Rantings of a Sprained Ego

So I am planning to do a little more revamping on this site since my focus in life is really changing. I haven't decided yet, but I will probably change the name of the blog, as well as spell-check and archive the older entries.

I ended up spraining my left wrist thanks to a kid who just started, and is already trouble. First off- he smells. No way around it. Part of martial arts, especially Japanese ones I think- is awareness of self. If this guy doesn't have enough awareness to use deodorant, I can't image the other areas in his life. Anyways, he twisted my wrist a bit too much, going too fast as most new aiki students do, and I thought it was fine until I started hurting hours later. That's par for the course when you have EDS. Sword Sensei joked that about what was gonna happen when I got older if thsi is how much I'm being hurt now. Seriously, this is the guy who has diabetes, gout, and is going blind and deaf.  I digress.

Anyways, I am making new plans for a future in a suburb of Chicago, as I am planning to return to serious schooling. I have been poking around to find various schools in the area, and where I will be there is certainly no shortage. No kobudo schools or sword schools, unfortunately. Lots of Tae Kwon Do schools. I looked at some of the websites and I was both in sticker-shock and laughter seizures. Some of them were MMA wannabe schools. Some were schools where all the kids were a third my age (and since I'm not even thirty yet, I consider that a bad thing). There is an excellent school of aikido about an hour away, but htat's too far to drive, since I'll probably be in school late. My guidelines are this: 1) decent program 2) not over $60 a month 3) short distance away 4) not in a shitty section of town. Although the choices get better in the city itself, I can neither afford nor get to those places. I am looking at a place that teaches art form of ju-jutsu and muay thai, since I don't plan on ever competing that focus would be good. They are very different arts than I am used to, but I think it'd be good for me.

Originally, I was planning to go to a school where there is one of maybe 4 other places in the whole US that teach Toyama Ryu. It would been great. But it was WAY too expensive. I don't know if things happen for a reason, but you have to make do with what you got

One more thing: I got a new oar! Just in time for an injury :*(