One day I'll complete a painting in more then a few hours. I rush waayy too much.
Time
Men talk of killing time, while time quietly kills them. ~Dion Boucicault
Time goes, you say? Ah no!Alas, Time stays, we go.~Henry Austin Dobson
Who is this woman? She looks a lot like my mother... well she looks a lot like what my mother looked like when she was young, when she was a model.
This woman is perhaps still alive, perhaps a grandmother, perhaps with children who know of this image, perhaps not.
Do her grandchildren like this image? Are they embarassed by it? Would it be a scandal in the community if it were to be revealed at the local church bazaar?
Time! the corrector when our judgments err. ~Lord Byron
Time heals what reason cannot ~ Seneca
If so, in another 40 years that embarassment will be forgotten, that shame wiped clean by the death of all those who gave shame and all those who accepted it.
In the meantime we have this image, this pose, this lovely young girl and the shape of her limbs. It's not a great image, not one of the classics, but it is a photograph of a real person, who lived and, I hope, loved and led a full life doing what she wanted to do.
She met a photographer, perhaps he paid her, perhaps he was a boyfriend or a husband. She may have been shy and took her clothes off in another room, she may have been bold and left a pile consisting of a shirt, pants, socks and on top of it all, panties, perhaps red with a ribbon at the side.
Perhaps she was a student, making some money to pay for her education. A life model for the fine art department of the local college. Maybe she was a math major and went on to have a career as a teacher. This must have been before the internet because she wasn't fired for posing like this. Or at least I hope she was not.
Watches are so named as a reminder - if you don't watch carefully what you do with your time, it will slip away from you. ~Drew Sirtors
I often say that everyone should pose nude while they are young and fit. If they do not they will not have an image like this to share with the grandkids when their kids aren't looking... or just to pull out late at night and say "I used to look like that", then put it away again.
What stops people is shyness about their own bodies, fear of what their families will say, and most upsetting of all, worry that they will be denied a job or hindered somehow in their careers if someone sees the photos and recognizes them. Very rarely do I talk with a potential model who will not pose nude because he or she believes it is wrong, there is always an outside reason. What will other people say about me, about my body?
Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you. ~Carl Sandburg
I have some wood in my shop called bog oak. It fell into a bog about 5000 years ago and lay there getting blacker and blacker until someone hauled it out 5 years ago, dried it and cut it.
Think about that tree, it lived about the time that man invented writing. Cities were still a new idea. Think about the civilization that existed then, kings and judges, religions and gods, dead for thousands of years.
Think about a man sitting under that tree, worried about what the old women in the village would say about him and what he did the night before. What was it? Or perhaps he hadn't done it yet, perhaps he decided that the old women were too terrible to face and so he did what they wanted, and he lived the rest of his life in regret. Perhaps he became a rich man who died owning a lot of land. A rich man who did as he was supposed to do, but never got to do the thing he most wanted to do for fear he wouldn't have that money when he died.
How do you feel about that?
Pick my left pocket of its silver dime, but spare the right - it holds my golden time! ~Oliver Wendell Holmes
Read that quote again, more carefully this time. In the time it takes to make bog oak not only will you and I be forgotten, but our civilization will be at an end with perhaps three or four having come between. Mankind may not even be able to understand this writing... provided the computers it lives on replicate it for that many years. Hideously unlikely
Yet in 5000 years it is just possible that this photograph will still exist, and someone then will look at it and wonder, hope, that the girl had a good life.
Surely we can wish the same for ourselves and stop living for other people. Surely we can start living like we, and the old women in the village, will be forgotten dust in a thousand years.
November 11, 2009
I've posted military photos from my family before, so this year I decided to post an older picture of the Canadian War Memorial.The eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month.
They are not forgotten....
My Political views
Political quiz, my results.
I tried it before a few years ago and got a similar result. Thanks to CC for reminding me of it. http://canadaconservative.blogspot.com/
The folly of pretence, by Daniel Dennett
We must not preserve the myth of God – it was a useful crutch, but we've outgrown it As I explain in the chapter by that title in Breaking the Spell, "belief in belief" is a common phenomenon not restricted to religions. Economists realise that a sound currency depends on people believing that the currency is sound, and scientists recognise that the actual objectivity of scientific studies on global warming is politically impotent unless people believe in that objectivity, so economists and scientists (among others) take steps to foster and protect such beliefs that they think are benign. That's acting on belief in belief.
