Candidate Journals

It's over.  We're done.  Hopefully everyone did well and passed.  The mat during the Tea Ceremony is going to be crowded, though, that's for certain. This Cycle was so different from the rest.  While I did, occasionally, question my sanity for signing up to do this all over again, I never actually found myself wanting to quit.  Both times before I had to remind myself, "Always finish what you start," in order to push through.  This Cycle was also full of injuries.  I sprained my ankle before it even started and that prevented me from getting back into sparring class prior to the start in July.  Then I damaged my finger in sparring class during Week 2.  Gabe tried to adjust her roll during Friday night's testing to avoid rolling into someone - and hurt herself in the process.  (For everyone following along at home, she's mostly fine.  Nothing is broken...

Like everyone else, I'm sure, I didn't have any requirements to check off today.  I finished up the last little bits of that yesterday so today was workout free and just reviewing as much as I could in the time I had after work. It's funny how the last couple of weeks I was ready to go and wanted to get testing over with.  Now that it's staring me in the face, it's unnerving even though I know that I know my required curriculum.  Now all that's left is to pack up everything I need for Friday night and maybe a little bit more review tomorrow.  And to get all my snacks and everything else together tomorrow as well.Get some sleep, everyone, and I'll see you tomorrow night at North Charlotte.

Today I made up for missing my physical requirements on Tuesday.  I did four minutes of each by myself during the day and four minutes with Gabe after dinner.  I hate having to play catchup but it's not like I've got 20 extra minutes of everything banked.  I wish I'd worked ahead more during the early part of the Cycle but, at this point, I'm happy with where I'm at and just want to get everything done on time.

As I see the totals remaining on the tracking creeping down with some of them inching closer and closer to zero, the finality of finishing The Cycle and moving into testing night looms ever closer.  I feel pretty good about everything I know but I wouldn't want to have to test this weekend.  I'm glad we've got 3 1/2 more weeks before testing so we've got time to really lock in what we've been learning. I'm looking forward to being "done" but not just yet.

Just caught up my logging from my book and realized that I have way more burpees done than the other physical requirements.  And not just a handful but a significant amount.  Started paging back through the weeks and realized I accidentally logged 44 minutes instead of 4 one day back in August, probably due to double-tapping the key on the keyboard.  I'd rather have the 44 but I didn't do them and I don't want to suddenly find out on testing night that I'm short by 40 due to a typo.

Not certain how much longer I'll keep journaling.  It's a bit weird to keep going but I'm enjoying taking a few minutes to wrap up my day this way. This morning we had class and decided not to stay for Muay Thai.  We didn't sleep well last night and needed to get home and eat some real food before kicking our little hearts out.  After that we finished our requirements for the day and ran some errands.  Samuel helped make dinner and did a really good job and our eldest made some half-brownies/half-blondies out of his Minecraft cookbook.  But now it's time for bed.

It's weird having my journals finished so early - and then to be writing more just out of habit is a bit odd, too.  I am enjoying chronicling my days, however. Today was another busy day at work but it did slow down around 4:30 which was nice because it gave me time to get dressed for sparring class and get all my gear together.  Samuel and I got in the car and headed down and I realized my gas tank was pretty low.  I had more than enough gas to get to the dojang and, fortunately, I did remember that I needed to get some before I left the parking lot after class. Sparring class was good; it's nice to do different things every time.  I think the kids enjoyed Gabe's warmup trivia game, too.  I got my 1v2 out of the way tonight as did she.  We stayed after...

Samuel seems like he's getting better; hopefully he can go back to school tomorrow.  But now Gabe's getting sick so no idea what's going on.  Especially with sparring class tomorrow and then Black Belt class and the kickathon on Saturday. Spent a good portion of the day working straight through things - had to force myself to actually take lunch (and then used it to knock out two miles).  We did some self-defenses before dinner and rolls & falls afterwards.  Nothing too exciting, just another average day on the Cycle.

I don't think I ever took a lunch today.  It was so busy that I survived on quick trips to the kitchen to grab snacks.  It happens sometimes and it wasn't even because of the Cycle. Samuel was still home sick today so no Black Belt class for me tonight.  Gabe went by herself instead and brought back some tips about our forms for testing.  While she was gone I practiced all the self-defenses I know and all the non-weapons forms I know.  (I did all my weapons forms yesterday.)  Both of those pretty much filled up all the required time for the day.  I do like this part of the cycle where I can cover everything I know without "going over".  There's no harm in doing extra but sometimes you only have enough time for the required requirements.

