Beka

I pay $85/month. At my rank, there are 7 classes a week that I could attend, plus there are 3 cardio kickboxing classes a week that karate students can attend for free. I am expected to go to at least 2 classes a week, but I generally attend about 4. Plus, there's a mat area that is often open, so even if there's another class going, you can practice rolls and kata and the like.

No, water makes it worse. The chili is an oil, it won't do a dang thing. Something about milk makes it take the sting off. I guess ice cold water could help a *little* bit, since part of the capsacin thing is that it actually gives a person the sensation of heat, temperature wise. If you were to rub it on your arm, you would feel warm. So, cold water might act to help just a teeny bit in that respect, but really, it might make it worse. cold milk or sour cream or yogurt, even chocolate, would help.

Back in high school, me and Seung Mina rocked EVERY guy's butt in Soul Calibur. We would play on weekends, in big groups, and I would just whoop on everyone, every time. No one could beat me. I was a monster. Of course, I *did* have a huge-o long weapon, but Kilik had one too, and I could beat anyone even if they were kilik. Seriously though, it's a great game. And I could beat you at it.

It is the BEST ever... http://www.davesgourmet.com/ There are several varieties. The insanity and ultimate insanity have warning labels on the side saying they aren't for people with respiratory problems and such. When I went to Sweden last year I was so disappointed because there *garlic* is spicy. I went a few weeks without spice, then I couldn't handle it anymore. I got on a train and went to Stockholm (I was in another city called Uppsala) and I found an American food store near the Palace. I found some Blair's After Death Sauce, which had NOTHING on the Dave's. Totally weak in comparison. Be careful when you first use it. I mean it. It can seriously mess your stomach up (I've noticed my tongue is a lot stronger than my tummy), and if you get it in your eyes, you'll want to die. I have a really embarassing story about this stuff, but I don't think it's entirely board-appropriate. this stuff will mess you up, but MAN is it great.

did you forget to replace the asterisk with "bull shido" but one word since KF censors them??? works fine otherwise.

well I *do* eat a lot of spicy Mexican food... I stick hot sauce and cayenne and pepper flakes and salsa and jalepenos in EVERYTHING. I make soup for the sole purpose of putting Dave's Ultimate Insanity Sauce in it. I mix jalepenos in my salad. and my eggs. and my quesadillas. and my sandwiches... *sigh* I haven't been sleeping well lately But I think yeah, you're probably right. I'm just mixing it in take make other things show up right. Or something. That and I feel bad because I may have to move soon...

oh my god oh my god!!! http://www.bullshido.net/forums/showthread.php?s=b9ad5e0f2ef0235260f70d334b6a7ffe&threadid=12882 Some guy started training at West Wind... I haven't finished the article yet, but I'm pretty sure this is the thread the guy started which gave him a spot in the bullshido.net hall of fame... woah. i gotta get to reading. okay, the asterisks say bu ll shi do, but all one word

I totally forgot about it, but it was about a wek or so ago. I know I've been feeling bad lately because I had to take a lot of time off from karate class (like, once a week, twice if i'm lucky) for school and things. It's getting better now though. Anyway. I started taking a Tai Chi class at a REALLY ghetto place. The instructor didn't even show me how to do the stuff. I just had to follow along with the rest of the class. They were all really sweaty, and the isntructor hardly paid any attention to me. When I went outside, someone had stolen my bag. I had gone there after my normal class, and I was trying to keep it a secret from my sensei. Somehow, the instructor knew my sensei and kept threatening to tell. It was horrible. I felt so bad. And that's all I remember. why do I have dreams about MA!?!?!?!?!!? I'm so very weird.

My dad made me and my whole family (him, step mom and step siblings) join some MA school way back in the day. I think I was around 8 years old or so. I was the only one who liked it enough to stick with it. I remember I was a white belt with two black stripes. At some point, I had to quit, I think for money reasons. I'm also the only one who took it back up later. I keep trying to get my dad to do it, and to get my 16 year old sister to take classes. But of course, I doubt they will... *sigh*

practice at home!!! always!!! do push ups in the morning! Even just doing 20 when you wake up will help. As for eating, I'm not a nutritionist. I don't advocate low-carb diets (they are bad ideas if you ask me), but when I first started, all I wanted to eat was protein. I couldn't stop thinking about milk and beans and tofu and nuts all day (I'm a vegetarian, so no meat of course), as I was building muscle and my body was telling me to act accordingly. You may or may not notice the same thing. But if you're skinny and unfit, and as you continue to develop, you'll notice you're growing muscle mass. So be sure right now to eat enough protein.

I think it has DEFINATELY changed my life and helped me grow as a person. Mainly, I gained confidence and realized I was strong. Nowadays, I don't deal with crapola from anyone. Especially not from men. I usually used to deal with guys who weren't good enough for me. They didn't respect my lifestyle choices, my time, my feelings, none of that. I realize now that I don't *need* anyone to fulfill me as a person other than myself. I like having men around cause they're just so much fun, so I still date, and I date a LOT of them. But I do it because they all last such a short amount of time because they turn lame. I'm not saying all guys do this, but a lot do. They start out totally great and perfect, but then they get comfortable and start flaking out. Whereas before I would have stayed at home crying about it, now I just walk away and let them pay for their crimes (then they write me crazy emails about not wanting me to be "the one that got away" ). I know there are good ones out there, so I'll keep looking and refuse to settle. Also, since I was 13 years old I had an eating disorder. It had tapered off a little bit after I turned 19 or so, but it was still very present in my thoughts. I would turn to disordered eating activities when I was seriously upset, or even mildly upset, but with no better way to cope. Since starting karate, I have had absolutely no urges to do that to myself again. I still look at my body and wish it was slightly different, but instead of seeing my body as a hinderance like before, I see it as a tool. I have never felt this good in my whole life.