Sometimes the maintenance of a belief is deemed so important that impressive systems of propaganda are erected and vigorously defended by people who do not in fact share the belief that they think is so important for society to endorse. For instance, imbecile monarchs have been kept on their thrones by widespread conspiracies of oblivion and deception when it has been deemed too socially disruptive to confirm to the populace what everybody suspects: the king is an idiot.
Religion offers an extreme case of this. Today one of the most insistent forces arrayed in opposition to us vocal atheists is the "I'm an atheist but" crowd, who publicly deplore our "hostility", our "rudeness" (which is actually just candour), while privately admitting that we're right. They don't themselves believe in God, but they certainly do believe in belief in God. It's not always easy to tell who just believes in belief, since the actions motivated by believing in belief (while not actually believing in God) are – with the exception of those rare sotto voce confessions – well-nigh indistinguishable from the actions of genuine believers: say the prayers, sing the hymns, tithe, proclaim one's allegiance, volunteer for church projects, and so on. Sometimes I wonder if even 10% of the people who proclaim their belief in God actually do believe in God. I am particularly unimpressed by those who proclaim the loudest; they demonstrate by their very activism that they fear the effect of any erosion of religion, and they must think that erosion is likely if they don't put their shoulders to the wheel. If they were more confident and secure in their religious convictions, they probably wouldn't waste their time trying to discredit a few atheists. For instance, since they are confident that the moon landings really happened, they don't bother working to discredit the moon-landing sceptics who lurk on the internet, even though those people do pose something of a threat to public confidence in the veracity of the media and the government.
I am confident that those who believe in belief are wrong. That is, we no more need to preserve the myth of God in order to preserve a just and stable society than we needed to cling to the Gold Standard to keep our currency sound. It was a useful crutch, but we've outgrown it. Denmark, according to a recent study, is the sanest, healthiest, happiest, most crime-free nation in the world, and by and large the Danes simply ignore the God issue. We should certainly hope that those who believe in belief are wrong, because belief is waning fast, and the props are beginning to buckle.
A national study by evangelicals in the United States predicted that only 4% of their children would grow up to be "Bible-believing" adults. The Southern Baptists are baptising about as many today as they were in 1950, when the population was half what it is today. At what point should those who just believe in belief throw in the towel and stop trying to get their children and neighbours to cling to what they themselves no longer need? How about now?
Sometimes the maintenance of a belief is deemed so important that impressive systems of propaganda are erected and vigorously defended by people who do not in fact share the belief that they think is so important for society to endorse. For instance, imbecile monarchs have been kept on their thrones by widespread conspiracies of oblivion and deception when it has been deemed too socially disruptive to confirm to the populace what everybody suspects: the king is an idiot.
Religion offers an extreme case of this. Today one of the most insistent forces arrayed in opposition to us vocal atheists is the "I'm an atheist but" crowd, who publicly deplore our "hostility", our "rudeness" (which is actually just candour), while privately admitting that we're right. They don't themselves believe in God, but they certainly do believe in belief in God. It's not always easy to tell who just believes in belief, since the actions motivated by believing in belief (while not actually believing in God) are – with the exception of those rare sotto voce confessions – well-nigh indistinguishable from the actions of genuine believers: say the prayers, sing the hymns, tithe, proclaim one's allegiance, volunteer for church projects, and so on. Sometimes I wonder if even 10% of the people who proclaim their belief in God actually do believe in God. I am particularly unimpressed by those who proclaim the loudest; they demonstrate by their very activism that they fear the effect of any erosion of religion, and they must think that erosion is likely if they don't put their shoulders to the wheel. If they were more confident and secure in their religious convictions, they probably wouldn't waste their time trying to discredit a few atheists. For instance, since they are confident that the moon landings really happened, they don't bother working to discredit the moon-landing sceptics who lurk on the internet, even though those people do pose something of a threat to public confidence in the veracity of the media and the government.
