Robbie is now an orange belt! He did great on his test, a couple of minor hesitations in his first kata, all successfully negotiated, and other than that did everything within his belt requirements, and several things that aren't. There've been a lot of times I thought he'd never get here - especially when he decided to drop karate a couple of months after getting his yellow belt, but since he came back this fall, he's been putting in the effort, and it really shows. Congratulations, Robbie!
In other news, I'm still planning on going to the Nashville Isshinryu black belt only tournament, but I'm going to observe, not compete. I haven't sparred in a couple of months, my weapon katas are a mess (learning Urashi Bo has screwed up Tokumine, and Urashi itself isn't secure enough yet to be reliable, Chatanyara no Sai is nowhere near tournament condition), and regular kata is usually my worst venue. So rather than put the extra pressure on, I'm just going to go and hope to run into some of the people I trained with way back when.
Dad W. had a fall Sunday night. No serious injury, but he bruised up his side fairly well. My big concern is that he's wanting/needing (it's hard to tell with him) a boost to sit up on the edge of his bed now, and I'm worried that by the time the bruises aren't hurting him, he'll have lost the necessary muscle tone to sit up on his own. Experience with Dad says that once a piece of functionality is lost, he doesn't get it back. Plus, if he needs that much extra boosting, we'll probably have to ask for a different aide. Barb is lovely, but she's also 70 and barely over five feet tall - she can give him an extra boost, but she can't support any significant percentage of his weight - and for him to get up today required some serious heft.
Mom has an appointment with a local oncologist on Friday. She should find out then about probable chemo/radiation plans. For the moment she's continuing to heal well from the mastectomy.
Finally, anybody whose visited our house in the past will be happy to hear that Rob managed to fix the leaky tub faucet. It's been leaky since we moved in five years ago, but after trying to fix it, our plumber declared that it was sealed too tightly, and that fixing it would take $800 and breaking into the wall behind it. So we just lived with it. But this last week it finally got too bad to be ignored, and it turns out that the 6'6" guy who figures that he's got nothing to lose and possibly $800 to save, when working with a really big honking wrench, could knock the faucet loose and get in to repair it. I kept waking up last night wondering what was wrong, and then realizing that the house was silent, and I wasn't hearing the continual drip. Ahhhhh.
Showing posts with label random. Show all posts
Showing posts with label random. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Monday, May 12, 2008
The Name Game
I have a few upcoming posts in mind, so there shouldn't be another hiatus on here (more than a day or so, anyway) until the boys and I head up to Massachusetts in two weeks. I will try to post at least a few times during our trip, but no guarantees, we're going to be very busy.
In the meanwhile, for today, Createcraft is having a contest, wherein we are supposed to explain where our blog name came from. Best story gets some nice prizes, and I don't think I've ever explained my thinking, so what the hey!
Back when I first wanted to start this blog, I wasn't at all sure that I wanted to hook my blog (which mostly contains personal meanderings) with my other on-line commentary. So I didn't want to use my usual on-line handle for commenting (I post many places as Tapetum.). So as much as I like that name (from the Latin Tapetum Lucidum, tapestry of light, meaning the iridescent layer that makes cats' eyes glow), I needed to find something else to call the blog. Blogging was a new thing for me - yet trying new things is hardly a new thing at all for me. I have more hobbies than you can shake a stick at. Over the years I've tried writing, knitting. crocheting, drawing, weaving, spinning, counted cross-stitch, latch-hooking, karate, beading, woodworking, piano, organ, biking, triathlon, and a fair few other things as well. One of my cousins calls me a skills collector with good reason. Most of these things I've pursued at least long enough to gain a reasonable level of competency, which I then try to maintain. Some I actively maintain indefinitely - karate, knitting, piano and writing are the major parts of that set. So blogging seemed to be one more hobby to begin - as I am perpetually doing.
