Stunned and Sidetracked

This past Friday, I allowed Donovan and Davante to spar.  I should have pulled out the scale beforehand.  If I had, I would have known that Donovan was giving up 40 pounds to Davante who is 200 pound.  Davante knocked Donovan to the canvas twice.  The second time, I could really feel that punch.  I cringed before rushing inside the ring.  Donovan wasn't knocked out, but he was stunned badly.  It was several minutes before he got up off of the canvas.

Today, I told both Davante and Ariel (Donovan didn't come in, and Maz remains a no-show) that they need to make sure they are not putting full strength on their punches during sparring.  Both of them have heavy hands.  Ariel asked me why I never spar with her anymore.  "My back keeps bothering me," I told her truthfully. 

I didn't spar at Loyola Park last night.  I told Erica about my ongoing back problems.  "You don't want to do anything that might bring on permanent damage," she told me, and she was right.  There was a lot of sparring action going on yesterday; the place was packed.  I wish I could have got in on some of the action.  It's going to be a long time before I can do that again.  I still haven't had the MRI yet due to snafus involving my current health insurance.  The test will have to be pushed off until February, or perhaps, March.  Luckily, I discovered long ago that I have a tolerance for ongoing pain.

Charles, Tyler's grandfather, sat in on the kids' class today.  I noticed the difference when Charles helped Tyler and James with their training -- they willingly listened to him.  That further fueled my suspicion that a lot of the younger kids don't give me my respect because I'm a female.  The boys gave him no trouble.  I did tell Charles that all of the boys are guilty of playing on their cell phones while in the gym.  "Tyler shouldn't be doing that, and he doesn't need that phone while he's in here," his grandfather said.  I'm glad I've got back up from at least one parent/guardian about that. 

It's been a long day.  I started it with a small group Bible study at Starbucks at 6:00 AM. The new church I joined is big on small groups, but I hadn't been able to attend any mainly because of my work schedule.  It took a lot to get out of bed early, but I made it.  It was time well spent.  Once again, I was the only woman in the gathering.  Then I went up to Mandrake Park to have an interview about the coach's job opening at Eckhart.  Come to find out that, first, the interview had been scheduled on the wrong day by human resources.  Then I was told that I didn't need to interview.  What I need to do is put in a transfer request.  I'll talk to my boss about it tomorrow, but I suspect he's going to try and convince me to stay at LaFollette.  Push comes to shove, I will.  However, my main reason for wanting to switch to Eckhart is because of the long commute to get to LaFollette.  Whether I am on the bus (which I was today) or in the car, it takes a little too long to get to work from my house.

Speaking of the car, it is fixed now.  A corroded fuse box was the culprit.  I took a bit of a hit to my tight budget to pay for it, but at least the car is up and running.  Now to focus on paying the next bill, which is for my coach's license.  There's a coach's clinic this weekend.  At first I was considering skipping it.  Then I realized the last time I was certified was two years ago when Colonel and I both attended a clinic.  Once I get that done, then I can exhale for a while.