I have a favor. There's a blog out there that consists of tiny photo squares of art/design/cool stuff links. I know I've seen it linked here before, probably tommyrot. Anyway I cannot for the life of me remember what it is, and I remember being inspired by it previously. If anyone knows what I'm talking about can you link it here?

They let Emmett test without the mouthguard?

I don't think they noticed. It was more than halfway through the test when he took it out. I think he's outgrown it, so it didn't fit properly. It was making his head hurt.

Fortunately his partner was super careful with him, and only nailed him with a punch (above the brow) once. Emmett probably nailed his partner about 10 times during the course of the test. (You full punch into pads, but when you're breaking a choke hold, for example, you're supposed to demonstrate your combination of punches/kicks as you break away. So you're pulling your punches at your partner but if you're not careful...)

Still. We need a new mouthguard.

Yikes! This is why I bought a Shock Doctor mouthguard.

She had only been doing Roller Derby for two weeks and somebody went down in front of her and she was trying not to kick her in the head with her skates. So she went face first into a wall.

She was still very pretty, actually. But she's given up the contact sports, and was focusing on crossfit stuff.

It was interesting watching the test (they have a mezzanine at the school where they've got weights and treadmills etc., so you can look down on the class).

They got really lucky with the mix of the class because they were able to do a great job of pairing people off with partners of comparable height/weight and also ability.

Some of the guys there had obviously done a lot of other martial arts. You could tell from their kicks, because they had tremendous oomph. One guy was obviously very well trained in muay thai, for example. Another had to be corrected, "This isn't judo. You use your hands like this for the forward roll."

There were two older guys in their late forties who were just dying at the end. Literally on the very last element of the test they were almost unable to do it. The one guy had dislocated a rib doing the fireman's carry on the other, so he'd been doing the whole test in a lot of pain. The other guy cramped up so badly that he couldn't get down to the ground to do the choke hole on the ground defense. He had to get into some weird leg arrangement to take his position.

But they both gutted it out.

Today is not going as planned. I woke up way before I needed to, started decluttering, decided I needed a nap because hey, I was up really early. Just woke up a bit ago. Feh. Still time. Gonna go swim.

But she's given up the contact sports, and was focusing on crossfit stuff.

I am giving some serious thought to starting up crossfit. Possibly next March (allowing time for the New Year's resolution crowd to die back a bit).

Am trapped on sofa under cat. May never stand up again. Please send reinforcements.

She had only been doing Roller Derby for two weeks and somebody went down in front of her and she was trying not to kick her in the head with her skates. So she went face first into a wall.

I'm glad my teammate with the broken arm hasn't given up on derby. But I can understand the decision. I've had a ref tell someone on my team that I'll make a great player. I hope that's true. I just wish I'd have been able to do this 10 years ago in my 30s--I'd have kicked some serious ass back then.

I'm glad my teammate with the broken arm hasn't given up on derby. But I can understand the decision.

Oh, she didn't give up derby after she got her teeth knocked out. She had to quit because the skates were hurting her feet.

Please send reinforcements.

More cats?

Maybe! Then Homer could lie on the them?

Wow, that's some test for anyone, much less a 14-year-old. Emmett is very tough.

There's free Crossfit at my gym, but I feel kind of intimidated by it. I prefer my climbing.