@ midtown
Originally uploaded by renfield.
gyoza time
Yuika and Kento and their parents came by for some mad gyoza eating. As always, we made way too many and ate way too much. At some point, Kento decided to attack Tonchan, wrestling style, but her ninja skills were formidable and she beat him back. Yuika suffered some collateral damage via the occasional boot to the head, but in general they all got along.
As Yuika executes a leg hold, Kento begins his attack...
...with a flying kick!
Kento goes for the pin while she's down...
...but Tonchan counters with a left...
...and a one-two combo whilst kneeing Yuika who goes for the double-team!
With Yuika KO'd, BattleTonchan finishes Kento with a left hook to the jaw!
Ultimately, the fight is declared a draw, and all settle down for some milk and a nap.
As Yuika executes a leg hold, Kento begins his attack...
...with a flying kick!
Kento goes for the pin while she's down...
...but Tonchan counters with a left...
...and a one-two combo whilst kneeing Yuika who goes for the double-team!
With Yuika KO'd, BattleTonchan finishes Kento with a left hook to the jaw!
Ultimately, the fight is declared a draw, and all settle down for some milk and a nap.
omotesando debut!
P wanted to get her haircut, since she hadn't cut it in over a year. It was a bright and beautiful morning so we loaded the Tonchabeast into her Mighty Chariot and bussed down to Shibuya, then walked up to Omotesando. Whilst P got her locks trimmed and styled, Ton and I checked out all the cool and happenin' trendiness that is Aoyama.
Afterwards we walked up to Crayon House for lunch at the organic cafe and the skies opened up with a squal o' fury. Rain dumped by the bucket so we checked out the books and stuff and then had some dessert. By then it had cleared up so we walked up through Omotesando and, being close to dinner time, stopped by Kua'aina for some Hawaiian burgers.
Afterwards we walked up to Crayon House for lunch at the organic cafe and the skies opened up with a squal o' fury. Rain dumped by the bucket so we checked out the books and stuff and then had some dessert. By then it had cleared up so we walked up through Omotesando and, being close to dinner time, stopped by Kua'aina for some Hawaiian burgers.
friday night
How come everything happens Friday, post-lunch, before a three-day weekend? Mad scramble to recruit and hire, fight fires, amend errors, avoid crises. Craziness. Love it!
Finally got out of the office about 9pm and hit Lucky's with Mr. ILS, where we enjoyed quality fried chicken, stir-fried garlic greens, and organic apple juice from the Nagano farm.
I have also now gotten in the habit of waking up a 6am every day, no matter what. Part of it is what my insomniac buddy told me. He said one strategy is to always wake up at the same time every day, and do not go to bed until you simply cannot stay awake. This will somehow force you to naturally get tired in time to sleep enough and wake up at the same time every day. I don't have insomnia (in fact, if I do zazen before bed, I am asleep within minutes of my head hitting the pillow) however I certainly do get enough sleep by sleeping early and rising early. Besides which Tonchan is already asleep by the time I get home, so I really only have time to hang out with her in the morning before I go to work.
Finally got out of the office about 9pm and hit Lucky's with Mr. ILS, where we enjoyed quality fried chicken, stir-fried garlic greens, and organic apple juice from the Nagano farm.
I have also now gotten in the habit of waking up a 6am every day, no matter what. Part of it is what my insomniac buddy told me. He said one strategy is to always wake up at the same time every day, and do not go to bed until you simply cannot stay awake. This will somehow force you to naturally get tired in time to sleep enough and wake up at the same time every day. I don't have insomnia (in fact, if I do zazen before bed, I am asleep within minutes of my head hitting the pillow) however I certainly do get enough sleep by sleeping early and rising early. Besides which Tonchan is already asleep by the time I get home, so I really only have time to hang out with her in the morning before I go to work.
oops
This morning Tonchan woke up a bit hungry and crying. I promptly woke up, rolled over...and fell out of the bed. Our bed used to be in the corner, so I had two walls to keep me in place, and I just loved seeing how far into the corner I could jam myself by constantly turning over and over, knowing the wall would keep me in the bed. Now our bed is in the middle of the room, with only the head of the bed against the wall. Luckily we have carpeted floors, so I did minimal damage. Hell of a way to wake up though. Hiroko was up, in the middle of the bedroom, with a crying baby to one side and me on the floor to the other. Sorry!
tonchan various
I am bored with your silliness
Uncanny #1
Uncanny #2
Genetic predisposition to chew one's own fingers
Brooklyn in da house yo
Feed me! NOW!!
Uncanny #1
Uncanny #2
Genetic predisposition to chew one's own fingers
Brooklyn in da house yo
Feed me! NOW!!
snack break
BREAK@BABY ROOM
Originally uploaded by piroko_kuroda.
Went with P and Tonchan to Shibuya for some shopping. We got various household necessities at Muji and Loft, had lunch at the tea and ricebowl place in Loft, and took a little diaper change break at the baby station in Seibu where I snacked on fresh, raw Tonchameat. Tonchan was in a fine mood, so we walked back to the bus stop...and then she started getting hungry and grumpy so we went up to the baby room in Tokyu above the station and she ate whilst I shopped for dinner groceries. Baby room in Tokyu was way, way too hot; I guess they didn't want the babies getting cold or something, but all the moms where practically passing out from the heat.
livin' the values
Today after the regular zazen sitting, we did the jukai ceremony for a student visiting from Sweden. Jukai is the ceremony of receiving the Buddhist Precepts and marks the formal beginning of one's start as a Buddhist layman.
