Well, it's Thursday! It's getting closer to the end of the week! I'm off work tomorrow and that should be interesting. I'm going to be meeting with my son's teacher and the SST/SSI team at school. When he was in Kindergarten, his teacher organized an "Student Success Initiative/Student Success Team" for him at the end of the year. His teacher (2nd grade now) is seeing that he needs something extra to help him succeed, so we're meeting with them to determine what we can do to help him. I hope it will make this year as good as last year. He had a pretty good year last year but I believe it was because the SST was organized at the end of the year and was put into place at the beginning of school for last year. I know they had him in Speech and other things. In fact, I found out about the speech classes quite by accident. It was a comment he made about it that made me realize they'd done it.
We will hopefully get him settled into school and working to be a happy second grader who will be able to progress to third without issue. I am not thrilled about the idea of medicating him. I promised my martial arts instructor that I'd keep that as a possibility in my mind. Tony's more anti-medication than I am. I'm just a bit less determined to say "he's just a boy". He may need the meds and IF he does, okay, fine. We'll get him evaluated first and see how it goes from there. I know that I'm responsible for a bit of his behavior--I have a tendency to spoil him. He's not been seriously punished for a lot of things. I have let him get away with a lot of things his sister hasn't gotten away with. Some of that could be because (and probably IS) because he's my youngest, he's the boy of the family and he's my last child. Need to change me so that he behaves better.
Tomorrow we meet at 9:00. I'm guessing the meeting will last about an hour. Hopefully we'll come up with a viable course of action. I like the teachers who are on his "team" so far--his own teacher, the fourth grade teacher my daughter had and the school counselor. I am ambivalent toward the principal but that's just ME. I had a few too many dealings with her because of his behavior in kindergarten. All the more reason to have this meeting. She may be a bit different this year. We shall see.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Three Wednesdays to go.
Three Wednesdays to go (if you include today!) until the black belt test. I'm starting to think it'll be an enjoyable experience. I'm pretty good with most of my forms. I need to practice at home and I still need to whip out ANOTHER class this week to make up for the holiday we just had. You're supposed to attend a minimum of two classes a week. CIT doesn't count toward the actual class, so IF I get finished with Miss A's orthodontist early enough today, we'll go to the 6:00 class. Jason's in that class too, so it'll be fun. I'm still on the fence about it.
I'm definitely going to the Black Belt class tomorrow night at 7:00. I can since I'm CIT.
I haven't been behaving with WW. I didn't go to the meeting on Saturday. Instead, I went and goofed off for a couple of hours with my friend DB. We practiced forms--ALL the forms! I think I'm really MUCH better on my stances now than I was leading up to Saturday. We shall see.
My weight was 202 at the lowest on Saturday. It went up to 203.5, then to 203 and has stayed pretty steadily during the week at 203. I'm not complaining. Yes, I know that weighing daily isn't a good thing but it helps me see where I need improvement. I don't think I'm going to worry about my weight unless it goes up more than this one pound gain. I have every confidence it'll keep going down. I have literally 3 weeks to go before I test and I'm sure that I will be able to get to 200 and keep it there leading up to the test.
I'm definitely going to the Black Belt class tomorrow night at 7:00. I can since I'm CIT.
I haven't been behaving with WW. I didn't go to the meeting on Saturday. Instead, I went and goofed off for a couple of hours with my friend DB. We practiced forms--ALL the forms! I think I'm really MUCH better on my stances now than I was leading up to Saturday. We shall see.
My weight was 202 at the lowest on Saturday. It went up to 203.5, then to 203 and has stayed pretty steadily during the week at 203. I'm not complaining. Yes, I know that weighing daily isn't a good thing but it helps me see where I need improvement. I don't think I'm going to worry about my weight unless it goes up more than this one pound gain. I have every confidence it'll keep going down. I have literally 3 weeks to go before I test and I'm sure that I will be able to get to 200 and keep it there leading up to the test.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Sunday's cleaning frenzy?!
I went into a cleaning frenzy today. I don't know why, other than the fact that I had to clean up the floor in front of the television. We're having AT&T come in to install cable. (We caved in. We'd have had to pay $250.00 for the satellite dish we WERE going to get as part of our "security deposit". I'm so NOT happy about that! Oh well.)
While I was cleaning up in front of the television, I decided that I didn't need some old magazines that were over in a pile by the couch, so off to the trash they went. Then I asked Amanda if she minded if I tossed some of the stuff that was just laying around, things they're not playing with. We ditched old pencils, old pens, pictures that weren't useful, you name it. I found piles of mail on the table from I don't know HOW long ago--it was all junk. Old credit card offers, you name it. I shredded it. I ran through three bags in the shredder while I was at it. I'm a very happy person because I didn't let sentimentality get to me. I just jumped in feet first and shredded things.
I feel a super sense of accomplishment right now. I have been cleaning and changing the way the house looks. My next step is to go back to the garage and see what's down there, then ruthlessly toss things out there as well. I'll start boxing up books that I'm not currently reading and store them in the garage also. The better organized we are, the easier our move will be when our lease is up.
