Non-football related stuff that really makes your day

[Coop]

well...if you can't play good..play loud ?

[Panoptes]

After 1.5 calendar years of up to 3 days a week dedication (for 9 months of each calendar year), our 7.5 year old is now seeing her efforts rewarded with vastly improved physical strength, dexterity, self-confidence, as well as certified improvement in the martial art of Aikido.

On Saturday, she tested for and received her 2nd rank increase to become an 8th Kyu student (orange belt, up from yellow, up from pure beginner white).

We are all very proud of our young Aikido disciple.

[DanO]

Congrats Gonz.

GO LIONS "11" !

[kayrone]

good for her! My kids both take tae kwon do, and it is amazing what it has done for my son. He is great at it, but more importantly he loves it. I have no doubt that he will be a black belt one day.

Interestingly enough, it has had quite an impact on his baseball skills, particularly his arm. He was a pretty accurate pitcher last year, but just kind of tossed it up there. This year he is throwin' the HEAT! Gets mama all fired up. All of those pushups seem to have paid off.

[Panoptes]

KR1,

The day we visited the TKD classes back when she was trying to choose an extra curricular organization to get involved with, the kids her age were in full padding and punching/kicking it out all over the place. So I think that played a big part in her going with the Aikido discipline in which she saw the kids her age more or less doing gymnastic style rolls and solely defensive, not offensive type movements. ;)

Being a soft, shy 6 year old at the time made that decision easy for her. We were however completely surprised that being the way she was that she chose a martial art over all the other stuff like ballet/dance, music, etc. things she was offered up.

[froot loops]

Dancers can be very good at sports because the footwork and timing is much more demanding than some basic footwork skills you have to learn in a sport.

[LionsFanInJapan]

Congratulations to your daughter, Gonz! One of my friends over here got involved in Aikido and actually lived in the dojo for a year after his teaching contract ran out.

Your daughter should give Stafford some lessons on how to fall, so he doesn't get hurt this season. :D

[nhwbrooklyn]

Your daughter should give Stafford some lessons on how to fall, so he doesn't get hurt this season. :D

Very nice.

[YT]

Congrats Gonz.

We're contemplating starting Ben in martial arts in the fall. But he's interested in football. We'll see how this plays out.

[Marko69]

Well done to all parents who get their kids into martial arts......, hopefully it never needs to be used any time throughout their lives......., unless of course it's demonstrating their power to annoying kids at school. That's always allowed.

What's made my day today?......, just been told a true occurance that happened a few weeks ago. My buddy Ben works with a bloke called Mike. I've heard a few stories over the years about mike, some real beauties, but this one tops them all. He was buying himself a brand new house in the Fairmilehead area of Edinburgh. He'd already been to see the showhouse but was returning to see the site agent about two months later. He drove into the site, saw the showhouse with the big advertising flagpole in the garden etc. He got out his car and opened the door to the showhouse and walked in. He heard music coming from another room. He walks up the hallway, looks into the bedroom, sees an unmade bed, clothes lying about. Obviously he's confused. He looks in the bathroom. Wet towels lying around, used toothbrushes at the basin etc....... He finally walks into the dining room and sees a man and woman smartly dressed sitting eating at a breakfast bar.
He says, "hi there, my goodness they really make the showhouses realistic these days don't they? Give it that lived in look. I mean that bedroom is a
total mess, underwear all over the place, and the bathroom? Toothpaste smears all over the basin? I even saw a pubic hair on the toilet seat. So realistic!! Any idea when Ian will be here?"
"Who the fuck is Ian?" the bloke asks, "We live here!!"
Mike was eventually hustled out of the house forcably by the angry guy.
Apparently the site hadn't moved the flagpole to the new showhouse and Ian was the new site agent!! Loved to have been there while he was basically telling the innocent breakfasting couple that they were a couple of tramps!

[Drew]

Congrats to your daughter, Gonz. Too bad it's a defensive minded art, I was hoping that one day she would get her blackbelt and then kick your ass clean across the OC.

[Tony G]

Congrats to Dan Wheldon for winning the Indy 500 after leading the home straight (his only time in the lead all day!)

Heartbreaks for JR Hildebrand. had the win in his sights and wrecked in turn 4 on the last lap!

[Malto Marko]

I could not believe it!

I always like to watch the beginning of a race and the end. I had it on all afternoon but paid little attention until the last 5 laps. I could not believe it when I saw it.

He said he got into the marbles but I am thinking he was already celebrating and the marbles were in his head.

[DanO]

Agreed Malto although I did not watch it.

GO LIONS "11" !

[Panoptes]

After craving some bbq ribs for over a week, I'm going to smoke about 8lbs of St. Louis and Spare Ribs today.

My mouth is drooling already.