monkeygirl

It's more like a decoration than a food. I've never tried to eat it. You're welcome to, however. Be a pioneer. Eat something adventurous.

Hi Monkeygirl. How do you liquefy Bacon? Sorry I didn't answer this sooner...I'm working at a summer camp and it's hard to get free time. LIQUEFIED BACON: Needed: One medium-sized frying pan with grease-splatter guard Several strips of uncooked bacon Tongs One bad cook First, heat up the pan on stove's highest setting for a few minutes. Then, add bacon strips. The grease WILL splatter, so use the guard! Check in on the bacon every few minutes or so, flipping often. KEEP COOKING. Think of the bacon your grandmother used to cook, where it was black and crispy but didn't taste burnt...well, she was probably using a different brand of bacon than you are, but anyway we're not at the black and crispy yet not burn stage, so KEEP COOKING. Every few minutes flip the bacon, put the splatter guard down, and KEEP COOKING. Check it to see if it's dark yet, then KEEP..wait....where's the bacon? Yield: 1 small blob of a gooey black mass, and a lot of weird grease. It's not all that hard to do...I know two boys who have also done it. But remember, this is not burnt, it's FAT FREE!! *sigh* my cooking chi is weak.

Yeah, that's been circulating for a while... Check out this version: http://www.weebls-stuff.com/toons/35/ Keep watching a while for the ending...it's worth the wait.

"We Were Soldiers" is really good...and I hate war/military movies as a whole. I don't hate our military or anything, I just hate movies about them...boring as all get out. I don't like to pick one all-time fave. Here's a list of my all-time faves (in no particular order): What a Way to Go! any Doris Day flick Oceans 11 (original, of course) Mary Poppins Princess Diaries (NOT Princess Bride, I abhor 80% of that movie) Freddie Prinze Jr. Movies (I must admit I have a certain weakness for them, with the exception of "Down To You"...horrific film) Rumble in the Bronx Shanghai Noon/Knights The Man Who Knew Too Little, any decent Bill Murray film LoTR of course Orange County Monty Python and the Holy Grail Pirates of the Caribbean Frequency Okay I better stop now...but everything on that list I've either seen at least 3 times or wouldn't mind seeing over and over again. Current Fave: "Chasing Liberty" Not exactly the deepest movie in the world, didn't get great reviews, but it's sweet, funny, and c'mon... Matthew Goode. The last name is an understatement, to be perfectly honest.

I've always likened spicy foods to pain, and am the only one in my family who can't stand the stuff. I'm a glutton for punishment when it comes to MA, but spicy foods.. EEEEEEKKK!!! Anyway, about your dream... Perhaps you're afraid that in this "off time" from your regular MA school, you will settle for a crummy school that fits into your schedule, JUST so you can get that "fix" of training. Deep down, though, you know you settled and didn't get your instructor's consent to cross-train, so you feel like you're "cheating" on your home dojo. This could of course be applied to other things...basically anything you're sacrificing in order to fit school and stuff into your schedule.

I'd offer to swap recipes with you, but I don't think you want "Tammy's Liquefied Bacon".

(chuckle! ) Yes. The NHL is composed of teams from cities in the US and Canada. Even the minor league AHL has teams from the US and Canada, but the AHL season ends a little before the NHL season ends. Hockey is very popular here in Houston, believe it or not. We have an AHL team, the Aeros, that won the Calder Cup a year ago. That was cool! DOH! Somewhere in the back of my head, I knew that. Shows you how much I care about hockey Seriously, though, I haven't heard one word about hockey in quite some time. That movie Miracle came out and my school made me watch it...but that's it. I mean, I don't pay attention to sports at all...I haven't watched the super bowl in years, and probably couldn't tell you who won. But at least I know that football season had come around, when the super bowl was on, and was aware of March Madness and all the basketball stuff.