I am confident that those who believe in belief are wrong. That is, we no more need to preserve the myth of God in order to preserve a just and stable society than we needed to cling to the Gold Standard to keep our currency sound. It was a useful crutch, but we've outgrown it. Denmark, according to a recent study, is the sanest, healthiest, happiest, most crime-free nation in the world, and by and large the Danes simply ignore the God issue. We should certainly hope that those who believe in belief are wrong, because belief is waning fast, and the props are beginning to buckle.
A national study by evangelicals in the United States predicted that only 4% of their children would grow up to be "Bible-believing" adults. The Southern Baptists are baptising about as many today as they were in 1950, when the population was half what it is today. At what point should those who just believe in belief throw in the towel and stop trying to get their children and neighbours to cling to what they themselves no longer need? How about now?
Recession and the US $
I wrote this for something else, but I thought I'd put it up here too.
It’ll go on for a while. No other country has the financial clout yet to take over. They talked about the Yen in the 80’s, and the Euro more recently, but it never happened. The new currency will need political stability, a strong middle class, and lots of foreign investment around the world; again, no one is there yet.
Once the US recovers, seriously recovers and starts cutting spending, increasing taxes, and having surpluses, you will see inflation go up considerably, with the intent of paying off a chuck of the debt with high inflation dollars.
We, the west, US, Europe, Canada, Japan and some others need high paying jobs in bother the service and manufacturing sectors, otherwise we will be debt financing for many more years. We need to create wealth, not borrow it.
It’ll go on for a while. No other country has the financial clout yet to take over. They talked about the Yen in the 80’s, and the Euro more recently, but it never happened. The new currency will need political stability, a strong middle class, and lots of foreign investment around the world; again, no one is there yet.
Once the US recovers, seriously recovers and starts cutting spending, increasing taxes, and having surpluses, you will see inflation go up considerably, with the intent of paying off a chuck of the debt with high inflation dollars.
We, the west, US, Europe, Canada, Japan and some others need high paying jobs in bother the service and manufacturing sectors, otherwise we will be debt financing for many more years. We need to create wealth, not borrow it.
Video of Girl being flogged
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/apr/02/taliban-pakistan-justice-women-flogging
Imagine walking down the street with a male, who is not a relative, and being punished this way for it. Barbaric.
Imagine walking down the street with a male, who is not a relative, and being punished this way for it. Barbaric.
Liz May
Liz May to run in Guelph?
At first I though the papers were kidding, then I read the articles.
So much for representative democracy, out the window it goes.
Maybe I’m old fashioned, but I kinda like the thought of my MP living, working and being a part of my community. Liz moving here to run, would only be politically expedient.
Guelph should not just be an opportune place for Liz to get into Parliament. Guelph should not be whored out and used just so Liz can get to the national stage.
At first I though the papers were kidding, then I read the articles.
So much for representative democracy, out the window it goes.
Maybe I’m old fashioned, but I kinda like the thought of my MP living, working and being a part of my community. Liz moving here to run, would only be politically expedient.
Guelph should not just be an opportune place for Liz to get into Parliament. Guelph should not be whored out and used just so Liz can get to the national stage.
Christopher Hitchens
Seen Christopher Hitchens speak at the Royal Ontario museum Tuesday night. Great speaker, enjoyed the evening very much.
Kim Taylor while in Japan
One of Guelph's best kept little secrets is Kim Taylor and the Sei Do Kai of Guelph. http://www.uoguelph.ca/~iaido/
Kim is a 7th Dan in iaido and a 5th Dan in Jodo. One of only three iaido 7th's in Canada, and the only jodo 5th in Canada.
It amazes me that people in Guelph and the surrounding area's don't take advantage of this man and seek him out to train with.
This weekend in Guelph
Hey if you're in Guelph this weekend and not doing anything or are interested in the Japanese sword arts, pop over to the AC at the University and give it a try, or just watch.
http://www.uoguelph.ca/~iaido/iai.seminar.html
http://www.uoguelph.ca/~iaido/iai.seminar.html
Time for change.
Firstly let me say, I love Stephen Harper, in a completely platonic way :o)
I think of the PM as I do Preston Manning, initially a little taken back and unsure of them, kind of a wait and see attitude, Now? I love them both.
