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July 29, 2005
Photos and Black Belt Club
Now that I have finished uploading pictures for my California trip, my next two projects for this website are to finish correcting the silly errors in my photo page coding (mainly on the comments page) and classy up the look of it, and upload and post the pictures of our To Shin Do campout. That may be a tiny bit in coming, because yet again I am gone this weekend.
And I'll probably have more pictures, come to think about it. Ahh, well.
Last night was gobs of fun. Bi-annually Sensei Stinson - (I think I keep spelling his last name wrong... I'm a terrible person...) - has those who are in Black Belt Club remove their black belts from the wall and wear them through a class. Last night's class was dedicated to movement and technique that ranged from Level 1 to Level 4 (White Belt/Yellow Belt to Black Belt).
Afterwards the regular class was held - on Thursdays, it is a combination of all levels - and we had a ton of people there. Following class, some of us headed to Denny's.
Ugh. My belly is still chastising me. That's ok though.
Tonight is Graduation, and somewhere between getting off work and graduation I'm going to attempt to post some fliers for the Breast Cancer Walk Garage Sale around Scottsdale. Maybe after graduation I'll head home to pack and work on my arrangement a little bit more.
And that is that. =)
Posted by Kelli Little at 07:22 AM | Comments (3)
July 26, 2005
Bunny-bunny-bunny-bunnies! Bun-nays!
For Miss Parshall, who can find more bunnies here...
Posted by Kelli Little at 02:44 PM | Comments (2)
July 25, 2005
Weekend Ninja Foo
On the one hand, I wish I could have stayed home today. On the other hand, it is a damn good thing I came in today. My boss left me a mess to somehow figure out and clean up and keep from exploding, so I am a busy girl.
This weekend was fantastic, despite the rocky beginnings. Both Joe and I haven't had much time to ourselves recently, so the harried activity Friday afternoon to get out of town was mildly annoying. But we made it, with a friend of ours - Adam - in tow, and headed on out of town in a two-car caravan. Thad led the way, blazing Speedy Gonzales trails in his black Nissan... well, that is, once we got out of Phoenix.
The traffic, you see, was deplorable... mainly because the original road we were to take was shut down due to fires, so we were redirected, and a 1-hour trip ended up being 4 hours long... but that is another story.
Once we hit the campsite, Adam unloaded and we hung around the fire pit for a while. I managed to see the ugliest arachnid I have seen to date, and it made me itchy with the thought it'd somehow get onto me. I was wearing sandals, you see. I'm not anti-bug. I'm anti-bug-on-my-bare-skin. More specifically, spider-types.
The campsite was gorgeous, and that night we heard the howls of a pack of coyotes - which was exciting for me, since I had never heard one. Or seen one, to my recollection. After shootin' the breeze for a bit, Joe and I left the rest of the group to shack up in our comfy lodge room for a bit of a snooze.
The next day proved active. We started a bit late, but that was no big deal. I think I ended up with altitude sickness, oddly enough, because increasingly throughout the day I became more and more nauseous, with greater and greater pain in my head (which is a bad sign usually, given I never get headaches). We focused on physical attacks for the morning, and edged into counterattacks later in the afternoon. That afternoon, however, we had to high-tail it to shelter because a thunderstorm rolled in and drenched the area. About half an hour later we resumed - storms are often short in the desert - and practiced shuriken throwing for an hour.
Afterwards we did counterattacks, which was very interesting, grabbed some food, and had a short spell of meditation. My headache and dizziness and nausea finally went away.
The storm kept threatening to return to us, thundering loudly and giving us a few raindrops, but was held off for a while longer. Night games began, which included sensitivity activities... mmm, such as closing your eyes, centering your balance... and sensing and thus moving the hell out of the way when that sword comes down from your opponent. Eventually however these ceased as well, the rain beginning to pick up in size and intensity, and for some moments longer we talked around the fire.
Again, the rain became so bad that everyone sought shelter, and Joe and I left for our room. *coughs* Apparently the rain was so bad that several people's tents flooded and their night was miserable and all were jealous Joe and I did the smart thing by shacking up in the nearby lodge.
The next morning was bright and shiny, however, the land having dried, and we began with practicing how to elude multiple attackers and turn their attack against them. After a bit of lunch, we ran through a few sword forms and subsequent techniques... of which I need to do more often, because -boy- were my buns sore afterwards. To finish out our training, we hung water jugs up and practiced slicing and dicing with real swords. Pictures will follow, though I still have an obligation to post the rest of the pictures from CA, first.
