Urgan Shows Up, Does the Thing

[Urgan]

3/29/2019 - 3/31/2019

Killin' It

武士道   (ぶしどう)

Justice/Rectitude 

Within: Samurai Don't Complain (at the gym)

It's Complicated?

 

Without: Giri

Floss - 27/28

Buy a better paper shredder

Clean toilet

Clean kitchen counters

Install new car air-freshener 

Buy new kitchen chairs

Get recalled airbags fixed

Clean shower

Clean tub

Clean sinks

Mop floor

Scrub walls/cabinets

Clean kitchen table

 

Courage

Without: Keep heizen and carry on

Necessity to clean out laptop dust

Gun purchase

Cost of musical instrument repair

Audit Grocery Bill - $780? Will confirm tonight.

Audit Power Bill - Currently at <$80, projected to be $95-ish by the time the bill is formalized, last year it was $115.

 

Benevolence

Within and Without: Love

Learn first-aid

Check up on people - 8/8

Donate to GoFundMe - 4/4

Cat food/water - 13/12

Cat grooming - 3/4

 
Nutrition 

2450 Calories. 2354 : 2240, 2199, 2282

 

Well you know what happened on Friday and it pretty much ruined that day, along with my appetite. So that was good.

Saturday I was tingly with dread in the event the guy I had the confrontation with was now an Every Day Starts/Ends in Going to the Y. He wasn't, thank God, Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the adorable lamb that's always involved in Nativity scenes. It wasn't a glorious squat day, but I did hit 192lbs for 2 doubles then backed off for 5 sets at 172, which I will take because it was certainly Work. Deadlifts went better, I crushed 212.5. So apparently now is the Age of the Deadlifts. Okay, alright.

Dad called me wanting to do gym things on Sunday, so that was a thing we did. I did my best to do chores around this, and I think I did pretty well on covering what was requiring, figuring out where Dad is after an 10-ish month layoff, and cooking not one but two meals in the evening. "Real" dinner was late, but not from me falling asleep until Stupid o'clock at least. 

 

I think I did pretty well on all my goals, I missed a bit here and there, but considering I lost days to illness and unexpected road tripping I think it's fair to say my best was given. Onward, to glory and stuff. 

 

Oh there was this one story I forgot to tell earlier because Obvious Reasons, but it's in a very similar vein but in a different place. It takes place behind the wheel. Behold, my artistic genius by way of non-dominant hand mousing-painting action:

 

These are two roads connected by two ramps, a major highway and a downtown road. I am stationed at the highlighted spot and I want to get on the highway, okay? I am slowly approaching the point of committing to the turn, but oncoming traffic has beaten me to the punch and it no longer feels safe because this is, as I confirmed with my husband, it's a 3-way stop situation where whoever gets to it first has the right-of-way. Well I'm giving it to the cars that are in motion and who might not be able to stop in time should I make a run for it. Okay? Well it's not okay with the people behind me and they start a-honking their horn like I am making a mistake. I panic, consider maybe I should have gone because is this a situation where the oncoming traffic will yield? I have seen too many times where this did not occur, so I stop myself and calmly give the car behind me the one-finger salute--not angry, just #nope right out of their plan of me getting t-boned, blocking up the ramp completely, and somehow they get where they're going faster?? The honking ceased. The cars passed. We all got on the ramp to the highway intact. It was glorious. I was miffed AFTER the fact because it was so pointless to be biting nails to get on the road because traffic was pretty light as this part of town goes, thanks Spring Break.

 

23 hours ago, shaar said:

Seriously, like I won't shy away from gentle equipment confrontation (and I've never had to resort to LITERAL CURSING), but just reading that made me uncomfortable and I'd also be 100% rattled.  How incredibly rude and it always makes me wonder about people like that, like how unfulfilling their personal lives must be, like do you act like this everywhere?? ? ??? Jeez.

 

Good luck~ o7

 

He seriously must have been very accustomed to a very different training philosophy/environment to feel so boldly about his instant analysis of the situation that he'd approach someone and brandish it like he wasn't expecting anyone to interpret his interpretation any other way. GIANT. SHRUG. I only had positive/neutral experiences from there, and you'd better believe I wanted to hug the most obnoxious turkeys in the building just because they weren't That Guy.

 

9 hours ago, ReturnOfTheDad said:

Sure does, sent you a DM with some info I did on my first purchase. Best of luck!

 

I saw and let me say that if you ever feel the desire to give such detailed advice you didn't have to bother to give, you needn't feel like you are "cluttering up" my BL in the process. Ain't nothing but clutter here, LBR, lol. Thank you and I will reply there just cuz. 

[Urgan]

April 2019 Goals

Sing It, Elton

.

 

武士道   (ぶしどう)

Bushido.

 

Justice/Rectitude 

To recap, this is "morally correct behavior or thinking; righteousness." 

A backstop of morally correct behavior is Giri--you do the thing because it is the right thing to do, not because you feel like it that day.

 

Within: Samurai Don't Complain (in class)

There's no whine in Aikido. Or sake, either. 

 

Without: Giri

Finances. They be tight. April come save us. I missed cleaning the walls and kitchen table in March, so that's the very first things that are getting taken care of in April. I did good with flossing last month, but I don't trust me, so it's staying. These core unsexy tasks get done when I am reminded they eventually are a priority.

 

Floss - 0/35

Scrub walls/cabinets

Clean kitchen table

Clean shower

Clean toilet

Clean sinks

Clean kitchen counters

Mop floor

 

Courage

A generally agreed-upon definition of courage is "knowing what's right and doing it." Samurai define it as intelligent risk-taking, or "the betweenness of cowardice and rashness" as I saw posted online and rather liked because it really concisely sums my understanding of the Bushido virtue. Not using risk as an excuse to not act or just acting blindly.

 

Within: Crying in the Dojo

April will host my first classes as a purple belt. Gonna Do the Thing right from go this time instead of waiting 5 months+ to get serious. A nice breezy 2x/week technique review seems fair.

Aikido - 0/10

 

Without: Keep heizen and carry on

These are distinguished from Giri in that they are not simple to-do tasks, require significant monetary expense, and/or are at the least intimidating. I need to step beyond the intimidation and investigate the below.