I have some significant differences with their politics, but I’ve supported them, defended them, and in the case of the PM I've worked my ass off for him. If you’ve read my comments or articles, it’s about loyalty; it’s about circling the wagons and supporting the leader and the party regardless. I know people who have similar beliefs to me abandon the party because of differences with the PM, not me I stayed and tried to make it better from the inside.
I believe you should support the Leader and the party even if you have serious issue differences, because it is about the end game. It is about the long term view of things, getting most of our policies implemented over the years to come. Changing the country for the better. Party unity.
That being said, I don’t see the PM or the Party winning a majority anytime soon. Yes I know Doug and the girls/boys know their stuff and will pull out all the stops to make it happen. We tell people not to vote LPC/Green/NDP, but why vote for us? Are we really that stale as a party we don’t have any really “cool” ideas/policies? Do we have to keep bashing the LPC for points? I want people to vote for us because of us, not in spite of the LPC. I know its about timing, you don't let everything out know for an election 12 months from now.
Maybe, just maybe, we need some serious soul searching in Ottawa, within the party and caucus to make some changes, in 39 months we are still no closer to majority territory, time to take a close look as to why not.
I think of the PM as I do Preston Manning, initially a little taken back and unsure of them, kind of a wait and see attitude, Now? I love them both.
I have some significant differences with their politics, but I’ve supported them, defended them, and in the case of the PM I've worked my ass off for him. If you’ve read my comments or articles, it’s about loyalty; it’s about circling the wagons and supporting the leader and the party regardless. I know people who have similar beliefs to me abandon the party because of differences with the PM, not me I stayed and tried to make it better from the inside.
I believe you should support the Leader and the party even if you have serious issue differences, because it is about the end game. It is about the long term view of things, getting most of our policies implemented over the years to come. Changing the country for the better. Party unity.
That being said, I don’t see the PM or the Party winning a majority anytime soon. Yes I know Doug and the girls/boys know their stuff and will pull out all the stops to make it happen. We tell people not to vote LPC/Green/NDP, but why vote for us? Are we really that stale as a party we don’t have any really “cool” ideas/policies? Do we have to keep bashing the LPC for points? I want people to vote for us because of us, not in spite of the LPC. I know its about timing, you don't let everything out know for an election 12 months from now.
Maybe, just maybe, we need some serious soul searching in Ottawa, within the party and caucus to make some changes, in 39 months we are still no closer to majority territory, time to take a close look as to why not.
Principles of being a Conservative
I’ve had some thoughts on what is or isn’t a Conservative. What can you strip away or add and still be considered a core belief in the movement. Many people believe that if you believe in X, Y or Z you can’t be a true Conservative, to an extent that is true. However I believe that the vast majority of Canadians are middle of the road people, me included.
Below are the 10 core principles of what I consider to be Conservative beliefs. Yes I know, there is more to everything then the few words I’m listing, there are many buts, and what if’s. These core principle though, its the implementation and the meanings that cause us all grief.
1. Lower taxes.
2. Less government.
3. Free market.
4. Strong military.
5. Universal health care.
6. Universal education.
7. Effective social programs.
8. Tough on crime.
9. Free speech.
10. Freedom of religion/freedom from religion.
These are the principles that should unify us, not divide us.
Below are the 10 core principles of what I consider to be Conservative beliefs. Yes I know, there is more to everything then the few words I’m listing, there are many buts, and what if’s. These core principle though, its the implementation and the meanings that cause us all grief.
1. Lower taxes.
2. Less government.
3. Free market.
4. Strong military.
5. Universal health care.
6. Universal education.
7. Effective social programs.
8. Tough on crime.
9. Free speech.
10. Freedom of religion/freedom from religion.
These are the principles that should unify us, not divide us.
Rant
I’ve taken a sabbatical this past year from all things political, and it’s been hard. When you read something, hear someone speak, or watch someone on TV say inaccurate or plain stupid comments it’s hard not to pounce on them.
It was very difficult to sit out this last Federal election, but sometimes we need to sit back and regain our perspective on life. It was time to do so. I watched many good friends working their collective asses off, while I did little. It made me feel somewhat guilty, but again, it was past due for some time for me.
