Yup, that time of year. I've picked up one gift so far, and I haven't even made my shopping list. Still a few weeks to xmas, so I'm not worried. But I should start on that soon.
This week all of us from the Aikido program met up for a holiday pot luck at Jack's. Good times, got to meet the significant others of the people I throw around/throw me around. Just a nice mellow get together with good food brought by all. Couldn't help but wonder why the Silent Warrior program couldn't have been able to do this too...
Tomorrow I've got the day to myself. And after Aikido in the morning I plan on doing a little shopping to get some items off that xmas list that I'm going to start on right now...
Friday, December 6, 2013
Monday, December 2, 2013
So far...
The replacement Dell laptop is running nicely. No hiccups, no bullshit. Still, it's only been a few weeks. And I'm keeping "old busted" around for at least 6 months more, just to be sure I still have my iTunes collection.
I haven't heard from John in a while. And I've lost my patience with the whole revival of Ninpo Chuan Fa. I can understand if he's busy, but I've had too many messages sent to him by email or phone that haven't been returned. If he decides to teach again, as the loyal student I'll be happy to take lessons from him, but I don't think that's going to happen.
With the whole Silent Warrior Martial Arts program on the back burner, I've been enjoying more time training in Aikido. There's three of us attending regularly, and those other two guys are great to work with. One's a pharmacist, and while new to Aikido, he picks up material quite well. The other is a Psychotherapist and part time yoga teacher, also great to work with.
The yoga guy and I present some interesting challenges to each other. We're both 5'10, but my 260lb. + stocky muscular frame (man I need to slim down) can make it a challenge for him to throw me around, so he needs to get the technique right to move me. I'm tighter muscle-wise, due to the regular weightlifting (I pick things up and put them down!), and that can make it easier to get joint locks on me. On the other hand , his 150 lbs. , skinny and super flexible self makes it difficult to keep my hands on him, from getting good joint locks, and there's the holding back from throwing him too hard. He's like the rubber band man. It's good to have these little challenges. I'm a 3rd Kyu now, and I keep enjoying what I've been learning from Aikido.
Since the Silent Warrior program ended/took a break in July, I've been able to keep about half the stuff in my head that I've relearned. One of the big helps in retaining that info was Tim emailing me his hand written notes on the specifics of the defense combinations he jotted down years ago. The program may be done, but I'll still practice much of what I've learned. It's hard to let go of something you've studied for so long.
And the motorcycle is officially put away for the winter... freakin' snow!
I haven't heard from John in a while. And I've lost my patience with the whole revival of Ninpo Chuan Fa. I can understand if he's busy, but I've had too many messages sent to him by email or phone that haven't been returned. If he decides to teach again, as the loyal student I'll be happy to take lessons from him, but I don't think that's going to happen.
With the whole Silent Warrior Martial Arts program on the back burner, I've been enjoying more time training in Aikido. There's three of us attending regularly, and those other two guys are great to work with. One's a pharmacist, and while new to Aikido, he picks up material quite well. The other is a Psychotherapist and part time yoga teacher, also great to work with.
The yoga guy and I present some interesting challenges to each other. We're both 5'10, but my 260lb. + stocky muscular frame (man I need to slim down) can make it a challenge for him to throw me around, so he needs to get the technique right to move me. I'm tighter muscle-wise, due to the regular weightlifting (I pick things up and put them down!), and that can make it easier to get joint locks on me. On the other hand , his 150 lbs. , skinny and super flexible self makes it difficult to keep my hands on him, from getting good joint locks, and there's the holding back from throwing him too hard. He's like the rubber band man. It's good to have these little challenges. I'm a 3rd Kyu now, and I keep enjoying what I've been learning from Aikido.
Since the Silent Warrior program ended/took a break in July, I've been able to keep about half the stuff in my head that I've relearned. One of the big helps in retaining that info was Tim emailing me his hand written notes on the specifics of the defense combinations he jotted down years ago. The program may be done, but I'll still practice much of what I've learned. It's hard to let go of something you've studied for so long.
And the motorcycle is officially put away for the winter... freakin' snow!
Friday, November 15, 2013
New
I'm getting a new laptop from Dell. It took way to long for this to happen, and the tech people wanted me to just send it back in for repairs after it's third hard drive crashed for no reason. I put my foot down and said "Refund, replace the computer, or I go to the better business bureau". Of course, I have no idea whether the Better Business Bureau could have really done anything.
They couldn't do a refund, but then took their sweet time making up their minds to let me know they'd send a new one. I'll get the new replacement laptop in a week or so.
Seriously hoping this is the last problem I have with Dell. Somehow I've been using my busted HP laptop that I've had for 5 years at home, although I have to prop it up since the screen doesn't hold itself up anymore, and is starting to break apart at the seams. Still works though!
They couldn't do a refund, but then took their sweet time making up their minds to let me know they'd send a new one. I'll get the new replacement laptop in a week or so.
Seriously hoping this is the last problem I have with Dell. Somehow I've been using my busted HP laptop that I've had for 5 years at home, although I have to prop it up since the screen doesn't hold itself up anymore, and is starting to break apart at the seams. Still works though!
Monday, November 4, 2013
WTF
I'm typing this on my old HP laptop I bought 5 years ago. It has to be propped up so the screen doesn't just fall off. Besides the speakers failing a couple years ago (headphones still work on it), this laptop has been excellent! One would think I would have just bought another HP...
But no, I bought a Dell Inspiron laptop. Three weeks into ownership, once I'd a few things switched over, the hard drive crashes. I'd really hadn't done anything with the computer at that point, and it wasn't damaged in any way. So I call Dell. They send a guy who comes and replaces the hard drive.
All good. And then...
It happens again?! WTF (what the fuck, to explain our american acronym). So I call Dell Support. They tell me to send in the laptop and they will replace the hard drive and check out the computer and make sure all is ok. I send it in, in the Fed-Ex box they send. A couple weeks later I get it back. I'm able to trasnport all my itunes and other junk on. All is well again.
And then...
WTF?! A month later it does this again! Same error code! I do the diagnostics check that I've done a few times now, and low and behold, another bad hard drive. There's nothing I'm doing on my HP that I'm not doing on the Dell. So what's the deal? I call Dell again. They tell me to send it in again and they'll replace the motherboard and the hard drive.
I told them BULLSHIT! I demanded either a refund or a new computer. They said the refund wasn't happening, and that they'd have to send the request for a new laptop up their chain of command, and that they'd get back to me two days later with an answer. Four days later I call Dell Support, after not getting a reply by email or phone, and once again I get some poor Indian guy on the phone, having to listen to me all pissed off at his company. He told me he would have an answer for me in two days, and that he would call me himself. Today's the day he's supposed to call back with an answer.
Losing my patience here. To spend hundreds of dollars on something that keeps breaking for no reason is quite frustrating...
But no, I bought a Dell Inspiron laptop. Three weeks into ownership, once I'd a few things switched over, the hard drive crashes. I'd really hadn't done anything with the computer at that point, and it wasn't damaged in any way. So I call Dell. They send a guy who comes and replaces the hard drive.
All good. And then...
It happens again?! WTF (what the fuck, to explain our american acronym). So I call Dell Support. They tell me to send in the laptop and they will replace the hard drive and check out the computer and make sure all is ok. I send it in, in the Fed-Ex box they send. A couple weeks later I get it back. I'm able to trasnport all my itunes and other junk on. All is well again.
And then...
WTF?! A month later it does this again! Same error code! I do the diagnostics check that I've done a few times now, and low and behold, another bad hard drive. There's nothing I'm doing on my HP that I'm not doing on the Dell. So what's the deal? I call Dell again. They tell me to send it in again and they'll replace the motherboard and the hard drive.
I told them BULLSHIT! I demanded either a refund or a new computer. They said the refund wasn't happening, and that they'd have to send the request for a new laptop up their chain of command, and that they'd get back to me two days later with an answer. Four days later I call Dell Support, after not getting a reply by email or phone, and once again I get some poor Indian guy on the phone, having to listen to me all pissed off at his company. He told me he would have an answer for me in two days, and that he would call me himself. Today's the day he's supposed to call back with an answer.
Losing my patience here. To spend hundreds of dollars on something that keeps breaking for no reason is quite frustrating...
Monday, October 21, 2013
Wow, what a slacker for a blogger!
I really should post more often on this if I'm gonna keep this up and running. I apologize to anyone that regularly checks up on my blog, and promise that I'll contribute more to this. I'll be posting soon about a few things that have been going on, like:
-Ninpo Chuan Fa, and what's happening/not happening with that.
-Aikido, and my recent 3rd Kyu test
-my Maple Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup recipe, because this former professional chef is happy to share a good recipe.
-Horrorfest: a walk through Halloween show in my hometown my friends and I have kept up with to bring some appropriate October festivity to the community
- an anniversary with a pretty lady
- guided sound meditation
- Huna?
- Paramedic adventures.
- and, of course, riding my motorcycle.
Hope everyone out there is enjoying their autumn.
-Ninpo Chuan Fa, and what's happening/not happening with that.
-Aikido, and my recent 3rd Kyu test
-my Maple Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup recipe, because this former professional chef is happy to share a good recipe.
-Horrorfest: a walk through Halloween show in my hometown my friends and I have kept up with to bring some appropriate October festivity to the community
- an anniversary with a pretty lady
- guided sound meditation
- Huna?
- Paramedic adventures.
