(no subject)
Filed under miscellaneous: Wednesday, Keith and I went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse and it was good. Thursday, I want to the dentist, before work and he told I'm doing everything right and no teeth are falling out. Today, I contacted folks in NH about and upcoming vacation. Snowflake is doing great but Red fails at covering his poo.
Aikido:
Last Sunday I tried to go to the dojo but there was a Raven's game. So I went Monday and had fun. Since the work schedule is increasingly hectic, with mandatory overtime, I went Tuesday, too. That was a good idea because the senior sensei teaches that class so after it finished, I received my 5th kyu certificate. Now, Thursday, there was a funny.
In many aikido dojo's, there are six low (kyu) ranks and then high (dan) ranks, but only three belt colors. So when two students with the same belt color spar, they need to figure out who's senior and gets to practice the technique first. Also, there is an assumption that rank follows experience, though it's not always so, with more than a few very low kyu students possessing years, even decades, of experience. They just don't bother to test. I've been doing aikido since I was 21 but I've only tested twice.
Anyway, I saw an unfamiliar student wearing a white belt and it was the sensitivity class. He was obviously struggling with certain basic elements so I began to correct his hand position because I was familiar with the particular technique. He cut me off, asked my rank, declared he was three higher and I mentally shrugged as he kept doing it wrong. Until sensei came over, watched me without comment, then interrupted the visiting student to correct everything he was doing, using me as uke. He began by correcting the man's hand position. Funny how he was willing to accept my advice, after that.
Friday was even more entertaining because we practice contact punches (allowing ourselves to be hit to get used to the sudden, startling sensation). Then we moved on to blending with those blind side punches and applying technique with that reactive motion as the start. Ie, you do not get in some stance and then do a technique; you're already moving and you find a way. Fun stuff. One student and I got pretty rowdy and I overheard sensei laughing as we tried to clobber each other with fists, elbows, knees and sweeps while shifting technique.
I couldn't go tonight because I was stuck working late, again.
Horses:
Last Sunday, because I couldn't reach the dojo, I went straight to the stables and helped out. The owner asked if I could help with a pony party that afternoon and I agreed. It was at a nearby church and the grounds were mobbed. I was trusted to lead a horse for two hours while we gave about 300-400 children in flappy costumes rides. My horse wanted to charge forward most the time, got mad that I wouldn't let her eat the pesticide laden grass and huffy that I wouldn't let her paw the ground in frustration and tear it up. We had words and she fell in line.
Wednesday I rode Allie, Western, and did great. The owner had taught that lesson and declared that she would handle the remainder of my lessons this month.
This Sunday, I showed up at 7am to help with feeding and then we all mustered for trail clean up. The stable's been turning down a lot of would be trail riders due to the storm damage. We went out with chain saws and shovels, cutting back fallen trees, lining the edges with logs, building a bridge frame, cutting about 60-80 feet of new trail and busting ass. Afterward, we had a pot luck lunch (about which no one had informed me). I was drooping when I got home but as luck would have it, the neighbors invited us over for a nice dinner.
Work:
Bah. We're drowning in mail, we don't have enough carriers, management is complaining that we're cutting too much mail, I'm urged to case more than I can, leave and return late and my truck broke. It's out getting a new transmission but I'm sure the 400 point turns I do every day have nothing to do with it. No, the only interesting moment was when I needed to execute part of a will to a hundred year old woman.
Aikido:
Last Sunday I tried to go to the dojo but there was a Raven's game. So I went Monday and had fun. Since the work schedule is increasingly hectic, with mandatory overtime, I went Tuesday, too. That was a good idea because the senior sensei teaches that class so after it finished, I received my 5th kyu certificate. Now, Thursday, there was a funny.
In many aikido dojo's, there are six low (kyu) ranks and then high (dan) ranks, but only three belt colors. So when two students with the same belt color spar, they need to figure out who's senior and gets to practice the technique first. Also, there is an assumption that rank follows experience, though it's not always so, with more than a few very low kyu students possessing years, even decades, of experience. They just don't bother to test. I've been doing aikido since I was 21 but I've only tested twice.
Anyway, I saw an unfamiliar student wearing a white belt and it was the sensitivity class. He was obviously struggling with certain basic elements so I began to correct his hand position because I was familiar with the particular technique. He cut me off, asked my rank, declared he was three higher and I mentally shrugged as he kept doing it wrong. Until sensei came over, watched me without comment, then interrupted the visiting student to correct everything he was doing, using me as uke. He began by correcting the man's hand position. Funny how he was willing to accept my advice, after that.
Friday was even more entertaining because we practice contact punches (allowing ourselves to be hit to get used to the sudden, startling sensation). Then we moved on to blending with those blind side punches and applying technique with that reactive motion as the start. Ie, you do not get in some stance and then do a technique; you're already moving and you find a way. Fun stuff. One student and I got pretty rowdy and I overheard sensei laughing as we tried to clobber each other with fists, elbows, knees and sweeps while shifting technique.
I couldn't go tonight because I was stuck working late, again.
Horses:
Last Sunday, because I couldn't reach the dojo, I went straight to the stables and helped out. The owner asked if I could help with a pony party that afternoon and I agreed. It was at a nearby church and the grounds were mobbed. I was trusted to lead a horse for two hours while we gave about 300-400 children in flappy costumes rides. My horse wanted to charge forward most the time, got mad that I wouldn't let her eat the pesticide laden grass and huffy that I wouldn't let her paw the ground in frustration and tear it up. We had words and she fell in line.
Wednesday I rode Allie, Western, and did great. The owner had taught that lesson and declared that she would handle the remainder of my lessons this month.
This Sunday, I showed up at 7am to help with feeding and then we all mustered for trail clean up. The stable's been turning down a lot of would be trail riders due to the storm damage. We went out with chain saws and shovels, cutting back fallen trees, lining the edges with logs, building a bridge frame, cutting about 60-80 feet of new trail and busting ass. Afterward, we had a pot luck lunch (about which no one had informed me). I was drooping when I got home but as luck would have it, the neighbors invited us over for a nice dinner.
Work:
Bah. We're drowning in mail, we don't have enough carriers, management is complaining that we're cutting too much mail, I'm urged to case more than I can, leave and return late and my truck broke. It's out getting a new transmission but I'm sure the 400 point turns I do every day have nothing to do with it. No, the only interesting moment was when I needed to execute part of a will to a hundred year old woman.