Gun research is Game On, three sessions to start with. Learning is free monetarily and of risk, my only remaining excuse might be not knowing where to start, but I didn't know where to start when I started lifting, so. On the monetary note, I'm brooming musical instrument repair for the time being because our tax bill is 4 digits, there's an incoming car repair that is fairly hefty (as in it might also be 4-digits), and I'm squirreling a bit in terms of what to prioritize. I need to decide if this is actually something I am willing to commit to somehow. I'm still auditing the most variable bills, but am optimistic we can make Instacart (or a similar service) work. 

 

Gun research - 0/3

Audit Grocery Bill - $780

Audit Power Bill - $95

 

Benevolence

Samurai, on the basis of strict adherence to a moral code that is built on doing what is right, must consider the well-being of others as a top priority. After all, the purpose of being ready and willing to die is in service of others, both the lord and the layman. Life and limb aren't the only aspects that encompass "well-being," of course.  Mundane day-to-day things matter as well, especially among friends and family. Traditionally, poetry and music were "gentler" pastimes samurai used to help foster love toward others while living in a role that requires the willingness and ability to do violence on demand. Now I'm not into poetry (writing, on the other hand...) and my instruments are in a rather...sad state after 16-ish years languishing in a closet.

 

Within and Without: Love

This is an area about doing things specifically for others--pretty straightforward. I'm continuing the goals of last month and adding two. Donations are going to be done together, so it's a pass/fail arrangement now that I've located some worthy organizations, since I don't necessarily control exactly when they draw the funds anyway. The addition is I'm going to be meeting with Dad to train this month at least, and that will make checking in on him easier to remember to do, because I need to know if I killed him under a barbell the week prior. Also he needs to become an independent lifter who is at least a little in touch with how it feels as he's progressing. That's how we'll know he's doing it for him and not because someone is telling him to do it. Additionally, I am going to get dinner started, started, before 9:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. A high bar, I know. 

 

Learn first-aid

Donate

Check up on people - 0/10

Dad Training - 0/5

9:00 Dinner - 0/10

Cat food/water - 0/15

Cat grooming - 0/5

 

Politeness

The samurai idea of politeness or decorum consists of two interconnected parts: manners and a sense that there is a proper way to do essentially anything. Manners is an extension of benevolence in that one genuinely cares about others well-being while at the same time not hiding behind it as a coward's shield from calling a spade a spade when warranted. Propriety dictates that there is order in everything, even the peaceful pastimes. Whatever you do, do it well. There's joy in simplicity and single-focus in the moment without distractions. 

 

Within: Rēsetsu

So just for the sake of narrowed focus, I'm going to do two experiments. I vent a lot at my parents' house about whatever is going on atop this crazy blue-green marble we call planet earth and in the process of the entailing theatrics, there is a lot of cursing that takes place. A lot. I'm going to attempt to keep a count of how many times I do this, with the idea that that number should be zero. In the gym, I want to redouble my efforts to live in the moment when setting up for a set. While in the set, I'm generally focused, obviously heavy weights have a way of directing the mind where it needs to be. I don't need to be looking or thinking about anything else while setting up to lift.

 

Curse Count - 0

Concentration Under the Bar - 0/20

 

Without: Do 道

This is where I have too many ideas. There is a proper way to do everything, and there's just so much to do. I'm going to start with something I've been piddling around with, which is drawing Japanese characters for fun. This is mostly bonus material, so I'm not going 110% here. Just going to dip my toe in the water a bit, not in a place to commit money on a hobby I may not seriously take up. Education is cheap, and so are ballpoint pens. As for the last item, anime kills two birds with one stone--Japanese practice and maybe keeping from falling out resulting in that 10PM dinner scenario.

 

Shodo Research - 0/2

Drawing Japanese Characters - 0/2

Watch an Anime Instead of Napping Maybe - 0%

Nutrition 

2450 Calories. +50 calories and a more strict daily adherence to that number later, and still the scale is reading 116-117lbs. This seems to be working for me alright so I'll keep it up.

0 : 0

 

Weekly Debriefs:

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

[Urgan]

4/1/2019

New Month, New Me

.

 

武士道

Justice/Rectitude 

Within: Samurai Don't Complain (in class)

Nailed it.

 

Without: Giri

Floss - 1/35

Scrub walls/cabinets

Clean kitchen table

Clean shower

Clean toilet

Clean sinks

Clean kitchen counters

Mop floor

 

Courage

Within: Crying in the Dojo

Aikido - 1/10

 

Without: Keep heizen and carry on

Gun research - 0/3

Audit Grocery Bill - $780

Audit Power Bill - $95

 

Benevolence

Within and Without: Love

Learn first-aid

Donate

Check up on people - 1/10

Dad Training - 1/5

9:00 Dinner - 0/10

Cat food/water - 0/15

Cat grooming - 0/5

 

Politeness

Within: Rēsetsu

Curse Count - 1

Concentration Under the Bar - 0/19

 

Without: Do 道

Shodo Research - 0/2

Drawing Japanese Characters - 0/2

Watch an Anime Instead of Napping Maybe - 0%

Nutrition 

2450 Calories. 2225 : 2225

 

Wheeeee Monday means bench and OHP. I got 4 sets of 101lb triples and a top set of 72lbs, respectively. No sight of the bibliophobe yet, so I am getting optimistic that he is not going to be a regular feature. I knocked the Concentration Under the Bar down by one count because I'd set the goal after this session, after all. Work featured a scare in the form of an impending seating reorganization (we knew about that already), but boss said something that suggested to me there was a chance I was going to be shipped off to live in the bad idea factory that masquerades as a functional team. Then I forgot about that possibility until I got driving to my parents' house, where I proceeded to panic about it when there was jack all that could be done. Winning at life. So that's where the curse came from, but I got it under control after I had my moment. The people who allegedly want to buy the property want proof my grandmother is dead from a non-relative. Like we're hiding her in a coat closet or something. 

 

I nailed Aikido goals, but it was a near thing on remembering to do technique review. That's what happens on the first day back after a week off and you're super tired, I guess. No whining happened, though. Not a bad start. 

