Appetizer
Lets start with a trio sampler of word association… I say,

Tear ::
Hawk ::
Alien ::

Soup
If you had to pick a body of water that you have visited in your life to build a house next to, which one would it be… describe the scenary.

Salad
Everyone is being green now-a-days, what is your favorite green initiative?

Main Course
Mexican is one of my favorite foods, share the name of your favorite Mexican dish with all of us (and where to find it) … even if it is just a Taco Bell chalupa?

Dessert
What was the color of your first bicycle, or the oldest toy that you remember and what fruit do you associate with that color?

…that is it, its a replacement meal so like Slim Fast it does not really count as food but it fills up! enjoy

The thing that has been the hardest so far is the push ups on my knuckles. I have done them before and my knuckles are hard enough, but we do either a set of 30 or two sets of 50 depending on the day. I can do about 10 the right way, after that it becomes an exercise of just dealing with the pain and maybe getting another 5 good ones or another 20 just regular push ups with my knee down. Squads are also no joke, specially when they are mixed with kicks.

I was concerned at first because there was no stretching before class and I did feel my muscles a little tight from not using them, but I trusted the teacher who is also a fitness expert. The way he structures the class we do end up stretching while we are warming up. I am actually amazed at how much we actually fit into an hour practise.

I am glad to know that my roundhouse still packs a lot of power, even though this style seems to emphasize the front push kick a lot more. I can feel the Karate a lot more than in any other school I have ever worked out at. My flexibility still has a long way to go, but its coming back a little faster than I had expected. The only thing I see just not advancing at a good pace is my stamina. I need to start running in the mornings or maybe even joining an indoor soccer league to not be so winded at the end of an exercise.

Today was the first time I actually got hurt by doing a sparring exercise. I am still brand new to this class so I did not know what to expect from the exercise that is basically a reaction to a front punch back and fort to work on self defence techniques. I will not go all out at a school class ever, and I don’t think the guy I was practising with tried to either, but he is a green belt, about mid level through the school belts and I think he does not have the control other people might. A couple of his blocks were stronger than I anticipated and I was just doing a dull punch so he caught me with his block bone to bone… nothing mayor, but still a little painful. We used to do an exercise in Kung Fu that would actually pair us up and condition our arms to take blocking hits, you learn to turn just enough to catch the other block at a good angle and not hit bone to bone, but when you don’t expect it hurts.

Overall I am super excited with the school. The other students are really nice, the teacher is knowledgeable and very through when explaining things. With time I will get more used to the differences on the styles and be able to maybe be back at a competition level. I know I miss breaking boards and bricks quite a bit, I have always found that quite satisfying.

Martial arts like everything goes through cycles. I am sure many people wanted to join a Karate dojo after the Karate Kid movie in the 80s, too bad so many people do not realize that is not about finding the right school but the Mr Miyagi.

I watched UFC 81 with Chimpotle and some of his buddies and loved watching the fights. Today talking to Master DiBella the word fad came into the conversation. With MMA becoming very popular, more and more gyms are trying to promote this kind of classes and training. However, this is not for everyone and like Tae Bo, I consider it a little dangerous.

I obviously have not problem with the UFC, but I do have a problem with the people that use it as a new fad to take people’s money. It is sad to hear in the radio how a new gym just open and it will train you in MMA. Sorry folks, but this is a lie, you can master one discipline and then train in another, but to be truly a master and a good teacher you need to stick to one. I can already hear the, my master has a black belt on every art out there. To that I say, yes, that can be true, but he should only be considered a true master in one of them.

All martial arts can be broken and studied, even divided into groups based on where the emphasis is. However, they all have their own personality and like with people, you have to get to know them for a while to really know what they are about. Every school will also have its own identity developed by the master that runs it

Full contact sparring and grappling is more dangerous than it looks on TV. Those guys that enter the ring, well most of them, train very hard and are used to taking punches and being locked in positions that the body is not really made for. They are self defense techniques used developed for real life combat and should not be though of as a game. To have someone tell you any different is irresponsible.

People like Lituenant X try to tell people that Martial Arts are not ancient, but just a manipulation of history to make money. They can teach you in just one top secret marine tested DVD everything you need to know about defending yourself and you become the ultimate fighting machine.

