Friday April 10th, 2020

The Back Log

I did push-ups, sit-ups and squats last night and this morning. I also sanitized the kitchen.

One of our neighbors from Clybourne came by. She had a little dog. She wanted to talk to Miriam about the noise complaint regarding the dog.

Lawrence, our neighbor, had put in a complaint about the dog and Miriam backed his complaint in a kind of formal proceeding.

The lady’s name was J. She’s seventy-three, and also lives with her extended family. The dog, a puppy that was some kind of mix with Chihuahua, was awfully cute and sported a pink, studded collar. I took down her number. She wanted Miriam to know that she’s been working with her puppy to train it to bark less. The dog was sweet and energetic, and didn’t bark at all while they stood with me.

I remember, as a kid, we called dogs like that one “hot dogs.”

Later, when Miriam came down, I spoke with her about the neighbor and her dog, and gave her the number to call.

Funny, my moods change rapidly these days. During work, I can get pretty wound up. After work with the kids, I’m really happy. I feel bad about not working on my science fiction book in forever. Then again, I’m happy to be keeping up with this journal and planning to make it a website.

The actual karate exercises have the power to change my mood.They can be hard to get through, but then I feel really good afterwards. My arms look thicker–I see actual visible changes in my body–at least in my arms. My shoulders often feel tweaked, though, but usually heal over the weekend, or during the one week of rest I take every three weeks. So I’m almost through one week of 70. (Sensei is having me stick to 60 push-ups.) One more workout tonight and it will be the weekend.

We are doing Passover Seder tonight, so if I have a bit too much wine, I might push the workout to Saturday morning. It would be better if I can get it in before the Seder. That’s the plan.

Author: an Ichi Kyu

I study Kyokushin karate at a dojo in Burbank. I don't yet have permission to say more than this about my dojo. I am also a mother of two, both of whom have studied Kyokushin karate a year longer than I. They are instructors! My husband created the art posted on this site. I have his permission to use it, but he expressly asked me not to credit him as the artist. He's moved on to other styles, and doesn't particularly want a public association with this piece. I love this artwork, personally. And me? I work full time as a cloth and hair simulation artist, as well as a python coder, in the visual effects industry. I have roughly sixteen years experience in film and about four in television. I am 50; I suppose my decision to attempt the black belt test, along with creating this blog, represents my mid-life crisis. Wish me luck!