While I was cleaning up in front of the television, I decided that I didn't need some old magazines that were over in a pile by the couch, so off to the trash they went. Then I asked Amanda if she minded if I tossed some of the stuff that was just laying around, things they're not playing with. We ditched old pencils, old pens, pictures that weren't useful, you name it. I found piles of mail on the table from I don't know HOW long ago--it was all junk. Old credit card offers, you name it. I shredded it. I ran through three bags in the shredder while I was at it. I'm a very happy person because I didn't let sentimentality get to me. I just jumped in feet first and shredded things.
I feel a super sense of accomplishment right now. I have been cleaning and changing the way the house looks. My next step is to go back to the garage and see what's down there, then ruthlessly toss things out there as well. I'll start boxing up books that I'm not currently reading and store them in the garage also. The better organized we are, the easier our move will be when our lease is up.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Musings and general ramblings
I finally finished my black belt essay!! I finished it yesterday during lunch and one of my co-workers proofed it for me. She found a few mistakes, corrected redundant words and sent it to me. It's DONE!! I have to turn in the rough draft on Saturday, then it's clear until the 8th of September.
My mother made the mistake of having my grandmother call me and tell me to "come visit her". Um, no. I'm a mule. I don't appreciate my mother using my grandmother like that! I already don't get along with my mother--there's a long, sordid story there. The sad thing is, I told her months ago that I would NOT be visiting until she finally dragged her butt out here to see MY family. My family is a family of FOUR. There's my hubby, my daughter, my SON and me. It's not my daughter and me. It's FOUR of us. My mother has a seriously mental block about my son, so she won't even talk to him. I had the kids call and wish her a Happy Birthday last year. She talked to my daughter and ignored my son. My daughter's now asking those really rough questions ("Why does Grandma ignore Aidan?"). It's a hard thing to answer. I just tell her that I'm not sure. We'll have to ask her some time. Of course, I'm avoiding all issues because I don't go to my mother's house. That's a huge bone of contention for us too...we have to go to her house all the time. She refuses to come to our house. We think it's because we're in an apartment. There's nothing wrong with the apartment but she sees it differently. I'm sending her an invitation to the black belt test. She won't attend. I know she won't. She doesn't understand the pull martial arts has on me. She doesn't understand the discipline it takes to learn the art, to put the time into practicing it (and sneaking in time at work counts too! LOL!!).
My mother made the mistake of having my grandmother call me and tell me to "come visit her". Um, no. I'm a mule. I don't appreciate my mother using my grandmother like that! I already don't get along with my mother--there's a long, sordid story there. The sad thing is, I told her months ago that I would NOT be visiting until she finally dragged her butt out here to see MY family. My family is a family of FOUR. There's my hubby, my daughter, my SON and me. It's not my daughter and me. It's FOUR of us. My mother has a seriously mental block about my son, so she won't even talk to him. I had the kids call and wish her a Happy Birthday last year. She talked to my daughter and ignored my son. My daughter's now asking those really rough questions ("Why does Grandma ignore Aidan?"). It's a hard thing to answer. I just tell her that I'm not sure. We'll have to ask her some time. Of course, I'm avoiding all issues because I don't go to my mother's house. That's a huge bone of contention for us too...we have to go to her house all the time. She refuses to come to our house. We think it's because we're in an apartment. There's nothing wrong with the apartment but she sees it differently. I'm sending her an invitation to the black belt test. She won't attend. I know she won't. She doesn't understand the pull martial arts has on me. She doesn't understand the discipline it takes to learn the art, to put the time into practicing it (and sneaking in time at work counts too! LOL!!).
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Sunday
Ahh, Sunday. It's a day to relax. I had my Black Belt Prep class yesterday for two hours. I have to say, I popped out one of my absolute BEST round-house kicks with my left leg EVER yesterday! My left leg is not my best kicking leg. I have more power and strength on my right side for some silly reason. Well, he had us kicking pads. We had to stand exactly in front of the person holding the pad, raise our knees, then turn our hips over and kick. It was all very controlled, but I could definitely see a HUGE difference over just throwing my leg out there. Now if I can just do this during the test! LOL!! I will. I know I will. Control is the name of the game. I'm learning it.
Here's a bit of amusement for you...out of this black belt class, there are only FOUR girls/women. Two of them already have their black belts and only one is an adult. I find that amusing. I think we'll have a rather large group when we test as there are only around 15 CDB's and then we have the three or four Black Belts who are testing or recertifying for third Dan. I think some of the newest Cho Dan Bo's will be in the test too. Should be fun. It's only 39 days away now!
The kids are down at one of Tony's cousins' house this weekend. They left Friday night. The house is just quieter than quiet with them gone. I miss them. It's nice to not have them stomping and scuffing around on the floor, but man is it QUIET!! I had to turn on a CD to listen to because of it.
I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Friday night. It was GOOD! I was surprised by the ending, but that's probably what Rowling wanted when she wrote the book. I would recommend it to anyone! Really, I would. I truly enjoyed the series and am going to re-read it at some point.
