Black belt tests and the Halloween Party.

Friday night's black belt test was at once a terrifying and interesting thing. There was a good crowd at MSU, and it was nice to be back there. Taekwondo is taught in the same room in which I used to help with Aikido, so it felt rather like coming home again. Master Ron was all aflutter with excitement, and Master Kim was dead-serious as he always is for important tests. There were two candidates, both of whom looked as though they were barely holding up under all of that scrutiny.

The one fellow, Mo, was able to focus, and gave a very good performance. His kicks were lovely, and his forms were likewise very nice. The other guy who tested, though, just seemed to be having an off-day; which happens to everyone. In the end, Mo got promoted, but the other fellow did not. I could see the reasoning for it fairly clearly.

It scares me a bit, though. I've done that before; lost concentration on a test and not done terribly well. It makes the forms very difficult to follow, and you lose your place in them just as you would in a Robert Jordan novel without a bookmark. It's a daunting mental exercise. I also know that I am not a great jumper yet. I was just starting to really improve my flying kicks before I hurt my knee, and now I'm not allowed to practice them at all until it's healed. I will probably be back to the drawing board on them, and it will take a lot of work for me to get them to the point where they are acceptable.

I'm really keeping my hopes up about that recently-maligned joint. I don't want to have surgery on it, because it changes things from 'weeks' to 'months'. I'm being good. I'm staying off it, and not driving whenever possible, and taking my huge pills exactly as promised. Physical therapy starts on Wednesday. It will be ALL good. *sigh*

After the black belt test, I took some photos for Master Ron, then Forest and I hit the road for home. We were both eager to get there well in advance of everyone, and were actually suprised to have made it by such a large margin. We put all sorts of food out, and made some last-minute preparations. I decided to skip the taco salad in favor of a bonfire with hot dogs, since it was actually fairly nice outside. Forest seemed a bit nervous; but he always is before hosting a party, I've found. It's strange.

We had a really good time, but it seemed as though everyone came in shifts, which was a bit of a bummer. Will, James, Bill, Kathy, and Shelly were the only people there early on, and then Darcy and Angie joined us, and Will and James had to leave. Then a while after Darcy and Angie left, Dave showed up! We've been trying to get Dave to meet Darcy for some time.

Nonetheless, people seemed to get along fairly well, and we were actually able to have a nice fire, which was pleasant and warm on the cool night. Darcy and Angie probably got the most attention out of everyone for their costumes; they arrived dressed as Forest and I on our wedding day. It was pretty funny.

Shelly wowed us all with her 'coed in college' costume, and Will made a brief appearance as Spoon-eye the Pirate. Kathy wore her witch outfit, and I got some really great photos of her! Allyn was 'Blue' (the dog on PBS) and Kirstin was wearing her lovely 'Bubbles' costume (from the Powerpuff Girls!) Our crowd also included a Master of Evil, a very sexy witch, a bright blue fairy, and a dark clown. I decided to wear my 'Princess Buttercup' dress from last year, since I'm saving my face paint for Yeffy's get-together on Wednesday.

We hung out at the bonfire for a while, and then started the kids on carving pumpkins. I spread out a big tarp on the Ninja room floor, and let people go to it. Soon, it got rainy outside, and the folks from the bonfire came in to join us. We ended up with some very interesting and beautiful pumpkin creations; and some people enjoyed it so much that they made more than one jack-o-lantern.

All in all, I'd say the Witches' Brew was a hit, and everyone seemed to have a good time.

Forest and I tumbled in bed quite late that night, pleased with ourselves for our improving hosting skills. I tend to keep things rolling, serve things, cook things, and generally organize stuff while we're having guests. Forest is very good at invisbly cleaning up as things go. Bottles don't pile up in the corners, empty serving bowls are rinsed and put away, and used paper plates magically disappear when Forest is around. We make a very good combination.