- and, of course, riding my motorcycle.
Hope everyone out there is enjoying their autumn.
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
The next test...
I'll be testing for 3rd Kyu in Aikido next month. With all the time I'd spent going to classes for Ninpo Chuan Fa, I still made time to train at least once a week with Jack for Aikido.
The material keeps coming pretty easy for me, and I'm still enjoying what I'm learning. While it's been a lot to kind of re-learn Ninpo Chuan Fa while learning Aikido, it's been a lot of fun for this martial arts geek.
Hoping to meet with John this week to see what we can do to get our classes going again. This fall we'll look to find a way to sync up our schedules and see what we can go forward with, whether doing a kids class is an option, and possibly a seperate Tai Chi class. I'd especially love to see the Tai Chi class go forward again, as John was especially good at teaching it.
We have lots of leeway with the space at WREN, which has been an excellent place for us to practice and hold class, even while sharing the space with many other groups that take advantage of the space. Also been told that the "rent" for the space has gone down considerably, from 40% to 25% of what John would make teaching there.
Also, we were able to move a metal locker that we can keep our own equipment in with a lock now. I lent it to a friend who wrote/produced/directed a play that's now being shown in the old Church section. After he's done, John and I can use it for whatever we want kept in there.
More good stuff coming...
The material keeps coming pretty easy for me, and I'm still enjoying what I'm learning. While it's been a lot to kind of re-learn Ninpo Chuan Fa while learning Aikido, it's been a lot of fun for this martial arts geek.
Hoping to meet with John this week to see what we can do to get our classes going again. This fall we'll look to find a way to sync up our schedules and see what we can go forward with, whether doing a kids class is an option, and possibly a seperate Tai Chi class. I'd especially love to see the Tai Chi class go forward again, as John was especially good at teaching it.
We have lots of leeway with the space at WREN, which has been an excellent place for us to practice and hold class, even while sharing the space with many other groups that take advantage of the space. Also been told that the "rent" for the space has gone down considerably, from 40% to 25% of what John would make teaching there.
Also, we were able to move a metal locker that we can keep our own equipment in with a lock now. I lent it to a friend who wrote/produced/directed a play that's now being shown in the old Church section. After he's done, John and I can use it for whatever we want kept in there.
More good stuff coming...
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Hybrid
I got my 2003 Pontiac Vibe eight years ago. It had all-wheel-drive and had back seats that folded down to create a flat, plastic surface for some excellent storage if I wanted to carry a bunch of stuff. I was even able to to carry two 5x10 rolled up martial arts mats.
This vehicle transported me back and forth two and half hours away ever week for over a year and a half while I was in Paramedic school, with very few issues
Lately, though, it started to have a few issues, and having paid it off four years ago, I was starting to do the math of how much money I was willing to put into a vehicle I wasn't going to keep another couple years.
So it was time for something new. I wanted to keep that same storage capacity, or something similar to that, with either really good fuel economy or another AWD. Test drove a couple vehicles (always fun), and settled on a 2010 Honda Insight.
The seats fold down flat, has decent cargo space, and it'll get me an average 40-45 mpg overall, strangely enough the same mpg I get on my Honda VTX 1300! So far I'm enjoying the new ride. The true test will be this winter, whether I really miss the AWD or not. If I don't like it this winter, I'll trade it in for something else next year.
My hippy friends are applauding this move, while my anti-hippy friends are spouting off South Park quotes like "Good for yooooouuuuuuuu"!!!... to which I reply "Thaaaaannnnnnks"!
This vehicle transported me back and forth two and half hours away ever week for over a year and a half while I was in Paramedic school, with very few issues
Lately, though, it started to have a few issues, and having paid it off four years ago, I was starting to do the math of how much money I was willing to put into a vehicle I wasn't going to keep another couple years.
So it was time for something new. I wanted to keep that same storage capacity, or something similar to that, with either really good fuel economy or another AWD. Test drove a couple vehicles (always fun), and settled on a 2010 Honda Insight.
The seats fold down flat, has decent cargo space, and it'll get me an average 40-45 mpg overall, strangely enough the same mpg I get on my Honda VTX 1300! So far I'm enjoying the new ride. The true test will be this winter, whether I really miss the AWD or not. If I don't like it this winter, I'll trade it in for something else next year.
My hippy friends are applauding this move, while my anti-hippy friends are spouting off South Park quotes like "Good for yooooouuuuuuuu"!!!... to which I reply "Thaaaaannnnnnks"!
Friday, August 2, 2013
the Future?
A few weeks back we cancelled our classes due to John's schedule. Our classes were on Monday and Wednesdays evenings. John's new job has him working Sundays through Wednesdays, so that schedule is out.
The last week we worked out, it was just myself, Tim and his son Erik. Tim had brought in an old hand written notebook of material from way back, with descriptions of how to do many of our combinations and forms. Since then Tim has scanned the book and emailed it to me. Going to type it up our core group can all have a copy.
I met with the manager of the WREN building where we train, and we can use the space Thurs-Sat for the classes. She had reservations about us using Thursday evenings, but she's over that now, and she's hoping we can start the program again soon.
Now I just have to meet with John and plan out what times we can meet again. He's been busy with the new job, settling in and all, but hopefully we can continue our program again, possibly with a separate Tai Chi class taught by John, and a kids program, headed up by myself, with John's occasional assistance.
Who knows? I'm just hoping we can continue. Training again with John and Tim over the past few months has been an excellent time.
The last week we worked out, it was just myself, Tim and his son Erik. Tim had brought in an old hand written notebook of material from way back, with descriptions of how to do many of our combinations and forms. Since then Tim has scanned the book and emailed it to me. Going to type it up our core group can all have a copy.
I met with the manager of the WREN building where we train, and we can use the space Thurs-Sat for the classes. She had reservations about us using Thursday evenings, but she's over that now, and she's hoping we can start the program again soon.
Now I just have to meet with John and plan out what times we can meet again. He's been busy with the new job, settling in and all, but hopefully we can continue our program again, possibly with a separate Tai Chi class taught by John, and a kids program, headed up by myself, with John's occasional assistance.
Who knows? I'm just hoping we can continue. Training again with John and Tim over the past few months has been an excellent time.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Well, at least that sucked
So our little film crew traveled downstate to the premiere of all the films for the 48 Hour Film Project. We saw a little over 20 films, including ours. Ours was the worst... hands down. My friend, the director didn't think so, however. He thought there were a couple other worse than ours. The ones he picked on weren't the best films, but were ones that I at least enjoyed. Think my buddy is in some deep denial.
He promised he'd have the "director's cut" finished soon. Just watched it today. A lot better, particularly with the audio and use of both cameras. However, being the first person to see it, my friend was disappointed by my laughter at the fight scene between myself and our friend Rina, complete with very cheesy lightning effects. He was hoping I'd be impressed and not find it comical. I honestly felt bad. He'd put a lot into this, and he's taking this stuff pretty hard. He really wants to make it big one day and be an actual Hollywood director. He's going to have to face some facts if that's to happen, and get his ego in check.
Next year, if I'm to join him in another project, I have to approve of the story, or I'm out. My friend, for his part, at least admits that he fucked up royally, and has apologized profusely for this whole process. Lesson learned.
In other news, looks like John has a good chance at a new job, and we'll find out if he gets it this week. The schedule for our classes might have to change, since his job would be an afternoon-evening schedule. Hope he gets the job. It fits his background and has good benefits, which can be hard to come by.
My material is really starting to sink in again. One thing about our system is we're pretty "form heavy". At my level as a 3rd Dan, I have nearly 30 forms, and putting the peaces of the puzzle together has been challenging, but fun.
So the program's time might be up in the air, but we continue on, with one regular student so far. Fingers crossed.
He promised he'd have the "director's cut" finished soon. Just watched it today. A lot better, particularly with the audio and use of both cameras. However, being the first person to see it, my friend was disappointed by my laughter at the fight scene between myself and our friend Rina, complete with very cheesy lightning effects. He was hoping I'd be impressed and not find it comical. I honestly felt bad. He'd put a lot into this, and he's taking this stuff pretty hard. He really wants to make it big one day and be an actual Hollywood director. He's going to have to face some facts if that's to happen, and get his ego in check.
Next year, if I'm to join him in another project, I have to approve of the story, or I'm out. My friend, for his part, at least admits that he fucked up royally, and has apologized profusely for this whole process. Lesson learned.
In other news, looks like John has a good chance at a new job, and we'll find out if he gets it this week. The schedule for our classes might have to change, since his job would be an afternoon-evening schedule. Hope he gets the job. It fits his background and has good benefits, which can be hard to come by.
My material is really starting to sink in again. One thing about our system is we're pretty "form heavy". At my level as a 3rd Dan, I have nearly 30 forms, and putting the peaces of the puzzle together has been challenging, but fun.
So the program's time might be up in the air, but we continue on, with one regular student so far. Fingers crossed.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
48 hour film project
We were going to close the program down if we didn't get any students by May 27th, then we had two students that night, that have not come back since.
Our Silent Warrior Martial Arts program is slated to continue on into September, but it's kind of pointless to do without students. We're waiting on setting up a time for John to do the Tai Chi program, but since he's not sure what his future employment status is, at least for the summer, we can't do that yet.
I'm thinking we give this another month at the schedule we have. I'm going to do a little more to promote the program, and see where that takes us. Kids program still a possibility.