The precepts were originally the rules for the community of Buddha's original followers. Whenever you have a group of people living together, there will always be issues, disputes, and problems. Rules help keep the society running smoothly.
At one time there were hundreds of rules, but they have basically been pared down to the main 16.
First are the Three Devotions:
During the ceremony you do a bunch of prostrations and repeat a bunch of stuff three times, and then finally you receive your rakusu and your Buddhist name and a copy of the Buddhist lineage from Buddha down through all his disciples, with your name written in last.
Nishijima-sensei made an appearance and he really is a pleasant little guy. Whole thing took about 40 minutes, but add an hour to that to fold up all the robes and put away the alter table and other apparatus.
Buddhism is the ultimate self-help methodology; it's all up to you. There are others to guide and help you, but ultimately you sit on your cushion every day and it's you and your thoughts and your life. It's your responsibility to deal with your own issues and live as you choose. Some people choose to hide from reality through alcohol or drugs or television. Some people make everything someone else's fault; mean boss, uncaring parents, uncaring society. Certainly there are people in the world who aren't helping you, and there's nothing you can do about them. You can, however, do something about how you live your own life.
Someone asked me "how can you be so positive all the time?" which I thought was a silly observation, since I don't think I'm a happy, bubbly optimist. I am a realist though; I know what I can and cannot do. I get upset when things don't go my way or when someone isn't helping, and then I do what I can about it; I get my job done, I cover for the other person, I try to make it right. Not because I'm the hero or want all the praise or because I'm always the smartest but because that's the right thing to do.
And if it's say something at work, I do my job and when I'm done I go home and play with my daughter or go into the dojo or sit in zazen or look at stupid crap on the internet.
It's my life, I can think it's miserable and everyone's out to get me, or I can make the best of it and deal with it and have as much fun as I can.
Zazen is just a way of forcing you to sit quietly, you and your thoughts, to realize that all the crap inside your head is just yours; no one stuck a syringe full of bad thoughts and jammed it into your brain. You put those thoughts into your head, you're the only one who can deal with them and take them out.
The precepts were originally the rules for the community of Buddha's original followers. Whenever you have a group of people living together, there will always be issues, disputes, and problems. Rules help keep the society running smoothly.
At one time there were hundreds of rules, but they have basically been pared down to the main 16.
First are the Three Devotions:
- Devotion to Buddha; the founder of Buddhism
- Devotion to Dharma; the Universe itself
- Devotion to Sangha; our companions in life
- Observance of rules; follow the rules of society
- Observance of morality; act appropriately in all situations -- act right
- Salvation of all living beings; we are all elements of the Universe
- Don't destroy life
- Don't steal
- Don't desire too much
- Don't lie
- Don't live by selling liquor
- Don't discuss failures of Buddhist priests and laymen
- Don't praise yourself or berate others
- Don't begrudge the sharing of Buddhist teachings and other things, but give them freely
- Don't become angry
- Don't abuse the three supreme values; Buddha Dharma, and Sangha.
During the ceremony you do a bunch of prostrations and repeat a bunch of stuff three times, and then finally you receive your rakusu and your Buddhist name and a copy of the Buddhist lineage from Buddha down through all his disciples, with your name written in last.
Nishijima-sensei made an appearance and he really is a pleasant little guy. Whole thing took about 40 minutes, but add an hour to that to fold up all the robes and put away the alter table and other apparatus.
Buddhism is the ultimate self-help methodology; it's all up to you. There are others to guide and help you, but ultimately you sit on your cushion every day and it's you and your thoughts and your life. It's your responsibility to deal with your own issues and live as you choose. Some people choose to hide from reality through alcohol or drugs or television. Some people make everything someone else's fault; mean boss, uncaring parents, uncaring society. Certainly there are people in the world who aren't helping you, and there's nothing you can do about them. You can, however, do something about how you live your own life.
Someone asked me "how can you be so positive all the time?" which I thought was a silly observation, since I don't think I'm a happy, bubbly optimist. I am a realist though; I know what I can and cannot do. I get upset when things don't go my way or when someone isn't helping, and then I do what I can about it; I get my job done, I cover for the other person, I try to make it right. Not because I'm the hero or want all the praise or because I'm always the smartest but because that's the right thing to do.
And if it's say something at work, I do my job and when I'm done I go home and play with my daughter or go into the dojo or sit in zazen or look at stupid crap on the internet.
It's my life, I can think it's miserable and everyone's out to get me, or I can make the best of it and deal with it and have as much fun as I can.
Zazen is just a way of forcing you to sit quietly, you and your thoughts, to realize that all the crap inside your head is just yours; no one stuck a syringe full of bad thoughts and jammed it into your brain. You put those thoughts into your head, you're the only one who can deal with them and take them out.
mostly almost done!
OK most of the boxes are gone, the phone and security system are hooked up, and the wireless network is in full effect.
