Mind matters

As I wrote yesterday, went to bed rather late. I think I fell asleep around 2.30 am. I slept very heavily until suddenly the lights were turned on. It was sensei, Lars-Göran, he wondered if we were going to train this morning. I jumped out of my bed and asked what time it was. “Rapidly nearing 7.30 am”, he responded. In 3 minutes me, Claes and Patrik had changed into our gi’s and were standing outside! One of the fastest changes into training gear I’ve done.

The morning training was bokken (wooden sword) and we were outside, in the parking lot in front of sensei’s house. We trained there since the grass was still wet. When we started the training we were still missing one person. It was Zafer. He sleeps in a youth hostel 2 miles from the dojo and usually arrives running a couple of minutes before morning training.

He was also one of the tobans for today! He arrived running at 9 am. He had overslept since he had forgot to set the alarm clock.

For lunch we had home made pizza! Delicious! The feeding of Mika does indeed continue… Everyone but me, who had my stomach stuffed with pizza, ate the rest of yesterdays apple pie for desert.

During the daytime we’ve done a couple of chores like fastening more panel to the walls above the dojo, weeding the garden and brushing old paint of one of the outer walls. I like doing chores like this! It’s much more fun to work with my hands, instead of sitting infront of a computer all day long.

Besides chores we have been playing a game named ‘the plutt game’ (plutt-leken). It’s a game that was introduced to uchi deshi’s last year by Olle from my club. The rule is that if someone says your name and you answer it with ‘yes’, the person saying your name gets to say ‘plutt’, which means he’s won a plutt. It sounds pretty silly, and it is, but it’s fantastic how enthusiastic people get once they start doing it! Suddenly a sense of prestige arises in not being plutt:ed. I’ve been plutt:ed several times today. By sneaky questions like:

Patrik (raising a hand for a shomen uchi): “Are you ready, Mika?”
Mika: “Yes!”
Patrik: “Plutt!”

Besides chores and plutt:ing, we trained two more hours in the afternoon. This time outside and with jo. We did roku no jo, and several exercises preparing for kumijo. We did kumijo 13 to 31 today.

Afterwards we drove to a sauna near the lake Fryken. It’s a wood fueled one. A very nice one! Then we ordered food from the china restaurant in Torsby and feated on chicken with pineapple and other nice dishes. Then we drank some beer (not me, since I drove one of the cars), and swam in the lake.

Todays words in Värmlands-dialect:

• Göra - mud
• Höl - Hole

Here are some pictures from todays adventures.

This is what’s left of 3 kg candy. We had almost eaten everything yesterday already! Scary!

Me posing with a ladder. It’s a lot easier than it doesn’t look.

I’m working under cover, as a bio sanitation agent in… eh, or I’m just using a broom to try to dust off all the old red paint from the wall.

Patrik is watching me ranting on about why the key doesn’t fit into the lock at the sauna! Martina is not happy about being in another picture

Zafer, Karin (sensei’s daughter, who trains with us during this week. She was supposed to train with us as a regular uchi deshi the whole week, but her work doesn’t permit it), Claes and Maria are waiting the arrival of the proper key for the sauna.

Me and Martina try to get the fire going in the sauna. I love the smell of burning wood. Mmm!

Patrik has obviously been annoying again as Maria saw it fit to punish him!

The lake Fryken.

Now it’s 00.30 am. Time for bed! This time I’ll be sure to set my alarm!

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