Pictures of my first experiment in quilting. My grandma has been after me to try this for ages, and I finally got to it. I chose all the fabric, did the cutting, learned how to use the sewing machine, and did just about everything by myself. I'm very pleased with the result. It looks quite lovely on my bed like this. I can't wait to do more. 
I was surprised at the price of the fabric, but it's good quality and should last forever. I loved the contrast of the dark, bright red and black on the front and the soft, white and grey with black silhouettes on the back. In essence, I made this quilt reversible. I also got enough of the white fabric on the back to make a pair of pillowcases to go with this. It was the end of the bolt, maybe a yard left, more than enough to make pillowcases, so when I bought it I said "What the heck," and went with it. 
Thus ends a saga that began last March, when I ordered the new suit I was to wear as an instructor for formal occasions to do with Taekwondo. Apparently, as we learned as the months dragged on, the suits for the women aren't ordered as frequently as those for the men, so they basically wait for an order to build up then send it out elsewhere to fill. I got my suit a week ago, and I finally got to wear it to testing tonight. I think I look rather sharp, and I'm proud to be able to tie a tie. The alternative was a neckerchief, which I think looks rather ridiculous. The testing went well, and I got several compliments on how I looked in it. Here are some pics.
Ok, so ten to one no one who doesn't do martial arts will care about this in the slightest, but I just had one of the most fun workouts in my life doing a combat weapons seminar with Master Jordan Schreiber, who was visiting our school this weekend for a banquet honoring our own Senior Master Thor. We do traditional sparring in TKD, of course, but this is something new, where we're sparring with weapons, a large padded stick approximately two feet in length with a small handle. Full sparring gear is required, unfortunately, but the headache of the chest protector and face mask was well worth it for being able to actually hit each other with sticks. Most of the strikes are named for animals, and mimic in some way their pattern of attack, like a cobra strike, which curls up and then lunges out, a tiger strike, which zigzags back and forth the way a tiger would move in tall grass, or a golden rooster, which is a diversionary strike to the chest and then a jump and strike downward, like a chicken attempting to fly. Aggression is a key to this, since many people are unnerved by a stick flying at their face (and yes, the face is a legal target, except the eyes and the front and back of the neck, the groin also being an illegal target) and they forget to block. I can't wait to do more of this.
Ok, so it's been a while since I posted in here. Mostly because I've been busy, but also because I just haven't had a lot to say that isn't venting about my job. But I am really proud and excited about some of the stuff coming up. We're hosting a banquet for my Taekwondo instructor, Dan Thor, to celebrate his service to the community and our region, not to mention his testing for his 8th degree black belt, on August 1st, with a fun tournament during the day and a banquet in the evening. It's been a lot of hard work, and I don't always like the way some of the others who are on the planning committee handle things, but I think it will go off beautifully. There will be a silent auction, guests coming in from several places, along with family and friends of Senior Master Thor, a picture/video presentation, and some gifts and presentations to be made. I'm also working hard, debating whether I want to participate in our fun tournament, and preparing myself to try a midterm toward my 4th degree in March at the Winter Nationals in Las Vegas, NV. I'm really proud of a lot of our students this testing cycle as well. We have some really young ones who would normally be in our pre-school class, Tiny Tigers, but who we decided to move up to Karate for Kids, which is a bit more demanding, and designed for slightly older children, and they've handled it beautifully. One doesn't really realize how much capacity to learn and focus and remember a five year old child has until you see some of these kids. They struggle a bit, they get nervous, they forget, but they test and they pass in the end, and I couldn't be more proud. I get just as anxious every testing as they do, praying that they'll be able to hold it together, and cheering as loud as any of the parents when they succeed, being there to console and reassure if they fail.
My most recent picture from TKD, which we get done every year. I ordered them this year because I finally got my black collar, which means I'm a fully certified instructor. I like how my sidekick came out, and also how the pose with the sword looks.
