With working up to 10 hours a day with the Air Force, you may be wondering what do I like to do for fun.
Nothing! I don't have the time!
£ Even though those things that I have to do to pay bills and further myself take up the majority of my valuable time, I squeeze in some extra activities. One of my pursuits is Karate, specifically Tang Soo Do. It is a Korean form of Karate similar to Tae Kwan Do. I think that every male is at one point in his life interested in Karate. There were no places to take Karate near my house back in Detroit plus we were broke and we couldn't afford it anyway. Once I joined the Air Force, I started taking Tae Kwan Do when I lived in Florida in 1991. I liked it, but when my teacher moved away, I didn't find a new instructor that I clicked with so I stopped going. Fast Forward to 2002, I was driving past a strip center near my house when I saw a Karate sign. I went in and talked to the owner, Richard Denslow, who was just about to open. We had a good conversation and I signed up. Even though I had been promoted 4 times with TKD, I asked to start from the beginning. I did accelerate though the first two tests. I have been working on my flexibility and speed. After 16 months of training, Richard Denslow was unable to keep running the school so now Adam Thompson instructs me. Of course, there are going to be some differences in how the class runs and some of the moves, but it is still Tang Soo Do and I am still learning a lot. Tang Soo Do focuses on strikes like kicks and punches. We also expand and talk about pressure points and throws. One of the good points of Tang Soo Do is that it is an evolving martial art so I am always learning new concepts and interpretations. I would like to get more into weapons training. If I continue to study at my current pace, I will be able to achieve a black belt in May 2006. In August, I competed in an all Arizona Korean Karate tournament and I won two second place trophies, two first place trophies, and Overall Grand Champion in my age/rank division.
£ My other (former) major activity is professional wrestling. I have been following WWF/WWE wrestling since 1984. I have been to numerous matches. I started performing about 10 years ago when I was living in Florida. Nothing spectacular, just four or five people getting together to practice moves without killing each other. My professional name is Raging Riptide. When I moved to Arizona, I searched on the Internet and found a small wrestling organization on one of the Indian Reservations. I contacted one of the owners and started working out with them. After about 9 matches, I fought and beat their champion Arkon the Imperion and was crowned the National Heavyweight champion. Arkon and I wrestled a series of matches and we traded the belt several times. When I was champ, I was wrestling Chopsticks Charlie when Arkon interfered and cost me my title. I requested a Best of Seven contest. I won three matches and lost three. During the seventh match between Arkon and I, the team of Judge, Jury, and Executioner attacked us. We put our differences aside and teamed up to destroy JJE. We did get some revenge when we beat JJE for the tag-team belts. Months later, during a tournament to crown a new National champ, Arkon attacked me from behind and piledrove me. Arkon went on to win the National belt. I stayed out of wrestling to nurse my injuries and plot my revenge. I did a "run-in" during one of Arkon's matches and assaulted him and his bodyguard Primus. I destroyed Primus in a match right in front of Arkon. Arkon and I finally settled our dispute in a Lights Out match. I was victorious. I am now retired from wrestling but I still appear at the local matches.
£ Staying with physical fitness, I started jogging in the morning to build up my endurance. I never really liked running. With my long legs, I should be good at it. I walked, then jogged around my neighborhood. I am up to 3 miles and I do it on average of 27 minutes. I used to be into lifting weights, especially right before I entered the Air Force and during my Kuwait tour. So I am back into body building. I used to combine running and weight lifting in the morning but I was getting up way too early (3:00 a.m!) and only doing this regimen three times a week. So I split running, lifting, and general stretching everyday. I haven't ran as much since my back problems.
£ I have a few other extra leisure interests. I like working on this website, even though I don't do it as often as I should. I like watching TV. My favorite shows are WWE RAW and WWE Smackdown!, 24, the Sopranos, Reno 911!, the Sports Reporters, the Shield, the Wire, Fox News Watch, Nip/Tuck, Rescue Me, the Simpsons, Yo Momma, Heroes, Prison Break, and Lost. Desperate Housewives is funny. I like to read but the idiot tube takes a lot of my time. I like mystery/suspense books. I don't listen to music. In the car I scan music radio stations but I mostly listen to news talk and sports talk. I like the four major sports but I don't follow them closely. By the way, I still support Detroit teams, not Phoenix teams. I have been to the majority of games when a Detroit team comes to Phoenix, including Arena Football and the CBA. I like to go out to eat. My favorite is Italian, Chinese, and Mexican. I like to go to clubs and dance but I don't go out often.