In the end, we caravanned back, stopped for some grub, dealt with people that ultimately I feel sorry for (who made us stay in that horrible restaurant another thirty minutes because of their lack of abilities) and headed home that final leg.
It was a great trip. I learned a lot, I got to know some dojo-mates/friends even better, and I felt as though we became a more tightly-knit, better-functioning group for it. Wouldn't trade this weekend for anything.
Posted by Kelli Little at 08:35 AM
July 21, 2005
Toothpaste for Dinner
Posted by Kelli Little at 07:32 AM | Comments (1)
July 18, 2005
It never ends.
I went to the new doctor today, the one that Joe recommended to me. He's honest, upfront, and nice... and wants to do more tests. So, I babbled about my problems, answered some questions, and peed in a cup today before heading back to work.
1. He's going to give me another fasting glucose test - just the extremely shortened version, thankfully - and another blood workup so he can see it according to the methods he uses. Part of what he'll be looking for are abnormalities re: hormones, chemicals, possibilities of my thyroid not working, etc. I'm ok with this. If it shows up that everything is the way it's supposed to be, he'll send me to a dietician.
2. He's sent me to a hemotologist to get my blood eyeballed by a specialist. He wants to make certain that the rouleaux I've experienced really is just from food allergies, that we really are treating it correctly, and that I really don't have a rare blood disease. He's poking at this possibility not only because of how severe it was, and not only to rule matters out, but because my dad had a bit of the same problem.
3. I forgot to ask him about the parasite test that I still haven't taken. I'll take it, have the results sent to him.
4. He admitted that he's never heard of any of the things my NMD had me on, and said he just wasn't up with the 'natural' forms. I'm ok with that too.
He inspired more confidence in me than I've felt most of my time at my NMD, even if he admitted he has to do some reading up about certain things. So, I get to go to the blood clinic whenever I want (it opens at 7 a.m., so legitimately I can do it before work) and the results will be sent to his office. AND I have a written script so there's no possibility of me passing out while I wait for *coughpluralcursewordcough* to fax it over.
In other news, it turns out that keeping off my knee for the entire weekend has made it feel a million and one times better. I'm glad about this.
Posted by Kelli Little at 02:19 PM
July 15, 2005
Listing Future Events
This really serves as much as a reminder for me as it serves to inform my very few readers about what is up and coming in my life. Without further ado...
Destrukto's Upcoming Events
- Tonight, 7:00 p.m.: Move furniture with Lori from donator's house to Lori's house for the Breast Cancer Walk Garage Sale.
- Saturday, 10:00 a.m.: To Shin Do
- Sunday, 6:00 a.m.: 8 mile training walk for Breast Cancer Walk
- Overall Weekend: Groceries, Brandi's bday present, Cindy's bday present, Brandon's bday present, work on music webpage, finish graphic for photo and recipe pages here, finish posting pictures from California and begin on the rest, massive Ebay postings, shop for To Shin Do campout, design 3-day Garage Sale for Breast Cancer advertisement...
- Upcoming Week: Remind boss to bring in donations. Remind co-worker to bring in donations. Continue cardio and weight-training 5-7, attend all To Shin Do classes.
- July 18th, 1:00 p.m.: Appt. w/ Doctor Alia. Discuss NMD's findings, weightloss, possibilities of nutritionists, etc.
- July 20th, 4:30 p.m.: Appt. w/ Erin for Brazillian wax.
- July 21st, 5:30 p.m.: Appt. with OBGYN. Shadows of Ega at 7:00 p.m. Later, pack for camping trip.
- July 22-24: Drop car off for check-up, repair. Pick up Adam. Go To Shin Do campout.
- July 26th, 7:00 a.m.: Dentist appt.
- July 28th, 7:00 p.m.: Bi-annual Black Belt Club event for To Shin Do.
- July 29th, 7:00 p.m.: To Shin Do graduation.
- July 30-31: In for California for To Shin Do seminar with Mr. and Mrs. Hayes.
- August 6th, 6:30 a.m.: Garage sale for Breast Cancer Walk.
- September 23-25: Go to LA with Lori and Michael for Dead Can Dance concert.
- October 21-23: 3-Day, 60-mile walk for Breast Cancer with Lori.
