bigpopparob2000

I'm unemployed right now, and I'm considering sitting for the CPA exam to make me more competitive for job openings. However, I think one needs at least 4 years work experience as an accountant (2 years if you work for a public firm) to actually get CPA certified. Some of the jobs I'm pursuing right now won't technically apply as this sort of experience. My main concern is losing credit for passing the exam if the work experience doesn't count. Could I possibly lose credit for passing the exam if my job is technically considered an accountant?

I jump rope with ankle weights. For comfort, I fasten them just above my calves rather than at my ankles. I started with 5lbs on each leg and have gradually increased the weight. Doing so has made me MUCH lighter on my feet, and I'm getting some pretty decent height on my jumping kicks.

I'm getting somewhat concerned with maintaining my eye sight (more for general day-to-day life than anything else, but I suppose there are applications for martial arts training). Does anyone know of any programs for improving/maintaining one's eye sight? I realize I can do an internet search and find a plethora of eye-exercise programs claiming to improve vision, but I'm wondering if anyone here knows which products are legitimate, if any. I'd rather not pay for "snake oil" or a placebo if I can help it.

I would vote in favor of pursuing your interest over your aptitude. Often times, people are spoiled by potential. They get used to progressing without any hinderances, but when they inevitably encounter something that's difficult for them, the sudden discouragement causes them to quit. Case in point, at my old college TKD dojo, we'd get new students with dance backgrounds. Because of their dance experience, they had amazing potential. They could easily remember patterns, and their warm up stretches were awe inspiring. Still, dancers seldom lasted because they couldn't rid themselves of bad habits (i.e., pull your toes back when you kick). Sadly, they thought because they could hold their legs straight up in the air, they could take passes on the what they did wrong. Ironically and tragically, it was because of their amazing potential that they couldn't learn anything. Pursue your passion. Your passion will help you remain committed when things get difficult.

Was it just cosmetic with you? It's been a week, and there's still some swelling. More aggravating is that my leg is still fairly stiff. I can now move it maybe 50% throughout its normal range of motion, but training is still out of the question. I don't mind the discoloration, but I'm starting to get cabin fever.

I was at a sparring class one week ago, when I took a nice solid knee to my right thigh. Now, I have a quadricep hematoma, a very deep muscle bruise. Has anyone here ever had this injury? How long did it take to recover?

What size shoe do you wear, if you don't mind my asking?

I've found some gloves and shin/instep protectors online I'd like to buy, but I'm not sure what size. It seems I heard that you should match your T-Shirt size. Is this true?

Thank you very much for sharing this website. I find abandoned places so alluring. They're so hauntingly beautiful.

I may end up taking the CPA exam soon. I'm working a full time job right now, and I was wondering if 2 hours of studying every weekday and 8 hours every weekend would be sufficient to pass a section in three months? Also, I was leaning towards using CPA Excel. Is that a quality program, or should I consider another one?

I've been doing splits for years. I actually learned them a long time before I started taking martial arts. I don't want to say that everyone has the potential to do them, but developing that ability is largely the result of continual effort and patience. For certain, it is definitely not too late for you. First, a little background in the science of flexibility. Flexibility has three forms. 1. Dynamic - how wide a range of motion you can move your body or a body part. You use momentum to achieve maximum range of motion. Think of doing an axe kick. 2. Static - bracing yourself against a solid object, slowly stretching, and holding the position for an extended time. Think of Jean-Claude Van Damme in Blood Sport when he'd hold a straddle split on the floor (or b/t two chairs) and act like he was meditating. 3. Active - How wide a range of motion you can move your body or a body part relying solely on control, not momentum. Think of ballet dancers who can balance on one foot, stick their other foot straight up in the air, and hold it there for an extended period of time (I've been working on this one for years and just can't get it). All of that being said, these three areas build on each other in the order listed. Now I'm not abrubtly changing topics, but this helps explain the following lessons I learned by trial and error. If I had known these ahead of time, I would have made much faster progress. I wouldn't recommend working on the static splits every day. Like any other sort of conditioning, you need to allow your body time to heal. Years ago, I'd train the splits 3 days a week, and it'd take a good 30 minutes to an hour before I could sink into one. When I dropped down to 2 days a week, I needed less time. Now, I only do my static stretching one day a week. When you do your static stretches, you can make the most gains after you've done aerobic/cardio conditioning. Once I started doing my stretches after running, I didn't need 30 minutes at all. Provided my muscles were still warm, I could work into a split in less than a minute. Static stretching is what everyone automatically thinks of when they imagine doing the splits. But training your dynamic stretching will greatly improve your static flexibility. Combining dynamic stretching with my aerobic work outs made dropping into splits sooooo much easier. For instance, my martial art is Tae Kwon Do. Three days a week, I'll go into my gym's aerobic room and jump rope for a good warm up. Then, on each leg I'll do 10 swing kicks, front snap kicks, crescent kicks, side kicks, followed by 50 double punches from a horse stance. After that, I go through all of my forms, taking no more than 4 deep breaths b/t each form. It's a sweaty work out to put it mildly. Now, I assure you I have a point other than sounding cocky. Especially since my art is TKD, all the kicking drills and forms require, train, and polish dynamic flexibility. If I spent that time just running, my legs' range of motion wouldn't require any dynamic flexibility at all. After I've done my last form, I can drop into a split with hardly any difficulty. Honestly, it's so much easier than if I had ran a couple of miles instead. After I've done my static stretches, I usually do better with my active flexibilty (of course, some days the balance just isn't there). I'm sorry to be so long winded, but that's everything I know on the subject. Good luck on your training, and let us know when you achieve your goal.

