Geezer's Long March Toward the Elite Sneaking Up On the Finish Line

[Mark E. Hurling]

Way to go, Hurling. A serious accomplishment. Congrats.

Thank you Adam.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Congratulations Mark. I know this has been a mojor life goal for you. Happy retirement.

Thanks Farback. This may keep me busier than I anticipated in "retirement."

[Mark E. Hurling]

The real goods, courtesy of my technical IT director OD.

[57bergstrm]

Fantastic achievment, you are so dedicated to your training, youve earned it.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Thanks bergstrm. DB has cousins in Stockholm she wants to visit, I'll keep you posted.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Weight: 260.

Squat: 285 1 x 1 @ 75% of 1RM.

DB Hammer Curl: Sets of 6, 85-85-85. I haven't handled 85's in months.

Stretched.

I approached this session with a stormy mix of elation and apprehension. Apprehension over having missed last week's squats and wondering if that would affect this week's progression. Especially were depth is involved. The depth seemed good and the weight, while nervous making wasn't too bad either. A big confidence booster. My lower right L4 felt a little weak, probably from the pounding I got Saturday before the big surprise at the end. One good thing, I think most of the pounding is over now. The last 5 ranks, green belt, green belt 1st degree, and the 3 brown belts involve a lot of falling and neck trauma from chokes and strangles. Especially when someone doesn't get the chokes right and they try brute force. Then again, the black belts have hinted that the introduction to black belt techniques with the heretofore unexplained and revealed refinements behind the base techniques can take their toll too.

[Bergstedt]

Thanks. As for the next 40 years, just keep on keepin' on. Don't let go of the iron.

I haven't seen UIUC (didn't know it called that these days) since my sister graduated from it 30 years ago. My grades weren't good enough to go there so I went to SIU instead.

The SIU Rec Center is excellently equipped. It has two lifting platforms, 3 power racks, and a ton of bumper plates emblazoned with SIU and their Saluki mascot on the sides.

In other news, DB (half Swedish herself) called this morning just over the moon with excitement over the new house. It was like she was 15 and having the time of her life at Disneyland. She thinks the house is even better than the photos depict. Except for some hideous striped wallpaper with golfing themes on it.

Thank you, I will. Considering how much it has improved my health and strength - both physical and mental - I will hold on to it with all I got.

I think it is to denote what uni and campus it is. Some just said UoI, but then (I think) the Chicago campus etc. is also included.

It sounds like a great place!

I'm glad to hear. Good luck with the move!

Weight: 260.

Quite a day.

Master Bellman lined us up early and Patrick fell out of the black belt line and told me to take some steps forward. Holy crap! So at this, Dr. Mike, Big Mike, and I were promoted to 1st degree black belts (Shodan). I knelt in seiza and my shoulders shook as I wept quietly. Hard to tell since I was sweating so much. Photos all around. If I can manage to upload them, more to be seen later.

Congratulations, Mark! Very impressive.


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[Meshuggah]

Very nice, congrats Mark.

[old guy]

Weight: 260.

Quite a day. Patrick showed up, a guy I've seen twice since he left after I watched his promotion to black belt. He moved to Phoenix and then to Dublin, OH. Turns out he was the black belt there teaching Mushin Ryu. If Master Bellman had mentioned his name I'd have known it right away. So now he's moving to Fort Smith, AR as CEO of the US Marshal's museum. Very cool. We talked history for a while.

This was a grueling session given the heat and practice of green belt chokes and strangles. Patrick worked in at one point with a choke he hadn't done in years and managed to crank my neck in the process. It left me weak for the rest of the session. Which had other alumni arriving, like Sandra, Avi, Doug, and a few others. Dr. Mike and I figgered out something was up when I spotted Rueben, a guy I hadn't seen for 7-8 years. We concluded it was to witness Patrick's promotion to 5th degree black belt (Godan). The session kind of collapsed in disorder with 20 minutes to go which struck me as unusual too.

Master Bellman lined us up early and Patrick fell out of the black belt line and told me to take some steps forward. Holy crap! So at this, Dr. Mike, Big Mike, and I were promoted to 1st degree black belts (Shodan). I knelt in seiza and my shoulders shook as I wept quietly. Hard to tell since I was sweating so much. Photos all around. If I can manage to upload them, more to be seen later.

Congrats- very impressive accomplishment!

[Mark E. Hurling]

.

[QUOTE=Bergstedt;1341051]I think it is to denote what uni and campus it is. Some just said UoI, but then (I think) the Chicago campus etc. is also included.

Back when, the two campuses were distinguished by calling the Champaign campus the U of I and the Chicago campus Chicago Circle campus. Because for decades it was ensconced on the lakeside end of Navy Pier in Chicago. Which is round. If you got to Navy Pier during your stay in Illinois, it is now gentrified into an arcade filled with rides and other amusements. The campus moved about 5 or so miles inland outside the Loop and East of the Dan Ryan Expressway.

I'm glad to hear. Good luck with the move!

We are utterly thrilled. I agonized over not going back with DB to see the place, but instead wanted to assure my promotion with more training time. Turned out to be the right decision.

Congratulations, Mark! Very impressive.

This was the last gate to clear prior to leaving CA. Huge load off my mind. Now, on to the Nationals in Atlanta.

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Even this deserves comment. I've seen this footer appended to other people's communiques from their iPhones in English so it was easy to understand what it meant. I read it out to DB and she said, "I didn't know you learned Swedish." doh! The poor dear. Her mother was Polish from Radom and never taught her any of the language so that she and her extended family of step and half sister siblings could talk shit in front of the kids in Polish. Her father Justa, was from Istaby Blekinge and never taught her Swedish either. Me? Mein Grosvater, Werner, made sure I learned a little German. Which got semi-reinforced at age 5 when I had to learn Dutch to go to 1st grade in Curacao.