Weekend update

Friday:

No aikido. It was to have been just Sensei and I and, since Sensei is not supposed to be on the mat, we called it off. I spent the evening cooking and prepping for the trip to the reunion.

Saturday:

Up bright and early (4:45 a.m.) to go to New Corn Hill for the 20th reunion of my great grandparents family. We left at 6 a.m. and made it to the church hall shortly after 9 a.m. (1 hour quicker than google maps said). 8 hours of meeting, greeting and eating. A great time!

The stained glass panels (Czech flag and Texas flag) I made did ok in the silent auction. They didn't make back their glass costs, but that's ok. The goal was to offset the cost and they did a good job toward that goal. The Texas flag was the item that sold for the most amount of money in the auction.

A jar of pickles had the most bids in the auction: 14. Final bid on the pickles (made by an uncle Joe Fojtik) was $16.

I was outbid on most items I wanted: banana bread, pickles, poppyseed cookies, among others.

Sunday:

Got out to meet my college roommate and his wife for brunch. They were in town on a stop of their weeklong tour of Texas. We got to catch up on some stuff that they'd been doing since we last met.

K and I then went to my mom's, prior to heading into town to see the HMNS's exhibit: "Terra Cotta Warriors." It was a nice exhibit. I was impressed at how tall the statues were. It looked like they were about 5'9." Which, I thought, seemed a bit tall for that long ago.

We then hit Star Pizza for dinner and then went home.

I am so looking forward to a 3-day weekend.

At the Movies: Paycheck

Paycheck: 3

An adaptation of a Philip K. Dick short story. Starring Ben Affleck and Uma Thurman and directed by John Woo.

A man who is an expert in reverse engineering hires his services out for weeks at a time. The people he works for then wipe his memory of those weeks so that he has no knowledge of what he's done. He then goes to work for a good friend, this time for 3 years.

At the end of this task he has his memory wiped. This time he finds that he has rejected the payment he agreed to, and he only receives 19 items in an envelope.

Those 19 items turn out to be the keys to survival and discovering what it was he actually did for his friend's company.

My main quibble at this point is: how did he acquire those items? It was implied that he lived on the campus of the company for which he was working.

John Woo's trademark dove does not come until the very end of the movie.

At the Movies: Frost/Nixon

Frost/Nixon: 3

A movie based on a play based on the real life interviews of Richard Nixon by David Frost. This movie had some strong actors (Frank Langella, Oliver Platt, etc.) and was directed by Ron Howard.

This was an interesting insight into the tribulations that a talk show host can have when attempting to interview an experienced politician. We see David struggling to get funding for the interviews and then struggling to maintain control of the interview when face-to-face with Nixon.

In the end we get a confession, and the highlight of Frost's career.

Stained glass - Texas flag

Here is the Texas flag stained glass piece I just completed. Actual size is about 13"x20".

Stained glass - Czech flag

Here is the Czech flag stained glass piece I just finished. Actual size is about 13"x20"

Rain!

It's actually raining outside right now. Probably not at home, but at work it is. ( I checked and it's not raining at home :( )

We haven't had rain since May 24th.

Nidan requirements

The following are the techniques I need to know for my Nidan:

Owaza Ju Pon

1. Kubi Guruma - neck wheel

2. Kata Otoshi - shoulder drop

3. Ude Guruma - arm wheel

4. Hiji Guruma - elbow wheel

5. Aiki Nage - fitting in throw

6. Shiho Nage - four corner (all directions) throw

Retreat with right foot: fade-away. Don't push too much. That will cause uke to spin into you.

7. Ushiro Ate - behind (from the rear) strike

Get the initial off balance. Separate centers at the end.

8. Kote Gaeshi - wrist turn

9. Ushiro Kubi Gatame - hold from behind (the rear)

10. Shizumi Otoshi - sinking body drop

Koryu Dai San - Kneeling

1. Oshi Taoshi - Tore attempts shomen ate. When uke blocks, tore circles into oshi taoshi.

Must remember to open and not pivot. Also, get the proper initial off-balance.

2. Gyakugamae Ate - Uke strikes with right hand to tore's temple. Tore rises with shomen ate to uke's opposite eye.

3. Kote Gaeshi - Uke punches at tore's abdomen. Tore evades, threatens eye, throws kote gaeshi.

Don't extend uke to much on first off-balance, he has to be able to recover.

