Category: Opinion

A Review of Tron: Ares (Significant Spoilers)

It’s not a big secret that not everyone is a fan of sequels. Reboots have even greater hate. This stems from people’s nostalgia. When something is considered a classic and develops a cult following, it’s pretty hard to convince them that it could have done better. Take Star Trek as a prime example. The original Star Trek series only ran for three seasons and wasn’t considered all that great when it first came out. But it returned with a vengeance in 1979 with Star Trek: The Motion Picture. I still remember the public backlash and opinions when, in 1987, they released Star Trek: The Next Generation to television. People felt it was an insult to the original and couldn’t reproduce the magic and wonder of TOS. But time would prove them wrong. And that happens more often than one thinks. But this brings us to the focus of today’s post: Tron.

Tron is a sci-fi/fantasy movie released in 1982. It starred Jeff Bridges in a pretty unique scenario where his character, Kevin Flynn, is a programmer who accidentally gets teleported inside of a supercomputer’s mainframe, named “the Grid.” Once inside, Flynn needs to interact and work with anthropomorphic computer programs to find a way to escape. It was considered ahead of its time, since it was one of the very first movies of its kind to use the early versions of CGI. Being a huge fan of David Warner, seeing his early portrayal of Ed Dillinger, the antagonist who also portrays the “Master Control” program within the grid. The 1980’s were a period of cinema where people could still be awed by the wonders on the screen and enjoyed film for its face value, instead of dissecting and picking apart inaccuracies and details. Needless to say, I loved it then and I frequently watch it these days as a return to my childhood. memories are important.

Nearly three decades later, Disney released Tron:Legacy, a sequel that sees the original film’s protagonist gone, and the focus is on his son, Sam Flynn. In much the same fashion, Sam gets sucked into the computer environment and faces the challenge of the grid. He faces off against CLU, a “Codified Likeness Unit” that looks just like Flynn. While escaping the gaming grid, Sam is helped by a program named Quora, who brings him to the real Flynn, portrayed in his original role by Jeff Bridges. With an energetic soundtrack by Daft Punk, the sequel provided an excellent bridge to the next generation to the world of the grid, and provided a touching story of reconnecting with one’s estranged father and finally understanding that we most often find one’s destiny on the road we least thought to travel. Following in the footsteps of his father, Sam escapes the bird but brings Quora with him into the real world, paving the way for a potential expanded cinematic universe that maybe would never come.

I felt it was a fantastic movie and it even prompted me to purchase and binge-play Tron: Evolution on Xbox 360, which released in 2010 much the same as the Tron: Legacy. I quite enjoyed the sequel, even though it only garnered semi-warm feelings among critics and audiences. I figured that besides nostalgic rewatches and binging the video games, I would be limited in exploring the grid any further. So, imagine my surprise when just last year, I read about the release of a new cinematic chapter in the story of the grid. Tron: Ares. While it didn’t take quite as long since its predecessor to reach us, I didn’t know much about the plot and didn’t partake of previews, even once they became available. Despite knowing it was coming, it flew under the radar until it hit my Disney+ account and was featured in my “Newly Added” menu. Sounded to me like a good choice for a Friday night movie watch, which we did last night.

In reading online reviews and from what I found, people seemed to dislike Tron: Ares even more than Tron: Legacy. In an almost Star Wars-esque style, this sequel sees the previous film’s main protagonist, Sam Flynn, absent from the film and Encom has a new CEO, who is seeking to complete her deceased sister’s work by bringing permanence to laser-produced grid structures into the real world. She hopes to do this in order to aid world hunger and cure disease. While she pursues altruistic goals, her main rival, Dillinger Technologies, chaired by the grandson of the original film’s Ed Dillinger, has produced the most complex and comprehensive security program ever written: Ares. Using the projector lasers we’ve seen since the original film, the security program is brought into the real world in order to help seize the “Permanence Code” from the Encom CEO. These programs can only survive in the real world for roughly 29 minutes.

Somehow, Ares begins to gain self-awareness and recognizes that his only chance to survive permanently is with the help of the Encom CEO. This causes him to change loyalties and get expulsed from the Dillinger grid, which means his next de-resolution would be his last. The film features many of the previous films’ aspects, including light cycles, flyers and the Recognizer, which is a recognized vehicle in all three films. Unlike the previous films, there’s a healthy back and forth between the real world and the grid, for both programs and for humans. The film’s main antagonist, Julian Dillinger, even escapes arrest at the end of the movie by transferring into his grid. There’s plenty of action, a great soundtrack and you haven’t quite lived until you’ve seen a light cycles slice and real-world car neatly in half. There’s a brief appearance by Jeff Bridges’ Kevin Flynn, who helps Ares find the Permanence Code and gets him. Back to the real world, and an ever-so-brief Easter egg involving Quora.

All in all, I don’t understand the negative reviews this film has gotten but then again, I live and die on my nostalgia and appreciate the film for its connection to my past, likely more than for the film’s content itself. That being said, it’s a fun ride, and certainly worth the slightly less than 2-hour run time. As long as you’re not one of these pretentious micro-analyzing folks who pick apart every detail of a film, and just enjoy the film at its face, it’s a great film and definitely worth the watch. I would highly recommend watching the first two films, if you never have. Some insight into the original story and the background will certainly make it easier to understand the storyline. In the meantime and since there are definite aspects that speak to a potential follow-up, here’s hoping I don’t have to wait another 15 years for the next installment. ☯️

Proper Etiquette, Or False Entitlement?