Posted by Kelli Little at 09:38 AM | Comments (4)
He's 'Special'
Good morning! This is crossposted on LJ because I am just that kind of person. And now a quote from Teh Best Speaker AND Teh Most Edumicated Man in Teh World!
"Well, it's an unimaginable honor to be the president during the Fourth of July of this country. It means what these words say, for starters. The great inalienable rights of our country. We're blessed with such values in America. And I-It's-I'm a proud man to be the nation based upon such wonderful values."-Visiting the Jefferson Memorial; Washington, D.C.; July 2, 2001; President George W. Bush
Wow, I ... wow ... *sniff*... Did that bring tears to anyone else's eyes?Posted by Kelli Little at 08:14 AM
July 12, 2005
Bad Code?
Nic, I can't post a comment on your page. When I follow the link for the comment option, it gives me this error message at the top of the page: undefined method `extended_html' for #
Fiiiixxxxx itttt....
I'll just put my comment here. For those of you out of the loop, it's regarding Nic's daughter, who was traumatized by watching Bambi...
I hated that movie as a kid. I have watched it once in my life, and swore off ever watching it again for that very same reason. As an adult, I still think it is a terrible movie for children. My sister liked it, despite the whole shooting scene. Or maybe because of it (ha ha).
Posted by Kelli Little at 07:20 AM | Comments (2)
Good Morning Quotes
Because I've been using LJ as my forum for Bushisms, and because I realize that some of you don't read my LJ, I've decided to post today's Bushism here. So without further ado....
"Laura and I are proud to call John and Michelle Engler our friends, I know you're proud to call him governor. What a good man the Englers are."
-Grand Rapids, Michigan; November 3, 2000; President George W. Bush
Posted by Kelli Little at 07:08 AM
July 08, 2005
Morning Musings
"The Senate needs to leave enough money in the proposed budget to not only reduce all marginal rates, but to eliminate the death tax, so that people who build up assets are able to transfer them from one generation to the next, regardless of a person's race."
-Washington, D.C.; April 5, 2001; President George W. Bush
I have decided I like beginning the day by listing another quote by our retarded president.
I listened to NPR again on the way to work (yes, it's habit, but then the show is really captivating.) They had a really good program on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a show that was centered around one of the soldiers who recently returned from Iraq. His story was extremely sad, but like so much I've read and heard about. He's helping push a bill that will allow more funds to go to veterans who return with PTSD. Rock on, you.
(crossposted)
Posted by Kelli Little at 07:40 AM
July 07, 2005
Violence Followed by a Cup of Jazz
Recently, Joe pointed me to the NPR station, a station I've been silently searching for, for almost a year weirdly enough. (Yes, I took breaks.) Since then, I've been glued to the station.
These last two nights, after working out two hours before hitting To Shin Do for another 60 minutes, I've been driving home, listening to the station's blues and jazz. It is somehow infinitely calming, soothing, relaxing, and appropriate for my satiated mood.
Dwelling on this last night, I realized it is because of my time spent in Montana. There was a restaurant/bar in Bozeman that had sleek mahogany everywhere, even the bar itself stretching over 100', shipped from England, and contructed in the late 1600's. The place was classy and relaxed all in one breath; it had a cigar room and a cocktail room before being sat for dinner or heading to the bar - per the preference of the party.
Every night there was live music, blues or jazz mostly, though sometimes a pianist would come in and play. We'd go there after a concert or performance, after working out and showering, after a hard week at studies or generally just to unwind. I've always loved blues and jazz, but live it's ever so much better. This is probably the solid foundation for my love at just relaxing to the music.
Similarly, whenever I really invest myself in cooking, I like to turn on blues or jazz and drink a glass of red.
Call me crazy.
Posted by Kelli Little at 09:02 AM | Comments (2)
July 06, 2005
Lack of money is stinky.
Well, the nuts and bolts of it is, I won't be able to afford going to Dayton, OH for Festival this year. For non-To Shin Do people, Festival is when pretty much everyone in the art gets together to train with each other... hosted by the founder, Anshu Hayes, and his wife Rumiko Hayes.
This is pout-worthy, though I imagine by September next year I'll have whittled my loans and debt down enough to be able to afford a trip 'round that time. This makes it especially possible, since it is more likely than not next Christmas (not this one) I won't be flying to Alaska, but instead my parents and sister will be coming to visit me. (Which saves money, yessirree.)