In other news, yesterday I took part in this year's 48 Hour Film project with our team in Berlin. We'd been tossing around ideas we could use based on what genre we pick out of the hat for the 7 minutes of less film. We ended up getting "Comic Book" movie. Our director had his mind set on a "Sin City" type concept with a plot that was more like the "The Crow", where our friend Rina plays an IT specialist that's just randomly killed, brought back from the dead from some entity, and goes on to kill all the thugs. This led to some frustrating arguments Friday evening while coming up a with a script. First off, this will make the third movie he's made with our friend Rina pretty much just killing everybody. Also, he wanted it to be serious and not "goofy".
I was hoping to have fun with the comic book concept. When some of us protested our director's idea, including Rina, he pouted; then continued to ignore any other ideas thrown at him for another concept/script to the "comic book" genre we had to do. What pissed me off the most was that this wannabe "Crow" film was never brought up before in all the conversations we'd had over the past year, and this was also the first I've heard not wanting to do anything funny.
The next day we filmed, me as one of the big bad guys. I made up the choreography for the short fight scenes. To Rina's credit, she took direction on this stuff well for someone not trained in martial arts beyond some kickboxing classes. Also, she's a tiny 4'9 athletic blond, and compared to my stocky 5'10, 260 lbs frame, we had to try and make it look vaguely realistic for her to defend herself against me.
We were supposed to have a big fight at the end, and Rina and I came up with a pretty cool brawling fight scene. Unfortunately, due to time and our director's stubbornness, we had to cut our fight scene short and with a pretty pathetic ending to it.
So I got to look all big and bad in a short film, while claiming credit as Fight Coordinator. This wasn't nearly as much fun as last year though, which is a shame. While I'm a big fan of the "The Crow", I really think we made a lackluster and unoriginal movie. Unless the special effects they add in look really really good, I think we'll end up just being seen as another unoriginal movie in the competition.
Worst part is, I'm really not sure if I want to be involved in any of my friends film projects again. This was supposed to be a collaborative effort, not something to placate his ego.
Don't mind me folks, just a little frustrated at the moment. To not leave this blog on a sour note: I'm still thoroughly happy right now training again with John, work is going well and I've got a super awesome woman in my life.
Our Silent Warrior Martial Arts program is slated to continue on into September, but it's kind of pointless to do without students. We're waiting on setting up a time for John to do the Tai Chi program, but since he's not sure what his future employment status is, at least for the summer, we can't do that yet.
I'm thinking we give this another month at the schedule we have. I'm going to do a little more to promote the program, and see where that takes us. Kids program still a possibility.
In other news, yesterday I took part in this year's 48 Hour Film project with our team in Berlin. We'd been tossing around ideas we could use based on what genre we pick out of the hat for the 7 minutes of less film. We ended up getting "Comic Book" movie. Our director had his mind set on a "Sin City" type concept with a plot that was more like the "The Crow", where our friend Rina plays an IT specialist that's just randomly killed, brought back from the dead from some entity, and goes on to kill all the thugs. This led to some frustrating arguments Friday evening while coming up a with a script. First off, this will make the third movie he's made with our friend Rina pretty much just killing everybody. Also, he wanted it to be serious and not "goofy".
I was hoping to have fun with the comic book concept. When some of us protested our director's idea, including Rina, he pouted; then continued to ignore any other ideas thrown at him for another concept/script to the "comic book" genre we had to do. What pissed me off the most was that this wannabe "Crow" film was never brought up before in all the conversations we'd had over the past year, and this was also the first I've heard not wanting to do anything funny.
The next day we filmed, me as one of the big bad guys. I made up the choreography for the short fight scenes. To Rina's credit, she took direction on this stuff well for someone not trained in martial arts beyond some kickboxing classes. Also, she's a tiny 4'9 athletic blond, and compared to my stocky 5'10, 260 lbs frame, we had to try and make it look vaguely realistic for her to defend herself against me.
We were supposed to have a big fight at the end, and Rina and I came up with a pretty cool brawling fight scene. Unfortunately, due to time and our director's stubbornness, we had to cut our fight scene short and with a pretty pathetic ending to it.
So I got to look all big and bad in a short film, while claiming credit as Fight Coordinator. This wasn't nearly as much fun as last year though, which is a shame. While I'm a big fan of the "The Crow", I really think we made a lackluster and unoriginal movie. Unless the special effects they add in look really really good, I think we'll end up just being seen as another unoriginal movie in the competition.
Worst part is, I'm really not sure if I want to be involved in any of my friends film projects again. This was supposed to be a collaborative effort, not something to placate his ego.
Don't mind me folks, just a little frustrated at the moment. To not leave this blog on a sour note: I'm still thoroughly happy right now training again with John, work is going well and I've got a super awesome woman in my life.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Onward
By the way, had a great time in Cabo San Lucas at my cousin's wedding. Enjoyed spending time with my family and my cousin's friends. Good times had by all. And there were no sober nights... none... and I've finally recovered :)
So we have a couple new students, on what would have been the last day of class. One of them a former student, another a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu that works at our new federal prison. Both open minded and looking forward to training with us.
So we're going to keep going with the class, and hopefully more will join us. John is also going to teach a separate Tai Chi class, like he's done in the past. Took some convincing, but I think there's a better market for it at WREN, that could bring in more adults to the Ninpo Chuan Fa program.
Last night, an old buddy of mine and his wife inquired about me teaching their 5 year old son. I told them I'd get back to them. An old close friend asking is the straw that's breaking this camel's back. I'm going to talk to John about us starting a kids program, possibly starting next month or in September. I've gotten nearly a dozen requests from parents looking to enroll their kids in our program, and all of them not very excited about enrolling their kids in the other martial arts school in town. I don't know exactly how, but they're really not generating a good reputation for themselves.
I'm going to talk to John about heading up the class on my own, about an hour and a half prior to our adult program on Mondays and Wednesdays, with him assisting with testing and dropping in to show his presence occasionally.
With all that said, wishing good vibes to all of you out there in the world.
Peace and Balance
Sensei Adam Cloutier
So we have a couple new students, on what would have been the last day of class. One of them a former student, another a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu that works at our new federal prison. Both open minded and looking forward to training with us.
So we're going to keep going with the class, and hopefully more will join us. John is also going to teach a separate Tai Chi class, like he's done in the past. Took some convincing, but I think there's a better market for it at WREN, that could bring in more adults to the Ninpo Chuan Fa program.
Last night, an old buddy of mine and his wife inquired about me teaching their 5 year old son. I told them I'd get back to them. An old close friend asking is the straw that's breaking this camel's back. I'm going to talk to John about us starting a kids program, possibly starting next month or in September. I've gotten nearly a dozen requests from parents looking to enroll their kids in our program, and all of them not very excited about enrolling their kids in the other martial arts school in town. I don't know exactly how, but they're really not generating a good reputation for themselves.
I'm going to talk to John about heading up the class on my own, about an hour and a half prior to our adult program on Mondays and Wednesdays, with him assisting with testing and dropping in to show his presence occasionally.
With all that said, wishing good vibes to all of you out there in the world.
Peace and Balance
Sensei Adam Cloutier
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Changes
We haven't had any new students. Tim is training with us regularly, and his grown up son joined in a on a class this past week too. The training is good, and fun! But if we're not getting any students then we can't really have a program.
John and I have decided that if there are no students by the end of the month, then we're going to suspend the program for now, and John will switch to teaching Tai Chi, in the meantime we all still meet to train together, while John and I advertise taking on students for private lessons.
I think there's a much better market for Tai Chi classes (which John has taught in the past), particularly with the WREN crowd. I can understand how hard it can be for someone to devote years to trying to learn a martial art and obtain a black belt. Unfortunately, some "McDojos" and the diluting due to the increase and overcommercialization of MMA have taken away from some of the core principles of the studying the martial arts, particularly improving one's own character.
We might try again in the fall with a regular class program. Who knows. Most importantly, we're training again.
Tommorrow I'm flying out to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for a cousin's wedding. I'll see my parents along with my brother and his girlfriend, some aunts and uncles. Should be fun. My girlfriend won't be going, since the plans were made before we started dating last year, and she's busy with a new job.
Looking forward to the vacation. Work has been good, but you need a break every once in a while.
Maybe I'll be enjoying a margarita on the beach when I write my next post...
John and I have decided that if there are no students by the end of the month, then we're going to suspend the program for now, and John will switch to teaching Tai Chi, in the meantime we all still meet to train together, while John and I advertise taking on students for private lessons.
I think there's a much better market for Tai Chi classes (which John has taught in the past), particularly with the WREN crowd. I can understand how hard it can be for someone to devote years to trying to learn a martial art and obtain a black belt. Unfortunately, some "McDojos" and the diluting due to the increase and overcommercialization of MMA have taken away from some of the core principles of the studying the martial arts, particularly improving one's own character.
We might try again in the fall with a regular class program. Who knows. Most importantly, we're training again.
Tommorrow I'm flying out to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for a cousin's wedding. I'll see my parents along with my brother and his girlfriend, some aunts and uncles. Should be fun. My girlfriend won't be going, since the plans were made before we started dating last year, and she's busy with a new job.
Looking forward to the vacation. Work has been good, but you need a break every once in a while.
Maybe I'll be enjoying a margarita on the beach when I write my next post...
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Mother's Day
And a Happy Mother's Day to all the good mom's out there, particularly my own.
