Worse than I thought…

Had my follow up exam today on my knee… I was wrong in what I heard. They did not clean up my ACL, they cleaned it OUT! Yep, I no longer have an ACL in my left knee. The one that was put in 16 or so years ago did not take right and has actually not been working pretty much since then…

I was told that in a month or two I would probably need to have a new one put in, and because of the way the old one was put in, a new knee MAY be required again. For now they want to let this surgery heal up and scar up, so they clean the recovery up easier with the next go.

I said it would have to wait a year so I could save up some leave and still get paid for it…

Not good.

Add to that, I’ve been recommended to stop teaching martial arts, use steps if only if I have to, and to take it easy on the knee, which should go into a brace (which I have and will do) for a few month to let the leg build up its own protection of the knee.

Interestingly enough, even under sedation, when they tried to test my knee to see if the ACL was torn (mind you there was basically none there!) the knee responded as if the ACL was fine! When they went in and saw the mess that was my knee, they were shocked to find my knee behaving as it did during the test. It should have flopped all over the place (so to say), but didn’t. I guess those years of Martial Arts have made my body protect itself?

A busy time!

Like most of you (not that there are that many readers I’m sure!) I have a lot of projects I’m working on:

First and foremost is my home based business Watkins. This is a “self employment” process that I have been working for roughly 10 years now, and when I am active, it does good, and I’m active again, or at the beginnings of being active anyway! If you are interested in working for yourself, go here. An income stream that I control per say.

TDBell Enterprises, Inc., the second part of my self employment in which I do two things: Help Start Up business find money, and fix computers (software mainly, but hardware too). Again, a revenue generating practice to increase my income flows via multiple streams of income.

While it is on hiatus at the moment, Circular Wind Ryu, which is my martial arts school. Another self employed job. Here teaching martial arts. I plan on re-opening this aspect of work in the very near future.

ExsposeYourBlog.com. I am the owner and one of the admins of this blog exchange where you sign up (free and paid options), surf five blogs (read five blogs) and then post your blog or blogs on the site for others to read. Each day (hopefully ) you surf a few blogs, leave comments on those you like and earn credits so others can come see your blog when they surf. With this project I also have up a forum I work on, and both aspects take time in coding, fixing, monitoring and surfing. (GREAT blogs there worth reading on a daily or at least weekly basis!)

During they day, Monday through Friday I work as a OR Supply Technician until I can get into the IRM (Information Resources Management) department. This, for now, is my main income source. Not what I want to be doing, but hope to change that soon. (See top three jobs listed here. )

I am a Sir Knight (4th Degree Knight) with the Knights of Columbus, which takes up several hours a month in various functions and events, and I’m the web master of our site (http://www.kofc1487.org).

And I am studying theology on the side via reading and researching. I plan on taking this up formally once my income stabilizes and I have enough left over each month to take the next step.

What does your week look like?

2010 Goals in Review – 2011 Goals

Last year my goals for the year were:

Goal 1: Continue to loose body fat, and get my weight down to at least 210 this year.

Goal 2: Continue to live a life in God’s good graces and with God foremost in my mind.

Goal 3: To get Circular Wind Ryu and Hasumi Ryu Kendo up and running as strong, respected schools of Martial Arts in the US.

Goal 4: Get totally out of debt!

Goal 5: Find GOOD things to write here at least weekly, if not daily!

Results:

Goal 1: My body fat is down to 19, and my weight is down to 258. I’m not down to 210 yet, but I am getting there… Lost over 30 lbs this past year! And I have given up sodas (coke/etc), candy, and as of a week ago, except for deserts after dinner, and “special breakfasts”, I’ve given up most sweets in general. Not a 100% success, but good advances!

Goal 2: I continue to live a life of Christ, and am working on walking away from sin. This is a hard road to travel, but I am happy traveling it!

Goal 3: This goal has gone the way of the dodo birds. It isn’t happening, because I’m not focusing on it.

Goal 4: I have one bill left. It will take a while to finish this bill off, but I have done a great job of not getting new long term bills, or even mid term bills. My finances are finally getting in order!

Goal 5: Didn’t post weekly at all. Not good of me, but I hope I haven’t chased everyone off. I, with the help of a few others, did create a blog exchange where bloggers can read other peoples blogs in exchange for them reading the bloggers. (http://exposeyoublog.com) This has taken a lot of my time, which isn’t an excuse, but is part of why I didn’t post weekly or daily. I do have four blogs in play though… (http://www.tdbellenterprises.com/dbblog, http://www.circularwindryu.com/blog/, http://tdbellwatkins.blogspot.com, and http://donmbell.blogspot.com/)

Over all this has been a good year. I should have put more effort in the school, but focused on getting in better shape, loosing weight and other related issues.

So, what are my goals for 2011? They are:

Goal 1: Continue my process of getting down to 210 lbs, and a 10% body fat.

Goal 2: Work on shrinking my debt, and begin building my credit score at the same time. It is too low to make me happy.

Goal 3: Increase my religious studies and reading.

And there are a couple of private ones as well….

Chat is Open Again!

Well, it seems through “non-use” the Chat page wasn’t working. I have it back up and running, and actually plan on using it when I’m at the computer going forward! I have also tied it in to my Martial Arts blog, http://www.ciruclarwindryu.com/blog, so if you are on either page, you can chat with each other.

Hope to chat with you there, if you aren’t on ExposeYourBlog!’s chat page!

Getting back on track…

Over the past year, I have been busy looking for a job, getting a job, changing jobs (twice changed), and becoming (or trying to) part of an existing family. During that time, I mainly, though not always, neglected my promises to God in reading and studying His Word, neglected my body, which has gotten even more out of shape, although through part of the falling apart, I have lost some weight, and have not kept up as well with my Martial Arts, Reading, and personal growth.

