Schedules

Schedules I hate them with a passion. I love the feeling of not knowing what is going to happen next just going with the flow this is fast becoming a problem though. If I want to get through my UBBT goals I am going to have to make at least a rough schedule. This has been made evident during Christmas where instead of training I ate lots of food and lazed around the house. This was to be somewhat expected after all getting any time to relax at Christmas is kind of a miracle itself, but with proper planning who knows how much more training I could have gotten in.

So onto making myself a schedule otherwise I know that I will drop the ball on something

Craig Janzen . Silent River Kung Fu . Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Fuel For Thought

"Music has always been a matter of Energy to me, a question of Fuel. Sentimental people call it Inspiration, but what they really mean is Fuel. I have always needed Fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio.
-Hunter S Thompson-

It was bag class last week and if your wondering what Hunter S Thompson and bag class have in common it's music. Bag classes always leave me dead tired and in need of a good shower by the end of them. Usually by about half way through them I'm feeling like I have nothing to give but then the right song comes on, something high energy and fast, and my body seems to ignore that my brain is saying I have nothing left to give. From seemingly nowhere new energy flows through me and I am able push myself to a new level.

Music has the same effect for almost every other aspect of my life whether it is design, photography, driving, reading or even training if ever I feel that I am not able to keep going I find a good song turn it up and push on through. I cannot explain how or why this works though I assume that it is mostly a reaction to beats and rhythm affecting on a primal level but knowing that it works will be a strong tool in helping me train.

Oh and for the record I used to hate bag classes but now I enjoy them. They are a great way for me to see how far away I am from where I want to be while being an instrument in acheiving my goals

Craig Janzen . Silent River Kung Fu . Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

Christmas is the season to give

This weekend was marked the second annual Help Portrait day. Help Portrait for those who are unaware of it much as I was up until last Tuesday is is an international event were photographers gather and volunteer their time to take portraits for individuals who would normally not be able to afford such a service. On hand also are hair and make-up to help make the individuals look and feel their best.

Originally I had not volunteered to help in fact if it wasn't for my girlfriend being involved I would not have even known it was taking place, but she did volunteer which meant that I was volunteering. It was a bit of a balancing act with my schedule that day since that was the only free day I had for Christmas shopping but I managed to get most of that done and be back to help edit photos.

The best part about the day was seeing all the people walk out with prints that they would be able to share with their families. It was surprising to see how something so little as getting a portrait or a family picture taken could bring so much joy which is when I realized that being a photographer I tend to take this for granted. Overall the day was very fulfilling and I know that everyone involved took home something from the experience.

Craig Janzen . Silent River Kung Fu . Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada

a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

So as I sit here on my lunch break and enjoy my soup I've decided that now is the perfect time to take the first step of my journey and post my first blog entry. I've thought a lot about what is required of me to get through the UBBT hopefully in one piece. The biggest thing is keeping in touch with my team which after reading through blogs from my teammates seems to be what others feel too.

I look forward to growing with all of you and getting to know each of you better.

But now I should get back to work since my break is done (this post took a long time to write due to me starting over several times.

Craig Janzen . Silent River Kung Fu . Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada