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pecuniumIt's been a long few weeks. They’ve gone by quickly, but it's been long.
Maia graduated. Her family was up for the celebration. The Thursday before her graduation I sprained my toe while playing a game of tag at the Dojo (apart from that, it was a good night, Loren demonstrated for 4th kyu, and Scott for 1st. The latter was especially nice because he was supposed to have done it back in March, but he had an ACL separation the week before, and so had to put it off.
Mary and Michelle also decided that, barring something horrible, I would be demonstrating for fifth kyu the next Thursday. Then we met the owners (sort of) of the house we will be moving into, to clarify some things, which was good. We'll be moving into it sometime in July; until then, camping out at our pied à terre in Pasadena. Which is fine, sort of, because I won't be home for most of the next six weeks, and Maia's mother wants her to look after the horses for a couple of them while the family is in Tacoma, which would be really hard from near USC. Sadly, I can't visit Seattle at the same time, because of the traveling I'm doing.
The graduation was nice. A very cool morning, and we got there at 0745 (It was to start at 0830, Maia was supposed to be there at 0730), and filed in. Her mother, father, sister, and sister's boyfriend [that's a funny word. They've been together for something like four years, and living together for about three, which includes a move from Minnesota back to Calif., and he relocated from Humboldt to LA. Boyfriend seems inadequate] had seats already, and there were a couple of our (i.e. Mine and Maia's). Her best friend from High School, and her girlfriend (and why doesn't that seem as inadequate a description). Thankfully CalPoly is redoing the stadium, so rather than have two, huge, ceremonies, they had seven smaller ones. There were 550 graduates from the School of Agriculture. It took almost 40 minutes for the reading of the names.
We stuck it out to the end (I, as well as Drina and Brock, knew about half a dozen of the graduates; several of them were regulars at the weekly dinners). There were maybe 40 people still in the ranks of graduates for the recessional. The speeches were about what one would expect.
Lunch at a Thai place, and then we went home, where her family was supposed to join us. They took a nap instead. We went out that evening and saw Cars It was a formulaic self-centered famous person finds something outside himself to love. Not too badly done, but no surprises, no real suspense and some of the tricks were dull, but it was satisfying enough. Afterwards we sat with Carla and talked for a bit about this and that.
Sunday we did some packing, and I forget what else. Dinner in town someplace.
Monday We did some more packing, put Sola, Michael and Gary on the train, and went back with Pat to load some more (They drove up with the five-horse trailer and we were filling it). We went to see A Prairie Home Companion. It was pretty good. I am not a fan of the show; Maia and her mother love it. This is something of a trial, but the movie managed to leave out the parts I dislike and string it together with a tolerable story. It was about what one would expect in a collaboration of Altman and Keillor.
Tuesday was more packing, and I went to the dojo to train some. The basics class was smallish, and Scott (not the one who just got his hakama the week before) focused on 5th kyu techniques (in some ways fifth kyu is the most important promotion. It's the first, and in the requirements are all the essentials of aikido. Everything else (with the possible exception of high-throws) is, pretty much, contained in the eleven things required to pass from 6th to 5th. Wayne (my primary uke, which is to say my training and demonstrating partner) and I were then sent to the other end of the mat to work on things I needed to practice.
For the general class everyone except Wayne, and me, had left. Poor Wayne spent the next hour getting tossed to the mat, while Scott gave me instruction on some of the finer points of what I was doing.
Wednesday was when we sent Pat on her way, with a full trailer, and a loaded truck. She said felt heavier than with a full load of horses. Much of it was books and furniture. It's not that we have all that much stuff, but what we have is solid. Oak, and maple tables, a couple of maple china hutches, stands for mice and snakes (those we didn't pack into the trailer), bookcases (some of them made by Maia's great-uncle Hector. Really nice stuff, narrow (about 24") with nice scroll-work and a small drawer. The work really well next to the dressers), some cedar wood chests (two Laine's and a street find Barry made, repaired the bottom of and we bought), books; too many, and not enough, kitchen equipment (cast-iron ain't light), our best bed, and all the other impedimetia one acquires from being settled.
I went to the Dojo, Maia came too because we also planned to celebrate my birthday (the month, and day listed on my info-page are wrong, the year is correct). She got me a copy of Cookwise, and a hardcover of The Curious Cook by Harold McGee. I might still have my softcover, but I like a hardcover, esp. for my reference works. This one explains all sorts of strange factoids; like why when one is sautéeing, or frying, more oil collects on the back of one's glasses than on the side facing the pan.
