CPR and Karate

Hmm, my blog is once again living up to its name, I'm ranting.

Once upon a time, this blog was full of rants all the time.

Right now I'm job hunting. Actually, I'm job hunting for this summer, which I think I may have mentioned in my last full blown rant. For tonight, I have to take a CPR class so I have a certificate telling everybody that I know how to do it. Because you know nothing unless you have something telling everybody you know it.

Anyway, for the job I want, I have to know CPR and First Aid with proof that I know it. So, yippy for me, this week I've got a CPR class and next week I go in for the first Aid class through the American Red Cross. I'm actually looking forward to it, it should be lots of fun.

Tomorrow I'm checking out a Kenpo Karate studio to see if this is the form of martial art to take. Somebody from work suggested it. So far I like it better then the other martial art class I was looking at.

So basically, with life I'm falling back into a routine. I had several road trips planned, but those might have to wait until the spring. For some reason, March = Snow this year.

Which I'm not complaining about! I think I'll hit the mountain tomorrow if the roads clear up!

The Physics of Whoop Ass

So, I got back into Kajukenbo this week. We kind of went less into forms and more into gut instinct and what you can do if you find yourself in a situation where you just have to let loose on the guy and take him out quick and painless, for you at least.

We were kind of going over the rudementary forms over the last couple of days, cutting down to the bare basics, and its been kind of nice, seeing that this might be the last time in Kosovo that I can do Kajukenbo, but fortunately there is a basic Karate class afterwards that I can still attend that runs four times a week. I'm really thinking about jumping in on that starting next week (or the week after, depending on my schedule). But whatever the case, when I get home, I will definitely find a dojo in town and really start focusing on this more. I really do enjoy it.

Meanwhile, as an added bonus, today we went over Knife Techniques and some things you can do to defend yourself if you come in contact with a knife. Or if you have to fight and all you have is a knife. Which is Ok as long as the other guy doesn't have a gun. Good stuff.

I want to get better at the weapons aspect of Martial arts. Especially swords. And I think I want to get into knives.

Does this make me weird?

Kajukenbo, One of the Finer Things in Life

One of the things I have decided I will definitely continue when I get back to the states is Martial Arts, some form or another. If there is a Kajukenbo Dojo in my neck of the woods I'll probably see if I can hook up with them there. But anyway, this week I officially got promoted to Yellow Belt though I have to fine tune my forms a bit more.

They still tell me I have the best kicks in the class. Heh, go ME!

Nate, who I have lately affectionately refer to from here on out as The Boy, is a Red Belt in Tae Kwon Do. I've kind of finaggled him into doing Kajukenbo wiht me, though he was a bit reluctant at first because he didn't want to mix arts, and Tae Kwan Do is primarily Leg Work and Kajukenbo basically goes by hit them til they fall using any means necessary. That's what I like!

Of course, when it comes to sparring, they still have rules. And I need to learn how to stand up straight. I'm horrible at slouching. My posture is awful.

Anyway, we went to class yesterday to find nobody there. Sifu had surgery recently and is on profile so he can't teach us, and the assistant instructor, a black belt proficient in an art that combines Karate with Kung Fu that I forget the name of, was on his spiritual retreat to Greece, it left me and the Boy to our own devices. And I was busy modeling my nifty new yellow belt. It looks pimpin with the Black Uniform.

Well, since nobody was there, we decided to work on forms. So the Boy became my instructor for the rest of the evening and started teaching me different kicks. The Crescent Kick drills made me feel a little weird, to say the least, but I had fun, and it kicked my heiny into shape. I can picture doing these several times a week. I would have sexy legs!

Mayonnaise white legs, true, you can't change some things, no matter how much you try to expose your skin to the Tattooine like sun of Southern Kosovo, but sexy in their own right.

We also started sparring. Sparring is fun, if I didn't stop laughing in the middle of it. We kind of switched off in the defensive and offensive manuevers after I learned that I'm not that good at sparring straight out at this point and need to work on some finer things before I reach that level. Needless to say, the Boy kicked my butt. But its all good, I'm still learning this and more importantly, I'm having fun with it and am committed to becoming better.

We'll spar as a class hopefully tomorrow. Can't wait. Maybe I'll have learned a thing or two that I can take with me when they pit me against somebody who is undoubtedly better then I am?

One can only hope. I'll try to get pictures later.