P reorganized the kitchen and I did the bathroom drawers. She's now working on the closet as my clothes have been relegated to the other room until she separates winter stuff from summer and gets rid of the will-never-wear bits.
I've the The Smallwood on the job to help me replace the TV with a nice plasma; something in the 37-42 inch range will be fine, and no tuner necessary as I got a cable box, so just a dumb monitor will work.
Last night I discovered what some of The Mystery Switches do. Some, like in the bathroom and kitchen, turn on the floor-level heater to keep one's toes toasty in winter. Others apparently control the night lights, but all of the night lights save the one by the entrance don't seem to work. Perhaps the bulb is burnt, but I can't see how to open it without ripping the whole unit off of the wall, so I emailed the maintenance corp and they're going to send someone out.
Been cold and rainy these past couple of days, so I've cranked on the central heater in every room -- I mean, I'm paying for it anyway right! So bourgeois of me!
P reorganized the kitchen and I did the bathroom drawers. She's now working on the closet as my clothes have been relegated to the other room until she separates winter stuff from summer and gets rid of the will-never-wear bits.
I've the The Smallwood on the job to help me replace the TV with a nice plasma; something in the 37-42 inch range will be fine, and no tuner necessary as I got a cable box, so just a dumb monitor will work.
Last night I discovered what some of The Mystery Switches do. Some, like in the bathroom and kitchen, turn on the floor-level heater to keep one's toes toasty in winter. Others apparently control the night lights, but all of the night lights save the one by the entrance don't seem to work. Perhaps the bulb is burnt, but I can't see how to open it without ripping the whole unit off of the wall, so I emailed the maintenance corp and they're going to send someone out.
Been cold and rainy these past couple of days, so I've cranked on the central heater in every room -- I mean, I'm paying for it anyway right! So bourgeois of me!
subprime, yup
As a follow up to my diatribe previously, I see that Bloomberg columnist Michael Lewis agrees with me.
moved (mostly)
Only three boxes of stuff left to unpack. In sum:
We have too many clothes and magazines, and not enough shelves and closet space.
Plenty of space in the kitchen and everywhere else.
Living room is currently full of empty boxes, and everything is hooked up except for the phone line and security system.
Highlight of the move was the cable guy. He ended up hanging out for over an hour and we set up the whole audio-visual system. Sadly my old TV is so big I have to sit it on the floor as I don't have any furniture burly enough to support its weight. Reckon that means it's time to buy a new (lightweight!) flat-panel TV.
We have too many clothes and magazines, and not enough shelves and closet space.
Plenty of space in the kitchen and everywhere else.
Living room is currently full of empty boxes, and everything is hooked up except for the phone line and security system.
Highlight of the move was the cable guy. He ended up hanging out for over an hour and we set up the whole audio-visual system. Sadly my old TV is so big I have to sit it on the floor as I don't have any furniture burly enough to support its weight. Reckon that means it's time to buy a new (lightweight!) flat-panel TV.
deep thoughts
P1000639.JPG
Originally uploaded by renfield.
Tonchan deep in thought...what next to eat? Left or right breast? When best to poop? To nap, or to chew on the pillow?
Tackling the difficult issues of our time.
entirely not right
I have neither pity nor tolerance for whiny investors. I have even less patience for this sensationalist "news". Note the opening line; obviously it's the big banks' fault. Never mind the fact that Buck invested his entire life savings in a risky bond "yielding 10 times the going rate on Treasury bills". Think about that for a minute. This man bought an "uninsured money market note" that paid ten times more than a boring yet safe government bond. Uninsured. Ten times. RISKY. Did he not bother to actually read the terms of the bond? He even admits that he should not have put all of his eggs in one basket. First rule of investing: diversify.
So let me understand this: a guy has $300,000 from the sale of his old house, but still has to pay the mortgage on his new place, his wife was planning to retire (serious reduction in income), knows the importance of diversification, gets greedy when he sees the possibility of making ten times the going rate...and then it's not his fault when he loses his money?
Or how about Mr. Russel:
Or Mr. English who invested "decades of savings" who "saw it as an alternative to the interest rate I could get from a bank." Money in the bank is saving, dumping your savings into risky bonds and then whining about it is just stupid. He wanted to use the money to pay for his three kids' college, so why not invest in a low-risk, long-term 529 college fund? He wanted to use the money to buy a new car, so why not use them money as a down payment for a car lease or loan? He wanted to use the money for a second honeymoon, so why not gamble it in Vegas?
At least Mr. Funk is honest. He lost $70,000 and says he "became too confident and too greedy as the high-yielding notes continued to pay." And yet somehow, "the Wall Street firms were greedy too, yet didn't pay a price for it."
Didn't pay a price for it?
Over 20 bankruptcies across the industry, and who do you think has invested the most in them?
Mortgage Lenders Network goes bankrupt, Merrill Lynch has $36.6 million in financing claimed.
ResMae goes bankrupt, may have to buy back $166 million in bad loans sold to Merrill Lynch.
New Century insolvent, owes $1.5 billion each to Morgan Stanley and UBS.
But forget the money that Wall Street loses. Think about the money it invests. It is the big Wall Street houses stepping in to fund, refinance, or outright purchase these failing businesses. Someone steps in, takes the risk, and tries to rebuild these businesses, keep the people working, keep the mortgages flowing.
