-ended two degenerates who inhabit this world as they pulled onto the highway from their side road in a beat up, rusted oldsmobile and proceeded to creep along at 10 freaking miles an hour! After swerving into the other lane and honking I came to a red light, at which I rolled down my passenger side window in time for these two meth heads to creep past me yelling "Fuck you!(but in their inebriation and southern drawl it sounded like Fuuuck Yew)" Those poor, dead men walking proceeded not to notice the red light I was stopped at and rolled through it at their stately 20mph. Luckily the traffic had already turned and there was not an accident. I was then treated to the sight of them cutting across all four lanes of traffic almost causing another wreck with oncoming traffic as they pulled into the nearby gas station.
Luckily, I was too tired to even care about the wastes of flesh inhabiting our society. And of course I almost get into three different wrecks before I get home due to Alabama drivers not having a freaking clue how to drive.
/endrant
On a different note, I am now typing this while feeling every muscle in my body radiate intense hate towards me for the beatings they took at class tonight. To start class with we did 250 jumping jacks, 300 sit-ups(I led), as well as 200 push-ups. , and that was the warm-up for the two and a half hour hell we volunteer for several times a week. We then proceeded to do team competitions involving basics and kata's, with the winners getting a break, 2nd place team getting only 50 of an exercise, and the team coming in last having to do 100. Then we started adult class. The rest of the night was a blur of more exercises, laps, and crazy exercises along with muscle condition exercises and more competitions.
I am very blessed to have two very awesome people accompany me home as I would have had a terribly difficult time trying to stay awake on the ride home. I go now to drop my girlfriend off at work and to go catch some dead man's sleep.
Until I type again
Doug
On the Seventh Day, I Rested
Had a nice and relaxing Sunday yesterday, I really needed it. Was out working in the yard for so long that instead of blistering on my palms, they decided to skip that step and go straight to oozing pus and being tender and whatnot.
I was able to go down to the director of New college today and run a few ideas past him, to which the reply was always positive. Everything is on track and everything is moving in the right direction so I am happy.
On a completely unrelated note I had to walk home from campus do in part to my bike pedal broke off(not the pedal but the bar attaching it to the gears) which would make for a total of 2 bikes that has happened to as well as 4 bikes in total that I have destroyed since the start of the school semester. Something about me and bikes just does not mix well, probably ride them a little too rough. New bike will cost a good chunk of change so I have that expense to look forward to, the return of this bike should put a nice dent in it though.
To close I have some lyrics from a great band I just discovered, although they've been around for awhile.
Lamb of God, Omerta: "Whoever appeals to the law against his fellow man is either a fool, or a coward. Whoever cannot take care of himself without that law is both. For a wounded man shall say to his assailant, "If I live, I will kill you. If I die, you are forgiven." Such is the rule of honor."
I was able to go down to the director of New college today and run a few ideas past him, to which the reply was always positive. Everything is on track and everything is moving in the right direction so I am happy.
On a completely unrelated note I had to walk home from campus do in part to my bike pedal broke off(not the pedal but the bar attaching it to the gears) which would make for a total of 2 bikes that has happened to as well as 4 bikes in total that I have destroyed since the start of the school semester. Something about me and bikes just does not mix well, probably ride them a little too rough. New bike will cost a good chunk of change so I have that expense to look forward to, the return of this bike should put a nice dent in it though.
To close I have some lyrics from a great band I just discovered, although they've been around for awhile.
Lamb of God, Omerta: "Whoever appeals to the law against his fellow man is either a fool, or a coward. Whoever cannot take care of himself without that law is both. For a wounded man shall say to his assailant, "If I live, I will kill you. If I die, you are forgiven." Such is the rule of honor."