In addition, I was reading a couple of books on Zen. (Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind was one.) The concept of a beginner's mind is important in Zen - to remember that the full mind cannot gain more knowledge because there is no room - it's like trying to pour tea into a full teacup. As many things as I keep trying to stuff into my head it's difficult to maintain the beginner's mindset, but it seems ever more important.
So I decided to name my blog The Perpetual Beginner - both in recognition of my beginning over and over again in different places, and to remind myself of the importance of being that beginner, no matter how long I've been doing something. It's been a good name for me. It seems to suit me more the longer I use it, and I've never really had a desire to change it.
In the meanwhile, for today, Createcraft is having a contest, wherein we are supposed to explain where our blog name came from. Best story gets some nice prizes, and I don't think I've ever explained my thinking, so what the hey!
Back when I first wanted to start this blog, I wasn't at all sure that I wanted to hook my blog (which mostly contains personal meanderings) with my other on-line commentary. So I didn't want to use my usual on-line handle for commenting (I post many places as Tapetum.). So as much as I like that name (from the Latin Tapetum Lucidum, tapestry of light, meaning the iridescent layer that makes cats' eyes glow), I needed to find something else to call the blog. Blogging was a new thing for me - yet trying new things is hardly a new thing at all for me. I have more hobbies than you can shake a stick at. Over the years I've tried writing, knitting. crocheting, drawing, weaving, spinning, counted cross-stitch, latch-hooking, karate, beading, woodworking, piano, organ, biking, triathlon, and a fair few other things as well. One of my cousins calls me a skills collector with good reason. Most of these things I've pursued at least long enough to gain a reasonable level of competency, which I then try to maintain. Some I actively maintain indefinitely - karate, knitting, piano and writing are the major parts of that set. So blogging seemed to be one more hobby to begin - as I am perpetually doing.
In addition, I was reading a couple of books on Zen. (Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind was one.) The concept of a beginner's mind is important in Zen - to remember that the full mind cannot gain more knowledge because there is no room - it's like trying to pour tea into a full teacup. As many things as I keep trying to stuff into my head it's difficult to maintain the beginner's mindset, but it seems ever more important.
So I decided to name my blog The Perpetual Beginner - both in recognition of my beginning over and over again in different places, and to remind myself of the importance of being that beginner, no matter how long I've been doing something. It's been a good name for me. It seems to suit me more the longer I use it, and I've never really had a desire to change it.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
The Top 100 movies
Via Becky, the top 100 movies of all time. Ones I've seen are in bold.
1. Citizen Kane (1941)
2. The Godfather
3. Casablanca (1942)
4. Raging Bull (1980)
5. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
6. Gone with the Wind (1939)
7. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
8. Schindler’s List (1993)
9. Vertigo (1958)
10. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
11. City Lights (1931)
12. The Searchers (1956)
13. Star Wars (1977)
14. Psycho (1960)
15. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
16. 2001 : A Space Odyssey (1968)
17. The Graduate (1967)
18. The General (1927)
19. On the Waterfront (1954)
20. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
21. Chinatown (1974)
22. Some Like It Hot (1959)
23. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
24. E.T. The Extraterrestrial (1982)
25. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
26. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
27. High Noon (1952)
28. All About Eve (1950)
29. Double Indemnity (1944)
30. Apocalypse Now (1979)
31. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
32. The Godfather Part II (1974)
33. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
34. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
35. Annie Hall (1977)
36. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
37. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
38. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
39. Dr. Strangelove (1964)
40. The Sound of Music (1965)
41. King Kong (1933)*
42. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
43. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
44. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
45. Shane (1953)
46. It Happened One Night (1934)
47. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
48. Rear Window (1954)
49. Intolerance (1916)
50. Lord of the Rings : The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
51. West Side Story (1961)
52. Taxi Driver (1976)