Wall Street is not the enemy, and it is no one's responsibility to protect stupid, greedy investors from themselves.
So let me understand this: a guy has $300,000 from the sale of his old house, but still has to pay the mortgage on his new place, his wife was planning to retire (serious reduction in income), knows the importance of diversification, gets greedy when he sees the possibility of making ten times the going rate...and then it's not his fault when he loses his money?
Or how about Mr. Russel:
He knows the 13 percent interest rates should have been a warning. ``If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is,'' he said.And yet knowing that, he still invested and lost $170,000. And whose fault is that?
Or Mr. English who invested "decades of savings" who "saw it as an alternative to the interest rate I could get from a bank." Money in the bank is saving, dumping your savings into risky bonds and then whining about it is just stupid. He wanted to use the money to pay for his three kids' college, so why not invest in a low-risk, long-term 529 college fund? He wanted to use the money to buy a new car, so why not use them money as a down payment for a car lease or loan? He wanted to use the money for a second honeymoon, so why not gamble it in Vegas?
At least Mr. Funk is honest. He lost $70,000 and says he "became too confident and too greedy as the high-yielding notes continued to pay." And yet somehow, "the Wall Street firms were greedy too, yet didn't pay a price for it."
Didn't pay a price for it?
Over 20 bankruptcies across the industry, and who do you think has invested the most in them?
Mortgage Lenders Network goes bankrupt, Merrill Lynch has $36.6 million in financing claimed.
ResMae goes bankrupt, may have to buy back $166 million in bad loans sold to Merrill Lynch.
New Century insolvent, owes $1.5 billion each to Morgan Stanley and UBS.
But forget the money that Wall Street loses. Think about the money it invests. It is the big Wall Street houses stepping in to fund, refinance, or outright purchase these failing businesses. Someone steps in, takes the risk, and tries to rebuild these businesses, keep the people working, keep the mortgages flowing.
Wall Street is not the enemy, and it is no one's responsibility to protect stupid, greedy investors from themselves.
all in the knees
10 people in practice last night, so not much space on the floor. I wasn't in much of a mood to move around, so we practiced really basic stuff; standing, sitting, standing up again. Trying to figure out how standing straight up from sitting and stepping forward from sitting are basically the same movement, the only thing that changes is how much closer you do or don't get to the guy in front of you trying to kill you. Also working on trimming the fat; cutting out unnecessary movement to be left with nothing but the basics. It pays to be lazy!
After class I had to go back to the office for a call with NY, didn't get home until 11:30. The hard life of a salaryman.
After class I had to go back to the office for a call with NY, didn't get home until 11:30. The hard life of a salaryman.
ubuntu
Last time I tried installing Linux on my laptop, it was a nightmare. Wireless card wouldn't work, screen resolution was off, sleep mode and power control were crap. That was then, this is now. I downloaded, burned onto CD, and installed Ubuntu 6.06 on my Dell Latitude D400.
I would love to brag about how I had to recompile the kernel and hack all kindsa cool deep, technical settings to optimize the OS, but alas it was delightfully simple. I booted from the CD, clicked on Tokyo, and installed. Wireless PCMCIA card was recognized, software installed, everything worked. And the machine is FAST. Boots and runs way snappier than Windows ever did.
Struggled a bit to upgrade Firefox to a 2.x version, but after some googling I found a simple install script that ran all the package install and registration stuff. And now it works.
A couple more years of innovation like this, and I could even get my mom to use Linux.
I would love to brag about how I had to recompile the kernel and hack all kindsa cool deep, technical settings to optimize the OS, but alas it was delightfully simple. I booted from the CD, clicked on Tokyo, and installed. Wireless PCMCIA card was recognized, software installed, everything worked. And the machine is FAST. Boots and runs way snappier than Windows ever did.
Struggled a bit to upgrade Firefox to a 2.x version, but after some googling I found a simple install script that ran all the package install and registration stuff. And now it works.
A couple more years of innovation like this, and I could even get my mom to use Linux.
noah's ark #301
Got the keys to the new Kuroda Household, aka apartment 301 in Noah's Ark. This place is by all definitions the La Bomba. Utility with side load combo washer/dryer. Mucho closet space. Central air and heating. Massive BBQ balcony. South wall of windows. Living room big enough for futsal. Killer Japanese room.
Amusing to note that the master bedroom alone is larger than the first apartment P and I used to live in.
We move in April 15!
Amusing to note that the master bedroom alone is larger than the first apartment P and I used to live in.
We move in April 15!
@ davids deli
@ davids deli
Originally uploaded by renfield.
Took Emy and Dolf to lunch and then we took a long walkabout. First went to Shibuya to check out the fabric store, and then stopped by Bic Camera to see the various toys. After that we walked up to Harajuku and checked out the cool kids getting their photos taken, then walked up to Omotesando and through Aoyama. We took a taxi through Aoyama Cemetery and saw the cherry blossoms, then had bevvies at Starbucks Tsutaya and walked home through Moto Azabu.
Took a little break at home, then headed up to Azabu Jyuban for Korean BBQ at Sankoen.
police movie party
sting party
Originally uploaded by renfield.