With the holiday weekend over, it's time to get back to work.  Unfortunately, Samuel was not only home sick but missed a whole day of school.  He seemed better tonight so we'll see how he does in the morning without any painkillers on board.  We have a quarterly update meeting tomorrow in the office but it looks like I'll be watching the broadcast from home. I got most of my requirements done before 5pm and since I stayed home with Samuel while Gabe went to the dojang to teach class, I practiced all my weapons forms and all my self-defenses.  Not a very exciting day; just an ordinary, average day on the Cycle.

It's always a bit weird having a Monday holiday off work.  Tomorrow's going to feel like Monday but it won't be.  And I'll have to keep track of what day it is based on what the previous day's class(es) at the dojang were. Today we got up and Gabe decided to make apple fritters with some of yesterday's haul.  I ate way more than I probably should but I didn't really eat dinner last night and I think my body was desperate for the calories.  We got our physical requirements done in the morning and started in on kicks, forms, and self-defenses.  We tried to make up some of what we missed yesterday while travelling but didn't have enough time to double up on everything. I wanted to make an apple pie but didn't ever get a chance to do so.  It fell by the wayside as we started working on...

Today we decided to draw on some of our banked time and went up to Hendersonville for the Apple Festival.  Sadly, the vendor we really wish would come back seems to have stopping coming; I don't think we've seen them since pre-Covid.  However, we did get some food and drinks and got some mileage in.  It started storming so we headed to the car and went to get some food.  After a couple of stops to feed everyone, the rain broke so we went apple picking and got more mileage in there as well.  We came home with a lot of apples and some treats and managed to get our physical requirements done for the day. I'm glad we've got (hopefully) enough poomesae and self-defense time banked since we didn't have time get to those.  We'll probably do a bit extra tomorrow but we'll see how things look.  I've got a...

It feels weird to get up and not go to class on Saturday.  We toyed with the idea of trying to make it up to Lake Norman but we'd have been late no matter what given that we have to drop our eldest off at work at 8am.  And that's not even counting the invitation to do focused higher belt curriculum prior to class.  Instead we stayed home and worked on Cycle requirements and then did our weekly shopping. Tomorrow we're planning on trying to get up to the mountains for either apple picking, the Apple Festival, or maybe both.  Unfortunately, the food isn't much of a lure with the dietary challenge but we'll see what happens.  Either way, I think getting out of town for half the day would be nice.  I don't really see how people on the Cycle mange vacations - the one time we did that we...

  It's finally Friday - which means rushing from work down to sparring class at North Charlotte. Another busy day but this time I mostly snacked during the day because I didn't really have time for lunch.  At 5pm I gathered up all my gear and both of our jump ropes and headed down for class.  It was raining really hard partway through the drive and then mostly cleared up; it was very strange weather. Tonight's class was a cranked up just a bit compared to last week but it was a good class.  Instructor Max does a good job keeping it lighthearted without losing focus and stressing important lessons without stressing out the class.  After all was said and done and we were packing up to leave and we got to watch him spar with Master Opey.  Then it was time to come home and eat dinner and finish up...

  I didn't get as many Cycle requirements done during work as I did yesterday.  I was a bit busier and had more steady testing to accomplish so there was less time to slip in physical training.  I did manage to get the physical stuff done before I headed to the dojang, however.  Once I got there I had enough time to do some rolls and falls on the mats before leading warmups and helping with class. After we came home, we did our kick practice while dinner was cooking and afterwards it was time for self-defenses and poomsae.  Tomorrow is sparring class and then a rare dojang-free weekend.  Of course, with the Cycle at full swing, we still have to fit in requirements; we just don't have to dress out.

Today was a good day, which is surprising given that we mostly spent the day spinning our wheels at work.  Fortunately, the issue was tracked down and resolved, freeing us up to move on to the things we're supposed to be doing.  Ironically, it wasn't even anything our team had done - it was a third party issue. On the Cycle side of things, I got almost everything done before I left for the dojang - only kicks left to do and I got those done before coming home.  With 18 minutes to cover with both forms and self-defenses, we're just about to the point where I can practice everything I know without going too far over the 'limit'.  It does make me glad that I'm "only" testing for 3rd Dan; it seems like there's a lot of new forms to learn between 3rd and 4th.  Fortunately, I don't need to...

