BKJN Pat: Putting the pieces together

It's Sunday evening and as I prepare to write my weekly blog, I find this week is a bit of a blur.  I think the Monday holiday threw me off.  The school was closed, so none of the normal routine occurred until Tuesday.  I did have a brief moment of being undone by the kicking we have to do.  I have somewhat limited  hip  flexibility and years of some compensation habits that frustratingly I have not been able to completely undo.  Add to the that the fact that there is a good part of me that doesn't really care if I ever kick, and I only compound the problem. I mean really, I'm almost 60; am I really going to defend myself by doing a wheel kick or a 360 round? I have a mean back kick and can do a respectable  side kick, front kick, foot jab or even an axe kick. Isn't that enough?

After Wednesday's Black Belt class I was ready to toss in the towel.  While there is a good part of me that doesn't care about being able to use roundhouse or wheel kicks, there is an equally significant part of me that believes someone of my rank should be able to do these kicks well.  The fact that I feel I don't is a constant source of embarrassment, if I'm perfectly honest.  This week I was still recovering from my upper respiratory issues and tired which only made it harder to feel hopeful or optimistic or even willing to keep trying to kick better.

It's a lucky thing for me that I've had enough experience with these discouraging moments to realize that they are often the catalyst for change.  I want my kicks to get better, yet I spend very little time actually doing something about making it happen.  After all these years, I do know how to kick, but I get in my own way.  KJN Paul has told me many times to just throw the kick.  Take my head out of the game and just do it.  Quit editorializing.   I actually did that in a brief moment on Wednesday night and surprised myself.  That's the place I need to be all the time with kicking ( and other things as well).  I can't expect to make changes if I don't do the work.  So I decided that I would put more effort(time) into undoing some of my old habits, by replacing them with new.  Eventually all the pieces should come together.  I keep being reminded that the biggest challenge of this Mastery Test is mastering myself.

This week's numbers:
Push ups :  900
Sit ups:       900
Running:    3.27 mile
Cycling:   17.7 miles
Classes:  1 Martial arts, 1 Black Belt, 1 Sparring (1st one of those in a year maybe )

John - A different kind of fight

I just ran the Reno Tahoe Odyssey with my company’s team, Hometown Health 1. 

We placed 55^th out of 250 teams. 

The winning team, Runny Bums, had a quote on RGJ.com this morning:

“It was a pretty tough course. We’re all beat up. It was a fight. We fought for it.”

We ask our little dragons, “Is fighting good or bad?”

They all respond by saying, “Bad!”

However, when you get old enough, you should learn that not all fighting is bad.

People fight for their country, fight for their freedom, fight for their rights, fight for their life, fight cancer, fight disease, fight famine, fight for justice, and fight to win.

So, our RTO team and all the other RTO teams fought for 178 grueling miles. We went up and down hills and mountains. We ran during the day. We ran at night. We ran through cities, forests, and deserts. We ran by rivers and lakes. We ran next to speeding cars on the highway, and we ran past cheering crowds. I would call that an impressive fight.

RTO MAP:

SBN Terri also ran on an RTO team, Get Hoppy, and I’m proud that two masters belt testers were able to experience this challenge this year.

Below are my stats for last week. Since, I knew the RTO was coming up. I limited my activities because I knew I needed a large reserve tank for my runs. During the RTO, I ran some of the toughest runs in my life. I ended up running 14.09 Miles within 26.5 hours. I had a total elevation gain of 2,617 feet, and I averaged a 9:50 minute per mile pace over those miles and elevation gain. 

Also, with all my increased training the last few month's, I put a lot of wear and tear on my running equipment and my bike. The rear derailleur broke on my mountain bike, and now I need it repaired.

Who do you want to be?

While listening to an internet radio show, I heard a guest say the following statement to the host:

“Life in general is not about tangible items. It’s about meaning, purpose, and influence. Because that is what we leave behind, and the most important is influence. Are you a better person because we have an encounter and/or relationship? Did I contribute to you being a better person? Because it’s reciprocal.”

These are some heavy questions to ponder, and a question many in today’s world are afraid to answer truthfully.

For my family, friends, and students, I hope to answer, "Yes".

My daughter recently told me that she stuck up for a girl being bullied by a boy because of a medical condition. She yelled at the boy that was picking on the poor girl, and stopped the bullying. She basically said, “No, you will not treat her this way. What If I treated you that way?” She was so vehement; the other kids on the bus also raised the same sentiment. So, I’m proud to have raised a daughter that influences others for the better.