My brother and I consider ourselves very lucky for our mom and dad growing up. Our mom in particular seemed to meet almost an idealized version of what a mom should be: loving, smart, industrious, good cook, hard working in her career as a nurse and at home, and devoted to mine and my brother's endeavors.
I don't get to see either of my parents much since they moved to Arizona a few years back. My old man retired as a firefighter, and was more than happy to get away from our cold winters up here. My mom's job as RN, sometimes travelling, paved the way for their exploration for somewhere much warmer to live year round. They tried a few different places, but both fell in love with southern Arizona. They did some sacrificing for that with time apart while my mother did some travelling as an RN. My old man was able to switch some shifts around to take weeks off at a time to fly out to see her before he retired.
First they had a big camper they'd use to stay at various campgrounds. Then they found a retirement community just north of Phoenix, and bought a house. I haven't been to their new house in a couple years, but maybe next year I'll make the trip.
I'll see my parents next week in old Mexico. My younger brother, his girlfriend, my parents and some aunts and uncles will be out there for my cousin's wedding. Unless my folks visit NH later this year, it'll probably be the only time I see them. At least we enjoy the short time we have together.
My brother and I consider ourselves very lucky for our mom and dad growing up. Our mom in particular seemed to meet almost an idealized version of what a mom should be: loving, smart, industrious, good cook, hard working in her career as a nurse and at home, and devoted to mine and my brother's endeavors.
I don't get to see either of my parents much since they moved to Arizona a few years back. My old man retired as a firefighter, and was more than happy to get away from our cold winters up here. My mom's job as RN, sometimes travelling, paved the way for their exploration for somewhere much warmer to live year round. They tried a few different places, but both fell in love with southern Arizona. They did some sacrificing for that with time apart while my mother did some travelling as an RN. My old man was able to switch some shifts around to take weeks off at a time to fly out to see her before he retired.
First they had a big camper they'd use to stay at various campgrounds. Then they found a retirement community just north of Phoenix, and bought a house. I haven't been to their new house in a couple years, but maybe next year I'll make the trip.
I'll see my parents next week in old Mexico. My younger brother, his girlfriend, my parents and some aunts and uncles will be out there for my cousin's wedding. Unless my folks visit NH later this year, it'll probably be the only time I see them. At least we enjoy the short time we have together.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Well then...
So we had our open house.
One person came. This one person was a lady that used to train at the school way back when. John does not want her there as a student due to some past issues.
I was hoping we'd be able to get the interest of at least a few people, optimally half a dozen.
No one else came. Disappointing to say the least. That one lady hung out for a while, during which John and I practiced some self defense strategies. A decent training at least.
We're going to start regular classes next Monday and Wednesday. If we don't get any regular students by the end of the month, then we're pretty much done. John has told me he'd like to continue training with me if this program doesn't work out, so I think we'll still do that at least. Another possibility to start up again might be checking with the local community college to do a program in the fall if our program doesn't do well; but that's just a random thought.
Once again, I'd be happy with 3 students, optimally 6. I'm skeptical now whether this will work. Unfortunately I think we've more or less just angered a lot of people with the age limit of 14 and up for the class. I've had some friends particularly that have expressed their disappointment in that decision. If we were opening up an actual dojo again, there's would definitely be a kids program, but that would be down the road if all worked out.
In some ways I should have expected the poor turnout. The Aikido program in Conway only has a few of us for students. Only so much you can expect in small communities for these types of programs I guess.
One person came. This one person was a lady that used to train at the school way back when. John does not want her there as a student due to some past issues.
I was hoping we'd be able to get the interest of at least a few people, optimally half a dozen.
No one else came. Disappointing to say the least. That one lady hung out for a while, during which John and I practiced some self defense strategies. A decent training at least.
We're going to start regular classes next Monday and Wednesday. If we don't get any regular students by the end of the month, then we're pretty much done. John has told me he'd like to continue training with me if this program doesn't work out, so I think we'll still do that at least. Another possibility to start up again might be checking with the local community college to do a program in the fall if our program doesn't do well; but that's just a random thought.
Once again, I'd be happy with 3 students, optimally 6. I'm skeptical now whether this will work. Unfortunately I think we've more or less just angered a lot of people with the age limit of 14 and up for the class. I've had some friends particularly that have expressed their disappointment in that decision. If we were opening up an actual dojo again, there's would definitely be a kids program, but that would be down the road if all worked out.
In some ways I should have expected the poor turnout. The Aikido program in Conway only has a few of us for students. Only so much you can expect in small communities for these types of programs I guess.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Coming soon
Just a couple more days until our open house for Silent Warrior Martial Arts. We're going to have our classes on Monday and Wednesday evenings 6-730pm. John and I have been working out, meeting twice a week to get me back up to speed, and the training has been going well. The last time we trained, John and I had a frank discussion about what we can expect. If all goes well, good. If the program itself bombs, John still wants to train with me. And I'd be happy with that too. It's been pretty awesome got get back into Ninpo Chuan Fa again after nearly 8 years.
At best, we have a few people interested. That's fine to start out, and word of the program can build from there. Most people that have trained with John have been impressed with his style and way of teaching. I'm hoping for 3-6 regular students to start. As it is, Jack's Aikido program in Conway has only three of us regularly, and that's after being available for 14 months.
John ultimately wants to open up the old school again. He's become unhappy with the career he's been working in since he closed the school, and is in the process of looking for a new career; daunting for anyone in their 50's. So all the while looking for a new full time job for him, we'll run this program and look for other spaces that could potentially be used as a new permanent dojo if our program is able to generate enough interest.
One issue I keep running into is our demographic for interest. We've only heard of a few adults interested in taking the program I've also had quite a few people ask me about a kids program for our martial art; quite a bit more actually. It's kind of tough for me to explain to parents that our program is just starting up, and teaching kids is a whole different approach than adults. Best I can tell them is that it's an option we may visit next year depending on how well our adult program goes. I hate having to tell people this, considering how good martial arts were for me as a kid.
I asked one friend who wanted to enroll her kids, "What about the other school in town?"
The other school in town is a Kenpo dojo that opened up a couple years after Silent Warrior closed its doors. I've heard very mixed reviews of this dojo. My friend simply said "Have you ever actually been there?" She suggested I take a friend's kid there and try to enroll them to see how the school is run. She was not impressed. And no, I'm not going to take a friend's kid to pretend enroll :)
Kind of a shame to hear that some people aren't happy with that school. However, I'm cautious of people's criticisms of a school I've never trained in. I thought of going to that particular dojo a few years back, but they have a very "McDojo" type of name for the school which is a big turnoff for me, plus the stuff I heard from people that trained there saying that they didn't learn much, and that is was more of a wannabe MMA place.
I'd like to have a kids program, but not right now. Besides, the thing I have to keep telling people is that John and I both work full time. Well, in a couple days we'll see how our part time endeavor will start...
At best, we have a few people interested. That's fine to start out, and word of the program can build from there. Most people that have trained with John have been impressed with his style and way of teaching. I'm hoping for 3-6 regular students to start. As it is, Jack's Aikido program in Conway has only three of us regularly, and that's after being available for 14 months.
John ultimately wants to open up the old school again. He's become unhappy with the career he's been working in since he closed the school, and is in the process of looking for a new career; daunting for anyone in their 50's. So all the while looking for a new full time job for him, we'll run this program and look for other spaces that could potentially be used as a new permanent dojo if our program is able to generate enough interest.
One issue I keep running into is our demographic for interest. We've only heard of a few adults interested in taking the program I've also had quite a few people ask me about a kids program for our martial art; quite a bit more actually. It's kind of tough for me to explain to parents that our program is just starting up, and teaching kids is a whole different approach than adults. Best I can tell them is that it's an option we may visit next year depending on how well our adult program goes. I hate having to tell people this, considering how good martial arts were for me as a kid.
I asked one friend who wanted to enroll her kids, "What about the other school in town?"
The other school in town is a Kenpo dojo that opened up a couple years after Silent Warrior closed its doors. I've heard very mixed reviews of this dojo. My friend simply said "Have you ever actually been there?" She suggested I take a friend's kid there and try to enroll them to see how the school is run. She was not impressed. And no, I'm not going to take a friend's kid to pretend enroll :)
Kind of a shame to hear that some people aren't happy with that school. However, I'm cautious of people's criticisms of a school I've never trained in. I thought of going to that particular dojo a few years back, but they have a very "McDojo" type of name for the school which is a big turnoff for me, plus the stuff I heard from people that trained there saying that they didn't learn much, and that is was more of a wannabe MMA place.
I'd like to have a kids program, but not right now. Besides, the thing I have to keep telling people is that John and I both work full time. Well, in a couple days we'll see how our part time endeavor will start...
Monday, April 15, 2013
Advantages of the internet in martial arts
Ninpo Chuan Fa's main basis come from Kenpo, most of the forms and the 108 combinations in that mix. Putting the puzzle pieces together has been a challenge, but with John's training and some well found videos on Youtube, it's been easier to relearn my old forms and combinations.
As with most martial arts schools, you're going to find various differences in techniques between schools. Years ago I attended a Kenpo school while being away from home at college for the first time. The owner/master of the school had trained John and other teachers years before, John actually being one of the instructors assisting in his 3rd Dan test. This instructor asked me to perform all my forms for him so he could spot differences. He was an excellent teacher, and I must say was very respectful to me, being only and 18 year old 1st Dan at the time. One weekend he asked me to assist a Saturday morning practice session with one of his assistant instructors, since he'd be out of town. However, he asked me to not show the students any of my forms, since in most of my forms, while similar to his, had various differences that could mess up his students. Made sense, and looking back I was quite impressed with his kids class.