[ReturnOfTheDad]

Moving the gun talk back to the BL here in case anyone else finds it of interest.

 

On the subject of recoil, felt recoil is a real thing. 4 Points are critical for me: Form, Size,  Material, and Round.

 

Form: Just like in martial arts there are very specific shooting positions that that allow you to use your skeletal structure structure to support the recoil for follow up shots rather than your muscles. Think of it as a fighting or ready stance. It makes all the difference in the world in terms of where the force from the recoil goes and how difficult it is to put the firearm back on target. This gets more complicated when you start shooting while moving as in some IDPA matches or shooting courses, which can mirror more real life scenarios than just standing in a shooting range. These stances are typically covered in intro and intermediate shooters courses and a good shooting coach will take the same time and care in adjusting your form as a good martial arts teacher. This course may even be something you want to do before your purchase so you can have some base skills before you start trying out pistols for personal use. 

 

Size: Recaping from my DM, the size is going to make a big difference. I used to have a Ruger LCP, tiny little .380 James Bond looking thing. It was great for concealed carry, but oof, a real pain to shoot more than a few dozen rounds. On the other hand I had to qualify with a full size Glock 9mm for my TX concealed carry license and Incould have shot that thing all day. I opted for a personal concealed carry pistol In the middle, with an extended grip for when its in my night stand. Part of it has to do with the ability to get a good grip on it. Larger handle means better leverage and integration with the shooters stance and skeletal structure. Think of it in terms of trying to throw a flailing person by a wrist lock rather than a hip throw in the middle of a fight. The wrist lock can happen, but more points of contact and leverage can definitely make a big difference in maintaining form and recovery.

 

Material: Most pistols on the market today are composite (metal slide, plastic grip/lower). To me there is no good or bad in firearms, just what is the purpose (plenty of opinions on that though). I really like composite pistols for concealed carry because they are lighter but I still get the size for the reasons listed above. For a home defense pistol, weight really isn’t an issue since it isn’t something being carried around all day, so if you wanted to get a full metal frame you could. I didn’t think this was a big deal until I shot my friends full size metal frame revolver in .357 magnum. I was really expecting it to be a hand cannon and it really wasn’t any worse than most of the composite pistols I’v shot. When we switch to using .38 special ammo in it (same diameter as .357 but shorter and less powder) I felt like I was shooting a BB gun. There are plenty of full size metal pistols that fit the bill but they tend to be more on the expensive side. A couple of exceptions are the Berreta 92 and CZ 75. I have friends who have and love both. Here’s a handy comparison article if you want to go further down the full metal pistol route: http://topgunreview.com/best-gun-reviews/handgun/handgun-comparisons/metal-pistol/

 

Round: This is one that is going to be very much driven by purpose. The big challenge with picking a round is you want something with the mass and velocity to accomplish the objective, not too much or you risk excessive over penetration, or too little where it doesn’t do what it needs to. As to recoil, the “hotter” the round (more powder) the more recoil you are going to feel. +P rounds have a lot more velocity than standard rounds and can really add some recoil, but again what do you want it for. I like 9mm self defense rounds in 124 grain (bullet mass, most common are 115, 124, and 147). The 115 was too snappy for me and the 147 felt too much like a .45, which was less of a snap and more of a push in the hands. Here’s an article that makes some recommendations and goes further into ballistics tests:https://www.pewpewtactical.com/best-9mm-ammo-self-defense-range/

 

Another note on shotguns. Shotguns are typically recommended over pistols for home defense for the reasons listed above: Easier to maintain good form, much larger, much heavier, and many more rounds to choose from. For home defense use a 20 gauge can be beneficial not only because it is easier to manage for smaller frames shooters, but even for larger frame shooters the recoil is much more managable for follow up shots. Also at close range the right 20 gauge round is going to do the job. Add to that the option of low recoil home defense ammo and you have a powerful home defense tool that anyone can use. 

 

A note on on the philosophy of use: Home defense with an unknown intruder that may do you harm is really a scary thing. This idea of going and clearing a house instead of calling police is a dangerous idea. Unless someone’s life is on the line, police wait for backup before dealing with a potentially armed intruder. If that’s what a trained professional does, why would lesser trained civilians do any less? Top recommendation if possible is to create a barrier, such as a locked door, move to cover, such as a bathtub or behind a bed, with a shotgun pointed at the door and a hands free headset dialing 911. It creates a funnel that no one wants to be on the other end of and since the door is locked no one that has any good motives is going to try and bust through it.

 

That being said, there can be complicating factors that behoove a pistol for home defense. I have kids on the other side of the house, which means I need to be mobile and have a free hand to open doors and turn on lights. When it was just my wife and I at home in one room, we went the shotgun route, now with more space to cover the current plan is I go for the kids, and she dials 911 - MAKING SURE SHE IDENTIFIES ME AND WHAT I LOOK LIKE TO THE POLICE. That is a very important note people forget that has had some tragic situations come out of it. For the cost, shotguns are tough to beat. Academy typically has Mossberg Maverick 88’s in 20 gauge for $175-200.

 

Last point on dry fire practice, YES! The same way we practice movements in martial arts in isolation, the very same thing is important with firearms. Whether it’s drawing, moving around your home or practicing with those super cool laser apps, it’s important to get mechanics down and comfortable. I highly recommend the use of SnapCaps. They are plastic bullets that you can load and cycle just like regular rounds to get the added feel of pumping a shotgun or reloading a magazine a cycling a new round into a pistol (point of importance, always important to count shots so ideally you never run full empty). Nothing replaces actual range time, but that is only part of a larger picture.

 

Thus ends another firearms dissertation. Again, I am not a professional, just an enthusiast who has been very fortunate to have friends, family, and training partners in police, military, and private security that shared all this with me. Hope this helps and questions welcome!

[Urgan]

4/2/2019

Open to Interpretation

.