What it really comes down to with Martial Arts is training. If you train for years on an specific art, you will gain a level of expertise and your muscles and body will accommodate for that. Experience cannot be replaced by watching some bozo on TV. A good teacher will correct your movements, over and over until they see you have achieved the correct level of competency, then they will teach you the next level up. It is simple, and like with everything else in life, there are really no shortcuts.

I practiced Kung Fu for a little bit back in Midland and thank God I did that… I would have not survived the work out if I had not dusted off some of the kicks and stretched those muscles this year.

I started my quest to find a school since I got to Kansas City. I had been very dissapointed to see the places where people were training. I was also very surprised to the the prices some of the schools. I had pretty much given up looking for a school close to home when I discovered a place right down the street from where I live now. I stopped by on a Friday and the school was closed, but I was able to check it out the next day.

The teacher seemed very commited to teaching the art and not just wanting money. He offered family rates which was something I was also looking for. The school had a great workout area and I could not beat the location so close to home.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go check it out. The class mixes adult and children, something I have not experienced yet, but I am looking forward to. There are a lot of classes available and I can attend as many as I want. The place seems like an excellent place to get a work out, meet some new friends and most importantly learn an art. Even though I will have to start from the beginning because the forms are very traditional and I don’t know them, I think I have been lucky enough to find a school sooner than I imagined.

I was skeptical of the capability of a TV show to be able to get me to truly work out, but I was either super lucky or this Gilad guy is the best because the workout not only felt good, it really made me sweat in 30 minutes and not by jumping like a bunny from the first second. This made me think that TaeBo would be a good idea. The premise that a workout tape can mix martial arts and dancing intrigued me.

I have been hearing about how cool TaeBo is for quite some time. Mostly from their advertising machine. I felt that since I did practice TaeKwonDo for a couple of years before it would be something that I can jump right into. So I went and rented the new Boot Camp video and man was I disappointed. I tried it for the first time this morning and after 20 minutes I was disgusted. I cannot believe that a professional fitness trainer can truly sleep at night putting a product that I deem dangerous.
I gave it the benefit of the doubt and went to check out the website. I thought, hey maybe they have warning, or an introductory tape. I was surprised to see that the first thing they advertise is their new Boot Camp series and besides the warning to contact your doctor before you start a workout program there is nothing telling you, warning we are about to punish your back in such a was that a disk might just come flying out.

The tape starts at a rate that is unsafe without warming up… but I said ok, I can keep up. I did a couple of the initial exercise when Billy all of a sudden spread his legs and ask the viewer to bend down to touch the ground. I said OUCH and stopped to watch what he would do next. No warm-up, no stretching and this guy break into exercises that can seriously hurt someone, not just their muscles but also joints. I was just amazed that there is not a more of a warning before you start this program.

Stretching and warm-up is very important to every exercise routine. When starting to exercise, please consult a professional or a friend that does it in a regular basis. I see now why people get discouraged about exercising so easily. If TaeBo was my only resource or the first one I chose to look it, I would just give up working out and hit McDonalds on the way to work.

Gilad, TaeBo, Exercise, Weight, Stretching, Martial.

I had also seen the Mantis as a pet, and always wondered how cool it would be to have one some day.  I had not see one up close until I moved to the US.  Since moving here I have seen 3 or 4 up close.  They are beautiful insects.

There are plenty of Kung Fu styles to choose from, and even though I did not seek the Mantis style, I was lucky enough to find it.  The Mantis style is both graceful and powerful.  It controls the energy in a way that you are not wasting any of it.  I am not even close to beginning to think that I am learning the style.  I am barely scratching the surface.  Every class I attend I am more and more in love with the Mantis.

Going back to being amazed at the insect, do you think that a Mantis can actually take down a bird?  We are used to seeing birds eat insects and not the other way around.  I just wanted to share this link, mind you the pictures can be graphic, but it is amazing what this insect can do.

Mike Smith was the stunt coordinator for both movies and I was very disappointed by his work here. There was nothing innovative about the martial arts at all. The sword fighting was mediocre at best. My biggest complaint in this department was the implied fighting. When they used this technique the first time, I went “ok, that’s cool.” after that I was almost ready to yell at the screen, “where is the action? How did the killing happen?” While I get that maybe it was supposed to give you a comic book sense, it kind of failed.