While looking up videos on Youtube, I notice various small differences in forms and combinations people will perform in Kenpo. These videos still make decent practice material. I just need to take mental note of the differences so I don't screw up my own forms.
I had to do this while using Aikido 3d too. There are noticeable minor differences in some techniques between what Jack teaches me and what the instructor in Aikido 3d demonstrates. Not a big deal, just need to make mental notes when using these tools.
The Ninpo Chuan Fa training with John is going quite well, and the internet is helping me in some aspects. Looking forward to attending Aikido again next month though, if only once a week for now. I may be taking on a lot relearning my old style that I'm a 3rd Dan in, while also learning Aikido as a 4th Kyu, but I'm also relishing it! A year ago if someone told me I had the opportunity to do either one of these styles, particularly Ninpo Chuan Fa again, I wouldn't have believed it! This martial arts geek is excited these days...
As with most martial arts schools, you're going to find various differences in techniques between schools. Years ago I attended a Kenpo school while being away from home at college for the first time. The owner/master of the school had trained John and other teachers years before, John actually being one of the instructors assisting in his 3rd Dan test. This instructor asked me to perform all my forms for him so he could spot differences. He was an excellent teacher, and I must say was very respectful to me, being only and 18 year old 1st Dan at the time. One weekend he asked me to assist a Saturday morning practice session with one of his assistant instructors, since he'd be out of town. However, he asked me to not show the students any of my forms, since in most of my forms, while similar to his, had various differences that could mess up his students. Made sense, and looking back I was quite impressed with his kids class.
While looking up videos on Youtube, I notice various small differences in forms and combinations people will perform in Kenpo. These videos still make decent practice material. I just need to take mental note of the differences so I don't screw up my own forms.
I had to do this while using Aikido 3d too. There are noticeable minor differences in some techniques between what Jack teaches me and what the instructor in Aikido 3d demonstrates. Not a big deal, just need to make mental notes when using these tools.
The Ninpo Chuan Fa training with John is going quite well, and the internet is helping me in some aspects. Looking forward to attending Aikido again next month though, if only once a week for now. I may be taking on a lot relearning my old style that I'm a 3rd Dan in, while also learning Aikido as a 4th Kyu, but I'm also relishing it! A year ago if someone told me I had the opportunity to do either one of these styles, particularly Ninpo Chuan Fa again, I wouldn't have believed it! This martial arts geek is excited these days...
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Moving forward
We had a good meeting with Laura, the lead lady at WREN. We're all agreed on the times and running of the program. John and I get keys this week. Laura even gave us some good advice on branding the program. We've shared some ideas on the new school logo, and we're going to simplify it, kind of cleaning it up and making it instantly recognizable, while conveying the tone of the program.
The practice sessions have been going well. That box of puzzle pieces is slowly but surely coming together. We've been going over old material, and then I'll be treated with "brain candy" as John puts it; some practical use and extensive training on various techniques.
One mildly discouraging thing: no students lined up! We're hoping to promote as much as possible. I'm hoping for 6 regular students to start, but we'll see. On our facebook page, the only real interest I've gotten is from parents wanting to enroll their kids. I feel bad telling them the age limit, but for now an adults only class (14+) is the best way for us to go. We'll visit the kids class option if all goes well over the next year.
Hopefully next month while we start up the program I'll also get back to doing Aikido, although just one day a week.
The practice sessions have been going well. That box of puzzle pieces is slowly but surely coming together. We've been going over old material, and then I'll be treated with "brain candy" as John puts it; some practical use and extensive training on various techniques.
One mildly discouraging thing: no students lined up! We're hoping to promote as much as possible. I'm hoping for 6 regular students to start, but we'll see. On our facebook page, the only real interest I've gotten is from parents wanting to enroll their kids. I feel bad telling them the age limit, but for now an adults only class (14+) is the best way for us to go. We'll visit the kids class option if all goes well over the next year.
Hopefully next month while we start up the program I'll also get back to doing Aikido, although just one day a week.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
I wanna ride!
Took my bicycle out this past Sunday for the first time this year. My Jamis Explorer1 that I bought last year needed just a minor tweek on the seat and some air in the tires. My friend Lincoln and his wife own a small bicycle shop in the next town over, so I brought my wheels down to get set.
Once Lincoln was done and closed up shop, we took to a light easy walking/cycling trail down the road, he on his brand new Jamis mountain bike. His last mountain bike is still in good order, but has been passed down to his pre-teen daughter. Some hand-me-downs are pretty good!
It was good to enjoy the spring ride. Now my other set of wheels, the motorcycle, will have to wait a few weeks. Some people are already out on theirs, but I find the roads still a bit too sandy for my comfort, after all that was used when the roads were icy. I figure a couple more weeks and a few good rainstorms and I'll get the motor running again....
Once Lincoln was done and closed up shop, we took to a light easy walking/cycling trail down the road, he on his brand new Jamis mountain bike. His last mountain bike is still in good order, but has been passed down to his pre-teen daughter. Some hand-me-downs are pretty good!
It was good to enjoy the spring ride. Now my other set of wheels, the motorcycle, will have to wait a few weeks. Some people are already out on theirs, but I find the roads still a bit too sandy for my comfort, after all that was used when the roads were icy. I figure a couple more weeks and a few good rainstorms and I'll get the motor running again....
Monday, April 8, 2013
could go either way...
Practice with my Ninpo Chuan Fa teacher has been going well. Sluggish with my kicks, particularly with my high side kicks, but they're getting up there. It's been like looking in a puzzle box trying to piece together the old forms and combinations. I remember steps in various forms and combinations here and there, but it's still a jumble. However, over the past ten years John wasn't available to help me piece it all together. John's getting me up to speed starting from the bottom, so as we teach new student's I'll have the foundations secured again to teach.
The self defense stuff we go over is the easiest to remember. It's familiar, flowing and practical. John also has an appreciation for the Aikido I've been taking, and in a sense it helped get me back in a martial arts rhythm.
We had a chance last week to practice in the space at WREN where we'll be holding our classes. We'll be sitting down with Laura, the lady in charge of the Berlin WREN building this Thursday to go over paperwork stuff and get keys. That day John's wife is also supposed to have the new draft for the revamp of the logo ready.
Things are looking like we have a chance to make this work. I'm cautiously positive however. This is a space we're sharing with other groups, with limited space to store equipment. Also, 40% of what we make goes to WREN, which is a double edged sword. When we found out the 40% aspect, i was kinda taken back by it. Thought it'd be around 20-30% at most. It also doesn't help my mindset that a friend of mine that has been teaching a yoga class there over the past six weeks doesn't plan to return to WREN due to that percentage takeaway.
We'll see how it all goes. As is, I'm mentally giving this a six month trial basis to see what interest we can foster, and if successful, search for a space that's possibly better. However, a lot of this is dependant on John and I being able to hold our classes consistently.
In the meantime, I'm going to attempt to go to Aikido once a week, which my instructor Jack was very happy to hear about. I have missed those classes too. So in the meantime, with all the uncertainty on whether the revival of Ninpo Chuan Fa gets off the ground, I can still keep up with what I put into Aikido over the past year.
The self defense stuff we go over is the easiest to remember. It's familiar, flowing and practical. John also has an appreciation for the Aikido I've been taking, and in a sense it helped get me back in a martial arts rhythm.
We had a chance last week to practice in the space at WREN where we'll be holding our classes. We'll be sitting down with Laura, the lady in charge of the Berlin WREN building this Thursday to go over paperwork stuff and get keys. That day John's wife is also supposed to have the new draft for the revamp of the logo ready.
Things are looking like we have a chance to make this work. I'm cautiously positive however. This is a space we're sharing with other groups, with limited space to store equipment. Also, 40% of what we make goes to WREN, which is a double edged sword. When we found out the 40% aspect, i was kinda taken back by it. Thought it'd be around 20-30% at most. It also doesn't help my mindset that a friend of mine that has been teaching a yoga class there over the past six weeks doesn't plan to return to WREN due to that percentage takeaway.
We'll see how it all goes. As is, I'm mentally giving this a six month trial basis to see what interest we can foster, and if successful, search for a space that's possibly better. However, a lot of this is dependant on John and I being able to hold our classes consistently.
In the meantime, I'm going to attempt to go to Aikido once a week, which my instructor Jack was very happy to hear about. I have missed those classes too. So in the meantime, with all the uncertainty on whether the revival of Ninpo Chuan Fa gets off the ground, I can still keep up with what I put into Aikido over the past year.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Hello world!
Every once in a while I'll check the viewer stats to see who might be reading my blog. It doesn't tell me who, but it does tell from which country they are. That's kinda neat. Who would have thought something I'd be typing as kind of an online journal could be read by people from the UK, France, Germany, South Korea, to name a few.
Most of my friends don't know I have this blog, but it's not like I tell everyone about it. Not looking to become any famous type of blogger. Just thought this would be fun. Something that would be really fun would be to get some comments about my blog, especially from anyone outside the US.
With that said, I hope everyone out there is enjoying this Easter holiday, whether Christian, Pagan, or any other religion with a holiday right around this time of year!
