Silent Super 8 Memories

Here is an old Super 8 I had and finally uploaded to YouTube

A Road Slightly Less Taken

If things go as planned, in two months I will be riding with two or three other old men to ride from the middle of Tennessee to Oklahoma using only backroads of which most are dirt roads.

I will ride my Suzuki DRZ400S to the departure location to meet up with my fellow travelers.

Partly for fun and partly for a small prep, last week I rode my motorcycle from Dallas to Houston but avoided the Interstate, which I took the last time I made such a trip.

I can report that for me it is WAY easier to ride on nice roads when they are NOT Interstate Highways. It may take longer but the recovery time is much easier.

So my plan for the TransAmericaTrail trip, is to parallel the Interstate Highway system but actually stay off the Interstate itself.

Above is the route I took last weekend and below is a picture of my Cycle on that trip during a short break.

I Get a Crazy Idea

I mean to return to my study of Spanish after almost a year of neglect, BUT...IF one happened upon a fully function used copy of a very expensive copy of a foreign language software package for Italian, would be tempted to go that route rather than spanish?


Well I plan fire up my fully paid for Rosetta Stone Spanish disk, but I think I might also use the used copy of a similar software package for Italian. PLUS I discovered that a local library has many languages on line for self study (both spanish AND italian).

Since one of my more charming traits (in my mind) is to do things that make no sense. I now THINK I may try and study Spanish AND Italian at the same time.

It is a crazy idea for me to study any foreign language since I'm sure I'll never really learn, so studying two is even more wacky. The chances of me using either in the near future is slim so if I am going to waste may time, why not waste it in a more complete way.

Regarding the online software from the library, the above is a screenshot of the Auralog program which looks to be a decent software package. But so far the online version can be confusing. But it has some nice features like if you see any word you can click on it to get an definition.

I took the spanish test and at least ended in the intermediate zone. So I'll start there and try to use it AND my Rosetta Stone software AND the italian software.

“In Aikido, Uke is the Ribbon”

When attacked NEVER WAIT!

Tonight we worked on a a number a entering but not Irimi techniques. The point Sensei he was going for was that while you must react, you can't wait. Don't wait to be hit and apply a technique you react once the attack starts but BEFORE the attack actually reaches you.

Later he was hoping we would get the point of timing and reacting by thinking of the gymnasts that use the ribbons which they can never let drop. The ribbon has a motion that nage must stay in sync with.

The key phrase was “In Aikido the Uke is the Ribbon”, meaning nage and uke should be in synch throughout th technique.

So what happened at class today?

So what happened at class today?

With only 90 minutes available what experiences can one person have?

Working with a “new” yet very experienced senior student (nidan or above), I got some great personal and detailed explanation on Katatetori Shiho nage. Which is something you learn early in practice and is one of those things that at the beginning you tend to think you “understand”

Anyway, today I saw that most of the time Nage and Uke work a little bit too much together and this sempai reminded me of things I had heard of before but had forgotten.

I seems I was still (after 3 years) trying to raise uke's arm with my shoulder muscles but should have been using my whole body, turning with my shoulders hand and center all connected. And then shift forward with my body and center and only then raising my arms AFTER uke was unbalanced.

The we worked on Kotegaishi which I also thought I knew about but when I was trying to explain it to a new student I totally missed that if you try to apply to apply kotegaishi with the arms too high the effectiveness is much deprived. Fortunately Sensi was there clarify.

At one point for a specific demonstration of how to approach Katatetori ikkyo Sensi used me as uke for the simple example of drawing in of uke from Katatetori where instead of going to ikkyo nage simply shifts even farther back and uke flys by and goes to a roll. The cool thing for me was thay even though I didn't know what he was intending (I may be a little slow some times) I manage to realize he just wanted me to go with the flow and finish with a forward roll.


By the end of class Sensi felt we all needed to concentrate on maintaining balance. So we spent the last few minutes trying to stand on one leg and place the other foot on opposite knee. And then lean forward and extend the free leg back, lean forward and still maintain balance.

But what a full 90 minutes. Where else can you find such variety?

Swordplay

My heel felt OK yesterday so I went to Aikido class, which was a weapons class so I felt it was less of a worry.

I finally got to try out my Bokken at practice and it turns out it is just the right size. FYI if you hold the bokken where a tsuba (guard) would be if it had one, then drop your arm to your side, the tip of the sword should just graze the floor. And for me it was perfect.

I could not find exactly what we worked on in a YouTube clip but the above video approximates what we did.

A Time Out

Last Saturday was a fine Aikido class, except for Sensei prodding me to take the 3rd kyu test the following Saturday. BUT on Sunday night my left foot hurt a bit and by Monday afternoon I decided I should skip class as I had developed a pronounced limp.

When I painfully took my shoe off I discovered a bump just off center on the back of my heel. It hurt to the touch and was about the size of a large olive. On Tuesday the earliest doctor's appointment I could get was the following day.

Anyway the suspicion is it is an inflamed tendon. So I'm to not stress it until it is all better. Therefor I have missed a week's of practice AND definitely missed taking the 3rd kyu test. MAYBE I can make Wednesday's class.

I don't remember anything causing it and it just seem to slowly grow painful. I'm still hoping anything bad will simply go away, which is pretty much my life philosophy.