 

武士道

Justice/Rectitude 

Within: Samurai Don't Complain (in class)

-

Without: Giri

Floss - 2/35

Scrub walls/cabinets

Clean kitchen table

Clean shower

Clean toilet

Clean sinks

Clean kitchen counters

Mop floor

 

Courage

Within: Crying in the Dojo

Aikido - 1/10

Without: Keep heizen and carry on

Gun research - 0/3

Audit Grocery Bill - $740 ($880)

Audit Power Bill - $105

 

Benevolence

Within and Without: Love

Learn first-aid - 24%

Donate

Check up on people - 1/10

Dad Training - 1/5

9:00 Dinner - 1/10

Cat food/water - 1/15

Cat grooming - 0/5

 

Politeness

Within: Rēsetsu

Curse Count - 1

Concentration Under the Bar - 0/19

Without: Do 道

Shodo Research - 0/2

Drawing Japanese Characters - 1/2

Watch an Anime Instead of Napping Maybe - 0%

Nutrition 

2450 Calories. 2275 : 2324

 

I did things. On a Tuesday. Wut. Let's see...I've got my March bill for groceries pinned down (I'm only interested in my main grocery store bills, but in parentheses I have the cost of all three stores to verify I'm not "cooking the books," so to speak), a better estimate for the power bill, and I'm now in a position to pay the tax bill Wednesday night. I feel so flippin' charitable right now thinking about where that money is going. Yeah......

 

On a more useful, less why-can't-we-have-money front, I began the first aid training and have gotten a fair ways into that. Neato. Cats didn't starve all day, and we didn't starve all night. I did nap, but I set an alarm and got started on cooking before 9PM. Also, I drew a kanji, let me show you it. 

Rēsetsu.

 

I fell asleep with the lights on, woke up at 2AM to brush/floss. #winning

[Urgan]

23 hours ago, ReturnOfTheDad said:

On the subject of recoil, felt recoil is a real thing. 4 Points are critical for me: Form, Size,  Material, and Round.

 

Form: Just like in martial arts there are very specific shooting positions that that allow you to use your skeletal structure structure to support the recoil for follow up shots rather than your muscles. Think of it as a fighting or ready stance. It makes all the difference in the world in terms of where the force from the recoil goes and how difficult it is to put the firearm back on target. This gets more complicated when you start shooting while moving as in some IDPA matches or shooting courses, which can mirror more real life scenarios than just standing in a shooting range. These stances are typically covered in intro and intermediate shooters courses and a good shooting coach will take the same time and care in adjusting your form as a good martial arts teacher. This course may even be something you want to do before your purchase so you can have some base skills before you start trying out pistols for personal use. 

 

Size: Recaping from my DM, the size is going to make a big difference. I used to have a Ruger LCP, tiny little .380 James Bond looking thing. It was great for concealed carry, but oof, a real pain to shoot more than a few dozen rounds. On the other hand I had to qualify with a full size Glock 9mm for my TX concealed carry license and Incould have shot that thing all day. I opted for a personal concealed carry pistol In the middle, with an extended grip for when its in my night stand. Part of it has to do with the ability to get a good grip on it. Larger handle means better leverage and integration with the shooters stance and skeletal structure. Think of it in terms of trying to throw a flailing person by a wrist lock rather than a hip throw in the middle of a fight. The wrist lock can happen, but more points of contact and leverage can definitely make a big difference in maintaining form and recovery.

 

Material: Most pistols on the market today are composite (metal slide, plastic grip/lower). To me there is no good or bad in firearms, just what is the purpose (plenty of opinions on that though). I really like composite pistols for concealed carry because they are lighter but I still get the size for the reasons listed above. For a home defense pistol, weight really isn’t an issue since it isn’t something being carried around all day, so if you wanted to get a full metal frame you could. I didn’t think this was a big deal until I shot my friends full size metal frame revolver in .357 magnum. I was really expecting it to be a hand cannon and it really wasn’t any worse than most of the composite pistols I’v shot. When we switch to using .38 special ammo in it (same diameter as .357 but shorter and less powder) I felt like I was shooting a BB gun. There are plenty of full size metal pistols that fit the bill but they tend to be more on the expensive side. A couple of exceptions are the Berreta 92 and CZ 75. I have friends who have and love both. Here’s a handy comparison article if you want to go further down the full metal pistol route: http://topgunreview.com/best-gun-reviews/handgun/handgun-comparisons/metal-pistol/

 

Round: This is one that is going to be very much driven by purpose. The big challenge with picking a round is you want something with the mass and velocity to accomplish the objective, not too much or you risk excessive over penetration, or too little where it doesn’t do what it needs to. As to recoil, the “hotter” the round (more powder) the more recoil you are going to feel. +P rounds have a lot more velocity than standard rounds and can really add some recoil, but again what do you want it for. I like 9mm self defense rounds in 124 grain (bullet mass, most common are 115, 124, and 147). The 115 was too snappy for me and the 147 felt too much like a .45, which was less of a snap and more of a push in the hands. Here’s an article that makes some recommendations and goes further into ballistics tests:https://www.pewpewtactical.com/best-9mm-ammo-self-defense-range/

 

Another note on shotguns. Shotguns are typically recommended over pistols for home defense for the reasons listed above: Easier to maintain good form, much larger, much heavier, and many more rounds to choose from. For home defense use a 20 gauge can be beneficial not only because it is easier to manage for smaller frames shooters, but even for larger frame shooters the recoil is much more managable for follow up shots. Also at close range the right 20 gauge round is going to do the job. Add to that the option of low recoil home defense ammo and you have a powerful home defense tool that anyone can use. 

 

Clearly I have a lot to learn about the consequences of different gun designs. I'm going to reevaluate a bit, and after we get done throwing money at every passing fool maybe we can get serious about some hands-on time.

 

23 hours ago, ReturnOfTheDad said:

A note on on the philosophy of use: Home defense with an unknown intruder that may do you harm is really a scary thing. This idea of going and clearing a house instead of calling police is a dangerous idea. Unless someone’s life is on the line, police wait for backup before dealing with a potentially armed intruder. If that’s what a trained professional does, why would lesser trained civilians do any less? Top recommendation if possible is to create a barrier, such as a locked door, move to cover, such as a bathtub or behind a bed, with a shotgun pointed at the door and a hands free headset dialing 911. It creates a funnel that no one wants to be on the other end of and since the door is locked no one that has any good motives is going to try and bust through it.