Got up this morning and picked up where I left off yesterday with work.  Things were pretty busy and I didn't get my physical requirements finished until almost 5pm. I misplaced my book in the kitchen so I didn't get a chance to get to the dojang to help with class; instead I got there in time to get ready for the adult color belt class.  We spent a lot of time on Hwarang, Yi Jang, Sa Jang, Yuk Jang, and Pal Jang.  It was a good refresher and a reminder that I should practice all the color belt forms regularly.  As we get deeper into the Cycle, I know I'll probably wind up covering every poomsae I know at least once a day but even now, it wouldn't hurt to revisit all these forms more regularly than I have been. After class we had PMAA and worked on Knife C. ...

This morning I got up and took our eldest to an appointment and just barely missed getting back in time for a meeting.  I had already let the team know I wasn't going to be able to make it so it was OK.  And then every time I thought I was done with a task, something else showed up.  I did get a lot done and we're getting our checklists for quarterly releases into much better shape.  Our new QA has turned out to be quite a good find. I also got my allergy shots and they realized that they're out of my serum so no more shots until they get more in.  No idea how long that'll take but, ironically, this is when I'm just a couple of increases away from maintenance dosage so this should be interesting, especially if they have to drop me down to repeat a shot. Tonight...

Sunday morning means practice at the park.  It's nice to be able to get outside without it being terribly hot and we managed to get a lot of work done with both forms and self-defenses.  Afterwards we came home and had lunch but the dog stole the turkey sausage (cooked) off a plate on the counter.  She's a dirty sneak thief and doesn't seem to care about house rules. After lunch Gabe and Rachael went to the gym but I stayed home because someone at FedEx tagged the treadmill to arrive today.  We didn't really believe it would happen but I stayed home just in case.  It's a good thing I did because Joshua had some technical problems with his Minecraft account which I was able to get sorted out.  The treadmill, however, is now supposed to arrive tomorrow which makes far more sense. Gabe made a couple of different cakes...

It's Saturday which means Black Belt class.  We had to be in a bit early because the 2nd Dans and higher we told to be there by 8am.  Unfortunately Gabe left her Cycle book at home in our rush to get out but I guess that's only fair because I left my hogu in the dojang after sparring on Frida because of our rush to leave so Instructor Max could lock up and get out. For class we started out working on our forms which was nice to get some extra attention and then when 8:15 hit, the actual class started.  We did a lot of rolling and also wound up doing BoCho Dan special - so let's add some falling to those rolls.  It was kind of exhausting but good in that Master Evins was able to really explain some of the finer details of the techniques. After class Gabe...

It's finally Friday!  We're at the end of week 6 and, I suppose, officially halfway through the Cycle.  It's also my birthday which is ironic given that the first day of week 1 was our wedding anniversary.  For my birthday I did something I don't normally do and treated myself to a lunch out. After work I packed up all my stuff and headed down to the dojang for sparring class.  I really like the way Instructor Max teaches things differently than Master Evins - it's always helpful to get a different perspective and train in different ways.  We did a lot of new stuff and I think it was both fun and educational.  Afterwards we came home, had dinner, and worked on Cycle stuff for a bit before it was time to get everyone ready for bed.  Gotta get to bed early tonight as we've been told to show up 15...

I got up today and, somewhat reluctantly, dragged myself out the house for a walk.  I'm behind on mileage and while I know I'll have time to make it up, I don't want to get too far behind after losing a lot of days to bad weather.  Between before work and during lunch, I managed to knock out three miles and finally got within 90% of where I'm supposed to be so the warning message on the tracking finally disappeared.  I'm getting better about getting physical requirements done before 5pm and, in fact, had most of them done by time I went out for my lunch walk.  I guess that's easier to do when you don't wind up taking lunch until after 1pm but I'll take the small victory. Gabe changed her mind about helping with class so I packed up her uniform and her bag and brought that down with my...

Sometimes I'm not really certain what day it is anymore.  I mostly go by what class I was in yesterday and what class I'm in today.  And whether or not I'm working (so I know if it's the weekend or not).  Today is Wednesday which means Black Belt class and then being mentored.  We spent almost the whole of class working on Self-Defenses.  We need to practice being more dynamic with them.  After class, in mentoring, we did stick and staff forms and our 2nd Dan self-defenses (one-step and special).  And now that we're home, it's time for dinner and then bed.  And logging Cycle work.