Michelle teaches on Wednesday. Since I joined the dojo, Wednesday has been the one night of the week I don't miss. And this was the last night of both real training, and preparation. Michelle did what Scott had done, and did some 5th kyu stuff, and then sent Wayne and me to work.
The past month, or so, has been interesting on the mat. In the dojos I've spent real time in, demonstrating is something just short of pro forma. One isn't scheduled to demonstrate unless it's believed one knows all of the techniques, and understands the ideas of the philosophical aspects of aikido (aikido is probably unique among the martial arts, because it didn't morph out of a martial skill, but was created, ab initio as a combination of physical activity, philosophical discipline and means of defensive combat. O-Sensei described it as "philosophy in bodies," and others have called it, meditation in motion). As one progresses the depth, of both, expected of one, increases.
So it's not a test when one demonstrates. It's a demonstration. There is some testing; can one perform under the pressure of scrutiny, is one smoothly (as smoothly as can be expected for the level in question) performing the motions. Is there care, and attention, for the well being of one's partner (Take shiho nage [four corner throw], with malice, or inattention, one can dislocate the uke's shoulder, or elbow. One of the things being judged is that one avoids doing that).
Michelle gave a pop quiz to everyone, and gave the beginning class a mock demonstration. From the ritual of bowing in, to the ritual of bowing out. This was a chance for me to practice (Mary gave me one the week before, on Tuesday. While I felt like mush she said I was doing better than I had been the week before). It was also a chance for her to watch, and give me some feedback on what she had seen.
Then Wayne and I went to the side to practice. Doing the same things, again and again, with focus and intention changes what one feels when doing, and how one works one's way through it. Wayne was very good about not letting me fail to notice the little failures.
The break between the basic class, and the general, was when I got my birthday rolls. The dojo has a tradition of throwing people on their birthday, one roll per year. Maia got to watch. Michelle asked her if she wanted to throw me, she declined. Somewhere around 15 it became something of blur. By 25 I was getting slower to rise; still trying to move into the person coming to get me.
There were a couple of high-falls in there somewhere, and the chance to train myself to take good ukemi when tired. Dirk, a week ago, took a fall while riding his bicycle, in a race. He was doing about 30 mph, and all he got was some road rash on his forearm. He did a forward roll, no thought to it, just saw the ground coming, and tucked-up to protect his head. Ukemi is a really good thing.
The next class we worked on this and that. Michelle asked if there was anything I wanted to add to the demonstration. I said I wanted to toss in tsuki kodagaesh which has one of the few things not really shown in 5th kyu (5th kyu is static, so active blending with one's opponent isn't shown. Tsuki kodagaesh is a response to being punched, and one has to move into it.
Then Maia and I went to dinner at Palazzo Guiseppe's. It was a nice dinner. She had a ceasar salad, and the orichiette, which was marinara with porcini, and i forget what. She didn't care for it so much, and I forgot to taste it. The porcini were too much for her.
I had an insalata verdure which was caramelized ramps, watercress, two kinds of beets (in small cubes, and not enough of them, esp. as they were mentioned above the cress, which was plentiful) and a very delicate radish. All of the notes were earthy, and mixed well.
Maia's ceasar was odd. The leaves weren't chopped. She didn't tear them up, nor cut them, she just ate them as a guinea pig might. The dressing was good. I'd have liked a little more evenness to the anchovies, but at least they were there.
My entrée was scottaditti, a rack of lamb, over a porcini risotto, and a truffled huckleberry reduction. At top the lamb was a pile of chopped parsley with a mild citrus vinegar.
The lamb was too mild, the risotto pretty good, the parsley a very good counterpoint. The reduction... ah...! I don't know what fool decided to compare truffles to mushrooms, but there is no comparison. They are as different as night and day, red wine and white. They are both fungi, but so too is yeast. The reduction was wonderful. Worth the price of admission.
For wine we brought our own. A Tartaglia '04 Zin. Bottled about a month ago, it's great (the guy who boards Maia's horse makes it; this is the best of the stuff he's made, at least to my experience. There have been a number of people who've tried to buy some from him, after he's donated to auctions, and the like, but he has no license to sell, so his place, or from friends of his, are the only ways to try it. If I have any, I'll be glad to share, should you drop by).
Thursday we packed some more. Carla came over, and helped. Got everything but the second best bed (what we use for camping), and some petty stuff packed. Went to the dojo. I was sort of numb.
Mary focused on 5th kyu, and then turned it over to Michelle. I decided not to go off with Wayne. I just wanted to relax.
