From 2002 until the end of 2005 I was doing karate lessons two times a week. I really enjoyed it, but I had to quit for three reasons. 1) I was upgraded to seniors, meaning classes didn't finish until 9:30pm and I lived over 30 mins drive from the school, 2) I didn't like the fact that my parents were sitting in the car outside the whole time, and 3) I started work then and within two months of quitting would be rostered on every weekend. So basically from the end of 2005 I let that part of me slip away. I really should have stayed another month, as I was one promotion away fom Brown Belt, and I would have got it too.

Anyway, skip forward to 2009. Since the start of the year I've lost about 15 kilos, but I'm still unfit (and eat a crapload of crap). So I'm thinking of adding another event to my busy schedule. I was originally enrolled in the United Kempo Martial Arts Academy. While it is only a small school it is world renouned, with numerous world titles over the past ten years. While I was there they went to Germany (I think), and around the time when I left they were planning for Vancouver champs. It actually saddens me that I could be representing my country if I hadn't given up when I did .

I'm hoping that the times are the same as what they were when I left there (Monday and Wednesday night 7:30-9:30), because I could go there straight from uni. They will be two long days though. The plan would be leave home at 7am to get to uni at 8am (75k's) for an 8:30 start. Have classes all day until 5:30, then drive to the academy (90k's) to get there by 7 for a 7:30 start, then finish there at 9:30 to drive home and be there by 10 at night (25k's). My car won't love me for using it for almost 200k's a day, though .

Also, in other news, I might be getting my life back . The Regional Manager has made new rules that department manager have to work during the afternoons more. This means that I get to do the Saturday morning shift twice every period (4 weeks). Bad thing is I have to start at 6am Saturday mornings (loosing Friday nights), but this means I finish at 3 on a Saturday and don't start until 9 on the Sunday, so I can actually go out on a Saturday nights, which I haven't been able to do since I agreed to wave my right to have a weekend off about 3 months ago.

Finally I want to tell you about this. This guy is really unlucky. A truck driver got hit by a stray bullet that was fired over 250 metres (~750 feet) away and had to get through bushland and angled perfectly down a slope to hit him as he drove his semi-trailer. Things like this prove that when your time is up, it's up.