  Today work was slow and steady and I got a bunch of stuff done.  Got someone to help me repair my Visual Studio configuration so I was able to actually do some stuff today.  And worked on my physical requirements in between. Tonight was Blue Belt night, apparently.  I worked on kicks with the blue belts in the Senior Tigers class and then worked on blue Belt curriculum with my mentee.  In between we did approximately 150,000 kicks in the adult class.  We also had PMAA tonight and learned some more knife takedowns and also got to see the open-handed application of the same.  Also, those of us who tested recently got our new rank certificates. I know we're kind of at the peak of the physical requirements and it feels so tedious.  My shoulders always feel fine until I start doing some push-ups and then they remind me just...

On the Cycle, it seems like there's always something.  Today it was trying to get my allergy shots.  I got out of the house a few minutes late but still with enough time to get there before they stopped for lunch.  Except the was a closure on the road outside the subdivision.  And my gas light came on because I didn't fill up on Friday after sparring.  And then the massive accident that I had to go around.  Somehow I still made it with a few minutes to spare. Then when I got back home I tried to get some more work done and after finally obtaining access to the code repository, it wouldn't compile.  We tried a lot of stuff but nothing would kick it loose.  And near the end of the day I was told to stop worrying about it because it might get built out onto one of...

This morning, we dragged ourselves out of bed and headed to the park for some practice.  Not a good place to roll or fall but we can't still all work together on self defenses.  We also did some weapons forms before everyone broke up.  Later we went to the gym and I managed to do an hour on the treadmill. I still don't feel quite right but I think I'm doing a lot better.  I really wonder if between trying to maintain my normal eating and recovering from being sick if I just haven't been getting enough calories to sustain myself on the Cycle.  I feel a lot more normal today but I've also been eating like a crazed maniac.  I think I'm slated to teach class tomorrow - or at least help out - depending on who else shows up.  Gonna be a lot of kicking this week so I'd...

We got up this morning and, despite being sore and tired, got ready to head out for Black Belt class.  On the way dropping our eldest off at work, we got stuck watching a massive truck convoy heading to the small track across 29 from Charlotte Motor Speedway.  By time we finally got down to class, warmups had already started.  Even so, we still got a good workout in and alternated between kicks and BoCho Dan One-Step.  Once class let out, we had a mentoring session and worked on our Hapkidos under the watchful eye of Master Cavazos.  After that, we practiced rolling and falling while we waited for Gabe's mentee to finish up with helping Junior Tigers.  By time they had finished up, we realized we were the last ones left in the dojang and weren't certain if we should leave - and then the first of the Muay Thai...

This has been a weird day.  I got most of my physical requirements done before 5pm but I've been really winded all day.  My asthma's really been acting up or something. Tonight was the first Friday night sparring class.  I really like knowing I don't have to go to class on Fridays or Sundays but this is just for the Cycle - assuming we don't keep going afterwards.  It was a good class, though, and being done relatively early is nice as opposed to getting home as late as we would on Thursdays.  Unfortunately, there was a massive amount of traffic on 49 just outside Harrisburg so we detoured home. Gabe made an amazing dinner and then we worked on Self Defenses and Poomsaes.  But for now, it's time for bed because 8:15 comes far too fast on Saturday mornings.

Today wasn't as busy with work so I got all my physical requirements done before I was done with work.  Then it was down to the dojang to help with class.  I led warmups and, I think for the first time ever, managed to get through the entire set without anything being out of order.  It's only taken me three years to finally memorize it.  It's funny how I can tell you if someone leading class changes up the order but I couldn't just rattle off what the order is supposed to be - especially under the pressure of 30 pairs of eyes. After helping with class, we jumped into the Muay Thai class and learned that some skills will carry over, many won't.  It was a lot of learning and watching but it was fun.  Except now my arms hurt from throwing elbows at the pads.  We helped clean up...

Today was an extremely weird day.  I spent most of the workday waiting for other people to pin things down so I could get to my part of the work.  Every step forward felt like two steps back and if I had known how long it was going to be, I'd have gotten far more requirements done during the day.  Instead I spent a lot of time trying to keep up with what wasn't going on and sneaking in requirements when I felt like I did have time. After work was over, it was time to wake up Samuel who was home sick and head out the door for Black Belt class.  We had two more new people from Black Belt USA and spent most of the class on kicks.  I'm probably not supposed to say this but practicing the kicks from the Black Belt forms was actually a lot of...

