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Part 2:

So as most of you know, every couple of weeks I visit a different Church (either in Long Island or Staten Island) and I try to choose a denomination that I haven’t visited before.  I have been meaning to branch out to other religions and had a friend from Law School take me to a Synagogue service.  She is Orthodox but the service she took me to was a Conservative Service.  It was very interesting.  The service was extremely long in comparison to a Christian Service.  It can last from 9am – Noonish.  There was praying and reading of the Torah in Hebrew, but overall I actually enjoyed it.  I felt that there was more of a connection between the congregation there than I generally feel exists in most churches.  My friend didn’t enjoy the service so much because the views that were being shared did not conform to her Orthodox beliefs so we left a little early.  I would like to attend a Reform service and also an Orthodox service to see what they are like.

I once again have internet access!  I purchased a Linksys Wireless Range Expander.  It is a devise that has a nice little antenna and plugs right into the wall, was very easy to set up and has now given me internet once again by expanding the range of my wireless connection, thereby allowing me to connect to someone else’s wonderful internet connection   I calculated it out, if I maintain my free access for two and a half months then the devise has more than paid for itself in what paying for internet access from my cable company would have cost me.

It appears that my free internet access is gone.  Gone on Thanksgiving.  So thank you to whoever it was that has been providing me free internet access for a year now, and FU for taking it away

The first childhood game that comes to mind for me is a version of ManHunt.  In jr. high school my friends and I would play the game during our lunch hour.  It is a hide and seek type of game which consisted of two teams.  One team would seek and the other hide.  If someone was caught (by a seeker holding on to them and saying "Manhunt 1-2-3") then that hider would have to go to a base/jail in which they had to stay unless one of the other teammates ran into the jail and tagged their captured teammates, and thereby freeing them.  Usually there were one or more seekers guarding the jail.  We usually had quite a few people playing which made it a pretty challenging game that took up our whole lunch period.  Our school yard was very large and there were so many kids out there that it made it a wonderful environment to play the game (plenty of places to hide/blend in and plenty of space to run around).  I was one of the faster kids so it made the game all the more enjoyable.  There was nothing like the feeling of being the last person left on your team and managing to get by every one else on the opposing team to free all your teammates

Yes.  However, as an exception, if both parties voluntarily participate in such an arrangement then I have no issue with it.  Life is a gift and we should be able to choose who we wish to spend the rest of our lives with.  To take away a person’s choice to do so is beyond horrible in my opinion.  Everyone should be able to follow their heart towards love and not have a marriage thrust upon them, stripping them of the ability to choose who they wish to live with, be intimiate with, make love with, have children with, and to grow old with.

I lost both matches in the martial arts tournament on Saturday. 

The first match, which was no-gi (competitors wear nothing but shorts), I lost on points.  The second match, with gi (competitors wear the martial arts uniform) I lost by arm bar.  The next tournament will be in April.  I will most likely be a green belt at that time and will have to move up in skill level, which will pose a significant challenge for me. 

The problem arises in the differences between Japanese and Brazilian styles of Jujutsu.  The Brazilian style focuses almost exclusively on the ground game (which is where the tournament matches are won and consists of grappling, mat holds, ground submissions/joint locks and strangulations), while the Japanese style I study is a complete martial art that focuses on stand up fighting, judo throws, and self-defense.  Because the Japanese focus is broader, my 2 years spent training leaves me nowhere near as able in my ground game as a Brazilian Jujutsu practitioner who has been training for 2 years.  Their ground game will be significantly better, leaving me at a tremendous disadvantage, thus my four tournament losses to date and probably many more to come until I reach a level of proficiency where I will just be able to compete effectively.

As a result it looks like it will be some time before I compete in a Mixed Martial Arts match.  No sense getting the snot knocked out of me before I’m ready

No.  I do not support capital punishment.  I believe that if a person did indeed commit the crime they have been convicted of then they should have to live out the remainder of their life knowing that they are being punished for that crime.  I also believe prison life should be tough and should fit the crime.