navajo sand painting

Last night I attended a wonderful event that I wound up participating in to a greater extent than I had planned. The setup is this: a battle between two groups of musicians who share a rich trove of instruments in an effort to improvise life into song titles as provided by an mc. Points are awarded based upon crowd response which is ostensibly related to how well the performances reflect/convey the spirit of the song titles. I initially attended with the intention of watching and having a good time. Turns out I was able to socialize a bit and get involved in the competition/playing when one of the musicians who had been scheduled to arrive didn't show. What a splendid twist of fate. Yes, I was out later than I had planned (much to the worry of the missus), but I also had a splendid time dusting off my chops and getting in to the zone and teaching the uninitiated the changes to 'hotel california.' The battle ended in a tie score and a big jam involving members from both teams. (You won if you had fun.)

Earlier in the evening, I attended a kung fu sparring class. More than half way through the class, Sifu offers to test students for rank on the spot. Turns out I was the only taker. In addition to what I had expected (demonstrating stances, punches, kicks, etc.), there was also the physical conditioning test. How many pushups can you do in one minute, especially after the sparring class and the first half of the test? How many squats can you do--period? (92 before my vision began to fade...) And, of course, situps in a minute and flexibility tests (with a measuring tape, no less). I pushed myself and it felt great. As one might expect, I am rather sore today.