Rolf Devinci

Discretion is the better half of valour and I have decided it was time to step back and try and get my continuing shoulder issues resolved before the onset of Spring. Over the last couple months I have basically ceased strength training other than some core work with the medicine ball, limited playing "out" at ball hockey to a few games(mostly to gauge how the shoulder was recovering) and stopped all archery practice. I have, however, continued to play goal due to a desire to remain somewhat active but primarily due to a sense of commitment. http://rolfdevinci.blogspot.ca/2012/12/shoulder-to-grindstone.html I have been seeing my chiropractor weekly for the last six weeks and improvement has occurred but I feel like any gains are reversed after continuing to play goal twice weekly. Not only is it counter productive but it is burning up my chiropratic health plan coverage at an alarming rate. It all came to a head this week when I played out T...

Got nailed by that big old Noreaster that has wreaked havoc on the Eastern Seaboard this weekend.Looks like we did not get the huge amounts of snow that they got state side but the wind has created some crazy snowdrifts nonetheless. Factor in the drifting snow and snow plows meant I was doing lots of shovelling this weekend. I was concerned with the impact on my wonky shoulder but I was pleasantly surprised this morning. After shovelling three times on Saturday I expected to be incapacitated this morning but awoke to some stiffness but little pain. That`s a good thing because the wind came up last night and the snow plows were out in full force. Back at it this morning..... As the middle parking spot in a shared three car lot in front of the town houses I have the worst challenge of removing snow.I can pile it by the front steps(which I do for the top half of the driveway) but then need to "chuck" it across the street or an equal distance to either side while avoi...

With a life long interest in European history I had a unique opportunity to pick up a replica of a medieval Norman sword on a "scratch and dented" blowout sale from one of my favorite forges - Darksword Armory. http://darksword-armory.com/ Based out of Quebec Canada they are unique in that they forge their swords here in North America and create stunning replicas of medieval/renaissance swords, helmets and armor. Simply beautiful pieces of battle ready gear for surprisingly reasonable price points.   I have bookmarked the website and follow the Facebook page admiring the selection of blades for some time when I noticed they were having a sale of discontinued, used or "less than perfect" swords. "We are liquidating a bunch of swords with moderate aesthetic issues. The swords on the sale page have been reduced bu 150$-180$. " Since the blade was sharpened I suspected this sword was possibly used in film pro...

Having decided to create a walking stick for hiking through the woods I soon found myself creating a traditional quarterstaff. That led me into doing some research into the traditional English quarterstaff martial arts so familiar to most from the Little John character from the Robin Hood legends. It did not take long to find videos on You Tube including this one by the BQA on the Flourish.... Now that is cool. Definitely needed to teach myself the proper "animal" stances and the techniques involved in flourishing. It took practice to become comfortable with the under arm grasp but once you "got it" it became second nature. Adding in the footwork and weight shifts are somewhat problematic and remains a work in progress. Dude is right - you cannot over think the process. Just go with the flow. Here is my flourish......

Finally purchased a back quiver from an Ebay seller Outdoor Leathers based out of Ontario.Made from what appears to be thick saddle grade leather it is a well constructed quiver possessing excellent build quality and stitching. It is a large quiver capable of holding a substantial amount of arrows and is for either dexterity: left or right hand shooters.The strap can be adjusted to suit your style. I was actually able to insert a smaller tube quiver inside to create two internal departments which added some additional storage and limited arrow rattle if you were not carrying a full capacity. It is decorated with really nice Indian beadwork as well. A real nice all leather back quiver in a traditional style complete with a decent sized pocket for storage. I`m really liking the quiver but as fate would have it I cannot actually use it due to my shoulder issues. Since I am a left handed shooter the quiver places the arrows above my left ...

After the dietary carnage of the last week I spent my Christmas day preparing a traditional meal of roasted turkey and all the fixings. It really is my favorite part of the holidays spending the day at home relaxing with some food and wine. So it is not a surprise I usually wake on Boxing Day feeling sluggish and achy. There was no exception this morning so I opted to take a hike through the woods since it was a glorious December morning. No wind and moderate winter temps combined with blue sky and sunshine meant I was keen to get some freah air. In fact the temperatures were surprisingly mild and on sun facing rock ledges there was actually Spring like melt. That melting did lead to some neat ice formations though....... There was a dusting of snow cover on the ground and was enough to determine the rabbits were active from all the prints found on small game trails. That said the big bad wolf...ok....coyotes (or dogs) were also around...

Having decided enough was enough and that it was time to ease back on my physical activities to facilitate the healing of my wonky shoulder I have opted to use the downtime to zoom in on my fasting regimen. I generally practice intermittent fasting five days a week using flexible eat windows. Some days may see longer or shorter fasts based upon how hungry I am, sporting activities and food availability. Since I am planning on keeping my physical activities to a bare minimum the next couple weeks I decided to really focus upon my fasting to avoid eating excess(crappy) calories so prevelant during the holiday season. On Monday I began increasing the duration of my daily fasting to twenty two hours using a two hour eat window in the evenings. As of this writing (Wednesday) my shoulder has improved greatly with a reduction in pain and an increase in mobility. Was it a result of limiting usage of my shoulder or did fasting contribut...