Do I still have work to go to be a better influence? Yes, of course, because I haven’t always been a positive influence to some, and I have made enemies. However, I can get better by asking myself these questions.

Who do you want to be?

How will you influence others?

What examples can you set?

As the above picture shows, “I want to be a ninja!”

Just kidding, I want to be a meaningful person. (And a ninja on the side, hee hee)

Below is my training from the last week.

I started to taper my activities because on May 29^th and 30^th I will be running in the Reno Tahoe Odyssey, and that is a tough and draining event. 

For more info on the event go here:  http://www.renotahoeodyssey.com/

BKJN Pat: This week's lesson: Learning to hit the pause button

Just the other day, one of the students asked KJN Paul why our Mastery Test started 6 months out.  His explanation was that this is not just a test; this is a Mastery Test.  By having a long training period we have the opportunity to deal with many challenges including managing the ups and downs of our other life ( out side of martial arts) and training.  This week's challenge for me was recognizing I  needed to push the pause button.

For almost half of my life I've been a martial artist.  I've trained myself to push through (persevere), not give up in face of seemingly impossible obstacles, to face my fears.  In my other life, I've had to do similar things... just put my head down and do what needs to be done.  No other option.  So it is difficult for me to accept that I can't do it all.  That there comes a time when I need to rest and it's okay.

That's what happened this week.  I realized that I've added all this additional training to my life and haven't eliminated any of my other activities.  The survival trip last weekend tipped the balance of exhaustion and I had to stop.  The day before our trip I felt I was coming down with a cold or possibly a sore throat.  I was a bit concerned because one of the boys had strep throat.  I modified my activities that  day to give me a bit more rest, but in truth, there wasn't much rest.  Preparation for the trip didn't require much in the way of packing, but did have a certain amount of stress of going into the unknown having very little idea what was actually going to transpire.  Two relatively sleepless nights, the cold, the stress of realizing how unprepared I was for the challenges of "surviving" took its toll.  I was exhausted Monday but still did everything I was "supposed to do".  Finally by Tuesday I had to admit defeat.  I was having difficulty breathing and even the slightest exertion left me short of breath.  Hitting my wall physically also took an emotional toll.  I have been doing so well.  How could I come undone now?  And how would I keep going?  What if I couldn't keep up with the training?   I wondered if this was the end.  Yes, a bit melodramatic I know, but despair creeps in quite quickly when I think I don't measure up.

I was able to make the conscious choice to stop all of my activity for the next couple of days.  I didn't play tennis, didn't go to class, didn't do my push ups and sit ups or run or cycle.  I spent time just being quiet and letting my body heal.  By Friday I resumed my push ups and sit ups, but I kept my resolve to not go to sparring class or cycling though I was feeling a bit better.  Due to the holiday, I have additional days off from class and the weather has conspired to keep me off the tennis courts.  Today, I feel almost back to normal. 

So what have I learned?  I need to listen to my body and pay attention.  I need to check in and see how I'm doing, not just plow ahead with whatever is being asked of me.  I need to find balance between the doing and being in my life. I may have to eliminate some of my activities between now and October.  And I need to guard against getting run down and tired.  Proper rest and proper nutrition are key.  I'm not giving up my quest for 5th degree.

This week's numbers:

Push ups :600
Sit ups:     600
Running:  3.01 miles
Cycling:    3.6 miles
Classes: 1 black Belt , 1 private

Terri - Overcoming obstacles

Since the beginning of the year, it seems my health has been a bit of challenge - back, knee, sciatica, vision - not what I wanted going in to this test.  So far what I've heard from the Doctors its problems related to age - like arthritis.  KJN has given me pep talks about this test is more about the mental ability to stick with it as much as the physical.  So I'm not going to let my age related aches and pains get the best of me.  I've been working through them and seem to be turning a corner.  I'm starting to be able to run a bit again pain free.  This week I have been getting my 150 push-ups, 150 sit ups in each day.  I've been either walk/running or biking 3 miles a day.  I've made it the gym and did some workouts with weights/equipment.  I've attended martial arts classes on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, had a private lesson on Tuesday and went to sparring on Friday night.  I'm also doing better with the paleo style of eating - feels good.  Gonna keep it up! Day by day.

