Why yes, I know I'm very bad at quiting taiko ( Read more... )

Been a little busy with the trip to Pittsburgh to help my mom buy a car and then Black Ships ( Read more... )

A friend of mine found me a low pressure solo harp gig so I could practice playing a solo performance. It went ok, better than I feared (which isn't to say I didn't mess up, but I did so without completely choking and making things worse with panic. We played taiko after my set, and it's always amazing just to see how taiko blows people away. ( Read more... )

I teach taiko to many people, most of which have no musical background at all. It's always interesting getting someone who does have a music background, because it can both help and hinder ( Read more... )

Despite having quit taiko, I drummed for Black Ships. We split it with Shindaiko this year, which is good, since it was super hot. I can't say my body is loving me. I'll also be teaching classes in the fall. I'm hoping I can do that without my body hating me ( Read more... )

Brief update ( Read more... )

So here's my delema.

Taekwondo:

• is good for me physically: I'm feeling less pain and more ease of movement
• makes me happy: I look forward to it and usually come home feeling good
• costs money

Taiko:

• was physically damaging: both my arm issue and hearing loss
• was causing me tons of stress: I still watch them not getting enough help from people, the ( Read more... )

I feel I should post an update, because it's been a while an many things have been happening ( Read more... )

Taught my last taiko class today. I'll write more about that later.

Also signed up for 6 months of TKD at Kian TKD in Salem, NH.

TaekwondoMy current trial for TKD is going very well. I'm extremely happy with how this school is balancing "it's ok to not be perfect" with "but if you want to be perfect, you need to fix that." The black belts are very knowledgeable, the school has a good energy, the master is good at the why of TKD, the fundamentals and the exercise aspects. ( Read more... )