The special effects were another mess. I think they ran out of budget during the movie, some of the effects looked very well done and blended with the movie, others gave me a sense of Saturday morning cartoon, Power Ranger kind of feel. Don’t get me wrong, some of it was done very well, the guns and other technology looked good, but then having the last scene being picked apart by my 9 year old as crappy tells you how bad it was. I hate comparing it to Equilibrium, but since both of them have a similar futuristic theme I have to. Equilibrium did not have the best effect either, but they help they story along instead of making you stop and think how crappy they are.

The story was the only thing that you can save here. However they had a comic book to borrow it from. I would love to hear from a fan of the series to see how true to the comic they were. I loved the fact that they did not let you know from the very beginning that this was a movie that had vampires. I felt that was done well.

I would not even recommend you rent this movie. I think that after paying Jovovich to star in the movie they did not have enough money to finish the film effects. If you want to be entertained rent Equilibrium.

*Update*

From The WikiPedia

Screen Gems edited the film from its original length of 120 minutes to 88 minutes, against the wishes of director Kurt Wimmer. He was quite angry with this, and many fans agree that this decision lowered the quality of the film significantly.

It might be worth the wait to see the director’s cut, because to me the film just seemed like a mess.

Ultraviolet.

Ultraviolet, Movie, Action, Jovovich, Vampire, Future, Hemophagia, CGI, SciFi

I am out of shape. Even when I have been in better shape I have always been on the heavy side. While I don’t use the “I am big boned” excuse, saying that or even hearing it always makes me think of Dennis Leary’s joke “Dinosaurs were big boned,” I do think that my genetic make up predisposes me to be on the heavy side. Heck, I drink water and get fat. Even if I was in better shape I think this first work out would have still kicked my butt.

Since I moved to Midland I have been looking for a Martial Arts school. I have even written about my strategy and quest. Staying true to what I said, I did not just find the right school, I found the right teacher. I do admit that the prospect of starting all over at other Tae Kwon Do schools was not very appealing either. Out of the Martial Arts I have practiced, Tae Kwon Do was the one I practiced the longest. While my goal was to become a good martial artist and not to get a black belt, the prospect of having to pay for all of the belts I had “earned” all over was not really all that appealing to my budget.

Sifu (Master) already taught me something very important. It is not about how many forms you know, it is not about what belts you have, it is not about how flashy your martial arts are. All of those things are trying to impress other people. The true quest is to impress you. If your Kung Fu is great, you are a duck and not a chicken. Sorry, inside joke.

Since my first conversation with Sifu Chung, I knew I was talking with someone I would greatly respect. One of the most important things for me is to feel like the Sifu is accepting me as a student rather than my money. He told me in our first conversation that he was not a car salesman, he told me the price for the classes and what I would get from them. He was so wise in that comparison, because it is a perfect description of the feeling I had gotten when I had been “shopping around” at others schools.

Car shopping had always been a super stressful experience and it is still something I do not enjoy. There had always been that sales aspect of the transaction where things were a little murky and numbers flew around like daggers. Just like buying the car from our friend Dave, talking to Sifu was not stressful at all. Everything was very clear and on the table. There was no, here is all we offer and then… are you willing to pay this much for it. While you can consider both of them as different sales approaches, I like the up front one a lot better.

I got to try a class for free, no commitment beyond signing the waiver that is required for insurance purposes. From the first moment I stepped into the school I knew I was in a special place. I met Sifu’s son first, he invited me to look around and told me to wait there. He was going to teach class at another school, so he pretty much opened up the school and went on. One by one the other students started showing up and none of them made me feel like I was being judged. Going to a new school can be difficult if the other students are dismissive of you, or if they are arrogant about their level of training. I thankfully felt none of that. Everyone greeted me at different times during my stay at the school and made me feel like I was an old friend. It never felt like people trying to make small talk.

The class was relaxed, friendly and very focused. It was surprising to me because I was not given a series of rules when I walked into the training area like I had in the past with most other arts. Most rules in other schools had been followed but they did not help the class understand the respect they were trying to convey or the focus they were supposed to encourage. Sifu has a wealth of knowledge and he is very willing to share it. He had no problem involving the whole class in an explanation of a single movement in a form. He explained why it was done, its application and purpose to great detail. He was also very humble about his knowledge and explained everything with humor.

