Boxing Them In

Although i like to think I'm open minded individual,and don't believe in stereotypes; It was very interesting this evening to find out what the boxers talk about when drinking. I don't know why i think that boxers are beyond cool, always, as i realised tonight they are just normal people.

The two subjects predominantly covered in conversation at the pub tonight were:
1) Internet dating.
2) Crap TV.

I cant believe that these are normal topics. but both were well received and everyone, but me, felt able (AND WILLING) to make comments. It seems a real shame that good looking, fit and healthy, fun people cannot find partners in real life and have had to resort to the numerous Internet sites to sell themselves. What happened to the eye contact, the gut feelings, and good old body language. Its like we are doing away with the old fashioned flirting, which would get you comfortably past the awkward clashes of personality and interests until you find the common ground you do have. If you start off on the Internet choosing all that you have in common, surely all else there is to find out when you meet are the things you disagree about!?

And as for crap TV, i am not immune to this, i like my share, but i naively thought all people agreed that it is noble and good to try to cut down on TV watching, knowing that its as important as world peace, no? Taking up other activities and to be able to happily declare dismissively- 'oh, I'm too busy out having fun to watch TV' is vital. But no, IT IS OK TO WATCH TV!! yippee. However, i could not join in, as I'm currently too busy to watch TV apart from the quality Neighbours, Skins, The Inbetweeners, Scrubs, Project Runway, etc, etc, etc.

I returned home and realised that i cannot handle one beer after training, as i then experienced a WW3 style battle trying to 'cook' and eat my dinner. There follows a list of 'Things that it is not good to do once having a Sol after doing boxing circuits':
a) pick up boiling pans with your jumper pulled over your hand with the thought that this will be sufficient to protect it from the hot metal,
b) decide that everything is cooked very shortly after putting it on because you are bored and don't want to stand up anymore,
c) despite knowing that you are wearing a top, white enough to be on a Daz advert, continue to eat with a plate halfway down your front which obviously means that the top gets ruined.

I've got Plank!

I won my first ever prize. Sure i passed my driving test (third time lucky) and got a medal in the 5k race for life.[- wouldnt it be great if this actually was a race for life! The loser loses their life! haha. I'd certainly have run faster. But in the great collective inclusive world that Breastcancer fundraising is, we all got medals- despite the fact that i proudly over took several other peoples girlfriends and relatives on my final sprint for the finish line with XSS chearing me on.] I am uber competative, if i am not the first one to finish my dinner, then i make sure that i win the prize for cleanest plate!

So anyways, i won the Jeremy Plank Award for Heart at Kickboxing today. It goes to someone different each month, so i dont get to keep it for ever, but here is my recording of it:

The Jeremy Plank award, i think i'm supposed to be the one on the right, but its not very accurate as my shorts dont look anything like that in real life.

I am dead proud. As proud as the kid who gets chosen to take home the class hamster for the holidays! I am not a good kickboxer, but at least i now know that my coach notices that i try.

P.S heres one of me showing off to my friends later that night.

I Love Boxing Day

I am a kickboxer at heart. I'm not sure fighting is agreed with in the bible, but i certainly like to fight. Not to inflict pain, but to harness a skill and be able to be in complete control of a situation. It doesn't happen much in this world. Even if you get hit, your head is already thinking about where you might strike next. In your mind you never lose, just the timer stops you before you got a handle on that fight.

I go boxing near London Bridge and love it, and hate it.

It is so confusing, everything is very mixed up in gender issues, my social awkwardness and wanting to belong. Contact sport always makes gender difficult and although it is infantile, no man in my boxing class can approach me and ask to be my partner (even if there are no more men to pair up with) because it'll look like they fancy me, and for the same reason i cant cross the divide and ask any bloke either, they'll just look at the floor. Even though i am better than some of the guys so it would be a more logical pairing. So all that happens is i awkwardly approach the middle of the floor and stand there all alone until our coach, Q, identifies the unpaired man, and points out the obvious- this is your partner here.

One of the good things about my group is that from the word go we are expected to fit in, if your new you don't do less push-ups. However this also means that you never (or always) get to a stage where you feel like you've managed to get so far that you fit in.



Q, has issued us shirts and remarks on his blog that it has improved the standard of our class, and he feels people are putting more effort in now. But what he fails to notice is that perhaps this change is not related to us, but to his attitude towards us now he feels like we belong to his group.

Above is Lisa Brown, who has in my opinion an ideal body- how women should be, strong, able and natural. Its not about having perfect hair, but being estatic with yourself. Nothing sexier than sweaty people with scruffy hair who are having fun.

Right is another female boxer, i forget her name, who is estatic with herself but is not sexy as her hair isnt messed up and she is not sweating.

Its ugly isnt it?