21.2 km.
Yes, that's right; over the required 21.1 for a half marathon... about three weeks ahead of schedule. I'm half marathon race ready! This is a huge milestone for me in terms of my physical fitness.
Needless to say, I'm quite chuffed. :D
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meeksp (also found at www.mikaspace.net). My habit of practicing a Kung Fu form or two at work when things are really slow (as well as my build) has earned me the nickname "Kung fu Panda" by some of my co-workers. (Hee!) Based on the prompt of an anthropomorphic panda version of myself in a Hung Gar (Southern style Kung Fu) pose, Mika created the TOTALLY EPIC ICON you see before you now! ... it is good to see that there are still average, everyday people who WILL take a stand against injustice:
...FREAKING AWESOME!!!!!
I just recently finished my first Aikido class in many years and it was GREAT!!! After several weeks of being on my ass because of my back, it was so great to hit the mats. I feel like a GOD!
The instructor is fabulous, my classmates were very welcoming, and the dojo is air conditioned! (If you've ever had to do a martial arts class in a heavy Judo gi in the middle of the summer head, you'll KNOW just how bonus that is!) Best of all, it seems that my old Aikido skills, as rusty as they may have been, came back pretty damn quickly, impressing Sensei to the point that, at one point, when some advanced holds and throws using a jo (short staff) were being demonstrated to the senior students, I was asked to join in. Furthermore, Sensei even invited me to meet a guest sensei that will be coming in for a seminar tomorrow, waiving the $25 fee that would have normally been asked. (I'll be paying it anyhow, though. If my classmates have to pay to attend that seminar, I will, too. That's just the way I am.)
After class was finished, I felt physically incredible! It's like the 'me' that used to do 10k runs finally broke free of all the crap that's been going on in my life for so long.
I am so PUMPED!!!
It involves hopping on one leg and punching the air at waist level with both arms enthusiastically! *very silly grin*
Recently, I had learned that I had been passed over for the position of acting trainer. That was disappointing, but predicted. Still, it had me feeling a little under appreciated and questioning where I was going to go in this organization, especially given that the overtime opportunities I had been counting on to make some extra cash seem to have dried up recently.
About ten minutes ago, I just got a call from my team manager. As I was, according to him, among the most technically minded of his team, he just offered me a position to go into Blackberry technical support! It'll mean an immediate wage increase of 50 cents/hour, far more human hours than I'm working now, a chance to learn some really wild technical stuff and, oh yeah, the use of a BLACKBERRY!!!
SWWEEEETT!!!!
I start training on the 24th!!!
PS: I feel a bit more appreciated by my company, now. :)
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karibu 's post on the topic (found here: http://karibu.livejournal.com/290474.html). Unfortunately, I haven't been able to do much celebrating today, courtesy of work schedules and such, but I do intend to engage in some revelry tomorrow, if the opportunity presents itself.haikujaguar performed another one of her well known One Card Draws. The card she drew for me, in response to my query "Is there anything the Universe wants me to know?", was, emphatically, The Plow (http://haikujaguar.livejournal.com/556998.html?thread=9118406#t9118406). Her simple message was to just get out there and work hard; I'll enjoy the results of my efforts later. Now, on the surface, that might seem out of sync with musings about celebrating the harvest at the end of all the work, but, in a way, it kind of IS a fruit.
I'll still gotta sort out the financing before it's truly mine, but here's a sneak peak at the two bedroom apartment I've made a verbal agreement for:
http://haikujaguar.livejournal.com/54829
Please forgive the quality of these shots; they were taken with my cell phone. The one on the left is my future kitchen. It opens directly into the living room area, shown on the right. The left hand image gives a much better image of just how much light floods into the room. If you look closely at the ceiling line of the living room, you'll see that the ceiling begins to slope up towards the wall, adding substantially to the airiness of the place. There are two reasonably sized bedrooms (will easily fit a double and some furniture) which open off the main living room. (And, yes, they flood with light, too.) The bathroom is more than serviceable and includes a one piece shower/bath enclosure that should be a LOT easier to maintain than most.
And to think that I would have missed this flat if I hadn't happened to bike past the building with a singular 'apartments for rent' sign on it. Said sign had its home on a ruggedly handsome 1920's English style brickie. Solidly built, though modestly decorated, I at first, thought it must've been a converted factory building. It turns out that it was a school (can anyone else smell the irony?). The internal layout of the place screams it. *chuckle*
The neighbourhood itself, though it looks old, actually seems quite quiet and peaceful. The surrounding houses have a lot of character. And all this just minutes of walking from downtown!
I fished!
Yes, it has one more room than I need and is a bit high for my initial budget, but I followed ![[info]](https://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
haikujaguar 's advice (found here: http://haikujaguar.livejournal.com/54829
Better shots to follow once I'm actually living in it!
After a short round of phone tag with my soon-to-be supervisor, it has been confirmed; as of August 5th, I will be gainfully employed to the tune $12.50 per hour for 40 hours per week. I even get benefits straight off! Yay me!!!
Yes, I finally got to a beach this summer! I don't recall the name of this one; it was one that my uncle led us to, but it was a reasonably pleasant beach, if a bit too warm for my taste. I even got to dunk myself in the ocean, though, sadly, I didn't stay in long as it's kinda hard to relax and float there when you realize that you have to be on the lookout for roaming jellyfish. Still, it was a pleasant and relaxing day.
In other news, I finally made it to the third (and final) temple in Zuma after many repeated attempts (made very frustrating by coming 'this close' multiple times). Yay me!
Sadly, tomorrow will be spent counting trucks. Ugh.
PS: I apologize for the crappy quality of the photo; it was shot with my phone. Shots taken with it also sometimes include my finger (which this one appears to have the tip of). I used the phone because I wanted to text the photo to a bunch of my friends in the UK, but alas, I just don't have stable enough coverage to transmit the photo. Silly phone network.
branchandroot
