Belt Testing

I didn't get to see it because I've been in the car lately.  Still sick, I just drop Maddie off at taekwondo and wait outside.  Today, sadly, I missed out on another testing.  Fortunately, it wasn't testing for any significant mile marker - it was her first testing with the black belt.  This is the first step on her way to the second degree black belt, which is still some ways off.  But it would have been nice to see it.  She did well, and not only did she pass, she also got her official certificate for earning her black belt, the end result of her test last spring.  Normally the official certificates take a few months to arrive after the fact, officially certified and so forth, sent from ATA headquarters.  This certificate, because it is a black belt certificate, is a huge one.  We'll call it "the long form."  Most of these certificates fit nicely in a binder that we had set up for Maddie where she could show off each one.  This particular certificate is about twice the normal size, so I'm guessing we'll need to get a frame or something for it.  It's big.  

Anyway, she did well.  On the way home, we passed the high school as we always do, and there was the first football game.  I wish I could have gone, but again, we're not well.  It was a scrimmage game versus White County, which is a wonderful irony, given that this is the school I went to.  The White County Warriors rolled in, and might I also add how amazing it is they are still called the "Warriors?"  Anyway, they easily defeated the East Forsyth Broncos, 34-6.  I'm not sure of too many of the details of the game, but I'm fairly sure East Forsyth has no seniors, so there might have been a slight edge there.  The other advantage was that the Warriors are from White County, which automatically gives other teams a pretty good edge.  

I digress.  Maddie has expressed an interest in checking out a football game some time, and we may do that on a Friday night.  Hopefully when I'm feeling better.  Right now, Mom and I are still under the weather, and not doing too great.

Tonight was the last episode of season one's "The Bad Batch."  These endings can sure feel melancholy lately, although our series heroes are safe and on their way - for the most part.  We watched that episode, and then "Jurassic Park III," which I actually think is a fun movie.  For one, where else can you see a spinosaurus with that much screen time?  The pterodactyls are terrifying, of course, and the raptors are what you'd expect.  But the spinosaurus steals the show, rather relentlessly too.  Much controversy was stirred up when this movie showed a spinosaurus take down a tyrannosaurs rex.  As sentimental as we feel about the t-rex, the size of the spinosaurus gives him an advantage, as does the fact that he has actual arms.  We only see a spinosaurus skeleton in the next movie, one broken apart by the most famous t-rex, of course.  But one might wonder what happened to the dinosaurs on Isla Sorna?  This movie is the last movie to show the alternate dinosaur island, and from what I read, basically all the dinosaurs from Isla Sorna moved to Isla Nublar, which of course doesn't work out well for a lot of them, given the volcanic nature of the island.  But what happened to the Spinosaurus?  That sounds like an interesting question.  It could be that skeleton that's destroyed at the end of Jurassic World is the skeleton of spinosaurus from the last movie.  It doesn't explain what happened, and so there's a bit of an unexplained mystery there.  I personally think he swam off to another tropical island where he set up a nice comfortable home, munching on islanders occasionally and enjoying beautiful sunsets as he rests in a fifty-five foot long hammock.  

Anyway, we were reading tonight, and we said our prayers too.  We're riding out this illness, and we're praying for good health.  We're certainly ready for that!