Spring is Here; Staying Positive; A Sprinkling of Shakespeare; Two Online Friends Have Upcoming Bouts

Image via Wikipedia

I am back to blogging, I think. It's been a weird several weeks. Indeed, it has been kind of a weird year so far.I've been enduring one of those on-and-off training periods. I don't like it, but I know it's impermanent and things will improve soon. My training continues, albeit somewhat erratically. Again, that will improve.

My mother has been hospitalized during the last two weeks and that doesn't help things. Happily, she is doing better and, hopefully, will be able to go home soon. I don't like hospitals. (Who does?) It's hard seeing beloved family members being so ill. I'm glad Mom is recovering and feeling more well now.

I'll have more to say soon. For now, much of what I have to say is too whiny to write here. To keep from indulging self-pity, I'll express my mental state using the first four lines of William Shakespeare's Sonnet No. 29:

"When in disgrace with Fortune and men's eyes,

I all alone beweep my outcast state,

And trouble deaf heaven with my bootless cries,

And look upon myself and curse my fate..."

That's all I'll quote because I'm starting to annoy myself by even copying this much. 

Must. Stay. Positive.

Although my own training (to say nothing of any competitive opportunities) is moving along sluggishly, two of my friends are preparing for bouts that are coming up very soon.

Nerd of Steel will get in the ring this week.

Paul Hodges has his bout in just 20 days.

Please visit their blogs and encourage them in their upcoming matches. Both of them have been training hard and seem ready to go. Oh, and if you don't mind, tell them I sent you. :-)

Help Nerd of Steel Find a New Boxing Gym

Image via Wikipedia

I'm a little late with this, but we do what we can, right? My buddy, Nerd of Steel, who publishes the Nerdcore Boxing blog, is looking for a new gym in the greater Los Angeles, California area. Most recently, he has blogged about his quest here.

I'm taking the liberty to ask my readers to help "Nerd" with his search. He hasn't asked me for any help--and by offering, I don't mean to imply that he needs it--but I know how it is to be displaced from a boxing club where I trained for a long time, and to start over at a new place. Others, including my former coach, Bernard O'Shea, and Chad Robbins, one of the owners of Go Time Chicago, helped me during that transition a few years ago. Therefore, if I have the chance to try to help a fellow boxer who is going through the same thing, I will take it. That's especially true when the boxer is an all-around good guy and is becoming an online friend, like Nerd of Steel.

So if you can help another boxer find a new place to train and minimize the interruptions to his training resulting from the move, please visit Nerd of Steel's blog and offer your suggestions in the comments to a blog entry such as this one. Thanks.

Nerdcore Boxing Returns!

After more than a year away from blogging, he's back! Woohoo! Welcome back, big guy! It's great to see you blogging again. I'm as eager as ever to read your site. I'm glad to learn things are going well and you're back to training.

To the rest of my readers, I encourage you to read his blog. As you can see from his past blog entries, he publishes a lot of useful content and logs his experiences, which seem fairly similar to my own adventures in the sweet science.

Hat tip to Marc at My Boxing Blog, who keeps punching as the Australian winter sets in.

New Boxing Blog Online: jonos big fight

During my blog-surfing, I came across an interesting blog called jonos big fight. It's published by a Malaysian fellow, named Jono, who has just started training for a boxing event to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on November 28, 2008 (which just happens to be my birthday).

I've added Jono's blog to my blogroll (under the "Boxing Blogs" heading). I'll be following his training and hoping his bout goes well. Good luck, Jono, and feel free to visit us here sometime.

Two More Boxing Blogs

I recently spotted two more boxing blogs written by guys who seem kind of like me.  Here they are.

Earning a Nickname

Toe to Toe

I've enjoyed reading them so far, so I'm hoping these guys will update their blogs fairly regularly so I can follow their training and adventures.

Hat tip to my friend, Marc, who publishes My Boxing Blog.  I found these new blogs on Marc's site.  Thanks, Marc!

He's Back!

"He" is a fellow boxer-blogger named Duncan Higgitt who lives in Wales. He has recently resumed blogging. Here's a link to his site.

http://boxingaches2.blogspot.com

Welcome back, Duncan. It's good to see you online again and good to know you're staying with our sport!

It's a shame you're all the way in Wales. I'd be glad to invite you to my gym. It's a great place with lots of great people.

Keep punching, man! I hope your schedule and life commitments will allow you to keep with your training.

News from Other Boxer-Blogger Friends

Here are some updates from friends who are fellow boxers and fellow bloggers. I recommend reading these guys regularly.

My Boxing Blog

My friend Marc, who lives in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, has returned to his training! Woohoo! He even entitled his first blog entry, "Joy of Training." How's that for inspiring? I really enjoy seeing others who consider their training fun and joyful.

It is amazing that Marc finds time to do any training, given his work and school schedule. He is following the same career path I took. Mark is an information technology professional and is attending law school at the same time. That's how I did law school. I could blog lots more about that experience--and I probably will--but for now let me just say it is intense.

So welcome back to training, Marc. Way to go, and keep up the good work!

Nerd of Steel

Our man, Nerd of Steel, has returned to his training, too, after taking some time off to allow his ankle to heal from an injury. Welcome back to training, Nerd! To deal with the inevitable muscle soreness that comes from returning to training after a layoff, and even after routine hard workouts, Nerd offers "5 Tips To Handle Muscle Soreness." They're all effective methods, though I have to say I am not fond of the ice baths. Brrrrr.

Kayo Kid

Kieran O'Leary takes a walk down memory lane as he tells us about a match he had, a little over 4 years ago, with an investment banker nicknamed "Spider." He posts a video of that bout. It's definitely worth watching to see Kieran in action. Good job, Kieran!