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Plans for the Future
With the interdisciplinary program I am currently enrolled in it gives me an enormous amount of leeway to actually qualify the learning I am doing in the real world on my own time, as credit hours that can eventually be used towards my degree. This freedom makes it all the more simple to pursue my passion of Isshin-Ryu, as well as pursue my collegiate goal, not of specific education driving me towards a specific career, but towards enlightenment as an individual. I go to school not to learn how to do my job(that's what class is for) but in order to make myself a more whole human being, in order to lead by example for my future students.
The reason I am talking about my collegiate studies today is because I need to get my thoughts into words that will stay. I am trying right now to set up three different Independent Studies Contracts, which is New Colleges equivalent of hey, you teach yourself a class and tell us about it, and I have so many ideas for all of them I need to right them down. These will be ranked chronologically
1.) I am going to make a customer service related course out of my soon to be annual trip to Angel Fire, NM to visit my adoptive family as well as work at Trailheads, hopefully in a management position which will be all the more possible if my schedule will permit me to stay for most of the season. I will have a focus on customer relations and on how good customer service and relations in the past will lead to repeat customers as well as referral customers, this is a perfect line of inquiry as the shop was brand new last year and we believe the only reason we did so well was solely based on our customer service skills, with the reason this being so important as it is not a retail position but rather a customer service position as it is fully geared towards catering to a customer rather then saying that will be $32.50 ma'am, debit or credit. I will have this course graded on the research I have done as well as on the writing portion that is required of all Independent Learning Contracts as I will summarize all my findings for the time I spend working and dealing with customers.
2.) This is a tossup, but I will label my priorities first and go with: Do an in depth analysis on teaching methods as well as learning and absorption rate of a karate student. Circumstances permitting, I will start an intensive training program with a close friend of mine, or a new student, and study the complex process of learning as well as technique. I will also help create an intensive work out regime for them and possibly a dietary plan to go along with the specific needs of such an intensive program. This course can be measured both on the effects to the student's body, as well as by my Sensei in the degree of advancement that will have been achieved.
3.) I turn my backyard into an Eden. This will be an applied learning course I want to do as it will take all the practical knowledge I have garnered from my current agroecology class and I will apply it to the egosystem of my backyard. This will be more work then it seems as there is a great deal of manual labor to be done along with research into everything required to create a fully sustainable garden ecosystem. I have already started this project and have already run into difficulties as the backyard of my current residence was originally a house, with lack of topsoil, packed clay, and a foundation still laid down to contend with. I am also currently working on developing a vermiculture composting system(growing worms) in order to further facilitate the enrichment of my soil back to optimal standards. Not only do I plan on creating a worm farm basically, but a traditional composting pile, as well as a rain barrel set up in order to reduce the maintenance cost of the garden. This course will be graded not in whether or not I can produce some tasty vegetables, but in whether or not I have been able to create a sustainable system that will eventually produce some tasty vegetables.
*phew* that was a load off my shoulders. I go in Monday morning to have an appointment with the director of New College in order to see if I can sway him to see my side in these issues.
Until soon I guess
Doug
The reason I am talking about my collegiate studies today is because I need to get my thoughts into words that will stay. I am trying right now to set up three different Independent Studies Contracts, which is New Colleges equivalent of hey, you teach yourself a class and tell us about it, and I have so many ideas for all of them I need to right them down. These will be ranked chronologically
1.) I am going to make a customer service related course out of my soon to be annual trip to Angel Fire, NM to visit my adoptive family as well as work at Trailheads, hopefully in a management position which will be all the more possible if my schedule will permit me to stay for most of the season. I will have a focus on customer relations and on how good customer service and relations in the past will lead to repeat customers as well as referral customers, this is a perfect line of inquiry as the shop was brand new last year and we believe the only reason we did so well was solely based on our customer service skills, with the reason this being so important as it is not a retail position but rather a customer service position as it is fully geared towards catering to a customer rather then saying that will be $32.50 ma'am, debit or credit. I will have this course graded on the research I have done as well as on the writing portion that is required of all Independent Learning Contracts as I will summarize all my findings for the time I spend working and dealing with customers.
