May all the pubs be open and all the beer fresh and roads rising to meet you etc etc etc

Have a good one mate!

I thought I'd snuck this one by without anyone noticing.....bugger!

HA HA HA

Happy Birthday Mark

SOMEONE always notices

Have a good one mate.

thread hijack - since its quiet in here at the mo....
be very interested in what you think of goju
I know you guys all went there pretty much en masse, so would be interested.

Goju? Well, I'm still doing it, so it's not too bad! Yeah, 4 of us went to the same dojo - 2 in Jan, me in July and 1 in August. To be honest it's as different to GKR as you could get whilst still being the same. My 2 senseis are 2nd and 4th dans; the "warm ups" last 30 mins, with physical conditioning and bag/pad work; basics in line are rare, maybe 10 mins every 2 hour class; everything we learn is practiced with a partner; we do joint locks, pressure points, takedowns, breakfalling, chokes, use of elbows and knees, grappling, throws, bare knuckle sparring; techniques are geared towards and judged on function over form; etiquette is far more relaxed - no responding at every pause of breath - which seems to breed greater respect in class; club politics seems non existent.

That's what initially springs to mind. Basically, I love it. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my 2 years with GKR, but felt it was lacking somehow for me. The bag work and grappling side was a big factor for me, aswell as the high grade tuition. It feels like I've learned more in the last 4 months than in the previous 2 years. GKR gave me a good grounding in basic techniques, but I've since realised that there's so much more to learn that I never dreamed of. I've been lucky to find 2 great instructors that can guide me to where I want to go.

Back on topic, I'm celebrating my birthday tonight, so any posts from me in the next 24 hours will be alcohol affected and as such should probably be ignored!