Dec 12 - End of the Fall?

I had my final Stage Combat class last night. Mostly review. We have started doing rapier with dagger - at the same time. Yes, now we have a pointy metal object in each hand to wave around and hit ourselves and/or the other person with. Mostly I hit myself.

It is very fun, but it feels rather like learning to drive a stick shift. You have the clutch to work, shifting, steering, and braking with that car. With rapier and dagger you have parrying, attacking, footwork, and choreography to keep track of.

For instance, your partner attacks you. You have to step back, parry, do some sort of binding away (getting their sword away from you using your sword), and then attack them while moving forward, and keeping whichever pointy object isn't being used for attacking pointed at your opponent to cover your guard, all while cycling through the assigned configuration of targets.

It seems we just started getting things cooking and now we have a month break. School doesn't start up again until January 12th. So what am I going to do with myself.

My plan is to work out a lot to get into shape. I have been eating my way through the Fall. When the daylight decreases here I start to go into hibernation mode. About mid-October I start wanting to eat every thing in sight, which I do. It took me a few years to realize there was a pattern to this, but about every fall I gain about 6 - 10 pounds in about 3 weeks. Then I spend the rest of the year getting that off only to start again in October.

Since I have been aware of this pattern the past few years, I have managed to keep the weight gain down to about six pounds instead of the top of the scale 13. I of course say every year that I am not going to let this happen. I even signed up for a weight lifting class and a boot camp class.

I was eating a lot, but I was working out a lot. Then I had to have surgery twice to remove some flesh (unfortunately not the 25 pounds worth). My subconscious mind took advantage of this and somehow I kept finding pints of Peanut Butter and Chocolate Haagen-Dazs in my shopping basket. And oddly enough I am up about 7 pounds.

Hmmm...coincidence?

Anyway, I get my stitches out tomorrow. Then my plan is to go running Saturday morning early with some people from the bootcamp class. Then Monday morning I am back to the weightlifting class in the morning, and back to Aikido in the evenings.

Oh yeah, I am going to start eating healthier too. I polished off the last of the Haagen-Dazs last night, and I promise that no more shall appear (at least until next October).