It’s a clam, quiet Saturday morning. After waking up and getting dressed, you decide it might be nice to bring your child to a local coffee shop for a breakfast pastry of a muffin. You take the opportunity to avail yourself of your favorite breakfast sandwich and a dark roast coffee, intent on watching the world around you as your 6-year old enjoys a rare outing combined with a treat. You walk into the popular coffee chain and as one could expect, the place is what the kids would call “jumpin’.” Just about every table is occupied with at least one person. You begin to consider that maybe you’ll have to take your treats to go, when you spot one remaining table with no occupants. It happens to be a 5-seater with plush chairs and a round table. Your kid excitedly runs to the table and takes a seat. you take the one next to him. You settle in and begin to relax, letting the hot caffeine course through your system. Your kid does some people watching, and stares out the window at the sunny scenery of the world.

Just about then, a group of four loud, laughing individuals come walking in to the coffee shop. They appear to be happy in their entourage, smiling and seemingly enjoying their own company and environment. They order from the coffee shop staff with an almost intentional detachment., essentially ignoring the human beings serving them coffee outside of mumbling their drink order. As they receive their drinks, they scan the room for a place to sit. Their eyes fall on you and your child and they begin to walk over. You feel your sense of relaxation shatter and already know what’s coming. As they approach, the first one speaks, “Excuse me… Would mind freeing up the table? You and your kid are taking up the only space we can sit…” You casually remind this person that there are several 4-seater tables with only one occupant that they could ask, or wait until one of them departs but this is a rare weekend outing for you and your child and you won’t be moving until you’re both done. The group become indignant and begin raising their voices and making a scene, claiming you need to move for them and have no right to take up the space when they need it. You sigh heavily and look to your child, who watches you, wondering what your reaction will be…

It raises an important question, and one that you should ask yourself: What would you do in this situation? Would you cede your table to this loud, rude group? Or would you stand firm on the basis that as a paying customer, you have just as much right to the table, since you got there first? It’s a much more common occurrence than you might think. The world seems to have evolved to a place where people carry an undeserved sense of entitlement and expectations from others, instead of recognizing that the world does not revolve around them. They lack the understanding that respect, especially as it relates to strangers in the surrounding world, if very much earned from both sides. And the moment you step out of the door, the outside world owes you nothing. But people don’t seem to understand that. Modern society seems to think they can simply demand and expect, and the world will kowtow to their demands.

I’ve seen this in dozens of stories and posts where people expect others to give up certain seats on airline flights and pitch a fit when the occupants don’t comply. It’s right up there, with expressions like “the customer is always right” and “do you know who I am?” It can make it difficult to navigate the world unmolested or without being harassed, or even enjoy the word, as it sits. The scenario in the coffee shop is just one of many things that society throws at the reasonable people when all they’re trying to do is relax and enjoy their environment. Those entitled people don’t acknowledge the world around them and when they do, they only do so when they need something from them. It reminds me of a situation I ran into at the grocery store a short time ago. I was walking through the grocery store, picking up a couple of items before going home.

As I was making my way through the far back corner of the supermarket to start heading towards the front, a lady was walking along, idly thumbing on her cell phone. She appeared to have what I assumed were two sons with her; one about six or seven years old and one in his late teens. The teen son was pushing the cart. The first problem came as the lady casually cut in front of me to walk past, nearly colliding with me. I cleared my throat but she never noticed. Then, in a display of oblivious ignorance, the older son parked his cart diagonally across the aisle, effectively blocking anyone’s ability to walk through. Then, he sat there, waiting for his mother who had gone down the adjacent aisle. I coughed once. He didn’t move. Then, I said, “Excuse me?” The boy turned and saw me and said, “Oh, my bad, man…” and stepped away from the cart.

I felt my patience waning as I saw the scene play out and considered that I may be on film, perhaps for some reality show, that I wasn’t aware of. After all, how can rational people be that oblivious, right? I said, “Could you move your cart? You’re blocking the aisle, no one can get through.” The boy grabbed the cart and pulled it away. I barely got ten felt away when I was approached from behind by the mother, who had now hung up her phone and was acting as though I had just punched a puppy. Her puppy. “How dare you speak to my son that way…?” I almost laughed at her anger. I hadn’t raised my voice, I hadn’t been rude and all I did was ask him to move his cart so that people, myself included, could get through. Despite explaining this to her, she was acting like I had kicked her kid into the gutter and spat on him. She was indignant at the fact that I had the audacity to speak up or try to get by. This is also a common occurrence that I often see within the world.

Folks, life is short. Your time on this world is fleeting. And light knows that there’s enough suffering in the world. It’s important to remember not to intentionally cause more. The world owes you nothing. And the important thing is the energy you put out into the world is what will eventually come back to you. So, if all you do is live with an inflated sense of entitlement and you think the world owes you a living, you may be in for a rude awakening. No one owes you a damn thing. And respect is earned. So, if this is you, and you can relate to the scenarios outlined in this post, put your phone down, keep your eyes up and pay attention to the world around you. And focus on putting good out into the world. Important food for thought… ☯️

That’s A Wrap, 2025!

So, my last post was something fairly festive. I had just discovered that my treatments for Diabetic Macular Edema has improved significantly. When I started the whole “eye injection journey,” I was getting them to 4-week intervals. Over the course of the past ten years, in conjunction with exercise, weight loss and continued blood sugar management, my most recent appointment on December 19th was a 14-week interval. This time around, my doctor advised that my eyes were clear and pushed me up to a 16-week interval. On this next appointment, he will be re-assessing my eyes based on the interval, to decide whether I can come off the injections or whether 16 weeks may have been too much. For someone who’s been getting needles jabbed into his eyes over the past decade, this was a big deal. It gave me some augury of thought that 2026 may be a pivotal point where things will turn around. However, and as I’ve often said, life rarely cares about one’s plans.

