Knight of Pentacles

 So, today I was in a course, Construction Industry Ethics.  We were talking about the fact that you can write all the pretty words you want about what your code of ethics is, but if you don't follow through with it then it means nothing.  "Intentions mean nothing without actions" For some reason, the Six Harmonies popped into my head. Now, it being early in my martial arts training, I fully admit that the internal harmonies are a mystery to me.  But during the class I did wonder if it was somehow connected.  Like, in construction, your values dictate your systems and procedures, which dictate your outcomes or performance, which fuel your reputation, is that kind of like Spirit pairing with Intent, Intent pairing with Chi and Chi pairing with Strength? Intent in construction and Intent in Kung Fu seem to have different definitions, it seems.  Or do they?   Intent in construction is what you say you're going to do.  In Kung Fu, isn't Intent wh...

 What a fantastic class!  I really wasn't sure what to expect.  I guess I kind of expected the Spanish Inquisition (👀), with a full critique after the presentation of each form.  But I realized afterwards that we have to be our own critic, and that's part of what the next 1000 reps is about.  (With, of course, helpful nudges and suggestions from team mates and mentors) In other news, I found a great quote.  I'm doing a course next week on Construction Industry Ethics, and part of the prep work was naming your own personal motto.  I had found a quote that really resonated with me in one of the mini-books I have to read for the supervisor's team (the book is Habits Die Hard: 10 Steps to Building Successful Habits, FANTASTIC book, highly recommend).  The quote is: "You have within you right now, everything you need to deal with whatever the world can throw at you." By Brian Tracy When things get tough it's sometimes hard to remember that you're capa...

I've been putting this blog off all week, not because I'm not feeling good about everything, but because I just couldn't think of something to say.  So, I'm dipping into the I AM chalice. I realized last year that I have undiagnosed adult ADHD.  It was stupid how, lots of my friends who are diagnosed ADHD were posting memes on facebook about the condition and it was getting a little too familiar, then I saw this one: I looked back on my life and saw all the signs, from hyper-focusing on the wrong thing at the wrong time, to time-blindness, to procrastination, to executive dysfunction.  I've spent the last 20 years building up my coping mechanisms without even realizing it.   So, the last couple of months when I actually got my butt in gear and worked on my Bat'leth form, made the Bat'leth, researched it, organized it, printed and laminated it, put it into a good (I hope) order, and practiced it, tweaked it, all long before the deadline instead of frantically...

 My night shift site will be wrapping up in the next couple of weeks and I am soooooo ready for it.  Although I've gotten into the rhythm of it kinda, and things are progressing well, it has been disruptive to my family's routines, and I've just learned to survive with lack of sleep (not healthy, I know). One thing I will say, being fairly fit and eating well has made a HUGE difference this time around.  I can function at a pretty good level most of the time.  But if I am a bit incoherent or rambling, you'll know why.  Maybe no one can tell?   In other news, my experiment for staying off of Facebook for the week was a RESOUNDING success.  It was hard at first, but got easier as the week wore on. The FOMO died down and I found my mind clearer, and of course had more time for other things, like reading, cooking, push ups/sit ups, etc. When I did take a peek at the web version on Saturday, I found it so full of ads and clutter that it was really off-...

 Ya know, I made the title of a blogpost "Increase speed to Warp Factor 2" a little while ago as a joke, but I was thinking about that metaphor today and I think it really works.  Because you want to be able to take yourself to Warp 9 and be able to hold it for a while, but that speed isn't sustainable long term, it's too hard on the engines.  And there are times where you're going to have to slow down to Impulse and coast, but if you want to get anywhere, Warp will get you there much faster. So my goal is to get myself to a comfortable cruising speed of Warp 5, with the options of going higher or lower, depending on whether I'm encountering a Borg Cube or a Class M planet. Also, in the book I'm reading I came upon a fantastic section that fits with the concept of mediocrity: "Failure is easy to measure.  Failure is an event.     Harder to measure is insignificance.  A nonevent.  Insignificance creeps in, it dawns, it gives you hope, then delusion...

  Arms: 5105 Core: 5020 Legs: 2450 (I'm adding this requirement in, but have no goal in mind, just wanted to track) Sparring: 4 (Need to start beating up on Chad in my garage/gym) KMs: 274 Lao Gar: full reps = 9, now that I've learned the full form I will practice it Bat'Leth form: 0, still working on developing it AoK: 62 Finishing Projects: 0 so far Read Mastery: 16 Meditation: 76 minutes Reading books: almost finished How to Live Safely in a Science Fiction Universe.  Already have the next book poised. Mending a relationship: Like Elizabeth, I'm going to focus on nurturing relationships with friends and family.  So far I've been making efforts to check in with people and make plans, so it's going well! Blog: Keeping up slightly above weekly.  I will be starting work on the I AM project shortly. Online Presence: check! IHC classes: haven't missed one, yet! Core classes: I don't think I've missed one of these in the Rabbit year, either