Larry came in, but he couldn't stay, he just wanted to wish me luck. Ryan, who had leave after the kids’ class he was teaching, congratulated me on my promotion. After the basic class there was only who wasn’t involved in the demonstration, on the mat. Wendy was taping it, Wayne and I were doing it, Mary, Michelle, Paul and Scott, were on the panel observing it, and Dirk was watching.
It was surreal. Time was plastic, parts of it flowed by as nothing, some of it dragged for hours.
The pattern is simple. The examining panel calls for a technique, and one does it until something else is called out.
I started to make one, real, mistake (I am sure I wasn't perfect in my doing of everything), and perform a move from the front, when I was supposed to take it to the back, but I figured it out, just in time to save it.
Everyone saw the save, but it was smooth enough avoid being hideous.
And we had clapping, and cake, and strawberries, and talk. I gave Wayne a bokken (wooden sword). I tried to find him a new one, but SLO is a small area, and I couldn't find a decent one. So I gave him mine. It's a little battered but still workable. Now he says he has to go to weapons practice on Monday.
One of the things which was nice to see, was a new person who came to see if she as interested in aikido.
Then we left, headed to Loren's graduation party (she just finished high school). Made various goodbyes (many of the dojo were at her graduation. I can't blame them, I'll be back, now and again, there will be other demonstrations, but she only gets to graduate high school once). And headed home, a little too late, but well worth the time.
Up in the morning, breakfast on Weds. leftover lamb (cut into chops, and sautéed). It was lambier, but still too mild). The risotto had improved too. Clean the pan, pack it away, clean the bathroom, vacuum the floor, load the snakes, the mice, and the dogs, set Maia on the road, put the last few things in the car, sweep the walks and the back patio, and sit down to try and ride out a massive headache.
Got on the road at 1700. As I got more south, it was hot. By Santa Barbara I was sweltering, by Ventura, as the sun was going below the horizon, it wasn't any better.
Yesterday we emptied the trailer into a 10x10 storage unit. Now we have to unload the barrelled grapes, finish setting up the snakes and mice, go see the dogs (being kept at a friends, about 20 miles from here), and try to settle in.
Tomorrow Maia starts class.
Maia graduated. Her family was up for the celebration. The Thursday before her graduation I sprained my toe while playing a game of tag at the Dojo (apart from that, it was a good night, Loren demonstrated for 4th kyu, and Scott for 1st. The latter was especially nice because he was supposed to have done it back in March, but he had an ACL separation the week before, and so had to put it off.
Mary and Michelle also decided that, barring something horrible, I would be demonstrating for fifth kyu the next Thursday. Then we met the owners (sort of) of the house we will be moving into, to clarify some things, which was good. We'll be moving into it sometime in July; until then, camping out at our pied à terre in Pasadena. Which is fine, sort of, because I won't be home for most of the next six weeks, and Maia's mother wants her to look after the horses for a couple of them while the family is in Tacoma, which would be really hard from near USC. Sadly, I can't visit Seattle at the same time, because of the traveling I'm doing.
The graduation was nice. A very cool morning, and we got there at 0745 (It was to start at 0830, Maia was supposed to be there at 0730), and filed in. Her mother, father, sister, and sister's boyfriend [that's a funny word. They've been together for something like four years, and living together for about three, which includes a move from Minnesota back to Calif., and he relocated from Humboldt to LA. Boyfriend seems inadequate] had seats already, and there were a couple of our (i.e. Mine and Maia's). Her best friend from High School, and her girlfriend (and why doesn't that seem as inadequate a description). Thankfully CalPoly is redoing the stadium, so rather than have two, huge, ceremonies, they had seven smaller ones. There were 550 graduates from the School of Agriculture. It took almost 40 minutes for the reading of the names.
We stuck it out to the end (I, as well as Drina and Brock, knew about half a dozen of the graduates; several of them were regulars at the weekly dinners). There were maybe 40 people still in the ranks of graduates for the recessional. The speeches were about what one would expect.
Lunch at a Thai place, and then we went home, where her family was supposed to join us. They took a nap instead. We went out that evening and saw Cars It was a formulaic self-centered famous person finds something outside himself to love. Not too badly done, but no surprises, no real suspense and some of the tricks were dull, but it was satisfying enough. Afterwards we sat with Carla and talked for a bit about this and that.
Sunday we did some packing, and I forget what else. Dinner in town someplace.
