Seeing Yellow

There are lots of negative metaphors for the color yellow, most of them defining "cowardly" or "scared." But not my yellow belt. THAT'S RIGHT! I got it. Whew, it was tough but I had such a good time. I love challenges and this one was so much fun! It was very Flashdance-y in that there was a panel of 3 (Mr. Goode, Dr. Harkins - el meromero, and Mr. Moss) and we had to stand in front of them and perform our stuff. I think overall I did really well, tho I had to hang my head in shame at some of my kicks. I was just nervous enough so that my muscles sort of tensed up and acted a little useless. My first form was a little on the craptastic side, but I think I nailed my second form. We went out last night and celebrated my promotion with a little karaoke. You guessed it - I sang Carl Douglas' "Kung Fu Fighting" and had my own little Billy Chans and Sammy Cheungs backing me up (a.k.a. Jen, Jenn, Nikola, and Jason). It was awesome. Since this song came out the year before I was born (uh...1992), there's no video for it. However, YouTube has some crazy dumb user-made videos, and here's the kung fu-iest I could find: Can't wait to join the Yellow Belt classes on Wednesday. Yipee!

My Kung Fu Holiday

Tomorrow's the big day. At 5pm I'll begin my promotion to yellow belt. Well, I'll begin the testing. The promotion is not guaranteed, tho I know everything I need to know. Have I mastered those things? No way. But I know them and I'll just have to perform my best. I know my oath, the 7 requirements of Wujido, 3 basic blocks, 3 basic punches, 4 basic kicks, 2 16-point forms, first 2 wrist bends, my etiquette, and my 5 basic stances. The chain stance drill I'm not so good at, but basically because I let my ego get in the way, then I overthink it, then all randomness goes out the window and I end up looking like a black uniform-clad deer in the headlights. I've been studying these things since February and I'm ready! To get the party started, I've taken the day off. I don't believe in cramming before a test, so I will take it easy tomorrow. I'll plan to do all of the following, preferably in my PJs: * sleep in * make coffee, watch TV in bed, do a sudoku * read over my kung fu journal and add any pertinent info * work on my moss green/red tartan scarf * watch The Karate Kid for ego boost and inspiration * see if any Hong Kong shoot-em-up Chow Yun Fat pics are playing on TV (for extra ego boost, however unrealistic) * paint toenails red * shave legs and arms * wash uniform and white belt (for the last time...?) * drink lots of water and stre-e-e-e-tch Wish me luck!

In Good Company

I'm both excited and bummed about the Dallas Symphony Orchestra's upcoming Beethoven festival. The exciting part is that my mom and I got tickets yesterday for a performance of his 5th and 6th symphonies, arguably his most well-known of the symphonies. The bummed part of this whole thing is that I can't go to all of the performances. The DSO's Beethoven festival runs for five weeks, each week hosting a performance of 2 symphonies in chronological order, the last week being B's 9th. Wow. Can you imagine witnessing all nine symphonies in order and in person? I'd need a box of Kleenex, for sure. But time and a busy season keeps me from attending all but one performance. Also on the cultural agenda is a performance by the Shaolin Warriors at MacFarlan Auditorium. Initially I had bought myself a ticket, intending to go alone. But in our Beethoven rapture yesterday, my mom decided to accompany me, and we were able to get her the seat right next to mine. This event is important to me on many levels, but mainly because it is two days after I test for my promotion to yellow belt. There is no guarantee that I will pass, but if I have any say (and philosophically, I believe I do - you know, free will, accountability, and all that), that belt will be mine. Kee-yaaah! And in retrospect, I regret that I didn't write about a performance I attended of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice at the Dallas Theater Center. It was, to be blunt, freakin' awesome. The stage direction was so interesting and I loooooved the costumes. When beauty and comfort come together, life is good.

Green With Envy

What a day! I need not one, but five beers please. Gonna meet my girl Laura at The Dubliner tonight to de-stress my work week. Let's hope the crusty old Irish regulars will be there to help pay my tab of Harps and Blue Moons (with orange slices, of course!). By then I'll have digested the ginormous Greek salad I had for lunch. (Went to Ziziki's on Travis Street and ate way too much feta and artichoke hummus. Wait...that's impossible.) On top of it all, I am so incredibly sore from last night's bout of kung fu. Instructor Goode kicked my patooty with round after round of the first 16-point form: bow-salute-down block-front kick-male punch-lather, rinse, repeat. I actually strained my hamstring, possibly pulled it a bit, about halfway through the exercises. But good ol' sir kept saying "Again," and I took it. I made it through and altho I can barely walk today, I feel great. I got to where I was doing the form without even thinking about what move came next. Once I started looking forward rather than at my feet, my body sort of took over, my kicks became a lot higher and stronger, and my balance was excellent. But enough about me. Let's talk about me...and my new sweaters! My mom and I lunched at Northpark yesterday. Rather than our usual tromp through Nordstrom's shoe department, we cut through Barney's. She kept making purple dinosaur jokes and in between giggles I asked her not to be such a peasant. I fell in love with a top that I can actually afford ($68) and I'm considering going back. It's cute and hip, a little gray off-the-shoulder number with a grassy print - perfect for my upcoming San Fran trip with my cousin, Jennifer, who always looks like a million bucks. Barney's Radioactive Back to the Future dress After eyeballing the creepy headless, handless mannequins at Barney's, my mom and I headed to my mecca, Anthropologie, where I exchanged a skirt for two sweaters. One is a knitted moss green, over-the-shoulder turtleneck, and the other is a sexy librarian-style cardigan with ribbon and a fitted waist. Sadly, I can't show you the sweaters, but here are two things that are on my Anthropologie wish list. Buy them for me, won't you? Gee, I love you. Wildflower Cardigan, $128, size M Wool Finch Skirt, $128, size 6