Hello Friday!

This weekend is the dreaded match up between the Carolina Panthers and the New Orleans Saints. When i first checked Carolina were thirteen point underdogs, but depending on where you check they might only be at plus eleven. In the past some of the Panthers best games have been when they are not expected to win against division opponents. I think this game will be a good game - even for just football fans. Most of the games in recent years have been decided by less than a touchdown. I doubt it will be televised on any of my local channels so i will just have to watch it on NFL.com. I will be happy if Carolina covers the spread, and ecstatic if they manage a win. There are some things moving in the right direction for the Panthers. I get nervous though when all the news agencies can focus on is the Panthers or Jake Delhomme's win streak in the Superdome. Sooner or later all streaks come to an end. I am just hoping it's not this weekend. If the Panthers can't win the division and go to the playoffs i am hoping the Saints do it.

This weekend my beloved and i have deliberately kept the schedule somewhat reduced. DS1 has his Social Studies Fair project coming due very soon, DS2 needs a break from all the running around, and DD3, well - maybe we can find a friend to come over, or her go to. 8) The run up to Thanksgiving is going to be crazy busy with some Autism training and a consignment sale coming up. Not to mention the fair projects and normal school work. I am glad that i am taking a couple of extra days around the November holidays to spend with just the family. We need a vacation, but life continues to conspire to keep us too busy. Lately i have been wanting to get back into practicing some martial arts. I am not talking about Bruce Lee or anything, but i would really enjoy Aikido and/or Kendo. Aikido is predominately a defensive martial art that specializes in the redirection of an opponents energy (attacks). Just as in any martial art there is an aspect of "spiritual" philosophy. As a Christian one MUST take the Bible first and foremost into consideration and weigh all teachings against the truth of the Bible. For me the Martial Arts are a physical and a concentration, not a spiritual one. The hardest thing for me though is to find a school close to home, and one that i could afford to go to. I'm interested in Kendo mostly because of the samurai-like images that are present when studying this martial art (DUH!). There is a part of me that really enjoys the intense discipline and concentration that it takes to study and practice martial arts. It has been almost twenty years since i last stepped into a training dojo on a constant basis. I miss it - a lot. If i had to choose just one though, it would be Aikido. But life conspires against me in this as well. Well - i had more to ramble on about, but i am just too distracted. I hope you all have a great weekend, and may God shower you all with an sense of His amazing Grace and a palpable sense of His presence in your lives.