Fun morning thoughts
Mar. 31st, 2009 07:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
katestineFirst thought of the day: life's like jello. There's a time when you put in ingredients that will cause it to taste a certain way; there's a time when you put it in a mold after which it just won't fit elsewise; and then there's the time when you can't really change it anymore, it is what it is. *sighs*
My cousin commented over the weekend that the lump on my shoulder looks fluid-filled. If so, there's naught an acupuncturist can do, so I'm calling the aerialist-dating doctor later today for an appt bc I think it's gotten large enough to interfere with my shoulder function. Also, not going to the acupuncturist means I can avoid my mother.
I was reading State Dept travel warnings recently, which reminded me that I'm still not comfortable with my safety for wilderness travel by myself. There's a free rape prevention class at a local martial arts school that I figured can't hurt. I assume it's a marketing tool for their 8-week women's self-defense class; the only question is, will it waste my time? It's four hours and they mention they talk about legal aspects - if it's just talking about how soon you need to get to a doctor etc. well, for my purposes it's useless. Also, it's not easy for me to get to, but if there was good information... Well, if it wasn't so difficult to get to, I'd've taken their 8-week course already I s'pose.
Speaking of travel, I find it remarkable that 2 weeks in China, Iceland, and Montana all cost roughly the same amount. Iceland isn't =that= much cheaper these days; it's the car (and the Exum guides) that are expensive in Mt. The plane fare isn't THAT much for China - not sure why it's so pricey.
There were news reports yesterday that my company will be doing a new round of layoffs, getting rid of the same number of people as the last 2.5 layoffs. Can we be done with this already? Esp. since in the last month, 4 big producers in our dept left for competitors. *le sighs*
Edit: This icon is so much more interesting now that we've gotten the sequel.
My cousin commented over the weekend that the lump on my shoulder looks fluid-filled. If so, there's naught an acupuncturist can do, so I'm calling the aerialist-dating doctor later today for an appt bc I think it's gotten large enough to interfere with my shoulder function. Also, not going to the acupuncturist means I can avoid my mother.
I was reading State Dept travel warnings recently, which reminded me that I'm still not comfortable with my safety for wilderness travel by myself. There's a free rape prevention class at a local martial arts school that I figured can't hurt. I assume it's a marketing tool for their 8-week women's self-defense class; the only question is, will it waste my time? It's four hours and they mention they talk about legal aspects - if it's just talking about how soon you need to get to a doctor etc. well, for my purposes it's useless. Also, it's not easy for me to get to, but if there was good information... Well, if it wasn't so difficult to get to, I'd've taken their 8-week course already I s'pose.
Speaking of travel, I find it remarkable that 2 weeks in China, Iceland, and Montana all cost roughly the same amount. Iceland isn't =that= much cheaper these days; it's the car (and the Exum guides) that are expensive in Mt. The plane fare isn't THAT much for China - not sure why it's so pricey.
There were news reports yesterday that my company will be doing a new round of layoffs, getting rid of the same number of people as the last 2.5 layoffs. Can we be done with this already? Esp. since in the last month, 4 big producers in our dept left for competitors. *le sighs*
Edit: This icon is so much more interesting now that we've gotten the sequel.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-31 01:58 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-31 08:12 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-31 08:35 pm (UTC)So city smarts?
The situation I'm concerned about is being in a wilderness location and getting grabbed by a porter/guide/local when I'm coming back from a pee break. I know I won't be able to do much, but I'd like to make his life suck at least a little. Basically, I figure 4-hours of self-defense education is better than none.
The physical part of it is basic strikes (eye jab, low kicks), releases from grabs (bear hugs, headlocks, etc.) and how to get out of some grappling positions, as well as a discussion of improvised weapons.
This sounds about right, with the added caveat of being taught in a way that it might stick to my brain enough to be recollected years later if needed. I assume a 4 hour chat won't cover any of this. *sighs*
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-31 08:43 pm (UTC)Honestly if you're trying to put the stuff on an attack out in the wilderness, you should consider weapons. My # 1 recommendation is a firearm, but obviously that is very dependent on locale and the laws. My # 2 recommendation is a knife with some instruction on how to use it. (Well, hell, # 1 needs some instruction too, but you know what I mean, I hope.) Weapons are equalizers, and can give somebody more power than they would have w/o those implements. Every martial artist I know that has their head screwed on straight carries firearms and knives, even the Really Bad Dudes.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-03-31 08:51 pm (UTC)Hm, there is some value to this stuff for my regular travels, although my number one tactic is asking friends/family/eljay where not to go and y'know, not going there. But it sounds like stuff I can get out of a book at some point, rather than lose an afternoon of studying when I'm stressed.
Well, since most of the trips I'm interested in pursuing are outside this country, #1 is out. #2 is a good thought though and I need to more actively pursue this, esp. as I'll have a knife in the backcountry. (of course, so might any but the most casual of attackers.)
Thanks.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-04-01 12:28 am (UTC)Jay's right, awareness is huge, a weapon that you know how to use is also good if you have the time to learn how to use one. (You do end up with complications if you travel a lot, though, in that knives of more than X length and guns cannot be brought through many places.) Two more things I'd add -- there are places where, if you must fight, you can bring the pain intensely and immediately. (Eyes, noses, ears, throat, temples, nerve clusters, crotch for guys.) Hit them there, and DO NOT STOP HITTING THEM until they stop moving and you can run. (The number one thing that most women do wrong, once the hitting has started, is to hit once or twice and then stop to see how much that did/how well that's worked/if they can stop. This gives the attacker a chance to recoup, get mad, and resume the attack, and now you've lost the element of surprise. KEEP HITTING.)
(no subject)
Date: 2009-04-01 03:40 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-04-01 05:32 pm (UTC)Or, well, I'll be happy to even if it's just you and me, but R. knows so much more about martial arts than I do that we'd probably benefit from having her around to point stuff out.
"Ok, try this. Now try this. Ok, now watch how this doesn't work at all, even when you've got 25 years more experience than your attacker. But this does!" :D
(no subject)
Date: 2009-04-03 04:17 pm (UTC)although given all our interests and schedules, I figure I might have 25 years of martial arts experience before we 3 get in the same place at the same time :)
(no subject)
Date: 2009-04-03 06:02 pm (UTC)Hah. Well, there is that.
Though, R. comes to ABQ fairly regularly. I choose to optimistically claim that this implies you should just schedule with her and come here at some point, too. That's logical, right? It makes perfect sense to me... ;) It's not quite as exciting as Iceland though, I'm afraid. But I bet we've got better starscapes than them. Dry desert summer night, at 7500 feet, 50 miles from a town in every direction? Hell yes.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-04-07 05:22 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-04-07 05:37 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-04-01 05:34 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2009-04-05 03:07 pm (UTC)I suppose that depends on how far he pushes in the needle. But it sounds as if you should have it looked at.
I'm finding that getting back in shape at (nearly) 44 is a lot harder than it was when I was in my mid-20s. Those activities that merely tired me out on the way to fitness at 27 now leave me with bursitis, water on the knee, tendinitis, etc. I have to be a lot more careful, and I'm not nearly as daring as you.