About an hour AFTER my last post, I checked out of my hotel and made my way to my vehicle. Because of the inclement weather, I had taken our SUV, which is our usual family vehicle. I was parked in an unfamiliar area of the hotel’s parkade, and my driver’s side was flush against a concrete pillar. As I was backing out, I had my eyes aimed towards the passenger side in order to avoid the other parked cars. I cut my wheels too early and the front driver’s side corner of my vehicle “kissed” the concrete pillar. Under normal circumstances, it likely would have caused some dents, scraped some paint and maybe cracked a few parts. But given that it was -35 degrees Celsius and colder than the devil’s balls, the fiberglass fender shattered like a cheap chandelier. The front driver’s side bumper, fender and headlight were damaged. Upon initial inspection, everything was solidly fastened in place and I felt confident that the vehicle could be driven safely. I took the road towards Regina. Here’s a pic of the vehicle…

The big problem with modern vehicle is simply this; even if this potentially looks like it could be remedied by fastening everything back together, the reality is much worse. Repairs to get the vehicle back to how it was will likely cost thousands of dollars. Merry fuckin’ Christmas to me… Perfect. I travelled back to Regina, in extremes storm conditions, no less, and stopped at the appropriate dealership. They confirmed my fears, as well as the potential cost. I left the vehicle with them. Repairs are still outstanding. Then, and shortly after getting back home, I came down with a brutal cold that had me on my ass for the duration of Christmas and a few more days after that. Once I started to feel better, the element in our oven gave out and no longer works. The stove tops still function but the oven doesn’t, which means we can’t bake anything or cook anything large-scale. Not ideal for a household of four people. So, there’s that.

And then, to add icing on the cake and because I was feeling better, I brought my sons to an indoor play park with obstacles and trampolines. During a heated obstacle course race with my oldest, I bounced too hard on one of the trampolines and got thrown sideways. I landed with my left kidney against a wooden base on one of the obstacles. At the time, the wind got knocked out of me and I had assumed the pain would pass after a bit. But the following day, the ache in my back remained. Over the course of the past few days, it’s not only remained but deepened. Obviously, I don’t believe anything is broken and I don’t need medical attention. But it was certainly a wake-up call to show that I’m no spring chicken and can’t heal quite as quickly as I used to. Hopefully, after a few hot baths and some time, it’ll heal up but it’s making it quite hard to do everyday chores and even bend down to tie my shoes.

2025 has been a whirlwind of chaos. My father made it through a coma in May as a result of pulmonary issues. My mother no longer recognizes me and is now living in the same care home as my father. My last two trips home have been a negative roller-coaster and dealing with the aspects of later adult life that we all get to, eventually. But the last month has just been a few added thorns in the black roses of my life. Luckily, my children are in good health and my home life is good. As I step into 2026, I’m hoping for happier things, better things. ☯️

To Fight Or Not To Fight… That Is The Question…

Given the direction that the world is heading in, and some of the thoughts and opinions that seem to float around out there, I feel that this is a topic that is not only near and dear to me as a martial artist, but as someone who was terribly bullied as a child. In fact, if you can think of it, I’ve probably had it done. From wedgies to practical jokes, all the way to having a group of three peers beat the ever-loving shit out of me for having the audacity to speak up for myself, being thrown fully clothed into the gym showers first thing in the morning and even having my car vandalized and moved on me. On one occasion, which could be a story for another post, I was even attacked by a fellow student with a pocket knife. That knife successfully found purchase in my wrist. Karate saved the day on that occasion. And this bring me to today’s topic.

In keeping with the social climate, I need to point out that this post solely reflects my opinion on the subject. And bearing in mind that I’m speaking strictly in generalities and none of what’s written here should be construed as legal advice (especially since I’m not a lawyer), you should definitely do your own research and maintain your own opinions on this subject. Recently, I’ve seen a number of posts in social media where a person or in some cases, a couple, would hold up a placard that reads something akin to, “Stop sending your kids to school and telling them that if someone hits you, to hit them back. You are part of the problem.” In all seriousness, this line of thinking breaks my usual serene sense of calm and pisses me off beyond rational thought. Part of the problem? Are you kidding? Maybe we should start by addressing the fact that someone insisted on starting that scenario by hitting first. For my part, I’ve always taught my oldest the important steps of ask, tell, make.

If someone hits you, start by asking them to stop, followed by telling them so, if asking doesn’t work. If you’re in school, seeking the assistance of a teacher or adult can help. But you still need to be able to defend yourself and prevent harm or injury to yourself if none are available. This is where fighting back comes in. For 37 years now, I’ve trained in the martial arts. I’ve both benefited and been forced, to use my skills in real life scenarios where I’ve had to defend myself or others from harm and in some cases, mortal danger. Sounds dramatic. That’s not the intent. But the reality is that bullying is not a new concept. The attention on it is, with every armchair warrior and/or peace advocate strongly believing that we should all embrace peace, love each other and avoid violence at all costs. And trust me, true believers, I’m right there with you. I commit my life to the elimination of suffering in my life and the world around me. And embracing peace while avoiding violence would seem to be a logical step in that direction. However, logic is often lacking in someone who makes the conscious decision to bully others.