There's a school that I pass by on the bus every day to *my* dojo. There's gigantic windows and you can see everything inside. They all wear a heck of a lot of patches. Anyway, the sign outside said "KUNG FU" and "KARATE". The style is called "Bok Fu", and in my opinion, some of the "kata" look really really Chinese. Some of the videos look impressive, I just don't know why they don't settle on a name. They say they teach "karate", but they don't specify which kind of karate, and they name they use has -fu for the ending, which to me looks like the obvious Kung Fu. While hybrids are definately possible, I just get a little bit of a fishy feeling. Does "Bok Fu" exist outside of the West Wind schools? They have been in business for over thirty years in the Bay Area. This is their url. be careful because there's a dude that totally screams, so turn down the volume. http://www.westwindschools.com/

Do the bo!!! The katana is friggin' awesome, of course, and it should be fun to learn, but you can wait on it. Do the bo now and get comfortable weilding 6ft sticks. rock!

all I know is that this Iaido website I looked at once didn't like the idea of polishing a katana because it helps to wear down the steel. Of course, they're all about keeping the sword in perfect condition, i guess, so, whatever. ignore me!

cat stance... so sexy, so seductive... but so... deadly... and difficult when you think about it.

hey! I should have checked here first! I just posted about a possible move to Austin in the near future... woohoo! Maybe I'll someday soon be a Texas Martial Artist, too!

I was born there, and I am hoping to go to UT for grad school (to study folklore). I'm big on country music, and I know it sounds lame, but I am *really* looking forward to that scene. Music is my thing, I can't even sit in silence, and (alternative aka traditional) country is just what makes me happiest. My aim of study would be the folklore motifs of Americana music, so the south would definately be an advantageous place. So, anyway. If I get in to UT, and the economy still bites here in the Bay Area (San Francisco, California, basically), there's a good chance I'd be moving to Austin in less than a year, in order to find a job. probably by April of 2005. EEK! I've lived in the Bay Area since I was 5 (i'm 21 now), and as much as I think I'd like to move to Austin, I'm scared about leaving my adoptive home. I used to go back to Texas every year or so, but then after college started, I stopped visiting. Every time though, I loved it. Threadgills, the Broken Spoke, Liberty Lunch, Guadalupe... sigh... Please tell me Austin is wonderful and beautiful. Another downside is that, last I checked, there aren't any Cuong Nhu schools in Austin, or anywhere near it, so, I'd have to change styles *sigh*.... What style do you do, and how good are the schools in the area? ahhh!!! I know I know, this won't be for a while, I haven't even applied yet, but still, it's been on my mind lately. thanks!

I try for at least 4 classes a week (an hour each) plus sporadic kata in the yard when I need to calm down or something. Nothing too hard core, but enough where my friends think I'm nuts.

just go to class, make sure you know your moves. eat well, sleep plenty, and there you go. I like to wear the shirt i wore to my first class.

looks a little... um... commercial... in those teeny tiny videos from the website, why, after taking someone down, do a bunch of guys rush out and make him sit cross legged?

I'm working on my pinan 2, and that friggin' back stance. totally way too hard. it *seems* easy, but then there are just so many nuances to it...

I was just born with an inadequate nose. It's so dainty and small and just cute as a button, but totally useless when it comes to sustaining life. Even my grandma commented on it when I was born. I can't even pick it right. *sigh* I'm so jealous of you nose-breathers...

I woudn't call it unnatural. I think anyone who normally reads would feel that sort of inclination. I'm reading a book about a DAnish guy who tries to drink himself to death, so I thought I'd get into character *falls over*

Yeah, I can understand the discomfort with grappling.... We had to do some open-handed sorta-sparring (no full hits, just an attempt to tap the other person's belly with open, soft hands--not knife hands) for a warm-up the other day, and well, my chest area takes up a lot of space, so, a few hands may have bumped a boob or two. It was fine because I know and trust my classmates (they're not creeps, they're just trying to do the drill), but if I was new and only trying to get through a few lessons for SD purposes, I reckon I wouldn't be as comfortable with it. MA are *very* intimate. You have to *really* trust your activity partners to not hurt you, but to not be too soft on you. You have to trust (as a woman, in particular) that they aren't touching you for sexual purposes, that they won't knock you over or let you fall, and so on. This is going to sound dopey, but, I make martial arts movies for fun (they're very short). But, the better ones are *always* the ones that I made with my closest friends of several years, and I think it's very apparent when watching them that it's the level of intimacy and trust that we have together. That said, I think a woman who just joins a SD class for a few little tactics doesn't have the time to build that kind of trust required to really be able to let loose and practice like you're suposed to. So, I think that's another reason why ongoing MA training would work better than a couple of sessions for SD purposes only.

Well for now it's a white gi. But my sensei told me that when I'm a black belt I can wear whatever color I want.... hot pink here I come, baby!!!! Although, I think he may have been joking with me...