Most of my friends don't know I have this blog, but it's not like I tell everyone about it. Not looking to become any famous type of blogger. Just thought this would be fun. Something that would be really fun would be to get some comments about my blog, especially from anyone outside the US.
With that said, I hope everyone out there is enjoying this Easter holiday, whether Christian, Pagan, or any other religion with a holiday right around this time of year!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Kick it!
I'm not nearly as flexible as I used to be! In the past year while studying Aikido, I've let my kicking skills diminish, along with my leg flexibility. Years ago I could do a split, and do decent side kicks to my height (5'10). Now I can barely kick chest high on my sidekicks. My body opponent bag is a good measure for the height stuff. At least I can still kick head high with my roundhouse and front kicks. I can blame Aikido all I want, but it's really on me to keep up with the kicking skills.
In Aikido, there's no kicking. None, zero, nada. Aikido's focus of being in control of your center focuses on keeping your feet in proper alignment for your center. Kicking can take you off your center, or so Aikido's philosophy goes. In Ninpo Chuan Fa, kicking is a decent part of the self defense stuff. Not necessarily kicking high, but kicking consistantly with effect. The high kicking aspect of martial arts like Ninpo are mainly for exercise and flexibility, not so much as to be effective in defense.
So here I am, doing rounds of hundreds of various kicks after lots o' stretching, and I am tired! Doesn't help that I'm a pretty heavy guy these days. Not the heaviest I've been, but definitely not slim. Working on slimming down. Still continuing with the weights, and now yoga and my exercise bike have become steady fixtures in my workout routine. Right now the only movie martial artists I can be compared to are Sammo Hung and Kevin James (see "Here Comes the Boom"). If I'm going to be teaching this stuff soon, I've gotta get comfortable again with all aspects of the art. Maybe then I can look more like Bolo Yeung as far as physique goes
Gonna keep on kickin', kinda like a Rockette :)
-Peace and Balance
In Aikido, there's no kicking. None, zero, nada. Aikido's focus of being in control of your center focuses on keeping your feet in proper alignment for your center. Kicking can take you off your center, or so Aikido's philosophy goes. In Ninpo Chuan Fa, kicking is a decent part of the self defense stuff. Not necessarily kicking high, but kicking consistantly with effect. The high kicking aspect of martial arts like Ninpo are mainly for exercise and flexibility, not so much as to be effective in defense.
So here I am, doing rounds of hundreds of various kicks after lots o' stretching, and I am tired! Doesn't help that I'm a pretty heavy guy these days. Not the heaviest I've been, but definitely not slim. Working on slimming down. Still continuing with the weights, and now yoga and my exercise bike have become steady fixtures in my workout routine. Right now the only movie martial artists I can be compared to are Sammo Hung and Kevin James (see "Here Comes the Boom"). If I'm going to be teaching this stuff soon, I've gotta get comfortable again with all aspects of the art. Maybe then I can look more like Bolo Yeung as far as physique goes
Gonna keep on kickin', kinda like a Rockette :)
-Peace and Balance
Monday, March 25, 2013
Progress, and a tough conversation...
John and I have met a few times, and with his wife Mona we've had some good discussions on how the revival of Ninpo Chuan Fa will go. We settled on two evenings a week 6-730ish depending on the schedule at the WREN building we'll be using, with a "free practice" class that I'll run every other sat morning.
I've created a Facebook page for the program(gotta love free advertising) and have gotten some good feedback from old students and potentially new ones. Mona is using her artistic talents to update the former symbol of the school. We'll be discussing the schedule aspect soon with Laura, who's in charge of the WREN building. She's excited for our program to be a part of WREN.
With all this planning, I had to make a decision on whether to continue with my Aikido training. Ninpo will take the bulk of my time for enjoying the martial arts, and with the drive to Aikido being an hour away, it is more out of my way with the time I'll be commiting to the new program.
I sent an email to Jack, my Aikido instructor, explaining the situation. We talked on the phone not long after. He was pretty bummed out that I was leaving his Aikido program. He had been hoping that I would test for Shodan someday, which might have been within a couple years. It's a small program too, with only a few of us. I'm also the one running the facebook page for Mt Washington Aikido. We'll find a way so that Jack can take over the page. I'd been taking Aikido for a year now, and have enjoyed becoming friends with Jack and the others in the program.
While I've enjoyed it, I'm more excited about training in Ninpo again.
I've created a Facebook page for the program(gotta love free advertising) and have gotten some good feedback from old students and potentially new ones. Mona is using her artistic talents to update the former symbol of the school. We'll be discussing the schedule aspect soon with Laura, who's in charge of the WREN building. She's excited for our program to be a part of WREN.
With all this planning, I had to make a decision on whether to continue with my Aikido training. Ninpo will take the bulk of my time for enjoying the martial arts, and with the drive to Aikido being an hour away, it is more out of my way with the time I'll be commiting to the new program.
I sent an email to Jack, my Aikido instructor, explaining the situation. We talked on the phone not long after. He was pretty bummed out that I was leaving his Aikido program. He had been hoping that I would test for Shodan someday, which might have been within a couple years. It's a small program too, with only a few of us. I'm also the one running the facebook page for Mt Washington Aikido. We'll find a way so that Jack can take over the page. I'd been taking Aikido for a year now, and have enjoyed becoming friends with Jack and the others in the program.
While I've enjoyed it, I'm more excited about training in Ninpo again.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Silent Warrior Martial Arts
John, his wife Mona and I checked out the space at WREN we'll use to teach the program. The space will suit us well, with space for a class up to about 12 people. The ceiling is also high enough that we can do work with long weapons like the bo staff or three section staff. John commented that he thinks the space is actually bigger than the old school's.
We've settled on a few things. First, age range is fourteen and up. Starting off with this, we should hold back on a kids program until things are well established.
Also, an update to the old logo would be nice. The old logo consisted of a monk, sitting within a dream catcher, surrounded by the seven animals of Ninpo Chuan Fa: Dragon, Tiger, Snake, Monkey, Crane, Leopard and Praying Mantis. Mona's a good artist, so she'll show John and I some of her ideas. I'm hoping the theme will stay similar to the former symbol. I always liked the dream catcher as an ode to John's Lakota heritage.
We're slightly changing the name, calling the program "Silent Warrior Martial Arts", to acknowlegde the new chapter from the days of "School of the Silent Warrior", which was an established school and business. Our program is part time, after all, since John and I are both too busy with full time jobs to fully open up a new school.
Last thing, we take the next month and a half to train together before we start teaching. This will give us time get up to speed and time for me catch up again so I know all my forms, combinations and techniques. It'll also give us plenty of time to decide on other aspects: uniforms, our schedules, time and days of class, promoting the program. I'm sharing all my ideas, but ultimately it's John's art, and his decision on the direction it goes.
Once we start training this week, I'll have to let my Aikido instructor know that I won't be attending classes anymore. I've been training in Aikido for almost a year now, and it's an excellent martial art, with a unique philosophy that I still find fascinating. And while I've enjoyed my training in Aikido, I'm really looking forward to training again in Ninpo Chuan Fa.
We've settled on a few things. First, age range is fourteen and up. Starting off with this, we should hold back on a kids program until things are well established.
Also, an update to the old logo would be nice. The old logo consisted of a monk, sitting within a dream catcher, surrounded by the seven animals of Ninpo Chuan Fa: Dragon, Tiger, Snake, Monkey, Crane, Leopard and Praying Mantis. Mona's a good artist, so she'll show John and I some of her ideas. I'm hoping the theme will stay similar to the former symbol. I always liked the dream catcher as an ode to John's Lakota heritage.
We're slightly changing the name, calling the program "Silent Warrior Martial Arts", to acknowlegde the new chapter from the days of "School of the Silent Warrior", which was an established school and business. Our program is part time, after all, since John and I are both too busy with full time jobs to fully open up a new school.
Last thing, we take the next month and a half to train together before we start teaching. This will give us time get up to speed and time for me catch up again so I know all my forms, combinations and techniques. It'll also give us plenty of time to decide on other aspects: uniforms, our schedules, time and days of class, promoting the program. I'm sharing all my ideas, but ultimately it's John's art, and his decision on the direction it goes.
Once we start training this week, I'll have to let my Aikido instructor know that I won't be attending classes anymore. I've been training in Aikido for almost a year now, and it's an excellent martial art, with a unique philosophy that I still find fascinating. And while I've enjoyed my training in Aikido, I'm really looking forward to training again in Ninpo Chuan Fa.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Excellent...
Ninpo Chuan Fa will be taught offered to the public again!
My martial arts teacher John, his wife Mona, and I met today to discuss what we could do and what we will plan to do over the next couple of months. Very productive meeting! Tomorrow we'll check out the space at the local WREN center where we can teach.
Stay tuned true believers!
My martial arts teacher John, his wife Mona, and I met today to discuss what we could do and what we will plan to do over the next couple of months. Very productive meeting! Tomorrow we'll check out the space at the local WREN center where we can teach.
Stay tuned true believers!
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Ninpo Chuan Fa... a new hope
Got a big surprise this afternoon by a call from my old martial arts mentor. I honestly wasn't all that positive that he'd call me back. Thrilled that he has though!
We had a short discussion on what equipment we could both bring to the table, the space we could use, and his plans for cementing the art. We plan on meeting in a couple days to discuss further what we can do.
This is exciting stuff. Really hoping we can put together a program that can be taught 2-3 times a week. I'm also excited to learn martial arts again from my original teacher.