 

That being said, there can be complicating factors that behoove a pistol for home defense. I have kids on the other side of the house, which means I need to be mobile and have a free hand to open doors and turn on lights. When it was just my wife and I at home in one room, we went the shotgun route, now with more space to cover the current plan is I go for the kids, and she dials 911 - MAKING SURE SHE IDENTIFIES ME AND WHAT I LOOK LIKE TO THE POLICE. That is a very important note people forget that has had some tragic situations come out of it. For the cost, shotguns are tough to beat. Academy typically has Mossberg Maverick 88’s in 20 gauge for $175-200.

 

I don't know what's more frightening, being attacked out somewhere random or having someone trying to break in the house. Badness everywhere you look. Luckily, we don't have kids, so it's just me and hubs to worry about. And maybe Maggy, who might walk up to an intruder for petting. She's that kind of cat lol. But a really good point about ID'ing the good guy with a gun, because those don't come with little floating holographic name tags IRL, now do that? 

 

23 hours ago, ReturnOfTheDad said:

Last point on dry fire practice, YES! The same way we practice movements in martial arts in isolation, the very same thing is important with firearms. Whether it’s drawing, moving around your home or practicing with those super cool laser apps, it’s important to get mechanics down and comfortable. I highly recommend the use of SnapCaps. They are plastic bullets that you can load and cycle just like regular rounds to get the added feel of pumping a shotgun or reloading a magazine a cycling a new round into a pistol (point of importance, always important to count shots so ideally you never run full empty). Nothing replaces actual range time, but that is only part of a larger picture.

 

Shotgun lasertag house party go. That actually sounds kind of fun... #notactuallyaimingthegunatahuman

[Urgan]

Also, btw, the property be getting sold now. First signatures have been made. This thing is happening, people.

[Urgan]

4/3/2019

Help, I'm lost

.

 

武士道

Justice/Rectitude 

Within: Samurai Don't Complain (in class)

You know what's hard? Left sides of anything. I chose to make a joke of it rather than whining about it for the 80,000th time, which was a win.

 

Without: Giri

Floss - 3/35

Scrub walls/cabinets

Clean kitchen table

Clean shower

Clean toilet

Clean sinks

Clean kitchen counters

Mop floor

 

Courage

Within: Crying in the Dojo

Aikido - 2/10

Without: Keep heizen and carry on

Gun research - 0/3

Audit Grocery Bill - $740 ($880)

Audit Power Bill - $105

 

Benevolence

Within and Without: Love

Learn first-aid - 24%

Donate

Check up on people - 2/10

Dad Training - 1/5

9:00 Dinner - 1/10

Cat food/water - 1/15

Cat grooming - 0/5

 

Politeness

Within: Rēsetsu

Curse Count - 2

Concentration Under the Bar - 1/19

Without: Do 道

Shodo Research - 0/2

Drawing Japanese Characters - 1/2

Watch an Anime Instead of Napping Maybe - 0%

Nutrition 

2450 Calories. 2333 : 2449

 

Gosh the mirror is my mindfulness enemy in the gym. You glance up and there's all these People in your line of sight. That's where getting in the zone becomes a struggle. 

Cursed once, but at least it took longer than just walking in the door to trip up. Self-censored all the things otherwise. The property is selling, a major source of angst is going bye-bye, it's going to be great.

I checked in on mom and dad individually at different times. Dad is supposed to be going to the gym during the week, so I was making sure that was a thing that was going to happen--if it doesn't happen this week, it never will.

Dojo time we spent reviewing the 4-part technique we'd gone over on Monday (two-handed collar grab kokyunage in pidgin), so theoretically I should not have to completely relearn this technique from the ground up because I have focused on it FOUR times this week. 

[Urgan]

4/4/2019

Hitting the sack like

.

 

武士道

Justice/Rectitude 

Within: Samurai Don't Complain (in class)

-

Without: Giri

Floss - 4/35

Scrub walls/cabinets

Clean kitchen table

Clean shower

Clean toilet

Clean sinks

Clean kitchen counters

Mop floor

 

Courage

Within: Crying in the Dojo

Aikido - 2/10

Without: Keep heizen and carry on

Gun research - 0/3

Audit Grocery Bill - $740 ($880)

Audit Power Bill - $105

 

Benevolence

Within and Without: Love

Learn first-aid - 24%

Donate

Check up on people - 2/10

Dad Training - 1/5

9:00 Dinner - 2/10

Cat food/water - 2/15

Cat grooming - 0/5

 

Politeness

Within: Rēsetsu

Curse Count - 2

Concentration Under the Bar - 1/19

Without: Do 道

Shodo Research - 0/2

Drawing Japanese Characters - 1/2

Watch an Anime Instead of Napping Maybe - 0%

Nutrition 

2450 Calories. 2324 : 2298

 

A pretty uneventful day. Put a very large check in the mail for taxes. Made fried rice with butter-fried leeks. Started said fried rice before 9PM after an itty-bitty nap. Riveting. 

[Urgan]

Aaaaand the check is in mom's hands, so the property is SOLD.

[Mistr]

On 4/3/2019 at 11:51 AM, Urgan said:

Also, btw, the property be getting sold now. First signatures have been made. This thing is happening, people.

 

Yay!

 

On 4/4/2019 at 9:54 AM, Urgan said:

You know what's hard? Left sides of anything. I chose to make a joke of it rather than whining about it for the 80,000th time, which was a win.

 

In my dojo we call this the "dreaded other side".

 

On 4/4/2019 at 9:54 AM, Urgan said:

I checked in on mom and dad individually at different times. Dad is supposed to be going to the gym during the week, so I was making sure that was a thing that was going to happen--if it doesn't happen this week, it never will.

 

Keeping my fingers crossed for your dad getting back in the gym. I'm glad to hear that he is recovered enough to start training again.

[Urgan]

11 minutes ago, Mistr said:

In my dojo we call this the "dreaded other side".

 

The punchline of many of the jokes involves the fact that at least two of us are lefties and it doesn't help at all. It really doesn't.

 

12 minutes ago, Mistr said:

Keeping my fingers crossed for your dad getting back in the gym. I'm glad to hear that he is recovered enough to start training again.

 

The man is a landscaping crew of one, he just needs to make it a priority for reasons other than expecting me to babysit him from now on lol. That's the challenge.