The past year given me a newer perspective on a few things political. Hence a bit of a rant.
1. I don’t think we, (The Conservative parties) give the volunteers their due and I’m probably as guilty as the next person in that regard. The vast majority of folks working for the parties are there of their own free will, and are not paid. We need to appreciate them more. Not just the once a year folks but those who sit on the executives and take the daily crap on the local level.
2. We do a terrible job with our public image. The LPC, the NDP and the BQ control the media stories. We have problems getting our messaging out. I don’t understand why. We have so many talented people in the parties, we should be dominating the media. We have years of leftist propaganda to fight.
3. Conservative supporters are very principled. They may agree with you on 190 out of 200 policy issues, but will walk away from you on the differences from the remaining 10. They may be principled, but many are not loyal. The other parties tend to keep their supporters regardless of the issues, they circle the wagons and fight the common foe.
4. The vast majority of Conservative members are middle of the road people. Somewhat left/somewhat right in their beliefs. Getting back to number 2 and 3, that’s why the media focuses on the minority religious right, they scare away the soft middle support. In my last executive, perhaps 4 out of 30 were serious about religion, ask the common folks their opinion, and we where all zealots about to make Canada a Theocracy.
5. It’s not about policy, it’s about getting elected. It’s not about getting elected, it’s about policy.
6. No, It’s about Canada. Period.
7. Do what you think is right, regardless of the consequences. Sometimes you have to break some eggs to make a cake.
8. Always tell the truth.
9. There is way too much deadwood in the party. We all know the folks who talk big and never quite do anything. These are the same ones who only come out to be delegates or candidates and do little else. They refuse to get their hands dirty with the actual running of the party. They like to have their photo’s taken with cabinet Ministers and MP’s, but God forbid they should man a table, make phone calls or organize events. But…..the parties are made up of volunteers, so what are you going to do?
It was very difficult to sit out this last Federal election, but sometimes we need to sit back and regain our perspective on life. It was time to do so. I watched many good friends working their collective asses off, while I did little. It made me feel somewhat guilty, but again, it was past due for some time for me.
The past year given me a newer perspective on a few things political. Hence a bit of a rant.
1. I don’t think we, (The Conservative parties) give the volunteers their due and I’m probably as guilty as the next person in that regard. The vast majority of folks working for the parties are there of their own free will, and are not paid. We need to appreciate them more. Not just the once a year folks but those who sit on the executives and take the daily crap on the local level.
2. We do a terrible job with our public image. The LPC, the NDP and the BQ control the media stories. We have problems getting our messaging out. I don’t understand why. We have so many talented people in the parties, we should be dominating the media. We have years of leftist propaganda to fight.
3. Conservative supporters are very principled. They may agree with you on 190 out of 200 policy issues, but will walk away from you on the differences from the remaining 10. They may be principled, but many are not loyal. The other parties tend to keep their supporters regardless of the issues, they circle the wagons and fight the common foe.
4. The vast majority of Conservative members are middle of the road people. Somewhat left/somewhat right in their beliefs. Getting back to number 2 and 3, that’s why the media focuses on the minority religious right, they scare away the soft middle support. In my last executive, perhaps 4 out of 30 were serious about religion, ask the common folks their opinion, and we where all zealots about to make Canada a Theocracy.
5. It’s not about policy, it’s about getting elected. It’s not about getting elected, it’s about policy.
6. No, It’s about Canada. Period.
7. Do what you think is right, regardless of the consequences. Sometimes you have to break some eggs to make a cake.
8. Always tell the truth.
9. There is way too much deadwood in the party. We all know the folks who talk big and never quite do anything. These are the same ones who only come out to be delegates or candidates and do little else. They refuse to get their hands dirty with the actual running of the party. They like to have their photo’s taken with cabinet Ministers and MP’s, but God forbid they should man a table, make phone calls or organize events. But…..the parties are made up of volunteers, so what are you going to do?
It's about good jobs!!
I love hearing all the economists and politicians talking about coming out of this recession this quarter or next quarter, or next year. But when really? They all have zero clue as to how long it will last.
I still hold the same opinion as before; this is going to be a long one. Kinda like what Japan has been going through these last two decades.
