Sign in Subscribe

Topic

Personal

A collection of 513 issues

Levelling up - Green Belt in Kenpo

Last night I passed the test for my green belt in Chinese Kenpo! I needed to learn 20 self-defense techniques and 8 kata, which are longer display forms, often incorporating some of the self-defense techniques. I started learning kenpo in November 2008 at Tracy's Karate. Green belt is

Choose Your Own Adventure

Something sparked an old memory of reading Fighting Fantasy role-playing game-books when I was a teen. The game-books are "choose your own adventure" stories written in the second person ("You walk through the forest" etc.). The story is broken up into numbered paragraphs each ending in

Flying with needles

It's not quite running with scissors, but I flew from St Louis to San Francisco on Friday with a set of five Colonial Rosewood US1 double pointed needles (2.25mm diameter, 5.5in long, why are we mixing units here?) in my carry-on luggage. I flew back on

Cool Etsy shops

I'm confident these Etsy shops will never end up on Regretsy. I've either bought from these, or love their stores. Idle Hands Designs Maker of the sutured heart necklace, which I have been wearing most days since I got one earlier this year. Mine is oxidised

Sparring

The karate I learn comes in three parts: self defence techniques, kata (display forms), and sparring. I've been back in sparring class since January, and doing sparring lessons with my instructor before then to get me back up to speed after six months away. It's an

Coping mechanisms

I rarely write about personal stuff here. This week has been trying, and it's only Tuesday. Hubby flew out on Sunday for a week in San Francisco, and at 7:30pm the water was cut off at home. I was told it would be back on at 8:

Snowpocalypse II: Icecapades

This poor ice-glazed tree is in my front yard: We're still under a blizzard warning. Ice pellets have been falling all day. This is more scary to me than the foot of snow we had a couple of weeks ago.

Good morning St Louis!

Woke up to this: Edited to add: Nearly 10am and it's been snowing non-stop, my subdivision hasn't been ploughed, and the nearest outside road keeps slowing to a total stop. Welcome to Snowpocalypse 2011!

2011 Resolutions

I resolve not to stab anyone in 2011. Despite many worthy candidates, this was a resolution I kept in 2010. Two knitting resolutions for 2011: finish the Eris cardigan (2 sleeves to go) and knit something with Wollmeise. Eris sleeves are going to be improvised because I don't

2010 Resolutions, the results

I made a few resolutions for 2010 though I wasn't too stressed about achieving them: I resolve not to stab anyone in 2010. Achieved! Came close a few times, but I made it through. Practicing kata in the basement helps with the whole "not stabbing" thing.

Follow me on Mastodon