Blue Stuff

It looks like we've more-or-less lost two more Blue Belts.

They are teenagers who will be moving away soon. They are still around, but aren't working towards level progress any more.

It was starting to look like that for Blue Belts we were going to be down to the instructor, Corey, and myself.

Last night another young Blue Belt showed up. He seemed keen to start training regularly again. He's my level and exactly at the same spot in the curriculum that I am. It would be great if he follows through. We shall see.

On the new-Blue-Belt front things are hopeful. One guy is already part way through is Blue Belt exam, and another is due to start in April. There are a couple more that could be ready by June.

Since I got my Blue Belt last June, we have had nobody else reach that level.

About time we did.

New Kinda Winter

This isn't a particularly cold part of Canada, but the winters here are dark and very wet. It would be a good time to get away. In my entire life I've only been away from Canada once in the winter.

My parents used to have a place in Palm Springs, and we spent one winter vacation there with them. It was warm, sunny, and the songbirds were out every morning.

This coming winter, Helen and I will be in Los Angeles for January and February. This should nicely break up the winter-ness.

What will we do? I'll be at Jiu-Jitsu eleven times a week. The rest of my time, and all of Helen's will be free. What else will be do?

Helen likes Disneyland a lot, almost as much as me. We'll be there at least weekly. Probably it will be more, and only a half hour drive away.

We've been down there many times, and have done a fair bit of other stuff. Most of it we haven't done in decades. We'll certainly have time.

Hollywood, and Universal Studios? You bet. Japantown, the wax museum, Griffith Park Zoo, the Queen Mary, San Pedro, Santa Monica, and Venice Beach are all musts.

We haven't ever done the La Brea Tar Pits, and I've wanted to for years. There are lots of other things we've never discovered.

A bit farther away and we can get to Santa Barbara, or San Diego, or Palm Springs. I love the missions scattered around the area, too.

It could be a full-time job just hunting out eateries.

We'll also be right next to a giant mall, with another a short drive away.

I think our folding bikes need to go along.

The Last Month

It was a Karate seminar Saturday. It called for two ferry rides, one at 6:20am, but wonderful none-the-less.

Got a good workout and reconnected with people. I also got an answer to a Kata question I've been pursuing for years. We even got to visit Costco afterward.

I did have to miss a private lesson at Jiu-Jitsu and a bit of open mat.

One can't have everything.

Over the next three weeks on the mat, I'll be cranking off a total of five techniques. For me that is full speed ahead.

That's when Spring Break kicks in, and my training shuts down. Helen and I will head over to Victoria for a week of house sitting and family visiting. The time off will be very pleasant.

Then, for the last week of March we are home and back to normal.

April starts, and I am retired.

End and Begin

My last work day is March 28^th. The papers are all in. All is official.

When I picked my retirement date, I didn't think of all the ramifications, but it will be perfect timing.

I hate staggering into vacation time. This is a common teacher phenomenon. We get to Christmas, or summer, or spring break and drop exhausted the moment it arrives. The first few days are spent recovering. This isn't really me whining. Teachers get great vacation time. It is just a fact that we are truly beat by the time they arrive.

I didn't want this to happen as I roll into retirement. A logical end time would have been spring break. If I had chosen that, I would be staggering into my new life.

I am teaching up to and passed spring break. I get the vacation, and will get to it exhausted and take a few days to recover. I return to work for my last week right after that. I will not be exhausted after one week back. I will go into retirement perky and refreshed.

That work week is only four days long, as it ends with a statutory holiday. It will be Easter Weekend. We will be meeting friends in Vancouver. They will be down from Vernon to visit family, and we are invited along. It will be days of fun and giggles.

After that, teachers go back to work, but not me. I will start my new life with very full batteries. I'll be running, biking and relaxing. We also have a new floor to install in the basement. I don't want to rush over that, but a week seems reasonable. Helen also wants that room reorganized, and it's the perfect chance. Move the stuff out, do the floor, and reorg' anything that goes back in. A lot of it is school stuff that will be heading to the dump

It is all perfect; getting spring break, a few days back, and the weekend with friends.

I hope my first retired day will be sunny. I'd love to bike, and run, and start the floor.

But then, there's no rush.

New Blues

Bit of a milestone this week.

I'm working away the Jiu-Jitsu curriculum from either end. My level has a total of 60 techniques and their variations.

In group lessons we've completed the first 16 of the 60. In solo lessons I've done from 60 down to 56.

That means I've done 20 of the 60 techniques. I am exactly 1/3 of the way through. Huzzah.

Also this week my instructor decided that the group lesson can cut the normal 3-week review period down to 2 weeks for my level. This was because I'm the only one my level doing the group lessons, and I review every week at open mat time.

It would be great if there were more people my level working on the group lessons, but being the only regular one has shaved another week off of my goal date. It's nice that my instructor is supportive of my goal.

I can't see this happening again. Even if none of the other current Blues starts training regularly again, Ryan will soon be joining us. He's working through his test for Blue Belt right now. The only thing holding him back is his work schedule.

He is eager to get done, so he can start coming to the Blue Belt sessions. They happen an hour later than his current class. His work schedule would no longer be in conflict.

No more shortened review periods, but a regular partner to train with will be sweet.

The next to be ready for Blue won't be far behind. April would be his month to start testing. He's a keener, too.

