Leaving on a jet plane soon, I'm hoping I'll have wifi down there so I can keep up on this blogging thing. Its become a morning habit of mine to check the I Ho Chuan blog site, see if there are any new posts. I love Mondays for this one reason- I don't normally check on Sundays, so come Monday morning I'm greeted with a whole new set of blog postings. I'm beginning to love reading what everyone has to write about. There is a huge diversity, and hey, I'm a curious person. I love reading about how school's going, gripes about the weather (I hear ya!), experiences in the various classes we all take, how a weapon form is progressing.
My progress is still steady, although it seems to me I'm continually getting sympathetic injuries. Sifu Regier hurts her foot, I twist my ankle. Ms. Donohue separates her shoulder, I wake up unable to lift one arm. Sifu Bryant dislocates a toe, I try to touch mine to my heel during class. Its a pretty shade of blue now. Sorry guys, I just can't seem to be unique. Mimicry is the best form of flattery, no?
Monday, March 18, 2013
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
There was Something in the Air Yesterday
Training has hit a small snag- my shoulder is buggered up for some reason. There was no specific injury, just a slow progression and now I can't lift even my coffee cup with my right arm. Good thing I'm left handed.
Other than that, things are a-okay. Little behind on numbers, but when am I not? Spade is progressing nicely, as is cane. Its been mostly air spade up to now- I had planned on working out some of the kinks last night after class, but Sifu Wiebe wouldn't let me try with my shoulder the way it is. Not a bad call, now that I think about it.
Met the nicest lady in Edmonton yesterday. I was a bit early for a site meeting, so I stopped in a small hole-in-the-wall cafe. Got a coffee. I had no change, so when I pulled out my debit card she absolutely would not let me pay. She said come back tomorrow, pay then. I want to see you tomorrow. But I don't know when I'll be in the area! Then you come back whenever you're in the area and pay. Come and visit.
Wow. Complete stranger. There were several other ladies in the cafe at the time, and none of them seemed surprised. When they saw my flabbergasted look, one said- she's a very special woman. Don't worry about it, she trusts you. Wow.
So after my meeting I found some change in my car and stopped in to pay her. She raised her eyebrow when I walked in and said, I thought I told you not to worry about it? I wanted to see you tomorrow!
So, if any of you are in the Gold Bar area, there is a small cafe on the corner of 106 ave and 50th street. You should stop in.
Other than that, things are a-okay. Little behind on numbers, but when am I not? Spade is progressing nicely, as is cane. Its been mostly air spade up to now- I had planned on working out some of the kinks last night after class, but Sifu Wiebe wouldn't let me try with my shoulder the way it is. Not a bad call, now that I think about it.
Met the nicest lady in Edmonton yesterday. I was a bit early for a site meeting, so I stopped in a small hole-in-the-wall cafe. Got a coffee. I had no change, so when I pulled out my debit card she absolutely would not let me pay. She said come back tomorrow, pay then. I want to see you tomorrow. But I don't know when I'll be in the area! Then you come back whenever you're in the area and pay. Come and visit.
Wow. Complete stranger. There were several other ladies in the cafe at the time, and none of them seemed surprised. When they saw my flabbergasted look, one said- she's a very special woman. Don't worry about it, she trusts you. Wow.
So after my meeting I found some change in my car and stopped in to pay her. She raised her eyebrow when I walked in and said, I thought I told you not to worry about it? I wanted to see you tomorrow!
So, if any of you are in the Gold Bar area, there is a small cafe on the corner of 106 ave and 50th street. You should stop in.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Gimme a Hug. Jellyfish!
Its only now that I'm really beginning to see what last year's team did for me. Things that I was taking for granted at the time I'm missing now, although I know I'll have them back once this team finds its groove. I'm already noticing a bond growing between classmates, and the bonds that were created last year are only getting stronger.
I always considered my classmates as friends, but always on the limited basis of inside the kwoon. Not that we changed personalities outside the kwoon, its just that we all went back to our day-lives after classes, which didn't necessarily include each other. But, as Sifu Robinson put it as we met up with Sifu Wetter one night, "Yay! We're friends outside the kwoon!". High five.
And why not? We're a group of people who share common interests, who strive for common goals, who sweat and bleed together. I can't say that of even my best friend. Love her to death. But we are very different people.
We help each other, support each other. We have stories we can share and memories we can laugh at. I've never felt so close to a person (literally) as I did in rope dart practices. By the way, you're hair smelled lovely, Sifu Regier. I've never had so much fun in a hospital as I did when Sihing Langner tried to pierce his ear with a sai. And Sifu Bryant will never let me forget how graceful I am.
Thanks guys.
I always considered my classmates as friends, but always on the limited basis of inside the kwoon. Not that we changed personalities outside the kwoon, its just that we all went back to our day-lives after classes, which didn't necessarily include each other. But, as Sifu Robinson put it as we met up with Sifu Wetter one night, "Yay! We're friends outside the kwoon!". High five.
And why not? We're a group of people who share common interests, who strive for common goals, who sweat and bleed together. I can't say that of even my best friend. Love her to death. But we are very different people.
We help each other, support each other. We have stories we can share and memories we can laugh at. I've never felt so close to a person (literally) as I did in rope dart practices. By the way, you're hair smelled lovely, Sifu Regier. I've never had so much fun in a hospital as I did when Sihing Langner tried to pierce his ear with a sai. And Sifu Bryant will never let me forget how graceful I am.
Thanks guys.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
But My Eyes Aren't Blind...
I'm having a hard time finding a balance. Not so much in my schedule, thats always just a big tornado, but in who I am and what I believe vs. the way the world really works. I had a rough couple days at work, solely due to the mentality of some people I work with. I had a job where there was quite a bit of friction between myself and another contractor, and in the end the other contractor showed no ethical consciousness, no qualms with distorting the truth. This last weekend was a downer for me, simply because I couldn't get this situation out of my mind. I was aghast that another soul could have such malicious intentions.
My boss has told me repeatedly that this is just a job, leave work at work. And I get that. But, herein lies the problem. I've been taught and I believe that everyone should be held accountable, and should be respectful towards other souls. It doesn't matter the setting, be it at work or at home or in the grocery store. So what bothers me is that no one is holding this man accountable, and he will continue to make other people miserable. He's been doing it to us for years now. And never has anyone stopped him.
Just let it roll off your back. You're better than that. Take the high road. Sure, fine. But does that really solve anything? No.
This is the problem- the more you stick your head in the sand the worse a situation will get. We assume too much that someone else will fix it. We assume that there are no consequences when we let something significant roll of our back. And this is why our world is in such rough shape. Stick your head in the sand about emissions, about politics, murder and diminishing forests and cruelty. Someone else will fix it.
That even sounds wrong.
My boss has told me repeatedly that this is just a job, leave work at work. And I get that. But, herein lies the problem. I've been taught and I believe that everyone should be held accountable, and should be respectful towards other souls. It doesn't matter the setting, be it at work or at home or in the grocery store. So what bothers me is that no one is holding this man accountable, and he will continue to make other people miserable. He's been doing it to us for years now. And never has anyone stopped him.
Just let it roll off your back. You're better than that. Take the high road. Sure, fine. But does that really solve anything? No.
This is the problem- the more you stick your head in the sand the worse a situation will get. We assume too much that someone else will fix it. We assume that there are no consequences when we let something significant roll of our back. And this is why our world is in such rough shape. Stick your head in the sand about emissions, about politics, murder and diminishing forests and cruelty. Someone else will fix it.
That even sounds wrong.
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