pamelonian

The new school year is starting out well. It is not my best year ever, but certainly not the worst. I don't do beginnings and endings very well, but I do a FINE middle. Once I get started I am pretty good at plugging along. I still have chances to be creative and brilliant, and if I am not spending energy getting and keeping the students' attention, I will have an even better year. This year HAD to be better. Last year kinda sucked a good deal of the time.

I rode 11 miles today to help myself recover from the 66-mile tour on Sunday. It felt pretty good. I had to change a tire before I could leave. Don't be all impressed, that is the only kind of bike maintenance I know how to do...

Sensei has backed off nominating me and some others for sandan testing. That is fine by me. The test is only 2 weeks away! I don't have the time to devote to really shining, which is how I want my last test in aikido to be. We don't test for any rank above 3rd-degree. From there it is all political... Anyway, I am not on a timeline here. I have been doing this for 8 years and I hope to do it for 8 more and then some!

I was planning to go to the dojo to train just in case Sensei taps me for testing, but after my bike ride I don't feel like it. Will I or won't I? I know everyone will be just dying to find out so I will edit this later to let you know...

**ETA: I didn't go to aikido. Blame Starbuck, Apollo, and Modest Mouse. No, not my rodent collection, but I still haven't listened to my new cd or even ripped it for my iPod. Last night I started watching "The Hand of God," which is the final episode of Battlestar Galactica (the original series). I only got to watch about 10 minutes of it, and I want to finish it. I practiced weapons forms by the pool. I must have looked pretty bad-ass swinging around my wooden sword and staff. Either bad-ass or silly, it's a fine line...