Just an update-- if it was obsession before, is it addiction now? I'm training 20-25 hrs a week, I've joined two dojos aside from my regular gym, I read grappling and jiu jitsu articles on the net all the time, I attend weekend seminars... I even dream about grappling positions and when friends hug me, I think "overhook underhook."
I love my instructors-- William Vandry, Tony Morel, Robert Reed, and Tom Krausz-- not to mention the colored belts and black belts who also instruct me (sometimes it's more like "schooling" me).
I'm constantly covered in bruises that usually form matched pairs on each side of my body, marking leverage points, pressure points and handholds... my knees and elbows are getting a little tweaked... but I'm not complaining. It's too much fun.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Ahhh, the garden...
I've been seriously obsessing with my martial arts training and somewhat letting the garden go... each weekend I weed and deadhead, but now the tomatoes are starting to get ahead of me, so looks like every 2-3 days I'll be out there harvesting. It's a wonderful feeling! The sun is warm, but not too hot (about 91F outside right now) and I just grabbed about 8 ripe or almost-ripe tomatoes. Sadly, lost 3 to birds or animals-- but did find two lusciously ripe strawberries hidden under the leaves, and I got a handful of carrots too. The carrots are only about 4" long but they're sweet and cute, and I'm very proud of myself. Next year, I have to devote an entire bed just to the fruits/veg (transplant the roses elsewhere) and I need much sturdier tomato cages. I think I'll need bell pepper cages too-- the fruit are starting to turn red on the edges and they're so big, they drag the plants down to the ground. I took some pics but Mitch is away on a conference until Thursday so I probably won't upload till next weekend.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
My niece in Istanbul
My niece Ali lives in Rome with her husband and two daughters... but she spent a long weekend with girlfriends in Istanbul recently, and isn't she gorgeous? This is her (in the middle) in front of the Blue Mosque.
Yep, she's a hottie :)
Yep, she's a hottie :)
Monday, May 12, 2008
Obsessed...
I've discovered my new obsession... martial arts. It's not technically new, I was obsessed in 1998-1999 when I had a great dojo and great senseis in Virginia. But I moved back to Austin and just didn't find someone I clicked with, so I moved on to other interests. I'm fortunate to have found Robert Reed, Tony Morel, and Tom Krausz and so my return to martial arts.
Once again, I'm in a mixed martial arts setting. In Virginia, I studied with two senseis who taught a blend of aikido, escrima, tae kwon do, and a few other things I've since forgotten. Now, I study kajukenbo (KArate, JUdo JUjitsu, Chinese KENpo, Chinese BOxing kung fu) and informally, jiujitsu as well. I'm really passionate about the grappling side of things. It's a challenge because I'm smaller, weaker, and not as well conditioned as most, so I will need to focus on perfect technique and the mindgame aspect. It's good because I don't like punching and kicking people-- I like to be able to hurt them enough to tap them out, but not more than that. The satisfaction comes from beating them, not beating them up.
So I'm training somewhere around 10-12 hrs a week in martial arts, another 3-5 hrs of conditioning, and trying to bribe as many people as I can to roll (spar) with me by baking untold dozens of cookies. If I can make them a little fatter, that doesn't hurt my feelings any.
Once again, I'm in a mixed martial arts setting. In Virginia, I studied with two senseis who taught a blend of aikido, escrima, tae kwon do, and a few other things I've since forgotten. Now, I study kajukenbo (KArate, JUdo JUjitsu, Chinese KENpo, Chinese BOxing kung fu) and informally, jiujitsu as well. I'm really passionate about the grappling side of things. It's a challenge because I'm smaller, weaker, and not as well conditioned as most, so I will need to focus on perfect technique and the mindgame aspect. It's good because I don't like punching and kicking people-- I like to be able to hurt them enough to tap them out, but not more than that. The satisfaction comes from beating them, not beating them up.
