gyoza
Too much eating. Hiroko and I started chopping veggies about 1pm, and by 6pm the apartment was packed; one table was a gyoza-stuffing sweatshop, the other table a gyoza-eating contest worthy of primetime television. Chie made crepes, Tomo brought his famous brownies, Amy played with empty plastic bottles, the iPod fed random tunes through the tv speakers...did I mention the gyoza? Pork and cabbage, chicken and mushroom, shrimp and onion, beef and tomato. And then the playstation 2 fired up so that Ollie and Chiori could shoot vampires. Beer and wine was consumed with wild abandon. Gyoza was made. Gyoza was eaten. Gyoza was put into ziplock bags and shoved into people's pockets; no one escaped empty-handed.
timing is everything
Sekido-san just got his sword back from the polishers and he's selling it. If I'd known this earlier, I would have jumped all over the chance. As it is, he's showing it to Takeda-san this weekend, but if I'm lucky Takeda-san won't like it and I'll have a chance to buy it. It's the same length as my sword, only about 80 grams heavier and 400 years older. I think I'll send my sword out to get cleaned up and sell it, using the money to (hopefully) buy Sekido-san's.
The one he has now and the one he's replacing it with were both Niina-gosoke's personal swords, so there's no doubt as to the quality. If only my timing were a bit better, I would never have bought my modern blade in the first place, and would have bought Sekido-san's sword when Niina-gosoke was first selling it.
In other issues of timing, getting that front foot timed correctly with the sword strike is the big issue of the day. Niina-gosoke ran us through several different kata, illuminating the simple fact that they're all basically the same; sword cuts and foot steps at the same time. If only it were that easy.
The one he has now and the one he's replacing it with were both Niina-gosoke's personal swords, so there's no doubt as to the quality. If only my timing were a bit better, I would never have bought my modern blade in the first place, and would have bought Sekido-san's sword when Niina-gosoke was first selling it.
In other issues of timing, getting that front foot timed correctly with the sword strike is the big issue of the day. Niina-gosoke ran us through several different kata, illuminating the simple fact that they're all basically the same; sword cuts and foot steps at the same time. If only it were that easy.
i am an idiot
So I got home from practice last night and realized I didn't have my uniform, which I usually carry around wrapped up in a cool blue furoshiki (big piece of cloth.) After cursing myself for several minutes, I got back on the mightier steed and drove all the way back to Akihabara. Needless to say, it was nowhere to be found, and the building was already closed.
Drove all the way back home with one eye on the curb, wondering if I had left it on the back of the Mightier Steed, forgetting to put it under the seat after taking my helmet out.
This morning I called the Chiyoda Park Plaza and as a matter of fact, they did have a black uniform wrapped up in a blue furoshiki. It was left sitting next to the elevator on the 4th floor.
I emailed Sekido-san about some homepage additions and casually mentioned that I forgot my uniform, and he replies something to the effect of "Yeah, I saw a furoshiki that looked just like the one you always use, and thought to myself 'That looks just like ren's. Uncanny...'" Thanks for mentioning it, buddy.
Anyway I ended up spending all bloody afternoon driving back and to Akihabara to get my uniform. Where in the hell do all these people come from, driving REALLY BADLY in the middle of the day? And how do they not absolutely kill each other when faced with the tremendous stupidity of their fellow drivers? And lastly, what moron decided to replace all the Ginza traffic lights with brand new, ultra-modern super-bright LED lights and pave the street with some magical gray-painted blacktop that is absolutely wonderful to drive on, but decided NOT to change the traffic light software, so even with the new lights and pavement, all twenty lights change to red at exactly the same time? I'm no fluid mechanics engineer, but that has got to be the least effective way to move traffic down a major artery.
Drove all the way back home with one eye on the curb, wondering if I had left it on the back of the Mightier Steed, forgetting to put it under the seat after taking my helmet out.