This has been a long day.  Gabe and Samuel had to get up earlier than normal, even for a school day, so I didn't sleep as well as I would have liked.  But I got up and got ready for work and spent time working and time working on requirements.  I didn't get them all done by time she was ready so I did a bunch with her and managed to get over five for the day on all the physical items.  I don't know if I'll need to bank that for an emergency or if it just means I might finish those items early if I can bank more.  Either way, I've got them if I need them. Went back to the dojang tonight for class since Gabe had to teach so I took over warmups and then sweated up and down the mat for red stripe week.  As far...

Still not feeling well but I think today was better than the last two.  At least, I hope so.  The Cycle is no time to be out sick.  I'm OK on Leadership 1 - it's leading warmups and whatnot that I'm worried about.  And, of course, mentoring and Black Belt classes, etc.  I think I'll be good, though, since I think I'm on the mend.  It's just extra hot and sweaty doing all this work while I'm fighting this cold. I got most of my requirements done in between work and dinner.  I even did an extra round of jump rope (on accident).  I tried doing all the non-weapons forms to see if I could get them done within 15 minutes and just barely squeezed them all in.  I think the dog was very confused by it, though. Since Gabe was teaching class tonight, I started dinner but forgot she had...

Woke up feeling OK-ish this morning but it just got worse as the day went on.  I don't appear to be running an actual fever - at least, nothing significantly above normal temperature.  Spent most of the day sitting around but was able to get my requirements done even if it took longer than normal and I keep having to stop to blow my nose. Gabe and Samuel went to Carowinds while I was home.  I wish I could have gone just to get out and do stuff but I didn't feel up to it.  It did give me time to rest up and work on my requirements.  I felt far sweatier than normal by the end, however.  After dinner we worked on self-defenses for a bit while Samuel was getting ready for bed.  I managed to get a mile in by walking laps around the inside of the house.  I...

I wound up skipping Black Belt class this morning because I was feeling less than 100%.  I assumed it was allergies as I'm a couple of days behind on some medication.  I wound up just taking it easy this morning instead.  As the day has gone on, however, it hasn't resolved.  I did make it to the PMAA knife seminar and felt fine during that but it's kinda been up and down all day since. I'm trying to keep my Cycle requirements varied, not just by changing up the style of pushups but also by focusing on different things like my stances in color belt curriculum or improving my basic kicks instead of only drilling down the 2nd Dan skills.  It's too easy to assume I'm ok with older stuff but I noticed the other day in class that my stances aren't always as correct as they should be - and...

This has been a terrible week for getting Cycle stuff done.  It's also been a terrible week for getting work stuff done.  Everyone's been putting out fires at work with server issues and whatnot so there's been a lot of context switching and blocked work.  It's also been rainy all week which means almost every time I think I'm going to get some mileage in, it's raining too hard to go outside over lunch.  I think we need to get a treadmill because I don't want to have to do a full week's mileage in a single outing to the gym. On the other hand, we went to Bradford's Open House today and learned about the new app/system they're using for parent communication.  I think they went a bit long in the presentation given that they linked us to the powerpoint but at least the presenter didn't just read every slide...

Tonight was color belt testing.  I didn't get to get any mileage in because of Debbie so I was glad that things lightened up in time to go to the dojang.  Unfortunately, in my rush to get out the door, I left my book at home and had to turn around to get it.  Testing went a bit faster than normal - I guess we just had fewer kids testing. We had one new BoCho Dan tonight - and this one was just barely out of solid white belt when we were on our first Cycle back in 2021.  It's weird seeing kids who were just starting out get to the end of color belt curriculum.  There are fewer and fewer people that probably remember us from before we tested for our First Dan.  Most people only know us as Black Belts and Instructors.

Today was another busy day with work so I didn't get much of my requirements done during work hours.  I'm grateful that I have a job where I can step away for a few minutes here and there but it doesn't always happen.  Plus I had to drive up into Concord proper to get a new splint made for my finger.  This one is a bit more open and it's molded to me so it should fit a bit better.  At least I was able to get a couple of miles in during lunchtime - even if the skies did open up on me in the last five minutes. After work was over I packed up and headed down to the dojang to help with class.  I don't know if they appreciate it but I do try to reassure the color belts that while their forms and self-defenses aren't impossible, many...

