GREEN GODDESS JUICE

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Time to get some! I’m rearranging a corner of my dining area to put all my workout stuff together. In all the snow hubbies truck blew a gasket and he’s having to use my car. This leaves me without transport in the daytime, which I have absolutely no problem with at all. Who wants to drive in the snow? Not me. I have 6 million things to do around the house and of course I work from home currently, so no need for a commute.

By the time he gets home and I have cooked dinner I really don’t want to go to the gym, so yesterday I started working out at home. I’m still losing weight a little at a time, and it’s almost that time of year to get back into all my sword related activities. What a year it has been for me! One thing I have learned about myself though, is I don’t give up easily. I might not get everything done that I intend, but at least I try, a few times..:-).

Todays workout. Legs and arms. Mini stepper and squats while using the medicine ball, some small hand weights and a little cardio with the skipping rope. Should do for a start.

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Rating: 5 out of 5 Original Title: Shichinin no samurai Release Date: 1954 Director: Akira Kurosawa Netflix Link IMDb Link       If there is one Kurosawa film which should be required viewing, this would be it. Seven Samurai is one of the few movies where the remake, The Magnificent Seven, is almost as good as the original. The ironic thing about Seven Samurai, and even Yojimbo, is that they were inspired by American westerns … Read More

via Pterosaur's Movie Reviews

Today's post is just me rambling about some things I've been thinking about recently. There is a phrase that quite often crops up in iaido, and sometimes in kendo when the person speaking has iaido experience. "Kendo and iai　are two wheels of a cart," (剣道と居合は車の両輪の如く). There is even a neat four-character phrase describing this sentiment: 剣居一体 (kendo and i … Read More

via Koredō – 是道

50th birthday marked by a day at work, strawberry shortcake, a birthday card that farts [from the 11 year old] and the urge to run away and join a circus. Not a real circus, you know those with hours of repetitive practice daily just to juggle a few balls, but the circus of the mind. With lights, sequins and sparklies and happiness that involves very little effort. Oh, and don’t forget the elephants, there have to be elephants. Of course they don’t poop or need veterinary care, ever. And my bank account is never ever empty, and my car never breaks down or needs that expensive petroleum product. My house magically cleans itself and looks like a wooden Gypsy caravan drawn by a horse from the outside, yet has TARDIS properties and becomes a mansion on the inside. It IS bigger on the inside. The snow only falls on trees and cute little town commons and never on the roads, and ice is something you put in your adult wobbly pop beverages.

When I was a child I used to wonder why the kids ever came back from Narnia and I don’t think I ever got over that feeling. My wardrobe door would be firmly nailed shut from the inside.

What does this all mean, you ask? Or not. Nevertheless I answer ” Who the heck knows? ” It probably goes with the territory of middle age, I haven’t a clue. If so, then I have been middle aged from birth. In England we have a phrase to describe those of a certain type, the ones who are constantly out in left field and never seem to firmly grasp reality. We say they are off ‘dancing with the faeries’, I have always loved that saying, I love to dance, love the idea of they fey and I hear the music clearly.

Cheers!

Hubby is going to buy me a tattoo, but that won’t be for a few weeks, it took me a while to choose it and I have to plan the time to have it done. It is to go across my back. I like it because the crow has always been very connected to me [I had a pet one as a child] and it looks Alaskan and Celtic at the same time, very symbolic of my life and family. Anyway..that’s all for now, I will update you on what it feels like to be 50 in a few hours. Happy New Year!

After the Sushi evening at Chris’s place I bumped into Sushi Class at Uwajimaya, so I signed up to this class. I just got back from the class, and here are some of the pictures. The chef taught us how to make regular California rolls, reverse rolls & hand rolls. I have the recipe hardcopy and will try and post the photocopy this weekend. Like I said in my last post, sushi making is the best ‘do it with friends’ activity, it is lots of fun and … Read More

via Sri's blog

I was punched in the eye. By a person who I have given much time and support.  It was totally and utterly unexpected and shocking. The aftermath was worse than the blow. First I was upset and in pain. Then angry, and I started taking pictures of the injury. Then proactive in having my hubby take a look at it, and on his advice treating the site with icepacks and taking a painkiller. Then angry again as my glasses were broken. Then upset. Then relieved because hubby was able to fix them for me. Then sad. Then tired. All I wanted to do was sleep and forget about it. The shock and horror on my husband’s face told me how bad it was but to be honest the more it swelled up, the less pain I could feel.

I got up the next day and went to work. Driving was a bit of a nightmare because my eye was almost swollen shut. I carefully plotted the timing and the route so that I could drive slowly. I think I may have been in shock at this point because normality was like a sanctuary and I felt comfort in just performing all the mundane tasks of the morning. Well, that didn’t last long. My boss took one look at me and said I should go to the emergency room right away and they gave me a medical leave of absence for as long as was necessary. I meekly complied. I just seemed to float along in a fog of numbness. Long story begins. The rest of the day was spent in the ER having facial CT Scans and vision exams etc. Half way through all this I realized my poor husband did not know where I was so I sent him a text from the examination room I was in, and within 10 minutes he was there. One thing that had not occurred to me was that everyone would assume that he had done it. Luckily I had filed the reports earlier and they let him in.

