Inspiration and Encouragement - April Lorier

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UFC 83
2008-04-20 19:19:00
Danzig v Bocek: This fight was more exciting than I expected it to be, mainly because I had no idea whether Bocek was any good. Turns out he is. I?m not sure if I agree with the commentators that he?s an amazing BJJ guy because, even in the first round, his most victorious, he kept putting himself in poor positions. Obviously, in the last two rounds that Danzig dominated, poor positioning is a little more understandable, but it almost seemed like he was overly worried about getting hit, which made it easier to distract him while Danzig took up superior positions. Danzig?s good, but I?m not sure how soon or if he?ll ever get a shot at the top guys (arguably Penn and Sherk right now) because there are so many talented 155 guys in the UFC, not to mention those outside the organization. He did well in this fight, but I think he has a long road ahead to become serious contender. Despite being a vegan-hippie, I like Mac much more than the singer with the same surname. Bisping v...
More About: Dan Henderson

UFC 83
2008-04-20 03:30:00
I'm generally kind of terrible at making predictions. If my predictions were an NBA record I'd be a 4 or 5 seed in the Eastern Conference, but planning my summer getaways if I was in the West. With that in mind (and the fact that the fights start in half an hour and I still haven't gone to Dunkin Donuts), I'm only going predict the big fight:GSP v Serra: I'm not exactly going out on a limb here by picking GSP to win, but I do think I'm going against the general consensus that GSP is going to bull through Serra. There are two reasons for this:1. GSP has a game-plan and it doesn't consist of keeping Serra on the ground because Serra is a legit black-belt and that isn't going to be a place where GSP can land any kind of submission. In Serra's guard definitely favors the little New Yorker because his arms and legs are approximately 12 inches long. GSP will stay on the outside and jab, go in and get out, which is what he didn't do the first time. If he catches Serra or se...

Update
2008-04-16 23:25:00
Jesus, where does all the time go? I've been missing out on posting about UFN 13, Butterbean's hilarious fight in YAMMA, and the new season of the Ultimate Fighter. Why? I'd like to say it's because I'm lazy and all of these hot chicks keep wanting to hook up with me and then go get me Chipotle afterwards, but the truth is...I've been busy. Like too busy to even point out that Arianny Celeste is my new favorite person in all of mixed martial arts. I had a professor that looked a lot like Arianny, but she was kind of crazy and I'm not sure if that's good or not...Anyway, I don't know where I was going with that, but you should totally look her up because she's way hotter than your mom and make not mistake, your mom is HOT. Then, go check out Butterbean v Pat Smith at:http://www.mmascraps.com/2008/04/butte rbean-vs-pat-smith-video-yamma-pit.htmlIt 's short and you will not regret it. I actually kind of like the Yamma set-up, it makes pushing your opponent up against th...
More About: Update

Dream/WEC
2008-03-28 00:09:00
Well I was planning on writing about Dream since I was really excited about the JZ v Aoki fight and it would give me a chance to brush up on my Japanese, which, now that I no longer watch Voltron, is admittedly rusty. Then it was pointed out to me that Aoki is basically a little girl.In college, I played soccer with a guy who was aptly nicknamed "Pinup " because of his fondness for getting up two hours earlier than everyone else so that he could take his time in the shower and then primp to his heart's content afterwards while everyone else was still passed out. If you were to pick a player on our team to do an advert for adidas, you'd go with Pinup because he looked the part. When there was no pressure on him or anyone aggressive around, he looked like the best player on the team. The problem was that he would disappear at the first signs of aggression and react to getting tapped like someone had just shoved bottle rockets up his nostrils.Aoki is the Pinup of MMA.I couldn't r...