Today I spent almost the whole day in the office and was busy enough that there really wasn't time to work on requirements.  I'm glad I've got so much to do and our team is growing like it is but back in 2021 when I was preparing to test for 1st Dan, it was much easier to get a workout in, interspersed through the day.  After finishing up what I needed to do, I came home, tried to get some more work done before 5pm, and then had to figure out what to do next.  Unfortunately, requirements weren't in the cards because we had to get our stuff together and head down to the dojang.We had our regular class tonight and then PMAA for testing.  I think we did OK-ish but it could have gone a lot better.  Most of us in class are also on the Cycle so it's hard...

Went to the allergist the morning for my weekly shots.  They said I'm almost done with increases and should be able to start maintenance soon.  I don't know how long it'll be before I can start going less frequently than once a week but I'm looking forward to it. I got all my physical requirements done during the day and started in on the Taekwondo requirements afterwards.  While dinner was cooking Gabe and I worked on some of those together.  Hopefully we'll be getting closer to regular speed on our self-defenses soon because we're getting more confident in the techniques.  Of course, we're only four weeks in so we're still making mistakes but we're getting better and have started catching each other's mistakes more easily. Then after dinner, we practiced a bit for our PMAA testing tomorrow night.  Once we get past that it'll be a load off my shoulders.  Hopefully...

We had an illness issue this morning so we didn't make our usual trip to the park for training.  Once that was resolved, we got on with our day and did the usual weekend shopping.  While Gabe took our daughter to Zumba at the gym, I went out and knocked out almost two miles.  I probably shouldn't have worn jeans but I didn't feel like changing and then changing back. One they got home we had some food and finished up our shopping for the week.  Then it was time to start dinner and knock out some physical requirements.  After dinner we were informed that someone threw up so we had to stop for a bit to deal with that and then finish up requirements for the night.  Hopefully that's it for everyone feeling sick for a while.

Today we had Black Belt class with Master Opi.  I really enjoy whenever someone else teaches because it feels like you always learn something new and get a different perspective when it happens.  It's like finding a missing piece of the puzzle that was left in the box and now the picture starts to make just a little bit more sense. On the way home from class we saw the fish vendor out by the hardware store in Harrisburg and stopped to see what he had for sale.  We bought a few things for dinner and took them home.  Before long it was time to pick up our eldest from work and then on to lunch.  This dietary challenge is making dining out difficult so we picked up the food and then went home.  After lunch we packed up some stuff for Goodwill and then eventually Habitat for Humanity.  Once we'd...

Week three is in the books now.  I thought I was behind on mileage due to all the storms popping up exactly at lunchtime when I was getting ready to go out.  Apparently my estimation was wrong because when I added everything up from the last three weeks, I'm almost exactly on target. I had to spend most of the day in the office today so requirements had to wait until after 5pm.  Then when Gabe got home, I was sent out on a mission to get Ich medicine for the goldfish.  Of course it started raining as soon as I left the pet store.  After dinner we worked on self defenses and forms.  Now it's time for bed and then Black Belt class in the morning.

I forgot to blog yesterday - and remembered about 12:05 am so it was too late to do anything. Today was a good day for getting requirements done.  I led warmups and helped with class and also we had sparring so that's three all in the course of a couple of hours.  I managed to squeeze in a walk before work and shorter one during lunch as well.  And I got a lot of physical items done during the day, too. It's currently unclear if we're having sparring next week given that it usually conflicts with color belt testing so we'll have to find out from Master Evins what he wants.  But so far I'm on a good pace with the required classes and I think I know most of my forms.  The main issue is locking in these self defenses and learning my breaking kick.  I'm glad we've got a...

Today was a good day for requirements.  Gabe was off work today and, unfortunately, most of her plans got cancelled.  As a result, we were able to knock out all our physical requirements for the day before lunch.  And then she made an amazing lunch out of a bunch of different leftovers. After I finished up with work for the day, we packed up all our stuff and headed down to the dojang.  We assisted with class, then took class, and then had our PMAA class.  We're testing for our next rank next week instead of the week after so it's going to be very chaotic trying to get everything down during the Cycle. I really need to try to work ahead a little bit on physical requirements - my shoulders and back and arms need a day of rest sooner than October.  I guess we'll see what tomorrow brings.

This is, I believe, our first late night of the Cycle.  I had my allergy shots this morning and had to take Samuel to an appointment this afternoon so my day and my schedule got scrambled.  As a result, we're doing physical requirements and self defenses at 10:30pm.  And it doesn't help that my arm is really itchy from the allergy shot. I really need to start working ahead so I can take a day off - at least from physical requirements.  I can tell I'm getting stronger, albeit slowly, but my I can't do more than a minute of anything for the day before that set of muscles starts fussing at me. I worked with my mentee today as well.  He looks like he's already ready for next week's color belt testing; I'm really looking forward to working with him on his next belt because he's so eager to learn.  I believe...