This morning I called the Chiyoda Park Plaza and as a matter of fact, they did have a black uniform wrapped up in a blue furoshiki. It was left sitting next to the elevator on the 4th floor.
I emailed Sekido-san about some homepage additions and casually mentioned that I forgot my uniform, and he replies something to the effect of "Yeah, I saw a furoshiki that looked just like the one you always use, and thought to myself 'That looks just like ren's. Uncanny...'" Thanks for mentioning it, buddy.
Anyway I ended up spending all bloody afternoon driving back and to Akihabara to get my uniform. Where in the hell do all these people come from, driving REALLY BADLY in the middle of the day? And how do they not absolutely kill each other when faced with the tremendous stupidity of their fellow drivers? And lastly, what moron decided to replace all the Ginza traffic lights with brand new, ultra-modern super-bright LED lights and pave the street with some magical gray-painted blacktop that is absolutely wonderful to drive on, but decided NOT to change the traffic light software, so even with the new lights and pavement, all twenty lights change to red at exactly the same time? I'm no fluid mechanics engineer, but that has got to be the least effective way to move traffic down a major artery.
things my girlfriend and i have argued about
From Ollie: Things My Girlfriend And I Have Argued About.
Laughing in pain (and understanding).
Laughing in pain (and understanding).
rain
Ah, the cold and wetness of autumn rain. Will was giving me crap for not writing about enough interesting things in my blog, so I was forced to remind him that my life is only interesting in short-lived spurts spaced far apart, and also my mom is an avid reader of G.Y.M. (the main reason I started this blog, actually, was because every now and then I'd get a "You might be dead, but would your mother know, the amount of mail she doesn't get from her youngest son..." kinda mails) so I've got to keep it PG-13 at least. So Will bought me some O.J. and we debated OS merits with Todd for a bit before those two digressed off into geekland; I was never a Commodore 64 dork like them (Atari BASIC thank you very much.)
Other than that, it rained alot today.
Other than that, it rained alot today.
all day
It being the national Holiday Sports Day, we had an all seminar today in Toritsudai. Got there a bit before nine and didn't leave until almost five. Niina-gosoke ran us through the fundamentals and various kata, focusing on the simple but alusive point of timing the front foot with the sword; foot to early and you leave yourself open with your sword above your head. Foot too late and you're only cutting with your arms, not your hips. Suffice to say I am now even more confused than I was before.
happy birthday hiroko!
Hiroko's birthday, so to celebrate I let her sleep in while I went to cutting practice in the morning.
Came by about lunch time and showed her the new iMac and iPod. I will now spend all my waking hours ripping our CDs into the iPod so that we never have to change CDs again. One thing Apple definitely got right: this sucker is so simple to use. OS X is a huge improvement over OS 9, and doesn't even compare to Windows. Take it outta the box, set it up, plug it in, turn it on. It just works.
We spent the afternoon in Ginza. Ostensibly we were these to pick up our repaired shoes from Camui, but ended up swinging through Zara and GAP, doing our part to save the economy by being good consumers.
About 7:30 Kevin and Z came by and we had a fabulous dinner a t Piola. Of course, all dinners at Piola are by definition fabulous. Once the owner found out it was Hiroko's birthday, she gave Hiroko a nice plant and we got free dessert and lots of smiles. Gotta love that place.
Came by about lunch time and showed her the new iMac and iPod. I will now spend all my waking hours ripping our CDs into the iPod so that we never have to change CDs again. One thing Apple definitely got right: this sucker is so simple to use. OS X is a huge improvement over OS 9, and doesn't even compare to Windows. Take it outta the box, set it up, plug it in, turn it on. It just works.
We spent the afternoon in Ginza. Ostensibly we were these to pick up our repaired shoes from Camui, but ended up swinging through Zara and GAP, doing our part to save the economy by being good consumers.
