Living in Washington

Had to share this (it was passed on by my wife).

The sad part is they all apply to me

 

THIS IS WHAT JEFF FOXWORTHY HAS TO SAY ABOUT LIVIN’ in Washington State!

• If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don’t work there, you live in Washington.
• If you’ve worn shorts, sandals and a parka at the same time, you live
• in Washington.
• If you’ve had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed the wrong number, you live in Washington.
• If you measure distance in hours, you live in Washington.
• If you have switched from ‘heat’ to ‘A/C’ and back again in the same day, you live in Washington.
• If you install security lights on your house and garage but leave both doors unlocked, you live in Washington.
• If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in Central, Southern or Eastern Washington.
• If you design your kid’s Halloween costume to fit over a 2 layers of clothes or under a raincoat, you live in Washington.
• If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow and ice, you live in Washington.
• If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction, you live in Washington.
• If you feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash, you live in Washington.
• If you know more than 10 ways to order coffee, you live in Washington.
• If you know more people who own boats than air conditioners, you live in Washington.
• If you stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the “Walk”
• signal, you live in Washington.
• If you consider that if it has no snow or has not recently erupted, it is not a real mountain, you live in Washington.
• If you can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle’s Best, and Dutch Bros, you live in Washington.
• If you know the difference between Chinook, Coho and Sockeye salmon, you live in Washington.
• If you know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Abiqua, Issaquah, Oregon, Umpqua, Yakima and Willamette, you live in Washington.
• If you consider swimming an indoor sport, you live in Washington.
• If you can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food, you live in Washington.
• If you never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho, you live in Washington.
• If you have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain, you live in Washington.
• If you think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists, you live in Washington.
• If you buy new sunglasses every year, because you cannot find the old ones after such a long time, you live in Washington.
• If you actually understand these jokes and forward them to all your Washington friends, you live or have lived in Washington.

 

Progress through failure?

Last week at the dojo we were working on Shomenuchi Kokyunage (a strike to the top of the head defended by getting behind uke and taking their balance).

For whatever reason, I was having trouble throwing uke.

The evening went on, we finished up class went home and when I thought about the issue I was having the following day I was happy with my progress.

Progress?!?!?,

Yes progress. While I was having issues with the technique we were working on, I was NOT trying to muscle through it. I wasn’t getting upset or trying to figure out what uke was doing that was causing me to not throw. I just kept throwing (or trying to). While the specific technique we were practicing was not working as I wanted it to, I was able to remain calm and several times saw other things that would be just as effective against uke (but those were not what we were working on).

Progress. I’ll take it where I can get it.

Oh by the way, we worked on the same technique last night and I am pretty sure my issue was being too far from uke. Last night the technique worked with no issues as long as I stayed close .

Pictures in my head

I posted a while back about some memories that stick in my mind like snapshots. I hadn’t given it any real thought until I did so, but now am wondering “which memories are there in my head?”

Here is part of the list as it stands right now (these are not necessarily the most important memories I have, just the ones I get off the top of my head).

• the day my parents dropped my off at some friends to go pick up my sister (we are both adopted).
  My wife refuses to believe this one as I was only 2 at the time, but I can see the front of their house along with the stairs leading to the front door as clear as a bell in my head
• Running home from kindergarten to meet my best friend Guy and watch Speed Racer (note, I can’t recall the TV show at all, but the anticipation of it sticks like glue)
• Talking to my Dad on the CB when I was at home sick and he was on his way. He called to see what I wanted him to bring me so I would feel better.
• Sitting in the Living room with Dad, watching Gunsmoke while Mom was teaching a night class.
• Walking what felt like miles up Beacon hill to get home (and those concrete steps that were on top of the sidewalk)
• Listening to the 45 of Hotel California in Mr. Pumphrey’s 5th grade class on the school record player in the back of the class room (you know the ones I mean, the all in one unit where the top comes off so you can put a record in)
• The summer art class I took at the Junior High (the day we did watercolors specifically)
• A late night conversation with my Dad outside while I was splitting wood for the fireplace
• One specific evening with Lisa at her place with friends (man did I have a crush on her, I just never could tell her)
• A stage band performance in the elementary school
• Walking to Sunday school on May 18, 1980 and my friend Mary leaning out her window to tell me the entire north side of the mountain had exploded (I didn’t believe her)
• One fine day at the dunes in Pullman
• One morning about 5:45AM in the studio at BCC after a night on the air
• The view at the top of the hill at Guenoc winery in lake county
• The view over the ocean at our wedding
• Sitting on the roof of our first house, holding the electrical mast up while waiting for folks to get hardware
• Dakota playing catch with the animal control officer who came to see if she was the dog reported
• The look on the doctors face when Nana was delivered by forceps (and not C section)
• Teeny’s birth
• Walking into the gym for my first fall camp
• fall camp 2008 sitting there having lunch (already talked about this one).

There are many others, but this is the list that is on my mind right now. Everything on this list has a special place in my heart and I treasure each memory.

What memories do you treasure?