Blegh.
Posted by Kelli Little at 09:34 AM
July 05, 2005
Weekend Revelry
Well, my weekend was relatively eventful while managing to maintain a relaxed air. We had planned on going to Flagstaff this weekend, but the fires still haven't really died down, and while the road was open, neither Joe nor I could afford to be stuck up in Flagstaff if they closed the roads.
On Friday evening, Michael, Lori, Joe, Thad and I headed out to a local dance club/bar called Transylvania, which plays both goth, upbeat goth, industrial, and techno/trance-ish music. Some of you who are coming here at the end of the summer are required to go there, btw. Thad was a bar/club virgin, so we were proud to have finally managed to 'pop that cherry'. Ahem. Afterwards, we stuffed our faces at a 24-hour diner. The next morning I regretted the nachos - I think they put some sort of tomato something in the hamburger meat on top of the nachos without advertising it. *grump*
Saturday was relatively chill, and Joe and I didn't really do anything. Watched some movies, ate some food, did a wee bit of shopping, and uh.. Stuff.
Sunday we began the morning right, and afterwards I spent my day dicking around with code for my homepage's photo blog thingy. I actually picked up my flute for five-ten minutes and cleaned too, but generally the theme was 'lounge'. That evening Joe and I met up with my two cousins who were in town - Mike and Penny - and their four kids (two each). We had dinner at Chili's (wooooh boy was our waitress grumpy), and then chatted it up at my aunt's house for a time while the kids played in the pool.
Monday we met them again for lunch, and said goodbye since Mike and Penny were leaving, as well as Kyra and Kirsten - Mike's little girls. Brandon and Cory are sticking on with my aunt for a month, so I have a boy's birthday party to plan soon. Woot! What DOES one get an 8-year old and a 3-year-old? Got home, and worked some more on the photo page... Well, mostly the photos themselves. I decided to cut corners and not really spiffy the images up past bare minimum, since my patience was waning, and got through all of the photos and just over 1/3 of the entries. Just have to plug out the next ones, but finding time might prove difficult.
I wish I had one more day, but that's generally how I feel when I get an extra day off - 2 or 4, 2 or 4. I'm thankful for three, but 2 or 4! =)
Next Steps: Cranking out the willpower and discipline, kicking my butt into gear, which includes:
1. To Shin Do: Every night of the week, possibly Saturday mornings.
2. Working Out: Five days a week, at least three days with 1 hour of strength training, at least four days of cardio.
3. Music: This is an all-encompassing bullet point.
A. Flute: Pick up my flute at least 10 minutes a day, incrementally increase time spent playing.
B. Website: Work on website to get it blogging-capable and pretty. Post write-ups on articles and books I have read, as well as research done. Develop a basis for which future customers can peek and realize I'm not a total twit and can in fact teach them/their kids.
C. Arrangement/Writing: Utilize the nifty tools I got for Xmas, get off my butt and start writing/arranging. Plan to start that this weekend.4. Food: Stop cheating on my allergies.
5. Self-Expansion: There are several books I wish to read, things I want to accomplish that detailing them would be too much right here. Suffice to say, get on it.
The end.
Posted by Kelli Little at 09:02 AM | Comments (1)
July 01, 2005
Downing Street Minutes Make the Washington Post
Because I signed a petition, etc., I'm on a mailing list for Congressman John Conyers. In the email he sent me....
Downing Street Minutes Town Hall Meeting and House Parties Some of you may have noted that the Washington Post gave the Downing Street Minutes front page coverage in its Tuesday edition. By joining 560,000 others in signing the letter to the president, you are directly responsible for helping to raise the profile of this issue and force the mainstream media to cover it. We are still collecting more signatures for a second delivery to the White House.
Horray, I made a difference! Ok, I probably didn't make a difference. My enthusiasm, however, is real - finally someone big printed an article about the damn Downing Street Minutes. I mean, you know, in a United States paper. About time. You can find the actual article that the Washington Post wrote here.
Here's a line I find interesting in the article:
Supporters of the administration contend, by contrast, that the memos add little or nothing to what is already publicly known about the run-up to the war and even help show that the British officials genuinely believed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
Huwha? It just supports my theory that supporters of Bush are smoking as much crack - if not more - than Ol' W. is.
Posted by Kelli Little at 11:30 AM