4. Ryote Mochi Sukui Nage - Uke grabs both tore's wrists and stands. Tore lifts arms, off-balancing uke, then turns uke into roll-out.

"Happy Buddha" arms as near to overhead as possible. Rock uke back on his right heel and then pivot to the right, sweeping the right hand down to catch uke's foot.

5. Tentai Kote Hineri - Uke chokes from behind. Tore frees himself, takes uke down in tentai kote hineri.

6. Shiho Nage - Uke approaches from tore's left, grabbing the wrist. Tore secures the grip, performs shiho nage.

The grip is locked by locking uke's hand down with the right hand and turning the left hand out.

7. Gedan Ate - Uke approaches from tore's right, grabbing the sleeve. As uke tries to pull tore up, tore places his right hand on uke's knee joint.

8. Hiji Kime - Uke approaches from the front, grabbing at tore's collar. Tore takes uke's hand, turning into mae otoshi.

Koryu Dai San - Standing

1. Kote Mawashi

Uke grabs tore's left collar. Tore steps back slightly with the left foot while at the same time throwing an uppercut at uke with the right hand. As the right hand continues past the upper cut, tore grabs uke's right hand and turns it over into a mawashi. Tore's left hand, knife edge, lands on uke's elbow. Tore turns to the left, rolling uke's arm counter clockwise tore's left hand. Tore then steps forward, pushin through to uke's left should with his left hand, causing uke to fall.

2. Uchi Tenkai Nage

Uke grabs tore's left hand. Tore does 7th release. Tore follows the thumb, getting a mawash on uke's right hand and sending uke into roll-out.

3. Gyakugamae Ate

This one can be done with two timings: before uke grabs the collar or afterwards.

Before

Uke reaches for tore's right sleeve. Tore steps forward, collapsing uke's arm, then rotates his center, pushing through uke's right shoulder.

After

Uke grabs tore's right sleeve. Tore steps back, collapsing uke's arm, then steps forward knocking uke back while pushing through uke's right shoulder.

4. Kote Kajiki

Uke grabs tore's left hand. Tore does 4th release, tore switches hands into "thread the needle." For uke's safety, tore then waits for uke to turn around. When uke takes a step, tore takes a step and drops the arm, supporting uke as he goes over.

5. Mae Otoshi

Uke attempts to choke tore with a cross-handed collar choke. Tore steps back to his left, bringing his hands up to intercept the choke with his thumbs up. Tore grabs uke's left hand and then finishes the technique with mae-otoshi.

6. Ushiro Waza Mae Otoshi

Uke grabs tore's right hand. Tore does 5th release, uke tries to attack tore with his left hand, turns into mae otoshi.

7. Ushiro Waza Tentai Kote Hineri

Uke attempts to grab tore from behind. Tore steps to back and to the left, getting his arms into the "Happy Buddha" posture and grabbing uke's left wrist with his right hand. Tore grabs uke's wrist into tentai kote hineri, and finishes the technique as in Ju Nana Hon Kata.

8. Mune Tori Kata Gatame

Uke attacks with shomen ate. Tore steps to right, drops uke's hand to his foot, falling uke. Tore twists ankle to turn uke over, pins legs, then takes uke's arm into arm-bar.

Aikido Saturday Afternoon - 6/20/09

Aikidokas: Trey. Sensei Tim was in the dojo, but is not yet allowed on the mat.

Ukemi: Full set, no big falls.

The Walk: Not tonight.

Releases: Not tonight.

Techniques:

Trey ran through 1-5 Ju Nana Hon Kata. Sensei had him go through right and then left, one attempt each side. We then went through and then 11-17 of Ju Nana Hon Kata a little more patiently, at least for 14-17.

1-5 were much, much, better than the previous night's versions. I've got a nice bruise on my right forearm, almost assuredly from Ushiro-ate.

11-17 were pretty good as well

We did not get all the way through working on Hiki-otoshi. It has the funkiest footwork/timing of any of the first 17. It's pretty important that uke feel confident in tore on this technique, sol we spend some time working up to the actual throw.

We then ran through the 8 standing techniques of Koryu Dai San

1. Kote Mawashi

Uke grabs tore's left collar. Tore steps back slightly with the left foot while at the same time throwing an uppercut at uke with the right hand. As the right hand continues past the upper cut, tore grabs uke's right hand and turns it over into a mawashi. Tore's left hand, knife edge, lands on uke's elbow. Tore turns to the left, rolling uke's arm counter clockwise tore's left hand. Tore then steps forward, pushin through to uke's left should with his left hand, causing uke to fall.

