Adam’s Cerebral Spillage

Firstly, yes, I’m back safely from my big trip away to London. On Friday morning six of us headed out from darkest Cornwall to the capital to attend Seni 08, the martial arts expo. Having been a passenger for the previous two years it was my turn to drive one of the cars this time, and that Friday was a long day. I left the house just before 8.30 in the morning – I had to go and do a pickup before we all met up – and we pulled into the hotel car park at around 6.30 that evening. Ten hours on the road took its toll on me and my back which was already sore, and that first sprawl out on the bed when I got there was absolute bliss. A hot and very powerful shower later and we all headed out to the same Chinese resturant that we visited last year, Yi-Ban.

Full of food and a couple of beers we headed back to the hotel for some Pool and a bit of a natter and chill-out in one of the rooms. On of the collective was feeling a little tired, despite not having to drive, and having already accepted a £20 bet that he wouldn’t be the first to fall asleep promptly…. fell asleep. There’s both photographic and video evidence, and the poor unsuspecting person was then subject to having shaving foam put all over him while he slept soundly. Trying to stifle my laughter so as not to wake him up was very difficult and really hurt!

The next day we were all up bright and early, got loaded up on breakfast (and I mean loaded up!)  headed over to ExCel for the event. It was like we’d only been there the week before it was so familiar, so as we walked down the concourse to the halls where we expected it to be, we were pretty surprised to see big open doors with a ring set up and lots of stands…. it’d moved since last year and there was no queue at all! We just walked straight in. That first day was pretty busy, everyone did a lot of shopping and watched the displays. The highlight shows for me were Team Shaolin, the monks from Shaolin Temple China and the Commandos (they put on a great demo!). I did most of my present shopping on Saturday too, I think I actually came away with more presents than stuff for myself! Everyone was pretty shattered by the time the day was over, so in the evening we just chilled out in the hotel and ate at the restaurant in there. Rather than the 2am finish of the night before, I was in bed by about 10 watching The Abyss on TV and dozing off!

Up again at 7am the next morning, another hearty breakfast and back over the to expo. Having done the majority of our shopping the day before, watching some fighting was on the agenda. The Gracie Invitational was on so I watched some good grappling for the first while. I really enjoyed it, it was such a divertion from the stuff I do and see every day. I’d really like to try some grappling and lock work, learning how to feel the shift in balance and everything else. I also watched more Muay Thai, a bit of MMA and some of the freestyle stuff, which was running really late and seemed to only be under-18s. There may have been adults later, but come 3pm we did the last of our shopping and headed back to the cars.

I wasn’t expecting to be home until midnight or later, allowing for traffic hold-ups and stops, but luckily the other driver and I had the same idea – get home as fast as possible. We decided to take the A303 home, the old coast road, and I’m so glad we did. Although it’s only A-road almost the whole way home, it’s far more interesting driving than the motorway, and surprisingly fast. We didn’t stop until Exeter, four hours after setting off, and then headed for home after something hot to eat. I staggered through my front door at about 10pm, six and a half hours after setting out from London, and was turned into a total zombie. I couldn’t form a sentence, couldn’t eat anything and when I tried to have a drink of water I missed my mouth and poured it all over myself :S. One hot shower later and I was in bed, later than I wanted to be but I slept straight through.

It was a great weekend, I always like getting away with the people I train with for a few days with no training at all, it’s always good fun. It was utterly exhausting however, and if I put my head down on my desk right now I think I’d be asleep within minutes. My back is absolutely killing me as I thought it might, but wild horses couldn’t keep me from training tomorrow night! I don’t care if they have to drag me out of the dojang after because I can’t walk, back or no back, I’m training.

I’m exhausted, broke and sore, but I still have that spark, and I’m already counting down the days until I’m headed London-ward again!

Technorati Tags london, long drive, martial arts, Seni

Tomorrow is the day of the journey up to Seni, you know, the show I’ve been bleating on about on here for months now. I’m one of the two designated drivers this year, and it’ll be the furthest my little Polo will have had to have travelled in one go, the mapping thing reckons just shy of 330 miles. It’s about this time every year when I start to feel a mixture of feelings. On the one hand I’m very excited, it’s an amazing weekend full of things I’ll never get the chance to see otherwise, some good times with my clubmates, and a bit of a break. On the other I feel a bit – I don’t know the word – like sad but not sad. I know it’s only a weekend, but I’ll miss being at home, I’ll miss Murphy especially, it doesn’t matter how terrible a day you might have had at work, he’s guaranteed to cheer you up when you walk through the front door. I’ll miss people who I know should have been there really, or who wanted to at least. ButI know it’s only a couple of nights and I’ll be back again. The prospect of a Monday morning meeting @ 10 looms over me too, but I’m ignoring it for now.