I've been working in a kindergarten classroom since mid-February, with a little boy who is severely ADHD and has a rough home life, and I've seen behavior in this classroom, both from him and from others, that makes me wonder about the future of our society. These kids assume they can do whatever they want, they are disruptive, rude and disrespectful to the teachers and even their parents, and the parents either make excuses for them or ignore the behavior completely. When I was a kid we never got away with any of this kind of nonsense, and if we misbehaved, we were terrified of being sent to the principal, and even more terrified when our parents were called...mom and dad weren't going to take our side, they'd be furious and want to know why we did what we did, not excuse it away. And then when we got home, we'd get a spanking at the very least. Half the time when I work with this kid I wish he was mine just so I could give him the spanking he richly deserves, because he and I both know damn well that his parents won't do a thing. That's the hardest part about thisi job, I know there's nothing I can do to this kid as a consequence for his behavior that he really cares about...time outs are as much of a hassle as anything else because I have to hold him there to make him stay and he's sassy and whiny through the whole ordeal, and he wants to go to the office or be sent home so that he doesn't have to do work in the classroom. Taking away things like recess or other fun activities just means that I'm stuck with him alone in the classroom making him behave there and listening to him whine, and not letting him get his energy out. I'm just so sick of it...I'm parenting this kid for his idiot parents, and they have the nerve to look disappointed at me whenever I give them a bad report about his behavior. Maybe if they did their jobs and didn't expect me to do it all...
I've just finished reading the second book in the Twilight series, and thus far here are my opinions on the subject. From the standpoint of a literature major I can understand some of the draw of these books to a certain age group or mind set, but by and large I really wish they weren't available to young girls and boys in particular for a few specific reasons. There will be *SPOILERS* in this blog, so stop here if you don't wish to be spoiled about the end of the books.
First of all, I was very displeased by the portrayal of the two main characters. Bella is downright frustrating, and her constant whining and moping and bemoaning her lot in life makes hearing the story from her perspective much less enjoyable than if it had been from perhaps a 3rd person perspective. Also, her constant "damsel in distress" issues were downright disgusting, and even when she did finally get the "perfect" guy, she moaned and fussed and worried more because she felt she didn't deserve him. No self confidence whatsoever, and also willing to be dominated, manipulated, and controlled by said "perfect" guy, even to the point of putting herself in physical danger just so that he can show up and save her. Not at all a good example to any girl, giving the impression that one needs a man to be "complete" and going into a severe depression if the man leaves. Also irritating was that she never seemed able to do anything for herself.
Now on to our "perfect" guy. Edward, a vegetarian vampire who is over a hundred years old, is the very picture of emo melodrama. He's so theatrical about his reactions to Bella in any sense with his overblown emotional responses that it's almost no wonder she reacts the way she does. Then, he is secretive (for good reason, but that's still not healthy to that extent in any relationship) manipulative, and controlling with her. Many parents like this series because the two of them don't actually have sex until they marry, but I would say whether they're having sex or not, if he's spending every night in her room staring at her while she sleeps, that's still beyond disturbingly creepy. Stalker much? And God only knows what he's thinking while he sits there, between wanting to eat her and wanting to screw her. Pardon my crudeness, but in terms of healthy relationships, this is like a manual on how not to do it, terrible example for young people.
On to some other characters. One of the more enjoyable characters in the series (aside from Edward's family, who are by and large a lot more fun than he is, especially Emmett, who cracked me up) is young werewolf Jacob Black, who steps in as friend and perhaps more to fill the void when Edward up and leaves and Bella falls into her depression. While he is also understandably secretive and a bit controlling (both he and Edward describe Bella as a "danger magnet" which is a somewhat apt description, and both are somewhat controlling for the purpose of keeping her safe) he is a much more open and honest person, and much more likeable than the aloof and somewhat snobby Edward. Unfortunately, as I've heard tell, he gets a personality transplant that seems to come from Edward's side of things, and of course, the guy who actually deserves the girl gets beaten by the snob.
These are not books I'd let my child read at any age, and I actually am debating whether to read the rest, since they never seem to fail to make me angry and irritable. The emotions are over the top and gag-worthy, and in terms of writing, it's barely on par with trashy romance. I like supernatural fiction by and large, but the vampires, while broken from the traditional mold to a great degree, are like a razor coated in sugar: making them "vegetarians" is just putting a pretty cover on what they really are, which is creatures who feed on others to sustain themselves. They are bloodsuckers. Maybe it's just me, but I'd rather have the werewolf, so much more appealing, and in general so much more personable. Updates if I decide to read more of them.
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