2. Uchi Tenkai Nage

Uke grabs tore's left hand. Tore does 7th release. Tore follows the thumb, getting a mawash on uke's right hand and sending uke into roll-out.

3. Gyakugamae Ate

This one can be done with two timings: before uke grabs the collar or afterwards.

Before

Uke reaches for tore's right sleeve. Tore steps forward, collapsing uke's arm, then rotates his center, pushing through uke's right shoulder.

After

Uke grabs tore's right sleeve. Tore steps back, collapsing uke's arm, then steps forward knocking uke back while pushing through uke's right shoulder.

4. Kote Kajiki

Uke grabs tore's left hand. Tore does 4th release, tore switches hands into "thread the needle." For uke's safety, tore then waits for uke to turn around. When uke takes a step, tore takes a step and drops the arm, supporting uke as he goes over.

5. Mae Otoshi

Uke attempts to choke tore with a cross-handed collar choke. Tore steps back to his left, bringing his hands up to intercept the choke with his thumbs down. Tore grabs uke's left hand and then finishes the technique with mae-otoshi.

6. Ushiro Waza Mae Otoshi

Uke grabs tore's right hand. Tore does 5th release, uke tries to attack tore with his left hand, turns into mae otoshi.

7. Ushiro Waza Tentai Kote Hineri

Uke attempts to grab tore from behind. Tore steps to right, getting his arms into the "Happy Buddha" posture and grabbing uke's left wrist with his right hand. Tore grabs uke's wrist into tentai kote hineri, and finishes the technique as in Ju Nana Hon Kata.

8. Mune Tori Kata Gatame

Uke attacks with shomen ate. Tore steps to right, drops uke's hand to his foot, falling uke. Tore twists ankle to turn uke over, pins legs, then takes uke's arm into arm-bar.

Aftermath: Tweak of my left hip joint. It came from a weird fall last week and it gets aggravated on left-sided roll-outs or left-sided big falls. Looks like I may have about two weeks for it to recover as Trey is not going to be at the dojo next weekend, leaving me with simple ukemi if any at all.

Aikido Friday Night - 6/19/09

Aikidokas: Trey. Sensei Tim was in the dojo, but is not yet allowed on the mat.

Ukemi: Full set, no big falls.

The Walk: Not tonight.

Releases: Not tonight.

Techniques:

Trey ran through 1-10 of Ju Nana Hon Kata. It's been quite a while since he's run through that set, so rust was showing. Frustration levels were quite high, but he got most of the techniques quickly. I had some rust ukeing for some of them, my reactions were a little quick.

Toughs one were: Aigamae-ate, Gyakugamae-ate, and Ushiro-ate

We then ran through the first 4 standing techniques of Koryu Dai San No Kata

1. Kote Mawashi

Uke grabs tore's left collar. Tore steps back slightly with the left foot while at the same time throwing an uppercut at uke with the right hand. As the right hand continues past the upper cut, tore grabs uke's right hand and turns it over into a mawashi. Tore's left hand, knife edge, lands on uke's elbow. Tore turns to the left, rolling uke's arm counter clockwise tore's left hand. Tore then steps forward, pushin through to uke's left should with his left hand, causing uke to fall.

2. Uchi Tenkai Nage

Uke grabs tore's left hand. Tore does 7th release. Tore follows the thumb, getting a mawash on uke's right hand and sending uke into roll-out.

3. Gyakugamae Ate

This one can be done with two timings: before uke grabs the collar or afterwards.

Before

Uke reaches for tore's right sleeve. Tore steps forward, collapsing uke's arm, then rotates his center, pushing through uke's right shoulder.

After

Uke grabs tore's right sleeve. Tore steps back, collapsing uke's arm, then steps forward knocking uke back while pushing through uke's right shoulder.

4. Kote Kajiki

Uke grabs tore's left hand. Tore does 4th release, tore switches hands into "thread the needle." For uke's safety, tore then waits for uke to turn around. When uke takes a step, tore takes a step and drops the arm, supporting uke as he goes over.

Aftermath: None of note.

Stained glass update: Flags

The zinc border I have is old, crooked and requires lots of elbow grease before it can be used. So, I'm going to get some new zinc over the weekend and finish up the projects.