Jer hooked me up with invites to the movie release party for Everyone Stares and I got there just in time to catch the last 5 seconds of Stuart's drum session. But I was really there to see Jer's folks Ilene and Derek, who were taking the movie on a global release tour. Hadn't seen then in about 5 years, since I was in West Hollywood last time. Great catching up with them! Too bad Jer couldn't join us. Ilene was particularly jealous that my mom has a grand daughter but, despite the fact that she's got three sons she has no grand kinds yet. However a many-branching family tree leaves lots of optionality, and they are yet young...No pressure, guys.
Afterwards grabbed some food with The Edo and reminisced about the good old Chiba days. Been in Japan for going on 13 years now...damn. Remember back in the day?
Had a good practice this evening. First, I managed to show up almost on time -- we started about 7:30 and trained for a good 1.5 hours. There a shiny fresh beginner on the floor (her second class) so I had her go through the basic basics whilst the rest of the class did their typical thing. At some point the theme became (I never manage to figure out what we're practicing until we start and get well into it) moving from one's center. There are lots of fancy ways to describe this, and several really, really talented martial artists who have perfected it (Kuroda Tetsuzan, etc.) but I like to keep things simple. The basic ideas are: stay balance at all times, reduce all unnecessary movement, remain flexible. All three are linked, and really one can't be done without the other two.
Staying balanced means just that; don't wobble like you're going to fall over. Keep your upper body over your lower body (or keep your lower body under your upper body.) Be aware of your left and right, your front and back, and whichever direction you move, make sure all your parts are cooperating, otherwise you end up swaying, tilting, dragging.
Reducing all unnecessary movement leads to the surprising yet ultimately intuitive conclusion that many things you do with your body to get it acting are really pointless. Straightening the ankle, forcing the foot to push off the ground and drive the leg/hip/body forward is a really silly way to start taking a step. Why use such a small muscle in the ankle to move the whole body? Instead, just keep the leg relaxed, pick it up using the large muscles in the butt and thigh, and get it moving from the hip. After that, the whole body will follow. The corollary is: use big muscles for big movements, small muscles for small movements. To take a step forwards, use the butt, thigh, and hips. To swing the sword, use the back and hips. To adjust the angle of the kissaki a millimeter, use the fingers and wrist. Also, you need to use the whole body together as one. In order to bring the sword overhead, if you're already stepping forward, you are in a sense stepping under your sword already, so there's no need to use the arm the bring the sword over your head, too. Use the wrist and arm to get the sword moving back, in conjunction with the body moving forwards.
Finally, flexibility is key to acting and reacting. The human body is really, really bad at staying still. Anything other than positions of natural rest are hard to keep; opposing muscles fight each other to tighten and stretch in opposite directions. Instead of trying to be rock embedded in the floor, be molten lava, dune of sand, flowing river, tempestuous wind. Even standing water in a calm lake is fluid; try grabbing a handful of it. Much harder than grabbing ice cubes. Being flexible starts with the knees; keep them bent and more importantly, bending. In order to keep the hips stable (giving you a good platform from which to move), the lower body needs to be like coiled springs or shock absorbers. No matter how the body moves, the knees must bend or straighten in order to keep the body balanced and moving efficiently.
Also, tension in muscles causes fatigue, and makes it harder to move in different directions; a tightly bent arm is tough to bend more, and really isn't a very good starting point for straightening out either. Tension in muscles usually means tension in demeanor, too. Staying flexible of body and mind means not expecting anything, and therefore means you are able to react to anything, to move in any direction.
Keeping the mind calm keeps the body supple; keeping the body relaxed quites the mind.
Staying balanced means just that; don't wobble like you're going to fall over. Keep your upper body over your lower body (or keep your lower body under your upper body.) Be aware of your left and right, your front and back, and whichever direction you move, make sure all your parts are cooperating, otherwise you end up swaying, tilting, dragging.
Reducing all unnecessary movement leads to the surprising yet ultimately intuitive conclusion that many things you do with your body to get it acting are really pointless. Straightening the ankle, forcing the foot to push off the ground and drive the leg/hip/body forward is a really silly way to start taking a step. Why use such a small muscle in the ankle to move the whole body? Instead, just keep the leg relaxed, pick it up using the large muscles in the butt and thigh, and get it moving from the hip. After that, the whole body will follow. The corollary is: use big muscles for big movements, small muscles for small movements. To take a step forwards, use the butt, thigh, and hips. To swing the sword, use the back and hips. To adjust the angle of the kissaki a millimeter, use the fingers and wrist. Also, you need to use the whole body together as one. In order to bring the sword overhead, if you're already stepping forward, you are in a sense stepping under your sword already, so there's no need to use the arm the bring the sword over your head, too. Use the wrist and arm to get the sword moving back, in conjunction with the body moving forwards.
Finally, flexibility is key to acting and reacting. The human body is really, really bad at staying still. Anything other than positions of natural rest are hard to keep; opposing muscles fight each other to tighten and stretch in opposite directions. Instead of trying to be rock embedded in the floor, be molten lava, dune of sand, flowing river, tempestuous wind. Even standing water in a calm lake is fluid; try grabbing a handful of it. Much harder than grabbing ice cubes. Being flexible starts with the knees; keep them bent and more importantly, bending. In order to keep the hips stable (giving you a good platform from which to move), the lower body needs to be like coiled springs or shock absorbers. No matter how the body moves, the knees must bend or straighten in order to keep the body balanced and moving efficiently.
