Links
Jul
14
The Library
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Not too many people have a built in library in their house—I do—it just happens to have a toilet in it. My kids affectionately call it “Dad’s bathroom.” It’s down in the basement, dark and lonely—a paradise of solitude. They don’t realize it’s actually a library filled with great books—it’s a sanctuary in my own [...]
Jul
14
GYST
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GYST is something I tell myself when I’m not doing what I’m supposed to be doing—basically when I’m screwing up. GYST is an acronym for Get Your Shit Together. I think that would make a good T-shirt. When I first started West Side I was constantly saying that to myself: “Come on Mark, get your [...]
Jul
13
The Sign of Fearlessness
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Mice, I’ve sent many of them to their graves by dropping them into aquariums inhabited by snakes. I guess some people feel sad about that, but pet snakes have to eat, and they don’t eat lettuce. I have a mouse over my eye, I got him tonight while I was rolling; he’s a cute little [...]
Jul
12
Two-Sword Style
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Okay, I’m going to do a couple of posts about Musashi (the novel about a samurai I just finished reading) so please bear with me. At one point in the book Musashi finds himself subconsciously employing two swords in a battle where he was out numbered. He holds off his enemies long enough to escape. [...]
Jul
11
A Thousand Thank Yous
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. . . I finally finished the book Musashi. I dug it. It actually has given me a bunch of things to write about—ideas, and good ones. One of the characters in the book is a cantankerous old lady who is bent on revenge. She writes a thousand sutras on parenthood which she plans on [...]
Jul
9
Nancy Swertfeger: An Amazing Lady
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Why do we collect so much shit? (Excuse my language, but “shit” is the only word that will work here). Why? Weren’t we a nomadic people once? I cleaned out one of the storages in my house today; it was like a Herculean task; it was like slaying a hydra—once I carried a box to [...]
Jul
7
A Mark of Devotion
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This morning I traveled to visit my friend Jake, who started a tattoo that has been a long time in coming. For the last twelve years I have been studying Brazilian jiu-jitsu—I am devoted to it. In those twelve years I’ve never gotten a jiu-jitsu tattoo. Well today was the day. I know there are [...]
Jul
7
Back From Bear Lake
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I’m back from a little family vacation. Getting away is a must—it’s helps the mind—at least mine. I’m leaving for California in a couple weeks to visit my sisters—going back to the West Side where I was born and raised. I haven’t been back in years. I heard Ralph Gracie has a school in my [...]
Jul
3
I’ll Be Back in Three Days
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This weekend I will be immersed in the warm sunshine and freezing water of Bear Lake. My kids will get sun burned and I will eat too many roasted marshmallows. I will contemplate the future of West Side and relax with my wife. I will miss jiu-jitsu and the school, but I will return revitalized [...]
Jul
2
Self-Doubt
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Self-doubt, it’s sneaky, it comes in a whisper; it tells us we can’t, when we haven’t really tried. My self- doubt can shut the hell up, because I won’t listen. I was seduced by it when I was younger, but now I know its tricks; it’s persistent, but I can’t afford to give it power. [...]
