Adam’s Cerebral Spillage

Looking out of my office window right now all I can see is grey skies, rain and the trees being blown about. Some July huh? It’s been a really sunny summer so far so I can’t really complain too much I suppose, but it’s got me wishing for brighter skies, which in turn reminds me - only three weeks until holiday! In 22 days my friends and I are jetting off to Spain for a week to share a villa and have a damn good time. We have a pool, barbecue area and lots of space, so I intend to do a lot of relaxing, plenty of swimming and no doubt partaking in the odd sangria or two ;). Usually foreign holidays for those of us living in ‘The Country’ have an added annoyance, and that’s the sheer amount of travelling involved before you get anywhere.

Cornwall has traditionally had really poor transport links - we’re talking 90 miles to the nearest stretch of Motorway, trains that take forever, no airports - but all of that has begun to change. Most of the above is still true, but with the advent of Newquay Airport and its subsequent improvements, the rest of the world has started to move a bit closer. Take this holiday I’m due for example. In the past it might have meant a drive to the nearest airport (normally Bristol - 3.5/4 hours, sometimes Gatwick/Heathrow @ 6.5/7 hours) before even starting. This time however we’re flying direct from Newquay (20 minutes drive away) to Alicante (30 minutes from the villa), and I feel so much happier and more relaxed about it. I have a really small list of things I want to take with me, mostly various swimming shorts, books and hopefully a very trashy inflatable for the pool. I’m fancying a giant inflatable dinosaur, but I think I might be out of luck there :(.

It’s back to the dojang tonight, time to infuse those mats with some more hard work and sweat (and hopefully not too much blood - it’ll stain!). I’m still aching all over from Wednesday’s antics, my shoulders aren’t used to things like dragon pushups any more. Between that and a stiff back from the Kickboxing warm-up which involved slapping the mat a lot as we changed direction, we ended up looking like apes (anyone who knows me can kindly refrain from any further comment there please), I’m not moving so freely. From the looks of things at least we’ll know if there are any leaks in the building.

I managed to find the single other person in the world who seems to not only have read Hyperion, but loved it as much as I do. Good day!

I can’t post songs from here, but I shall definitely be singing along to Snake River Conspiracy on the way home tonight, probably Breed followed by Lovesong.

Technorati Tags: alicante, holiday, hyperion, inflatable dinosaur, rain, Snake River Conspiracy, summer, training

Yesterday was my second session back in training since recovering from my injury, and I’m really feeling it today. Sunday’s inaugural lesson in the Academy was a good one, but I felt ok afterward really, not too exhausted or sore (well, I had *really* tight and sore hamstrings for a day or two). Last night’s session was a different story. It wasn’t the hardest lesson I’ve ever been to, but during some of the punching drills near the beginning I jarred my elbow - which was totally stupid - but it hurt.

We carried on working through some nice chokes and takedowns and I was happy to be working with someone completely new, taking her through her first taste of one-step and self-defense. I’m really enjoying the opportunities I have now to teach and pass on what I’ve (hopefully) taken on board in the relatively short time I’ve been training. The new building is slowly starting to feel like home as I’m starting to learn the feel of some of the things in there. The floor is actually a big part of it, as the matting we have now is very different from anything we’ve trained on in the past. We’ve come from wooden floors, laminates and a carpeted, fully sprung gym floor. Now we have foam rubber jigsaw mats, with a strange texture on the top. At first I found it really slippery in comparison to the others, but after doing more of the traditional stuff I’m starting to feel much happier with it. Pivoting for kicks is really nice, and the small amount of give in it is great for balancing on. Plus you can slide out backwards for speedy drops into push-ups *really* quickly ;).

There’s a kickboxing lesson after every TSD one now, so I stuck around for it to really give myself a bit of a test. Kickboxing lessons tend to be really heavy on cardio and strength, so I was looking forward to it and apprehensive at the same time, already being tired from the traditional lesson, but I know I need to get that little edge back. The warmup left me gasping for breath and during the stretch I could feel just how sore my elbow was, and how much range of movement I’d lost, so I sat out the last sparring drills.

