Bourne Again

No, I am not referring to the Unix shell, but rather the awesome, confused,
undercover CIA agent Jason Bourne who kicks some serious @$$ on-screen.
Inspired by the character, Paul and I decided we should start training to
become as lethal as he is. First we started by doing push-ups. That lasted
about a day - but is something that we aspire to do more of.

Conveniently, I had been thinking about looking for martial arts studios in the
Bronx to train me how to protect myself in case I get jumped at 2:00am walking
home some night (which is highly likely, since I'm so white that I glow in the
dark. Actually, my hood is not that bad, but it could happen. Just like it
could
happen anywhere in NYC! ;o). Sure enough, I found a Gracie Jiu Jitsu studio
just a few subway stops *north* of where I live!! This is the martial art that
I've wanted to learn anyway because it seems most practical for street tussles.
Plus all the UFC and Pride FC champions usually know it.

So last night Paul and I trucked it up-town (MORE uptown, almost to the end of
the 6-Subway line) for a free lesson. It was pretty awesome, we learned how to
break someone's wrist quite easily, how to escape from someone grabbing us by
the throat, and a few other techniques as part of the Self-Defense track. It
was pretty awesome and I think I'm going to sign up for the course while I'm
living in the Bronx to get some exercise and get some physical self-confidence
while living outside of my comfort zone.

On a completely un-related topic, I have something to share with the ladies
among the crowd about unusual things I have noticed in the men's room that I
share with a few hundred people at work. No, I'm not talking about Larry
Craig-esque activities (whatever they were). It's more about urinating
techniques that are impossible to avoid noticing. I've observed the following:

1.) Men often *spit* into the urinal while utilizing it. Ummm, why?
2.) Men often squat when zipping up their zipper. Ummm, odd?
3.) Hand positioning. Some men put on hand on their hip and aim with the other
hand. I find this far too casual. Some men put one hand above them and against
the wall and hold themselves at an angle to the wall. It looks like you're
going to collapse if you can't go to the bathroom. Ummm, ok.
3.) A certain percentage of the population corner themselves into the urinal
when using it. Ummm, there are partitions between you and the guy next to you,
so why?
4.) A certain percentage of the population refuses to use urinals and use the
toilets. Ummm, you hate the environment and don't realize that the world is
running out of fresh water, so you need 5 gallons of water to wash down this
morning's cup of coffee?
5.) Men often urinate into the small pool of water at the bottom of the urinal
(rather than at an angle against the porcelain), causing a not-like-a-waterfall
noise and a back-splash that may contaminate the floor. Ummm, why would you do
this?

J. Riley, just some interesting observations that I think about blogging about
every time I go to the bathroom. P.S. I'm going to the Dominican Republic
tomorrow morning!!!