Not a whole lot is planned for today. I'm currently downloading mail and planning on what I can do to surprise Tony when he gets home from work. I think I'll just go in and make something he likes for dinner. I have a recipe I call "Hubby's Favorite" that uses hamburger (browned) with tomato sauce and elbows, topped with cheese and baked until the cheese is all melty. That's probably his dinner tonight. Then he can take it for lunch tomorrow too. IF it lasts that long. He likes it a lot, so it could disappear rather quickly. We shall see.
Well, the washer has stopped, so I need to do a little maintenance in that area. I may hang some clothes out on on the back porch on hangars. It's hot enough that they'll dry very quickly!! LOL!!
Here's a bit of amusement for you...out of this black belt class, there are only FOUR girls/women. Two of them already have their black belts and only one is an adult. I find that amusing. I think we'll have a rather large group when we test as there are only around 15 CDB's and then we have the three or four Black Belts who are testing or recertifying for third Dan. I think some of the newest Cho Dan Bo's will be in the test too. Should be fun. It's only 39 days away now!
The kids are down at one of Tony's cousins' house this weekend. They left Friday night. The house is just quieter than quiet with them gone. I miss them. It's nice to not have them stomping and scuffing around on the floor, but man is it QUIET!! I had to turn on a CD to listen to because of it.
I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Friday night. It was GOOD! I was surprised by the ending, but that's probably what Rowling wanted when she wrote the book. I would recommend it to anyone! Really, I would. I truly enjoyed the series and am going to re-read it at some point.
Not a whole lot is planned for today. I'm currently downloading mail and planning on what I can do to surprise Tony when he gets home from work. I think I'll just go in and make something he likes for dinner. I have a recipe I call "Hubby's Favorite" that uses hamburger (browned) with tomato sauce and elbows, topped with cheese and baked until the cheese is all melty. That's probably his dinner tonight. Then he can take it for lunch tomorrow too. IF it lasts that long. He likes it a lot, so it could disappear rather quickly. We shall see.
Well, the washer has stopped, so I need to do a little maintenance in that area. I may hang some clothes out on on the back porch on hangars. It's hot enough that they'll dry very quickly!! LOL!!
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
CIT Tuesday
I had CIT tonight. We did a drill where we broke into teams and "taught a white belt class". It's intimidating when you're standing up there in front of a bunch of black belts who are pretending to be white belts. We got a lot of good criticism from those 'classes'. I jumped up and took control of my "class" but not once did I call them by name, nor did I praise them or explain to them what I wanted to do. I did manage to tell my 'class' what I wanted them to do, but need to improve my delivery. These things I can do. It was very good to get this feedback from my peers. I appreciate it.
We talked about what makes a successful instructor. That was pretty cool.
Successful instructors (and the Dali Lama, the Pope, the President, CEO's of large and small corporations) share these traits:
1. Persistence: NEVER GIVE UP!
2. Avid Goal Setters: Set goals that you need to achieve in order to succeed.
3. Ask Quality Questions: talk to them. This can tie in how their day has been and can help the instructor teach, for example, if the parents say that the child/ren/student has been, for example, fighting with siblings.
4. LISTEN: Listen to what your students and their parents, other people, teachers are saying.
5. Are PASSIONATE about what they do. You teach better if you're passionate about your subject matter.
6. Are ENTHUSIASTIC about what they do. Enthusiasm is contagious.
7. Take Responsibility for their results: Don't blame someone else for something that is unsuccessful--don't blame competition, etc.
8. Work Hard. Be committed, attend classes, teach classes, make phone calls to white or yellow belts.
9. Keep in touch with their students (follow up with phone calls, etc)
10. Show Value (ask yourself, what can I do for my student/co-worker/etc)
I think it was an eye opener tonight. He gave us an assignment, which ties in to our other discussion, which was about Self Image. Our assignment is to remind ourselves that anything we can conceive of and believe in, we can achieve.
That's what I'm off to do.
We talked about what makes a successful instructor. That was pretty cool.
Successful instructors (and the Dali Lama, the Pope, the President
1. Persistence: NEVER GIVE UP!
2. Avid Goal Setters: Set goals that you need to achieve in order to succeed.
3. Ask Quality Questions: talk to them. This can tie in how their day has been and can help the instructor teach, for example, if the parents say that the child/ren/student has been, for example, fighting with siblings.
4. LISTEN: Listen to what your students and their parents, other people, teachers are saying.
5. Are PASSIONATE about what they do. You teach better if you're passionate about your subject matter.
6. Are ENTHUSIASTIC about what they do. Enthusiasm is contagious.
7. Take Responsibility for their results: Don't blame someone else for something that is unsuccessful--don't blame competition, etc.
8. Work Hard. Be committed, attend classes, teach classes, make phone calls to white or yellow belts.
9. Keep in touch with their students (follow up with phone calls, etc)
10. Show Value (ask yourself, what can I do for my student/co-worker/etc)
I think it was an eye opener tonight. He gave us an assignment, which ties in to our other discussion, which was about Self Image. Our assignment is to remind ourselves that anything we can conceive of and believe in, we can achieve.