We had a short discussion on what equipment we could both bring to the table, the space we could use, and his plans for cementing the art. We plan on meeting in a couple days to discuss further what we can do.
This is exciting stuff. Really hoping we can put together a program that can be taught 2-3 times a week. I'm also excited to learn martial arts again from my original teacher.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Yoga... why not?
Eight years ago I took a friend's yoga class. She's a fellow black belt from the old school, and a dear friend who works as a massage therapist and yoga instructor. I figured I'd be fine taking this class, I'm flexible and stuff! The class she taught that day was , shall we say, and intermediate level yoga class... and it kicked my ass! Keep in mind I'm built like a linebacker, stocky, muscular, and also someone who knows his way around a kitchen.
Lately I've been feeling very... stiff. And I'm certain that it's due to too much weightlifting. This happens in the winter sometimes... too much lifting, not enough cardio. It's been more apparent in my Aikido class. One of the guys that joined recently teaches yoga part time, and he looks the part. Skinny, but in shape, flexible and very calm . When he attacks me, it's way too easy to throw him around. It takes more to manipulate his joints for pain though, due to his flexibility. This inspiration by him and the noted feeling of being like a tightened rubber band has led me to want to give yoga another try
Haven't taken one of my friend's classes since that one time , mainly since her usual yoga classes run on days I work. Recently that same friend started a yoga workshop for beginners. It's running on thursdays for seven weeks. Figured I'd give it a shot again.
First off, I'm the only guy in the class, but I at least know the instructor, and I know four of ten students from that first session. It was nice. Nothing too strenuous, perfect for a beginner like me. It was nice, even rejuvenating. Felt like my circulation was better after the class. I"m going to keep up with this workshop.
On a side note, I did take yoga class last october that another friend teaches. Great class, and good instructor, but it takes place on thursday mornings, one of two possible days I get to sleep in. If my other friend doesn't teach yoga on thursdays after this workshop is over, I'll go back to that other class to keep up with crazy thing called yoga...
Lately I've been feeling very... stiff. And I'm certain that it's due to too much weightlifting. This happens in the winter sometimes... too much lifting, not enough cardio. It's been more apparent in my Aikido class. One of the guys that joined recently teaches yoga part time, and he looks the part. Skinny, but in shape, flexible and very calm . When he attacks me, it's way too easy to throw him around. It takes more to manipulate his joints for pain though, due to his flexibility. This inspiration by him and the noted feeling of being like a tightened rubber band has led me to want to give yoga another try
Haven't taken one of my friend's classes since that one time , mainly since her usual yoga classes run on days I work. Recently that same friend started a yoga workshop for beginners. It's running on thursdays for seven weeks. Figured I'd give it a shot again.
First off, I'm the only guy in the class, but I at least know the instructor, and I know four of ten students from that first session. It was nice. Nothing too strenuous, perfect for a beginner like me. It was nice, even rejuvenating. Felt like my circulation was better after the class. I"m going to keep up with this workshop.
On a side note, I did take yoga class last october that another friend teaches. Great class, and good instructor, but it takes place on thursday mornings, one of two possible days I get to sleep in. If my other friend doesn't teach yoga on thursdays after this workshop is over, I'll go back to that other class to keep up with crazy thing called yoga...
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Keep or trade in?
I've had the same two vehicles since 2005. My car is a 2003 Pontiac Vibe. It's basically GM's version of a Toyota Matrix. They're essentially the same car, but with a different shell and logo on the steering wheel. Great little wagon with All Wheel Drive that has been excellent in the winters of northern NH
I got the car when I came home from Iraq in early '05. It was my father's car that he bought new. I let my younger brother borrow my Kia Rio while I was away and he was in college. I had my heart set on buying a Jeep Wrangler. Always loved those vehicles! My father talked me out of it though. He was biased on one hand. He shared a couple stories with me about trips to Canada with my Uncle Rick, his older brother , and having to travel in that jeep with a broken heater in the middle of winter. That and he'd seen one of his co-workers have consistant problems with his Jeep.
I just knew I wanted either four wheel drive or all wheel drive, but I'm not a truck guy. Me in a pickup truck just didnt seem to fit, like knowing what kind of leather jacket or hat looks good on you. The pontiac was a good deal: I take over the payments, which actually equaled to what I would have paid had I bought it used. Plus, my old man takes care of his vehicles. My old man bought my Kia Rio for what it was worth and gave it to my little brother. Good deal all around... then I realized no one bought me a car when I was in college! First world gripes :)
The Vibe has been excellent to me. It runs great year 'round, awesome in the snow and doesn't kill me on gas. Only got about 106k miles on it, and since it's technically a Toyota (says so on the engine) I could run it for years. Overall it's been the right decision too. My car is so much more user friendly than a jeep would have been. And besides, if I bought a jeep, I probably never would have bought a motorcycle, since in my reasoning there'd be no point in owning a motorcycle if I had a 4x4 convertible. Now, my car is like a swiss army knife: it can do a lot of things pretty well, but it's not the kinda vehicle that's there to show off.
Now the motorcycle. The Honda VTX 1300s that I bought was the second bike I'd owned, the first being a smaller Kawasaki Vulcan 800with a chain drive that I wasn't thrilled with. All in all, I think I should have kept that bike, but I felt like I needed a bigger motor and gas tank.
Nearly 8 years later, the bike just feels right in so many ways. The ergonomics fit me perfectly for my stocky 5'10 frame. The center of gravity while riding it is perfect, and that big gas tank means a lot less stops at gas stations. I usually get around mid 45 mpg on it too, so I occasionally call it my hybrid. Also incredibly reliable. I'd test ridden other bikes, Harley Davidson, Yamaha, Kawasaki, but the Honda just felt right, plus Honda is known for reliability, where as Harley Davidson definitely not. One good point as well: my bike was built in Maryland, so I can throw that into any conversation with a Harley owner whose bike has just as many foreign parts as mine.
As much as I love my vehicles, I still like to look around. Funny thing is, I'd only replace my vehicles with clones of what I got now. Like a subaru type for the car and any decent cruiser for the motorcycle with a 5 gallon gas tank and either belt or shaft drive. Eight years is a long time to own any vehile though. Strangly enough, I could probably get eight more good years out of either vehicle, but more and more I feel it may be time to trade my reliable steeds in for new ones.
My parents never keep a car more than a couple years. They trade in vehicles often, and always seem to make a good deal on them. I've seen my old man trade in a Prius for a Diesel big cab pick truck, and have the dealership owe them money! I'm odd though, I get stay attached to inanimate objects. I still keep and use a generic backpack I bought during my one failed semester at Keene State College back in '97. Since then, that back pack carried uniforms to martial arts classes, books to culinary school, miscellaneous stuff while I was in Iraq, and my books for Paramedic school.
This could be the year though... some new rides possibly...
I got the car when I came home from Iraq in early '05. It was my father's car that he bought new. I let my younger brother borrow my Kia Rio while I was away and he was in college. I had my heart set on buying a Jeep Wrangler. Always loved those vehicles! My father talked me out of it though. He was biased on one hand. He shared a couple stories with me about trips to Canada with my Uncle Rick, his older brother , and having to travel in that jeep with a broken heater in the middle of winter. That and he'd seen one of his co-workers have consistant problems with his Jeep.
I just knew I wanted either four wheel drive or all wheel drive, but I'm not a truck guy. Me in a pickup truck just didnt seem to fit, like knowing what kind of leather jacket or hat looks good on you. The pontiac was a good deal: I take over the payments, which actually equaled to what I would have paid had I bought it used. Plus, my old man takes care of his vehicles. My old man bought my Kia Rio for what it was worth and gave it to my little brother. Good deal all around... then I realized no one bought me a car when I was in college! First world gripes :)
The Vibe has been excellent to me. It runs great year 'round, awesome in the snow and doesn't kill me on gas. Only got about 106k miles on it, and since it's technically a Toyota (says so on the engine) I could run it for years. Overall it's been the right decision too. My car is so much more user friendly than a jeep would have been. And besides, if I bought a jeep, I probably never would have bought a motorcycle, since in my reasoning there'd be no point in owning a motorcycle if I had a 4x4 convertible. Now, my car is like a swiss army knife: it can do a lot of things pretty well, but it's not the kinda vehicle that's there to show off.
Now the motorcycle. The Honda VTX 1300s that I bought was the second bike I'd owned, the first being a smaller Kawasaki Vulcan 800with a chain drive that I wasn't thrilled with. All in all, I think I should have kept that bike, but I felt like I needed a bigger motor and gas tank.
Nearly 8 years later, the bike just feels right in so many ways. The ergonomics fit me perfectly for my stocky 5'10 frame. The center of gravity while riding it is perfect, and that big gas tank means a lot less stops at gas stations. I usually get around mid 45 mpg on it too, so I occasionally call it my hybrid. Also incredibly reliable. I'd test ridden other bikes, Harley Davidson, Yamaha, Kawasaki, but the Honda just felt right, plus Honda is known for reliability, where as Harley Davidson definitely not. One good point as well: my bike was built in Maryland, so I can throw that into any conversation with a Harley owner whose bike has just as many foreign parts as mine.
As much as I love my vehicles, I still like to look around. Funny thing is, I'd only replace my vehicles with clones of what I got now. Like a subaru type for the car and any decent cruiser for the motorcycle with a 5 gallon gas tank and either belt or shaft drive. Eight years is a long time to own any vehile though. Strangly enough, I could probably get eight more good years out of either vehicle, but more and more I feel it may be time to trade my reliable steeds in for new ones.