The high paying manufacturing jobs are gone. Period. They’re not coming back anytime soon, our cost of doing business is too high. Wages, taxes, health care, etc. etc. any business worth its salt is going overseas because it’s cheaper and easier to produce their products.
The jobs started leaving during the recession in the early 1990’s, coincidentally the same time credit started to become easier. You see while people didn’t have the high paying jobs they once did, they still wanted to live the same way, hence credit, and more credit. Governments did the same thing, Reagan and Bush Sr., cut taxes and started debt spending like crazy. In Canada Mulroney realized that we were becoming a service economy and brought in the GST, resulting in a win fall for Jean Chretien. Hell it could have been an NDP government in, and they would have seen a win fall.
Business, specifically car companies talk of freeing up credit, that’s not what we need. What we need are good high paying jobs. What good is credit, if you can’t pay it down?? People making $14 an hour can’t have a house, a car, electronics and vacations somewhere warm, except on extreme credit. Credit that can never be paid down. So unless we really fix the problem of not having good paying jobs we are going to limp along living on new credit, until the bill comes due again.
I don’t have the solution, but I do know that huge government debt spending is not going to solve the problem in the long run. Good paying jobs are what we need.
I still hold the same opinion as before; this is going to be a long one. Kinda like what Japan has been going through these last two decades.
The high paying manufacturing jobs are gone. Period. They’re not coming back anytime soon, our cost of doing business is too high. Wages, taxes, health care, etc. etc. any business worth its salt is going overseas because it’s cheaper and easier to produce their products.
The jobs started leaving during the recession in the early 1990’s, coincidentally the same time credit started to become easier. You see while people didn’t have the high paying jobs they once did, they still wanted to live the same way, hence credit, and more credit. Governments did the same thing, Reagan and Bush Sr., cut taxes and started debt spending like crazy. In Canada Mulroney realized that we were becoming a service economy and brought in the GST, resulting in a win fall for Jean Chretien. Hell it could have been an NDP government in, and they would have seen a win fall.
Business, specifically car companies talk of freeing up credit, that’s not what we need. What we need are good high paying jobs. What good is credit, if you can’t pay it down?? People making $14 an hour can’t have a house, a car, electronics and vacations somewhere warm, except on extreme credit. Credit that can never be paid down. So unless we really fix the problem of not having good paying jobs we are going to limp along living on new credit, until the bill comes due again.
I don’t have the solution, but I do know that huge government debt spending is not going to solve the problem in the long run. Good paying jobs are what we need.
Dead like me
One of my all time favorite TV shows is “Dead Like Me”, it lasted on Showcase for two seasons. A dark comedy with exceptional writing and acting.
http://www.deadlikeme.tv/
Sadly the show never had a third season.
Recently however they have just released to DVD a movie of DLM. If I recall correctly it was made two years ago, why they waited till now to release it, I don’t know. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1079444/
I just finished watching it…I miss Mandy Patinkin as Rube, and Laura Harris as Daisy, but what are you going to do? IMHO The movie started off not so well…..then about halfway through became the DLM I know and love.
Hopefully they’ll give the show another shot on Showcase, but it’s been gone for more than a few years now, so I’m not holding my breath.
If you have yet to watch the show, give it a chance.
http://www.deadlikeme.tv/
Sadly the show never had a third season.
Recently however they have just released to DVD a movie of DLM. If I recall correctly it was made two years ago, why they waited till now to release it, I don’t know. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1079444/
I just finished watching it…I miss Mandy Patinkin as Rube, and Laura Harris as Daisy, but what are you going to do? IMHO The movie started off not so well…..then about halfway through became the DLM I know and love.
Hopefully they’ll give the show another shot on Showcase, but it’s been gone for more than a few years now, so I’m not holding my breath.
If you have yet to watch the show, give it a chance.
Ten Years
Ten Years
http://ejmas.com/pt/2009pt/ptart_morgan_0902.html
http://www.uoguelph.ca/~iaido/
I realized recently that come this June I’ll have been practicing Iaido and Jodo for ten years. And I still feel like I still have little to no clue as to what I’m doing.
I’m still a student, more then happy to let Sensei run his class as he see’s fit. There will be no Coup, no matter how many times he asks me to overthrow him.
