Minding Ones' Feet

So, first off, what the hell is this blog?

Two things:

It is a cronocle of an intentional transformation, pushing myself beyond what I have in the past.  Not just physically, but also in my chosen careers.  My intention is to be stronger on every front by this time next year.

It is also, accountability.  Holding me to my goals, publicly, and with myself.
 
Background:

I started all this back when I was barely in the first grade.  My brother was an instructor at a local school, and I wanted to do everything he did.  Even got a buzz cut, can you imagine?

Loved it, but mostly I loved the weapons.  As far as I saw it; anyone can learn to slug it out, but to learn how to use a blade?  That was an adventure in the making.  So I tried learning, as well as any seven year old can, and "practiced" as often as I could. 

First time I saw men in armor, was a Renn Faire, where I watched a villain character in purple and black, kill a man.  Won't lie, took an hour to convince me he didn't actually murder him in the dirt.  I remember thinking to myself "I need to do this." 

So, I kept on training, tried learning different styles as well, to further hone my abilities.  I even started working at Renn Faires myself, just to fight more people. 

Eventually, joined up with the SCA to do heavy list, which... I did not do well at.  Wrong art, none of my skill translated.  Fencing, however, was my shit. 







I'm never more comfortable than with a sword in my hand, it's how I feel most like myself.  Before I could drive, I could hold my own against grown men with twice my lifetime in experience.  It is who I am.


So, I've always struggled with weight, more so, keeping it on.  It has been a lifelong issue, along with stomach problems.  To help fix these issues, I've started Herbalife, a nutrition meal plan, and so far the results have been good.

I've also started training at the Knights Hall, to eventually join their ACL group, and fight along side them. Actually paying the gym fees with Herbalife!  So, that's neat.

There's no real poignant start to this blog, it's just my honest feelings as me, a mad man with a sword.

So, weekly updates, along with measurements and pictures!  Because this isn't just a hobby, this is a life I have grown through, and grown into.  I do not play the swordsman on the weekend.

During the week, I play the civilized man.

"Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a raver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandaled feet."