Top 10
2008-03-12 00:16:00
As I'm sure you can probably tell, 90% of my information regarding MMA comes from the UFC and watching whatever fights I can that are found by much more resourceful people than me. See mmascraps.com and punchkickchoke.blogspot.comThis means that obviously, my top ten will be much more biased than some. Also, I'm sure a lot of people will disagree with my choices because I like being entertained while watching fights.Without much further ado:1. Fedor Emelianenko: people can argue that he hasn't fought a top-tier fighter in over a year, but fuck that, the guy's already beat most of the best and it's not HIS fault the Couture fight has taken so long materialize. This guy is brutally efficient, moves like a lightweight, and is classy in the way he conducts himself.2. BJ Penn: I've already written about my love/hate reaction to this guy. He's an awesome teacher, seems like a cool guy to have a beer with, and (on his day) one of the most unstoppable fighters in the world. At t...
More About: Anderson Silva , Nogueira , Gracie , Rampage , Huerta

UFC 82- The Recap
2008-03-02 07:14:00
Well I guess the big question is: who does Anderson Silva fight now? I'm guessing he starts looking at potential 205 fights because he's so thin already, I doubt he can go down a weight class. Though seeing Silva v GSP or Penn would be hellaciously (spell-check is telling me this isn't a real word, but I'm trying to change that, so it stays) entertaining.Henderson never seemed to recover from that knee during the final 30 to 45 seconds. If he had all his faculties, I don't see him laying himself out like that, especially when Silva wasn't putting that much pressure on him. It looked like Henderson flattened himself out and by the time he realized what he was doing, Silva had the hooks in. Doing that against a Nogueira blackbelt means Game Over, no matter how good you are on the ground.I really thought Henderson would be more aggressive and go straight from the clinch to the ground (even more so than was seen in the first round) because that would've taken away a couple o...
More About: Recap

UFC 82
2008-03-01 15:28:00
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I'm excited for this card. I even watched the weigh-ins, which have always struck me as awkward and boring. They're like playing Candyland once you're over the age of 12; you're trying to convince yourself that it's fun and interesting, but you know in the back of your head that it's a waste of time and a terrible substitute for something interesting, like writing on a seldom seen blog.There are just so many potentially (read: not first round knockouts or lay-and-prays that go to decision) awesome fights, let's get to them:Gurgel v Halverson: Halverson's pretty impressive physically, especially for his age, but he doesn't really have a strength other than decent cardio. At the same time, Gurgel's been very disappointing in his previous few fights (2-2 I think). Like the presidential race, this one's tough to call because you end up picking the one you think will screw up less. Or at least you should, I'm picking Gurgel...via headbutt with th...
More About: Dan Henderson , Anderson Silva

Submit
2008-02-27 23:17:00
For all the arguments of equality between the sexes, the simple truth is that, on average, women aren?t as athletically talented as men. Guys are stronger, faster, and well, more entertaining than women. The best evidence of this is found in team sports. From the WNBA to little kids? soccer teams, watching female sports is like watching guys play underwater. Or with ankle weights?weights with the heaviness of a midget in them. My first session in the beginner class felt like I was now competing with people underwater. Having started in the advanced class for the first two weeks and suffering a submission every minute or so; each class was a flurry of sleeves and legs, pulling and sweat. I spent every rolling session trying to remember the proper steps to an armbar or kimora, only to suddenly find myself desperately clinging to some body part that my partner wanted to bend at an unnatural angle. After one of the classes, I was talking to a trainer and a couple of other ...
More About: Submit

Redbelt
2008-02-18 18:11:00
I'm not sure what to make of this movie based solely off of the two minutes available. On the one hand, the director (David Mamet- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000519/) has done some pretty legit stuff unlike some other (I'm looking at you McG and Marissa Miller's husband), but at the same time, this has Tim "the Tool Man" Taylor. My main concern is that they'll take a legitimately interesting subject and go the gimmicky, campy route of all the other pop culture phenomena (Fast and the Furious, every dance movie ever) in an effort to snag as many of the teenage loyalists into Spike TV and Sherdog as possible (I like both, but they definitely have their downsides), which will likely result in a cross between Fast and the Furious and Crouching Tiger.My plan is to see the movie in hopes that it makes enough revenue to spark others to invest in this part of the culture because it's a legit money-maker. If that happens, we'll likely have to sift through dozens of straight-to-DVD ...

