New Toys

Sir had us start learning jahng bahng (bo staff) drills tonight in instructor class! Regular class was huge (there had to have been at least twenty people there!), but instructor class was just me, Ma'am, Mr. H, and J tonight. It was all about weapons. We started out with double bahng mahng ee drills, then dropped to single bahng mahng ee drills, then the jahng bahng drills. I REALLY like jahng bahngs! (Of course, three years in flag corps might have something to do with that.) Unfortunately, it's not a testing weapon option until third degree, but the drills are fun! There's nothing like a new weapon to make you feel clumsy as all hell, though, particularly when there's apparently a "proper" way to pick up the weapon if you drop it (rolling it onto your foot and kicking it up into your hand - Sir claims that it's really so that you can say "I didn't mean to drop it, it's on the ground so I can do this cool trick!"). Luckily, I only dropped it once.

Anyway, I like those. Unfortunately, I also got threatened informed that after this next midterm (which I also just found out last night that I was midterming again in less than three weeks!), I'm going to have to start learning the single ssahng jeol bahng (one set of nunchucks) form. Ssahng jeol bahngs not only do not interest me in the slightest as a weapon, but also seem like a really good way to repeatedly whack myself in the head. Sir assures me that the single ssahng jeol bahng form is much easier than the single bahng mahng ee form (which I don't think is difficult at all), but I'm not really looking forward to it. For my next midterm, I'll have to do my regular form, my single bahng mahng ee form, and sparring, then for the next two midterms after that will be with the ssahng jeol bahng form. Mrph. Oh,

Ma'am and I have matching bruises from class last night. I woke up today with a not-visible but very-well-felt bruise on my hip and couldn't figure out what it came from. It wasn't until Ma'am mentioned having the same thing that it dawned on us. We (each working with different partners) did a boxing drill where one pad ends up on the hip for a left hook. My partner last night has a really nasty left hook. Apparently Ma'am's partner (I don't know who she was working with) does, too!

Spent today on base with the 216th. I helped file some paperwork, made up some recruiting packets, had lunch with my recruiter and a couple of the guys at a really yummy Thai place in Lompoc (don't know the name, but the chicken fried rice is really good), and then helped a ssgt and lt start putting together some instructors' manuals. I think we'll finish that tomorrow. I almost prefer doing my drills NOT on the drill weekends - I actually feel like I'm DOING something, at least! The recruiter is going to talk to the sgt in charge of the 148th and see if maybe I can get into Basic a little earlier and do the split training option, which would be cool. Technically, there's nothing that would prevent me from going to Basic tomorrow if I had to - all my paperwork is in order - they're just really waiting until they know when my tech school would be so they can try to get them back to back. If I do the split option, that becomes moot, so maybe I can get to Basic earlier (like, BEFORE John schedules five billion shows). That would be nice. We'll see.

Anyway, back on base tomorrow, then haganah tomorrow night. More LA on Friday, although I might push that back to Monday because a place I really want to see isn't open on Friday and I'm not so sure about driving quite that much, but we'll see. The good thing about it is that it gives me something to do, which I am in DESPERATE need of!