[RisenPhoenix]

14 minutes ago, Mistr said:

In my dojo we call this the "dreaded other side".

 

Annnnnd I just snorted my tea.

 

Also Hi Urgan.  I've been terrible and forgetting about your log. >.> <.<

 

Congrats on the belt!

[Urgan]

32 minutes ago, RisenPhoenix said:

Also Hi Urgan.  I've been terrible and forgetting about your log. >.> <.<

 

[Urgan]

4/5/2019 - 4/7/2019

Going places

.

 

武士道

Justice/Rectitude 

Within: Samurai Don't Complain (in class)

-

Without: Giri

Floss - 7/35

Scrub walls/cabinets

Clean kitchen table

Clean shower

Clean toilet

Clean sinks

Clean kitchen counters

Mop floor

 

Courage

Within: Crying in the Dojo

Aikido - 2/10

Without: Keep heizen and carry on

Gun research - 0/3

Audit Grocery Bill - 740 (880), 170 (243)

Audit Power Bill - 116 

 

Benevolence

Within and Without: Love

Learn first-aid - 24%

Donate

Check up on people - 4/10

Dad Training - 2/5

9:00 Dinner - 2/10

Cat food/water - 4/15

Cat grooming - 1/5

 

Politeness

Within: Rēsetsu

Curse Count - 2

Concentration Under the Bar - 3/19

Without: Do 道

Shodo Research - 0/2

Drawing Japanese Characters - 2/2

Watch an Anime Instead of Napping Maybe - 25%

Nutrition 

2450 Calories. 2343 : 2373, 2463, 2267

 

Friday was much calmer than the last week. By this point, my anxiety passed and I was able to do my sets without being on high alert. It didn't hurt that I was a bit scared of the weight I was scheduled to lift. 72lbs for 5 sets of triples on OHP is what specifically had me concerned for my life. It wasn't that bad, it just demanded textbook form. Work was pretty laid-back. By the time I got home, I was pretty darn tired and didn't exactly stay up super late. Checking in with people happened.

 

Saturday featured me barely managing one set of 190lbs on squat, after which I backed off. I decided a week of deload would help sort this out, although deadlifts were pretty easy. Whatever the issue is, squats are the canary in the coal mine. I did some cat claw clipping, because after a while you eventually remember being tenderized one too many times and you finally have some free time to fix it.

 

Sunday was training day for dad. Last week's tightness in his chest is a thing of the past, after a mere one session (he didn't do anything during the week because he messed around trying to get in touch with his work's gym staff and turns out they didn't even have what he needed--a barbell. Sigh). He had some knee discomfort but I poked at it between his warmup sets and that fixed that. Lots of sound but no actual fury in terms of overall discomfort, he is quite theatrical post-exertion. This cut into my napping/chore time, so I didn't start on any Giri HOWEVER, I made two dinners, watched 3 episodes of an anime, brushed cats, AND wrote a thing on top of the usual laundry juggling, so. You might say my anti-napping goal was hit on the one day I wouldn't have minded a nap. #irony

 

SO. The show I watched. My Roommate is a Cat. It's only 12 episodes, so I should have no reason not to finish it this month. The elevator pitch:

(Borderline) autistic writer boy's parents die.

Boy meets stray cat. 

Magic happens.

 

It will not change your life, but it is amusing and vaguely relatable for cat owners, given our autistic protagonist has spent his whole life avoiding other living creatures, so he doesn't have the foggiest idea about the most basic cliche pet behavior. Also, I am So Hype that Fruits Basket is making a comeback. If I finish Roommate Cat, I will allow myself to get a subscription to Crunchyroll again to better consume the Furuba. I presume it's good, it has to be. If it isn't, I will personally start. a. riot.

 

Also, here is the thing I wrote.

 

 

[shaar]

On 4/2/2019 at 11:05 AM, Urgan said:

 

The people who allegedly want to buy the property want proof my grandmother is dead from a non-relative. Like we're hiding her in a coat closet or something. 

 

Fhdksad I laughed far too long at this my word Gramma popping out of a closet like a jack in the box............

 

"NO DON'T OPEN THAT PANTRY DOOR--"

 

On 4/3/2019 at 12:51 PM, Urgan said:

Also, btw, the property be getting sold now. First signatures have been made. This thing is happening, people.

 

yesssssss

 

On 4/5/2019 at 2:09 PM, Urgan said:

Aaaaand the check is in mom's hands, so the property is SOLD.

 

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

 

2 hours ago, Urgan said:

 

SO. The show I watched. My Roommate is a Cat. It's only 12 episodes, so I should have no reason not to finish it this month. The elevator pitch:

(Borderline) autistic writer boy's parents die.

Boy meets stray cat. 

Magic happens.

 

 

THIS SOUNDS ADORABLE

 

I cosplayed from Furuba another lifetime ago.  I was the cow-boy, I forget his name, Haru...... something??

 

[Urgan]

13 minutes ago, shaar said:

Fhdksad I laughed far too long at this my word Gramma popping out of a closet like a jack in the box............

 

"NO DON'T OPEN THAT PANTRY DOOR--"

 

On 4/3/2019 at 11:51 AM, Urgan said:

Also, btw, the property be getting sold now. First signatures have been made. This thing is happening, people.

 

yesssssss

 

On 4/5/2019 at 1:09 PM, Urgan said:

Aaaaand the check is in mom's hands, so the property is SOLD.

 

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

 

 

14 minutes ago, shaar said:

THIS SOUNDS ADORABLE

 

I cosplayed from Furuba another lifetime ago.  I was the cow-boy, I forget his name, Haru...... something??

 

It is, I maybe sorta got misty-eyed a bit by the end of the third episode. It won't make you DEPRESSED, it's just a feelsy show, full of I Was a Lonely Ball of Sad Until I Met You kind of feels.

 

Hatsuharu! Badass bicycle-riding Good Boy.

[Kishi]

If you're looking for a short series that are fun and will not change your life, Skullfaced Bookseller Honda-san is awesome and deserves so much more love than it gets.

 

Also, the thing you wrote must be awesome because my Government-Mandated Computer won't let me read it. I'll have to see it later; sorry!