It was also the first outing for my new lightweight dobok. The heavyweight is great but the jacket’s just too big, and it wasn’t until I tried this newer, smaller one that I realised just how much more free I felt. I’m really happy with it and I’ve bought some material to trim it with, so it’s just that and reattaching the flags and association badges left to do. Kickboxing usually done with the club kickboxing t-shirts and trousers of our choice, but I hadn’t even decided I was going to do the second hour until I got there, so I ended up training in dobok trousers and a Machine Head t-shirt!

I’ve just the rest of the day to get through without falling asleep now, and to try to survive the crazy hayfever. It’s been unbelievable this last couple of weeks. I liked having a day off yesterday, it gave me a chance for some good friend catch-up time as well as a bit of hard work, but it was worth it for the end result. Now there’s only a day left before the weekend! (and another bout of self-inflicted torture ;))

Technorati Tags: academy, dobok, dojang, tang soo do, training

So it’s been a busy couple of weeks really.

The main thing for me over the last week or so has been the creation and renovation of what is now our club’s full-time academy/dojang. After a lot of searching, failed attempts and hurdles, In Sung Kwan now has its own place, somewhere we as students can all call home. There’s a lot of time, work and money gone into it, but it’s all been worth it.

The dojang was once an industrial unit-cum-showroom, and was very “bare bones” when we first handed over the deposit on the first day of conversion. We were left with a dusty, dirty shell of a building with no paint on the walls and some manky old carpet glued to the floor. Tearing that up was a mission in itself and ended up with most of us (those who put in some hard graft to get the place done) coughing our lungs up with the dust and dirt in the air. Work began in earnest - painting everything, getting some laminate flooring down in what is now the reception/office/waiting area, and changing the big hanging strip lights so they were less, well, hangy-downy. One swing of a weapon and it would’ve been goodnight Vienna!

Unfortunately work commitments meant I couldn’t work every evening during the week which meant I missed the laying of the mats which was the part I was looking forward to most. I had to go to a small place called Goring, which is near Worthing, for training in the database system we use at work. Cue 260 miles driving on Wednesday, two days training in the swankiest offices you’ve ever seen (a Grade II listed manor-house no less) and then 260 miles back on Friday evening. To call them long days would been the mother of all understatements, and once I got home I lost all motor skills and the ability to talk.

Back to the original story, tonight saw two firsts. The unofficial opening of our new academy and my first training session in close to five weeks… and didn’t I just know it tonight! The warmup was really tough on me, it always amazes me just how quickly you lose your fitness and edge if you have time off. I’m going to be aching in the morning, I know that much. But I came through it unscathed and with my knee intact which is the important thing, and I realised just how much I’ve missed it now that I’m back. It gave me such a buzz to be training again, and I’m looking forward to ramping up the effort over the coming weeks and getting back to running again with one eye on the half-marathon in October.

This post is pointless without pictures, so here we go.

Before:

After:

(The light on this one doesn’t really do it justice)

As you can imagine, we’re pretty pleased with it. There’s still lots to do, but it’s all purely cosmetic now. There are loads more pictures from the refit if you click on any of the photos and view the rest of the Flickr set.

More from me soon(er), promise.

Technorati Tags: academy, dojang, refit, training

I bought new shoes for myself today. I decided it was time when I was driving to work this morning and realised I couldn’t take my foot off the clutch, the sole of my shoe had worn as thin as paper and split, so the end of the pedal actually slid inside my shoe! I kinda resent buying shoes, I’m not sure why, I think I just see them as an expense, but I’m glad I did today. Nice leather ones with leather inside and about a thousand times more comfortable than my last ones.