About 7:30 Kevin and Z came by and we had a fabulous dinner a t Piola. Of course, all dinners at Piola are by definition fabulous. Once the owner found out it was Hiroko's birthday, she gave Hiroko a nice plant and we got free dessert and lots of smiles. Gotta love that place.
niina-gosoke
Niina-gosoke is the man. Brutal practice, but that's mostly because I suck so badly.
After practice we went and got sushi and talked about the organization. Ohtsuka-san is now in charge of dealing with new members and those who want to become members, so he bought a Clie in order to check his email all the time. Niina-gosoke bought an eBook, and so did Ohtsuka-san, so Sekido-san has been spending all his time setting up their computers for them.
After practice we went and got sushi and talked about the organization. Ohtsuka-san is now in charge of dealing with new members and those who want to become members, so he bought a Clie in order to check his email all the time. Niina-gosoke bought an eBook, and so did Ohtsuka-san, so Sekido-san has been spending all his time setting up their computers for them.
new schedule
So I'm no longer teaching the Tuesday night student's practice, and as of next week I'll be teaching the regular practice on Thursday in Iidabashi.
So basically I help teach on Monday in Shibuya, have Tuesday off for work-related conference calls, run the warmup and basics on Wednesday, and usually end up teaching any beginners (at least the last extra hour I can practice with everyone else who stays late), Thursday teaching Iidabashi, Friday Niina-gosoke's practice in Shinbashi, Saturday mornings cutting practice in Akabane once a month, and Sunday there's usually a seminar or something a couple times a month in Shinbashi or Toritsudai.
So basically I help teach on Monday in Shibuya, have Tuesday off for work-related conference calls, run the warmup and basics on Wednesday, and usually end up teaching any beginners (at least the last extra hour I can practice with everyone else who stays late), Thursday teaching Iidabashi, Friday Niina-gosoke's practice in Shinbashi, Saturday mornings cutting practice in Akabane once a month, and Sunday there's usually a seminar or something a couple times a month in Shinbashi or Toritsudai.
lily calvert
Jeff & Ericka's little Lily packs some attitude. She got mom's nose and dad's goofy expressions!
You talkin' to me?!
You talkin' to me?!
stealth disco
Who says we geeks don't got the moves? It's all about a video phone and the will to get down:Stealth Disco!
we're all newbies
Helped instruct for the beginner's seminar. We had three young Japanese women in the class -- nice to see young females doing traditional martial arts. And I don't mean that in a sexist way. Truth is there aren't enough young people in Japan interested in the traditions and history of their own country enough to bother with martial arts and other traditional endeavours. And for women, even if they are interested they tend to be lead to tea or calligraphy or flower arranging. So it was cool to see these young chicks swinging swords, and then after class they donned their Sunday styles, which for some reason included bell bottom (sorry I mean 'boot cut') cords and frumpy hats.
miracles part 2
This morning, three (count 'em!) repairmen showed up. One guy fixed the moldy wallpaper, another replaced the old parts on the closet doors, and the third sealed up the cracks in the bathroom.
yatta
The crazy folks at Very Low Sodium made a brilliant animation for the Happatai Yatta song. I can't tell if they understood the Japanese lyrics and purposefuly used slightly-to-totally wrong words and images, or if they just did their best with what it sounds like in English. Probably the latter. Either way it's brilliant in that way the only goofy flash animation can be.
Hundreds of years from now, no matter what happens to Macromedia, it will be known as the company that brought to the web Flash animations, and all the insanity implied therein.
The revolution will be animated.
Hundreds of years from now, no matter what happens to Macromedia, it will be known as the company that brought to the web Flash animations, and all the insanity implied therein.
The revolution will be animated.
hero
Saw Hero with Hiroko and Kev and Z and Z's friend Belinda.
Stupendously good. Visually stunning, along the lines of Croutching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Lots of cool flying-fighting, great slow-motion effects, wonderful music, excellent use of color. Basically impossible for a U.S. studio to make such a movie, and I'm glad that in Tokyo we get a chance to see these types of films, because I know that back in the states it would be tough.
