The little team that could.

Calgary's going a little nuts lately.

More than a little nuts, actually.

I'm not a big hockey fan by any stretch of the imagination, but after our team pushed its way past Detroit in the second round, I have to admit that it was hard not to get swept up in the hype. We were seen as a long shot to get past Vancouver, and the general concensus was that Detroit would walk over us in, at most, five games. Now, two series later, we're within sight of bringing Ol' Stan back to Canada. The cup hasn't been back to Canada in almost ten years, and the team that might bring it back is Calgary. Who woulda thought?

My Shi Fu is starting to drop hints of the "We're about to test you for your next sash level" variety. This'll be our red sash. Although, in our particular school, sashes aren't all that important. Nobody in our school actually wears them. Just about everybody in our school is at least tested for their yellow sash, a fair number of us are entitled to wear a higher sash, and some of us, like myself, are about to test for our second. I'm not entirely sure, to be honest, how sashes in Bak Fu Pai relate to the sashes in other Kung Fu styles. In most of the other styles I'm aware of, the red sash is much, much closer to the end. In some it's the sash you get just before you get your black sash. I'm nowhere near that good yet. But I'll get there.

To say that Kung Fu has been a positive force in my life would be a massive understatement. After a year studying this particular form of Kung fu, I can safely say that it's been the best year of my life. I'm stronger and healthier than I have been in a long time. I've got more confidence and I'm just all around a more balanced person.

We had a massive celebration when we passed our last sash level, so I think we're going to have another wild party at the end of this one. Wild raucus party, here we come.