MSI Press Blog

  The following is a precerpt (book excerpt prior to publication) from  Grandma's Ninja Training Diary  (Leaver & Renz). Of Spiders, Stairs, and Ninja Instincts Last week, I learned an important lesson about physics... and pride. I'd just lugged 40+ pounds of groceries up 17 stairs, both hands full, feeling like the domestic Hercules. As I approached the door, I spotted an intruder: a spider crawling just above waist height. My options? Put down the bags and squish it like a sensible person… or attempt a ninja-style door kick with one leg while gripping two unevenly weighted grocery sacks. I chose violence. I got the bug. But physics got me. When my foot hit the door, the force reverberated like a bad plot twist. I staggered backward, bags swinging, and slammed my wrist into the railing. I didn’t fall. I recalibrated mid-collapse, channeling every ounce of aging grace and stubborn dignity. The wrist puffed up. I thought: “It’s broken. I’m doomed.” My doctor, on th...

The human ability to err comes through in American Ninja Warrior that I have watched. No missteps or a fixed error result in a run to glory. One simple misstep, and even the greatest warrior can fall from glory. Last night, Isaac Caldierno, one of only two ninjas to finish Stage Four at Mount Midoriyama, fell on one of the early obstacles in the Indiana city competition. Had he lost his touch? No. Had his muscles atrophied? No. Did his strategic thinking skills fail to keep up with the ever-evolving courses? No. Had he miscalculated the obstacle? No. Did he feel sick, confused, or distracted? No. He simply took a misstep—as we all do from time to time throughout life, sometimes metaphorically, sometimes literally. In other words, he is human. When Kacy Catanzaro made her way through tall poles rising from water, situated farther apart from each other than Casey could possibly reach, she did a quick calculation and jumped, managing to grab and hang on to the next pole. The c...

  The following is a precerpt (book excerpt prior to publication) from Grandma's Ninja Training Diary (Leaver & Renz). "Help! I've fallen an can't get up!" I see articles all the time about people falling and being unable to get back up. It’s a common fear—and for good reason. I lived that reality when my 300-pound husband fell and I couldn’t lift him on my own. Strong as I am, I’m not dead-weight-a-foot-taller-than-me strong. Firemen came to help, twice in one day. That second fall sent him to the hospital, where scans revealed stage 4 Cancer of Unknown Primary—no symptoms beforehand. During his final months, falls became frequent. If I was out grabbing groceries or medicine, he’d be on the floor for long minutes before help arrived. He lost 50 pounds, but I still couldn’t lift him alone. It took neighbors, phone calls, and coordinated hoisting to get him back up. Now, my doctor frets over my own risk of falling, especially with osteopenia—courtesy of omepr...