Cecilia and I recently received our Orange Belt in Combat Hapkido.  The belt test was attended by another 5th Dan in JuJitsu (among other disciplines) named Sensei John Borter and we felt an immediate synergy with his teaching style and methods.  So we wanted to check out the school.

WE LOVED IT and will start full-time in October.  It was SO gratifying to be able to venture into a new martial art and feel really good about it.  The methods are so smooth and flowing and are pure technique (no muscle).  I'm so impressed and know it will take time, but it will be a lot of fun!

More to come.

Life is good and challenging.  I'll take it like that right about now.

I can't believe that this month will be Orange Belt testing in Combat Hapkido for Cecilia and I.  It's been challenging and fun.  As I move out of that intense hypothyroidism, I am beginning to lose a little bit of weight and feel more energized.  This is extremely helpful especially since the last belt test (for yellow) was extremely rigourous.

Phew!

Practices are down to twice a week for the Summer and I am working through some of the heat.

Time flies.

I have spent so much time on this blog talking about some of the struggles that my health causes. The truth is, the struggles will always be there and are a part of my life .... they are something that I have to live with and somehow work through. And I do and will.

I spend a lot of my free time on the Internet doing affiliate marketing to earn some great fun money. My fun money at this point is growing to the point where it can pay the mortgage pretty much. Consistency is another issue ... although it is getting there.

Affiliate marketing makes earning money on the Internet totally possible for just about anyone. The caveat is is that you need to have a computer, know how to use it and have a strong desire to succeed and watch the Power of Intention work in your life. It works for me and each month I bring about 1.5 to 2K into the household (really Cecilia my partner does, but I am the "Skipper"). It feels good to bring affiliate earnings in. It's like finding a treasure!

I go "University" to learn my affiliate marketing skills. They are not inherent necessarily ... but they are possible to learn with the right community and the right tools. You don't become a medical doctor by teaching yourself, you go to medical school to learn the skills and intricacies. School helps you to hone your skills and become a better doctor ... Internet Marketing school helps you to do the same thing. Cool stuff!

Here's where I go ... really, just check it out and take a look and see if it is your gig. It may or may not be. The one thing, trying it is not too painful ... and leaving is easy (if you ever want to).

Wealthy Affiliate University

if you visit and are interested and sign up ... let me know. I have a great bonus for you :)

Anyway, I spend a lot of time using a set of CD's I have called "Attracting Wealth and Abundance" ... it may sound hokey, but if you don't believe you can attract wealth (money and happiness and all that other stuff), you probably never will. It takes a mindset and drive. The cool thing is, being around others that think that way and make it happen really motivates you. I am rubbing shoulders with multi-millionaires several times over. You can't help but feel a little bit of that motivation.

Anyway, that is all for now. On the health side ... I am feeling good and getting back to normal in the way of TSH (thyroid) levels. Thank God for that! :)

MS can kick a person in the butt .... hard. The heat is starting to build in NY and we are getting ready for our first heat wave of the Spring-Summer. Humidity will be high. Heat in MS (especially for someone with MS like me who is highly heat-sensitive) can just suck energy and drain muscle power and vision. It's strange, but it is something that I have to accommodate for. I own a house with an in-ground pool which is a HUGE blessing. Sometimes it seems to hot it's hard to get out to the pool and out of the Air Conditioning. Strange dilemma.

Anyway, I will deal with it.

On another note, Celia and I earned our yellow belts. First step in Combat Hapkido. Lots of FUN!!!

I spoke with my Endocrinologist today who has ordered bloodwork for me tomorrow. I am definitely still slipping into the abyss of hypothyroidism and it is sucking my energy out of me AND I have really started to lose more of my hair (it's thinning a bit). I am glad I have always had a nice, full thick head of hair ... so there is some to spare. But what a drag. Also, energy is sucked right out of me.

Today I slept a good portion of the day but went to Hapkido practice in the evening and worked my BUTT off ... I worked really hard. MS and hypothyroidism kind of make energy and fatigue a big joke. The will is strong though ... I am doing the best I can.

I should be getting an increase of my thyroid medicine so that I can look and feel more like myself. The face puffiness and stuff is a drag as well.

Always watch your thyroid -- it controls so much in your body. It's nuts. I'm blessed though it wasn't cancerous. That is the one thing I really did not have to deal with, I have my share (as do all of us).

