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Journalism is pain.
A cordial kick to the head is nothing compared to what many journalists go through. Still, it is a reminder that my vocation is and always has been one of the worst jobs, especially when done well.
The “bitch dot” below the hairline (pictured above) was kicked into me by trainer and leg sparring partner Ryan White, a pro MMA brutalist with all the tools needed to batter myself and much stronger men into the hospital. If we hadn’t been wearing shin pads, he would have certainly opened me up for a blood offering to the spirit of the ring, which dictates the destiny of all Muay Thai warriors.
Ryan White (L) at Cage Fighting Xtreme 24 in Boston
For the ding in question, Ryan used a technique he calls the
The next time Ryan tries this I will employ the proper defense for a high kick and lean back. If I succeed, maybe I’ll attempt to subsequently pummel him with a right-hand counter. Or maybe not. My strategies are secret.
My Muay Thai activities are what journalism schools call “field work.” If you’re not feeling the pain, you’re probably not training hard enough to empathize with a competitive Muay Thai warrior.
But my focus is on unarmed combat. The best foreign correspondents have to report the more political, less honorable kind. My mentor Anthony Shadid died of an allergic attack while on assignment in Syria two years ago, and he’d also been shot through the shoulder covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He was fearless. My sacrifices are a joke compared with his.
Anthony Shadid 1968-2012
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Matt Webster – Best of 2013
Records 2013
Lenny Lashley’s Gang of One – Illuminator
Against The Grain – Surrounded by Snakes
The Bronx – IV
Funeral Cone – Peel Back The Foil EP
Bad Weather California – Backseats EP
Corrosion of Conformity – Megalodon EP
Good For You – Life’s Too Short Not To Hold A Grudge
Live Music 2013
Against The Grain (Midway Cafe)
Obsidian and Funeral Cone (Roggie’s)
FLAG, TSOL, and Cerebral Ballzy (Paradise)
My Bloody Valentine (House of Blues)
Bad Religion and The Bronx (House of Blues)
Lenny Lashley’s Gang of One (JP Music Fest)
Best Live Sports 2013: Glory 12 Kickboxing (MSG Theater)
Best Politics 2013: On Nov. 6, 2012, 63% of Massachusetts voters approved a ballot question making our state the 18th to enact a compassionate medical marijuana program.
Worst Politics 2013: Scumbag Tsarnaev brothers interpret their inability to attract chicks in high school as a reason to murder and maim innocent people at the Boston Marathon.
My resolution for 2014: No more Boston house “pahties” because they remind of my teaching days, except I’m struggling to communicate with drunks instead of non-native English speakers. If you won’t introduce yourself, I am not coming to your party!
*Special Bonus* 2012 Records
Obsidian – Spectre
Cinema Cinema – 50 ft. Queenie/Adult Themes 7″
Tim Barry – 40 Miler
Enslaved – Riitiir
The Shrine – S/T
Corrosion of Conformity – S/T
Dying Fetus – Reign Supreme
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