Monday We did some more packing, put Sola, Michael and Gary on the train, and went back with Pat to load some more (They drove up with the five-horse trailer and we were filling it). We went to see A Prairie Home Companion. It was pretty good. I am not a fan of the show; Maia and her mother love it. This is something of a trial, but the movie managed to leave out the parts I dislike and string it together with a tolerable story. It was about what one would expect in a collaboration of Altman and Keillor.
Tuesday was more packing, and I went to the dojo to train some. The basics class was smallish, and Scott (not the one who just got his hakama the week before) focused on 5th kyu techniques (in some ways fifth kyu is the most important promotion. It's the first, and in the requirements are all the essentials of aikido. Everything else (with the possible exception of high-throws) is, pretty much, contained in the eleven things required to pass from 6th to 5th. Wayne (my primary uke, which is to say my training and demonstrating partner) and I were then sent to the other end of the mat to work on things I needed to practice.
For the general class everyone except Wayne, and me, had left. Poor Wayne spent the next hour getting tossed to the mat, while Scott gave me instruction on some of the finer points of what I was doing.
Wednesday was when we sent Pat on her way, with a full trailer, and a loaded truck. She said felt heavier than with a full load of horses. Much of it was books and furniture. It's not that we have all that much stuff, but what we have is solid. Oak, and maple tables, a couple of maple china hutches, stands for mice and snakes (those we didn't pack into the trailer), bookcases (some of them made by Maia's great-uncle Hector. Really nice stuff, narrow (about 24") with nice scroll-work and a small drawer. The work really well next to the dressers), some cedar wood chests (two Laine's and a street find Barry made, repaired the bottom of and we bought), books; too many, and not enough, kitchen equipment (cast-iron ain't light), our best bed, and all the other impedimetia one acquires from being settled.
I went to the Dojo, Maia came too because we also planned to celebrate my birthday (the month, and day listed on my info-page are wrong, the year is correct). She got me a copy of Cookwise, and a hardcover of The Curious Cook by Harold McGee. I might still have my softcover, but I like a hardcover, esp. for my reference works. This one explains all sorts of strange factoids; like why when one is sautéeing, or frying, more oil collects on the back of one's glasses than on the side facing the pan.
Michelle teaches on Wednesday. Since I joined the dojo, Wednesday has been the one night of the week I don't miss. And this was the last night of both real training, and preparation. Michelle did what Scott had done, and did some 5th kyu stuff, and then sent Wayne and me to work.
The past month, or so, has been interesting on the mat. In the dojos I've spent real time in, demonstrating is something just short of pro forma. One isn't scheduled to demonstrate unless it's believed one knows all of the techniques, and understands the ideas of the philosophical aspects of aikido (aikido is probably unique among the martial arts, because it didn't morph out of a martial skill, but was created, ab initio as a combination of physical activity, philosophical discipline and means of defensive combat. O-Sensei described it as "philosophy in bodies," and others have called it, meditation in motion). As one progresses the depth, of both, expected of one, increases.
So it's not a test when one demonstrates. It's a demonstration. There is some testing; can one perform under the pressure of scrutiny, is one smoothly (as smoothly as can be expected for the level in question) performing the motions. Is there care, and attention, for the well being of one's partner (Take shiho nage [four corner throw], with malice, or inattention, one can dislocate the uke's shoulder, or elbow. One of the things being judged is that one avoids doing that).
Michelle gave a pop quiz to everyone, and gave the beginning class a mock demonstration. From the ritual of bowing in, to the ritual of bowing out. This was a chance for me to practice (Mary gave me one the week before, on Tuesday. While I felt like mush she said I was doing better than I had been the week before). It was also a chance for her to watch, and give me some feedback on what she had seen.
Then Wayne and I went to the side to practice. Doing the same things, again and again, with focus and intention changes what one feels when doing, and how one works one's way through it. Wayne was very good about not letting me fail to notice the little failures.
The break between the basic class, and the general, was when I got my birthday rolls. The dojo has a tradition of throwing people on their birthday, one roll per year. Maia got to watch. Michelle asked her if she wanted to throw me, she declined. Somewhere around 15 it became something of blur. By 25 I was getting slower to rise; still trying to move into the person coming to get me.
There were a couple of high-falls in there somewhere, and the chance to train myself to take good ukemi when tired. Dirk, a week ago, took a fall while riding his bicycle, in a race. He was doing about 30 mph, and all he got was some road rash on his forearm. He did a forward roll, no thought to it, just saw the ground coming, and tucked-up to protect his head. Ukemi is a really good thing.