That is one really great reason why I love martial arts -- it pulls me right out of myself and lets me push things. I can't wait to try Tae Kwon Do and push different parts of myself. I'm going with my heart (and I have a good schedule worked out to do both martial arts) ... and am going to try pursuing both. I think they will complement each other and once I REALLY get my thyroid medicine regulated and get out of this hypothyroid state -- I'll be ready to rock and roll even more. It won't take as much effort.

Goodnight!!

CC is finally done with getting her dissertation prospectus off in the e-mail to her dissertation committee and I am excited for us. We want to do something.

I got some custom tattoo artwork done from a Chinese artist and I JUST might have that done today if I can talk CC into a little trip :)

The tat means "indomitable spirit" and I was originally thinking of getting this on my shoulder. I think though that I may have it shrunk and may get it on the top of my foot. That means it can be easily hidden by a shoe (that's good) AND I can get a look at it as a reminder ... which is one of the main reasons I want it.

I feel it expresses the way I try to live my life. I love the tenets of Tae Kwon Do -- they express what I would love to live and what I strive for.

I guess I really have to give TKD a go :) But I also need to remember my limits.

BTW, tattoos are a funny thing. I have been curious about them but never thought I would be the type to get one. I've now discovered -- after some time -- that there are no real "types" but just a lot of stereotypes that are silly.

Well, I don't fit the stereotype.

MS has been at bay and this is a good thing - barring some optic neuritis (none of my glasses work and my right eye is blurry as heck ... one of my classic exacerbations) I keep pushing myself through at-home training and through training in the Dojang. I am also seriously contemplating adding TaeKwonDo to my Martial journey. CC and I have talked about it quite a bit.

I think I yearn to have a little bit more of the traditional discipline in the mix of my martial arts. I also yearn to learn some Kata (I can't even believe I am saying that -- it just looks very relaxing). I know I will be challenged physically and cognitively. But I will never know unless I try. Personally, I am going to work on getting stronger and more flexible.

I yearn for more formal training -- so I am going to head in that direction whether it means trainings 3 days in Combat Hapkido or spreading it out as 2 Combat Hapkido and 2 Tae Kwon Do classes per week (one day is back to back).

Two of the classes are during the day and only have about 5 students in them.

Anyway, I've been reading all about TaeKwonDo (history, requirements, Kata, stances, footwork, etc.) Just to get a feel of it. I really enjoyi the education part of martial arts and have some great books that I've been digging into.

One thing I know -- I'll be working on that indomitable spirit. This is actually something I feel like I have lived through a lot of my life. This just provides another venue.

I'm praying on it. ;-)

It probably sounds crazy so early in the journey --- but I love the thought of working towards my black belt in combat hapkido. I am finding it is all consuming (because I am letting it be). I want the martial journey to pervade my bones, my core -- my spirit. I feel that is happening and it is really pretty cool. In essence, it is becoming my new career, my new school curriculum and my way to work towards new goals and to challenge myself.

To me that is pretty cool. As a retired person -- I needed something like this.

It is challenging, but I see a lifelong journey ahead.

I think about getting my black belt some day but am enjoying life as a newbie white belt. Cecilia and I are preparing for our first rank test for yellow belt in May.

As Matt says: "slow and steady wins the race." Matt ... your journey inspires me.

Part and parcel to the system of Combat Hapkido, joint locks happen and are part of how we bring each other down. I tend to have looser joints and actually strained my right shoulder after a class working with a brown belt and repeating some maneuvers that involved elbow and shoulder locks. I think I hyperextended a little backwards and something (a piece of cartilage or a tendon, etc) got knocked out of place and stuck in the joint somewhere causing an extreme amount of pain in the most obscure positions that were not repeatable. Then on Saturday, "pop, click" and the pain began to subside through the evening and now I appear to have full range of motion with very little pain. But personally, it seems like my range of motion is TOO GOOD and that like my lax knee, my right shoulder is a little loose too.

I think I may request an MRI in the near future if whatever happened (something getting stuck -- similar to meniscus cartilage in a knee) in the joint and causing excruciating, momentary pain.

For the meantime, I have a good shoulder brace for support and will favor it a bit as I work towards my belt test in May 2008 (Yellow Belt).

I don’t want to miss it.

Moral of the story: I need to find a way to increase the strength in the shoulder capsule to help with shoulder stability AND I also need to strengthen my core so that I can handle kicks a little better without strain of the intercostals.

I have a long way to go ... but am having a hell of a time. What fun!!!