Recent

Skating is so much fun! We went with the whole family: Charlotte (my sis), Guy-Claude, and their children Andre and Leigh. I didn't fall, and I was going at least 10 times faster by the end than when we started! (someone said, "you're doing well: you've made a lot of progress since you got on!"). Andre made a lot of progress too! And Charlotte was re-connecting to her experience from 20 years ago...
I attribute my skill to capoeira. Capoeira, or most any martial art, serves to strengthen mustles, balance, confidence, the sense of touch, etc. - basic physical facets that influence everything from walking to skiing. I am an avid proponent of martial arts for (most) everyone. The body-mind-connection they foster works better than just about anything else I've seen.

I played go with Rob! (in Richmond) It was great to catch up with the one who taught me the most about the game. I've been playing quite a bit online, and solving go problems, and even reading articles and such.

I've got several lines of action going for my job search in China. If all else fails, I'm pretty much good to go with Footprints, but they may not be able to place me in Shanghai, so I'm looking elsewhere (some of the prospects would simply be magical!)

I was role-playing "Call of Cthulhu" last night, and since my character was traveling in the world of dreams, became narcoleptic, started having horrendous nightmares, and was gradually losing control of her 14-year-old son, I acted out a crisis and got all emotional. It was rather fun, but it worried the other players a little, who don't really know me. So I threw in some comedy by having her fall asleep right in the middle of her bantering. Despite the silliness of it, I was actually also engaging the other players in a dialog about what is good, why we do what we do, how our actions connect us to our environment and to our past, and other such deep questions. I was definitely spicing things up for the game (I only took center stage for one short scene out of the whole evening, though).

Everybody is officially sick in the Polomat family. That was the verdict upon our group visit to the doctor's today. So now everybody's taking medicine. Somehow I'm not sick yet. I would attribute that in part to capoeira too, actually.

My home excercise routine (a couple times per week, outside of capoeira class) is now beefed up a little. I do some 300 abs (different kinds) and 80+ push ups (recently different kinds also). I often feel like I could do more, but I usually don't feel like it...

Guy-Claude, Charlotte and I have been watching Farscape still when we can. We're in the fourth season, almost caught-up to where I had gotten - so I'm really excited to see the rest!

I still wear a bandana almost every day.

I've been listening to lots of George Winston lately, and not a little of The Roots!

Sorry I went a little crazy with all of dem links there...

Anyway, life is good. Chapter after chapter.