It’s been a funny week or so, my mood has been all over the place, from high as a kite to dragged through the mud. On Sunday I took a heavy kick to my hip which (according to the amusingly named Dr Jones – c’mon, am I the only one who thinks Indiana…) has given me bad pulls down my paraspinal muscles. I’m taking ibuprofen and paracaetamol every waking hour at the moment and plainly refusing to acknowledge it. That along with a good dollop of ibuprofen gel in the morning and evening is meaning I can move about ok, even though it hurts. Still, Mr Doctor said I shouldn’t rest it, so I certainly won’t be. It’ll take weeks to fully recover, but it’s not too bad. Unfortunately it’s too painful and too stiff to train with at the moment, which isn’t great. Ask anyone who loves training as much as I do (or more, as I know some do), and it’s quite a chunk of your everyday life gone and it’s quite disheartening. On top of work and other things I hit quite a low ebb at one point, but I’m on the way back up and not one to let it get me down. The one thing experience has taught me (yes experience, no, not being old) is that even when things seem really bad, it’s only a matter of time before they’re better again and you’re feeling back on form. Normal service will be resumed very soon!

Here are a couple of songs I’ve heard a lot of lately. For some reason I went on a real Depeche Mode kick, so here’s one of theirs.

Depeche Mode – Stripped

And no, I’m not a manic depressive or a gladiola throwing weirdo, but I’ve listened to this a lot too. I love Morrisey’s voice, and the only way to listen to this song is this full length version.

The Smiths – How Soon Is Now

I had to add this one this morning too, I have always loved this song, I’m not sure how the live one sounds, I’m in a bit of a rush to listen, but it’s wonderful.

Pulp – Acrylic Afternoons

Technorati Tags back injury, depeche mode, Seni, the smiths, ups and downs

Oops, I seem to have left this garden untended. It’s become overgrown with… well, nothing actually. Apologies blogland, I’ve had busy times, my new job is hugely intense and the internet access there is so watered down it’s ridiculous. The person opposite me also has this cat ‘helper’ thing (like clippy) on her computer, it keeps miaowing all the time – I have kitty overload!

In short I’m trying to learn the things the previous guy has built up over 8 years, in two weeks. My brain is completely full of stuff - it’s just a good job I have my various outlets for relieving stress and pent-up tension. Training’s been good, very technical and very hard work. My new dobok is finally starting to resemble 100% cotton and not cast iron, and I’ve replaced the trousers with a smaller size, these ones actually stay up!

I’ve started taking care of myself a bit better too now (much to the amusement of some!), there’s no point dropping loads of weight and looking like a tramp. I’m really looking forward to going to Seni (2 weeks now!) and seeing what catches my eye. It’ll be nice to pick out some good looking clothes from some of the stands and not have to worry about the size! My sense of fashion is woeful though, and I often need guidance so I don’t pick something horrible .

It’s still way too early for my liking, so I’ll wrap up until my brain works again. First thing isn’t so good for me, I need someone with some kind of magic wand to zap me two or three times in a row to get some umph in me. But lots more updates from now on! I have limitless inspiration!

I’ll leave you with the Snake River Consipracy cover of The Cure’s “Love Song”. It’s quite different from the original but she gives it good feeling, and the lyrics are great (Yeah, it’s one of those AMVs)

Snake River Conspiracy – Love Song

Technorati Tags looking after myself, magic wand, Seni, slack, Snake River Conspiracy, stress relief

Well it’s only a few short weeks until seni now, and I cannot wait. This year promises to be the best by far. It’s hard to put into words what makes it so special, it’s a mixture of so many things. Getting ready the morning of the first day is great, going down for breakfast and spotting all the other people obviously there for the show. The Premier Inns do a great breakfast, it’s important to load up for the long day ahead. Walking to the hall and seeing the crowds of people is special too, so many martial artists from all over, from North to South, all converging in one place.