Two Blue Belts in two months. That's pretty good.

Monster Phone replacement

I use a laptop and iPad and a phone. Those are my main current devices.

More and more I use the iPad. I only use the laptop with things the iPad can't do. And the phone? It is only to receive texts. The texts are all to and from my wife. My fourth device is an iPod touch, mostly to listen to books.

The phone is just a piece of junk. The iPod is starting to get cranky, and may die soon.

I can see a time when I won't need the laptop at home. It may be my last computer ever.

Could I make do with just one device? Just what do I need?

It would have to be small and light enough to fit in a pocket, and to be hauled around all day. It has to be able to receive my wife's texts. It needs to have wireless data access everywhere. It must have a good camera.

This all sounds a lot like an iPhone but I need a big screen as well. I carry my iPad around a lot and it's really just too big and heavy.

I am convinced my next device will be an iPad mini. It is smaller, and less than half the weight of a full sized one.

It was first introduced last October. It would be reasonable to assume the next version will come out in October of this year.

I bet I'll get one.

I'll save money on my phone plan right away. Data for the iPad can cost as little as $5 a month. That would be enough to cover my normal texting needs through iMessage. If I do more than that the price goes up, but it will never pass, or even reach what I 'm paying now.

When we are wandering LA next year, we can iMessage each other, and can track each other with FindMyIPhone.

I can't think of a better system.

Way Back

I've been thinking a lot about our extended trip to LA next winter.

While there, I'll be training twice each day during the week. The classes run from an hour to an hour and a half, with one around mid-day, and one in the evening. This leaves plenty of time in the afternoon to do fun stuff together. The shortest downtime is five hours, and the longest is over eight.

On the weekends there is a single class Saturday morning. This is over by 10am, leaving the rest of the time free.

We are both thinking up things to do already.

One thing we haven't considered yet are the trips down to LA and back. We will be driving, so as to have wheels while there. What route, and how long do we want to take?

I suspect we'll drive down pretty directly. I'm thinking we should arrive on January 5^th. This is right after our traditional visit to family and friends in Victoria. This would mean heading down I-5, stopping for probably two nights on the way. Therefore leaving BC on January 3^rd. If this feels too tight, we can easily move it all back a week.

Let's assume that the trip down will be from the 3^rd to the 5^th. That would put the start of the trip back north to be early March.

There are three, very different routes home.

First, power back up I-5 without smelling the roses. This will be the option if we just want to go home.

Second, dawdle up the coast on a mix of highways 1 and 101. A much nicer drive, and more conducive to stopping in places like Monterey and San Francisco. Maybe a few days sprinkled here or there.

The third option involves heading inland and hitting Las Vegas, then north through Nevada and Idaho. We both really like Vegas, but right now that seems the least likely option. Being small town people we will likely not be needing any more glitz after several months in LA, but you never know.

Teacher

Teachers sometimes get days to work on becoming better teachers. This usually means attending workshops, seminars and such.

Today was the last one I shall ever attend. There was a keynote speaker, followed by the workshops.

I had claimed the staff room, (comfy chairs) and showed a small group how to set up, and use their iPads to maximum effect.

On my last teacher day, I was being a teacher. When I go to Karate, I'm the teacher. Soon I'll retire from being a teacher.

Tonight it was open-mat night at Jiu-Jitsu. That's where people do, well, whatever. I was mostly doing Karate kata, and reviewing my Jiu-Jitsu. One girl was practicing with her staff. Some did Hapkido and some just chatted.
 

One of our White Belts was working solo. He is a mma guy, and joined us to improve his grappling skills. He has a fight in two weeks. I grabbed him and we rolled a bit.
 

I kept stopping the action and showing him things. After that, I showed him a few tricks from the advanced curriculum that might just be useful in his upcoming bout, but that are also easy to absorb. I was teaching.
 

Is it any wonder that I feel honoured when someone at Karate calls me “Sensei”.
 

It means teacher.

Skin game

What are the biggest threats to martial artists?

I've been hit quite a few times over the years. There have been a few black eyes and cut lips, but the biggest thing by far was a punch that cracked a rib. Not such a bad record for over 30 years of training.

There have been hurt toes, and lots of bruises, but nothing bad. At Jiu-Jitsu, my arms get sore sometimes after a night of repetition of a single submission technique. The feeling has always been gone in a day.

So what scares me?

Back when I was an assistant wrestling coach at the high-school level, we battled the threat constantly. A Jiu-Jitsu friend trained one night at a mma gym and was hospitalized due to the same threat. Our club is aware of the threat, and takes measures to minimize the risk.

The danger is skin infection.

Prevention is pretty easy. Mopping the mats with disinfectant regularly destroys the assorted bacteria, viruses, and forms of fungus. At wrestling, we used to wash down the mats before each and every practice. I only saw one case of fugal infection there. The kid was benched until all he was cleared by a doctor.

At our Jiu-Jitsu school, nobody has come down with anything.

My friend went to one session where the mat wasn't cared for properly, and ended up on intravenous antibiotics. Granted, this was an extreme case.

Individuals can lessen their personal risk by not wearing a uniform more than once before laundering. Problem organisms can live in the sweaty cloth. It's also a good idea to shower or wash after each session to get any beasties off the skin.

I don't think many know to fear for their skin/