I was not able to even finish the warm up. The movements in Kung Fu are completely different than those in Tae Kwon Do. While Hapkido does have some similarity in movement, the stances seem to be a lot wider and my legs do not have the strength to support my upper body for extended periods of time just yet. Also my hips are not doing what they are supposed to, but I think with time and practice they will. I learned the first part of the very first form, it will take me some time to master it but I want to do it really bad. The other excellent part about the school is that you are taught the application of the form along with the form. It really introduces the self-defense aspect of kung fu without breaking the flow. While the art centers on the form, it is like sun and other aspect of martial arts are the planets in a very cohesive solar system.

I miss my old teacher, he is my friend and I have decided that if I ever want to get a black belt in Tae Kwon Do I want to get it from him. In the mean time, I am excited to say that Chung’s School of Praying Mantis is going to be my new Martial arts school. I am also very excited to say that I have found a new teacher, Sifu Henry Chung, son of Grandmaster Chung Ho Yin, which in the end is the most important thing. Neo might be able to learn Kung Fu in seconds, but you know, I truly believe that success is not about the goal; it’s all about the journey.

I have met a lot of talented people in my life. I remember two friends that were so intelligent and athletically superior that they constantly amazed me. Both of them however lacked persistence. Persistence does not come easy to some people, and so situations in life can kill it. In the case of both of my friends I put some of the blame in drugs. A lot of people think that smoking a little weed is not a bad thing, but I have seen it kill persistence. I say it kills persistence rather than motivation, because the motivation might be there but the persistence is gone.

I learned a lot about persistence practicing martial arts. It is one of the best lessons I think martial arts can teach. Almost everyone can accomplish perfect form through persistence. Some of the most complicated movements became second nature after you kept going. I had always heard the term getting your second wind. Even though I did sports while I was younger I had never reached that level until I practiced martial arts. I pushed and pushed past not being able to do it anymore and it was a wonderful feeling to get that extra boost of energy.

I think we can apply that same second wind mentality to life. When we feel like we have exhausted every possible option in a situation, try to push on and perhaps the second wind is right there waiting for you. So what does the quote say to you?

Finding a Martial Arts school is not so much about finding the best facilities, or the most popular art at the moment. You can always count on an ancient martial art becoming the latest fad, which is kind of ironic in a sense. To me finding the best Martial Arts school requires finding the best Master. I found the best teacher in the world, he is now a very good friend of mine, but I have moved out of the area and I still need to get back to training. It is not a requirement but hopefully finding the right school for you will also mean finding a good master.

I want to start with defining what this little article is not. You are not going to find a “What is the best martial art” information here. That is a whole other topic that is extremely subjective. I am going to try and look at the subject of finding a martial art school in an objective way. Even though in this guide I will touch on different arts a little bit, it is not meant to be a “how to choose a martial art guide”. To me that is the wrong approach to martial arts. Also this guide is for the beginner that wants to start looking for a local school. If you have your heart set on a style, then find the best teacher regardless of location.

Before you open your phonebook or do a google search for your local schools, before you even go to the first Dojo (common word used for a school in many arts), you need to decide what the focus of your training is going to be. I like to separate training into 3 areas, and that way you can either choose one, or at least use them as a priority list. The 3 areas are:

Self Defense
Fitness
Competition

Why are they separate? Well, in my experience most schools will focus on one of those 3 areas more than the other 2. A well-rounded school will provide them all in some form. The norm will be that a school will emphasize one of these areas and in some cases ignore one all together. I think it is good to find out which one you are more/most interested in. You might ask yourself why isn’t “The art” there as an area of study… and again, if you are looking for a specific art, it is a totally different search. I am by no means implying that the art is not important, but in reality unless you are completely committed to a specific art, or you live in a very large city with every single art available to you, to me it is more important to find the right school than the right art. If finding the right art is your focus I suggest that you find the best teacher in the specific art or style and most likely move to where he/she is.

*Introduction*

Self Defense
The first mistake people make when thinking of or talking about the martial arts subject is thinking it requires you to learn how to kick someone’s butt. In reality the ultimate goal of most martial arts has nothing to do with that, and it is as far away from violence as it can get. If you approach martial arts with violence in mind, you will never be consistent or really achieve the goal of being able to use martial arts to kick someone else’s butt.

The self-defense aspect of martial arts, believe it not, is not taught at all the schools. Some schools will go over it as a topic, but not practice it on a consistent basis. If this aspect is important to you make sure that you ask the school about what self defense techniques they teach, if it is weapon driven (defending against knives, sticks), and how often it is practiced.