Elite XC recap
2008-02-18 02:36:00
My impression of Slice hasn't changed. He's a bad, bad man. The strange thing was how defeated Abbott looked before the fight'd even begun. He could barely look Slice in the eye. Weird. I was surprised the ref let the fight go as long as he did, Abbot had his lights switched off at least twice before the ref ended it, but I suppose it's better to let the decision go unquestioned than have a few people in hysterics that "they called dat shit too early, son."Unfortunately, the only other fight I was able to see was the Edwards one. The knockout was pretty sweet. Berto was just holding his leg and you could see the 5-second thought process:Okay, keep your balance.Relax, I'm near the cage, I can lean on that.He's not moving his head.I wonder what would happen if...Game over.Looking at my predictions versus the results, I'm thinking that I should no longer do any research on fighters because I did a bit better than my previous records of 50/50.The big result of the weekend ...
More About: Recap , Elite , Kimbo Slice , Tank Abbott

Elite XC
2008-02-17 01:44:00
Slice v Abbott: I remember reading an article about Kimbo Slice online, which inevitably led to googling his name and realizing that he's one scary looking dude. He has one of those "I-will-headbutt-you-on-principle-if-you- look-at-me-for-more-than-two-seconds" kind of faces. Even though he's up there in age (33), Slice is the next big thing for Elite , the way Lesnar is in the UFC. They're also incredible athletes who seemingly should've ended up playing football professionally. They both seem to have the right attitudes for success (if you haven't seen it, check out Slice on E:60, can't find a link, sorry).The big difference is in their first "legit" opponents (seeing as both fighters official fights had previously lasted a grand total of 73 seconds). Even though Tank Abbott 's style isn't nearlyas dangerous to Slice as Mir's was to Lesnar, their is much more pressure on Slice in this fight. Why? Well, I was going to tell you right now, so calm down asshole!The reas...
More About: Bas Rutten

Lodebar: Grace Unexpected and Distrusted
2008-02-10 22:58:00
When I was five years old, my mother was too obsessed with finding bargains the day after Christmas to notice I had been left behind. We were visiting the big city of El Paso, Texas where there was, in the middle of downtown, a huge park with an alligator pool as the main attraction. I called it the Alligator Park and those creatures fascinated me. So, finding myself lost in the store, I found my way to the Alligator Park and sat on a bench watching people hurriedly pass in front of me on their way to work or stores. I remember feeling so lost. If only one kind lady would smile at me as she passed by; but no one did. At five years old, I knew what Lodebar felt like. Lo-Debar (Lodebar) was a real place during the reign of King Saul and then of King David. Mephibosheth, the son of Prince Jonathan, and grandson of King Saul was five years old when his father and grandfather fell in the Battle of Mount Gilboa. The child's nurse hearing of this calamity fled with the boy from Gibeah,...
More About: Grace

Eulogy for Common Sense
2008-02-08 20:17:00
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense , who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, why life isn't always fair, and how, on occasion, maybe it was my fault.Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned, but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the j...
More About: Editorial

Character Molding - Backwards Philosophy Insight
2008-02-08 04:14:00
But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Jeremiah 18:4 NIV I had just brought my pottery class friend to a saving knowledge of Christ the week before and, to inspire me, she hand-weaved an elegant ceramic breadbasket for me. "Read the inscription," she said, beaming with obvious satisfaction. What you ARE is God's gift to you; what you BECOME is your gift to God. It was a popular quote at the time, and meant to be encouraging. I was familiar with it, but it bugged me to distraction. It seemed such a little thing; but later, as I stared at the message, it dawned on me that while the message was meant to inspire me to be all I could be, it was contrary to scripture: it was backwards! What I was -- a self-centered traveler on the wrong road -- was my gift to God. When I came to Him all I could bring was my sinful nature and my past mistakes. Any efforts to be good enough w...
More About: Philosophy , Spiritual , Insight , Growth , Character

"A Touch of Encouragement" She's BACK!
2008-02-05 23:12:00
She was one of the few bright spots of my week for more than ten years. As Executive Producer of Touch ed by an Angel for nine years, she brought a consistent message of God exists, God loves you, God... Dr. Rei Rolkram says, "I encourage all who are suffering the spiritual effects of abuse, divorce and depression to visit April's very insightful blog."
More About: Back