Terri - I hit the WALL! Part 3

So Sunday morning finally came, it started to warm up.  We'd worked through the day on Saturday, stoked the fire all night.... Our big task for day was to make fire using the Bow and Drill approach.  Before we got to that however, Mark wanted us to boil creek water - to have the experience of putting our canteens in the fire to a rolling boil - and removing it!! While waiting for the "big bubbles", he showed some techniques to make a snare to catch such things as squirrels and chipmunks.  He also showed us the "Paiute Dead Fall" to catch other animals.  Mark is a wealth of information and excellent instructor - But my back hurt sooo bad and I was soooo tired, I hit the wall! All I could do is lay down right then and there!  I actually made my way up to where our shelter had been (we had dismantled it and put out our fire) and laid down.  I couldn't help but think about the survival challenges people have faced and gained a whole new appreciation.

BKJN Pat did have an aspirin she shared with me - which got me up off the ground and back in the swing of things.  But it was time to build the fire with the bow and drill.  Finding the right balance, controlling the cord, the right speed, the right stroke, the right pressure - I would hit it, start to smoke and ..... I'd run out of steam..... or the drill would slip .... or the cord would ride up and come off.  BKJN Pat and I worked together - she had greater stamina than I, but I was able to lend a hand by applying some pressure with her on the rock holding the drill in place.  FINALLY - an ember! With careful handling and blowing it was brought to a full flame!  Each team had done it.  What an accomplishment!

With that done, we had one last test, to splint and carry.  SBN Wes was our victim - we found the appropriate supports, wrapped them up and worked together to carry him away!  We did it, we had survived and completed our training!

There was so much more we learned and experienced! I wanted to capture it all!  Once again, I'm so grateful for the time and the 360 Mastery team.

Terri - No Multi-tasking, No checking emails, texting! Wow - That Felt Good!

Part 2:  When you are working on the things you need for survival - that's pretty much all you can focus on.  Building the shelter, building what you need for a fire and fire itself, safe drinking water, and food.  Despite my overall physical exhaustion from our survival training experience - my head felt refreshed!!  I didn't think about work - constantly checking email, etc.  I only thought about what the tasks I needed to do.  When I did have time to think about other things, I thought about how grateful I was to have this opportunity and share it with my 360 MA team.

In part 1 of my blog - I tried to capture some of the first day priorities, shelter, fire, water.  The only food we were able to find, were a few ripe blackberries and pine nuts!  We found some big slugs, but we didn't go there!!

So now the sun was setting, we started our fires at each of the shelters.  I had brought many layers of clothing and the night time temperature was high 50's .... so ... I thought no problem.  We didn't gather that much wood to burn.  We thought we'd let it burn down and we'd be cozy in our little shelter..... OMG.  Wrong!!  It was so nice to start with, but once we let the fire burn down, we started shivering.  Laying on the bed of pine needles was not comfortable to say the least!  BKJN Pat & I started uncontrollably laughing at the absurdity of it all!  I wanted to go to sleep, but that wasn't happening.  So, we were able to revive the fire with a few embers and that became the night.  Staring into the red glow of the fire and watching the flames dance and die away signaling time to add more wood.  We realized we were in for a long, long night!!  We were getting low on stockpiled wood.... fortunately, KJN Paul and Virgil came into our camp about 1:30 am with arms full of wood resupplying our stock pile! What a blessing!  It was so good to see them! So now, with enough wood to last the night, we just kept feeding the fire and keeping it under control.  It felt so good to have the warmth.  For me, that went on through the night -

Ah - daybreak - FINALLY!  The birds began to stir, woodpeckers were knocking on dead trees, everything was coming to life.  I started to recognize my exhaustion and how much my back hurt!!

Terri -Water, food, protection from the elements, sleep.  How grateful I am to be able to have all of that in my day to day life.

While I want to write about everything we did, learned and experienced, that will take quite a bit of time.  So.... I'll have to do it in pieces.   For me personally, it gave me a tremendous amount of insight and appreciation.

Part 1

The survival training was an incredible experience.  Our direction was to go into this with a food grade steel water bottle that was suitable to boil water in, layers of clothing suitable for the environment, a Leatherman and no food, We learned so much from our instructor, Mark.  A man who is currently in the Marines and teaches these skills (and much, much more) to other Marines too.  He is amazing.