Self-defense is most useful when it becomes second nature. Knowing how to react in a dangerous situation is a lot different than being able to do so. It has to almost become a reflex or second nature to perform the moves that are taught. Becoming proficient requires a lot of practice; so even if a school professes self-defense, make sure that it is in fact being practiced at least during each practice session. Make sure that self-defense is practiced towards the end of the lesson when muscles are already warmed up, this will prevent injury.

Fitness
Fitness, yes fitness, martial arts are a fun way to get in shape. Because it is a structured workout it is a lot better for beginners than joining a gym with no trainer supervision in my opinion, also less expensive. Martial arts teachers are good motivators and learning the art requires performing repetitive exercises concentrating on the form of the movement. Repetition builds muscle, which are the bases for fitness. Do keep in mind that some arts do require that you are somewhat in shape before you start while others don’t.

Competition
If you want to compete at a regional, national or international level it is possible, and actually not hard in the Chicago area. The same can be accomplished at any school that promotes it. I think competition is a great compliment to your training, but if you are serious about it you should really pick an art first and then look for a school. TaeKwonDo and Judo are both Olympic sports, if that is the level that you want to reach. Karate has been strong in the US and there are a lot of competitions. Ultimate Fighting and other extreme fighting are growing in popularity as well as schools dedicated solely to this kind of training. Still, a complete school will provide you with the environment to at least test your skills with other students.

Competition even inside the school is important because you are testing your abilities against other humans vs. the air. It is important to learn how it feels to hit and get it. If you never have hit a solid object, even if your form is flawless, you might not be effective if you have to use your skills in real life. Competition is also not just about sparring; there are also competitions for forms, acrobatics, breaking. I think competition builds character and pushes you to be better. Make sure that you examine this carefully at the school that you are going to evaluate.

*Now that you have your priorities straight*

Ok, now that you have sorted out in your head what is important to you, you have done some of the work already. Organized schools in the US are businesses and like such they will all have a sales pitch. If you have your needs in mind, walking in, it is a lot better than if you just sign up at the first place you visit.

Now, a school is only as good as the people in it… not just the master but also the students. When shopping find out what class will you be most likely to attend (depending on your schedule and age) and watch a couple of classes. See the number of attendees, their age and attitude toward the class and instructor.

Depending on what is most important for you, at this point you should have a list of questions for your future master. Here are some sample questions and what area they are important to;

-How often can I come to class? Most schools have classes scheduled for a group that you might fit into; it does not automatically mean you are allowed in. Some schools only allow 2 classes per week, or have tuition tied to the number of times you can attend. (For fitness you should attend class no less than 2 times a week… I recommended at least 3)

-Do I get a chance to spar or practice the techniques I learn with other students? Is there ever full contact? Some schools do not allow any contact at all, some only light contact. IMO, if you want to learn true practical self defense you need to practice with another human, simulating almost real life situations. Also for competition, tournaments are not light contact and people 80% of the time people go all out… if you only practice light contact in class and then go to a tournament be ready for a rude awakening.

-How many students are in my age group? This is very important for all kinds of aspects of the training. It also makes you feel more comfortable during class.

-Is this school part of any association? Find out if the school has events with other local schools, if you have maybe places you can visit. It is not a requirement but it is always good to be a part of a larger organization if you want to join tournaments.

-Who will actually be teaching most of the classes? Sometimes schools have students teach the classes, which is ok if your focus is fitness, but unacceptable for competition training and self-defense. The master of the school should be involved in the teaching even in the beginning stages. Make sure you get to practice with the master of the school at least once a month. Keeping in mind that the students teaching have reached a level of competency and in most schools are very knowledgeable, experience cannot be easily replaced.

These are all sample questions, make up your own list and visit more than one school. Do not hesitate to look into other arts than the one you might have an interest in. For fitness and self defense it is more important to have a good school than what art they actually teach. Also now days many schools teach mixed arts; don’t be turned off by that, even if you are looking for just a specific art. True pure arts are only found in schools from their country of origin, there are counted exceptions but I call a true ‘pure art’ a place where your life revolves completely around the art. Good luck on your quest. I hope this helps out… and if you want to add something to it go ahead… or ask some questions. I will be more than happy to give you my opinions on the subject.