Also, tension in muscles causes fatigue, and makes it harder to move in different directions; a tightly bent arm is tough to bend more, and really isn't a very good starting point for straightening out either. Tension in muscles usually means tension in demeanor, too. Staying flexible of body and mind means not expecting anything, and therefore means you are able to react to anything, to move in any direction.
Keeping the mind calm keeps the body supple; keeping the body relaxed quites the mind.
mom!
Came home about 8:30 last night, and P had just taken the Tonchabeast out of the bath, so I dried her off and clothed her up. She was in a fine mood, all clean and warm. Then P went back into the bath for herself, and I held Tonchan to sooth her to sleep.
She was having none of that; as soon as P left the room, blood-curdling screams and tear fountains. After 10 minutes, I finally just put her down in the crib and watched her from the hall. She calmed down considerably, but was still kind of sniffling. When P came back and picked her up, she immediately calmed down and was happy.
There are now two kinds of people in the world: mom and NOT mom. Ah, the love of a child. Until she's old enough to figure out that I'm the one who pays the bills, we are gonna have some respect issues.
She was having none of that; as soon as P left the room, blood-curdling screams and tear fountains. After 10 minutes, I finally just put her down in the crib and watched her from the hall. She calmed down considerably, but was still kind of sniffling. When P came back and picked her up, she immediately calmed down and was happy.
There are now two kinds of people in the world: mom and NOT mom. Ah, the love of a child. Until she's old enough to figure out that I'm the one who pays the bills, we are gonna have some respect issues.
loud
loud
Originally uploaded by renfield.
On the right is my house. On the left is the "noise blocking" plastic squares enclosing the old office building/factory that at this moment is being torn down via the aggressive use of serious heavy construction equipment.
Note that the distance between the two is about 50 centimeters. Also imagine the total lack of effectiveness of a piece of plastic to block the bone-rumbling sound made by machinery designed to pulverize concrete.
So yes, we will be moving in a matter of weeks, and none too soon!
astronaut jesus
astronaut jesus
Originally uploaded by renfield.
Jen had a posse in town, so we did the Akihabara thing. Somewhere around the 4th floor of Yellow Submarine we found the ultimate action figure: Astronaut Jesus.
Also don't miss the cool TVs.
dojo debut
First Day of Spring (Infernal Equinox I think it's called) is a national holiday in Japan. Beautiful sunny weather so we strapped in the Tonchabeast and headed over to Honbu Dojo where they were having a wee eating and drinking festivity. By the time we got these everyone was done stuffing themselves, and Tonchan promptly fell asleep on the Shihanseki (teacher's seat at the front of the dojo.)
Salty took some photos.
When we got home I was really, really jonesin' for some pizza, so we ordered from Salvatore's. P and I put away 3 larges. Granted, they're all Japanese-sized, cheeseless, and thin crust. But still, damn that woman can eat!
Salty took some photos.
When we got home I was really, really jonesin' for some pizza, so we ordered from Salvatore's. P and I put away 3 larges. Granted, they're all Japanese-sized, cheeseless, and thin crust. But still, damn that woman can eat!
ikea tonchan
ikea tonchan
Originally uploaded by renfield.
Standard early morning wakeup, quick breakfast, then onto the train to head down to Ikea in Shinyokohama. Not 30 minutes on the train, and then onto the waiting shuttle bus. Just after opening, so Ikea wasn't too crowded and Tonchan was in a fine mood. Wandered the furniture jungle and checked out the sleeper sofas, shelving units, and other bits and bobs before feeding Tonchan and then inhaling several hotdogs. Back on the shuttle bus and up to Shibuya.
We walked over to Harajuku and up the street to check out antiques at Oriental Bazaar, and walked straight into the Saint Patrick's Day Parade. Actually most folks were on the street checking out the parade, so the store and sidewalks were empty. A couple of nice pieces but nothing really calling, and Tonchan needed a diaper change so we walked up to Crayonhouse, then down to Nishi Azabu Crossing and got a cab home.
Tonchan was totally zonked and didn't even wake up for her bath; just slept!
farewell, ben
It is with great sadness that I report the passing of Ben Miller.
Seems he died at the end of February after suffering two brain aneurysms.
Good friend, great man, internet legacy.
Seems he died at the end of February after suffering two brain aneurysms.
Good friend, great man, internet legacy.
tonchan walkabout
After zazen in the afternoon, I came home dropped The Tonchabeast into her Mighty Chariot and off we went on our standard walkabout. Went up the hill past the crashed rocketship and down to the Starbookstore, then up past the slide park and back home.
When we got back, I shot these two masterpieces that I have titled:
"Sneeze"
and
"FEED ME NOW!"
When we got back, I shot these two masterpieces that I have titled:
"Sneeze"
and
"FEED ME NOW!"
sausage in crust pizza
sausage in crust pizza
Originally uploaded by renfield.
13 years in Japan and I continue to be amazed: sausage-in-crust pizza, half crab/shrimp/mayo/corn/onions/broccoli, and half BBQ pork/mushrooms/mayo/corn/onions.
Wow.
okuizome
P1000577.JPG
Originally uploaded by renfield.