I’m actually clocking up quite a bit of time walking now, it’s what I use my lunch breaks for. Since my knee’s been bad I take myself off for walks around the town at lunch and give my birthday present (an ipod) a good using. I’m glad in a way, I lost touch with music really badly over the last few years, hardly listening to anything new and very rarely buying anything. But now I’m right back into it, and I’m really enjoying it too. Most recently I’ve tended to be listening to a few albums in particular;

• Muse -  Black Holes and Revelations
• Velvet Acid Christ - Lust For Blood
• Rammstein - Rosenrot
• Cradle Of Filth - Nymphetamine
• Placebo - Once More With Feeling
• Static-X - Wisconsin Death Trip

I’m forcing myself to actually listen to whole albums now too, rather than just hitting a favourite track about four or five in and skipping back to the start again. Once I finally get my debts cleared I’m going to treat myself to some decent separates and start listening more at home again too - although that could take a while, more research time for me I guess! I have a tendency to research anything I buy that costs more than about £50, and I secretly really enjoy it too.

I’m still not training (three weeks and counting), but so far the last two days have been almost pain-free, so I’m taking things really carefully now and stopping when it starts to hurt or feel swollen. I think the pain’s there for a reason, it’s nature’s way of saying ‘Stop it you massive retard!’, not like a masochistic bit of DOMS satisfaction. Hopefully if I keep this up I can be doing something light on it within a week or so and then back to a very cut-down Tang Soo Do before tooooo long.

For now, wrap your lugholes around this lot for some edumacation

Can loud shouty Germans sing a really beautiful song? Yes is the answer! (I love the instrumental fill @ 2:30)

Rammstein - Wo Bist Du?

I cannot get enough of Static-X, it’s awesome to dance to, and Wayne Static has the greatest hair in music.

Static-X - Push It

This next song is just amazing, I love driving along in the sun with the windows down for it.

Muse - Map Of The Problematique

Lovely guest vocals on this and an absolutely haunting tune. Say what you like about CoF, they’re great showmen

Cradle Of Filth - Nymphetamine

…and finally a bit of of something different, this band have some great albums.

Velvet Acid Christ - Parasite

Technorati Tags: cradle of filth, muse, Music, new shoes, rammstein, static-x, velvet acid christ

That’s what I seem to be doing at the moment, just hanging around. I won’t go on about it, but I’m still not back training and I don’t expect to be any time soon, and when I finally do it’s going to be at nothing like the intensity I did before. It’s been three weeks now.

Work’s been pretty busy lately, but I’m on top of things there a bit more now so there’s less stress generally which is good. This was the first week in the last six where I didn’t light the barbecue, but a trip to my parents’ place yesterday lunchtime meant I didn’t go without my weekly dose of outdoor grilled meat. The weather’s been beautiful and I managed to top up my burn tan over the last week or so, there’s a chance I might even go brown at this rate!

Yesterday I helped a friend out with painting a shop, which was pretty far from my usual Sunday. Magnolia on purple isn’t easy, and you need at least two coats, but the sun was out and there was a good breeze so the paint was drying within minutes. There was an enormous feeling of satisfaction once it was clean, painted and emptied - and the Chicken Madras that followed was more than worth the effort. The Friday before a few of us headed up to Plymouth for a night out again, including moi avec knee support. I couldn’t dance much, but the great company and awesome music more than made up for it. Picking up my car and racing the rising sun home at 4am the next morning wasn’t much fun, but I really needed it.

I’m off to Worthing for training for a few days next week, and while the change of scenery will be nice I could do without the travelling. The quickest and easiest option for me is a hire car unfortunately. I’d love to go on the train, I love train trips, but it would mean a seven-and-a-half hour trip with two changes which isn’t much fun.

I’m off to go and enjoy the rest of my day off.

Technorati Tags: c103, injured, painting, training

Yeah, it’s a Snagglepuss quote. It seemed much more clever when I originally thought up the title and mistakenly thought his name was Snaggletooth, because I have a bit of a snaggletooth going on myself.