For over 35 years (probably longer, but the mat eludes me), I’ve trained in the martial arts. This has been an extremely important tool for me to promote and maintain my health. What most people don’t understand is that it was also a means of ensuring I could protect myself from those who sought to harm me or bully me. There had been instances, during my youth, where teachers or my parents got involved but the result was exactly what you would have expected to see in any 1980’s brat pack comedy film; it usually made maters worse. Eventually, my skills in karate not only allowed me to protect myself but it allowed to end the fights that others started. It took very little time for the bullies to start realizing that I was no longer an easy target and that they would likely suffer just as much injury as I would, just for the sake of a laugh. So, would one be correct in thinking, in those circumstances, that I shouldn’t have hit back? When one considers the fact that the bullying and abuse wouldn’t have stopped otherwise, I would say it was an important lesson for the bullies. I like to think that some of them may even have changed their bullying ways. Maybe that’s just hopeful thinking, though…

Telling people they shouldn’t teach their children to defend themselves when someone brings harm or injurious behavior their way is tantamount to encouraging “victim shaming,” where the victim is blamed for the outcome instead of bringing blame to the bully who initiated the situation. While I wholeheartedly agree that one never knows what may be happening in someone’s life to elicit this behavior, I believe even stronger that this singular fact doesn’t grant them the right to attack or bully my child. There are mechanisms in place to help you assess and find a way to channel those feelings, that anger and that energy. And I believe that in order to become a productive and successful member of modern society, my son will need to learn the importance of standing up for himself, up to and including defending himself. To do otherwise would make him a perpetual victim for the rest of his life; something I swore I would never be myself and I would never allow for my children.

Sensei often told me during my formative years never start a fight or use your training to harm others. But if someone brings harm or starts a fight with you, make sure you finish it. Doesn’t mean you have to cripple someone for life to get your point across, obviously. But under no circumstances should someone ALLOW themselves to get struck or injured just for the sake of being passive. Stop telling your kids to hit back? Maybe start telling your kid not to hit in the first place. That would solve one problem. But when it comes to bullying, sometimes you just gotta pop them like a balloon for them to float away. That’s not mine; that was from Rocky V. But a better one might be a reminder that “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” While I might not agree that a bully is inherently evil… misguided, perhaps, but not evil, it doesn’t mean that one should do something about it.

Again, this is a pretty charged topic and I know some folks have their own thoughts and opinions on it. The important thing is that an opinion is comparable to being a smoker. Smokers don’t care that non-smokers DON’T smoke. Because it causes them no harm. But to the non-smoker, the smoker is causing them all sorts of damage, if they do it on their vicinity. It’s the same thing with bullies. They continue to operate as they do until someone brings the harm to the forefront and makes them stop. So the lesson here is, even if you’re not the one who starts the fight, don’t allow yourself to be bullied, taken advantage or harmed. End the fight. Protect yourself. And for the naysayers who believe that scenario can be avoided, you may want to spend a bit of time in the real world before you assume friendship and hugs will fix your problems. Food for thought…☯️

Off Warranty, And Lacking Replacement Parts…

I’m sure many of you can relate… It’s early morning. Your soft alarm goes off and you groggily click it off. You yawn and stretch and roll slightly, feeling creaks and pops in your joints that you don’t recall being there before. You make your way out of bed and slowly walk to the shower, noticing the chill on the morning soaking through to your bones. Once under the shower head, you let the warm water revive some articulation and relieve some of the aches from the previous day. You slowly trudge through your morning routine with the same amount of speed as a sloth trying to climb a tree. Sound somewhat familiar?

I often look back fondly at my twenties and remember the almost surreal ability I had to train for absolute hours on end, sweating and core temp skyrocketing… Performing line after line of full contact shadow boxing up the length of the dojo, doing dozens of katas, one after another, staying on my knuckles for 20 minutes at a time or in a horse stance for half an hour without missing a beat… This was usually followed by grabbing a shower and hitting the town, either for a game of pool with friends or a quiet coffee and soup at the local coffee shop while making my way through the latest book in the “Wheel of Time” series. The speed, reflexes and ability to recover I maintained was almost supernatural, despite being Type-1 Diabetic AND despite my blood sugars never being quite as well balanced as they are today. By the light, times have changed…

In the past couple of years, I’ve come to acknowledge a couple of hard truths; that I can’t maintain fitness to the level I did twenty years ago, which should go without saying, and, it takes me far, far longer to recover. While the stubborn part of me would love to knuckle down and say “Hell no, we won’t go,” and keep pushing just as hard as I always have, that’s just not a fair reality for me anymore. I recognize that I’m saying this while simultaneously remembering that Sensei is in his 70’s and easily puts me to shame, in the physical activity department. But I digress… The point is, I’ve grown older and as we grow older, the body’s ability to heal and recover effectively begins to diminish. This is why adults will often complain about the cracks and pops they never noticed there before. None of this has been quite as obvious as it has been for me, over the past few months.

AT some point earlier in the year, and I can’t recall exactly when, I started to notice a twinge in my right shoulder. It was subtle, at first. A bit of difficulty scrubbing my back using that hand, or a slight pain when I would reach a high cupboard. I chalked it up to having slept wrong or just tired muscles. MOST workouts were reasonable uninterrupted as a result. But over the course of a couple of months, the pain worsened and mobility in my right arm depended, to the point where I actually ordered a shoulder brace for some of those more extreme workouts. As an aside, the shoulder brace I found was one designed specifically with sports and martial arts in mind. It’s made by a company called Anaconda Fightwear, and their stuff is pretty good. If you’re interested in a braces for almost any of your joints, you can check out their website here. My shoulder brace has been a life saver, especially when I’m performing a lot of the circle blocks or techniques that I need through karate.