Sparring

We started Sparring in Kajukenbo yesterday. Ow. Some of these people are pretty quick in my class, and I don't have my form down all of the way so sometimes I'm trying to block and hit with the same arm and end up flailing while I lean into the punch to much.

That caused me to get smacked in the throat. Ick. That didn't feel good! I also learned that blocking a kick with an open hand is not very smart.

But Sparring is one of the best ways to get used to the form of learning the technique, anyway I got the beginners form down pretty good, I just need to crisp it up a bit.

Ok, I need to work on my form a lot. Just going over punches and kicks in class outside of sparring is a lot different then actually using them against somebody.

Regardless, I had a lot of fun and found out what a work out that can be. I've also noticed a difference in my legs since I took up Kajukenbo. Its a good thing.

To think, I almost didn't go last night becuase I was 'tired'. Gimme a break. I need to slap any sign of weakness like that out of my body right now.

Especially since Sifu has recently stepped up the discipline in the class.

Star Trekkin'

I was over at The Boy's Hut and we were just kind of relaxing for the evening as I had a freakin' vertigo headache that sends me for a loop and he talked me out of going to Kajukenbo for the day, seeing he does Tae Kwan Do and was giving me some advice that Martial Arts and Dizzy Spells don't go well together.

I was kind of sad because I wanted to wear my new Martial Arts Shoes that I just got.

So we watched Trekkies instead. I guess I got a think for Documentaries, and heck, for Mockumentaries (ala Best in Show, Mighty Wind, Waiting for Guffman) however Trekkies was a full blown documentary about Star Trek Lovers.

I had never seen the show, but I felt a wave of nastalgia watching it, seeing as when I was a kid, right about the time Star Trek, the Next Generation ended, I became a huge Star Trek fan. It lasted about two or three years too. About the second season of Voyager is when the love started to die away (which started getting a hair bit cheesey).

But I had a serious thing going for Star Trek. But I stopped watching it because I guess I outgrew it, or something. Or maybe I realized just how over the top with velveeta Star Trek was.

Well, watching this show was relieving to me because I thought I was bad. Bloody Hell, some of these people are grade A psychos! Talk about Obsession, I'm just glad it didn't reach that level with me!

But for some reason, after watching that show, a part of me wanted to watch a couple episodes of ST:TNG. I know somebody who has a few seasons, maybe I can borrow a couple discs and watch it, see if I can remember how cheesy it was back then. And then maybe the desire will die away again.

Roundhouse

More on Kajukenbo

Kajukenbo continues. . .

I'm on my third week of this, last Saturday the uniforms came in and now I can feel like a real martial artist, in a sweet lookin' black Gee and a white belt.

Yeah, so everyone knows that a white belt means I'm a newb, but the white belt goes very well with the black gee.

And I took pictures.




It is hard to get a picture in the middle of a kick. It is even harder to do it without making some sort of stupid face.


Punches are a lot easier.


I don't know about you, but that looks an awful lot like my 'not sorry' face. I'm feeling really self conscious about my hair lately too. Oh well, I like 'not sorry' better, but this is cool. I'm going to attempt to get more pictures later, and maybe even some videos or something.

In Other News - I put together a video of me singing Karaoke (I could easily use this stuff to black mail myself, its that bad) and also included a clip with me singing with Lit. However, internet connection is still hella slow and I have to use FTP to upload a file this big.

That means that the internet freaks out. I'll try to blackmail myself to my public asap.

Extra Curricular Plans for this Week

Note: I posted about this earlier, and then my internet connection promptly up and died, which by the way, is one of the reasons why I haven't been posting to this thing lately.

I got talked into doing Karaoke tonight. This should be interesting.

I guess I'll take my camera and get a shot of me singing. I have a video camera that I bought that I haven't used once however.

Added Note: Did Karaoke tonight, had a flippen' blast! That is now one of the main things I get to do every night week, or every other week, maybe, from this point on.

Video to follow. I promise. Then you can hear me sing, I sang four songs in all, When I'm Gone By 3 Doors Down, Disease by Matchbox 20, Don't Speak by No Doubt, and a duet to Picture by Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow, to which I might add, I sucked majorly so, but had a lot of fun. I got videos off all, and I will snibbits from each

I think I'll take that with me tomorrow to the Lit concert. Yeah, a band with some name recognition has come to sing for the troops in the balkans. They have automatically assumed a level of ultra coolness in my eyes. I will give the laydown on Lit tomorrow night, or Tuesday morning, depending on how out of it I am.

