Dean I'm still troubled by the murder of my friend Dean back in June.
He was the sweetest guy I've ever met. One of the few people in this world who would actually give you the shirt off his back, the shoes off his feet, the food off his plate, and the money out of his wallet if you needed it.

His wife had left him a year ago and he was down in Portland to talk to her mother about helping him to get his marriage back. Unfortunately he was unaware of the fact that his mother-in-law had recently moved.
No one knows the details of the events leading up to it but at some point a transient stabbed him to death.
Knowing Dean he was probably just trying to help the guy out.
It bothers me that such a violent death should befall such a gentle man.
Hopefully his karmic debt is paid now and he can move on.  ¶ 2:23 p.m. 0 comments

  The Ladies I bought two albums today that I can recommend without reservation. Feist 'The Reminder' and Noisettes 'What's The Time Mr. Wolf?'
I'm not too big on the female vocalists, as I find they make me sleepy, but Leslie Feist and Shingai Shoniwa have certain vocal styles that make me need to have everything they put out. Shingai is the only gal in rock that I will support.
Magnificent voice.
Go buy.  ¶ 1:14 p.m. 0 comments

  Arm Bar I am completely addicted to The Ultimate Fighter. Long have I campaigned against "Reality TV" but this show is fantastic.
What makes this show different from the hated ones?
No chicks. No feminine men. It's all macho all the time and sweet christmas in July I need that. Also, as someone who trains for fighting it is good to see how some folks go about it. Of particular interest is reversing submissions. Very valuable information.
Having watched so much UFC I have a great need to give myself an impressive name. Here's a few I'm tossing around:
Scott "The Alabaster Disaster" Pennykid
Scott "The Ivory Assassin" Pennykid
Scott "The Pale Nail" Pennykid
Scott "Tighty Whitey" Pennykid

Any thoughts?  ¶ 7:06 p.m. 0 comments

  Kiai! I have of course seen a good number of smart cars since they hit the road but only recently did I find myself riding next to one. I was coming home along Kingsway one sunny afternoon and there in the lane next to me rolled the tiny transport. Good heavens, it was the same length as my bike. I didn't have probable cause so I didn't test my theory, but I feel confident that I could have side-kicked the wee bugger right off the road.
If they ever make one with the power delivery of a sportbike then I will surely buy one.  ¶ 4:23 p.m. 0 comments

  sam doing four emblams fist photo of sam doing four emblams fist form.
  ¶ 7:40 p.m. 0 comments

  Painfully Funny I couldn't figure out why I had these hard pains in my abdomen this morning when I started exercising. It took a couple of hours for me to remember that I was laughing so hard the day before that I actually hurt myself.
A friend of my father's had lent him a video tape of Billy Connolly's standup.
He did a bit on going to Mexico with his family and telling his kids not to drink the water, only drink from the bottle.
His son drank the bottle and refiiled it from the tap without telling his dad and hilarity insued as the water kept him on the toilet for hours.
The sound effects and facial expressions that accompanied the story had me laughing so hard I wasn't making a sound, could barely breathe, and watched tears run off my face like a fast leaking fawcet.
Never have I experienced this before, so thank you Billy.  ¶ 5:38 p.m. 0 comments

  Double Digits I fear my IQ has dipped below one hundred.
On Saturday Michael was demonstrating his superior skills in the art of baguazhang and managed to land a clean punch to my left temple. It left me disorientated for a few seconds; long enough for an actual opponent to finish me off.
It has been a while since last my brain was rattled and I hope it will be a good while before it happens again.
Ouchy.
Still, the only way to develop real defensive skills is to allow yourself to be attacked on a somewhat regular basis. I just hope I get a lot better real quick.
Can't get dumber, dammit!  ¶ 5:42 p.m. 0 comments