Once I recognized the need for external support just to do the things I’d been doing for decades, I started to contemplate the usual; appointment with the chiropractor, massage therapist, acupuncturist, etc. Anything more extreme or medical would come as a second step. But as is often the case in adult life, time passed and busy schedules dominated and I didn’t get to the chiropractor until about three months ago. Now, chiropractic medicine gets a bad rap from a lot of people. Some of this is born out of fear of having one’s joints (especially the neck) cracked. Some of it is because of one-offs where someone with something pre-existing may have had it aggravated by a chiropractic adjustment. Whatever the case, I’ve yet to have a chiropractor’s visit where I don’t feel better afterwards. The first time I went to the chiropractor was back in 2010. The relief that flowed through me after my adjustment almost brought me to tears. But once I again, I digress…

My point is, my shoulder was examined and it was determined that I may have weakened muscles in the shoulder that are limiting my mobility. Not an uncommon thing for a decades-long martial artist who is getting up there in age. Although not yet what one might consider a senior, my body’s ability to heal is less than it was, even a few years ago, so here we are. The solution? A set of simple body movement exercises to try and build back some strength in the stabilizing muscles of the shoulder. That lasted all of a couple of weeks. Towards the end, the exercises themselves became too painful and I needed to find an alternative. Going back to the chiropractor a few weeks ago, a deeper, more extensive examination of my shoulder was done. It was determined that I had a condition called “frozen shoulder.”

So, what the hell is frozen shoulder? Well, according to an article by the Mayo Clinic, whose web link I’ve conveniently lost, frozen shoulder, also called “adhesive capsulitis,” is a condition where the connective muscles and tissues in the shoulder thicken and tighten around the shoulder joint, causing limited range of motion and pain. While it’s not exceptionally rare, people over 40 and who have certain conditions like, oh, say, DIABETES, are at higher risk. Great. Thanks, T1D! One more issue on the checklist. The treatment is pretty simple; movement. yes, you read that right. Range-of-motion exercises, working the shoulder and on occasion, some pain-numbing medications injected into the joints. But, it does take years for it to completely recover. The article goes on. To explain that it’s unusual for frozen shoulder to come back to the same shoulder, so I guess THAT’S good.

Why do they call it “frozen shoulder?” As described in the article from Mayo, which I managed to find here, it hits in three stages:

  • Freezing stage. Any movement of the shoulder causes pain, and the shoulder’s ability to move becomes limited. This stage lasts from 2 to 9 months.
  • Frozen stage. Pain might lessen during this stage. However, the shoulder becomes stiffer. Using it becomes more difficult. This stage lasts from 4 to 12 months.
  • Thawing stage. The shoulder’s ability to move begins to improve. This stage lasts from 5 to 24 months.

When looked at from this perspective, it paints a long, bleak picture of recovery. While this falls under the category of “this could be worse,” y’all know just how much I love hearing THAT. If you do the math on this, I’m looking at nearly four years to recover, bearing in mind that everyone is different. The good news is that I appear to have passed the freezing stage. After that initial chiropractor visit and the subsequent working of the joint and the pain it accompanied, I head a couple of weeks of limited mobility in the shoulder and neck that saw me walking around like a fucking robot. You don’t realize just how much you need the supportive muscles in your neck until you can’t use them. Sitting, lying down and even rolling over in your sleep becomes an extremely painful prospect. And when every movement during the night jolts you awake in pain, your rest goes to shit, so your recovery is lengthened even further. But i seem to have a fair mobility back in most areas, with only a bit of limited mobility in the shoulder with very little pain. Looks like I’m at the frozen stage. Yay.

Growing older is a part of life. There’s no getting away from it or getting out of it. That’s why it is so critically important to maintain one’s physical fitness, nutrition and getting proper rest. That will go a long way towards ensuring that you can ride off into the sunset with some reasonable constitution left, as opposed to a lump of scarred, immobile old man crankiness. I mean, let’s be honest, I’m still ticking that very last box with the crankiness but that’s a whole different thing. Next week, I’ll be starting a form of vibrational shock therapy that will help to break up any potential scar tissue and potentially help with the healing process. While I’m looking forward to it, as one would expect, I’m not a fan of the whole “shock” aspect. But I’m sure it’ll be fine. Stay tuned for updates as this treatment progresses. In the meantime, I take solace in the fact that even while having had Type-1 Diabetes for 43 years at this point, my organs are in great health, my blood sugars are phenomenal and even my eye injections have been spaced out to fourteen weeks. Not too shabby. I’d say I’m doing quite well. ☯️

Let the Hate Flow Through You…

Okay, so it’s probably a bit odd that I’m quoting from the original Star Wars trilogy for a post that touches on something a bit more philosophical and important but in my defense, wisdom and knowledge can often arise from the most unlikely places. So, take for what it is. As someone who studies Buddhism (yes, I still do, despite the fewer posts on the topic) I recognize that the world has suffering. One of the most important precepts is to eliminate that suffering, in order to live a happier, more fruitful and satisfying life. This isn’t always an easy thing, especially in modern times. The type and frequency of the world’s stressors only seems to be increasing. It can make things difficult to navigate, especially when one succumbs to one of the most difficult to navigate emotions; anger.