This week, after six months working at the Veteran’s Hospital, I am taking a week of leave. My plans for this week, which have already start include:

1. Restarting an exercise plan. (Started today already!)
2. Back to reading the Bible daily.
3. Returning to the Liturgy of Hours daily. (Praying a set of prayers 7 times a day, and associated readings.)
4. Martial Arts practice and reading.
5. Get my finances back in order.
6. Helping more about the house. (More reliably than I have been.)

I have been lazy of late in all of these aspects, and the change has to come! I need to get back in shape, which will stop some of the illnesses I have had (ulcers in the stomach, arthritis pain, left knee pain and giving out, etc), and I need to get back into spiritual shape as well!

I hope each of you have a life plan that includes health, wealth, and spiritual aspects and that you follow that plan, adjusting it as you need to!

(And I hope these few readers here keep me to this plan, by checking in on me, and by goading me along when I get lazy again!)

David Carradine : 1936 – 2009

It is with sad heart that I announce the passing of David Carradine:

Mr. Carradine was, to me, a great actor and he became a great Martial Artist over the years as well. I enjoyed his TV series, movies and shows that he did. He was a key player in people going into martial arts in the 1970s as well.

Mr. Carradine, my hat off to you!! Rest in Peace!

2008 in review, 2009 Goals

At the beginning of 2008 I posted my Goals for 2008. Here is my status report:

Goal 1: Hit 210 lbs.
Status: Well, I got down to 220 lbs, but have gone back up to 266 lbs. Not good. In my defense, I have gone from 38+% body fat, to 29% body fat in this past year. I continued to work out daily if my life’s events allowed for it.

Goal 2: Become confirmed in the Catholic Church, and live a more religious and righteous life.
Status: I was confirmed in the Catholic Church on Easter Eve at the Easter Vigil. The next day I gave my vows as a Religious Friar with the Brothers and Sisters of Reconciliation. That Order has since been closed, but I still follow, for the most part, the Rules of the Order, and try to stay within the framework of Religious Life.

So, we are now, well into a New Year, 2009!! Let me tell you, last year FLEW by! Here are my goals for this year:

Goal 1: Continue to loose body fat, and get my weight down to at least 210 this year.

Goal 2: Continue to live a life in God’s good graces and with God foremost in my mind.

Goal 3: To get Circular Wind Ryu and Hasumi Ryu Kendo up and running as strong, respected schools of Martial Arts.

Goald 4: Get my financial life in order and get totally out of debt!

Have a BLESSED New Year, and enjoy life!

Politics in Martial Arts, just like everything else…

As I open up my school more and more, I am looking to join either individually, or preferably as a school, various appropriate Martial Arts Associations/Foundations/Federations/etc. I have looked at many such groups, and with VERY few exceptions, it seems these groups feel that their ranking system (for money of course!) is the only legit ranking process to use.

From my looking at it, you either send your students to a annual or twice a year or four times a year event (often a LONG distance from where you may be) and have them pay the Association/etc a fee to test them. If you are not able to send them to the “group test”, some may allow you to pay 5 or more “Senior Black Belts of 5th Dan or higher, depending on the student getting tested, the cost of travel to your area, room and board, and the testing fees. They feel that your Soke (Head of Family (person in charge of your style/art)) is not able to decide who has the knowledge HE (some SHEs too!!) feels is part of the Ryu (School).

I’m 100% sure I do not agree with this stance! After 39 years of martial arts, 37 of which was studying Kendo under Hasumi-sensei, the Soke of the Hasumi Ryu Kendo, the title passed to him by his Father, and on up the line back 183 years, Hasumi-sensei felt I had learned Hasumi Ryu Kendo well enough for him to pass the Ryu on to me as Soke at his death. He gave me the right to assign rank up to 5th Dan (this school has only 6 Black Belt ranks,and 10 Kyu (student) ranks) in this Ryu. He did not give that right to any Association, Federation, or group out there. There are “Secrets” (and I use the term secrets loosely!) to stance and such that each Ryu has that another Ryu may not know or use, etc. How do these 5 or more Black Belts of other Ryus/Systems get off on telling me if a student of mine has the needed skills and knowledge to be a X degree Black Belt?

Over the past 14 years I have been taking the 39 years of Judo (5th Dan), 37 years of AiKiDo (6th Dan, testing for 7th Dan this month!), 25 years of Moo Do Kwon Tang Soo Do (3rd Dan), and 37 years of Kendo (Soke/6th Dan), and have created a “mixed martial art” that encompasses the “Best” of each art I’ve practiced, altering it where I felt it needed altered, and developed a new style, based on my philosophy of life and fighting. Tell me how 5 or more “senior black belts” that have not been trained in this art grade the students of this art?

Associations issuing ranks and belts just doesn’t feel right to me. I understand what they are trying to do, stop belt factories form happening. (A belt factory is a “School” that you come in do “some” training, pay a large fee or series of fees, and get your belts fast.) But I think they are going about it wrong.

These associations should set guidelines, using a set criteria, on how long a person should be at each level, based on training times, and several other factors, before being able to advance, so that each style’s “5th Dan” would be comparable with another styles “5th Dan”, etc.

Another thing that bothers me is when they say “If you don’t belong to our Association, you are not a legit, and you don’t know what you are doing.”. (I have heard this with Hasumi Ryu Kendo because we do not (and never have!) belong to any Association/Federation/etc…) Who died and made them my Soke?