My parents never keep a car more than a couple years. They trade in vehicles often, and always seem to make a good deal on them. I've seen my old man trade in a Prius for a Diesel big cab pick truck, and have the dealership owe them money! I'm odd though, I get stay attached to inanimate objects. I still keep and use a generic backpack I bought during my one failed semester at Keene State College back in '97. Since then, that back pack carried uniforms to martial arts classes, books to culinary school, miscellaneous stuff while I was in Iraq, and my books for Paramedic school.
This could be the year though... some new rides possibly...
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Waiting... patiently... kinda
Just like the last few times, I was hoping my old martial arts master would reply about teaching again, I wait for a response, but more than any of those times before I'm pessimistic that he'll follow through with me on this. Still hoping that isnt the case. He's an extraordinary talented martial arts instructor, and I'm not happy about the art of Ninpo Chuan Fa essentially laying in a coma.
Aikido is going well. My instructor and I are teaming up next month to teach an hour and a half "Women's Self Defense" class for a day at the local WREN building (Women's Rural Entrepenureal Network). We've got to get the particulars together for flyer we could post around town. Should be fun when it's all set.
Also, sometime in May I'm going to assist him with another self defense workshop to run a couple days a week for two weeks for a night school program in Conway. This one will be more Aikido based than the one day class we're going to do in my hometown of Berlin.
And I am soooooo looking forward to getting my motorcycle out next month! I've about had my fill of winter, despite my plans to do some snowshoeing with my lovely lady on this sunny day in northern NH.
Aikido is going well. My instructor and I are teaming up next month to teach an hour and a half "Women's Self Defense" class for a day at the local WREN building (Women's Rural Entrepenureal Network). We've got to get the particulars together for flyer we could post around town. Should be fun when it's all set.
Also, sometime in May I'm going to assist him with another self defense workshop to run a couple days a week for two weeks for a night school program in Conway. This one will be more Aikido based than the one day class we're going to do in my hometown of Berlin.
And I am soooooo looking forward to getting my motorcycle out next month! I've about had my fill of winter, despite my plans to do some snowshoeing with my lovely lady on this sunny day in northern NH.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Van vs. Box
There are various types of ambulances used in the US. The company I work for happens to have three ambulances, all different styles. There are really four styles.
First one is the big rig size ambulances used by major hospitals and some fire departments that do heavy duty stuff. I had the opportunity to work on one for a fire deptartment in one of the bigger cities in NH while doing my ride time for paramedic school. At 5'10, I had inches to spare standing straight up in these rigs, with room on both sides. Great to work in, but a fortune to fuel I'm guessing.
Next step down is the box truck, built on a van platform. Our main transfer truck at my full time job is one of these. I can almost stand straight up and have room on both sides to work, although just one side to sit. Good solid trucks. I also work for a municipal service in the smaller town next to us every other sunday. Awesome trucks. Room to sit on both sides. Also ridiculously spoiled with a drop down DVD player, which is great for our patients when we have long 2-3 hour transfers. When I'm on those transfers I like to joke with our patients that we have a decent selection for the "in-flight movie". Side note: the cartoon show "King of the Hill" works for every age, creed, religion, and political affiliation.
Next step down there is a box truck built on a truck chassis, with the front cab seperated from the back. We have one as our main 911 truck, with 4x4 (we live in the wintery north, much needed). Ours works well, but has a very short box in the back. I constantly hit my head in that one.
Then there's the bottom-feeders of the bunch, the van type ambulances. Cramped, tiny, with only one side to work on. The one we have at my full time job needs an extension cord to plug in an IV pump if attached to our stretcher. Quite annoying. Had to do two ALS (advanced life support) transfers in our van last friday, since our main transfer truck was down. The company will be replacing the old box truck later this year, and I seriously hope they don't replace it with another van.
Our rides aren't as "cool" as cop cars and firetrucks, but we tend to be happy with our ambulances as long as they run properly and give us the room to work freely around our patients in what are essentially "mini-emergency rooms on wheels".
First one is the big rig size ambulances used by major hospitals and some fire departments that do heavy duty stuff. I had the opportunity to work on one for a fire deptartment in one of the bigger cities in NH while doing my ride time for paramedic school. At 5'10, I had inches to spare standing straight up in these rigs, with room on both sides. Great to work in, but a fortune to fuel I'm guessing.
Next step down is the box truck, built on a van platform. Our main transfer truck at my full time job is one of these. I can almost stand straight up and have room on both sides to work, although just one side to sit. Good solid trucks. I also work for a municipal service in the smaller town next to us every other sunday. Awesome trucks. Room to sit on both sides. Also ridiculously spoiled with a drop down DVD player, which is great for our patients when we have long 2-3 hour transfers. When I'm on those transfers I like to joke with our patients that we have a decent selection for the "in-flight movie". Side note: the cartoon show "King of the Hill" works for every age, creed, religion, and political affiliation.
Next step down there is a box truck built on a truck chassis, with the front cab seperated from the back. We have one as our main 911 truck, with 4x4 (we live in the wintery north, much needed). Ours works well, but has a very short box in the back. I constantly hit my head in that one.
Then there's the bottom-feeders of the bunch, the van type ambulances. Cramped, tiny, with only one side to work on. The one we have at my full time job needs an extension cord to plug in an IV pump if attached to our stretcher. Quite annoying. Had to do two ALS (advanced life support) transfers in our van last friday, since our main transfer truck was down. The company will be replacing the old box truck later this year, and I seriously hope they don't replace it with another van.
Our rides aren't as "cool" as cop cars and firetrucks, but we tend to be happy with our ambulances as long as they run properly and give us the room to work freely around our patients in what are essentially "mini-emergency rooms on wheels".
Sunday, March 3, 2013
yeah, I'm a lazy blogger
Yup, I made a sweeping declaration a few months ago that I'd be blogging more often. And I have no good excuse besides just enjoying life.
I started dating a beautiful and intelligent young woman in October. Things are going very well and I'm very happy on that front. We met through mutual friends, and I occasionally thank these friends for that setup. She's smart, calm, well spoken, classy and all kinds of other positive adjectives! Feeling quite lucky these days with lady like that.
Work is good. Adventures as a Paramedic in the north country of NH has it's good and bad days, but I'm the kind of medic that has that odd sense of humor, so it fits me well. I am contemplating taking an online bridge course from Paramedic to RN, which I can do mostly online. RN's make more money and don't have to go out in the middle of nowhere to take care of someone (offroad trails, mountains and such). I'll either start said program this fall or early next year.
Aikido is going well. We've added a few more students, so we've got a nice small regular class. Much needed. While it was kinda nice getting private lessons for a few months, Aikido works better as a class with more people.
All the while I still miss training in Ninpo Chuan Fa. Recently I'd been in contact with my old teacher about possibly starting up the program again. This time I have volunteered to assist as his assistant instructor and teach on nights that he wouldn't be available. I'm at an age now where I feel mature and comfortable enough to teach. We both work full time jobs, and it's best that we find a good balance in our offtime for that. A new space has become available that we can use for very cheap at a local community center.
As is, it's been a waste that he hasn't been teaching martial arts. He's an incredibly talented instructor and martial artist, with an impressive resume and what he taught being a practical and well stylized martial art that covered many bases from striking, to ground combat, and the spiritual aspects of martial arts.
If we're able to make his program start again and sustain with our combined effort, I may drop the Aikido classes. A lot of it will depend on scheduling, but Aikido will not be the priority if we can achieve a regular Ninpo Chuan Fa class.
We'll see how it all goes, but I've got high hopes... just how I roll
I started dating a beautiful and intelligent young woman in October. Things are going very well and I'm very happy on that front. We met through mutual friends, and I occasionally thank these friends for that setup. She's smart, calm, well spoken, classy and all kinds of other positive adjectives! Feeling quite lucky these days with lady like that.
Work is good. Adventures as a Paramedic in the north country of NH has it's good and bad days, but I'm the kind of medic that has that odd sense of humor, so it fits me well. I am contemplating taking an online bridge course from Paramedic to RN, which I can do mostly online. RN's make more money and don't have to go out in the middle of nowhere to take care of someone (offroad trails, mountains and such). I'll either start said program this fall or early next year.
Aikido is going well. We've added a few more students, so we've got a nice small regular class. Much needed. While it was kinda nice getting private lessons for a few months, Aikido works better as a class with more people.
All the while I still miss training in Ninpo Chuan Fa. Recently I'd been in contact with my old teacher about possibly starting up the program again. This time I have volunteered to assist as his assistant instructor and teach on nights that he wouldn't be available. I'm at an age now where I feel mature and comfortable enough to teach. We both work full time jobs, and it's best that we find a good balance in our offtime for that. A new space has become available that we can use for very cheap at a local community center.
As is, it's been a waste that he hasn't been teaching martial arts. He's an incredibly talented instructor and martial artist, with an impressive resume and what he taught being a practical and well stylized martial art that covered many bases from striking, to ground combat, and the spiritual aspects of martial arts.
If we're able to make his program start again and sustain with our combined effort, I may drop the Aikido classes. A lot of it will depend on scheduling, but Aikido will not be the priority if we can achieve a regular Ninpo Chuan Fa class.
We'll see how it all goes, but I've got high hopes... just how I roll
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