brirobot

Yesterday I received a copy of my flying sidekick photo used for a dojo flyer.

For several years I tried to downplay my skills as a martial artist. I think it started with my attempt to be humble but spun out of control and became a self limiting mantra that made me believe my skills were shite. Another factor that added to this idea was the skill level of my peers in San Francisco - many of them were (I feel) of equal or greater skill  which allowed me to stop recognizing my own advancement and evolution.

This year, I've joined a hapkido dojo which has japanese jujutsu roots and some of the movements are similar to those found in bujinkan budo taijutsu. The joint locking, throwing and balance manipulation drills I've done in class are nearly identical. The hand striking is very similar and the kicking is a throwback to my tae kwon do days in high school and from my training in Kalamazoo. In fact, this new class reminds me very much of my first introduction to taijutsu in Kalamazoo where the instructor would regularly work kicking drills and ground fighting into our training to promote the idea of being a well rounded martial artist.

When I initially visited the new dojo I wore a white belt because it was a new class. During the second visit the instructor called me over and basically said "let's be honest, how long have you been doing this" and "wear your black belt to class so you don't discourage the other white belts". It felt pretty good and made me realize that while I may not be able to recognize my abilities, here is an instructor that I respect telling me that yes, I do have some skill and to stop being an asshole.

Last week I was asked to lead the Saturday adult class at our dojo while our regular instructor attended a competition. It was good practice for me to think of a theme ( 1. coiling the body for power generation 2. applications of stepping outside with inner/outter block and reverse punch ) and instruct the class for the day. The class went well, the students all seemed interested/entertained and it helped to boost my confidence.

As I was leaving the dojo I noticed a flyer on the counter featuring a photo of me executing a nearly perfect flying side kick performed as a photo op one week earlier. So, to a limited audience - I'm sort of famous.

Wifetron and I have provided the signatures required to officially call ourselves homeowners, effective Friday (2/29/08). While it's not the underground bunker or island fortress that I envisioned when we first discussed purchasing real estate, I think this place will do the trick. We have a back yard and if I use the space efficiently I think I can squeeze in an elite ninja training camp (20 members max), piranha pond and vegetable garden.

This morning I typed "Venture Brothers" in a google search box and after a few clicks I happened upon the livejournal of one of the creators ( jacksonpublick ). Reading through this blog and some of the links found there makes me feel much robo happiness because The Venture Brothers is one of my all time favorite shows. I mean, I think that's what this feeling is ... maybe it's the result of too much coffee?

In other news, a pet snake in Australia ate the family dog in front of the children. That makes me think Australian snakes are pretty awesome.

beep boop beep

This new livejournal account is intended to be my thought repository that will not trace back to me from google searches of my name. Hopefully it will free me up to say things as they are in my life without the worry of a co-worker, client or future employer finding some unprofessional rant about this or that.