That's what I'm off to do.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Another loss!
I went to WW for the first time in almost a month and found that I've managed to pull off a two pound loss. Not too bad, considering last Sunday I went totally nuts and ate 42 points! Today hasn't been that bad. I managed to eat my 25 points I'm allowed and not go over. I also ate quite a bit of vegetables, so I'm a very happy person! I've been determined to make my second 10% goal, which I set for myself when I hit that first 10%. When I hit 197, I will hit my second 10%. I'm only about 7 pounds away from that right now. My total loss is 37.4 pounds. I will take it! I am very pleased with it, despite my seeming failures at times.
I'm not overly happy that I lose weight, then gain it...but I'm looking back at my journals and am using that as a base. The biggest thing I think that has helped me is that I'm drinking more water at work and not using the excuse that "we have calls holding and I can't go to the ladies..." as an excuse anymore. If I have to go, I go. Period. End of statement.
I have noticed a disturbing trend though. When I lose "big" (for me, it's 2-5 pounds), then I'll turn right around and gain it back by not eating right or not drinking water. I'm tired of that trend. I WILL break it! I've been on plan for about a year now and have managed to lose close to 40 pounds. The month of August is going to be a very tough month for me with my martial arts training, but...I'm going to make sure I lose at least 3 pounds this month. I'm taking my loss and adding to it.
I'm not overly happy that I lose weight, then gain it...but I'm looking back at my journals and am using that as a base. The biggest thing I think that has helped me is that I'm drinking more water at work and not using the excuse that "we have calls holding and I can't go to the ladies..." as an excuse anymore. If I have to go, I go. Period. End of statement.
I have noticed a disturbing trend though. When I lose "big" (for me, it's 2-5 pounds), then I'll turn right around and gain it back by not eating right or not drinking water. I'm tired of that trend. I WILL break it! I've been on plan for about a year now and have managed to lose close to 40 pounds. The month of August is going to be a very tough month for me with my martial arts training, but...I'm going to make sure I lose at least 3 pounds this month. I'm taking my loss and adding to it.
Transformation
September 21st is a red, or should I say, a black letter day. That's the day I test for my first Dan in Tang Soo Do.
With the test rapidly approaching. I've stopped telling myself "I can't"...I did that about 3 years when I first stepped foot into Unlimited Success Martial Arts. Since then, I feel that I've transformed myself into something a lot different. Instead of "I can't...", now it's "I Can..."
I'm a totally different person than I was. Back then, I followed unhesitantly and did what I was told without questioning things. I tend to not be as much of a follower anymore. I wouldn't say I'm egotistical, but I feel that my confidence level has improved greatly since I started these clases. Back in 2004, I would never have thought it possible that I could break a board with my hand or foot, much less perform rolls and such. Now I can. I enjoy it.
There's a certain thrill there when I break a board because I know that *I* did it. Just ME.
I have made some really wonderful friends who I consider absolutely my BEST friends and feel honored that they think enough of me to attend my test. One of my best friends from USMA is someone I can confide in about any number of things. He listens and offers advice. You'd think we were related in the way we natter on and on at each other. We pick at each other, but are genuinely happy for each other's successes. He'll be attending the test in September alongside those of us who are testing for our first Dan. It'll be fun. I'm a little intimidated by the fact that the head of our Federation will be there, but at the same time, I'm not going to worry about HIM. I'm going to worry about ME. I have to make sure that I'm ready for this test.
"How much or how little you are prepared to give of yourself will determine how far up the success ladder you travel."
Mark your calendars now, if you're attending. September 21st. It's a new start. I'm going to be there and I'll be proud to be announced as one of the newest black belts from USMA.
With the test rapidly approaching. I've stopped telling myself "I can't"...I did that about 3 years when I first stepped foot into Unlimited Success Martial Arts. Since then, I feel that I've transformed myself into something a lot different. Instead of "I can't...", now it's "I Can..."
I'm a totally different person than I was. Back then, I followed unhesitantly and did what I was told without questioning things. I tend to not be as much of a follower anymore. I wouldn't say I'm egotistical, but I feel that my confidence level has improved greatly since I started these clases. Back in 2004, I would never have thought it possible that I could break a board with my hand or foot, much less perform rolls and such. Now I can. I enjoy it.
There's a certain thrill there when I break a board because I know that *I* did it. Just ME.
I have made some really wonderful friends who I consider absolutely my BEST friends and feel honored that they think enough of me to attend my test. One of my best friends from USMA is someone I can confide in about any number of things. He listens and offers advice. You'd think we were related in the way we natter on and on at each other. We pick at each other, but are genuinely happy for each other's successes. He'll be attending the test in September alongside those of us who are testing for our first Dan. It'll be fun. I'm a little intimidated by the fact that the head of our Federation will be there, but at the same time, I'm not going to worry about HIM. I'm going to worry about ME. I have to make sure that I'm ready for this test.
"How much or how little you are prepared to give of yourself will determine how far up the success ladder you travel."
