Unfashionable

Blogging seems to have lost it's lustre. I think I am a bit bored with it. How do I keep my interest?

Maybe it's because I have been so busy. Selling a flat, buying another, work, training, social stuff.

Maybe it's better to just do rather than talk about doing. On the other hand I rather liked getting my thoughts out of my head.

Bah!

Konnichi wa

Hello all (I do sometimes wonder if there is an all anymore, perhaps there is just a you? Or maybe just a me? Ah well blogging is in effect a solitary act sort of like written masturbation so does it really matter? The woods are empty but those falling trees really do make a sound and that sound is the tapping of keys).

Anyway... On with the post.

I am trying to learn Japanese. It helps with Aikido given that Aikido is a Japanese martial art and all the moves, strikes, throws commnds etc are given in Japanese. Some might call this pretentious but to steal a joke from Grant Naylor....,
"Pretentious? Watashi?"

Well, it made me laugh.

Anyway it's not easy. Romanji fair enough but katakana and hiragana? Sweet googly moogly that's some hard learnin'! On the bright side it's quite an interesting thing to look at. Did you know that there are no plurals? On top of this I am training extra hard to get better. Not an easy task, it takes years and years to get good and a lifetime may not be enough to master it all.

The brilliant thing about all the exercise I have been getting is that I have been able to carb up. I am a bit of a lover of big sandwiches and now I need the extra protein etc I can get back to the trough!

Work is a bit weird at the moment. There is a situation brewing that is really testing me. I feel like I have been dumped in the middle of something that I really don't want to get involved with. I guess we just do what we must.

On the bright side it's Friday and I am not training again until Tuesday so I have three days of R&R durinmg which I intend sample booze and food!

Anyway duty calls, have a good one all.

Weirdly happy

Hi,
Thought I'd pop by and blow the cobwebs from the corners of my blog. Me? What have I been up to?

Ok.

Selling my place. It's so clean and tidy it's like someone nice actually lives there. I have a viewing today actually so fingers crossed. Although I would have to be lucky as it's only been on the market a couple of days and I hear it can take months. I am trying to be zen about it!

On the bright side I have been getting some extra Aikido training. I am exhausted as I am also doing yoga twice a week and running too. Getting fit. Although I am tired it's left me with a really nice feeling of well being. Which is nice :-).

I also thought I'd take the time to mention how beautiful it is where I live. Sorry if that sounds smug but at dawn when there is no one else about and I am running it's amazing.

For those of you who have read my earlier blogging may be a bit surprised at the tone of this one. Usually I am pretty angry at the world but at the moment I am pretty chilled. It could be that it's Friday, it could be that I am not training again until Sunday, it could even be exhaustion induced euphoria, whatever it is it's superb. If I could bottle this I'd be very rich!

AND....

Tonight I am off out for dinner and a cheeky drink. If I was doing any better I just couldn't live with myself.

See ya

Did I mention?

I passed my grading. The learning curve keeps getting steeper though.

So all good there. I also decided to go back to yoga. Did I mention that? Mostly to help my flexibility but also for the superb feeling of relaxation it gives me.

So bored at work.

Friday

Friday is the greatest day in the world. Except for xmas day or payday Friday. Apart from the exceptional dates, in the week Friday is the best day. The whole weekend is stretched out before you, anything could happen. Friday is full of potential and you have a whole weekend to play with.

I guess it shows that I have been looking forward to the weekend. I have a tough weekend though. I need to pass my first Aikido grading. I have put in the work but there is still random chance to cock it up. I have trained a lot recently and every night this week. I should be able to deliver the magic on demand or at least i hope so.

This happens on Sunday so I will be training tonight and tomorrow as well. Well a half day Saturday, I intend to do a little hiking. There may also be a chance of me having a few beers Sunday night so I expect Monday morning will consist of me complaining a lot!

I hope everyone else has fun times planned.

Been a while

It's been some time since I posted anything. To be fair I have been pretty busy. I took some time out and have been training really hard. I have bruises on my bruises but my ribs have stopped singing every time I move.

I went to an Aikido seminar for the weekend a bit back. I learned loads. For example I learned that I am better than I thought I was but that I have a lifetimes worth of stuff to learn. I also learned how quick the black belt dans are. My break falling improved through necessity but I learned that if they were really trying it wouldn't be nearly enough. Not a bad lesson to learn against people who have the control to throw me as hard as I can survive but no harder.

Oh yes, on the weekend I made Manchester tart for my best friend. She missed it. The recipe I had starts with a blind baked shortcrust pastry case. You spread raspberry jam on the bottom of the case and sprinkle dessicated coconut on it. That's apparently it for traditional Manchester tart except you serve it with custard. The recipe I had included a custard layer that then set so that it was included in the tart. All in all it was pretty wicked.

I'm back low carbing. Aikido seems to be easier if I am lighter so I dropped about 6 lbs.

Best be off

Redundancy

The word is being whispered about the corridors. I don't like the cut of it's jib. It's a scary time and I cannot afford to lose my job.

I am generally lucky with everything but love so here's hoping.

There is dead wood about the place so I hope they wont chop the supple green limb that's yours truly.

Apart from that things are good. I am progressing at Aikido and generally having fun about the place.