[Urgan]

4/8/2019 + 4/9/2019

Transitory feelings

武士道

Justice/Rectitude 

Within: Samurai Don't Complain (in class)

I did the thing so hard, y'all. I did not kvetch and steered other people as far from that cliff as I could. Not throwing shade at anyone, learning is hard.

Without: Giri

Floss - 9/35

Scrub walls/cabinets

Clean kitchen table

Clean shower

Clean toilet

Clean sinks

Clean kitchen counters

Mop floor

 

Courage

Within: Crying in the Dojo

Aikido - 4/10

Without: Keep heizen and carry on

Gun research - 0/3

Audit Grocery Bill - 740 (880), 170 (243)

Audit Power Bill - 116 

 

Benevolence

Within and Without: Love

Learn first-aid - 40%

Donate

Check up on people - 5/10

Dad Training - 2/5

9:00 Dinner - 3/10

Cat food/water - 5/15

Cat grooming - 1/5

 

Politeness

Within: Rēsetsu

Curse Count - 2

Concentration Under the Bar - 4/19

Without: Do 道

Shodo Research - 0/2

Drawing Japanese Characters - 2/2

Watch an Anime Instead of Napping Maybe - 66%

Nutrition 

2450 Calories. 2377 : 2443, 2311

 

I have been so flipping productive these last two days. Monday I was in a good place mentally, in the zone in the gym and at the dojo. Didn't curse even one time under my parents' roof. Flossed all the time, learned Jo Kata II, practiced it a lot after I got home, got confused and had to reteach it to myself with help from the technique video, worked on first aid training. 

 

Tuesday I worked from home, so I had the horsepower to scrub every single door, doorframe, and light switch plate in the house. WHEW. Husband of mine randomly cleaned the kitchen table without my so much as glancing at it. Score. Practiced Jo Kata II AGAIN because I am paranoid it will fly out of my brain unless I nail it down every day. Did more first aid training. Cat food/water/litterbox and checking in on people was easy to handle from home, and I made dinner by 9.

 

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

 

I have done you a disservice of forgetting to mention I was driving home last Friday on a one-way street in our lovely Downtown where one-way streets are common. As I do every day. What doesn't happen everyday is a car pulling out and turning toward me and heading in my direction in the same lane as me way on the left side of the street, a direction one would expect to drive in if it were a two-lane road. I slow down and watch this clown show for a moment as the car got closer, then the car merges to my right instead of u-turning or pulling into one of scores of businesses off to the side as if I am the nut driving the wrong lane. Lord I would give anything to know what was going on in that car when they noticed the oncoming traffic also all nuttily driving on the "wrong side" of the road. 

 

Saw another guy turn onto a one-way street going the wrong direction when I was headed home on Monday, so apparently April is National Drive Like Crazy Month.

 

Also, there is something extremely meta about watching My Roommate is a Cat around the butt of a live cat. A quirk of the show is the first half is the slice-of-life moment from the perspective of the guy and the other half is that of the cat. Some of the dialogue doesn't line up quite right, but it's cute. 

 

20 hours ago, Kishi said:

If you're looking for a short series that are fun and will not change your life, Skullfaced Bookseller Honda-san is awesome and deserves so much more love than it gets.

 

I watched the first episode a while back before I canceled my Crunchyroll. It's really funny and at the same time I couldn't get into it because it seemed like a cringe compilation of social fails that I can't bear to watch. Like, I literally look away from those kind of moments and skip those parts if I am able lol. I'd call it an incompatibility not a criticism of the show per say?

 

20 hours ago, Kishi said:

Also, the thing you wrote must be awesome because my Government-Mandated Computer won't let me read it. I'll have to see it later; sorry!

 

[Urgan]

4/10/2019

Coordination and timing

武士道

Justice/Rectitude 

Within: Samurai Don't Complain (in class)

I did pretty well at this again. My strategy is to try to steer the banter in a positive direction while acknowledging how learning is frustrating and sometimes it's really hard to figure out which hand is your left.

 

Without: Giri

Floss - 10/35

Scrub walls/cabinets

Clean kitchen table

Clean shower

Clean toilet

Clean sinks

Clean kitchen counters

Mop floor

 

Courage

Within: Crying in the Dojo

Aikido - 5/10

Without: Keep heizen and carry on

Gun research - 0/3

Audit Grocery Bill - 740 (880), 170 (243)

Audit Power Bill - 116 

 

Benevolence

Within and Without: Love

Learn first-aid - 40%

Donate

Check up on people - 5/10

Dad Training - 2/5

9:00 Dinner - 3/10

Cat food/water - 5/15

Cat grooming - 1/5

 

Politeness

Within: Rēsetsu

Curse Count - 3

Concentration Under the Bar - 4/19

Without: Do 道

Shodo Research - 0/2

Drawing Japanese Characters - 2/2

Watch an Anime Instead of Napping Maybe - 66%

Nutrition 

2450 Calories. 2312 : 2183

 

So.....we found out a little while ago that hubs's great-great aunt died in her sleep out of nowhere at the age of 93, so her funeral is Thursday. He's going to it to support his mom, who takes everything as hard as possible and then a little harder still, so funerals of any kind no matter the distance are very volatile. 

 

Gym time was a mixed bag. I've taken it easy for the week, but mostly in lowering the number of sets. Squats were 183lb triples for two sets, rack pulls topped out at 225lbs, my right hand got sweaty and slipped on the last rep just shy of lockout. My gym zen was shot by the aggressively extroverted guy and being unable not to noodle on how to avoid/deal with him in the future. It's funny but I have developed a hatred for the wall-to-wall mirrors because I see People in those things. People all the time. At least Aikido was a lot better, we did yokomenuchi kotegaeshi, which can be summed up as Starts as Anything but Kotegaeshi, Ends Up with the Hand Grip and the couple of steps that constitute the kotegaeshi throw. I say this because it played foul with my partner's sense of what technique we are doing since it feels intuitively like we're beginning something like, say shomenuchi ikkyo rather than kotegaeshi. Just some crossed wires. Came home, drilled jo kata II and the parts of the technique we got to in class, studied Japanese, crammed food in my mouth, prepped for Thursday's car repair shenanigans, and went to bed. Entirely too busy. The AL Open karate tournament is this weekend, too. 

