OOUUUUCH!

Been along time...seems like a lot of my posts start that way....but heck, its been hot and I`ve been busy-ish.

Just got out of the dentist chair this evening.　Went in last week and he routed out about three of my teeth because they happened to be touching. I was supposed to get fillings or caps or whatever put in the gaping wound in my jaw today, but after twenty minutes of prying on what`s left of my molars, he decided that they had mis-cast one of the caps, and now I have to go back in two weeks to get the other. Yay. And you wonder why people hate the dentist.

Other than oral agony, ther has been a bit of news since July. First and foremost, the trip back to the States in August was wonderful. To everyone we saw, a true deep and heartfelt thanks goes out. K had a wonderful time meeting you and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing you again. I can report that the namesake of this blog is alive and well and quite a bit thinner than when last we met...lurking in the basement is doing wonders for him.

Speaking of that basement, an extra special thank you goes out to Uncle Richard for putting us all up and for putting up with all of us. Thank you thank you thank you.

We did have a blast though. K has taken to wine in a big way after hitting the wineries in Virginia, and is eager to go back to Tennessee, and to visit the donkey out in Alabama. Who`da thunk it...the girl who never owned a pair of shorts before this trip has taken to life in the rural south....a testament to the fine folks down there.

Back in the school groove here...not much is new on that front. The kids have been practicing relentlessly for the big sports day they had last weekend, so I`ve mostly just been watching them marching to ad fro. This week was my first kinda real week of actually teaching. I`m tired.

I`ve also taken up Judo. I have a Canadian friend here in the LotRS who just happens to be a martial arts enthusiast, has a 2nd degree black belt in judo, and has offered to show me the ropes, as it were. It is a heckuva workout, and fun on top of that...and very pragmatic. No high-kicking wannabe ninja type stuff...more like wrestling blended with a bit of tai-chi. Its all about balance, and falling down. Alot. That in fact was the entirety of my first lesson. If you can`t fall down correctly, you`re gonna get hurt, and if you get hurt on your first day, you`ll probably walk away from the sport (or limp away) with a bad taste in your mouth. I`ve gotten better at falling.

Other than that, I`ve managed to successfully stand up wakeboarding, and had my great white butt towed all over the bay. It was almost as fun as it was terrifying. Got me a nice case of swimmer`s itch in the process (google it, it rocks!). K and her father were extremely proud of me...I think I prefer judo, tho. We`ll see though. I`ve got judo on Saturday night, and then we`re headed out on the water Sunday afternoon.

I`m gonna leave it at that for tonite. Look for a report on the school sports festival here in a few days.