Saturday was shaping up to be a pretty nice day, lots of relaxing and lounging in the garden, and I’d been to the shops and bought my weight in meat to get grilling on the barbecue again. One of my friends conveniently forgot to tell us it was his birthday so we decided he should at least see everyone and we managed to drag him along. The evening was going fine until I bit into something (I forget what) and I remember hearing and feeling a very odd crunching. I spat whatever it was out and thought it looked suspiciously like a piece of tooth, and after a quick scan of my teeth with my tongue, I got that sinking feeling when it turned out I was right. It’s the corner of the back half of one of my front teeth, so it’s not visibile at least, but I’m very aware of it and it feels horrible and sharp. It means finding a dentist now as I’m no longer with my old NHS one,  but the chances of finding another one are very slim. I tried looking at every dentist within a 15 miles radius on Sunday and not one of them is taking new patients - some health service eh? It means I’m going to have to go private unfortunately. Dentists cost enough on the NHS, let alone private, so it’s not a trip I’m looking forward to for lots of reasons now.

My knee is still pretty much ruined. It’s a lot better in some respects, for example I can walk up and down stairs much more easily, and I can get up the lane to my car in the mornings, but in others it’s really not much better at all. I tried a few very light, very narrow changes of stance earlier, as if I were doing some basics drills in a TSD lesson, but within about five minutes I was aching and frustrated. It feels like it’s going to be at least another week yet before I’m back in a dobok, and then it’s going to be very light and controlled. I can’t imagine how long it’s going to be before I can fight again, I can’t even imagine driving off my left leg to attack, the thought of the pain makes my skin crawl. It’s yet another beautiful evening tonight and once again I’m stuck indoors, dosed up on ibuprofen, leg in the air and thoroughly fed-up. And until I find out if the dentist will accept a kidney in payment for my tooth being repaired, I’m too scared to eat anything even remotely firm. Is this the sort of evening I have to look forward to when I’m an old man??

I’ve still been going along to most of the training sessions that I can’t take part in, which is ok but no substitute for training myself. I was lucky enough to be able to help the kids out on Sunday, I helped them start learning their Ho Sin Sool (self-defence) which I really took a lot from, but watching all my friends and training partners fight for the last hour was really quite hard to take.

*puts the violin down*

That’s plenty of feeling sorry for myself for now, I’ll try for something a bit more upbeat the next time, I promise! I’ll leave you with a lovely song I’ve recently re-discovered and have been listening to a lot.

Guns N Roses - Don’t Cry

Technorati Tags: broken tooth, don't cry, guns n roses, knee injury, snagglepuss

I just made a very long-winded, opinionated, rambling post in reply to one on my club’s forum. It was nothing exceptional, just a discussion on the importance of forms in continuation of traditional styles, but writing it made me realise just how much I’m missing training already. It’s a week today since I was able to train, and while in some ways that week has flown by, it feels like an absolute age since I pulled my dobok on and tied my belt. I’ve had all sorts of thoughts over the last two days as my knee has been slowly healing - “If I went and was really careful…”, “I could just use narrow stances” - all things which I know are just asking for trouble.

I haven’t slept properly for a week now, at first it was just from the pain of moving in my sleep but lately (thanks to ibuprofen and thai oil) it’s not been hurting as much in bed, so I can only assume my body is crying out to actually do something. I made the mistake of helping to carry a heavy box at work yesterday, which left me very sore and upset, thinking that I’d put the best part of a week’s healing back, but by the evening it was feeling much better again. Not great, just better than it has been. I was able to distract myself for the evening luckily, catching up with some friends from my now-defunct rock/metal night at the cinema. Ok, so I watched the new Indiana Jones film for the second time in two weeks, but I like it! The good company was very welcome, and what do you know - my ex-paramedic friend was spot on with her diagnosis of the cause of my limping.

On Saturday morning I’m going to take my niece and nephew swimming. This has multiple benefits for me, because not only can I get some swimming in (even if it’s just with my arms if it hurts too much), but being there with kids means I can act like an 8 year-old myself, splashing and flapping around at the shallow end. I don’t need an excuse to do that I suppose, but it looks decidedly less ‘dodgy’ to have the excuse of taking the kids there. Then later in the day, in my continued efforts to make the most of being outside in the sunshine this year, I’ll be lighting the barbecue yet again. In previous years it’d only get lit perhaps 3 or 4 times over the summer, this year however is a different story, it’s already been used 4 or 5 times and it’s only just June.

