Finally Some Light

  Oh hello there, didn’t see you there! Well, honestly I can’t see through this screen, soooo, anyhow! Well, not much to report this week. Very tiring this week. Night shift really messed with me, and I ended up missing a shift and a half due to illness. I always get sick on nights, it’s just not natural to work the zombie hours!

    But, I’m making progress with the crew. Slowly I’m starting to earn their trust and maybe respect. I’m not their for either, but it really helps when the crew likes you and your work. Maybe I’ll get an apprenticeship earlier than expected? One of the many perks of this new job. Yes, I’m wishey-washy about being at this new place. It’s a massive change and at first I was excited for the change, then the realization of not knowing nothing hit, and I continuously made mistakes. Nothing major, just simple mistakes, that I thought I knew, but didn’t. It’s okay, everyone here is really supportive and helpful. Now, the realization of I do know stuff in this field, it’s just took time to come out.

     I believe one of my strongest points is, I am very good at organizing work and duties for my jobs. Tools I learnt back in ironworking. I just needed to figure out how and when to apply these skills at this new place of employment. Sorry, I won’t use the companies name here. They have this social media thing I signed, saying they can scroll through my stuff, whether I use their name or not. So I will not do that. I don’t want them to have that power over me and my thoughts. Anyhow, i have figured out the process to follow at work and I’m constantly trying to streamline. The mechanics need this and this at this step, and in a few hours, they will need this stand and these parts. So everything is on stand-by, just waiting for the “hey will, I need that stuff”. And boom, it’s ready to rock and they can keep going and I’ve accomplished my duties for the hour.

    So it’s coming. I feel better about me, eat good shift, I get a little more confident in myself and my new skills. Awesome. On a side note, the crew wanted to change each other. Guys wanting to get back into shape and whatnot, so we started a pushy-up challenge! 100 every day, for the next 29 days. Started yesterday! It’s awesome. It’s kind of like I.H.C., but not near as in-depth. I didn’t announce it, but, I’m going to work on my hand forms nightly, while doing the pushups. I’m excited for this. This is a great first step in getting my health back in order, and, for stepping back into Kung fu. It’s been too long since I’ve dropped sweat in the kwoon, and boy, does my body crave it. It’s funny, I was don on the shop floor doing these push ups, and I was like, boy, I should do some hand forms after this. Maybe I’ll start hitting the heavy bag again. Why, oh why, did I stop doing this stuff? It’s so good for me. No worries, this is as good as anywhere to start. And I mashed through my first set of 100. Felt good. Felt real good.

In any event, I got some more stuff to do today, so, off we go!

Have a great day everyone
Mr.Duncan

Sporadically Today

    Well, well, well, here we meet again. On this screen, I will place myself out there. Okay, I used to do this weekly, almost without fail. Today, I’m going to start doing my writings again, weekly. So, how ya been?  Me, I’m good. Doing great. Where to start? So much has happened in the last three months, since I last blogged.

    For, those who know me, wrestling is a huge part of my life. I watch it, I talk it, I think it. Not quite as much as I do Kung fu, but, it’s way up there. My favourite active wrestler right now is this awesome dude from Mexico, Penta El Z M. aka, pentagon dark, aka pentagon jr, aka, penta el zeros miedo! This cat is fricken awesome. He’s been trained in numerous martial art forms, done some mma training, and comes from a luch libre family. I think both his brothers and his father are/were pro wrestlers. I mean, his brothers are awesome, especially, Rey Fenix. Boy, watching him bounce on the ropes, switching his ropes on every bounce, that’s really cool. I like Drago’s character too, don’t get me wrong. But, like I said Pentagon Dark, he’s the man. Walking into season 4 of lucha underground, he’s the new champ! He won it in this f’n crazy last episode of lucha underground season three!! Man such a good show, high tempo and emotions were flaring, possible career ending matches and wrestlers flying everywhere! Bouncing off of stuff all over the place! Bam! 

   But, I think, one of my favourite wrestler of all time is Vampiro. I didn’t get to follow him as much as I wanted to as a kid. I didn’t get the Mexican channels to watch AAA on. In fact, I didn’t even know it existed until a couple of years ago, when I found tidbits on YouTube. Now, I watch on their channel as much as I can. It’s frustrating because it’s mostly in Spanish, and I don’t understand Spanish, but, I’m slowly learning off a language app on my tablet. Sidetracked! Anyhow Vampiro. This mf’er, is fricken awesome dudes and dudettes. His matches were always stellar matches, his in ring persona was unlike anything else out there and some companies tried to steal his gimmic, but, never brought success to a vampire character like Vampiro. Some tried, did well, but, never on the same page as Vampiro. He is this punk rocking, anti-everything, f the power kinda character. The character I could get behind. Busting gravestones on Stings face, (one of the highlights in my youth, never did like Sting) I loved Vampiro’s character, then years ago, I heard things kinda fell apart and life just wasn’t going well for him. I’m not an expert by any means,I’m just a fan. And I lost track of him. He was injured when WWE took over and he got screwed. Probably in the early 2000’s. Side note, this was when my drinking took full swing and I lost track of everything at that point, not just my idols. In combination of my hating what had happened in WWE, with the buying of ECW and WCW, and the purposeful destruction of some of my favourite wrestlers, I literally walked away from being a fan. Well, mostly walked away from life at this point.....