If I were somewhere else in the country or the world, I’d probably be teaching at my own club, but this is Guelph, hence there is no need. Established Clubs need their senior students to teach the newbie’s all the little things Sensei forgets. We’re the Sergeants, Lieutenants and Captain’s of the dojos. Let Sensei deal with the National organization, and the stuff between clubs, we’ll handle the mundane internal club stuff that needs to get done.
Aside from that, I have learned a few other things from iaido and jodo I could never have learned elsewhere.
1. Those of us who have hung around any length of time have the same souls. We all tend to have similar interests outside of the dojo, and as such, can form quite a cohesive unit. You can meet anyone, from any dojo and odds are very good that they will be “good people”. This is one of those places where you meet life-long friends, they gravite here. The people that leave shortly after joining, would never have fit in anyway.
2. Practice, practice, practice.
3. Trust what your body tells you. If you are unsure as to “what’s next” in a kata you haven’t done in a while, trust your body to remember. What it is telling you in all things, is quite probably correct. Sadly we let our minds frequently overrule our bodies.
4. The level of ones character can be measured directly by the perseverance applied.
5. You will never be able to do any kata perfectly. Just like Sisyphus and his rock, you just have to keep going. There is no end to it.
6. Technique is more important then strength.
7. Awareness of your surroundings.
8. Iaido is really boring.
9. If you’re doing it correctly, Iaido and jodo is exhausting. I’m by no means in perfect shape, but I can still run 5k without too much difficultly, I can bench press 300+, squat 400+, I’ve done weight training for 32 years, I’ve competed in bodybuilding shows, I’ve run upwards of 80km a week, I know nutritionally what my body needs to function at peak performance, and iaido and jodo can still drop me on my ass. Sometimes 20 minutes into a two hour practice and I’m looking at the clock. Anyone can go though the motions, anyone can memorize the dance steps, but to actually attempt the kata with the correct physical and mental intensity, that can drop you. That took me years to understand.
10. Practice, practice, practice.
http://ejmas.com/pt/2009pt/ptart_morgan_0902.html
http://www.uoguelph.ca/~iaido/
I realized recently that come this June I’ll have been practicing Iaido and Jodo for ten years. And I still feel like I still have little to no clue as to what I’m doing.
I’m still a student, more then happy to let Sensei run his class as he see’s fit. There will be no Coup, no matter how many times he asks me to overthrow him.
If I were somewhere else in the country or the world, I’d probably be teaching at my own club, but this is Guelph, hence there is no need. Established Clubs need their senior students to teach the newbie’s all the little things Sensei forgets. We’re the Sergeants, Lieutenants and Captain’s of the dojos. Let Sensei deal with the National organization, and the stuff between clubs, we’ll handle the mundane internal club stuff that needs to get done.
Aside from that, I have learned a few other things from iaido and jodo I could never have learned elsewhere.
1. Those of us who have hung around any length of time have the same souls. We all tend to have similar interests outside of the dojo, and as such, can form quite a cohesive unit. You can meet anyone, from any dojo and odds are very good that they will be “good people”. This is one of those places where you meet life-long friends, they gravite here. The people that leave shortly after joining, would never have fit in anyway.
2. Practice, practice, practice.
3. Trust what your body tells you. If you are unsure as to “what’s next” in a kata you haven’t done in a while, trust your body to remember. What it is telling you in all things, is quite probably correct. Sadly we let our minds frequently overrule our bodies.
4. The level of ones character can be measured directly by the perseverance applied.
5. You will never be able to do any kata perfectly. Just like Sisyphus and his rock, you just have to keep going. There is no end to it.
6. Technique is more important then strength.
7. Awareness of your surroundings.
8. Iaido is really boring.
9. If you’re doing it correctly, Iaido and jodo is exhausting. I’m by no means in perfect shape, but I can still run 5k without too much difficultly, I can bench press 300+, squat 400+, I’ve done weight training for 32 years, I’ve competed in bodybuilding shows, I’ve run upwards of 80km a week, I know nutritionally what my body needs to function at peak performance, and iaido and jodo can still drop me on my ass. Sometimes 20 minutes into a two hour practice and I’m looking at the clock. Anyone can go though the motions, anyone can memorize the dance steps, but to actually attempt the kata with the correct physical and mental intensity, that can drop you. That took me years to understand.
