Sparring

Well, sparring was fun last night, albeit embarrassing.

I got off to a bad start when I got to the dojo and discovered that my helmet wasn't in my bag. The zipper on my bag broke last week, which means the bag gapes open, and so I immediately realized that my helmet must have dumped out of it and was probably sitting on the closet floor at home (which, when I got home, I discovered to be the case). I was able to borrow a helmet, however, and suited up. We were working on side-to-side defenses to front-line attacks. It was fun and extremely interesting. I have entirely gotten over being afraid now, which is great progress (for the first year or so I'd regularly be crying when I left the class space which was made me feel so stupid), but I still feel as though I'm not very good at it. I genuinely enjoy fighting Kevin. He is very tall and extremely flexible and very fast and good, so I know I'm outmatched whenever I face him, but whenever I can land something on him, it's very satisfying. I learn a lot watching him. Fighting Jesus, on the other hand, is absolutely bewildering. As our sensei remarked last night, Jesus doesn't so much fight right side or left side so much as any side, switching continually in midmove, and even facing front on. More than that, he's darting from back and forth across the center line, high to low, and you burn up an enormous amount of energy just trying to keep track of where he is.

I was having extreme difficulty with getting winded, however. Much more than usual. It was puzzling; I wasn't sick, and I hadn't eaten a heavy dinner or anything. I do get too tense when I spar, which means I burn up too much energy and start hypervenilating. I had to stop and sit out several bouts. Finally I stopped altogether, but I kept feeling more and more weak, even nauseous. I kept waiting to feel better, but I didn't, even after ten minutes had passed. Mr. Dingmann glanced over and must have seen how white I looked, and asked if I was okay, but I was already swaying, on the verge of passing out. They sat me down and got me water and had me take off my equipment. I was fine, just extremely embarrassed. I need to build up my stamina. Man, sparring takes it out of you like no other exercise I know. But more than that, I just need to learn to relax more as I fight.

Price Protectr

From get_rich_slowly (here)

Price Protectr is a smart little web app that helps consumers save money after they’ve purchased big-ticket items.

There are lots of stores out there that offer price protection policies — when the price drops on an item you’ve purchased, they’ll refund you the difference. But there’s a catch…it’s up to you to watch prices. Price Protectr makes it simple to keep track of your purchases and get your money back. It’s free. It’s easy. It’s free and easy money. How often do you get that offer?

Here’s how it works:

1. Buy something from one of 70 supported merchants, including Amazon, Costco, Target, and The Sharper Image.
2. Find the item you bought online. Copy-and-paste the URL to Price Protectr.
3. Enter your e-mail address. (Price Protectr promises not to spam you.)
4. Sit back and relax. If Price Protectr notices the price drop at any time during the protection period, you’ll receive an e-mail.

[the Get Rich Slowly editor adds:] I’ve never paid much attention to price protection guarantees. I’ve never understood how I could make them work. I don’t pay close attention to ads, and I’m certainly not going to keep going into a store for thirty days after I buy something just to save a few bucks. But Price Protectr sounds like a great way to make this process painless.

The site also includes:

A blog featuring useful tips, including the official PriceProtectr how-to.
A deals page with special offers from supported businesses.
And, of course, a FAQ with answers to common questions.

Hope you might find this useful.