Gah! I knew I should have specified... Lucias. As in, Draco's father. (dying in shame here ) Ohhh... Okay I guess that's better. Except that now I don't even see the attraction

Hello and welcome to the forums, colinkelly! Unfortunately, I don't know anything about Judo uniforms, so I can't help you there. Hopefully you'll get an answer soon. For the time being, why don't you stop by the Introductions forum and introduce yourself?

Welcome to the forums!

Yeah I've heard mixed reviews about the movie. I'd like to see it anyway, just because I'm easily pleased by movies if I'm in the right mood.

Ah, I must not have mentioned something...just a tidbit that adds to the complication of it all.. My old dojo has a TKD club at MY high school! They hold classes in the gym's wrestling room. They only have about 3 steady members, but the point is that there's already a club. Even if I wanted to go (which I don't) my parents have forbidden me. I have been pushing for the school to let us create an Advanced Martial Arts club that would span more than just TKD, but the one faculty member seems to be dragging his heels on the issue. The school's admissions office wants us to make it because they have several martial artists who want to come to school but want facilities to keep training. So, we'll see. Next year is my senior year, so I probably won't get much enjoyment out of the club, but I would like to set something in place for future students.

You may have more luck if you describe what specific style the kata is from

Hmm..yeah...I haven't heard about kids getting laughed at for not reading Harry Potter. Among my generation, you're more likely to get laughed at FOR reading HP. At least in my school, where everyone's too "cool" for a "kid's book". I, however, am secure in my dorkiness and read away.

Mart: Hockey. Are the US and Canadian hockey seasons the same? Because I haven't heard a peep about hockey down here lately. The last sport anyone's spoken about is basketball...oh and horse racing, but I don't think that really counts. And golf. Okay, so basketball was the last team sport.

Well, my dojo wasn't always like that. When I joined, things were very different. My father is a frugal and careful man...he thought long and hard about whether or not we would join the establishment. Somewhere along the line as the years passed, however, Earl became greedy. I don't really know what happened...family responsibilities, the birth of a third child, child support payments to his ex-wife, I suppose. Linda wasn't a great influence, either. She literally was on medication of some sort to keep her from being such a...well...you know. She took it all too infrequently and was quite the difficult person. When we joined, Earl had a passion for martial arts and teaching. After two years, though, he just became tired. He took "a year off" in my second year, and never really came back. He let everything slide--both administratively and class-wise--and my brother and I basically picked up the slack (with a lot of help from the other junior instructors, of course). The students were satisfied except those of them that objected to being taught by teenagers...we really didn't have a choice as there were only two instructors over the age of 18 left: my brother at 19/20 and a woman at 22 who held a full-time job and couldn't always be there. We were doing the best that we could on our end, and the people were happy with us. Unfortunately, we couldn't control the business end of things, as only Earl and Linda had the authority to make supply orders, advertise, etc. Earl had no ambition by that point, and Linda was too busy, too frustrated, and too penny-pinching to take any action. There were actually times when Linda would take money that students had paid for supply orders, and instead use it to pay for some personal expense. Rather than just sticking to the profits, she would take all of the money needed to order the supplies, and would have to wait for her own paycheck to come in for the orders to be made, thus delaying orders substantially. Sean and I stayed for the love of teaching, the students, and the companionship. Also, we had no place else to go, really. The business things didn't affect our training and were more of an annoyance than anything. The only thing that affected our training was Earl's disappearance. We didn't get to benefit from the critiquing of a man who had been teaching for 15 years. As underbelts, we didn't mind because we still had a lot left to learn. The blackbelt program was weak, however (curricula= 1 kata), and when we attained 1st dan, we started to feel his absence. Every now and then he popped in and we learned something, but that was about it. It got a little boring. The only thing to improve, we were told, was sparring. Sean was a better fighter than I, so he helped me a lot...but there was no one to help him. Again, we stayed so we could teach others, but we were starting to get frustrated. Then the whole not-paying-Sean thing happened and it was the last straw. So, it was pretty gradual. Looking back at when I first joined, I don't think I could have said it was a McDojo. Other than being a little pricy (although not pricy at all compared to other dojos in the area), it was a perfectly good school with a great program. At the time, it even had a nice program for "life after 1st dan". The school was not started as a McDojo, but it became one. Now that Sean and I have left, I hear that Earl has taken a more active role in the dojo...he sort of had to since we held the sole responsibility for several of the school's largest classes. He even brought back the Master's class (1st kyu/gup and above) which he had been promising for years. However, some parents that left when we did (we didn't ask them to, they did on their own out of loyalty) and others that left more recently have told me that things really went downhill after Sean and I left. Earl has started developing partnerships with dojos he openly despised...it's so strange. I have a lot of friends that are still teaching at the dojo, but I haven't talked to them for awhile. I'm afraid that he's told them not to talk to me. But now I'm off the subject of my post.