I’ve got a package to pick up this afternoon, I’m not sure what it is yet but I have a sneaking suspicion… Normally if I miss a delivery I get up ten minutes earlier the next day, head to the sorting office/collection point behind the Post Office before 8, pick it up and get to work on time. When I got there this morning though I was told that I can’t pick this one up from there, and that I need to go to the actual Post Office itself, which doesn’t open until 9 - how useful. It means I have to take an extra hour off work this afternoon to head in and pick it up. It’s a good job I’ve been racking the flexi time this week. And to just top my week off perfectly I had a letter the other morning telling me that my pension company had (in their infinite wisdom) decided to stop my pension. I was quite surprised to say the least, and ended up feeling very stressed about it, additional money worries are the last thing I need right now. I’ve since managed to get it sorted out, but honestly, some kind of break would be really good about now.

Deep breath…. it’s nearly the weekend.

Technorati Tags: barbecue, frustration, post office annoyance, swimming

My knee has been getting no better really since I hurt it on Friday, so today I did as I told myself I would do, and went to see the doctor after work. Naturally I’ve been looking up knee injuries online and know the full horror of what it could be, I just wanted to know for sure. The good news is that it doesn’t look like it’s anything which will require surgery. I knew it wasn’t ACL, my worries were more MCL or meniscus damage as that’s exactly where the pain is. After being prodded, pulled, twisted and generally manipulated, the concensus is that I have sprained and strained several tendons and possibly ligaments down the outside of my knee. The bad news as such, is that the only thing I can do is rest it and let it heal, and so I’ve been told to stop all training immediately, and to stay that way for at least the next two, possibly three weeks.

The longest I’ve had to go without any training at all in the past has been about a week, so to be told that effectively I might not be doing anything - Tang Soo Do, Kickboxing, running, swimming, etc. - until July is a tough blow to take. Training has been my one outlet lately, my one little escape from everything, and now it’s been taken away from me. Needless to say, after this news, sleeping about 4 hours a night for the last 5 or 6 days, and being in constant pain, I’m not in the best of spirits at the moment.

Still, that’s enough of the melodrama and self-pity, I’ll get better. I’m a lot luckier than some people with knee injuries I know. I’m just going to have to find other things to occupy my time for the foreseeable future. I’m not sure I can face going to training for the next 10-15 sessions and just sitting and watching every time. Don’t get me wrong, I’m only to happy to learn from the sidelines and help out with pads and suchlike, but it’s hideously demoralising, and I could do without it.

Murphy had his boosters yesterday without so much as a yelp, so we went for a celebratory walk limp around the woods after. The vet said he’s about the perfect size and weight, his umbilical hernia is fine, and perhaps the best news of all, he doesn’t need to lose his nuts!

I’m signing off with this today, I think I’ve posted it before but I love it and so you have to listen to it too! (well, you do if you like me and click the ‘play’ button).

I Was A Cub Scout - Pink Squares

Technorati Tags: down, I was a cub scout, knee injury, no training, pink squares

That’s the conclusion I came to sitting in traffic at a roundabout on the way to work today. They especially seem to like it when I sing ‘Photograph’ at them. I expect it’s my dulcet tones.

Tonight my little dog is heading to the vet for his booster shots, I can’t believe it’s a year since I was carrying the tiny, fluffy little maniac home. He doesn’t mind going to the vet, but he doesn’t like the vet himself, not since he was ‘violated’ with a thermometer. “Di…did you see what that man just did to me…?’ his eyes seemed to say, the poor little chap. Thankfully he doesn’t have to go very often, for some reason dogs seem to cost a fortune for anything, whereas cats are a bit cheaper. Cats are bargain pets.