Also, my Gee came in. For Kajukenbo. I'm taking my camera with me on Tuesday and I'll get some pictures of me doing some Roundhouse Kicks in the proper attire.

In other plans that have been eating at my free time, I've gotten to a point where I'm actually updating regularly with my Comic. Mt Lubojan (commonly referred to as Big Duke) has made a candid appearance within it. This is the mountain we see every day to the South of Camp Bondsteel. It really is a beautiful mountain.

I plan on going on the DANCON road march next Sunday. However, I've been tasked with Driver's Duty, and now i have to find somebody to take over Drivers Duty over so I could go on a 25K road march sponsored by the Danes instead. There will be pictures, and I will post about that, and I'll probably make use out of my neglected Milblog once again.

And the latest on the iPod, because several people have asked about it.

It works now. I threatened it, and it has since behaved. It hasn't paused on me once today and I've been listening to it practically all day too. It has been a good little iPod, I just wish it would be a bit more random in its song selection.

Note: As soon as I typed this, it started scratching up songs and pausing once again. But I don't know if it was becuase it was out of juice or not. Is plugged in and juicing up batteries as we speak

In work related news, this week we plan on having the website up. I just have to get the content from the other sections. And I need to learn some different scripts to put up some pictures.

Those pictures are going to be the end of me. I swear it.

Bulgaria is officially on. I even went shopping for some real normal clothes that don't say KFOR or Army on them. I've bought a lot of T-shirts while I've been here and none of them are wise to wear outside of the United States, and we aren't allowed to wear civilian clothes here.

Which means I got to be a girl and go SHOPPING for real clothes!!!

When shopping for clothes makes me excited, something's going on. Or I'm just getting burned out on Camouflage, Combat Boots and PTs.

Something obviously.

iPod Continued. . .

Well, apparently ever since I posted that my iPod was going to be taken back, Fuji seems to have felt the threat and has been cooperating quite nicely lately. I'll give it until Sunday and if it does this again, sorry little iPod, but its back in the box and into the store for you. And I will pick up one of your identical twin brothers and hope it behaves better.

If that one doesn't, I'll give up on the iPod. But I really do enjoy it so far. When it doesn't pause in the middle of a song.

Meanwhile, Greece trip classes are now completed. I was hoping to get in on the class taking place at the end of May, but the Sofia Bulgaria leave trips are now in operation starting next week. I will be taking one of those MidMay, which will set me up for Greece some time in August. I was planning on doing it in the other order, but this works out nicely.

And day 2 of the Kajekenbo class. We have a few people in the class with us, one a brown belt in Judo, several of them obviously experienced with some form of martial art, and they are all impressed with the laout of the course. I'm weak on my stance and my punches, but I was told that I have a very good toe kick. I thinking kicking will likely be my strength. Whatever the case, I have decided to continue this for sure after I'm done deploying.

Kajukenbo

I did my first Martial Arts class last night, which i learned is available every Tuesday and Thursday. Its called Kajukenbo and includes a lot of hand movements, punching, kicking and screaming "KE-YAH!" a lot.

Its also a lot of fun.

I discovered that I need to get more comfortable with the form, as getting back in the cat stance sometimes feels a little awkward, but I think once I get a feeling for it, maybe I can actually pick it up.

Apparently, Kajukenbo is a hybrid martial art form taking aspects from Karate, Judo and Jujitsu, Kenpo and Gung Fu. When I was in Jr High, I took a few classes of Tae Kwan Do (the first few lessons of that instructor were free) and had a blast and always wanted to do Martial Arts afterward. I wish now that I would have been able to take it, as I think I would have really enjoyed it.

Anyway, an instructor who is a third degree black belt of Kajukenbo is in Kosovo and he offered to teach troops the art for free. He wants to get us into a different uniform then the standard PT uniform and we have permission to wear it when we're in class and I'm thinking "an excuse to get out of army clothes when I'm not in my room? Cool! Sign me up!"

Of course, I'll have to buy the clothes, but meanwhile, until we leave here, and the few times I'm interrupted by leave and FMPP dates, I will be taking Kajukenbo. When I get home, I might see if I can find another instructor or just try to get into some other class in the martial arts field and go from there. If nothing else, it is a great way to get in shape.