So I'm training somewhere around 10-12 hrs a week in martial arts, another 3-5 hrs of conditioning, and trying to bribe as many people as I can to roll (spar) with me by baking untold dozens of cookies. If I can make them a little fatter, that doesn't hurt my feelings any.
Monday, May 05, 2008
Wedding pictures!
Our photographer is in the thick of wedding season, so the complete set of her pictures won't be available for another month. (She had to photoshop out a lot of bruising on my arms, since I took up jujitsu about a month before the wedding.)
However, she posted some to her blog:
www.dianamlottphotography.com/blog
and our friend Fabian posted his:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/20362135@N07/sets/72157604811393225
and Janet posted hers:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=110762&l=9bcea&id=555550421
And here's my favorite so far, from Janet:
However, she posted some to her blog:
www.dianamlottphotography.com/blog
and our friend Fabian posted his:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/20362135@N07/sets/72157604811393225
and Janet posted hers:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=110762&l=9bcea&id=555550421
And here's my favorite so far, from Janet:
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Thanksgiving pics, finally!
Here's the kitchen during the day-- cooking in progress...
The dining room that morning... the other guests will sit at another table in the entry hall..
The turkey was a natural, free-range locally-raised bird from Alexander Family Farm in Del Valle, TX. Honestly I couldn't tell the difference between it and any other bird (I brine all my birds of course.) However, I need to think about the pros and cons: a local bird has fewer petroleum miles, but it was more than triple the price. $3.25 a pound!
Here's the "kids' table" in the entry hall, after the majority of dinner is done.
Fred and Nathalie enjoy a good laugh.
After dinner everyone gathered in the kitchen for a dessert buffet.
Bill.
Jana and Aven.
Jack, Vinnie and Mitch.
After all the eating, a nap is a good thing...
Then, before Fred left, a little fashion show. (It's really Nathalie's coat)
Mitch was a champion at cleanup. The lovely crystal pitcher was a gift from my dear friend Kevin Williamson.
The dining room that morning... the other guests will sit at another table in the entry hall..
The turkey was a natural, free-range locally-raised bird from Alexander Family Farm in Del Valle, TX. Honestly I couldn't tell the difference between it and any other bird (I brine all my birds of course.) However, I need to think about the pros and cons: a local bird has fewer petroleum miles, but it was more than triple the price. $3.25 a pound!
Here's the "kids' table" in the entry hall, after the majority of dinner is done.
Fred and Nathalie enjoy a good laugh.
After dinner everyone gathered in the kitchen for a dessert buffet.
Bill.
Jana and Aven.
Jack, Vinnie and Mitch.
After all the eating, a nap is a good thing...
Then, before Fred left, a little fashion show. (It's really Nathalie's coat)
Mitch was a champion at cleanup. The lovely crystal pitcher was a gift from my dear friend Kevin Williamson.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
New baby in the family!
Art and Linda Matthews are like second parents to me, so their boys Craig and Brett are like brothers. Brett and his wife Heather had a beautiful baby boy the Monday before Thanksgiving... welcome Owen Patrick Matthews!!
Here's Brett getting the crib put together:
Here's the first baby of the house-- "Papu" (the ridiculously-expensive French Bulldog.)
And here's Heather with #2:
Proud papa with his big boy (over nine pounds!)
Aunt Linda, with Craig in the background. (see how BIG that baby is!!)
Uncle Art and the first grandchild-- somebody's gonna be spoiled...
Owen is the spit of his Uncle Craig--
Craig looks pretty comfortable holding a baby!
So that's my big news :) I'll have to get my Thanksgiving pics up soon. Promise!
Here's Brett getting the crib put together:
Here's the first baby of the house-- "Papu" (the ridiculously-expensive French Bulldog.)
And here's Heather with #2:
Proud papa with his big boy (over nine pounds!)
Aunt Linda, with Craig in the background. (see how BIG that baby is!!)
Uncle Art and the first grandchild-- somebody's gonna be spoiled...