Mark your calendars now, if you're attending. September 21st. It's a new start. I'm going to be there and I'll be proud to be announced as one of the newest black belts from USMA.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
CDB2
I earned it last night, DESPITE totally blowing Bassai!! Oh well! I did the best I could do. I spent my Ho Sin Sul (self defense--hip throws) time coaching my partner on HOW to do the throws. I didn't get to throw her. Oh well. I fell nicely!!
Today's been a fairly uneventful day. The kids had karate this morning. I don't usually attend the Saturday classes. My Saturday classes start NEXT Saturday. Hopefully I won't have to work that day! I'd MUCH rather spend two hours in Martial Arts as opposed to 4 hours at work, but...work must take precedence since it pays the bills! Ah well.
Beyond that, not much else is going on. The usual Saturday things. I spent a few minutes texting with a friend and didn't even know who it was until she gave me a HUGE hint (her name, LOL!!). That was funny. Then she called me as I was trying to tell her her phone number was different from what I had in my address book. Scary. LOL!!
Tony's read Harry Potter and the Ghastly Hallows. I'm reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. All I can say is "WOW"!!! He finished it today. Now if I can finish Order of the Phoenix, I can goi see the movie. I have to read Half Blood Prince next, then I'll be able to start on Ghastly Hallows. I hope to have finished at least Order and Half by next Saturday. I may or may not finish them, but it's worth a try.
Today's been a fairly uneventful day. The kids had karate this morning. I don't usually attend the Saturday classes. My Saturday classes start NEXT Saturday. Hopefully I won't have to work that day! I'd MUCH rather spend two hours in Martial Arts as opposed to 4 hours at work, but...work must take precedence since it pays the bills! Ah well.
Beyond that, not much else is going on. The usual Saturday things. I spent a few minutes texting with a friend and didn't even know who it was until she gave me a HUGE hint (her name, LOL!!). That was funny. Then she called me as I was trying to tell her her phone number was different from what I had in my address book. Scary. LOL!!
Tony's read Harry Potter and the Ghastly Hallows. I'm reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. All I can say is "WOW"!!! He finished it today. Now if I can finish Order of the Phoenix, I can goi see the movie. I have to read Half Blood Prince next, then I'll be able to start on Ghastly Hallows. I hope to have finished at least Order and Half by next Saturday. I may or may not finish them, but it's worth a try.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Back to back classes
I took back to back classes last night. I went to martial arts with the kids and worked out in their class, then went to my own class and worked out again. We're doing mock testing this week to get ready for our belt test next week. The kids are doing pretty well, but I won't put my blinders on and say they're perfect. I know better. Amanda's picking up the form pretty well! She does well and pays attention in class. I'm challenging her daily to give more. I told her that if she gives 100%, the next time she needs to give 110% or 120%. So far it's working. I would dearly LOVE to be able to watch her test but since she's testing at the same time I am next week, I'm going to miss it. I told Tony that he has to go in and watch the kids this time instead of me. Our little ham is going to do pretty well, I think. Since my friends, DB and S are running the test, it'll be okay. They'll get full effort out of all the kids.
We got our assignment for the black belt essay on Sunday. I've already decided that I'm going to use something I wrote on June 3rd as my essay. It needs to be fine-tuned, but I've already got over 500 words. The rough draft is due August 18th. I'm ready for it. September 15th is when my final draft and all the Federation paperwork/Dan application is due. Should be fun between now and then. Plus, starting the 4th, I'll have classes for two hours, so I'll go up to the dojang with the kids for their Saturday classes, then I'll stay for another two hours. The first class I have to miss, unfortunately, because of a silly mundane thing like WORK! Oh well. He already knows I'm going to miss and he's told me it's okay. Once is fine. More than once and you're going to have to make it up in a private lesson on a SUNDAY. I sure hope the other kids aren't going to goof off and skip classes.
I'm really excited. This is a big thing for me. One of my co-workers told me I was obsessed. I think he's right! LOL!
We got our assignment for the black belt essay on Sunday. I've already decided that I'm going to use something I wrote on June 3rd as my essay. It needs to be fine-tuned, but I've already got over 500 words. The rough draft is due August 18th. I'm ready for it. September 15th is when my final draft and all the Federation paperwork/Dan application is due. Should be fun between now and then. Plus, starting the 4th, I'll have classes for two hours, so I'll go up to the dojang with the kids for their Saturday classes, then I'll stay for another two hours. The first class I have to miss, unfortunately, because of a silly mundane thing like WORK! Oh well. He already knows I'm going to miss and he's told me it's okay. Once is fine. More than once and you're going to have to make it up in a private lesson on a SUNDAY. I sure hope the other kids aren't going to goof off and skip classes.
I'm really excited. This is a big thing for me. One of my co-workers told me I was obsessed. I think he's right! LOL!
Friday, July 13, 2007
Countdown to the Black Belt is on...
I attended the CDB/BB class last night and am VERY glad I went. I think it'll be something I will be attending more often. The class is Tuesdays and Thursdays. Tuesday's at 6:00 and Thursday is at 7:00. I already have to be there at 6:15 for the Little Ninjas class, so it makes plenty of sense to just stay. I can do this. I'm really looking forward to it.