I am a native Spanish speaker, and I speak English with fluency. I also studied French in school for about 4 years but I have lost a lot of that language for lack of practice. I can still read French as well as Italian but it is mostly because of their based in Latin, and their similarity to Spanish. I can say some phrases in Korean, Japanese and Portuguese, but nothing beyond informal conversation. I have studied a little Korean before and it is a language that I would really like to learn. Their alphabet is similar to ours in the sense that the characters represent sounds and not meaning like Chinese or Japanese character sets.

I got into translation and interpretation professionally after college. In reality though after learning English I became my parent’s translator and interpreter in many situations. I did interpretation for a hospital back in Chicago as a volunteer and I have done document translation for agencies around the country. Time does not allow me to do it as much as I used to, but I love doing it. It also requires a lot of practice both in the translation and especially in the interpretation side, so I am probably a little rusty.

An interesting incident, for some reason none come to mind right away. I am trying to think of something funny and I cannot remember anything at all. A lot of the interpretation that I have done has been pretty serious because it has been in a healthcare setting where you are trying to be invisible. You really have to try to make sure that the patient is communicating with the doctor and not with you. You are supposed to be a bridge of communication.

I guess this kind of counts. I used to listen to American music quite a bit before I learned English. I had never understood the lyrics of course, and did not take the time to translate them. I remember one of my Friends from Colombia really liking a song, that I had listened to before but then I listened to it knowing English and to my surprise the song had a lot to do with sex and drug use. I guess it was kind of funny that I used to listen to so much stuff that I had no clue what the heck it was saying.

2) You list several Dan Brown novels as your favorites, including “The DaVinci Code” and “Angels and Demons”. What about Brown’s writing attracts you, and do you read similar novels? Also, in light of reading “Angels and Demons”, how did this past week’s death of the Pope resonate with you?

You have learned good grasshopper, hiding two questions in one. I enjoy Dan Brown quite a bit for the same reason that I enjoy Michael Crichton. They melt fact and fiction together in a very seamless way. When they write, they immerse you in a world that seems very real. I love using my imagination and Brown has transported me to places like Rome or Paris that I have never visited but want to now more so than before I read the books.

The Pope passing has resonated quite a bit with the book. Knowing what conclave means now, and just a lot more about the ceremony and what happens during this difficult time. I feel a little more clued into this situation thanks to the book.

3) Why did you decide to study martial arts, and how do you think this study has helped or otherwise influenced your spiritual life?

Believe it or not I was picked on quite a bit when I was younger. Most of it had to do with my age. I was about 2 years younger than anyone else in my class… something I don’t talk about much and will probably not ever really elaborate on. I wanted to learn Martial Arts as a form of self-defense; not knowing it would be such a different influence in my life.

When I met my teacher, Master Jang, it was an experience I would never forget. He is a charismatic person that is not only full of life but also full of wisdom for his young age. He was not that much older than me, but he already had lived so much. I studied under him for about two years and ever since then I have not been able to find another teacher. He influenced my life more than he probably knows. The coolest thing about it is that he is a friend, not just my teacher. I actually was a groomsman in his wedding.

Martial Arts are based on spiritual beliefs; a lot of their tenants regardless of the art are the same. The one that sticks out the most when I read your question is that TaeKwonDo is a way of life. Any spiritual walk has to be something that is constant, something that perseveres, a way of life.

4) Why did you decide to start a blog?

I have always wanted to have a diary, I also wanted to start writing. I want to some day become a writer, I am not where I need to be with that, but I am working towards reaching that goal. It has also been an emotional outlet, a lot of times not in a literal sense, but sometimes it has been. It has been a very good thing for me in the last couple of years.

A reason that I did not realize until I met Cielo, is that via my blog I was reaching out for understanding in many levels. More levels that just the superficial ones. I am not sure why no one else got that as much as she did, but that is one of the many reasons we are together. She has been reading my blog ever since we met and I love writing with her in mind. I love writing poems in particular.

5) Tell an amusing anecdote from when you and your wife were dating that she would kill you to reveal to the world

Cielo and I are not married yet we should be next year! We are getting close to finalizing details and soon we should have a countdown. I try to keep my personal life out of the blog in many ways, and I really do not like to write about others in my life in a direct way. I know it is weaseling out of the question but it is the truth. I do give her the chance to tell a funny story about me if she wants to