The Gift of The Fear of God
2008-02-03 19:34:00
Today I am thinking about Joseph, one of my favorite characters in the Bible. Just like Jesus, Joseph was so much like his father, Jacob. And the similarities between Joseph and Jesus are amazing to... Dr. Rei Rolkram says, "I encourage all who are suffering the spiritual effects of abuse, divorce and depression to visit April's very insightful blog."
More About: Garden , Gift , Fear

UFC 81 recap
2008-02-03 18:43:00
In no particular order:Chris Lytle vs. Kyle Bradley: The only memorable part about this fight was Bradley thinking he had Lytle in his guard and then that confused "who the hell are you?" look on his face when he realized he was holding onto the ref's head. What are you doing here? Awesome.Gleison Tibau vs. Tyson Griffin: Tibau looked pretty dangerous at times and was physically superior, which makes Griffin's win impressive, despite his personal disappointment. Decent fight, right decision, blah.Tim Boetsch vs. David Heath: Heath sounded like a dick during the pre-fight interviews. I was tempted to do a mini-fistpump after watching Boetsch dominate him. Add in the fact that he came in on 10 days notice and Boetsch seriously raised his own profile with this fight.Keita Nakamura vs. Rob Emerson: This was probably the most boring fight. Two relatively poor strikers standing up and striking. I wasn't really sure about the decision. Even though Nakamura's face was more butch...
More About: Recap , Nogueira , Lesnar , Silvia

Focus: I Can Do All Things
2008-02-03 05:28:00
Today I am struck with the importance of staying focused. This world is so noisy and I have "musician's ears" (great hearing! It is getting harder and harder to focus on what is really important. My... Dr. Rei Rolkram says, "I encourage all who are suffering the spiritual effects of abuse, divorce and depression to visit April's very insightful blog."
More About: Focus , Things

UFC 81
2008-02-02 06:35:00
Lesnar v Mir: Most of the online discussion has been about Lesnar?s real MMA debut against Mir. This is a huge test for both fighters. The former has to show that he at least has the potential to live up to the hype and the latter has the chance to show that he?s back from his debilitating motorcycle accident. My prediction: Mir has about eight minutes in this fight to submit Lesnar. If he can?t halfway through the second round, I see Lesnar either winning by ref stoppage or decision. I?m thinking Lesnar via stoppage. Nogueira v Silvia : I?m praying to Jesus, Allah, Buddah, and Batman that Nog can get this fight to the ground, but given Silvia?s long reach, good take-down defense, and unwillingness to sit in Nog?s guard (at least that would be a legit strategy), I think this will stay standing. Silvia is the Lennox Lewis of MMA, boring but effective. I?m desperately hoping that I?m wrong on this fight standing. Nog is virtually un-knock-out-able, so I?m going against m...
More About: Lesnar

Initiation
2008-02-02 05:48:00
?Just pretend I?ve insulted your mom,? said my heavily-tattooed partner. ?Um, okay,? I replied. About sixty seconds later he had me in an armbar. Another two minutes and he did something that resulted in him smothering me. Crap. We switched partners and I was paired up with my friend that I?d been querying about BJJ a couple of days previous- ?You?ve watched jiu-jitsu right?? ?Well yeah, but mainly the MMA stuff.? ?That?s cool, we?ll just roll and I?ll try to give you some hints.? Three minutes and I was tapping out of a kimora. Dammit. Keep you elbows in. Keep your head down. Try and sit up. Keep your legs close in. ******** Welcome to my first night of training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. I?d threatened to subject my body to this kind of punishment, but always found excuses not to get involved (fatigue, law school, etc.). Eventually, I decided to stop being such a wiener and try it out. My mental process went something like- Stop being su...