Here are the states of the projects:

Texas

Done - Design the pattern
Done - Cut out the pattern pieces
Done - Cut out the glass pieces
Done - Grind the glass pieces smooth
Done - Foil the glass pieces
Done - Solder the pieces
Done - Solder the zinc border
TBD - Patina the entire thing

Czech

Done - Design the pattern
Done - Cut out the pattern pieces
Done - Cut out the glass pieces
Done - Grind the glass pieces smooth
Done - Foil the glass pieces
Done - Solder the pieces
TBD - Solder the zinc border
TBD - Patina the entire thing

Two more stained glass projects

I've got a family reunion coming up in a few weeks. One of the things we do, to pay for the hall and other expenses, is hold a silent auction. There are usually canned goods from gardens and various other items. I usually put in a pen or bottle stopper that I've turned on the lathe.

This year, I think I'll put in a bottle stopper, a box I've recently made, and two stained glass pieces. One will be a Texas state flag and the other will be the Czech flag.

Here are the states of the projects

Texas

Done - Design the pattern
Done - Cut out the pattern pieces
Done - Cut out the glass pieces
Done - Grind the glass pieces smooth
Done - Foil the glass pieces
TBD - Solder the pieces
TBD - Solder the zinc border
TBD - Patina the entire thing

Czech

Done - Design the pattern
Done - Cut out the pattern pieces
Done - Cut out the glass pieces
Done - Grind the glass pieces smooth
TBD - Foil the glass pieces
TBD - Solder the pieces
TBD - Solder the zinc border
TBD - Patina the entire thing

I should be able to get both pieces soldered tonight. If that happens, I might be able to do the patina as well.

I hope they generate interest in the silent auction, they've got about $70 worth of glass in each of them. I'll post pictures when they're done.

Gettin' fruity

It's that time of year when blueberries and peaches are readily available in our part of the world. We picked 22 lbs. of blueberries over the weekend and bought 1.5 bushels of peaches. Most of the fruit is frozen and ready for consumption at some point during the next few months. We did save a few peaches and blueberries back for fresh consumption.

I've made a blackberry/blueberry pie, but no peach pies, so far. Trying to get the proper amount of cornstarch into the mixture is the tough part. I like my pies juicy, but not liquid.

IO made a cherry/grape pie and the ration of 1 TB/cup of fruit was just right. On the blackberry/blueberry pie, the ration of 0.5 TB/cup of fruit was too little. I used the wrong measuring spoon. I'd guess that maybe 1.5TB/cup would have worked right.

We've tried HEB's brand of rolled up pie crusts for these recent pies. They pale in comparison to the Pillsbury ones. HEB's are much cheaper though and, in a pinch, they'll do.

Weekend update

Friday: aikido

Saturday:

Up bright and early to go pick blueberries north of town. I ended up carrying an 8 lb. bucket around my neck for most of the morning. Ouch. Then went a little further north to buy some peaches.

Aikido

Joe's for dinner.

Sunday:

Blueberry muffins for breakfast.

Was a complete bum for the rest of the day.

Did make a fresh cherry that evening. My first completely from scratch cherry pie.

Aikido Saturday Afternoon - 6/13/09

Aikidokas: Trey. Sensei Tim was in the dojo, but is not yet allowed on the mat

Ukemi: Full set, minus big falls.

The Walk: Not today.

Releases: Not today.

Techniques:

Sensei wanted us to spend some time working on stuff we need for our next demonstrations.

We worked on the 8 kneeling techniques of Koryu Dai San No Kata for me (Oshi-taoshi, Gyaku-gamae-ate, Kote-gaeshi, Ryote-mochi-sukui-nage, Tekai-kote-hineri, Shiho-nage, Gedan-ate, Hiji-kime).

Then we ran through: Kote-hineri, Kote-gaeshi, Tenkai Kote-hineri, Shihonage, and Mae-otoshi for Trey.

Shihonage went well. We worked on left side for the first time. A little brain burn, but no more than to be expected for the first time on that side.

Mae-otoshi was a lot better this week. No wonked elbows.

Aftermath: Tore up the skin of the top of my left big toe again with the kneeling techniques. It'll probably have to be taped for next week.

Aikido Friday Night - 6/12/09

Aikidokas: Trey, and Tom. Sensei Tim was in the dojo, but is not yet allowed on the mat.

Ukemi: Watched over Tom.

The Walk: We ran through it twice.

Releases: Round robin, sort of. I was uke for everyone and Tom was my uke.

