Mud Hero Rocks

This past weekend we had an awesome experience, I was part of a team that participated in Mud Hero, a 6km (with what felt like 2kms vertical traversed as part of that) obstacle course. True to my motto, I sacrificed speed for maximum time in the mud, and staying with other members so that no one would be left behind. We had a large portion of the most active Silent River I Ho Chuan members (8), and a fair number of past members of the team as well, plus a few more affiliated members from the school, 17 in total, plus another 8 that were not old enough to run. A great time was had by all, many of us camped at Gull Lake before and after, for many good memories. The only thing missing was the other I Ho Chuan members who were unable to run showing up to cheer us on or post encouragement, as we crawled through the final mud pit by the finish line. This was a SRKF event, and we have the shirts to prove it. This was a true team  effort and I would like to personally thank Sihing Lowery and Sihing Csilliag for organizing the team sign up, and convincing me that I could actually do this race. You Rock!

Dennis Donohue

Death Racers thumbs up!

Congratulations to the Death Race Team! You 5 did an amazing job. Next weekend, Mud Hero’s. I am off for a few days relaxation and to get some of the jobs around the house done. I am getting constantly reminded by my elbow that it is not healed; it is so easy to just reach out to do something, then get the pain feedback. My chiropractor says it is a bit of tendonitis. Due to this, my numbers are way down, with no pushups until I get some healing. Hopefully I will be able to function for the Mud Hero’s event, I may have to pass on some of the obstacles, or at least take the easier option. 

I was recently involved in a facebook conversation regarding someone being against a pipeline for the tarsands, because an unidentified group, (the Royal “We”) presumably the Canadian Government, and or Canadian Society, should be instead promoting Green Energy and solar panels as a goal. Now these are all lofty goals, which I share, but what does the opposition to a pipeline really have to do with them? Now I may have been influenced by concurrently reading the ArchDruidReport, and attendant comments, so I am biased on this subject. I have been active in the solar energy field for over a decade, and have invested a considerable amount of time and money in trying to walk the talk. When someone tries to conflate two items, such as Tar Sands & pipelines bad, solar panels good, with no real connection between how stopping one will lead to improvements in the other, I get ornery. If it was a case of there are X many million dollars that can be spent on either oil sands or solar energy and conservation, but not both, it would be a different story. The funding and permissions required for the two are only very indirectly related, and have completely different drivers. Green jobs, solar panels and conservation are all domestic issues, and could use much better legislation, but require a change in general attitudes more than funding increases that benefit fly-by-night operators. The oil (or tar) sands are a different story. This is all about exports, and keeping the 900lb gorilla to the south of us happy (be careful, or they will drop a few hundred tons of high explosive “democracy” on you). Shipping crude oil out and importing finished product is another matter, which revolves around the economics of building new refining capacity in North America when there is already more than required, just in inconvenient places, is another subject. 

So what has any of this have to do with Kung Fu? For me, it is all about whether you actually go out and do something to change your world, or just sit and gripe. I may not be the fastest progressing student at Silent River, but I am doing something about what my goals are.