The 360 Mastery team worked together as well as broke into smaller teams for specific tasks.  BKJN Pat and I were paired up for much of the activities.

The location of the survival course was on the grounds of Lake Concow Campground.  This is a place I had never heard of before - even though it was relatively close to Chico, CA where I had lived and attended Chico State.  Concow is beautiful!! Absolutely beautiful.  Wildflowers were blooming and lots of birds!

Protection from the elements: building a shelter.  We had to select a good location and materials,  Up out of the meadow, flat, enough open space in the tree canopy to have a fire.  Then the collection and application of the materials.   Each team built an "A frame" type structure consisting of a long log as the main beam (at least 7') and two smaller logs (approx 4') as primary supports.  The shelter sides were then constructed of tree limbs and roofed with pine needles and leaves.  That in itself required a lot of effort.  We'd had breakfast at 6:30 am but nothing since, no food or water.  I started getting a headache - but it was best if I kept moving.

Water: Mark took us to the near by stream and filled our water bottles using a hand pump filter.  The filter was 2 microns, sufficient to filter out Giardia and Cryptosporidium.cysts.  Pretty handy tool.  He pointed out these kind of pumps may have freezing problems in cold temps, so boiling water or using iodine tablets or chlorine dioxide tablets, may be alternatives.  Just a few sips of water helped revive us! Whew!

Fire: Next up, we went in search of materials to prepare for building a fire.  One of the tasks was to start a fire utilizing the bow and drill method. We had to find the right pieces of wood to create the bow, wood plank and drill.  We also had to find a stone that would fit in the hand to apply pressure to the top of the drill.  Mark had a small fold up saw and fixed blade knife - these additional tools were hugely helpful.

We got off easy Saturday night, as Mark loaned us each a magnesium/steel fire starter (he also showed us the use of ferrocerium rods for fire starting) and an accelerant to get it started.

EMBRACE THE SUCK!

Sometimes in your training, you just need to embrace the suck. Instead of complaining or having a negative attitude about a hard or bad situation, you need to embrace the experience, and turn it into a positive. Some ways to do that follow are to try and answer some of the questions below with a yes:

Will you grow from the experience once the experience is over?

Will you have confidence that you can overcome a similar situation in the future?

Will you find that you can push past artificial limits you have set for yourself?

Will you have accomplished something that others haven’t accomplished?

Will you gain knowledge that can be passed on to others?

These are just a few of the ways, you can embrace the experience.

This past weekend the 360 instructors we were put through an outdoor survival training course. We were only allowed to bring a steel canteen, a pocket knife, and some outdoor clothes. We had to build shelter from wood logs and pine needles, learn to purify water, build a rock firewall, and learn to start a fire with various materials. Then we had to sleep in our shelters while tending to our fire in front of the fire wall. The second day was harder because we had little food and little sleep, and we had to learn some basic trapping, signaling, and some basic first aid. Then we had to start a fire with a wood tool kit we built. The kit consisted of a bow, spindle, a handhold, some 550 cord, and a plank. (See the above picture.)

Since, I knew this training would allow me to answer yes to the above questions,

I EMBRACED THE SUCK!.

Here was my normal training from the last week:

Pat: The importance of being a Boy Scout

The thing that comes to mind when I think about Boy Scouts is "Be prepared".  The importance of being prepared was given a whole new meaning this weekend during our Mastery Test Survival trip. We were only "surviving" about 27 hours and our way out was parked 200 yards from where we were, but in that time it became clear that there is no such thing as being "too prepared" , but many perils for being " unprepared".  Being prepared isn't just referring to meeting the physical aspects of the challenge.  It applies to mental preparation as well.  Even if you are not prepared to meet the physical challenges before you,  your best chance of getting through any given situation is preparing yourself mentally by maintaining a positive, patient outlook.  Thoughts can defeat you more quickly than you'd think.   Another aspect of survival that emerged is the importance of staying present in the moment, focusing on the task at hand and when that one is done moving on to the next.  I referred before to trying to eat the whole elephant.  An impossible task, but one bite at a time can be done.  Often times the "whole thing" is overwhelming and feels impossible.  But taken in parts, success and confidence build.  Those 27 hours were a challenge.  Some more than others.  The night seemed endless when it was cold and our fire was just about out.  I didn't realize how hard it is to start a fire with a bow and drill or for that matter what a challenge it is to make those tools.  When SBN Terri and I were frustrated by not being able to spark an ember using the bow and drill, we could have given up.  When we couldn't do it alone, we could have admitted defeat.  But we didn't and working together, with the support of our instructor, Mark, and the encouragement of all our team mates, we "made fire".   The next time will be easier with the confidence of that accomplishment under our belts.   Life lessons, I think.  I'd venture to say, there were things learned this weekend that will carry us through the challenges ahead, not just in our Mastery Test, but in our lives as well. : -)