How To Analyze Your Own Handwriting
2008-02-01 00:01:00
As I've mentioned in earlier writing, I studied handwriting analysis for quite a few years. It's fun! It's informative! But it can also be dangerous if you decide to analyze your friend's handwriting... Dr. Rei Rolkram says, "I encourage all who are suffering the spiritual effects of abuse, divorce and depression to visit April's very insightful blog."
More About: Fun , Opinion , Just , Handwriting , Analyze

Grandma's Angels Watching Over Me
2008-01-31 07:03:00
I can't think of a more inappropriate place to receive the news. Standing in a loud, smoke-filled casino, obsessively feeding money into the one-armed bandits, hope to leave Las Vegas and return to... Dr. Rei Rolkram says, "I encourage all who are suffering the spiritual effects of abuse, divorce and depression to visit April's very insightful blog."
More About: Abuse , Angels , Watching

Is There Anyone of My House He Can Bless?
2008-01-31 06:34:00
Winner of SearchWarp.com Writer Award Mama felt as if her life was over when Daddy dropped dead at the age of 46. What was her role if she couldn't be a pastor's wife anymore? But, in true form,... Dr. Rei Rolkram says, "I encourage all who are suffering the spiritual effects of abuse, divorce and depression to visit April's very insightful blog."
More About: Women , House , Parent

Families: Only God Can Make A Tree
2008-01-31 06:25:00
I have not met anyone who has not experienced violence or loss within their family tree. And yet the tree survives! This poem is dedicated to all those family members who keep on loving, helping, and... Dr. Rei Rolkram says, "I encourage all who are suffering the spiritual effects of abuse, divorce and depression to visit April's very insightful blog."
More About: Garden , Poem , Make , Tree , Families

My Morning Choice in the Quiet
2008-01-31 06:16:00
It's quiet. It's early. My coffee is hot. The world is waking up. The day is coming. In a few moments the day will be as bright as this east window. The stillness of the morning will be exchanged for... Dr. Rei Rolkram says, "I encourage all who are suffering the spiritual effects of abuse, divorce and depression to visit April's very insightful blog."
More About: Recovery , Morning , Choice , Quiet

Releasing Your Prodigal Child To God
2008-01-31 06:14:00
It takes every ounce of fiber in you to refrain from intervening. You must be willing to let go of her as she self-destructs because it's what she wants. Out of love for her, you behave in the very... Dr. Rei Rolkram says, "I encourage all who are suffering the spiritual effects of abuse, divorce and depression to visit April's very insightful blog."
More About: Women , Child , Parent

Meaning of Life: A New Thing!
2008-01-31 06:09:00
(Winner of SearchWarp.com Writers' Contest 2007) When I came to Jesus whole-heartedly, it was at the age of thirty. I had made a mess of my life and from the bottom I reached out to the same Jesus I... Dr. Rei Rolkram says, "I encourage all who are suffering the spiritual effects of abuse, divorce and depression to visit April's very insightful blog."
More About: Life , Recovery , Growth , Meaning , Thing

Attitude-Changing Prayer: Looking at Hannah
2008-01-31 00:44:00
Who was Hannah and why is her prayer important? Hannah was a barren woman in a time when not only the wife's worth, but the husband?s esteem was measured by how many sons they had. She was the wife... Dr. Rei Rolkram says, "I encourage all who are suffering the spiritual effects of abuse, divorce and depression to visit April's very insightful blog."
More About: Recovery , Prayer , Growth , Changing

Christ First, Music Second - Phil Keaggy
2008-01-29 23:18:00
I have always loved acoustic guitar music, especially if the artist knows the intricacies of complex melodic harmonies. Phil Keaggy is one of the top guitarists in the world, and has recorded over... Dr. Rei Rolkram says, "I encourage all who are suffering the spiritual effects of abuse, divorce and depression to visit April's very insightful blog."
More About: Music , People , Christ

With Love for Clarissa
2008-01-29 05:36:00
This is the way it goes, honey. Hold him close and enjoy every second. Soon he'll be a man! You were six months old and full of fun. With a blink of my eye you suddenly were one. There... Dr. Rei Rolkram says, "I encourage all who are suffering the spiritual effects of abuse, divorce and depression to visit April's very insightful blog."
More About: Women , Love , Parent , With Love