Anger is insidious. And it tends to creep in at the most unexpected times for the most ridiculous reasons. red light not turning to green quickly enough? Anger. Boss adds another project on your plate during your days off? Anger. Your kids eat the last of your Skittles right before you need them to treat a low? Anger. Accidentally stub your toe on the corner of a wall that’s always been there and is absolutely on one’s fault but your own? Inappropriate levels of rage and anger… It seems to strike more than the average person cares to think about and the issue with that, is that anger eventually does cause physical and psychological damage, over time. On the physical side, constant anger will lead to health issues like increased blood pressure, cardiac issues, stomach ulcers. On the psychological side, poor thoughts, depression, lack of motivation, to name a few. And let’s not forget that nasty vices one may undertake in order to forget or forego one’s anger. Or realistically, we think we do it to “relax.” In reality, we try to stem our angry emotions.

Without a proper outlet, anger can lead to a number of negative results in one’s life, outside of the direct effects on oneself. Someone who is constantly angry may be perceived as difficult or unpleasant to be around. Anger in the workplace can lead to damaged working relationships, perceived poor performance and if you happen to be in a position of authority, extremely poor perception by your staff. At home and in your personal life, a near-constant state of anger can damage relationships, create a toxic home environment and alienate the very people around you who could potentially help stem some of those angry thoughts. I’m making it sound like everyone is walking around like the hulk and it likely isn’t this bad for everyone, but the key is recognizing that anger. One may find themselves a bit surprised at how often this emotion seeps in without notice or warning.

Miyamoto Musashi, one of my favorite writers and author of “The Book of Five Rings,” a famous book on strategy, touched on anger in his book. While I won’t be quoting the book directly (you can find ebook versions of it through Kobo starting at $0.99), his thoughts veered more on the concept that one should recognize and acknowledge anger as it builds, as opposed to waiting and recognizing that one IS angry. Musashi wrote that loss of control over one’s anger, especially towards others, means that the other person has a control over you. If you allow anger to creep its way in during a given situation, it can also allow one’s potential adversaries to note your vulnerabilities, your weaknesses and allow them to take advantage of you or make you a potential target for those who mean to do you harm.

The trick to anger is to control it before it controls you. Some of it is as simple as starting by recognizing that most situations, if not all, are not worth getting angry about. Do you think that person who cut you off at the intersection has spent the rest of the morning contemplating how they cut you off? Of course not. They likely forgot you as soon as the sound from your car horn died down. Despite this, if they live rent free in your head for hours after the incident, this is a clear sign that you’re allowing anger to control the most minimal events of your life. This makes it an obstacle to peace as opposed to an elimination of suffering. And as I’ve often said before and I don’t know about y’all, but I have a strong dislike of suffering. I’m all about trying to find that peace.

Instead, when one begins to feel that anger bubbling up to the surface, it becomes important to find ways to harness and channel that energy into something productive or useful. By channeling and harnessing one’s anger, it can become an important tool for discipline, training and achieving one’s goals. It can be aimed for a positive purpose as opposed to exploding or erupting out of you like an uncontrollable tempest that threatens to damage you and/or those in your environment. By using it as a positive tool, you can also acknowledge that anger is normal. A perfectly normal and expected human emotion that everyone experiences. It isn’t about having that emotion that’s bad. It’s what you do with it. How you allow it to affect you.

If you find yourself in a position where anger is slowly starting to rise to the surface and you have no means of channeling or using it, there are ways to control it. Deep breathing exercises or meditation can be valuable tools in ensuring that your anger doesn’t bubble over into something negative. And will ultimately help in eliminating the suffering within your life. And at the end of the day, finding peace will not only help maintain your health and promote a happier, fuller life but will also allow that energy to be shared or passed on to others. As the old saying goes, don’t sweat the small stuff. Food for thought…☯️

Routines Good, Habits Bad…

People live their daily lives based on their habits and routines. One may be inclined to wonder “what’s the difference?” Well, there are some integral differences that can drive whether what you’re doing is helpful to yourself or not. A habit is loosely defiined as something you do without thought. For example, picking your nose or chewing your nails would be a habit. Making a point to work out for thirty minutes every day after work would be a routine. I’m using pretty one-sided examples to illustrate my point. But ultimately, habits don’t generally become part of one’s routine, although if you perform your routines with enough focus and intention, they will eventually become habit. This can be the difference between bad habits and good.

Something Sensei had explained to me over the summer during my last visit resonated and stuck with me. In his 70’s, Sensei still very much reflects the man I always knew him to be. He wakes in the morning and engages in routines that promote his continued health and ability to remain independent and moving. This includes proper nutrition, fitness and exercising, including but not limited to cycling, house work and of course, consistent karate training. He’s never really lapsed in that department and he is still at a stage where he would be effective against opponents several decades his junior. He can do this because he uses discipline and intent to ensure he maintains his routines, and while they may have become habit, they’re not without effort. After all, the human body, much like water, tends to take the path of least resistance.

Habits can be bad because they often bring you to a slump in your daily routine. AND they can be much harder to stop, once you have them. Routines are the opposite. They take effort and sheer force of will to start and maintain, but once they become habit, they can still be difficult to maintain, since they require effort. Habits usually do not. Some simple examples. Every Tuesday and Thursday when work finishes, you and a few of your work colleagues tend to hit up a local pub for a couple of pints. You end up eating some bar food, maybe some wings or fries, followed by making your way home. Since you’re full and carbo-loaded, you’ll likely slump down on the couch and binge-watch a few episodes of your favorite show then make your way to bed for a quasi-deep, alcohol-assisted sleep. This is an easy habit, easy to get into and with little or no excuse on the person’s behalf to prevent of refuse to participate.