Thank you for your comments, everyone. I have started to train on my own again, although it's still pretty emotionally painful. With time though, it's getting easier. I've started to get excited about training again, which is a good sign, I suppose. This summer I'm a junior counselor at an "Adventure Camp" that my high school runs. I'm pretty psyched because I'll be teaching the Martial Arts enrichment program. I'll get four 1-hour lessons with each group. I'm psyched about teaching again. Also, I was talking with my high school's dance teacher, and we started comparing kata to dance in the fluidity and precision of movement. Now she wants to collaborate with me on something this fall and maybe present it to her students. Also, for my senior project, I want to do some kind of Self-Defense For College/Safety Awareness thing, with some SD workshops and stuff. So lots of exciting things are coming up My brother (Sean) is trying to get back into training as well, but his college schedule has made things difficult. Perhaps now that summer is here he'll have more time, but then he's working, so who knows. We both miss competing a lot. I'd love to get back up to my "prime" or "peak" level so I can take it to some kind of state tournament. The problem is, (aside from the training, cost of tournament entry, and the fact that I'll be living at school next year without much transportation) most of the tournaments that aren't run by Earl & Linda are run by places that want you to join their association, and all of those World Ranking groups. It's hard to find any legitimate tournaments in the tri-state area. We've gotten invitations to tournaments out in Indiana, but uh...no.

Yes, it's sick, how could you be attracted to someone from Slyther..oh ...you mean he's young. Then yes.

Yeah

Wow...I guess I don't pay that much attention to the styles thing...so used to the days when it wasn't there.

Yeah, I understand. I was very skeptical when I tried the first book...by that time, book 4 had just come out, so little kids were well into the whole Potter frenzy. I think it started as a way for me to relate with the kids I babysit, so they can't make obscure references to some "You-Know-Who" person. Or when they have nightmares, I know why... Once I picked up the first book from the library and started reading, though, I couldn't get myself to put it down. Good escape reading.

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* I dunno...I've always read a lot (and not just kiddy books, some really classic stuff), and I still love the books. I think it has more to do with personal tastes. I was a little disappointed with the first movie...the second was better, I'm hoping the third will be great. I'm thinking of seeing it this weekend as a little "I made it through finals!" celebration

Interesting analogy..but good advice, Mart This is apparently a long-distance friendship, so you can't exactly get face-to-face with her about it. The problem with AIM or anything over the Internet is that you can just turn off the computer and walk away, ignoring whatever advice you're given, and it won't come after you persistently. If you can get her on the subject again, try suggesting she take a trusted acquaintance (try to avoid the word "friend", because if she's in this kind of blue funk, she might be all "I don't have any friends") with her. Maybe someone else who's also interested in MA but reluctant to try. They can provide each other with moral support and keep each other motivated to keep at it. Perhaps if you are in contact with her immediate family, or know any relatives that live near her, you could get them in on the deal, too. If they're good, caring parents, they might be able to judge how best to treat her. With some people, they need to be treated with kid gloves, very carefully and kindly and "one step at a time"-ish, and that works great and the goal is achieved. With others, however, the kid glove treatment simply allows them to sink deeper into depression and inactivity. These people need to be pushed in a firm, but healthy manner. No one likes to see teenage angst. You have an opportunity to stop it

Oops, musta missed that part when typing out my analysis. Well, everyone else had some great explanations for that, so I'll just leave it with that. Sweet dreams, Beka!

