Me? A Constable?

While taking one of my martial arts classes yesterday, my "form" was commented upon  yet again.  I was pleased, of course, to be complimented on having a good form in the execution of certain movies.  In my younger days when I was considered a good athlete and played almost every sport, my "form" was often commented on.  I'm pleased to still be considered having a good form at this point in my life.

Some previous discussions with my new-found martial arts colleagues brought up a subject yesterday I thought I had long missed the bought on: police work.  

Readers of this blog will know that throughout my life I have had two loves: the arts and the legal work in many forms.  In more recent years, I've been keenly interested in forensics, Japanese weaponry and martial arts.  Anyway, yesterday one of my colleagues said his cousin was a constable and worked at the massive Christiana Care Hospital complex which stretches throughout Delaware.  This post was at the local Christiana Hospital.  The cousin went on to say that the work was rarely dull and the constable has powers a regular cop has.  The basic requirement is a college education and being able to pass a series of physical and mental examinations.   There is a three month period of intensive training for newly hired constables.

I've gotten the contact information and learned there are openings at the local hospital complex. My resume has been sent.

We'll see. 

10 Reasons Why Gay Marriage is Wrong

I don't know who created this but it's brilliant stuff.

1) Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning.

2) Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.

3) Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.

4) Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn't changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can't marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.

5) Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed; the sanctity of Brittany Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed.

6) Straight marriages are valid because they produce children. Gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn't be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren't full yet, and the world needs more children.

7) Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.

8) Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That's why we have only one religion in America.

9) Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That's why we as a society expressly forbid single parents to raise children.

10) Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms. Just like we haven't adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans

Kicking up

A friend of mine gave me a unique gift card at Christmas. It was an open invitation to attend three free sessions of any martial arts "school" in my area. I've been curious about the martial arts and assorted weapons (of all kinds) for most of my life but not pursued any of it seriously. As I have gotten older, the desire to find an exercise regimen that would keep me interested has grown stronger. Martial arts has been recommended as a way to develop physical and mental discipline for those suffering from ADHD. Bingo! My friend gave me a not-so-subtle push to try some of this out.

I read up on the various martial arts "schools" and attended some of the free sesssions and have settled on AIKIDO. It suits me in many ways. My friend did not push me into any particular school (he has been in several learning the different styles). He teaches privately and knows many of those operating these schools. If I found a martial art I liked, I could study at that school or dinjo or whatever it is called. I have to study up on my terminology. Anyway, here is a link and brief explanation about what Aikido is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aikido

My first formal class was earlier today. In spite of stretching and warming-up I am a little on the stiff side but not too part. I love reading about eastern philosophy and I believe I will settle into this school quite nicely. There's bowing to this person and that person which I can get my head around alright since that bowing business is about showing respect to those who teach you and those with whom you are in class with. As long as I am not expected to call someone "Master" I'll be fine. There's only one Master in my world and he ain't it.

What appeals to me the most about Aikido is the focus on developing relaxation techniques and flexibility. I will probably do more strength training than the average practitioner of Aikido simply because I want to; in the case of warding off an attacker, Aikido teaches you to use the momentum of the attacker against himself/herself. You're actually concerned about the well-being of the attacker to the extent of only wanting to prevent harm to yourself and disable the attacker. Women need to know how to defend themselves against a stronger, larger person which men usually are.

I had a few disagreements with my father who used to say if someone was near the house and threatening he would pull that person into the house so he could shoot him. I don't know if he was kidding or not, he would play it so he meant it, and I would say "What is the matter with you?" Why would someone hope to put himself in a situation whereby he could hurt or kill somebody? The concept is foreign to me and especially foreign when the person spouting such a desire calls himself a Christian. What I like about Aikido is that you can protect yourself and disable the attacker using his own momentum without permanently injuring him. I'm not going to decide whether or not someone deserves to die because he is a prick. I won't let him hurt me either.

But the key reason for this new study is the mental and physical discipline it provides in training and teaching. I'm looking forward to this and the fact it is a gift from a friend is even better!

Scary Stuff

My Aunt Olive took another bad fall and is temporarily in a nursing home. Mom and I went to see her yesterday. Olive looked the worst I had ever seen her, almost shrinking it seemed. She was on oxygen and as lucid as she normally is. But she looked horrible. She will refuse to stay in the nursing once it is time to make a decision whether or not to send her home after all these tests; should the decision be she is better off in the nursing home, she won't stay.

But she can't walk or travel very far. Mom keeps wanting to take her down to the shore or visit Aunt Isabelle in Georgetown but the 90 minute drive is too much for Olive. I have taken her on rides in recent times and 45 minutes is about all she can endure sitting in a car. She becomes so stiff it's hard to get her out of the car, let alone walk anywhere.

I worry.

There really is more to life . . .

I was very surprised that my posting on various sides of the Second Amendment issue netted so many personal emails rather than comments to the blog. While I appreciate the feedback, I am somewhat disturbed at the amount of time many of those email authors seem to devote to guns in general. It goes beyond caring about defending the Second Amendment; it's a mindset that is, frankly, a little scary.

I care about the Constitution, all of it, not just one or two Amendments. I care about the choices I make to protect myself in my home. I am active in defending the Constitution where I feel it is being threatened. But too many of the emails I received yesterday were from people whose entire lives seem wrapped up in the whole gun thing. I have a problem with people whose entire lives are wrapped up in ANY one thing. I feel strongly about many issues affecting our society today but in order for me to be able to have perspective and understand the world around me, I think about many things affecting my immediate world and the society in which we live.

Maybe it's the teacher in me that wants to scream to such individuals: do something else besides ONE THING!! Think about other things. Do something different. There is a big world out there. Geez. It's really hard for me to understand the obsessive mindset whereby one thing is all one thinks and talks about.

I don't want any more emails from gun nuts. I believe in the right to bear arms but if you want your gun to be a second dick for yourself, that's up to you. For heavens sake, are you so limited that there is nothing else in life worth doing or talking about? If nothing else in life is interesting to follow and this is all you can talk about, I feel sorry for your obsessiveness. I never heard of these folks I got email from yesterday but they were vehment as if the presentation of various sides of a controversial issue was going to erode their collective stand somehow.

No, it's called looking at different sides of an issue; doing so will not cause you to combust. Some of you who sent me email yesterday really need to get a grip. Get out more. There's a big, wonderful world out there. Honest.