Techniques:

We worked Tom over on Shomen-ate. He's starting to get the hang of it. We have to refresh the brain circuits a little each night right now, but that should clear up soon. We do a little "strike the dummy" drill and then move into the full technique.

Aftermath: None of note.

Weekend update

Friday: aikido

Saturday:

Spent some time working on the plumbing for the sump. Did some test fitting in the house and some PVC gluing.

Aikido

Picked up some glass for some stained glass panels to be sold at the silent auction of the approaching family reunion.

Visited a friend who had just given birth to a baby boy.

Dinner at Durango's

Sunday:

Filled up the sump with water and did some tests. Managed to get the skimmer loop plumbing running. I need to get a flow control valve for the circulation loop.

Watched the NBA Finals.

Aikido Saturday Afternoon - 6/06/09

Aikidokas: Trey. Sensei Tim was in the dojo, but is not yet allowed on the mat

Ukemi: Full set, minus big falls.

The Walk: Not today.

Releases: Not today.

Techniques:

Sensei wanted us to spend some time working on stuff we need for our next demonstrations.

So, we ran through: Shihonage, Mae-otoshi, Sumi-otoshi and Hiki-otoshi for Trey. We then did a little work on Kubi-guruma for me.

Shihonage went well.

Mae-otoshi went ok, except for the times the Trey dropped his non-working hand a little too low. That caused a little hyper-extension on my elbow.

Sumi-otoshi went well, Trey managed to get a couple of air falls out of me.

Hiki-otoshi went well considering that we were just walking through it to let him get a feel for it.

Kubi-guruma went ok after a little bit of refresher. Timing's got to be good.

Aftermath: None of note. Elbow is ok.

Aikido Friday Night - 6/05/09

Aikidokas: Trey, Brad, and Tom. Sensei Tim was in the dojo, but is not yet allowed on the mat

Ukemi: Watched over Brad and Tom.

The Walk: We ran through it twice. One rep I had them do it with their eyes closed while I wandered around counting just to throw them off.

Releases: with Brad.

Techniques:

We played with the ramifications of the releases if uke turns back into tori. What techniques pop up from those situations? What happens when uke turns one way as opposed to another?

One thing I noticed while working with Tom is how much information can be felt by uke if tori's arms are too high or too stiff.

Aftermath: None of note.

At the movies: Up

Up: 4

Loved the movie. It covered the emotional gamut from fear and sadness to love and joy, and did it well.

Go see it!

At the movies: Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire: 4

I enjoyed this movie quite a bit. I thought the actors did a great job. The story was told through a series of flashbacks. It was a little confusing at times, but it wasn't too bad.

The redemption of the brother seemed a little stretched to me from what we'd seen of him.

The call center scenes were pretty funny.

I'm not certain I'd want to watch it again, but that has more to not wanting to see the story again as opposed to it not being a well-done telling of the story.

Weekend update

Friday: Aikido. Very light as there were no other students :(

Saturday:

Cleaned up a bunch of storm debris. Some left over from Ike, but most from recent heavy rains. Mowed the lawn. Did not get allergy drops into my eyes quickly enough and the eyes were a problem all weekend long.

Moved the actual sump into the house. Still have to plumb it, etc.

Aikido

Went to see "Up" at the theatre and had some Marble Slab ice cream beforehand.

Sunday:

Lunch at the Spaghetti Warehouse before a matinee performance of "The Fiddler on the Roof", starring Topol as Tevye. Fabulous!

Made some Lemon Squares and did the initial steps for Sourdough starter.

Watched "Slumdog Millionaire" and did some CGI programming with K. for the library.

Aikido Saturday Afternoon - 5/30/09

Aikidokas: Tom. Sensei Tim was again on the sidelines, watching.

Ukemi: Watched over Tom.

The Walk: As usual.

Releases: with Tom.

Techniques:

I worked with Tom on Shomen-ate. We ran through right-sided a number of times, and the left-sided. We were then able to alternate right and left-sided in succession and he did quite well. This is usually something that takes folks a lot of mental processing to handle well.

Aftermath: None of note.

Aikido Friday Night - 5/29/09

Aikidokas: None. Sensei Tim was in the dojo, but is not yet allowed on the mat

Ukemi: None.

The Walk: I ran through it twice

Releases: None.

Techniques: None.

Aftermath: Sensei and I sat and talked with a friend who had just returned from an overseas trip during which he took in some Jyodo seminars.