RECCE ROOM

Another one for the Silie archives. As of this writing, my nephew "Junior" is four years old. Silie keeps him in a rear-facing car seat. This is not only ill-advised, it is illegal here in TN (not only do I reside in TN, but Silie does too, as of this writing). Silie cites this website - the tragic story of a single boy whose neck was broken in a horrific accident. I cite Tennessee law . Specifically, TCA 55-9-602 (2) and (3) ( emphasis mine): (2) Notwithstanding § 55-9-603 , any person transporting any child, one through three (1-3) years of age weighing greater than twenty pounds (20 lbs.), in a motor vehicle upon a road, street or highway of this state is responsible for the protection of the child and properly using a child passenger restraint system in a forward facing position , meeting federal motor vehicle safety standards in the rear seat if available or according to the child safety restraint system or vehicle manufacturer's instructions. (3) Notwiths...

Been sitting on this story for a few years. It is difficult to tell, but all of it is now public record, as it was testified to in court several days prior to me writing this. My brother had just won a job, working in Nashville, and his wife still lived in Chattanooga. She was a consultant for the Pampered Chef . She did not want to move to Nashville, as she had a base of clients and fellow consultants for Pampered Chef in Chattanooga. I think she also thought my brother's job would not last long here. So my brother stayed at my house a couple of nights a week, and then drove home on weekends and days off. This went on longer than my brother had initially wanted. And the days apart from his overbearing wife were getting to him - for the better and the worse. I am not condoning what happened next, but everyone close to the situation has said they understood. My brother started seeing another woman. One day, my sister in law, in a surprise visit, came to my house. I should ha...

Big day from the Usagi Dojo . My student, Sarah, competed in the NAGA grappling tournament. I got to play coach for her. She entered the gi ( traditional uniform ) division, as well as no-gi. No gi summary: Sarah's first match was against a game opponent, Alejandra. Sarah got the takedown and an immediate guard pass, putting her in the point lead. Later, Sarah passed guard again to gain more points. However, at one point, Sarah was reversed, and Alejandra nearly won via arm bar. Sarah fought her way out of it, and applied an arm bar of her own in response. Victory via submission for Sarah! No gi, match 1 . Second match was against a taller opponent, Luci, who had been training 6 times per week. Sarah attempted a takedown, but it was blocked and her opponent scored a takedown and a quick pass. Sarah had a reversal at one point. However, the competitors reached a stalemate as Sarah attempted to pass guard. Sarah was beaten on points 4-2, but this was the Gold-Medal match, mea...

It has come to my attention that " Hide My Ass " only works when the ass to be hidden is somewhat smaller than a midsize sedan. Just in case you were wondering. Or, in case you weren't. Even if you don't care. .

Tatsuo Suzuki, Wado-Ryu practitioner extraordinaire, passed away last year at the age of 83. I hold a black belt in Wado, and it is from tapes of Suzuki that I learned many of the kata of the system. RIP .

So today we celebrated the fourth birthday of my nephew - who happens to be the son of "Silie." What did Pops get him for his birthday? Bath toys. With a note: "Mommy, please give me a bath." Oh, yeah, Silie does not bathe my nephew often. Once or twice a month at most. 

Today, my son and a number of his teammates from Spirit Martial Arts competed in forms and sparring in the Regional AAU Qualifier. Taekwondo is, of course, an Olympic sport, and has well organized tournaments and systems to qualify athletes - all the way up to the Olympic games. Here's a summary: Cael: My son competed in his second tournament of the year. Overall this is his 5th tournament. He currently holds a blue belt in Taekwondo. His forms division held 9 players. He won the first two rounds with unanimous decisions (three judges award victory to either the "blue" competitor, or the "red" one). He lost the third round via a 2-1 decision, but came back and won his final round. This was good for a Bronze Medal. He was 3-1 in the head-to-head forms format. Sparring was his game today. He was in the "heavyweight" division for age 6-7, intermediate belts (green, blue and purple belts). My son is not fat, but is rather strong, which puts him up ag...