Fist in the Frost

Where to start?

In the last two weeks I've had so much going on I haven't been able to post or even think straight. Here's the short list: My Mother was evaluated at a Memory care unit.  The stay lasted for a week instead of a few days.My friend took his life and my wife found him.Mom was released yesterday, which seems like a very bad idea.  We (me and my wife) keep being pulled in my late friend's business.I cooked two Turkey's for Thanksgiving amidst two grown men fighting like they were children.  Ironically that stress was almost unbearable because all the players were close in proximity.  That's a lot, I know.  The stress was only magnified by my inability to sleep. 
So yesterday I was moping around after work and my wife pushed me to go to class even though I could barely keep my eyes open.  As usual, class was great and helped me to concentrate on the now.  I ended up working with girls again, but it didn't seem horrible as they were helping me rememb…

I've been having the worst problems with my memory in the last year.  Just hanging out with or talking to my Mother who is experiencing a rapid decline due to dementia seems to have killed my ability to remember as well.  I'm attributing it to stress since I've experienced this in the past.  

While I was in grad school I thought I was losing my mind on more that one occasion. I would leave keys in the door and thought I lost them in the subway, I would forget where I parked a car, or what I was working on from time to time.  As a result, or side affect, I would take bone-crushingly deep naps.  I don't take naps as a rule so when it happens I know something is wrong stress wise.
Although I'm not driven to naps yet, learning the fourth kata has become a huge challenge.  As I mentioned in my last post I got home and immediately forgot everything I'd learned.  That's why I was experiencing a heavy conflict on Monday.  We had a guest in from out of town that has …

I'm running behind trying to get this details down.  So it's going to be a list of stuff.

- A bunch of folks from our school went to a Kata only tournament last weekend and did very well.  My very own Mark got first place in his division! 
- The sensei's pulled down a lot of metals/awards, so they generally encourage everyone to go to this tourney. 
- I'd been off for a week due to guests and training at work which threw my schedule off.  Nice to be back as it were.
- I was paired with Sarah to help her on black belt prep.  I found out that I couldn't remember transitions.  I was worthless.  How embarrassing.
- In the after class the senseis confirmed that my first three were fine so I could start learning Hakutsuru no Ottoko.  It has a San Shin step that makes me look like I'm a zombie lurching from step to step.  Hilarious.
- I practiced it two hours after I learned the first few pieces and realized that I had lost the whole damn thing because I had concentrated …