Got up this morning and went to the park to practice.  We drilled down on 1st Dan Special (knife defense) and then staff forms.  It's nice to get out and practice with more people.  It gives me a chance to help others as well as get help with what I'm learning.  And it's a bit of socializing, too - which is far too rare in post-2020 America. On the way home from the park we picked up some bagels, ate breakfast, and then knocked out our physical requirements.  I feel like I'm getting a bit better at the 2nd Dan self defenses but not fast enough to be where I should.  Once all that was taken care of, we worked on kicks and then got changed to go to the store.I really need an 8th day between Saturday and Sunday (or maybe between Sunday and Monday) to relax.  It's bad enough...

Welcome to Week Three.I think I managed to catch up on all of the requirements I let slip last week.  Who knows how sore I'll be in the morning.  Of course, that'll probably fade out after an hour (or less) passes.  Also, I managed to get through a Black Belt class with my one knuckle locked out.  One day down and (supposedly) 41 more to go until I only have to wear this thing at night.  I really need to find out if I'm allowed to make a proper fist at that point. We'll see how tomorrow's practice goes but - at least for now - it might be awkward but I can hold a short stick and I can hold a staff.

It's already been two weeks and what a two weeks it's been.  We've started working with our mentor and learning 2nd Dan 1-step and Special.  I hate the way all my movements are so slow this early in learning a self defense.  I know I'll pick up speed but testing doesn't seem far enough away to catch it up in time. I went to Urgent Care this morning because I hurt my finger yesterday.  They put it in a splint and told me to go to OrthoCarolina after work.  Apparently I managed to damage the ligament that runs to the bone at the end of the finger.  It doesn't require surgery but it has to be held perfectly straight for six full weeks and then four more weeks at night while it "scabs up" and reattaches.  Between the ankle sprain earlier in the year and now this, it feels like something...

Or Thirteen, if you prefer.Today was another busy work day.  I was going to try to get some miles in over lunch but right at noon the skies opened up.  I did manage to get some in later (I took a late lunch) and once it hit 5pm, it was off to the dojang for helping and then sparring. Still not a big fan of sparring - I'm too methodical and analytical for something that happens that fast.  But I'm learning new things so it's all good.  But now it's off to bed and back at it again tomorrow.

We're a dozen days in.  I think this cycle is 12 weeks so... we're 1/7th of the way done? I think I'm almost done wrapping up my current tasks at work (which is good) before I can start in on the big quarterly regression testing (very time consuming).  I'm really going to have to get better about making time for my requirements.  I'm not having problems with the daily ones but I'm starting to fall behind on the weekly ones (mileage, planks, etc.) Black Belt Class is getting quite big at this point.  I know some of it is from the cycle but I know not everyone's there for that.  Plus Instructor Courtney came to North Charlotte and we've got some new faces of our own as well.  Once of which I have, apparently, picked up as a second mentee. After class we were mentored and reviewed Second Dan special and then...

Ah, yes, Tuesday.  This is the "long" day, even outside of the Cycle.  Today I got a bunch of work done for work and finished up my physical requirements before we headed down to the dojang.  I helped with class, then took color belt class, and then we had PMAA.  Master Evins is focusing primarily on kicks this week as review so we got paired up and the Bo-Chos got to start working on their hurricane back kicks.  I'm often reminded that I wish I had started this when I were younger and it was easier to do things but that just makes me relish the fact that we did start when we did and we're still active.  As Master Weeks often says, it's better to hurt from doing martial arts than to hurt just from trying to get up off the couch.  Then after PMAA, I worked with my mentee...

Woke up exceptionally sore this morning.  I think I was more sore this morning than I was on Sunday.  I think it's all worked itself out just from all the everyday cycle stuff.  That's one of my favorite non-Taekwondo things I've learned from doing this - you might be sore in the morning but once you get moving, all the lactic acid will clear out and you won't feel too bad other than just general muscle soreness. I got my daily physical requirements done at home and worked on the other stuff at the dojang before helping with class.  I finally got a chance to do a session with my mentee; he seems really excited about getting some extra help and tricks and tips.