53. Deer Hunter, The (1978)
54. M*A*S*H (1970)
55. North by Northwest (1959)
56. Jaws (1975)
57. Rocky (1976)
58. The Gold Rush (1925)
59. Nashville (1975)
60. Duck Soup (1933)
61. Sullivan’s Travels (1941)
62. American Graffiti (1973)
63. Cabaret (1972)
64. Network (1976)
65. The African Queen (1951)
66. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
67. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
68. Unforgiven (1992)
69. Tootsie (1982)
70. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
71. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
72. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
73. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
74. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
75. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
76. Forrest Gump (1994)
77. All the President’s Men (1976)
78. Modern Times (1936)
79. The Wild Bunch (1969)
80. The Apartment (1960)
81. Spartacus (1960)
82. Sunrise (1927)
83. Titanic (1997)
84. Easy Rider (1969)
85. A Night at the Opera (1935)
86. Platoon (1986)
87. 12 Angry Men (1957)
88. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
89. The Sixth Sense (1999)
90. Swing Time (1936)
91. Sophie’s Choice (1982)
92. Goodfellas (1990)
93. The French Connection (1971)
94. Pulp Fiction (1994)
95. The Last Picture Show (1971)
96. Do the Right Thing (1989)
97. Blade Runner (1982)
98. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
99. Toy Story(1995)
100. Ben-Hur (1959)
Hmm - some of those I'm missing I'd like to see, some I don't care, and some I actively avoid.
1. Citizen Kane (1941)
2. The Godfather
3. Casablanca (1942)
4. Raging Bull (1980)
5. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
6. Gone with the Wind (1939)
7. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
8. Schindler’s List (1993)
9. Vertigo (1958)
10. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
11. City Lights (1931)
12. The Searchers (1956)
13. Star Wars (1977)
14. Psycho (1960)
15. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
16. 2001 : A Space Odyssey (1968)
17. The Graduate (1967)
18. The General (1927)
19. On the Waterfront (1954)
20. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
21. Chinatown (1974)
22. Some Like It Hot (1959)
23. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
24. E.T. The Extraterrestrial (1982)
25. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
26. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
27. High Noon (1952)
28. All About Eve (1950)
29. Double Indemnity (1944)
30. Apocalypse Now (1979)
31. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
32. The Godfather Part II (1974)
33. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
34. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
35. Annie Hall (1977)
36. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
37. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
38. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
39. Dr. Strangelove (1964)
40. The Sound of Music (1965)
41. King Kong (1933)*
42. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
43. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
44. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
45. Shane (1953)
46. It Happened One Night (1934)
47. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
48. Rear Window (1954)
49. Intolerance (1916)
50. Lord of the Rings : The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
51. West Side Story (1961)
52. Taxi Driver (1976)
53. Deer Hunter, The (1978)
54. M*A*S*H (1970)
55. North by Northwest (1959)
56. Jaws (1975)
57. Rocky (1976)
58. The Gold Rush (1925)
59. Nashville (1975)
60. Duck Soup (1933)
61. Sullivan’s Travels (1941)
62. American Graffiti (1973)
63. Cabaret (1972)
64. Network (1976)
65. The African Queen (1951)
66. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
67. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
68. Unforgiven (1992)
69. Tootsie (1982)
70. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
71. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
72. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
73. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
74. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
75. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
76. Forrest Gump (1994)
77. All the President’s Men (1976)
78. Modern Times (1936)
79. The Wild Bunch (1969)
80. The Apartment (1960)
81. Spartacus (1960)
82. Sunrise (1927)
83. Titanic (1997)
84. Easy Rider (1969)
85. A Night at the Opera (1935)
86. Platoon (1986)
87. 12 Angry Men (1957)
88. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
89. The Sixth Sense (1999)
90. Swing Time (1936)
91. Sophie’s Choice (1982)
92. Goodfellas (1990)
93. The French Connection (1971)
94. Pulp Fiction (1994)
95. The Last Picture Show (1971)
96. Do the Right Thing (1989)
97. Blade Runner (1982)
98. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
99. Toy Story(1995)
100. Ben-Hur (1959)
Hmm - some of those I'm missing I'd like to see, some I don't care, and some I actively avoid.
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