I was the oldest person in my class tonight. I can laugh about it because I'm 42 and I'm testing with a bunch of pre teen to teenagers. The next oldest people are my good friend S and our instructor. LOL!
We did a LOT of work on our forms tonight. We started with Basic Forms #1, 2 and 3, then moved on to Pyung An Cho Dan (which looks really incredible once you do it SLOWLY!). After that, he had us work on Sip Soo. I feel like I can practice and show off to the people at work---if I do that enough, I'll do it very well. We found out tonight that we're not going to do the entire form at the test--we're only going to do the first part of it. We'll hit the rest of it in the next testing cycle.
Now we're starting in on the hardest part of things. We're going to start in with MANDATORY 2 hour testing preparation classes. This will be on Saturdays starting August 4th. I'm looking forward to it. I also have to start researching my black belt essay. He's going to send out the topics to us and we'll have to turn in the rough draft on the 18th of August. The completed essay is due in September.
Black belt test has been bumped up to October 13th, one day after a dear friend's birthday. I wish I could fly her out here to see me test--that would be so awesome! I know she'll be thinking of me anyway, so I can be happy with that.
What's next? I'm already looking forward to the next part of my journey--I'm going for my second Dan. (pronounced DON). I'm not going to stop with just being a first Dan black belt. I'll be able to test again a year after the next test for me (my recert is April, 2008). I'm already planning ahead and I'm not there yet.
I was the oldest person in my class tonight. I can laugh about it because I'm 42 and I'm testing with a bunch of pre teen to teenagers. The next oldest people are my good friend S and our instructor. LOL!
We did a LOT of work on our forms tonight. We started with Basic Forms #1, 2 and 3, then moved on to Pyung An Cho Dan (which looks really incredible once you do it SLOWLY!). After that, he had us work on Sip Soo. I feel like I can practice and show off to the people at work---if I do that enough, I'll do it very well. We found out tonight that we're not going to do the entire form at the test--we're only going to do the first part of it. We'll hit the rest of it in the next testing cycle.
Now we're starting in on the hardest part of things. We're going to start in with MANDATORY 2 hour testing preparation classes. This will be on Saturdays starting August 4th. I'm looking forward to it. I also have to start researching my black belt essay. He's going to send out the topics to us and we'll have to turn in the rough draft on the 18th of August. The completed essay is due in September.
Black belt test has been bumped up to October 13th, one day after a dear friend's birthday. I wish I could fly her out here to see me test--that would be so awesome! I know she'll be thinking of me anyway, so I can be happy with that.
What's next? I'm already looking forward to the next part of my journey--I'm going for my second Dan. (pronounced DON). I'm not going to stop with just being a first Dan black belt. I'll be able to test again a year after the next test for me (my recert is April, 2008). I'm already planning ahead and I'm not there yet.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Word of mouth is important...
It has been quite a week! I actually saw 6 people logged in today at work which was amazing! Of course, *I* left early today (and didn't say "BOO!" to anyone when I left!!), so they were down to 5 people for 30 minutes, IF someone stayed on the phones today. It was incredibly busy! I haven't figured out why it's been so busy unless it's because people were off for the holiday last week.
There's a thunderstorm going on outside my window right now. We're still under a flash flood watch. I'm very glad we're up on the second floor right now! It may be absolute HELL when the people upstairs stomp around up there, but at least I know I'm not going to float away any time soon!
I read a blog tonight that made me want to reach through the wires and give her a HUGE HUG! She's had some pretty serious things going on in her life and has gotten crap for care! I think that's pure BS in caps!! I don't care WHO you are...you can be an Amazon or a Pygmy. You can be a Rubenesque person or someone who can be blown away by a stiff breeze. It shouldn't matter HOW you look. What should matter is that you're treated LIKE A HUMAN BEING!! I
wonder how the people who we pay for caring for our needs--mechanics, shop-keepers, doctors, lawyers, etc--can get away with poor treatment of their clients? If we don't pay you for your services, you don't get to keep your doors open. Mechanics rely on word of mouth, among other things. Shopkeepers are responsible for having our business. We buy their products or they don't stay open. If you don't provide services/products equally to all people, how are you going to stay in business? If you're a rude shopkeeper, people won't come in to your store and you can forget staying open. If you're any other type of professional and you aren't empathetic, why the hell are you in your chosen profession then?
I'm on a tear! Whoa! I guess I'm fairly pissed about the way this poor lady has been treated. Her biggest "crime"? She's working on losing weight, as are all of us. How is that a "crime"??? Oh it makes me livid, reading her story. I haven't gotten her permission to tell her story, but I wanted to post here that I support her 100%!! I think that she's getting the short end of the stick and all I want to do is to go scream at people she has to deal with!!!
There's a thunderstorm going on outside my window right now. We're still under a flash flood watch. I'm very glad we're up on the second floor right now! It may be absolute HELL when the people upstairs stomp around up there, but at least I know I'm not going to float away any time soon!