Stupendously good. Visually stunning, along the lines of Croutching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Lots of cool flying-fighting, great slow-motion effects, wonderful music, excellent use of color. Basically impossible for a U.S. studio to make such a movie, and I'm glad that in Tokyo we get a chance to see these types of films, because I know that back in the states it would be tough.
nice try
I love drugstore.com for the simple fact that I need to buy stuff; eyedrops, q-tips, etc. and it's really easy and reasonably priced.
Alas, drugstore.com doesn't ship internationally...but then they partnered with douwantit.com, which allows for international shipping and even billing in native currencies! Oh happy days!
So I filled my shopping cart: listerine, claritin, eyedrops...hit checkout, forwarded to douwantit and..."We're sorry, but some items in your shopping cart are restricted from export to Japan."
And what was restricted? The formerly prescription-only allergy medication Claritin? Nope, the eyedrops. EYEDROPS. Otherwise known as artificial tears, for combatting dry eyes. Basically, really really really clean WATER, in little plastic tubes.
Huh? Oh well, looks like I'll be asking the parentals to send the package to me in Japan. Nice try drugstore.com and douwantit.com. A for effort, F+ for execution.
Alas, drugstore.com doesn't ship internationally...but then they partnered with douwantit.com, which allows for international shipping and even billing in native currencies! Oh happy days!
So I filled my shopping cart: listerine, claritin, eyedrops...hit checkout, forwarded to douwantit and..."We're sorry, but some items in your shopping cart are restricted from export to Japan."
And what was restricted? The formerly prescription-only allergy medication Claritin? Nope, the eyedrops. EYEDROPS. Otherwise known as artificial tears, for combatting dry eyes. Basically, really really really clean WATER, in little plastic tubes.
Huh? Oh well, looks like I'll be asking the parentals to send the package to me in Japan. Nice try drugstore.com and douwantit.com. A for effort, F+ for execution.
stuffy nose
A magical discovery: nose stuffed all day, dripping steadily like a broken faucet. But for the three hours of practice, my nasal passages were as clear as glass.
And as soon as practice ended, stuff city.
Is there some physiological explanation? Or did the allergy medicine and Claritin speedball I did this afternoon finally kick in?
All I know is, last week someone flipped the season switch and we went from summer to fall in one weekend. The temperature dropped ten degrees centigrade, the humidity dropped 50%, the wind kicked up, and my nose faucet spewed what I can only imagine is my liquified brain, dripping at an unstoppable pace down to my upper lip.
And as soon as practice ended, stuff city.
Is there some physiological explanation? Or did the allergy medicine and Claritin speedball I did this afternoon finally kick in?
All I know is, last week someone flipped the season switch and we went from summer to fall in one weekend. The temperature dropped ten degrees centigrade, the humidity dropped 50%, the wind kicked up, and my nose faucet spewed what I can only imagine is my liquified brain, dripping at an unstoppable pace down to my upper lip.
last
Taught what will most likely be my last regular student's class as official instructor. Starting from October, the Tuesday Shibuya practice will be completely up to the students themselves to run as they see fit. If they want, we can send instructors on a regular basis, so I imagine I'll be teaching about once a month, but the students have to motivate and organize to make it happen.
I teach so much on Mondays and Wednesdays now anyway, and I always have a conference call on Tuesday night, so maybe I'll skip Tuesdays and go to practice on Thursdays from now on. That means I'll also swith my wear-a-suit day from Thursday to Tuesday...we'll see what happens next week.
I teach so much on Mondays and Wednesdays now anyway, and I always have a conference call on Tuesday night, so maybe I'll skip Tuesdays and go to practice on Thursdays from now on. That means I'll also swith my wear-a-suit day from Thursday to Tuesday...we'll see what happens next week.
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