2.) This is a tossup, but I will label my priorities first and go with: Do an in depth analysis on teaching methods as well as learning and absorption rate of a karate student. Circumstances permitting, I will start an intensive training program with a close friend of mine, or a new student, and study the complex process of learning as well as technique. I will also help create an intensive work out regime for them and possibly a dietary plan to go along with the specific needs of such an intensive program. This course can be measured both on the effects to the student's body, as well as by my Sensei in the degree of advancement that will have been achieved.
3.) I turn my backyard into an Eden. This will be an applied learning course I want to do as it will take all the practical knowledge I have garnered from my current agroecology class and I will apply it to the egosystem of my backyard. This will be more work then it seems as there is a great deal of manual labor to be done along with research into everything required to create a fully sustainable garden ecosystem. I have already started this project and have already run into difficulties as the backyard of my current residence was originally a house, with lack of topsoil, packed clay, and a foundation still laid down to contend with. I am also currently working on developing a vermiculture composting system(growing worms) in order to further facilitate the enrichment of my soil back to optimal standards. Not only do I plan on creating a worm farm basically, but a traditional composting pile, as well as a rain barrel set up in order to reduce the maintenance cost of the garden. This course will be graded not in whether or not I can produce some tasty vegetables, but in whether or not I have been able to create a sustainable system that will eventually produce some tasty vegetables.
*phew* that was a load off my shoulders. I go in Monday morning to have an appointment with the director of New College in order to see if I can sway him to see my side in these issues.
Until soon I guess
Doug
Friday, September 24, 2010
Product Review/Recommendation
So as many of you creatures of the night might have seen, there is a crazy guy who inhabits infomercial land by the name of Tony and his product is P90x. This product works! It is a definitely worth the astronomical price tag(which can be reduced some by shopping around) As well as the equipment costs it will run you $150-250+ total, weights and everything, but there is no better workout routine to whoop your ass in to shape.
The best recommendation I can give anyone attempting this suicidal routine is to drag a buddy into it with you. Personally I was drug into it by a guy who turned into a very close friend of mine, my Sensei Mike. We worked out starting at 6:30 in the morning every morning to start with this summer, eventually moving the time back for both of our sanities. The only downside to my summer of fun was I eventually contracted mono without realizing it, and had displayed the symptoms since the second week of the program without realizing it, and to think I was having such a hard time getting up in the morning >.< I was unfortuneately not able to fully complete the program as I eventually had a lymphnode in my neck that swelled up to almost a ping pong ball size causing me difficulties eating and drinking.
Overall this program is not for the weak of heart, literally as well as physically, and it will push you to the edge of boundaries you never knew you had, then sparta kick you off the cliff. I have recomended this to anyone who asks for a good work out program and have pushed it on my mother, my sister, my girlfriend, and bought a copy of it for myself.
Rating: 12/10
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Pictures from my previous rank test
This is just a small sample of the pictures that were taken during my 1st degree black belt rank test
Zero Hour:Post One
Welcome to the blog. I have just created this in hopes of further sharing my journey through the martial arts with those who might find it interesting. Feel free to comment, follow, and even email me as I am always willing to respond to pertinent questions about the martial arts.
For starters I am 20 years old, I have been studying Isshin-Ryu for about 4 years and this fall I will be ranking again for my next degree.
I am a student at UA in their liberal arts program and I might use this blog in order to gain further credits as the program I am in is very much an individualistic learning course based on independent study.
That is all for now as I am actually procrastinating and not studying for my test tomorrow like I should be doing.
For starters I am 20 years old, I have been studying Isshin-Ryu for about 4 years and this fall I will be ranking again for my next degree.
I am a student at UA in their liberal arts program and I might use this blog in order to gain further credits as the program I am in is very much an individualistic learning course based on independent study.
That is all for now as I am actually procrastinating and not studying for my test tomorrow like I should be doing.
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