PA's 40 Before 40

Japan was simply amazing, and we can't wait to go back (so I can buy all the calligraphy brushes our suitcases can carry), and we were lucky enough to be able to check off one of these three items while we were there! In Fukuoka, we managed to attend one of the six annual sumo tournaments, and it was a wonderful experience! Since then, I've been reading " Hinomaru Zumou ", a manga about sumo wrestling, and our attendance to the Fukuoka tournament has helped me put so much of it into context! Hopefully we're able to attend another tournament next time, or maybe a stage of a regional tour somewhere!

Lauren and I took a class in Tokyo, and I simply loved it! So much so that as soon as we came back, I started practicing, and I haven't stopped since then! It's relaxing, it's helping me express an artistic side I didn't know I had, it helps me learn about Japanese culture, and it's now one of my favorite things to do! If you're curious about my work, I post it all on Instagram !

I had always been interesting in fencing (albeit mostly every 4 years, during the Olympics), and somehow I had never really thought of trying it myself... Well now I did! And... it was okay. I liked the emphasis on footwork, and learning different techniques (although I only took a one hour class, I still learned a few of them), but overall it wasn't that fun. Plus I felt SO HOT wearing the equipment, and the gym is so far from home, that I don't think I'll try again. One interesting thing though is that the intensity of the spars reminded me a lot of fighting games! Similar duel-type battle, same mind games at play, the importance of managing the distance, that made it fun!

The pandemic has obviously been an issue for a number of my goals, but I still managed to sneak up one (half) round of golf before the world started to fall apart! While visiting Lauren's parents in Knoxville, I took the opportunity of the fact that their neighborhood includes a golf course to try it again!  Unsurprisingly, I sucked pretty bad, but it was still fun, and I'm looking forward to play again! 

Starting to catch up on this blog, and I'm realizing that I've accomplished (or worked on) a bunch of goals since the last time I posted! First off, scuba diving! Lauren and I finished our open diver certification in January 2020 in Grand Cayman, and it was pretty awesome! ( Link to Lauren's blog post, which is much better than mine! ) Since then, and because of the pandemic, we obviously haven't been able to do any more diving, but in the meantime, we took an enriched air diving class, and we can't wait to plan our next udnerwater adventure!