News Cycle

The past few days have presented me with good news-bad news-good news scenarios.  I learned that I am going through menopause, which is news I've been waiting on for a few decades now.  Luckily, the nurse/midwife that I talked to at the health clinic had good suggestions on how to deal with the symptons that don't involve medications. 

The bad news was that another one of my cousins passed away.  My cousin Darlene passed a few weeks before Thanksgiving last year.  Now my oldest first cousin, Denise, has passed away.  I took off work yesterday to attend her funeral. 

The second piece of good news was when I learned that a trifling ex-boyfriend had died.  "The boyfriend?" Pastor Roger said, when I told him the news.  I've told the pastor about the eight years of my life I wasted on the guy.  The ex bit the dust several years before due to heart problems.  That news made my whole week. I was smirking and smiling about it for hours. It warms my heart to know that he's six feet under ground -- with the scar I put on his face with a right cross twenty years ago.  It's a long story, but I will say that my right hand cut him open but good, and this was long before I properly learned how to box. 

St. Louis, Carlos, Ralphie, Jeremy and Kevin were missing last night.  Michael returned, looking well rested after a vacation he took.  I sparred with Jamil for two rounds and took extra rounds on the heavy bags.

The speed bag was gone again.  Last week, there was a newer one up, but it was a very odd shape.  I was on it for a couple of rounds until I got tired of trying to figure out a good rhythm.  Hopefully, a better speed bag will appear soon. 

Punch To The Music

I'm the one who usually turns on the radio in the gym.  Most of the time, it is tuned to WGCI-FM, a local urban contemporary station.  I assume that's one of the favorite stations of the kids who use the gym on Tuesdays an Thursdays.  WGCI caters to the under 30 crowd who like Kanye West, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Ciara, and the like.

Seldom do I change the dial.  First of all, it's the community radio, so all have an opportunity to switch the station (and play CDs or cassettes, if they want).  The coach has the option of not allowing the radio on at all, so the boxers can hear his instructions while they are sparring.  Also, many of the younger guys who come into the gym on Mondays and Wednesdays would rather hear the current hip-hop/rap that is in heavy rotation on WGCI.  I tend to tune it out while I'm working out.  I don't listen to that station elsewhere because I'm not crazy about most of the stuff on their play list. 

When I walk to the gym, I usually play my drug-store MP3 player on the way there.  There are over 200 songs on it at the moment.  The music mix consists of various genres.  Right now it's top heavy with a lot of slow songs.  I skip those during my journey to the gym, and play the dance, fast soul music, and rap songs to get in the mood for my workout.  I'm always playing, "Mama Said Knock You Out" by LL Cool J, "Tic Toc" by the Lords of the Underground, and "Move Bitch" by Ludacris.  I'll throw in Otis Redding's version of "Satisfaction", "What You See Is What You Get", by the Dramatics, and "You Can Have Watergate" by James Brown and the JB's.  "I Ain't Leaving Without You" by Jaheim, is probably the newest song among the 200 on the MP3. 

There's a company that insists that slower and quieter music is better for working out.  They produce CDs with such music.  I tried that one day when I was alone in the gym for awhile.  I think I tuned the radio to a classical station.  Didn't do it for me.  I had to hear something harder, faster and with a beat. 

Sparring And A Crash

I sparred one round with Ralphie on Wednesday.  It was his birthday.  I heard him say he's 31 years old, but he looks a lot younger than that. 

Jeremy begged off of sparring.  "I didn't let my wife see my shirt," he told me, referring to the blood he got on it from Monday night. 

Adam told me, "I would spar with you, but I'm meeting a girl later, and I want to look good."  We both laughed.  Jeremy was leaning up against the lockers.  "Is it hot in here, or is it me?" I asked them.  Ever since I've been noticing what seems to be hot flashes, I've been asking that question often of others.  "No, it's hot in here," Jeremy confirmed.  There were a good number of guys in the gym, and no air was circulating. 

Ed came in.  "Hillari, you've been coming here a long time.  I remember!"  Ed began boxing several years ago in Barry's class.  "Since September of 2002," I smiled.  Sometimes it doesn't seem that it has been that long. 

Alan was pulling out of a parking space at the end of the evening when he backed into a car that was double parked. He cursed as he jumped out of the car to check the damage.  Neither Alan, myself, nor the other driver was hurt.  Alan and the other driver exchanged information.  Alan had broken a mirror on the other guy's car.  "I think I'll just go ahead and pay for it.  The guy told me he's a lawyer.  I don't want to aggravate him," he said to me. 

What I Get Out of Punching

Many, many posts ago, I went into why I took up the sport of boxing.  I've not said what I get out of boxing.

1)  Assertiveness -- Years ago, I put up with a lot of crap all the time.  I would "grin and bear" much while stuffing down the anger and resentment.  Beginning in my mid-twenties, I got tired and began to stand up to indignities.  Boxing further pushed me into learning to be more assertive.  Just today, I got on a person who always acts rude to me when they call the church. Boxing has helped me squash a lot of disrespect directed my way.

2)  Confidence -- I was very shy as a child and teenager, which often lead to me being picked on as well as being overlooked and dismissed.  Boxing can't take the full credit for gained confidence -- singing, acting and speaking in public over the years has also helped -- but it has enhanced it.

3)  Exercise and the return of athleticism -- I was the kid who loved gym class while I was in grade and high school.  Outside of school, I was always roller skating, skateboarding. and riding bikes.  As an adult,  I became less of a fan of exercise, made excuses not to move around, and the pounds went up.  I tried aerobics, but it left me cold.  I needed something a little more intense that would hold my interest.  I found it in boxing.

4)  Camaraderie --  No matter where I've gone, whether it be a tournament, a show fight, a Park District show, or a certification class, there has been an instant connection with other boxers.  Boxers share common experiences of tough training, taking hard knocks, groaning over losses, and celebrating over wins.  A couple of summers ago, I was riding my bike in Evanston when a guy pulled up next to me in his car.  "You box?" he said, noticing the Everlast sack that was on my back.  He had boxed when he was younger.  We shared a few pleasant moments talking about the sport.  Some of the best times I've had in recent years have involved shared experiences with others in the sport.  Being excited over watching a fight on pay-per-view at someone's home, cheering on fellow boxers at live matches, laughing over something funny in the gym, meeting former and current professional boxers and listening to their stories. . . .it goes on and on.

5) Encouraging females in the sports -- The guys have a clear path in the amateurs and the professional ranks as they move their way through the sport.  Women and girls still struggle to be recognized, respected, and being taken seriously in boxing.   Whenever a new female comes to the gym, I do my best to make them feel comfortable and encourage them to stay.  I congratulate the females I see boxing at various matches, and tell them to go as far as they can.  My hope is to see more females become interested in boxing.

6) The "you do what?" factor -- I tell someone I box.  The reactions range from being impressed to being horrified.  I have people who encourage me to keep my dukes up, as well as those who continually attempt to talk me out of fighting.  I never get tired of the surprised looks.