Training this week: a bit short on numbers; no push ups and sit ups on Saturday.  I'm going to let myself off the hook for that one.  I only ran one day this past week.  I did make it the full 3 miles this time.  I wasn't feeling well on my second run day and because the survival trip was the next day, I decided it was more prudent to rest than to push through.  Listening to my body is an important aspect to training as well. 

Push ups: 750
Sit ups:    750
Cycling:   16.8 miles
Running: 3.05 miles
Classes: 4: 1 private, 2 Black Belt and 1 noon class ( Martial Arts)
Before my Fitbit died last week, I walked over 20,000 one day!

Pat: I'm always glad when Saturday comes

Saturday is now one of my favorite days.  It represents the end of a 6 day run of training and when I reflect back on those days, I feel a sense of pride in what I've accomplished.  Feeling proud of me is a new experience.  I've set goals that initially seemed unreachable and I've met them.  I have challenged myself physically and mentally at a whole new level and while all my days aren't easy and I have moments where my confidence is a bit shaky, I am proud of how I'm doing.

Before the official start date of April 1, 2015, I had done 6, 233 push ups and sit ups between January 3 and March 26, 2015.  I was curious to know how many I've done since then and what my grand total is. In my post each week I've only recorded the numbers for the week. Since March 28, through May 2, 2014 I've done 4,805 sit ups and 4,960 push ups.  Not counting this week, my totals are: 11,038 sit ups and 11,193 push ups.  Those numbers seem unbelievable to me, but I know I've done each and every one of them !

This week:          Totals
Sit ups:     900    (5,705)
Push ups:  940    (5,900)
Running:   4.88 miles
Cycling:   18 miles
Classes:  3

As happy as I am to get through Saturday morning, Sunday passes far too quickly.  It has continued to be helpful to just hold in my mind " this is what I do" .  This week I had set a goal of doing 45 push ups in my first set.  I had consistently done 40 in the first set for two weeks.  I have set a goal of doing 50 in my first set and so 45 seemed like the next step.   I didn't make that goal until Friday and Saturday.  I'm pleased to say that I didn't abandon my goal or get down on myself for not meeting my goal.  For whatever reason, I couldn't do that number for the first four days of this week. It wasn't for lack of trying, but it was because I didn't give up that I eventually got where I wanted to be.  It'll be interesting to see how this next week goes.

Words have Power

The family and I took the above picture today at the downtown Reno River and Sculpture Festival. People were flocking to the sculpture to take a picture and touch the large letters. This reminds me that a single word can have power.

I was once told that a parent said, “My son lives to hear John say, “NICE!” when he’s teaching.”

That one word conveyed my approval of the technique, my acknowledgment of the student’s hard work, and my satisfaction with the student’s progress. It’s also a word that leaves room for improvement. A technique can be nice, but not perfect. I rarely use the word perfect on the mat because there is so much to do in any technique to make it better, faster, or stronger. However, the word Nice can convey a lot, and it can mean a lot to a student as I have found out.

There are a bunch of words that can mean a lot on the mat. For example, the word “STOP”. The other instructors and I rarely use this word on the mat during instruction. We’ll yell “Break” if we want someone to stop a drill or to stop sparring. We don’t need a student to stop defending themselves if a bad guy yells STOP!, and a bad guy will probably not yell, “Break!” However, you can watch countless videos online of assaulting bad guys yelling at the good guys to stop, acquiesce, and lie down and die nicely. I don't think so!

Also, the word “Can’t” is a word we don’t want to hear on the mat. This negative word can ruin a training session, martial artists, or athlete. We should all try to change I can’t to I can or to I will or I did. We should all believe we can do something and attempt it. If we fall short, we will still be closer to it then if we never tried at all.

Anyways, I did the following last week:

Terri - Last week shows promise!

