Andy's Blog

I finally managed to get the boys to a Kancho Sullivan seminar, just us and 600+ others. Very intimate.

Twas a wee bit of a rush in all honesty, as my Saturday class in Irthlingborough didn’t finish until just after 12noon and we had to be in Nottingham by 1.30pm to sign in!  If anyone asks how we managed to do 80 miles in less than an hour and a half, just tell them we stuck to the speed limit of 70mph; admittedly the fast version of 70mph rather than the slow version… Officer!

It’s always a thrill to be in a hall with so many people all moving in unison to the count and being taught by the founder of our particular brand of karate.  It’s also somewhat cool to see Kancho, who’s in his 60′s, manage to beat a various age range of 2nd Dan Black Belts in Kumite one after the other.  ”VERY cool” as my youngest crowed after the Seminar.. I just hope I can be that nimble at that age!

Also, in the good news stakes, I managed to progress a grade!  So I have now managed to half achieve one of my New Years Resolutions.  I think getting the second grading under my belt, or on my belt… whatever… may be a tad more difficult, but stretch goals are the order of the day.

Next up is another tournament in Birmingham, on 6th June, complete with the boys (their first) which should be fun.  Pics and postings will be forthcoming.

Songs have a powerful influence on all of us and we choose our own soundtrack to reflect that which we feel important, highlighting defining periods in our lives.  Revisiting those audible monuments does sometimes give you pause to reflect and wonder at what was, could have been, will be..

Listening to “Again”, by Archive, and appreciating the lyrics as well as the mood generated by the music.  I am an absolute sucker for guitar and drum heavy music, and as blogged about not so long ago, this one still has the ability to give pause.

“..now you get me down” to complete the lyrics began in this posts title.

Good times, bad times, shameful times, and those times where you shone beyond yours, and others, expectations; all are, or should be, encapsulated within their own musical punctuation, usually via an artist or group that seemed to talk to you specifically during that period of your life.

I can’t change those times, I can only revisit them and reflect on the person that they helped develop for better or worse.

I now find myself in the position where I am seeing the seeds of this process starting to develop in my two young boys.  Both of them, and more so the youngest, are beginning to develop their own musical tastes and creating their own ‘audible monuments’ as they grow ever upwards physically and emotionally.

I do wonder how their own internal playlist will sound, and also whether my own musical tastes will influence them as they grow.  We can only watch… and listen…