I read a blog tonight that made me want to reach through the wires and give her a HUGE HUG! She's had some pretty serious things going on in her life and has gotten crap for care! I think that's pure BS in caps!! I don't care WHO you are...you can be an Amazon or a Pygmy. You can be a Rubenesque person or someone who can be blown away by a stiff breeze. It shouldn't matter HOW you look. What should matter is that you're treated LIKE A HUMAN BEING!! I
wonder how the people who we pay for caring for our needs--mechanics, shop-keepers, doctors, lawyers, etc--can get away with poor treatment of their clients? If we don't pay you for your services, you don't get to keep your doors open. Mechanics rely on word of mouth, among other things. Shopkeepers are responsible for having our business. We buy their products or they don't stay open. If you don't provide services/products equally to all people, how are you going to stay in business? If you're a rude shopkeeper, people won't come in to your store and you can forget staying open. If you're any other type of professional and you aren't empathetic, why the hell are you in your chosen profession then?
I'm on a tear! Whoa! I guess I'm fairly pissed about the way this poor lady has been treated. Her biggest "crime"? She's working on losing weight, as are all of us. How is that a "crime"??? Oh it makes me livid, reading her story. I haven't gotten her permission to tell her story, but I wanted to post here that I support her 100%!! I think that she's getting the short end of the stick and all I want to do is to go scream at people she has to deal with!!!
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Doing a Happy Dance here!
I am in an incredibly GREAT MOOD this morning!!! I have been back from WW for about an hour and am getting a chance to share my good news!!
I didn't go to w/i last week or the week before. Last week we had company leaving on Saturday morning, so I didn't go. The week before, I was afraid of gaining and didn't go because, well, I just didn't. Today, I weighed on my scale at home and it showed me at 206. That was a real happy number for me, so I thought about it and finally decided at 7:00 a.m. that I would go to WW. I went, got on their scale and it weighed me at 206.2. Alright!! Our scales are within ounces! I am so happy!! I've lost 35.4 pounds now! No, it's not HUGE losses, but it's losses!!! I am so doing a happy dance right now!! It's made my day!!
I've actually got to fly--I'm meeting a couple of people down at the fitness center to practice our forms and things and I need to get my uniform on. I haven't practiced for a week, so this will be fun.
I didn't go to w/i last week or the week before. Last week we had company leaving on Saturday morning, so I didn't go. The week before, I was afraid of gaining and didn't go because, well, I just didn't. Today, I weighed on my scale at home and it showed me at 206. That was a real happy number for me, so I thought about it and finally decided at 7:00 a.m. that I would go to WW. I went, got on their scale and it weighed me at 206.2. Alright!! Our scales are within ounces! I am so happy!! I've lost 35.4 pounds now! No, it's not HUGE losses, but it's losses!!! I am so doing a happy dance right now!! It's made my day!!
I've actually got to fly--I'm meeting a couple of people down at the fitness center to practice our forms and things and I need to get my uniform on. I haven't practiced for a week, so this will be fun.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Something fun!
This is just a little something fun I lifted from a friend's 360 blog. I enjoyed it!!
Your Gemstone is Emerald |
 Balanced, liberated, and peaceful. You bring luck into any situation. |
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Sunday mix of things...
Weigh in first...last week, I weighed in at 208.5 at home. I didn't make it to W/I because I got up too late. The next morning, I weighed in at 207. Talk about shock! Unfortunately, it went back up to 210 on Wednesday, but it was back to 209.5 yesterday. Are you confused yet? Well, today...it was 207. I'm fluctuating right around the 208-210 range. I'm pretty happy with myself.
I didn't go to weigh in yesterday either--we had company from out of town who was leaving in the morning. She'd been here with her boys since Thursday afternoon. We enjoyed ourselves while she was here. They live in Idaho but had been visiting her parents for the month of June.
We've not done too much else this weekend. I went out shopping with a friend from Martial Arts and visited a wonderful kitchen store called Le Gourmet Chef. I picked up some Stonewall Kitchen mixes...things I've wanted to try but hadn't been able to buy from their catalog just yet. This way too, I find out if I liked it. We had the cinnamon swirl quick bread this morning. I calculated it at 4 points since I couldn't find anything to match it with. Not too bad.
For lunch, we took the kids to On The Border and I found out that they have a wonderful (MOST WONDERFUL!!) grilled salmon!! Needless to say, that was my lunch and probably dinner too. I'm not very hungry. A bit thirsty, despite having somewhere around 3 1/2 glasses of water with lunch. I didn't eat the rice either--it wasn't appealing to me. I wanted the salmon and the vegetables. I'm in a vegetable mood today. Last night, hubby and I sat down and for a late-night snack, we had cucumbers. Cucumbers and The Sopranos. Definitely a weird combination. It worked for us.
This weekend was also the Kodanja in Jackson's Gap, Alabama. i really wanted to be there--it would have been a wonderful experience. It just wasn't in my cards this time around...I'll be in much better shape next year anyway. That's my thought. I can't wait to hear from everyone who went how it was. I am envious of them! Hopefully I'll be able to go next year.