 

It was a relief to learn the IRS finally yanked the money out of our account so no more financial breath-holding.

[shaar]

1 hour ago, Urgan said:

 

It was a relief to learn the IRS finally yanked the money out of our account so no more financial breath-holding.

 

Waaaaiting

 

Is the haaaardest part

 

Especially when $$ is involved.

[Urgan]

20 minutes ago, shaar said:

 

Waaaaiting

 

Is the haaaardest part

 

Especially when $$ is involved.

 

Money that you have that technically isn't yours anymore but hold onto it until the check gets there because the online form I found demands all kinds of prior year info that seemed like a really good way of getting something wrong and the four digit payment not being applied properly or being investigated for fraud or burning down our house or. 

 

So I mailed the check. 

[Urgan]

4/11/2019

Jumping Jack Flash

武士道

Justice/Rectitude 

Within: Samurai Don't Complain (in class)

-

Without: Giri

Floss - 11/35

Scrub walls/cabinets

Clean kitchen table

Clean shower

Clean toilet

Clean sinks

Clean kitchen counters

Mop floor

 

Courage

Within: Crying in the Dojo

Aikido - 5/10

Without: Keep heizen and carry on

Gun research - 0/3

Audit Grocery Bill - 740 (880), 170 (243)

Audit Power Bill - 116 

 

Benevolence

Within and Without: Love

Learn first-aid - 44%

Donate

Check up on people - 6/10

Dad Training - 2/5

9:00 Dinner - 4/10

Cat food/water - 6/15

Cat grooming - 1/5

 

Politeness

Within: Rēsetsu

Curse Count - 3

Concentration Under the Bar - 4/19

Without: Do 道

Shodo Research - 1/2

Drawing Japanese Characters - 2/2

Watch an Anime Instead of Napping Maybe - 66%

Nutrition 

2450 Calories. 2270 : 2144

 

No Aikido happened on Thursday, social or otherwise. It was car repair day, which means getting up at 6:15, an hour early, and driving right through rush hour traffic on the busiest road in the city to get there. No problem, I get there riiiight on time....only to discover car dealerships have 14 entrances and none of them are clearly for you.

So I drove around the block, then pulled into the front. It's the sales entrance.

 

Of course it is.

 

The salesman informs me service is on the side of the building, pull into a lane there. Kay, so I do that.

It's the wrong lane for what I need. I drive around the block again. Third time, baby. Third time I find the lane.

It's full. I may be sticking out in the road, God only knows. Oh well. Someone thoughtfully moves the parked car inside the building up a bit so I am no longer a public threat. Hop out, head to the service counter. To get the shuttle, I have to sign in and write where I want to go, then go wait for the shuttle guy to arrive.

 

I am promptly abandoned for an hour and a half. An hour and fifteen minutes into that wait I got a random phone call, rejected it angrily because I figured it was spam, then thought maybe it was my boss trying to figure out what was going on with me (I'd emailed earlier, but he might have wanted to have me on the phone during the meeting, who knows), so I call it back and get nobody. Sit sit sit. The lady who took me in and got my keys shows up for me and another guy to give me my car back. Apparently in contrast to the other people who were waiting and could expect a person to come and talk to them, I was supposed to expect a phone call when I'd never left the building. She thought I'd left, she called me as we walk back to service counterland. Snap. Well then. I inform her that I thought I was supposed to be given a ride, but apparently that didn't happen. She apologizes and says something about the shuttle not being able to run until 10, I miss a critical bit of the sentence--so either she was explaining what I already was told by the sign or his arse didn't run at 8 at all. File that under Things I Wish I Had Been Told, I could have walked, Ubered, called for help, or invented teleportation perhaps. I got to work an hour late, found out boss wasn't even there and we had no idea why for several hours. Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekay Thursday whateveer.

 

On a COMPLETELY unrelated note, I saw a meme:

"Name something that you understand a lot better now that you are older."

Someone replied, "Why the Grinch wanted to live alone on a mountain with his dog." 

 

It me. Except it would be a cat(s), and I honestly have no interest in lifting a hand to ruin a town's Christmas. That is a LOT of energy to expend on hating strangers, dang. 

 

On a positive note, my husband, who was about to start prepping to go to the funeral, was incredibly understanding as I shared the blow-by-blow of the fun-fest as it happened. Perhaps the most empathy ever displayed doubled over. And he brought home dinner, so I didn't have to cook. Either he just happened to be in the right frame of mind or else everything that happens to me needs to be couched in car-talk. Not sure which.

 

The funeral went well until a eulogy where someone started Telling Stories and MIL broke down at that point, as stories that involve People Who Are All Dead Now tend to have that effect. So that was about as well as one could hope for such an occasion to go, particularly important as MIL's reactions tend to transfer my husband like watercolors to tissue paper. 

 

So yeah. No Aikido happened. But I did floss, work on first aid training, and did a bit of shodo research (articles and the magic of Youtube). I realize they sell marker pens that have really flexible tips. In colors. This might be slightly dangerous.

[shaar]

1 hour ago, Urgan said:

I am promptly abandoned for an hour and a half.

 

SWEET SIAMESE KITTENS I woulda been PIIIIIISSED.  Wowie wow wow.  Probably by the half hour mark (hell, 20 minutes) I would have been stomping around like a cranky walrus but maybe I was spoiled by my car-repair shuttle never being more than 5 minutes off time. (Small town mechanics)

 

At least that debacle is over????

[Urgan]

4 minutes ago, shaar said:

 

SWEET SIAMESE KITTENS I woulda been PIIIIIISSED.  Wowie wow wow.  Probably by the half hour mark (hell, 20 minutes) I would have been stomping around like a cranky walrus but maybe I was spoiled by my car-repair shuttle never being more than 5 minutes off time. (Small town mechanics)

 

At least that debacle is over????

 

This is very specifically a car dealership flavor of fail. The shuttle at FIL's shop was timely, there were just some other issues with that one.....

 

Yes, my super deadly airbag sensors that sat there 4-5 years peacefully hurting nobody has been replaced, driver and passenger. We can all sleep soundly at night now.