10. Practice, practice, practice.
Sir John Dinner
http://www.guelphcp.ca/
Sir John A. Macdonald’s Birthday Celebration
Friday, January 30, 2009 Guelph Place Banquet Hall492 Michener Road Guelph
The evening of Friday January 30th is rapidly approaching, so plan on booking your tickets or table for Guelph’s annual Sir John A Dinner now! We’re offering a special rate for this year, just $40 for members ($60 for non-members) for this great event! It’s going to be an exciting week in Canadian politics, certainly one for the history books. So plan on closing off the week of January 30th with fellow Conservatives right here in Guelph over dinner and a thought provoking speaker!For this year’s Sir John A MacDonald dinner, we’re pleased to announce that our speaker will be CFBR Bill Carroll! Known for his no nonsense speaking and interview style, Bill Carroll is one of the best known radio personalities in the GTA. He’s sure to have something interesting to say about the week’s events!
To reserve your tickets, please call Shaylene at 519.822.1337. If you have any questions regarding the event, please feel free to e-mail, to membership@guelphcp.ca. Please also feel free to let fellow Conservative supporters in and around town about this great event!
We look forward to seeing you there!
Sir John A. Macdonald’s Birthday Celebration
Friday, January 30, 2009 Guelph Place Banquet Hall492 Michener Road Guelph
The evening of Friday January 30th is rapidly approaching, so plan on booking your tickets or table for Guelph’s annual Sir John A Dinner now! We’re offering a special rate for this year, just $40 for members ($60 for non-members) for this great event! It’s going to be an exciting week in Canadian politics, certainly one for the history books. So plan on closing off the week of January 30th with fellow Conservatives right here in Guelph over dinner and a thought provoking speaker!For this year’s Sir John A MacDonald dinner, we’re pleased to announce that our speaker will be CFBR Bill Carroll! Known for his no nonsense speaking and interview style, Bill Carroll is one of the best known radio personalities in the GTA. He’s sure to have something interesting to say about the week’s events!
To reserve your tickets, please call Shaylene at 519.822.1337. If you have any questions regarding the event, please feel free to e-mail, to membership@guelphcp.ca. Please also feel free to let fellow Conservative supporters in and around town about this great event!
We look forward to seeing you there!
The new Great Depression
I’ve been thinking recently on the recession we are in and its lasting consequences on Canada.
This is/will be unlike another down turn we’ve ever experienced.
This is the continued deindustrialization of Canada; it is a trend that we will not be coming back from, ever.
All the job loses we are experiencing will stay gone; the manufacturers who have gone to the States, to Mexico, to Brazil, to China or to India are never coming back. Companies are not going to close a plant in China and move production to Canada. Sorry, but it’s just not going to happen.
We are in a situation where any stimulus package will do little to heal our economy. We are treating the symptoms and not the disease. If we do not change the path we are heading down, Canada will be essentially a third world country in the near future. I’m not being overly dramatic.
We are basically irrelevant to the world economy, we are just so small in scale. Many developing countries are blowing right by us in all economic scales.
We need to be more productive, more efficient, create R & D and be willing to take risks, and we are doing none of the above right now.
Welcome to a new great depression.
This is/will be unlike another down turn we’ve ever experienced.
This is the continued deindustrialization of Canada; it is a trend that we will not be coming back from, ever.
All the job loses we are experiencing will stay gone; the manufacturers who have gone to the States, to Mexico, to Brazil, to China or to India are never coming back. Companies are not going to close a plant in China and move production to Canada. Sorry, but it’s just not going to happen.
We are in a situation where any stimulus package will do little to heal our economy. We are treating the symptoms and not the disease. If we do not change the path we are heading down, Canada will be essentially a third world country in the near future. I’m not being overly dramatic.
We are basically irrelevant to the world economy, we are just so small in scale. Many developing countries are blowing right by us in all economic scales.
We need to be more productive, more efficient, create R & D and be willing to take risks, and we are doing none of the above right now.
Welcome to a new great depression.
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