Date: Tue, 9 Nov 1999 23:15:43 -0800
From: mle
Subject: Yet Another Review (looong)
Last year we essentially mixed oil and water and got gold.
This year we were calmer and more confident, and struck gold again.
It wasn't as wild, no, but it was calmer, clearer, and surer in its
stride.
Last year I went in wondering if we would have to call the
police (they showed up anyway ;) this year I went relishing the
thought of seeing old friends and meeting "new" ones.
My trip into Merrifield was fairly uneventful, I'll be babbling
about the fall colors for a long time. Wow. Ya'll are
spoiled.
The first person I met was my roommate, Alice! she was so
patient with my scatterbrained ways, as was Monica. They both
had to ride herd on me all weekend, and they were wonderfully
sweet about it. Our room was a quiet refuge, full of
interesting conversation and consideration. Thank you both!
Monica, e me your snail address and I will send you your
sweater.
In addition to new faces, it is interesting to note changes to
faces I have seen before -- not to mention hair!
Jun and Kjartan have somehow managed to bridge a geographical
gap and get the same hairstylist as Dave L....
I was introduced to Gordon Wormser, and I will never need to see
New York. I've met him. (great taste in music! "smooth" was on
another tape, doh!)
Friday I almost expended all the energy I had left after driving
the Beltway on the mat at VKS, but I got to "dance" with Carol
Schifflett, who is every bit as adorable and organized as she
sounds. Plus she does a great parrot impression ;).
Before I wilted, George came over to help me figure something
out and told me to put my hands on his shoulders
as he did a technique.
Think what moves your shoulders.
Delts, traps, right?
George doesn't use his. I can't explain what he does use, I flet
the smaller muscle groups moving, but not the big powerhouse
on top of the bones.
I was also thrown by a man who had no arms.
Ver' cool.
Then we had dinner at some chinese place with ambitions of being
a Thai place, sheesh that food was hot! good, but hot!!
Got to meet lots of neat folks, including the Boylan boys
whom I thought were related. (They aren't, as far as they know)
As for Peter Boylan, Budo Bum my foot, he's a Budo MANIAC. With
a very bad koryu problem. As treatment I suggest that I train
with him as often as possible and discuss these problems at
length. ;-D
Jeff Boylan gets the dual awards for Most Committed Uke and Darn
I Wish _I_ had Hair Like That! (he has this wavy honey-blonde
mane I would have to pay a lot of money for)
Saturday morning:
I had problems with the shihonage George was teaching, it was
Ever So Slightly Off of Seidokan. It was like saying gniess when
you meant to say nice.
I KNOW it's supposed to be effortless... and it must be some
tribute to duality that we try so hard for so little...
I very much liked what he put up at kamiza for us to bow
towards.
It was a picture of hands in gi sleeves reaching, touching,
making connection... the caption was about reconciling the
world.
Philip's class gave me Nishio flashbacks, and I was grateful
that I had trained in that very technical style or I would have
been lost. Actually I think it was Eric T who carefully directed
me through the first part of the Yoshinkan Primer. Scott gave
his very best impression of a pretzel in the dryer as Philip's
main throw-toy. I wouldn't have wanted to take that kind of
ukemi, unversed in that accent.
Alan polished us off nicely with all that randori, gosh it
looked like fun. Alan is not nearly as technical teaching as he
is on the Net, oddly. I wore myself out frolicking with Alexei,
we had big fun doing the shihonage handtohand blending exercise.
Same with Anita, she gave me some rather omigod moments with
shihonage, and some great coaching.
My headache chose that time to peak, and I sat and chatted
about the randoris going on with Scott who was rather tired
after spending an hour and a half under rather more than the
usual amount of gravity.....
I don't remember much but managed to get to dinner, then back to
the hotel, not really feeling back to normal until the party
started to get rolling in the James room. Then cg and Scott
doubleteamed me with that most excellent Scotch... I was toasted
enough to not be able to override my usual reaction to chokes
(biting) when Peter Boylan decided to explain something and use
me. I'm just disappointed not to get to learn something, ya
know?
Had some really keep-you-up-all-night conversation that night.
So many times it's the words off the mat that come from the
truth revealed on the mat that creates the medium for the growth
needed.
thanks.
I drank tons of water that night to ward off hangovers and
managed to get into Jim's class in time to be completely baffled
by.... well... there were these three creatures all claiming to
be Jim Baker... one of them taught the class.... and wins my
personal award for Most Internal Aikikai Aikido.
I, too, felt where and what he was moving - shoulders tickled!
I felt every vertebra move AS HE MOVED THEM! .
Could I do this to MY uke?
Ha.
Then there was that mysterious non-torque nikyo.
Near as I can explain, there was some kind of aiki butler's
helper applied to my arm bones, transmitted to my spine and then
it was time to sit, but my WRIST never hurt.
It was mostly better by then, but I was still wary of it.
I do gauge my progress by what I can SEE, as Andrea has
remarked, and the more I can see... the better the teachers get.
Cool, huh? ;-)
What did Paul call Chuck G? the Lord of Exquisite Pain?
No, nothing about what cg did was HARD, it was all aiki, just in
directions most bones and connectives object to in no uncertain
terms. I really enjoyed that iriminage, that was soft, if in a
different ellipse than I am used to.
I really liked the sword kata, too, I liked how it changed
direction economically and taught several different draws and
cuts. It had an interesting impact on my breathing, it
encouraged good breathing by its pattern of cuts. Scott (aka Mr
Throw Toy and super-nice person) helped me through it for a
while, then I joined Tim and Joel though they were on a
different part.
Then we finally got to the business of (1) Peter teaching me
proper notto and (2) BAMBOO SALAD!!
I got footwork pointers from him, too, once he saw me cutting.
Actually got in a kiriage, inspired by Peter's skills,
after an intitial failure involving flying bamboo.... =o/
Maria, I'm sorry about your bamboo laceration, usually we
do this on grass and skidding isn't an issue. Hope it heals
fast!
No one was cut with anything METAL involving swords.
Whew.
I was glad to see how many folks wanted to try cutting, it
really adds another dimension to your kata, doesn't it.
I got to have many post seminar adventures and see lots of
people lots more, which made me very happy.
These connections we make, sometimes so close like we move with
one spirit, this is what it's about for me... as well as
getting effortlessly bounced into koshi by Beate, meeting my
email buddy Margo (I didn't see *any* pansies...) trying to lock
up a tired Wendy with Chuck's, uh, chukyo... Italian recipes
with Maria, lemurs and squid with Jun, volcanic metamorphosis
with Kjartan, trying to figure out what the hell Jim and Gordon
W are on about _now_, fending off would-be squeekers,
and generally enjoying truly sterling company all weekend.
It was a great privilege to be involved.
And I seem to have added to my art collection in my "yudansha
book"!!
:-)
I know I forgot stuff, it's ungodly late and I have a late
flight tomorrow, but that's what there is for now.
aloha,
mle
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