Murphy has a ‘monster’ (a fluffy toy with rope legs and arms) which I bought him for his birthday which he is absolutely addicted to. It’s beginning to be the bane of my life. It’s impossible to sit down at home without this slobber-covered monster being put down in front of you with the saddest, most expectant eyes looking up at you. He’s not sure what he wants to do with it most times, normally it’s thrown somewhere for him to fetch (he’s always so proud when he brings it back), to play tug-of-war with me, and occasionally to hump it. He’s cute though, so he gets away with it.

I’ve started to notice just how many slopes and stairs there are between my home and my work. My knee is utterly knackered at the moment, I’m ok walking slowly on the flat, but throw a gentle slope or some steps in and that’s it, pain time. It’s got to the stage where getting to the staircase at work means I have to take a deep breath and just go. I’ll just have to go and see the doctor this week, providing I can get in to see one. It’s starting to feel a little better when I’m just walking around, but if it’s something bad I need to know.

I’m still a million miles away from training, running, kickboxing - anything I enjoy basically. I went along to the sessions on Sunday which was ok, as I got to help the kids a little from the sidelines, but it was mostly just depressing. The ‘theme’ for this month is some serious concentration on hyung, which I could really do with. Watching everybody else doing it just isn’t the same. I’m not sure I can face going along and watching every session between now and whenever it is I can put my dobok back on. It could be a while.

More insights into the world of Bovine music tastes soon.

Technorati Tags: booster, cows, def leppard, knee injury, murphy, vets

Friday was great, really great. A hot day in work got followed up by a very hard hour in training, as one of our fold who left to join the forces came back for the weekend, so he was given a good one to remind just how hard we like to work. My legs were in agony after the running the night before, and then that workout, so I was looking forward to cutting loose a little in Plymouth.

The club was pretty busy by about midnight, and everyone had a great time. 2am rolled around and I was starting to feel the need for bed, all that dancing on top of the hard training had finally caught up with me. We got some food then started heading back. After about 20 miles I noticed we had been followed by a Police Land Rover for about 5 miles, and then they decided to pull me over…. Apparently I was swerving(!), when in fact if anything I was just trying to see, as their stupidly big car was blinding me in all mirrors as they were driving right up my backside! He asked me if I’d been drinking (not a drop), and just couldn’t seem to grasp the fact that we’d travelled up for a night out, asking me why my car was registered in Cornwall if I live in Plymouth…. Anyway, we rolled back into Cornwall and I got back at about 3.45am, but as I got out of the car I was in for a bit of a surprise. Somehow, in the last 60 miles of driving, my knee had decided that it wasn’t fine, and that I wasn’t going to be allowed to walk properly. I got out of the car and nearly fell over, and walking down my (steep) lane took ages and was so painful it brought tears to my eyes. I put it down to tiredness until the next morning when I got up and found I still couldn’t walk properly. Not exactly the best start to my nice relaxing Saturday.

As the weekend’s gone on, it’s gotten no better at all. The pain is on the outside of my left knee, and it really hurts if I’m doing anything other than walking on the flat. Stairs and hills are my worst enemy right now. It means I’ve missed the seminar we had booked for today, and that I’m going to miss training tonight too. I’m still going to go along, maybe I can hold some pads or something useful. I’m pretty worried about it though, it doesn’t feel like a simple muscle pull, and I really doubt right now that I’ll be training again this coming week. It’s one of those few things which is actually going to stop me, the idea of twisting into a good side kick and permanently mangling my leg is one I’m not really going to entertain. If it’s no better by midweek I’ll be popping up the road to the hospital where the self-referall physio is. I’m feeling quite miserable now.

So all in all, excluding the first two hours, this weekend has been pretty terrible. I’ve spent the afternoon on the sofa with a bag of frozen cauliflower tied to my leg, and before I know it it’s back to work again. Surely next week can get better, please? I don’t know whether to feel sad or really f’ing angry, I’m starting to lean towards the latter.

Here’s a song which caused me to put my drink down, halt all conversation and leap to the dancefloor on Friday night.

Static-X - Push It.

Technorati Tags: anger, frustration, injury, knee, metal, police, static-x