Now, let’s look at a routine. Let’s say you decide to take it upon yourself to wake up an hour earlier on a given morning and go running. You work up a good sweat, get a few miles in and get your heart pumping first thing in the morning. You get home, cold but sweaty, and work your way through your list of pre-work items, including but not limited to showering, dressing and packing a lunch for the day. You leave the house and hit the ground running. You feel energized, motivated and decide that this will be the new routine. Then, your day ends. You get home from work, struggle through your evening meal, maybe take care of the dishes, spend a bit of time with the spouse and kids before falling into a deep, exhausted sleep. While you may have initially hoped to make the routine of that morning a standing one, the following morning has you feeling groggy, tired, cold and wanting nothing more than to stay in bed for the added hour where it’s warm, comfortable and you don’t have to do anything. You decide that since you went running yesterday, you can likely take a “break day,” and hit it hard the following morning. You skip the routine you intentionally began. It’s all downhill from here.

The discipline and effort that’s required to maintain any good routine doesn’t come easily. And since the human body prefers to take it slow and easy, it’s much, much easier to skip things and just relax than it is to stick with any measurable routine. The thing about routines, is that even once you’ve gotten into it enough to make it a habit, it only takes once or twice to skip it, omit it from your day or decide not to do it, for it to break the routine and have to start all over. And the irony is that the same amount of discipline and effort will be required to start it up again, even if you’ve been there before. Which sucks. This is why you want to ensure you maintain those routines and avoid skipping days, negating your routines and allowing apathy to seep in are detrimental to one’s overall health. Like being able to get up in the morning and hit the ground running? Enjoy having reasonable energy levels and flexibility? Being able to continue doing all the things you enjoy doing, even in old age? Then you need to stick to your routines. Break your bad habits but foster your healthy routines. As Sensei has often told me, only you can manage your health. Food for thought… ☯️

November 2025

Well, here we are again. In a few days, November 1st will be upon us and this means that I will start growing out a ‘satchel for Movember. I do this every year and I also seek out donations, every year. It’s been several years where I’ve done it as part of a team, either during my time with the RCMP or since moving on to my current role. In my current role, we hit the ground running in 2021 with a team that was pretty committed and we raised over $500 just among ourselves. During 2022, the allure and gimmick of joining Movember flickered out, and we only raised just shy over $400. Last year and in 2023, I pretty much threw in the towel in terms of having a team effort and recognized I was once again walking this road alone. So, why do I keep doing it? This, dear readers, is the important question…

During the month of November, I set aside my reluctance to ask others for anything, and begin asking donations to support Movember. While the usual trend includes growing a resplendent mustache through the month and posting before and after photos, I always take it one step farther and grow out an entire beard (much to my wife’s dismay). By the end of November, I look more like a yeti than my usual self, but charity means sacrifice, so the scratchy face can be managed for the period of one calendar month. As I do every year, I should probably explain what the hell Movember is, and why it’s so important.

Movember is a registered charity in Canada that holds an annual challenge as a way to raise funds and awareness for prostate and testicular cancer, which is diagnosed in more than 1.4 million men globally, each year. While I have participated as part of a team in recent years, this year, I will be tackling it alone. Despite this obstacle, I’m keeping my previous year’s goal of $500 and feel that this is easily achievable, if I have a few kind readers who would be willing to pitch in a small amount. Even a little help can go a long way and any donation you make will do just that. We live in a society of increasing costs, inflation and increased cost of living, so I fully understand that times are tight for everyone. But I really can’t oversell how important this cause is. The cause is near and dear to me, especially since my beloved, departed grandfather had prostate cancer. Even the smallest donation you make can help with the bottom line.

Donating has never been easier. You can donate directly online by visiting the Movember website and clicking on the black “Donate” button at the top of the screen. Search under “Find a Person or Team“ and type in “Shawn Arlington Cook” and you should find me easily. Not sure why my ugly mug doesn’t appear as my profile pic, but you can scroll through the photos and see it. Fill out the donation form and you’ve done your part. You can even get a tax receipt, if needed or wanted. I don’t wander social media much and I never ask anything of others, so I’m hoping I’ll have a few people on my friends list and contacts, my blog readers and some family, who will help and contribute to this very important cause. Here’s the webpage: Movember Canada. No pressure and no expectation on my part. But I will be sincerely thankful and appreciative for any donation or contribution that anyone makes. 🙏 ☯️

You Only Did Thirty Minutes…?

Look, working out is hard. It is. Even if you’re one of those freaks who absolutely LOVES their 5 a.m. run through the neighborhood, the effort and discipline required to haul your sleepy ass out of bed and make it out the door into the morning chill is usually more than what the average person can put up with. And I should know; I absolutely LOVE karate, but finding the time, will and balanced blood sugars to get through a couple of hours, twice a week, in order to stay consistent is tough. That’s why one sometimes needs to take baby steps. Habitually, and for the most part, my wife and I are quite adept at carrying out brief, 30-minute workout circuits together. While it might not sound like a lot, for the purposes of a workout, 30 minutes allows us to get our cardiovascular efforts in, break a significant sweat together and gain that tell-tale ache in our muscles of a job well done. This begs the question; are we doing enough?