Once the doors open and you’re inside it’s amazing. There’s far too much to see and do, so the first hour or so is spent reading the timetable of events and getting familiar with where everything is, should you need to go back somewhere for something. Once the shows get going it’s a noisy, busy place, and one easy to get lost in. It’s a nice lost though, no matter where you are there’s something interesting to see. It’s nice to get out of the hall into the main concourse from time to time, it’s cooler and less busy and full of interesting things to eat. The loos in ExCel are odd though, I seem to remember going down enough stairs and through nooks and crannies to the centre of the Earth. It’s a wonder people make it back out.

It’s really nice to meet and talk to some big and familiar names too, you never know who you’re going to bump into there (although it’s usually Danny John-Jules). This year there’s a lot of Bruce Lee focused stuff happening, including his widow, his co-star from Enter The Dragon (Bob Wall) and some of his direct students. Anyone with an urge to get into something Chinese martial art related will be satisfied too.

Back at the hotel at night is as much fun as the day often. Plenty of drinks (hey, we’re on a weekend break here!), some midnight fun roaming the corridors, and then a well-earned sleep – provided you can at the thoughts of excitement the next day promises to deliver again. I’m making myself excited just thinking about it now!

GO TO SENI!

Technorati Tags bruce lee, excitement, Seni

There are so many things happening and things I have to remember lately that it’s beginning to make my head spin. Fortunately I’m trying to stay true to my resolution of making myself that little more organised this year, currently with the help of Google Calendar. It’s nothing outlandish or bleeding-edge as I’d normally go for, but I think something simple is just what I need. I’m terrible for procrastinating, and gadgets and gizmos would mean I’d never actually use the thing, I’d just end up faffing about with it.

This month has been fairly exciting in terms of our own club, as it’s been the first time we’ve actually put a formal bid in for a unit which would become our full-time Dojang. It’s a small industrial unit nearby, but perfectly sized and ample for what we’d need to get going with. It’s just a case of playing the waiting game now and seeing what happens.

Once February comes we have some of the senior members of the EMTF (and some of their students by the sounds of things) coming down to give a weekend of seminars and teaching. This is their first visit to see us since becoming a member of the federation, so we want to put on a really good show and make sure they’re taken care of as much as is possible. Roll forward to March now and somehow it’s time for another grading! I’m sure I can still feel the last one in my bones. It’ll be a big step for me, should I pass, as the red belt I’d receive is the last one I’d be given before becoming a Dan grade. That’s an ominous thought.

With the serious business of the grading out of the way April presents us with the Seni show, which I’m really looking forward to again. I have no doubt that I’ll spend way too much on things I don’t really need, but just being there is infectious. It was beginning to look like May might be the first month without something going on in it, but that’s been seen to now with the invitation we’ve had to compete at the European championships in Poland. The Polish take their TSD seriously and by all accounts are very good at it too, so what happens to us will be an education no matter what it is. Still, a long weekend away with some seriously talented martial artists who know how to enjoy a drink or two should be excellent, and just before my birthday too.

There’s other stuff carrying on into the year, but I’m going to call it quits there, this post would get even more boring than it is already (seriously!).

Moving on to the not-so-busy times mentioned in the post title, I thought I’d record my non-training activity for posterity. At the moment there’s mostly two things occupying those quiet times indoors, waiting for the Spring to come.

Firstly games. As anyone who knows me knows, I likes me some games. I’ve been quite addicted to Call Of Duty 4, the multiplayer in particular. Not since Counter-Strike circa version 1.5 have I played a ‘realistic’ shooter for so long. The mix of action, tactics and the brilliant use of unlockables and challenges introduced to the online mix is a breath of fresh air, and guaranteed “one more go” fodder. I still enjoy Skate too, although I’m terrible at spotting lines and working them. On the Wii I’ve been lapping up every second of Super Mario Galaxy, and enjoying reliving the good ol’ Track & Field type competition which seems to come around every generation. Button mashing sports games will have to go some way to top International Track & Field for the original PlayStation, but Mario & Sonic at The Olympic Games gives a decent account of itself.

I also picked up a book I bought for myself while I was out Christmas shopping a couple of months ago. I’d read about Hyperion before, but never thought any more if it until I saw the unusual cover at a stall in a shopping village. I’m so glad I took a chance on it, so far it’s been utterly captivating and the first book I’ve read in a long time which I found almost impossible to put down. I guess you’d call it Sci-Fi, in fact it obviously is, but it’s done very well and creates a very easily imagined universe. This one may even make it past the pile of half-finished books on my shelf.

Technorati Tags cod4, EMTF, European Championships, grading, hyperion, mario galaxy, Seni, tang soo do