100 days old, so we did the traditional pretend-to-eat ceremony. And then we really did eat!
Later in the day the weather cleared up a bit so Ton and I took a walk around the neighborhood; wandered up through Roppongi Hills and back down through Azabujyuban. Started to rain just as we passed Cravings, so we popped in for some tea until the rain stopped before heading home.
big day 99
Tomorrow Tonchan turns 100 days old, so we will have the traditional okuizome, literally the "first eating". Obviously she won't be eating anything other than breast milk, but we will pretend to feed her as we dig into our special bento prepared by Hashimoto-san from Toyoda.
So today we left the house about 3 and headed over to Mitsukoshi where we did some shopping before picking up our bento.
Then we headed back to the Fighting Gym as today was the last practice. The gym will reopen next month in an as yet undecided location. The Power Puff Girls Posse were all there, and everyone made squealing noises and poked Tonchan a bunch.
And now back at home, Tonchan is having dinner after a long day out and about.
So today we left the house about 3 and headed over to Mitsukoshi where we did some shopping before picking up our bento.
Then we headed back to the Fighting Gym as today was the last practice. The gym will reopen next month in an as yet undecided location. The Power Puff Girls Posse were all there, and everyone made squealing noises and poked Tonchan a bunch.
And now back at home, Tonchan is having dinner after a long day out and about.
tonchan exciting
For those who are curious as to what 3-month old babies do, here you go.
She's either asleep, feeding, pooping, or wiggling about and making noise:
She's either asleep, feeding, pooping, or wiggling about and making noise:
us citizen tonchan
us citizen tonchan
Originally uploaded by renfield.
Someone got herself a birth certificate and a passport. Though she'll probably want to get rid of them when she has to start paying US taxes. Doh!
bye-bye nick!
bye-bye nick!
Originally uploaded by renfield.
Slick Nick is off to Hong Kong, and LoveTrain will miss him.
that hurt
Had to skip teaching iai this week as we had a visitor from London and we took him out. Actually he was so jet-lagged he went home after his second gin tonic, but the rest of us were hungry so we went to Sankoen for some quality yakiniku and smack talk.
But I did finally manage to go to fighting for the first time in like 5 months. I got destroyed. After 100 pushups, 6 minutes of situps, and 200 back arches, we did an hour and a half of glove work and I am now in serious pain.
But I did finally manage to go to fighting for the first time in like 5 months. I got destroyed. After 100 pushups, 6 minutes of situps, and 200 back arches, we did an hour and a half of glove work and I am now in serious pain.
wii60
Whenever I need a videogame fix I head up the street to Conan the Gamebarian's house. Spent the afternoon jumping tall buildings in a single bound and shooting ugly rabbits with a toilet plunger gun. Quality.
hina matsuri (doll festival)
hina matsuri (doll festival)
Originally uploaded by renfield.
A Japanese tradition: put out the dolls in hope for happy and healthy daughters.
big norm, little tonchan
big norm, little tonchan
Originally uploaded by renfield.
Big day out for Tonchan! First went to the US Embassy to get a passport, then did the rounds at work meeting everyone. She mostly spent her time in the office asleep, being passed around like a ragdoll.
Big Norm gave her a taste of life 2 meters above ground, but she wasn't really paying attention.
Power to the People!
Power to the People!
Originally uploaded by piroko_kuroda.
Raise yo' fist to show yo' solidarity against The Man! Disrupt The Dominant Paradigm! Clean diapers! More milk! Longer naps!
stereo crying
stereo crying
Originally uploaded by renfield.
Yuika came over to have lunch and hang out. She and Tonchan demonstrated their synchronized crying abilities by screaming in stereo.
tonchan tsuba
tonchan tsuba
Originally uploaded by renfield.
Yamazaki-sensei sent Tonchan this beautiful tsuba of flower petals and hearts. This will have to go on her first sword, as soon as she's big enough to start cutting!
gasshuku
Headed down to Tokyo Bay coast of Chiba for our annual gasshuku "stay and play." Met the gang at Tokyo Station and to the train for about 1.5 hours to Iwai Station, a nothing little town on the Chiba coast. During the summer the place is packed with sun and sea seeking tourists, but on a cold, rainy February day it's as dead as you can imagine. Some tried to get lunch at one of the two restaurants by the station, but the rest of us bought bento in Tokyo so we walked down to yado and ate.
Denjirokan is a traditional minshuku. Cheap, old and kinda rundown. The kind of place used by student groups and the like. We numbered 40 so they just gave us run of the main building; two floors of a series of interconnected tatami rooms, piles of futon, and bathrooms at the end of each floor. Communal bath (boys and girls separate, each seats about 5 at a time) was across the driveway, by the dog house. Communal dining room seats about 80.
Staying in the other building was a school karate team who used the small gym to train. We got the larger town gym down the road.
After checking in we piled into the minivan and went to the gym to train for a couple of hours, then back to Denjiro for a quick bath and change before dinner. As this was a beach town, the fish and seafood was fresh and delicious and we stuffed ourselves silly. I was pretty tired and had my own room (one of the benefits of being a sensei) so I went to bed early, but from the noise of things they carried on well into the morning.