I didn't go to weigh in yesterday either--we had company from out of town who was leaving in the morning. She'd been here with her boys since Thursday afternoon. We enjoyed ourselves while she was here. They live in Idaho but had been visiting her parents for the month of June.
We've not done too much else this weekend. I went out shopping with a friend from Martial Arts and visited a wonderful kitchen store called Le Gourmet Chef. I picked up some Stonewall Kitchen mixes...things I've wanted to try but hadn't been able to buy from their catalog just yet. This way too, I find out if I liked it. We had the cinnamon swirl quick bread this morning. I calculated it at 4 points since I couldn't find anything to match it with. Not too bad.
For lunch, we took the kids to On The Border and I found out that they have a wonderful (MOST WONDERFUL!!) grilled salmon!! Needless to say, that was my lunch and probably dinner too. I'm not very hungry. A bit thirsty, despite having somewhere around 3 1/2 glasses of water with lunch. I didn't eat the rice either--it wasn't appealing to me. I wanted the salmon and the vegetables. I'm in a vegetable mood today. Last night, hubby and I sat down and for a late-night snack, we had cucumbers. Cucumbers and The Sopranos. Definitely a weird combination. It worked for us.
This weekend was also the Kodanja in Jackson's Gap, Alabama. i really wanted to be there--it would have been a wonderful experience. It just wasn't in my cards this time around...I'll be in much better shape next year anyway. That's my thought. I can't wait to hear from everyone who went how it was. I am envious of them! Hopefully I'll be able to go next year.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Personality Traits
Personality TraitsI'm scheduled to take a customer service training class on July 21st and we've been given an assignment to determine how well we listen and what the different types of people are. They describe them as "DISC". It's a personality assessment that was created by William Moulton Marston. I've identified myself as an "I C". My manager is most definitely a "D". I don't have the definitions here, other than a "D" is demanding, brusque, doesn't like chit-chat. An "I" wants to be popular, likes to be praised for the job they do. Wait! I just found it on Wikipedia...The tests classify four aspects of personality by testing a person's preferences in word associations (compare with Myers-Briggs Type Indicator). DISC is an acronym for:
These four dimensions can be grouped in a grid with D and I sharing the top row and representing extroverted aspects of the personality, and C and S below representing introverted aspects. D and C then share the left column and represent task-focused aspects, and I and S share the right column and represent social aspects. In this matrix, the horizontal dimension represents a factor of "Assertive" or "Passive", while the vertical represents "Open" vs. "Guarded".
A common general public misconception is that if one is described as having either a D, I, S, or C style that all people are simply categorized into one of four types. The 1970's work by Dr John Geier brought DISC into practical application with substantive research. The Geier research delineated the distinct differences of persons within the 4 factor styles with the advent of the Classical Pattern definitions. It was found that there are distinct differences between persons within each of the 4 style profiles. For example not all D's behave in the same way. The same is accurate for the other styles of behavior. In 1983, Dr. Sanford Kulkin, Ph.D., founded The Institute for Motivational Living, Inc., a training and publishing organization designed to help people communicate better and work together more effectively. As a licensed pastoral counselor, Sandy has trained thousands of pastors and counselors in the use of behavioral and consulting techniques. Because of his experience in behavioral understanding, he has become an internationally recognized expert in developing individual ownership of corporate goals through the use of DISC Assessments. Pretty interesting stuff. I think I rate as a "High I" and a mid line C. I also rate as an "S" too. Everyone has a little of everything in them. I find it interesting. How would you rate yourself? |
Friday, June 22, 2007
Well...
I know how to avoid brownies, which are my downfall...if I bake them with pecans in them, I won't eat them. I just don't like nuts, so that makes them safe for me.
I had a request to make brownies today for the department, so I did. Little did they know that Betty Crocker makes a "Low-Fat" brownie mix, which I made using Enova (less is converted to fat--it's metabolized differently and more goes to energy) oil and Egg Beaters. It'll be healthier for them despite anything. LOL!! I haven't told them about it. YET.
I had a request to make brownies today for the department, so I did. Little did they know that Betty Crocker makes a "Low-Fat" brownie mix, which I made using Enova (less is converted to fat--it's metabolized differently and more goes to energy) oil and Egg Beaters. It'll be healthier for them despite anything. LOL!! I haven't told them about it. YET.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Lessons learned
I think I've learned a valuable lesson. Drink LOTS of water and *never* get on the scale after a day of very low water drinking. I was up 1.5 pounds this morning. I KNOW it's from not drinking enough water. I'm supposed to be making every effort to drink more water. If I drink more this week, maybe I'll see a better loss. I'm back to working out heavy duty now. I can run again. There's a story behind that statement...I tore my left quad a few weeks ago and wasn't able to run. Last night I actually ran for the first time and it didn't hurt! I did lunges too. I can do that without pain now! YIPPEE! I also went out and walked with one of the girls from class on Tuesday. We walked about 2 1/2 miles. It was a good walk. It was hot still, but cooler than it would have been if we'd gone out during lunch. Now that it's full summer in Texas, we're not walking during lunch anymore. We'll wait until the weather cools down in September.
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