long time... no post

I've done it again. my back is still messed up. I keep pushing too hard at dojo, I guess. no real progress with pushups, pullups, crunches, or reverse crunches, other than I am doing between 10 and 30 of each 3 or 4 times a week, building up to a basic level of competence.

it's very frustrating, and that is the perfect excuse to use for meditation, only I keep forgetting to do that. and with 100+ degree temperatures, walking outside doesn't happen too often.

frustration can be motivating or demotivating, and I'm on the cusp. must work harder to maintain my attitude, as it is the most precious thing I have... without it, I truly am nothing.

oh, and to get the last usual tag on this, my braces are doing fine, teeth are still in (super slow) motion, and the inside of the lips are slowly toughening up.

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Body Modification 8#

braces were tightened up a little bit on Monday, and a heavier wire was put in on the top. also got little rubber bands to help keep the brackets from chewing my lips up so much.
the teeth were a little tender for the first two days, but are back to normal now. no problems chewing (using the molars), and very little trouble biting (using the incisors). I may just live thru this... 8#

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long time... no post

not dead ... yet!

been busy. vacation, worrying about a traveling kid, prep for brown belt test, getting the kids ready for school, all the usual excuses...

shoulder almost back to 100%, so I go and tear something in my back two days before brown belt test. real rocket scientist, me. 8( passed the test, but only on condition of a repeat to show proper form for two of the techniques.

started some limited pull up tests. this has always been my weakest point, and now that I weigh 230 pounds, it's even tougher. I can do two pull ups clean, and a third if I struggle. going to start working this into my "regular" routine, along with pushups.

braces are doing well, ached and made biting and chewing an annoyance for the first three weeks, but hasn't been a problem since. Monday is the next appointment, so I'm going to ask them to step it up some. also, the worst part of braces is they are still chewing up the inside of my mouth. I'll talk to them about that.

still need to do my 100 reverse crunches for record, but that's out until I get my back straightened out (so to speak). hopefully in the next few weeks I can re-do weeks 5 & 6 as a way of getting back into the swing of it.

also haven't done much with silent meditation, but having fun with guided ones instead. I think I will need to circle in on pure silence, although I do try to get short bursts of silence from time to time. another seminar, on zen and stress (if I recall correctly), will be starting in a few months, so I'll need to get my zen on... practice doesn't make perfect. perfect practice makes perfect. 8(#)

Body Modification 8#

after (finally) loosing the baby tooth, which had been my excuse for over 2 decades for not doing this, it's time to get wired. it will take a year or two to deal with this mess (my teeth look more like a crystal formation than a nice row of teeth), and in the meantime, I will learn pain, I will learn suffering, and then I'll get them taken off. 8# (that's a smiley with braces)

braces - ouch. so far the wost part is the rubbing of the gear against my cheeks. wax is my friend. the teeth don't hurt, but I'm on "training wires", so there's not much push. the good news is I'm loosing weight (they needed to put bands on two teeth, so I've had spacers in for two weeks - ouch - they hurt worse than the wires - so far) - about 5 pounds in 2.5 weeks. that's OK, so long as it's just the fat that goes away...

expect infrequent updates, usually to gauge pain levels with new wires, or the triumphant (or at least relieved) announcement of their removal - failure is always an option... 8#

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