At 5:30 am I stomped around the building waking everyone up to do some zazen. Nearly everyone came down and trudged through the dark rainy morning to the freezing cold small gym for a couple of short sittings before breakfast. Then we went back to the big gym and trained for a couple more hours before calling it a day at noon.
We mainly did kumitachi, with me teaching the beginners group and trying to plow through as many kata as possible in two days. I think everyone had fun and there was minimal damage done.
We had a good hour before our train arrived so again we piled into the only two restaurants in town. The old grandma running the small pub snack was flabbergasted when we arrived and we just asked her to make whatever she could, so she produced some rice pilaf and curry bowls and we took matters into our own hands, helping ourselves to all the bottled beer.
By the time we made it back to Tokyo the sky was beginning to clear.
Denjirokan is a traditional minshuku. Cheap, old and kinda rundown. The kind of place used by student groups and the like. We numbered 40 so they just gave us run of the main building; two floors of a series of interconnected tatami rooms, piles of futon, and bathrooms at the end of each floor. Communal bath (boys and girls separate, each seats about 5 at a time) was across the driveway, by the dog house. Communal dining room seats about 80.
Staying in the other building was a school karate team who used the small gym to train. We got the larger town gym down the road.
After checking in we piled into the minivan and went to the gym to train for a couple of hours, then back to Denjiro for a quick bath and change before dinner. As this was a beach town, the fish and seafood was fresh and delicious and we stuffed ourselves silly. I was pretty tired and had my own room (one of the benefits of being a sensei) so I went to bed early, but from the noise of things they carried on well into the morning.
At 5:30 am I stomped around the building waking everyone up to do some zazen. Nearly everyone came down and trudged through the dark rainy morning to the freezing cold small gym for a couple of short sittings before breakfast. Then we went back to the big gym and trained for a couple more hours before calling it a day at noon.
We mainly did kumitachi, with me teaching the beginners group and trying to plow through as many kata as possible in two days. I think everyone had fun and there was minimal damage done.
We had a good hour before our train arrived so again we piled into the only two restaurants in town. The old grandma running the small pub snack was flabbergasted when we arrived and we just asked her to make whatever she could, so she produced some rice pilaf and curry bowls and we took matters into our own hands, helping ourselves to all the bottled beer.
By the time we made it back to Tokyo the sky was beginning to clear.
drunj 2: electric bugaloo
Last year I got my drunj on, and once again bonus season was upon us, so it was time for my yearly beveragination.
We started tamely enough, with Yebisu pints and greasy chicken & chips at Finn McCool's. After a couple hours we migrated to the big Sapporo Beer Hall in Ginza for some liter-sized double-pints and basic beer hall debauchery.
When they closed that down and kicked us out we headed to Hiroo and took over Smash Hits for some karaoke goodness. I apparently did well enough with AC/DC's Big Balls and everyone's old favorite Sweet Home Alabama, but after the 3rd Tequila shot I passed out in the back row.
I didn't have my jacket and had many icecubes in my shirt, but somehow I walked down the street, got a taxi, and made it home.
Made it into work today about 1:30 and had a couple of painful meetings before begging off for home.
We started tamely enough, with Yebisu pints and greasy chicken & chips at Finn McCool's. After a couple hours we migrated to the big Sapporo Beer Hall in Ginza for some liter-sized double-pints and basic beer hall debauchery.
When they closed that down and kicked us out we headed to Hiroo and took over Smash Hits for some karaoke goodness. I apparently did well enough with AC/DC's Big Balls and everyone's old favorite Sweet Home Alabama, but after the 3rd Tequila shot I passed out in the back row.
I didn't have my jacket and had many icecubes in my shirt, but somehow I walked down the street, got a taxi, and made it home.
Made it into work today about 1:30 and had a couple of painful meetings before begging off for home.
line?
Mama loves this: the little walkway in front of my house has a white line painted on the side of the road. For what purpose, I have no idea. And for whatever reason, it mysteriously curves out and stops...right before the manhole cover. Did the line painter just miss? Run out of energy? Or is there some unknown purpose yet to be discovered?
kimono tonchan
P1000419.JPG
Originally uploaded by renfield.
Got the old kimono from Grandma's closet and was under orders to get photos of Tonchan wearing said kimono. It's just a wee bit too big, you think?
bjorn again
More beautiful weather, so we dropped Tonchan into the Bjorn and took a stroll up to Azabujyuban and Roppongi Hills. At Tsutaya we ran into Conan and his parentals, so we headed up to slide park and I rode the roller slide a bunch of times with Tonchan totally and completely asleep.
potato pancakes
potato pancakes
Originally uploaded by renfield.
Chiepon came over for dinner and at her request mama made potato pancakes, which we ate with the traditional Japanese dishes of grilled salmon in miso and tofu-spinach shiroai.
da bjorn
Debut of da Baby Bjorn. Loverly weather so wrapped up Tonchan in purple, pulled on the watermelon hat, dropped her in da Bjorn, and off we went to the healthy yummy breadstore in Ebisu. It being the day before Constitution Day, the rightists were out in full effect. Interesting way of showing one's love for one's country: blaring rightist music, disobeying traffic signals, marching in full riot gear including masks and hard hats, insulting the police and one's fellow countrymen at 150 decibels. Yup, patriots, the lots of them.
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