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Well, it's been a crazy day.
Dear NY drivers,
The NJ shore sucks, so please stop trying to go there.
No love,
Ariana
ps. It would also help you to learn that easypass works.
Driving to and from the seminar was nerve wracking, or at least it would have been if I weren't so exhausted on the way back. Saw several accidents, and am very happy I know how to cut across country. There was a torrential downpour as well. I'm quite used to them since I drive out west all rather often, but most NJ drivers lose what few brain cells they have when the weather turns like that. What I couldn't believe was that nearly half of the parkway had their lights turned off in the middle of that downpour. Not only is that fucking stupid, but it's illegal as well. I put my emergency blinkers on, which is standard practice, but freaked out most of the other drivers because they're idiots. Got me lots of space though *g* So yeah, shore traffic sucks.
It was something like 103 degrees out today. Yeah, you read that right. Now picture five hours of training in a small auditorium with thirty people and only weak fans to keep you cool. We were losing water by the bucketfull. We had plenty of breaks but it still caught up with me in the end. I had to stop on my way home and buy a bottle of gatorade and something salty so I didn't pass out. I sometimes think the more time I spend in the heat, the less I'm able to deal with it. One wonders why I'm applying for jobs in Arizona...
The seminar was quite nice. Three hours of hand to hand, and for some reason the theme was animals. The two moves we picked apart were called Magpie and Mackerel respectively (in Japanese, of course). I have very little idea why they were called that, especially the mackerel one, but whatever. I now have two very nasty bruises on my knee and arm because I arrived a bit late due to traffic and had to train off the mats. It is, of course, possible to role anywhere, but that doesn't mean it's not going to hurt... (bruise count so far is up to nine...) The first guy I trained with was a nice guy with a bit of an ego, and he was a bit chauvinistic too (you can tell... when a guy who has the exact same rank as you assumes you won't be able to roll (or roll well) despite the fact that rolling is something you have to pass ranks before in order to get your black belt... yeah...). My only real complaint was that instead of punching, he used boshikens, which is fine when you're aiming for the stomach, but is rather stupid when you're aiming for the face. He wouldn't listen to me though, so I expect he'll learn a rather hard lesson one day (most likely by breaking his thumb...).
The fourth hour was knife/short sword training, which I enjoyed and was able to focus more on since it was getting a bit cooler. New partner knew what he was doing. Yay! The fifth hour was sword/bo training, which was perfect since I got to break in my new bo (pine, smoothed by sandpaper - 8 dollars at Lowes *L*). I would also like to note that beyond the basic forms, my swordwork sucks.
I'm nidan (second dan) now too. I put myself forward for the test near the beginning of the seminar, then spent most of my spare moments trying to remain as calm as possible. Was in luck since all Jack did was talk to us. What he said is none of your business, but it gave me some stuff to think, and not think about.
Jack's big on tactics atm. Your technique can be imperfect, but so long as your tactics are correct, you can suceed. (This is why Shikamaru ownz *L*) And I need to have dinner and take a shower and try to regain my equilibrium. Ja ne!
Dear NY drivers,
The NJ shore sucks, so please stop trying to go there.
No love,
Ariana
ps. It would also help you to learn that easypass works.
Driving to and from the seminar was nerve wracking, or at least it would have been if I weren't so exhausted on the way back. Saw several accidents, and am very happy I know how to cut across country. There was a torrential downpour as well. I'm quite used to them since I drive out west all rather often, but most NJ drivers lose what few brain cells they have when the weather turns like that. What I couldn't believe was that nearly half of the parkway had their lights turned off in the middle of that downpour. Not only is that fucking stupid, but it's illegal as well. I put my emergency blinkers on, which is standard practice, but freaked out most of the other drivers because they're idiots. Got me lots of space though *g* So yeah, shore traffic sucks.
It was something like 103 degrees out today. Yeah, you read that right. Now picture five hours of training in a small auditorium with thirty people and only weak fans to keep you cool. We were losing water by the bucketfull. We had plenty of breaks but it still caught up with me in the end. I had to stop on my way home and buy a bottle of gatorade and something salty so I didn't pass out. I sometimes think the more time I spend in the heat, the less I'm able to deal with it. One wonders why I'm applying for jobs in Arizona...
The seminar was quite nice. Three hours of hand to hand, and for some reason the theme was animals. The two moves we picked apart were called Magpie and Mackerel respectively (in Japanese, of course). I have very little idea why they were called that, especially the mackerel one, but whatever. I now have two very nasty bruises on my knee and arm because I arrived a bit late due to traffic and had to train off the mats. It is, of course, possible to role anywhere, but that doesn't mean it's not going to hurt... (bruise count so far is up to nine...) The first guy I trained with was a nice guy with a bit of an ego, and he was a bit chauvinistic too (you can tell... when a guy who has the exact same rank as you assumes you won't be able to roll (or roll well) despite the fact that rolling is something you have to pass ranks before in order to get your black belt... yeah...). My only real complaint was that instead of punching, he used boshikens, which is fine when you're aiming for the stomach, but is rather stupid when you're aiming for the face. He wouldn't listen to me though, so I expect he'll learn a rather hard lesson one day (most likely by breaking his thumb...).
The fourth hour was knife/short sword training, which I enjoyed and was able to focus more on since it was getting a bit cooler. New partner knew what he was doing. Yay! The fifth hour was sword/bo training, which was perfect since I got to break in my new bo (pine, smoothed by sandpaper - 8 dollars at Lowes *L*). I would also like to note that beyond the basic forms, my swordwork sucks.
I'm nidan (second dan) now too. I put myself forward for the test near the beginning of the seminar, then spent most of my spare moments trying to remain as calm as possible. Was in luck since all Jack did was talk to us. What he said is none of your business, but it gave me some stuff to think, and not think about.
Jack's big on tactics atm. Your technique can be imperfect, but so long as your tactics are correct, you can suceed. (This is why Shikamaru ownz *L*) And I need to have dinner and take a shower and try to regain my equilibrium. Ja ne!
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