Bec's Happybox

Choke

Here's the thing:  losing to a worthy opponent is not so bad.  I have lost three matches to the same fighter from another club on the island, and after the first time, it ceased to bother me at all.  Because, hello!  she's awesome!  She moves like nobody's business and I swear she's got a third leg hidden somewhere.  I can learn a lot from her and hope to one day be able to say "Hey, at least now I'm giving her a run for her money!"

But losing to someone who is just an okay fighter?  Sucks.  Because if you know that she's not more experienced, she doesn't train more rigorously, she's not in better shape, she's not much bigger, or some other reason why she is just a better fighter, you know that what it comes down to is that she played the mental game better than you did.  And that's hard to take. 

Saturday was not a good day for me.  (Warning: Another long and rambly and woe-filled post about sparring!  But more photos making the click-through worth it!)

Eleventh Hour Thoughts on Sparring

First, a retraction.  I said I was throwing in the towel.  Well, I picked it up again.  Inspired by my instructors and teammates and helped by a large number of training sessions that I didn't expect, I am once again in fighting form.  I am ready to "bring it" tomorrow, as the young people say. 

Now, a few things I've been thinking about sparring lately.  (Warning: this is long and tangential.  I've got a tournament tomorrow and need to process a few things.  But there are two more photos, so click through for those, if nothing else.)

Every age has its challenges

While listening to the CBC radio coverage of the N. Korea nuclear disarmament deal...

ME:
Hmm, that's good news

SAHSEZ:
What is?

ME:
That progress is being made in dismantling the North Korea nuclear arms system

SAHSEZ:
Like bombs?

ME:
Yup.

SAHSEZ:
I hate bombs.

ME:

Me too.

Can I lose 4 pounds by next Saturday?

For my birthday, my mother-in-law gave me some cash to go shopping at Hughes.  I got myself a cute, grey, thin-wool wrapshirt and skirt combo by Filippa K.  I love the outfit, but made an agreement with myself when I bought it that I wouldn't wear it in public until I weighed 135 pounds or less.  At the time I was edging toward 141 pounds.  I picked 135 as the weight at which the little rolls of fat that pop up from under the wrappy part of the shirt wouldn't be obvious.  At 135, I figured I would feel confident wearing an outfit which is a far cry from my usual housewife's uniform of Sloggers, torn jeans and/or yoga pants, and some martial arts t-shirt. 

Next Saturday I am going to see Daphne, and would love nothing more than to wear my fancy duds.  Only problem is, my weight loss efforts always tend more toward hoping to lose weight than trying to lose weight and today I weigh 139 pounds.  So the question is, can I lose four pounds in ten days?  I'm taking bets: odds are 4 to 1 against. 

Factors in favour of success:

-lots of sparring between now and then to train for the tournament

-some jogging between now and then to get my cardio up for the tournament

-I'm toying with the idea of giving up booze for Lent, which starts in one week.  So, for the last few days before the opera anyway, I may not be drinking. 

-positive thinking is my primary weight-loss tool

Factors against success:

-apathy

-Brasserie L'Ecole and Los Taquitos dinners planned for this weekend

-if giving up booze for Lent, I will most likely drink quite a bit on Shrove Tuesday (6 days away)

-I love butter

-positive thinking is my primary weight-loss tool

So we'll see how it goes.  I'm posting this here in an effort to keep myself honest.  If I tell the World Wide Web that I want to lose four pounds, I might actually believe it myself.  If you love me, you will bet against me so that I can have a financial motive as well as a vanity motive for this little project. 

Celebrity Sighting!

I saw Eve Egoyan, coming out of her parents' house, while on my run this morning.

Okay, perhaps that is not what you were expecting from a "celebrity" sighting.  But dudes, I live in Victoria and I play piano.  Considering that, it's a pretty good sighting! 

She is beautiful and so is her mom.