According to an article by the Mayo Clinic, the average person should aim to get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a weekor 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week. This total can be spread out into smaller chunks throughout the week. So, we’re talking about a workout that gets your heart pumping. The article goes on to say that you should “Do strength training exercises for all major muscle groups at least two times a week. One set of each exercise is enough for health and fitness benefits. Use a weight or resistance level heavy enough to tire your muscles after about 12 to 15 repetitions.” Further, it specifies that “As a general goal, aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity every day.” Okay, perfect! This means that the 30-minutes allows us circuit workouts that my wife and I hammer out together on the weekends meet the mark and is all we need, right? Well, maybe not…

If you’re carrying on your fitness activities with the end goal of losing weight , keeping the weight off or achieving specific fitness goals, this minimalist approach may not be adequate. And sitting for prolonged periods of time can be horrendous on your overall fitness and goals. This should be pretty intuitive but you’d be surprised, and I’m guilty of this myself, how much time people spend on their ass, either working, binging television or in their leisure activities. I lose count of how much time I spend sitting when I’m out to coffee with friends or binge-watching new episodes of Grey’s Anatomy with my wife. Not so great for fitness goals and can actually aggravate or undo some of the fitness achievements you’ve reached. But that isn’t the goal of today’s post. Today’s post is about length and frequency of working out. So, let’s get to the important question: Are my current 30-minute workouts worth it?

The short answer is yes. As most leading health practitioners and fitness experts will tell you, any activity is better than no activity. Another obstacle/hurdle, at least for me, is the fact that as I get older, the energy levels and ability to maintain the same level of fitness as I did even just five years ago, has altered significantly. Sensei would likely cuff me on the back of the head if he reads this, considering that in his seventies, he is very much the image of fitness. More so than someone at my age or younger. Frankly, he puts most people to shame. That being said, ensuring I reach that couple of hours’ total throughout the week CAN be challenging. My body’s propensity for letting the blood sugar drop about twenty minutes before I get home certainly doesn’t help matters. This leads to more evenings than not, where I find myself wolfing down food when I get home as opposed to taking the half hour needed to burn some calories and get a sweat on. The struggle is real…

At the end of the day, all of this starts with you. Unlike most people, I don’t subscribe to the thought that one needs to be motivated in order to workout. That is a whole lot of nonsensical bullshit, right there! You need to be disciplined. Period. Start. Do something. Only do ten minutes of running in your backyard? Good for you. Twenty minutes of doing some weight reps? Fantastic. An hour of wrestling and rolling around on the floor with your kids? Even better. Develop and maintain the discipline to do SOMETHING. Once that discipline is in place, the motivation will follow. It can’t happen in the other direction. That’s an important detail, and most people fail to understand this. For me, going back to the days of 2-hour karate workouts several times a week are likely dead and gone. Type-1 Diabetes and my overall age and health just won’t allow it any longer. If I tried, I likely wouldn’t have the energy and ability to deal with, you know… work, kids, life… But I can guarantee that I’m going to keep pushing workouts and exercise. As often as I can, for as long as I can. They’ll have to pull my cold, dead corpse away from the mats because my health is important, as it supports everything else. So, take care of yours, as well. Unless you’re healthy and capable, you’ll find yourself unable to do any of the other things in life that may be important. Food for thought… ☯️

The Spouse Is In The House, So Grab Your Boxing Gloves…

There’s a saying that I’ve often heard, although it changes with particular situations, that couples who [BLANK] together, stay together. And no, that blank is not a typo. It changes with the given situation. In this case, my thought is that couples who work out together, stay together. While that isn’t the only driving force behind staying together (obviously), there’s nothing more satisfying than getting a solid work out in with your spouse. The awesomeness of working up a sweat, getting healthy and getting that post-work out tired feeling together is something that can bring couples closer to each other and allow them to share something they wouldn’t otherwise; their overall health and fitness. For me, the decades have proved difficult in trying to have anyone I’ve been involved with, work out with me. In previous years, that was an obvious obstacle as my fitness time was usually limited to inside a dojo. But even in situations where I had someone I was dating or involved with joining the dojo, it usually didn’t work out well.

Even once I found myself outside the dojo and involved with someone, training in karate with a non-karate practitioner has some inherent problems. They won’t know the techniques. They won’t know the forms. If you hope to get a full workout, you’ll be going too fast and doing too much for any rational beginner to follow along. It can make it tough. And if you stop or slow down long enough to explain, you essentially burn through your workout time teaching instead of training. It can be frustrating and difficult for both parties, to be sure. But if you can be lucky enough to have a spouse or partner who is willing to work out with you, there’s lots that you can do to enjoy the experience together. If you insist on doing a karate workout, you’ll can limit it to kicking and punching drills, squats, jumping jacks, balance exercises… Lots of things that the two of you can do that won’t have to involve teaching some specifics to your respective exercise mate. Other possibilities are riding bicycles together, going for a job, doing weight sets… Or maybe, just maybe, you can expand your horizons and go to a class and learn something TOGETHER.

For me, I’m lucky in that my wife and I will often exercise together. While I don’t teach her mainstream karate, we often share 30 minutes of weight workouts. I have some wonderful circuits that I’ve saved on my iPad that I can bring up that focuses specific muscle groupings. Once my wife and I have hammered through one of these, we’re usually ready for snacks and/or a nap. A few times now, we’ve shared some time on the punching bag, favoring a circuit that allows us to take turns. While one is on the bag, the other uses a jump rope or sits in a horse stance. Wonderful burn and great exercise. And one of the best results of using this methodology, is the hour you spend working out is no longer an hour away from your spouse. Instead, it’s an hour you share with them. Where you get healthier and work out together. Not only enriching and healthy, it helps to bond you and bring you closer. Sounds like a definite win-win to me.

So find your niche. Discover what works for you and your spouse or partner that will allow the two of you to focus on health, increased energy, better sleep patterns, together. The result will also be shared experiences and laughs along the way that money can’t buy. And that bonding is important. Especially in a relationship that;s intended to be for life. Food for thought… ☯️