A linky Monday morning to you.

[flexagon]

1) Blue and savage_rose, did you know there was a community called organize? Heh, it's kind of perky over there, but other than that I can see it being a nice place to post certain things.

2) Don't ask me how I got here, but I found the first half or so of this to be quite a fascinating read about compulsive scratching. The scratching, picking, or tearing is an attempt at self-help, directed at one of the tasks or at the skin itself. We scratch to reduce the itch. The intent is honorable but the technique is terrible. Similarly, the picking and tearing so typical of people with acne is an attempt to improve the skin. The intent is fine, the technique ineffective. I hardly have any problem with face-picking anymore... but it's interesting and rather nice to think that even the dumb self-destructive things we do, we're doing on some level with good intentions.

3) I have new shoes. These shoes. I've never had clogs before, but I think I like! :) And the next day I took a bag to Goodwill to balance out the shopping trip. I find that a nice thing to do... keeping at least a rough balance of things in to things out.

4) I am (finally) officially signed up to take that Java test. It's a little creepy to have committed to a time, but I'm looking forward to having it be over. I started my reviewing of the book yesterday, and did a reassuringly better job on Chapter 1 than I did the first time. Yeah, I could pass the test if it were tomorrow. But of course that's not enough for type-A little me, I want to crush it. Stomp it. Ace it. So I guess I have a nerdy couple of weeks coming up.

Comments

[bluechromis.livejournal.com]

Hehe - it's kind of perky over there I think I'll wait until I'm not quite as tired as I am now to check it out. Perky does not mesh well with Blue in the morning.

Interesting point about face picking. I used to attack my face if I got so much as a small zit. So glad I'm over that.

Those shoes rock.

Good luck with the test!

Off Topic

[webrat.livejournal.com]

I sent my friend an email about Tai Chi:

By the way, a friend of mine does Tae Kwon Do - she's in her 3rd year, she's thinking about quitting because getting a black belt doesn't mean much to her at the moment. She's thinking about switching to Yoga. I told her she should look into Tai Chi. Thinking that she's already into martial arts, she should just stay in it. Tai Chi is just a "soft" martial arts thing isn't it? Can you give me some feedback about Tai Chi and why you would recommend Tai Chi over Yoga?

My response back thus far:

Hmm… perhaps she’s focusing on the award business and prestige of getting a black belt vs something more personal… like how the experience and training benefit her health. Eastern Martial Arts seem as much a spiritual thing as they are a physical thing and I have a feeling that most westerners forget that, or don’t see it as important.

Tai Chi is a low impact ‘internal’ style of Martial arts, meaning that it focuses on slow movement and toning and training of mind, body and spirit during practice. I can give you several web sites to send her that have good articles on Tai Chi. If she’s doing Martial Arts now, then yeah, I’d recommend it over yoga, simply because she’ll be more familiar with it, though I don’t see why she couldn’t do both. Tai Chi flows. Once you know the postures and you start allowing your focus to widen, it’s very meditational, in a way. It’s been helping my back and physical stamina greatly, as I’ve been telling you.

By the way, please yell at me if I misinterpreted your "not wanting to get a blackbelt."

Re: Off Topic

[webrat.livejournal.com]

Forgot to post the links she emailed me:
Check out:
http://www.taichiamerica.com
http://www.taichiproductions.com

Re: Off Topic

[flexagon]

Wow, thank you. :)

I don't think you misinterpreted me particularly, although your friend might have. I have by no means forgotten that martial arts are supposed to be just as spiritual as physical, and I am very much thinking about the so-called health benefits of training. It's my SCHOOL that seems to have forgotten all this. And I'm just not in it for the prestige anymore.

Sigh, oh well. Thanks, and I'll be checking out those links when I get home.