When you made your MA movie with him, were you ever afraid of accidentally hurting him, and how that would affect your relationship? I think that probably set the initial scene for this dream. You guys are fighting together "for fun", which, under the right (or wrong) circumstances, can be pretty dangerous. This doesn't even have to be a metaphor, it can just apply directly to your relationship with Ben. If you want to expand the metaphor, however, you could say that you and Ben have a pretty "fiery" relationship, with the potential to explode. At first you guys are just sparring, a practical exercise that's fun because it's with someone you are fond of. But then, something interesting happens. Every time your swords strike, ribbons come out. Now, you don't see these as pretty, flowing ribbons, and you're not happy that they're there. In fact, you're annoyed that they're getting in the way of what you really want, which is to keep sparring. But then, once you get what you want (thanks to Ben's speedy acquisition of a new sword--which could have been because he knew that's what you wanted, him to have a sword so you can keep fighting), you're a little scared that Ben so readily allowed this to continue. Maybe you're wondering: "Should he be as eager as I am? I thought he would be more resistant. Is this a good thing? Or is he even more eager than I am, when even I thought I was going over the top." (this is pure conjecture on my part) You become defensive and use his net-sword to defend yourself...if he's so eager to fight, he won't mind you having a little extra protection. Now, here's where the "potential for explosion" comes into play. Somewhere in your dream-train-of-thoughts and your fear, you wonder what it would be like to "take the gloves off" and remove the safety tip from your sword. (or maybe this is your competitiveness, using any advantage to win, blind to the fact that you could hurt someone you love.) Suddenly you're not just playing anymore. It has become very dangerous, but you don't really seem to notice until it's too late, and Ben has been stabbed. Then you turn away. I think that's pretty important. Your boyfriend has been stabbed, and whether it's fear or guilt or whatever, you can't handle it so you turn away. Now, this is not the real-you, it's the dream-you, which is usually everything you've ever feared becoming. It's not prophetic or anything. So then, Ben is dueling with a FRIEND. Not a stranger or a burglar, but a friend. What is the conflict? This is very different from sparring, because now the intention is to hurt, with no pretenses of training or fun. Ben's friend seems pretty into it, but Ben--even though his life is in danger--does the honorable thing and refuses to hurt his friend. Knowing this, one can now look back at your fight scene with him and say "you were never in danger, you didn't need to hurt him to stay safe." It's a pretty short mental leap to see how this applies to a relationship. You're afraid that if you are too scared of his committment to you, you may try to hurt him before he can hurt you and break your heart. Deep inside though, you know he poses no intentional threat, as proven by this duel with his friend. You care too much about Ben to see him die--which he would rather do than hurt a friend--so you urge him to a hospital. You probably don't recall a hospital because that would represent things getting better, your relationship healing, mistakes being forgiven. The next scene doesn't seem to suggest that. Ben is emotionally hurt that you stabbed him, so he runs to this Lena girl and starts chatting her up. Whether he is seriously thinking about her because he's confused about where he stands with you, or if he's just trying to hurt you back, I'm not sure. But, the fact that Lena is a friend of yours makes it a double-whammy. There's no possibility of a relationship because she's over him, but the fact that he's flirting hurts you. I think this also has another part to it: Ben is not just some new facet of your life, who only associates with other new people you've met: he blends into the life you had before you had him, and affects everything in your life, basically. It's a scary thing to think about, because it just puts him that much closer to you. As your relationship continues, it will be more and more difficult to keep him "seperate", and you probably don't want to, or you'll alienate him and he'll run to Lena. Well, those are my thoughts on it.