Weekend update - Alabama Seminar

Took a weekend and flew to Alabama for an ATAA seminar.

K. dropped me off at the airport.  I had some issues with the metal detectors, but the TSA foud a knife I thought I'd lost.  I had enough time to go back and check a ppiece of luggage so I did not end up losing the knife I thought I'd lost.

Got to Birmingham with no real issues, picked up a rental, and drove to Bessemer and to the hotel.  When I pulled into the parking lot, my first reaction was "What a dump".  My second reaction was "What a dump".  My third was "They've got no power".  I ended up staying there, but wrote a lengthy note to the national office to let them know how horrible it was.

We had aikido sessions on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  I got to work with J. W. Bode and Mike Whitlock.  These two have promotion certificates signed by Tomiki.  I don't know if they got to lay hands on the man himself, but it's still cool.  We worked on hand randori and they showed me issues I had and made suggestions.

I got to work with a couple of folks on O Waza Ju Pon, before they included those techniques in their demonstration for Shodan.  I also got to help Kegan work on Koryu Dai San for a bit.  Cool stuff.

The flight back was unnoticeable.