This morning we got up and went to the park to practice.  We stayed until the rain made it untenable.  It's always good to practice with some other people and exchange questions because there's always more to know and improvements to be made.  I feel pretty good about most of the things I know - the main issue is all the things I haven't learned yet. Unfortunately, we've spent most of the day tired and sore.  I feel like every muscle around my neck and collarbones is trying to seize up all at the same time.  Somehow it's worse than last night even though we're more than 24 hours removed from the pre-test.  A hot shower and a good night's sleep should help.

Today was the pre-test.  We got up very early to make certain we got to the track with enough time to get our twelve laps (three miles) in before everyone else was done.  Then off to the dojang for the rest of it and then class.  Then it was home, errands, lunch, etc, with a break for requirements.  I'm starting to feel more comfortable with staff form 3 but I don't think it's fully locked in just yet.  Now off to bed and we'll see what tomorrow brings.

The end of week one is here.  I had to do some extra catch-up because I was avoiding a few things - mostly rolls and falls.  I don't mind the falls so much but the rolls make me dizzy if I do too many in a row.

So far I'm not hitting that exhausted stage where I question my sanity for doing this again.  But I am journaling when I should be asleep; I have three miles to do in the morning and I don't run well - or at all, really.

Still getting back into the groove but I got my physical requirements done earlier today than yesterday so that's progress.  I'm getting close to being able to do a full minute of pushups or sit-ups without having to stop, though my shoulders and back definitely need some stretching afterwards.  I'm behind on my pull-ups so I did some more of that as well. Tonight was the first night back in sparring in a while.  I had wanted to ease back in before the cycle started but my ankle sprain got in the way.  Overall another good day but Antoine kicked my butt in sparring - as he usually does.  I know I'm not very good but he's smooth and fast and seems like a natural.No class tomorrow so I won't have to drive down to the dojang.  Saturday morning, on the other hand, is a whole other matter.  See y'all then.

It's been another weekday and therefore another internal fight over when to step away from my desk and practice.  I did better today - I got most of my daily physical requirements done before lunch and finished the rest after.  I'm still not happy with the timing but I know what I need to do.This is day three of the dietary challenge.  I picked something that I knew would be an actual challenge - I didn't want a cakewalk and a resulting cushy essay.  But now I'm noticing just how many of my regular, everyday foods contain what I'm giving up, including most of my go-to snacks.  I'm going to have to spend some time at the grocery figure out what's still safe to eat.  It's not as bad as when I was vegan for a few years but, fortunately, I know how to cook and bake and might just have...

I'm still having difficulty balancing work against the Cycle.  I'll tell myself that I've got plenty of time to work on requirements in the morning and then the next thing I know it's 11am and I haven't started anything.  I don't want to have to set reminder alarms on my phone but that might be what it takes as busy as things are right now.  I'm just grateful that I have a job where I can work from home and step away for a few minutes to work on things. I did get two miles in this morning before work.  I walked around a couple of parts of the neighborhood but not too many people were out and about except the ones driving off to work.  It's just so hot right now, even at 7am.  The pickup with all the weird anime stickers is still around - I remember seeing that...

It's Monday and that means back to work.  Spent some time at home working on physical requirements (but no running in this heat - I'm not behind on mileage).  Since I was working, I had to stop here and there to knock out some stuff in my home office.  It beats when I was a bocho and was literally doing pushups, etc. on the office carpet IN the office. Went to the dojang tonight and helped with class.  Then color belt class was great.  Lots of hard work and lots of sweat and I also learned I've been pulling a few kicks so I know what I need to work on.  Then home for dinner and some self defense practice before bed.  Hopefully tomorrow I can be up and ready in enough time to knock out a mile or two before 8am rolls around again.  I'd like to get ahead and...

Got up this morning and worked on forms and self-defenses.  It felt a bit weird doing Black Belt weapons forms and color belt self-defenses but I need to stay sharp on everything.  Sometimes you just have to mix it up.I did the first 12-hour block of the digital detox.  It was very weird.  It would have been a nice distraction from how tired all my muscles feel.  I'll be glad once I get into a groove.

Hello everyone.  Welcome back to everyone who's done this before and greetings to all the new folks.  Today's our 28th anniversary so we exchanged gifts, went to class, and then came home and practiced.  I always forget how exhausted you actually are, especially at the end of day one.  But that's one day in the books desire the dog's best attempts to interfere with our pushups, situps, and burpees. I feel pretty good about most of my forms - just need to work on the Second Dan self defenses though I know I need to work on more than just that.