Kicking and Flailing and Spinning

[shanmonster]

Today is my tenth wedding anniversary. That makes it the tin anniversary, which doesn't sound terribly exciting. Maybe f00 and I will celebrate with tinned foods. I hope not, though.

Yesterday, f00dave got a Mohawk hairdo. It's dark blue, and matches his bathrobe. Tomorrow, he plans on spiking it up and going to the Farmers' Market to catch people's reactions. Yet for whatever messed-up reason, he doesn't want his thesis advisor to see it. I'm not sure why that is. Anyhow, he's shaving it all off on the weekend. If you want to see what it looks like now, go see his blog.

I went to an aquacise class yesterday morning, and it ended up turning into an aquabox class. Theoretically, these classes incorporate elements of martial arts while working with the resistance of water. However, the instructor's technique isn't merely lacking--it's absent. I'm sure she has no martial arts training at all. Her kicking section doesn't involve any chambering whatsoever, and I think it's only going to be a matter of time before someone hyperextends their knees and ends up in a lot of pain. I wanted to talk to her after class, but she took off for a meeting right away. I'll have to catch her next time, I guess.

She also gets everyone to do a very bizarre punching motion which either looks like someone banging on a table in frustration or like someone whacking off a donkey at high speed, depending on where your mind sits in relation to the gutter. In either case, I don't see many martial applications for it, although I suppose it is working the biceps and triceps, at the very least. So while she leads the class in faux underwater tae bo, I very loosely base my movements off what she's doing and practice my kung fu technique. I think it's helping, too. My punches are getting faster, and my legs are certainly more powerful. Of course, the latter is probably due to the hundreds of dragons I do on a weekly basis. I upped my hip abductor machine to 80 kilogrammes today, and I think I can probably up it more next week. I believe I can max out the machine (at 100 kilogrammes) within the next six months, if I keep working at it.

Unfortunately, I felt like shite last night, and didn't attend kung fu. I suspect I'm coming down with something, or fighting it off, at least. I feel vaguely nauseated, my head hurts, and I have the stupids. There are no blind spots, so if I'm experiencing one of those migraines, it's an invisible one. Who knows?

Last night's dance class was fun, though. snowy_kathryn and Carol (another of my dance students) demonstrated part of the cane choreography they learned at the Lala Hakim workshop on the weekend, and before long, everyone was banging away with canes. I think it would be pretty easy to put together a short routine for the beginners. Maybe they can have something to perform in August, if I can muster up the dance workshop I'd like to host.

I also accidentally came up with a new veil move last night. It involves spinning the veil around both wrists (almost bondage-style), then spreading the arms out wide. It seems to work best on a lightweight veil. The liquid metal fabric is too heavy and catches on itself. But chiffon used this way blooms like a flower. I intend on practicing my veilwork this summer. I can use the track at the Y, I'm sure. Hoorah for free studio time! Maybe I'll go in tomorrow....

Comments

[zombienought.livejournal.com]

Congrats on the anniversary. I think the
mohawk looks great. I really wanted to
do something like that, but unfortunately,
male pattern baldness makes me look a
bit like the main guy in The Prodigy.

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

I'm trying to talk him into keeping the Mohawk. It looks good on him.

The Prodigy haircut is not very flattering, is it?

[goth-hobbit.livejournal.com]

Ooh, if you ever get that veil move diagrammed (filmed, photographed, whatever), please post it. I can imagine it, but I'm having trouble working out the logistics of the thing.

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

I'll see what I can do....