Day 525

Yesterday, my son competed in a taekwondo tournament. He did well taking third place in both weapons and forms. I am especially proud of how well he did considering he is still wearing a first degree black belt but competing in a second degree ring. (Next week, he will test for second degree). In sparring, he didn’t do quite so well. He lost in the first round. He needs more practice sparring to do well consistently. And I’m sure the five weeks he took off to explore the west didn’t help. 

In the last tournament, back in June, my son came in second place in sparring. The boy, Jakub, who beat him in the final round kicked him in the jaw. The injury was bad enough to require ice. There were no hard feelings. It’s all part of the game. If you didn’t want to be kicked you wouldn’t spar. But yesterday, Jakub went up to my son to ask him how he was, making sure that he hadn’t hurt him too badly. Score one for the kid on sportsmanship. But the kid’s character really came through in the final round of sparring yesterday. He was up against another boy and half way through the round it was tied at zero. After a break, as the judge was about to resume play, Jakub pointed to his opponent and alerted the judge to the fact that he didn’t look right. He immediately turned around and took a knee — the proper etiquette when an opponent is injured. As soon as the judge stopped the play, the other boy dropped to his knees and fainted. It turned out is was an asthma attack. A medic was called and she deemed the boy unable to continue. Jakub won by forfeit. But he deserved that win more than if he had fought it out. He saw his opponent wasn’t up for continuing and instead of using it to his advantage to score a point or two, he stopped the match. He had no idea that the match wouldn’t continue. He gave the boy a chance to come back on equal footing. That’s the sort of thing that should be rewarded. I’m not sure many other kids would have been as sensitive or as aware of their opponent’s mindset. If I were handing out a sportsmanship award, it would definitely go to Jakub. 

Now, don’t start thinking I’ve had a complete personality change and cast off all cynicism. While I can certainly identify the good in the world when I see it, there are still enough evil people in the world to piss me off. At the tournament, everyone was required to wear a mask. When the competitors were on the mat, they were able to remove them, but as soon as they stepped off, they were supposed to put them back on. Most people wore a mask. Some didn’t wear them properly, but for the most part people did what they were supposed to. However, Mr. R decided that the rules didn’t apply to him. He was the father of one of the boys in my son’s ring and he didn’t even go through the facade of putting something on his face. When I pointed him out to another parent she informed me that if people were wearing an orange wristband they had a medical exemption and didn’t need to wear a mask. That annoyed me. If someone has a medical reason that they can’t keep others safe they should stay the hell home. But I checked R’s wrists. He wasn’t sporting an orange band. Instead, all afternoon, he stood in the arena filled with kids — many of whom are not yet eligible to be vaccinated — and spread his germs. My spouse wouldn’t let me confront him about it, and the people running the event didn’t seem to care. But I was enraged. These are vulnerable kids. Just because they are proficient fighters doesn’t mean they are immune to the Delta variant. R proved himself to be the very definition of a selfish asshole. But maybe he was just thinking strategically. If he infects the competitors on the mat and they get sick enough, then it limits the competition for his son. I’m glad we got our son vaccinated. If we hadn’t, I’m sure I’d have said something to moron.

While my son was competing, my mom had an estate sale. She was hoping to sell the furniture in the Mattituck house. Many people showed up, but not a single person was interested in furniture. She sold a few knickknacks and some gardening tools but the big items are still at the house. The furniture is in excellent condition and it’s cheap. If you have need for furniture and a way to transport it, let me know. If you know someone who works for a charity that could use it, maybe I could persuade Mom to give it to you.

I was supposed to drive back out to Mattituck this morning, but due to the hurricane, I’m stranded in New Jersey. I had been hoping to get on the road early this morning, but after listening to the news yesterday, I didn’t think it was safe. The winds were supposed to kick-up and the rain was predicted to be torrential. It’s rough for Mom to be out on Long Island alone, especially since she doesn’t drive. But what good would I be to her if I got into an accident. The weather should be a bit better tomorrow. It will still be raining, but the hurricane should pass back out to sea by then allowing me to get to Mom. 

There is a cricket trapped in the house. He (or she) has set up residence in the kitchen. I love crickets. Their chirp is like a lullaby. It calms me. Hearing them makes me smile, perhaps because they remind me of Long Island. But my spouse doesn’t feel the same. To her the cricket is maddening. She verbally invited him to leave but he answered with a short chirp that, when translated, obviously meant no. When he gets loud and persistent she shouts through the house for him to shut up. He responds by chirping more loudly. 

Since it rained all day, we spent the afternoon playing board games. We played the games — Sorry and Clue Master Detective — that used to be out in Mattituck, the games my family and I played on countless rainy days. Playing them made me think of Dad which enhanced my feelings of missing him and my disappointment that Mom is selling the house.