Owen is the spit of his Uncle Craig--
Craig looks pretty comfortable holding a baby!
So that's my big news :) I'll have to get my Thanksgiving pics up soon. Promise!
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Getting ready for Thanksgiving
It's been a long time since I've had time to blog, sorry. Lately I've been occupied with a variety of tasks and activities: salsa, gardening, choir, work, and now planning for the big Turkey Day feast.
Trying to make Thanksgiving a potluck has not been too successful. About half the people coming are bringing something (yay! shout out to Bill, Winonah, Kaan & Jana!) and the other half, well, I don't know what their plan is. I'm planning on making enough stuff that we'll have plenty to eat. Also had to change dinner time to accommodate the Cowboys kickoff.
Aside from that, been diligently digging a little almost every day in the garden. Planted almost all my Asiatic lilies last night; still have a handful of those plus a few handfuls of daffodils to get in the ground. Not to mention the buddleia, pink indigo, sweet olive, esperanza, lantanas, and so on... I think I need more bed space to fit in all these plants.
Today I'm pretty sore, because I began a strength/flexibility routine yesterday morning. I've been good about my cardio, but need to add muscle mass, so I found a routine you do at home without weights and MAN, my quads and hamstrings are cranky this morning!
Anyways... off to the mines :)
Trying to make Thanksgiving a potluck has not been too successful. About half the people coming are bringing something (yay! shout out to Bill, Winonah, Kaan & Jana!) and the other half, well, I don't know what their plan is. I'm planning on making enough stuff that we'll have plenty to eat. Also had to change dinner time to accommodate the Cowboys kickoff.
Aside from that, been diligently digging a little almost every day in the garden. Planted almost all my Asiatic lilies last night; still have a handful of those plus a few handfuls of daffodils to get in the ground. Not to mention the buddleia, pink indigo, sweet olive, esperanza, lantanas, and so on... I think I need more bed space to fit in all these plants.
Today I'm pretty sore, because I began a strength/flexibility routine yesterday morning. I've been good about my cardio, but need to add muscle mass, so I found a routine you do at home without weights and MAN, my quads and hamstrings are cranky this morning!
Anyways... off to the mines :)
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Scary!
Cheap Meat: An Accident Waiting to Happen
By Jo Robinson
The latest fiasco in the U.S. livestock industry is that thousands of hogs and chickens have been raised on feed contaminated with melamine, the same chemical that has sickened thousands of cats and dogs. According to the U.S.D.A., some meat from those hogs and chickens has already entered our food supply.
How did this happen? The story begins in China. Melamine is an inexpensive by-product of the coal industry. In a deceptive practice, some Chinese producers have been adding melamine to rice, wheat, and soy meal to make the products appear to contain more protein. (Melamine is not a protein and has no food value, but it is rich in nitrogen and mimics protein on standardized laboratory tests.) Melamine costs less than true sources of protein, so the manufacturer makes more money.
The story continues in the United States. In order to lower the cost of pet food production, U.S. companies have been importing cheap protein meal from China. The pet food manufacturers had no way of knowing that some of these products were spiked with melamine. The exact number of dead and sickened pets is unknown.
But how did melamine get fed to our pigs and chickens? A common cost-cutting practice in the livestock industry is to supplement animal feed with floor sweepings and other leftovers from pet food manufacturing plants. In recent months, however, some of the sweepings happened to be laced with melamine. In this serpentine fashion, a cost-cutting adulterant that was added to protein meal in China found its way into U.S. pet food, then U.S. livestock feed, and then the food on our dinner tables.
The F.D.A. and the U.S.D.A. do not foresee any health consequences from eating melamine-spiced pork and poultry. This may prove to be true. The family pets that died ate the melamine itself; we are eating chickens and pigs that ate the melamine, diluting its concentration.