     Fortuanatly, my love for pro wrestling came back full swing, when I heard about Lucha Underground around two, two and a half years ago. And guess who was on colour commentary? F’n Vampiro!! I know right, I was honestly hooked as soon as I saw his mug on tv. I was like “Honey, it’s fucking Vampiro! Honey look!! It’s Vampiro dammit, watch my show with me! Look at this shit! It’s Vampiro!” You know, I get “the look” She doesn’t know who any of these people are. Then, I watched his Cero Miedo match with none other than Pentagin Jr!! Holy shit, I shouted at the screen like the whole match! Through a flaming table. Fluorescent tubes and chairs and tables oh my!! And the thing that gets me is this. Vampiro has had numerous neck injuries, I’m positive he’s got fused vertebra, and arthritis and he’s just plain old sore and hurting. You know what this guy does? He goes out and puts on one the best matches in that season of Lucha Underground! Respect to the other matches, but, It was my favourite match of that Ultimate Lucha!! Maybe I’m biased. He’s still got it. His entrance, the way he does his “salute to the crowd” his costume, face paint, it was all there. God damn I enjoyed that match. Spinning back heel kick, jumping off the turnbuckle, onto thumbtacks and shards of glass like a crazed man, hell bent on putting on a fantastic match! Then, he pulls out the table and gas and lighters! Oh my! Then gets puts through a flaming fucking table! My eyes exploded outta my sockets like, bawhamo out the head. 

    Cool huh?!? I think so. But, let’s get real here for a second. Why, do I still enjoy this man’s entertainment value? Well, it’s like this. And you know I’m just a fan, I’m no expert on things. Maybe I’m mixed up too, man. Vampiro, has been through some shit man. Heavy shit. Stuff that most people would throw in the towel and just give up. Nope, not Vamp. Shit, no! He’s gets more determined and gets better and better with age. From what I can tell, he lived a life like I. Full of lies, deceit, drugs and alcohol. Run aways and purposeful self destruction.  His stories are real and heavy. But, he’s still here. And he continues to improve daily. He goes out of his way, to use his voice to try to enlighten people to what works well for him. If you want his advice, it’s right there open and honest for you to take. He took the corrective steps to get help, to get better and to stay better. He lives a clean, grateful way of life and I think he doesn’t take life for granted anymore. What’s more important to me than staying true to your word? Nothing! I idolize people who are able to get help, become the change, and move forward with their “new way of life”. I don’t just look at entertain me anymore, it’s, how much substance do you have behind your actions and words? That’s what means the world to me. Leading an example that is unlike anyone else. It’s a powerful tool being in the spotlights. Can be Powerful stuff man. And, he’s the kind of guy, to give shout outs to his fans and supporters. Help them out when he can. There’s some powerful stories out there. Especially about the guy from Russia who came to L.A. to watch a show, and Vampiro, gives this cat his jacket......wow! That’s cool man! That’s class, in my eyes!

    How does this long winded blog relate back to me and my Kung fu training? Well, My master instructor, has finally hit that point in his life, where he can just straight up teach for a living. That’s awesomely cool man. It really is. He’s made such commitment to his craft that he’s being rewarded for all his hard work and the man with a plan is like, here dude, just teach now!! Another person who walks what he talks. Both people are living their dreams, and have never backed down from that. In a time where I am, really truly not sure about my new career, or my next step in life, I look to these guys for a sense of solidness. I too, can chase my dreams, I too, can achieve more than what I have, I just have to work for it. I can have the world, I just gotta get there.

     Start putting the steps in motion, start doing the simple actions again. The push up, the weight training, the techniques, The forms and meditation. I stopped it all a little while ago. Man I gotta get back into my Kung fu. I’ve been getting silly and lazy. My excuses have become reality. Sure, I’m faced with a major career change, and I’m in a world, that just doesn’t make sense to me. It’s all so new. Paperwork and shipping this and shipping that and get that ready for shipping and where is this stand, that I don’t know what the hell it is, and shit that I just don’t get. You can’t say this, that’s unacceptable here, and you’re an animal Willie! The whole culture is so drastically different for me. But, like I’ve always said, I’m a solid ironworkers, and the key to ironworking is adaptability. I may not be an ironworkers today, but I still carry those lessons my brothers taught me on the claim. Forever grateful for some of my past teachers. Really showed me a lot, about on and off the site. Thanks guys. But, this new gig, It wears on me, I’m used to being the man on the claim, not just a man in a shop. But, it’s good, I need the humbling experience. I try to embrace it. Some days, I’m just like you mother fuckers have no idea on what I’m used to doing, or how hard I can work. I just don’t know what I’m doing here!! Why don’t you come and climb a fun column and hang out by your teeth while old crazy Dale slams iron into the building above you seconds before he drops it in your hands, like a glove!!

Anyhow, thanks for reading, I’m kinda all over the place right now, that’s okay! I gotta start somewhere and sporadic is usually where I start. I’m not really sure of my point besides, Pentagon Dark, Vampiro and Master Sifu Brinker are connected in my head for being awesomely amazing people. And awesome examples of where I want to go in life. I will never be a pro wrestler, I may never be a master Sifu like Sifu Brinker, but, I’ll get to where I’m supposed to be.

 “A goal is not always meant to be reached; it often serves as simply something to aim at.”

 -Bruce lee. 1940 – 1973

“That’s what I would do! I would kick them again and again. Man, I’m Vampiro, I’ll beat you down man! I’ll take you to the dark side! 

 -Lucha Underground-Vampiro 

Anyhow, that’s enough of whatever that was....hahaha

Talk at ya

Mr.Duncan