Several years ago, I applied to be come a criminal investigator for the Federal government. The hiring process takes really long, and in that time, I finished graduate school and got a job in a corporate office, intending to leave if and when this job offer came up. Almost an hour ago, a special investigator called me and set up an appointment to come to my work. He needs to verify my employment information with my supervisor. Now, I've had my share of awkward moments, but this is worse than that time I locked myself in the women's restroom. “Good morning, Boss. By the way, don’t get too attached to me because I may be handing in a letter of resignation in the near or not too distant future. You see, I never intended to stay here long term because I applied for a really incredible Jack Bauer-type job years ago, and I needed to kill time until I actually got the offer. I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t replace and fire me ASAP.” Not that I would use those words verbatim, but I feel like regardless of what I say, that's the ultimate impression I'll leave. Have any of you ever had to alert your supervisor that you were actively seeking employment elsewhere? Is there any considerate way to broach the subject?

I don't know if this would count as "karateism," but after my boss discovered I'm a blackbelt, he'll often strike a fighting stance (if you could call it that) as we pass each other in the hallway at work. It's very Barney Fife-ish. I know he's just playing, but it seems a lot of people will start making "chop-saki" moves at me if they know I've studied martial arts. I've grown very weary of it. Now, when strangers ask me if I have any hobbies, I just tell them I like to exercise without elaborating what I specifically do.

I believe Thomas Edison got only four hours of sleep every night. Even if that's true though, he was probably in conditioned to get all of his REM sleep in that short time period. On another note, the depth of your sleep oscillates through the night. At eight hours, many people are in one of the deeper phases of sleep. If you cut it to seven & a half hours, it'll be easier to wake up and you'll feel more refreshed while having gotten less sleep.

Just so you know, the store brands are very underated. A lot of the time, the store brands come out of the same vats as the brand named items. Think about it, Publix doesn't have a ketchup factory. You can save a good bit off your grocieries if you purchase store brands.

I've tried the online demo, but I just wanted to hear a reaction from someone who's actually used the system. It's hard to form an opinion based on a single sample exercise.

I'd like to start learning Russian for a certain career opportunity a little ways down the road. Has anyone ever used the Rosetta Stone learning systems? If so, what is your opinion of its effectiveness? Is there another system I should consider?

No, I haven't really had any sypmtoms. The closest thing to a symptom would be missing the taste (tofu just isn't as good).

Thank you for the commentary. I asked because I heard that Carl Lews, the Olympian, followed a vegan diet and had excellent performance. I was curious, so I cut out meat for a week. My stamina training came much easier. I was just wondering my dietary change may have resulted in my improvement, or if there was some other factor I should consider.

I was just curious. I saw a short persuasive video on whether human's were natural meat eaters. Granted, it was presented by a cartoon pig, but every arguement in the video really made sense. 1. Humans have rounded jaws and mostly molars for grinding vegetation. 2. Humans lack natural abilities for catching pray. 3. Humans lack enzymes to kill the bacteria in animal flesh. 4. Humans have long intestinal tracts while carnivores have short tracts to expel the meat before too much fat is absorbed. What really caught my attention was when it said the vegetarian diet was better for athletic training. I given up meat for over a week, and I'm losing weight and my stamina feels like it's improving. Has anyone else here switched over to a vegetarian diet for the purposes of training? What kind of results did you see?

Look at an external art like Muay Thai or western boxing. Those styles entail that you be able to take a beating. Unfortunately, after getting punched in the face or kicked in the thigh so many times, your body loses its ability to recover. Internal arts like Aikido and Wing Chun are based on timing and sensitivity, which aren't diminished by use and age. Look at Yip Man, Morei Usheiba, or Shioda Gozo. They were proficient in their arts up until they died. You can't say the same for professional boxers like Muhammad Ali.

I would really like to learn Aikido because I like the idea of knowing an art where my skills become increasing sharper with age. However, I have two major concerns. First of all, I'm in the application process for a government job, which will require me to move. Provided I get the job, I'll have to move within the next three years. I have experience in Karate, and I know that switching schools can be a pain because different dojos have different forms, different ranking systems, and sometimes very different techniques. However, Aikido doesn't have any forms, correct? If I move three years from now, will I be able to join a new school and continue progressing without difficulty? Would I have to relearn my techniques because my new school executes them differently? Would my rank be recognized? Is the ranking system of Aikido more standardized than other arts? Also, I know Aikido is an internal, technical art, but I like to stay in shape (strength training, cardio conditioning, etc). I recall from my experience in Karate that the guys who liked working out were chastized for muscling through techniques. Could I do both, train my body and learn proper technique at the same time?

I've been wanting to learn aero kicks for quite a while. If I can jump high, then I should have plenty of time to through the kick and/or spin properly before I land. Right?

My goal is simply to increase my jumping ability. I've been wanting to learn aero kicks for a while. I'm not out of shape by any means, but I feel like lead weight sewn to the ground. I've been doing plyometric exercises since last summer. Mainly jumping rope and frog jumps (Jump as high as I can and bump my knees into my chest for as many reps as I can. I've been doing 76 frog jumps in a row, but lately my knees have started hurting. I suspect it may be a combination of overuse and building imbalanced muscles. It has helped increase my vertical jump, but only by a few inches. I want my vertical leap to increase, but not at the cost of destroying my knees.

I was considering trying this plyometric program (https://www.theverticalproject.com). I was curious to hear the testimonials of someone not posted on this website. Has anyone tried it out? Is it any good?