We may have dodged the bullet this time, but as long as we continue to raise our livestock on a least-cost basis, our health is at risk. For example, many cost-cutting practices lower the nutritional value of our meat. Research shows that the nearly universal practice of fattening cattle on straw and grain instead of fresh pasture gives us beef that is higher in total fat and lower in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids. The practice causes no immediate harm, but our health may suffer over the long term.
Some cost-cutting strategies are deadly. In the 1980s and 90s, feedlot managers tried to save money by feeding cattle scraps back to cattle. The tragic result was mad cow disease. Eating meat contaminated with trace amounts of melamine may cause little or no harm. Eating just one serving of beef from a mad cow can kill you.
Adding more governmental oversight is a stop-gap solution. We need a sea change in the way we raise our livestock. We need to raise the animals on their native diets or on quality ingredients that match their original diets as closely as possible. When we feed wholesome feed to our animals, we can serve wholesome food to our families. We are what our animals eat.
**************
Jo Robinson is the originator and primary researcher of www.eatwild.com, a science-based website that details the benefits of raising animals on pasture. She is also the author of Pasture Perfect, the Far-Reaching Benefits of Choosing Meat, Eggs, and Dairy Products from Grass-fed Animals.
By Jo Robinson
The latest fiasco in the U.S. livestock industry is that thousands of hogs and chickens have been raised on feed contaminated with melamine, the same chemical that has sickened thousands of cats and dogs. According to the U.S.D.A., some meat from those hogs and chickens has already entered our food supply.
How did this happen? The story begins in China. Melamine is an inexpensive by-product of the coal industry. In a deceptive practice, some Chinese producers have been adding melamine to rice, wheat, and soy meal to make the products appear to contain more protein. (Melamine is not a protein and has no food value, but it is rich in nitrogen and mimics protein on standardized laboratory tests.) Melamine costs less than true sources of protein, so the manufacturer makes more money.
The story continues in the United States. In order to lower the cost of pet food production, U.S. companies have been importing cheap protein meal from China. The pet food manufacturers had no way of knowing that some of these products were spiked with melamine. The exact number of dead and sickened pets is unknown.
But how did melamine get fed to our pigs and chickens? A common cost-cutting practice in the livestock industry is to supplement animal feed with floor sweepings and other leftovers from pet food manufacturing plants. In recent months, however, some of the sweepings happened to be laced with melamine. In this serpentine fashion, a cost-cutting adulterant that was added to protein meal in China found its way into U.S. pet food, then U.S. livestock feed, and then the food on our dinner tables.
The F.D.A. and the U.S.D.A. do not foresee any health consequences from eating melamine-spiced pork and poultry. This may prove to be true. The family pets that died ate the melamine itself; we are eating chickens and pigs that ate the melamine, diluting its concentration.
We may have dodged the bullet this time, but as long as we continue to raise our livestock on a least-cost basis, our health is at risk. For example, many cost-cutting practices lower the nutritional value of our meat. Research shows that the nearly universal practice of fattening cattle on straw and grain instead of fresh pasture gives us beef that is higher in total fat and lower in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids. The practice causes no immediate harm, but our health may suffer over the long term.
Some cost-cutting strategies are deadly. In the 1980s and 90s, feedlot managers tried to save money by feeding cattle scraps back to cattle. The tragic result was mad cow disease. Eating meat contaminated with trace amounts of melamine may cause little or no harm. Eating just one serving of beef from a mad cow can kill you.
Adding more governmental oversight is a stop-gap solution. We need a sea change in the way we raise our livestock. We need to raise the animals on their native diets or on quality ingredients that match their original diets as closely as possible. When we feed wholesome feed to our animals, we can serve wholesome food to our families. We are what our animals eat.
**************
Jo Robinson is the originator and primary researcher of www.eatwild.com, a science-based website that details the benefits of raising animals on pasture. She is also the author of Pasture Perfect, the Far-Reaching Benefits of Choosing Meat, Eggs, and Dairy Products from Grass-fed Animals.
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