The next class we worked on this and that. Michelle asked if there was anything I wanted to add to the demonstration. I said I wanted to toss in tsuki kodagaesh which has one of the few things not really shown in 5th kyu (5th kyu is static, so active blending with one's opponent isn't shown. Tsuki kodagaesh is a response to being punched, and one has to move into it.
Then Maia and I went to dinner at Palazzo Guiseppe's. It was a nice dinner. She had a ceasar salad, and the orichiette, which was marinara with porcini, and i forget what. She didn't care for it so much, and I forgot to taste it. The porcini were too much for her.
I had an insalata verdure which was caramelized ramps, watercress, two kinds of beets (in small cubes, and not enough of them, esp. as they were mentioned above the cress, which was plentiful) and a very delicate radish. All of the notes were earthy, and mixed well.
Maia's ceasar was odd. The leaves weren't chopped. She didn't tear them up, nor cut them, she just ate them as a guinea pig might. The dressing was good. I'd have liked a little more evenness to the anchovies, but at least they were there.
My entrée was scottaditti, a rack of lamb, over a porcini risotto, and a truffled huckleberry reduction. At top the lamb was a pile of chopped parsley with a mild citrus vinegar.
The lamb was too mild, the risotto pretty good, the parsley a very good counterpoint. The reduction... ah...! I don't know what fool decided to compare truffles to mushrooms, but there is no comparison. They are as different as night and day, red wine and white. They are both fungi, but so too is yeast. The reduction was wonderful. Worth the price of admission.
For wine we brought our own. A Tartaglia '04 Zin. Bottled about a month ago, it's great (the guy who boards Maia's horse makes it; this is the best of the stuff he's made, at least to my experience. There have been a number of people who've tried to buy some from him, after he's donated to auctions, and the like, but he has no license to sell, so his place, or from friends of his, are the only ways to try it. If I have any, I'll be glad to share, should you drop by).
Thursday we packed some more. Carla came over, and helped. Got everything but the second best bed (what we use for camping), and some petty stuff packed. Went to the dojo. I was sort of numb.
Mary focused on 5th kyu, and then turned it over to Michelle. I decided not to go off with Wayne. I just wanted to relax.
Larry came in, but he couldn't stay, he just wanted to wish me luck. Ryan, who had leave after the kids’ class he was teaching, congratulated me on my promotion. After the basic class there was only who wasn’t involved in the demonstration, on the mat. Wendy was taping it, Wayne and I were doing it, Mary, Michelle, Paul and Scott, were on the panel observing it, and Dirk was watching.
It was surreal. Time was plastic, parts of it flowed by as nothing, some of it dragged for hours.
The pattern is simple. The examining panel calls for a technique, and one does it until something else is called out.
I started to make one, real, mistake (I am sure I wasn't perfect in my doing of everything), and perform a move from the front, when I was supposed to take it to the back, but I figured it out, just in time to save it.
Everyone saw the save, but it was smooth enough avoid being hideous.
And we had clapping, and cake, and strawberries, and talk. I gave Wayne a bokken (wooden sword). I tried to find him a new one, but SLO is a small area, and I couldn't find a decent one. So I gave him mine. It's a little battered but still workable. Now he says he has to go to weapons practice on Monday.
One of the things which was nice to see, was a new person who came to see if she as interested in aikido.
Then we left, headed to Loren's graduation party (she just finished high school). Made various goodbyes (many of the dojo were at her graduation. I can't blame them, I'll be back, now and again, there will be other demonstrations, but she only gets to graduate high school once). And headed home, a little too late, but well worth the time.
Up in the morning, breakfast on Weds. leftover lamb (cut into chops, and sautéed). It was lambier, but still too mild). The risotto had improved too. Clean the pan, pack it away, clean the bathroom, vacuum the floor, load the snakes, the mice, and the dogs, set Maia on the road, put the last few things in the car, sweep the walks and the back patio, and sit down to try and ride out a massive headache.
Got on the road at 1700. As I got more south, it was hot. By Santa Barbara I was sweltering, by Ventura, as the sun was going below the horizon, it wasn't any better.
Yesterday we emptied the trailer into a 10x10 storage unit. Now we have to unload the barrelled grapes, finish setting up the snakes and mice, go see the dogs (being kept at a friends, about 20 miles from here), and try to settle in.
Tomorrow Maia starts class.
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no subject
Date: 2006-06-18 08:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-18 09:52 pm (UTC)Without moments like that it wouldn't be worth the time.
TK