I was able to do the 150 push ups/sit-ups five consecutive days and got at least 2 miles in each day..... with four and a half miles on Friday!  Made it to sparring too.  My injuries seem to be improving - but not as much as I would like.  Always challenges.  I've got to put more repetition in and attend more classes.  My "part time" jobs have been challenging and stressful - interesting and beneficial...but getting in the way of my training.  I will be reducing my outside commitments to focus on attending classes and getting the practice in!!

May Days

Team building! Spending time with the team and families with a Mastery Barbeque.

 We've got a lot of hard work ahead of us.  It s important we recognize, its not just the testers that are committing to this, it is the whole family!

Pat: Momma said there'd be days(weeks) like this

Last week was hard.  If not for the fact that I've been in tough places before and know from experience that it is really only temporary, I think I would have tossed in the towel and given up the dream of this Mastery Test.  Every day was a struggle: push ups weren't easy and took longer than usual, on my run on Monday I felt there was nothing left, no reserve to pull from and I was tired from being the sole caregiver to our four boys for a second week. I still haven't figured out how to work every thing into my schedule. I've been studying videos for the form I want to do and listening to the music I've selected to see how it will all fit together.  Still a mental exercise more than an active one.

Not that KJN Paul would have accepted my stepping out of the test, but I am glad I didn't.  It is good to have reminders that any given situation won't last forever, that in the face of a challenge I can find my way through it. The good days wouldn't feel nearly as good without something to compare it to. 

I sort of freaked out about being away for the weekend and possibly missing a day of push ups, sit ups and running.   In the end,  it wasn't as worrisome as I first tried to make it.  I didn't run, but the 147 + stairs to anywhere I had to go more than made up for my lack of a run I lost count of how many times I went up and down those stairs, but in the day and a half we were at the retreat it had be be somewhere between 15-20 times.   Plus on Thursday I forgot it was a running day at Rancho San Rafael, so I rode my bike and ran that day.  I woke up early on Saturday morning and had all my push ups and sit ups done before the rest of my cabin mates were awake.  

Training April  27-May 2, 2015

Push ups:     900
Sit ups:        900
Cycling:      14.6
Running:     4.82 miles
Classes:       3 - 2 Black Belt , 1 private
Miles at Zephyr Point Conference Center: 7.18

Wesley's Progrress- Week 3 and 4

OK, I forgot to do my post for last week so this is a 2 week summary.  Unfortunately, for the past 2 weeks, I've had a cold so it's been tough getting my running, workout, etc. in.  Started getting sick on Thursday, April 23rd and didn't feel 100 percent until the following Thursday, April 30th.  I still have this lingering stuffy nose and scratchy throat as of today.  Also, I've been traveling for work for 4 days and being out of town makes it tough to stay on your workout regiment.

It seems I'm getting sick a lot, not sure what it is.  Nicole told me to start taking multi vitamins daily, so hopefully that will help.  Also, gotta make sure I wash my hands more as I'm constantly in contact with kids at the Martial Arts school.  Those little rugrats can be toxic...LOL.

Starting this week, I'm going to be more focused on the cardio aspect as that's where I see the most needed improvement. 

Summary for the past two weeks are as follows:
- Ran 12.13 Miles
- Biked 9 Miles
- 2300 Push Ups
- 1900 Sit Ups

Looking for Squirrel Recipes

At the beginning of the week, I was still suffering from a cold. So, I was unable to train. I was able to start back up on Wednesday. This small lay off allowed a pulled muscle in my left calf to heal a little bit. However, I was still unable to run, but I continued to bike.

Here are my stats for the week:

 The master’s test is more than just about martial arts techniques; we are being challenged with various physical and mental challenges. For example, last summer we rappelled down a cliff near Donner Lake with some help from some trainers, and we visited a tree obstacle course near Lake Tahoe (http://northtahoeadventures.com/) . The course had ziplines, hanging rings, nets, and other monkey climbing tasks.

In a few weekends, the master belt testers and some of the other 360 instructors are going to a survival training class in California. We are only allowed to bring a canteen to boil water in and a multi-tool knife with a saw blade. It’s a two day event, and it’s just one of the events/tests we will be taking during our master’s journey.

Above is a picture of me when I don’t have internet for 45 minutes. Yes, I know. I devolve fast.

Below is a picture of the two items we are allowed at the training besides clothes. (Oh, yeah, I’m packing some leaves just in case.)