How are you dealing with lock-down during this crisis?

I am wondering what some of us are doing to cope with being on lock-down -- those of us who are; that is. In relative terms I have got it easy. I read a great deal and I am an artist . . . as in painting and carving. One of my very old interests, however, is the martial arts.

I began studying and training back in 1975, and I never entirely stopped. Over the years a severely damaged neck forced me out of serious training in the hard stuff (the external arts) and into the soft stuff (the internal arts). So about thirty years ago I gave up Karate and TaeKwonDo for Tai Chi Chuan (taijiquan) and Bagua. But about five years ago my freaking knees quit on me. Bummer. Actually the knees only hurt when I have been practicing any sort of martial arts form for about a week. Then they hurt for about two weeks after I have stopped; but right now I just don't care. Today I began training again . . . and training in the hard stuff, the external arts . . . Karate; Shotokan style to be exact . . . or well, the blackbelt level katas (forms or fighting patterns) anyway.

Today I took one of my instruction manuals and matched it to a youtube instructional video and relearned the first half of the Bassi Dai form or kata. In English it translates to Storming the Fortress. It's a fast and powerful form that when done correctly is supposed to convince a viewer that you are indeed trying to storm a fortress. The last previous time I practiced this form was about ten years ago when I carefully tried to knock off some rust from my kata repertoire before dipping back into the practice of tai chi. The interesting bit for me today? I did manage to relearn the first half of this form and my blocks and strikes were fast and powerful and my stances were pretty good. I didn't expect that. I suspect that years of tai chi practice made me intuitively understand better how the hard stuff should ideally be executed during training sessions. But that's just a guess.

So my current goal is to relearn about ten blackbelt level forms -- depending on how much pain I can take and ignore from my knees. When my body finally shuts me down in that regard I just may try my hand at painting a portrait. We shall see.

So I'm wondering what the rest of us are doing to pass the time nowadays. Go on . . . tell your tale.

 

I'm an alcoholic now

 

Reading, working out, taking the dog for loooong walks. Spending a lot of time with the family playing table tennis. I am going to look for an online PHD program that is affordable. I think this is a great time to write.... Did I forget to mention drinking tequila?

 

Once upon a time I was a pretty active gamer. My renewed interest takes up some of the slack.

 

Working and making lots of whoopee.

She's 21, gorgeous, has a body to die for, and we have nothing better to do than screw and watch Netflix. I am so hating this.

 

We've been on powdered milk 2-1/2 weeks. My wife hates it. I can tolerate it. She tried to sneak to her car yesterday but I caught her. Where you going? To Walmart and get a real gallon of milk. You willing to die for that gallon of milk? I'm not. You ain't.

 

I got plants and seed for my garden, some air line for my pond bubbler. Be doing gardening, woodworking, and working on my pond. Need one more thing.

 

I am very lonely. My loneliness crisis began in 2008. Now everything is much much worse.

 

Ah ha! A traditionalist when it comes to isolation. Gotta love the classics!

 

Wonderful. There's a great deal of fun to be had rediscovering family interests as well as doing one's own thing. For myself, I have watched all the old television shows and movies that I can stand for a while.

 

I always enjoyed first person shooter games, but I also always used cheat codes because I am impatient as heck when it comes to gaming.

 

Building another reverse trike. The deck.

 

seconded.

 

As far as knees.I started showing signs of knee problems in the
90's.I knew eventually I would.Having Played basketball into my
early 30's.Plus I jogged for around 8 years.
I started taking MoveFree { supplement one can easily get at Wal*Mart }
about 20 years ago.It began working { takes at least 2 weeks of
higher dosage called loading }.Then just one pill a day with a meal.
I seldom miss a daily pill.It seems like when I have { usually once or twice
a year } I have problems with mild soreness in some joint.
So I swear by MoveFree { Schiff } which contains Glucosamine and
Chondroitin plus MSM & Vitamin D3,
It's a Joint Health supplement.My Older brother who is wealthy and
gave up entirely any exercise as soon as he went to college and
became a beer guzzler,is 3 years older than me.He looks much older.
Lost his hair and slouches.He pooh-poohed his knee problem till
it was too late.This was around 4 years ago.He required a full knee
replacement.On one knee than the other.He waited too long till he
had bone on bone issues.He doesn't believe in Doctor visits
{ I don't either unless I have to } and doesn't take supplements.
He's such a prick If I had told him years ago to take MoveFree he wouldn't
just to spite me.

 

Oh yes, and drinking lots of beer! Fixing to out to my "office" and get to work!

 

Organizing the homestead. Resting.

 

I caught the Hoffbraü virus

 

We're under lockdown since three weeks ago in France.

At first, it was fine, but after a few days, I ended to just spend time on the internet. I started back to be more active a few days ago. I put myself some limits on the internet, and decided to go more early.

 

See my other pic in post 15.
This will be two fold. My wife is an above knee amputee and stroke survivor. It will be for me to pedal her on a seat similar to this other one I built for a disabled teen. I am making brackets to also make this seat removable if I just need to haul stuff.

 

What would the World do without a Hafbrau House in virtually
every country and every state in the U.S.

 

Gee I dunno.That could be an issue.I mean,you may miss the toilet
entirely.Or end up using a bucket instead of a washing machine.
Soiled skivvies are not meant for a washing machine any more than
leaving a good size piece of licorice in one's pants.
My advice { free of charge } is to try Going later.Dat poop will
just have to learn to hold itself.

 

I don't know if it's just a joke or the truth, but in case it's the later, good luck with that.

 

I mean to wake up more early.

 

As you are finding, as the years progress, the body will let you know how much it appreciated all the abuse from punching, kicking, board breaking, taking blows etc etc etc.
Same with gymnasts. Tons of joint problems later in life....especially the knees and hips.
You may find that a good pepper spray and a concealed carry license may be more effective (and doable) at self defense as the years roll on than all that training in earlier years.
btdt

 

Actually only 6 in the united states, but 4 within a few hours drive from me.
The on site brewing is controlled from Munich but all of the bottled stuff is imported from Munich.
The brewery is something like 450 years old.

Nothing like a Bavarian Helles Lager!