Ice is my friend

Apparently the severity of the injury caused the medical professionals to expect fractures in the cheekbones. A woman of my age being hit that hard almost always gives that result. They talked to me about facial reconstruction by a plastic surgeon and that if they did find what they expected, I would not be going home that day. They remarked on my calmness. But I was still in that ‘fair enough’ mode. Hubby, on the other hand, vacillated between sadness, concern, worry and anger, frustration, let’s get a lynch mob. Still no pain. It did hurt a bit when they prodded a few places, but other than that, not a bit of pain. Results were in. No fractures! Doctor told me what to expect in the way of crush injuries and their progression. She was amazed that I only had tissue damage. I was too. She did explain that it was a very severe injury and would need a lot of care. Hubby took notes while I sat in my little calm spot.

By this time I could not drive anymore, vision totally gone in that eye due to swelling. We decided to leave my car in the ER parking lot, and hubby drove me home. I had two prescriptions for two different strengths of pain killers, but as I was till feeling no pain I didn’t bother with getting them. I turned on the TV to listen to, got my ice packs and laid on the couch. Still totally calm.

We 'ates dose Hobbitses!

Next day the pain kicked in. Hubby had gone for the day, and for some reason I missed my car. It became very important for me to have my car at home, so I decided to go get it. I knew I could easily walk there. I plotted my route so that I was able to avoid people as much as possible, because everyone stared at me when they saw me. On the way to the ER parking lot, I passed a supermarket that has a pharmacy, so I decided to go get my scripts filled. Yep, freak show time. I had to make a choice, cower and hide my face, or stand tall and deal with it. So I stuck my chin up and walked in. The reactions I got were varied. From staring when they thought I wasn’t looking, and some nudging of companions to right out avoiding looking at me at all, even while waiting on me at the counter. If I caught someone looking at me, I smiled at them. I became chatty with everyone who waited on me, and if they couldn’t deal with me, that was their issue. I think a little anger crept back in.

From that point, I just went everywhere I normally would. But some days I had my fill of the stares and chose less popular stores to shop in. It just became very, very tiring. My husband took me out to a Five Guys Burger place because I had wanted to try them out. Of course the patrons all assumed that ‘big biker dude’ had clocked his ‘old lady’. I made a huge point of being bright and cheerful and we laughed a lot. This seemed to confuse them. Apparently I was supposed to be a sad, wounded, and suppressed victim of violence. BTW their burgers are awesome! AND they have malt vinegar to put on the chips [fries].

I have to admit that I did start to get a little down after that. Not really over the injury but over having to justify and explain and talk and talk and talk. People giving me advice, suggesting counseling, mentioning post traumatic stress syndrome and all the rest of the well meaning responses. The swelling had started to go down, and the pain was interesting to say the least. The eye was constantly weeping and my cheekbone injury would be okay one moment and then excruciatingly painful the next. The blood in the wound was running to the lowest point and in this case that was the base of my throat, so now the entire right side of my face and neck was an array of peacock shades. I did have to utilize the painkillers and was grateful for them. Ice was my friend. My days became a series of visits to the freezer to put one bag back in and get the next. I could not sleep well, because when I rolled over, the pain would wake me up. I was miserable. I became cranky and irritable. The meds made me dizzy and tired. I became sarcastic and cynical and any time I spent with others found me mimicking Orcs and saying ‘We ain’t had nuffin to eat for free days, cept maggoty bread’.

I had planned a camping weekend with friends, that I could not attend, so that made me worse. I persuaded hubby that his time would be better spent elsewhere and he reluctantly went out to visit our friends, while I stayed home and wallowed in my misery. I did not leave the house for 3 days. I did not answer my phone or emails, and I watched marathons of my favourite TV shows. I love Television. Hubby was concerned but alleviated this somewhat by filling the cupboards with my favourite foods, and replenishing the salad crisper. On day 4 [one week and a day after the incident]  I had to go back to work, and just the thought of it made me want to throw up. I avoided all thought of it, and did not prep clothing, lunch or any of the usual stuff. More TV.

I see no ships!

Didn’t sleep well and got up on day 4 feeling terrible. Grabbed whatever clothing I could find, discarded several shirts that clashed with my face, settled on simple black, and headed to the office. Freak show 2. People were so kind to me and so distressed over this happening that I almost felt guilty for making them feel bad. I got many visits from concerned persons offering help and support and of course, the usual concern that I might not be safe in my home. I found myself having to reassure others. I discovered that being a victim of violence makes you feel like a second rate person. People assume that you are not in control of your own life. They start talking to you as if you need guidance. I think it’s this realization that makes people become depressed after the experience. You might start to believe them if you listen long enough. I changed from mimicking Orcs to channeling Quasimodo, and ‘the bells, the bells, they made me deaf you know’.  Insert manic laughter here.

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Fall foliage [day 12

What is does prove is that no matter how old you are, you need to make sure you are thinking of your own wellbeing. This not only includes physical health but also spiritual strength. If all you do is give, then soon you will have nothing left. As we age we need to be the strongest person that we can be. Did it hurt? Yes. Was I scared? No. Of the gamut of emotions I felt, fear was not included at any time. This more than anything made me appreciate all the lessons I have learned in Iaido. And putting it into practice automatically, reinforced the idea that your mind must direct your actions when in a dangerous situation. Panic would have been my downfall. The situation occurred, I dealt with it and with the ensuing issues, and only when it was concluded did I allow emotional responses. I did this without thinking, because the hours of practicing control of your body via learning how to control your mind paid off. I am not a superhero, I am just a small, middle aged woman who is trying walk this path as best I can.

Note to self : As soon as possible, get back to class – you got the IM from the Universe.