THE VOID

It's cold and damp and dark in the backyard dojo. My sprained finger hurts. My thighs ache from warmup exercises at yesterday's karate class. I'm tired. They are all excuses. Self-imposed limitations.

And 舌 beckons. So I set up the mat. We work together. Train. Turn off all of the things that oppose us and strike out at the void.

CITY of DESTINY CLASSIC

We visited the City of Destiny Classic, which bills itself as the "Northwest's Premier Martial Arts Championships." It's an "open" tournament, so in addition to various schools and styles of karate, there were also competitors in kung fu, wushu, taekwondo, kenpo, and other martial arts. They competed in categories of kata (forms), kumite (sparring), kobudo (weapons), and Kyokushin sparring (full contact).

We were there not to compete but to watch others from our karate dojo.

My favorite thing to witness was what is pictured in this photo. It is of a fairly new yellow belt in our dojo score a point in kumite against his opponent. The other sensei called a timeout to confer with his student because neither could believe a yellow belt just scored a point in such manner. (It was a beautiful strike.) And I caught the action!

GYU DON

The Wife and I had a lunch date. We both decided that Tokyo-ya, one of our favorite ramen places would be where it occurred. I ordered the Gyu Don rice bowl, which is simply spectacular.

FLEXORS and EXTENSORS

Spraining my finger made me research physical therapy exercises to help heal my hand. That also made me realize that perhaps I should train and strengthen my hands and forearms more intentionally. These "empty hands" are my primary weapon, after all. So, here we are.

A BOY and HIS SWORD

A boy and his sword (舌): a love story.

"As always, the duration of your bow is a reflection of the sincerity and depth of your respect for your sword. This fact bears frequent repetition, as it is too often overlooked in the martial arts.

"The measure of your respect should not be the value or condition of your sword. Even if your sword is of low quality and minimal commercial value, it is your sword. It is the sword with which you train. It is the sword which you are using to reshape your mind, your values, and your character. For that reason, if no other, it merits your deep and heartfelt respect regardless of its cost or condition!"

—Flashing Steel by Masayuki Shomabukuro and Leonard J. Pellmann

I'M BATMAN

Happy International Batman Day!

Art marker on 5" x 5" bond paper.

OKTOBERFEST

Oktoberfest doesn't officially start until tomorrow, but it's the next day (even if in the early morning hours) in Munich!

Mozzarella bratwurst from Blue Max Meats, sauerkraut, spicy brown mustard, and Paulaner Oktoberfest Märzen. Prost!

SEIZA

Sword work at sunset. Backyard dojo. Sitting in seiza, formal kneeling.

JOSEPH in PRISON

"Joseph in Prison," paper cut and alcohol art markers on 9" x 12" YUPO Translucent watercolor paper.

My work is now using a Narrative Lectionary, only focusing upon one Bible story each week, which allows me to have a better idea of where to focus my artistic energy. (It's a four-year reading cycle instead of the three-year reading cycle of the Revised Common Lectionary.) 

I'm liking the extra focus because it allows me to explore the texts in greater detail and find connections on my own. For instance, in this story of Joseph in prison (Genesis 39), there are many echoes of his brothers selling him into slavery in Genesis 37 (to his Ishmaelite cousins!). There is a garment that is a catalyst for the action, imprisonment/enslavement, and lies about Joseph's person and what he is doing (or not).

OCTOPUS MURAL

The templates were problematic. They didn't quite fail, but they weren't adhering properly much of the time. That meant that I had to put my magic painting chopsticks to use to hold the templates in place while spraying, which is more complex than necessary.



This large tempate worked much better than those for the arms.



A silicone paint brush made it easy to add acrylic suckers to the arms. (If you look closely, you can see some "fuzziness" here and there at the edge of the arms, rather than the crisp clean lines I planned. But, ultimately, it worked. The fuzziness added an element of movement to the arms.)



Trying to get the eye just right.



Coraline has a seventeen-foot lead on the orcas in pursuit.

"Coraline," Montana BLACK spray paint* and acrylic paint** on painted retaining wall, approximately 18" x 54".

*Code Red, Lollipop, Pink Lemonade, Kicking Yellow.

**White, Black.

OCTOPUS TEMPLATES

I've been commissioned to add an octopus to an existing underwater mural on a driveway retaining wall. I'm working in a medium (spray paint) and at a scale (18" x 60") that is pushing my comfort zone.

So I'm "cheating" a bit, creating Contact Paper templates to help keep my lines clean and controlled. We'll see how it goes...

OPEN WORKOUT

I attended an open workout at my dojo for the first time. I enjoyed working at my own pace, but with the benefit of mirrors, others in the dojo also working out, and the ability to spread out a bit more than usual. I started with "yi jin jing" qigong to warm up and stretch out and then I spent the majority of the two hours I was there working on sword katas and the first half of Heian Yondan kata. I also appreciated "nudges" and advice from our Hanshi and some of the other instructors who were present. I will be a more frequent attendee of the open workout offerings.

CHEAT CODES

There have been a few things that helped me navigate both the pandemic and its ("post-pandemic") aftermath: walking, prayer, listening to vinyl albums, and martial arts. Cheat Codes (2022) by Danger Mouse and Black Thought involved two of the four (walking and vinyl) and may be another one in its own right (prayer).

I walked downtown to return some library materials and on my way back stopped into local record store Atomic Genius. Poking around in the new release bin, which was generously stocked, I discovered this album. I had already heard its epic tracks and had some "art money" burning a hole in my pocket, so this particular vinyl ended up going home with me.

It's a brilliant album. Great production. Cutting and incisive lyrics. Perfect collaborations and featured guests. Plus, the album cover art gives me general Beatles vibes. (Sgt. Peppers? Yellow Submarine? Sure. And more.)

I highly recommend it!

THE WANDERING EARTH

Tonight, we watched The Wandering Earth (2019) directed by Frant How and based upon the novel by Cixin Liu. Fast-paced "hard" survival sci-fi. Streaming via Netflix.

This is not my normal preference in speculative fiction, but it was really well-done. I can see why it has been well-received by both critics and audiences. I'm not sure how they would make a sequel, but supposedly that is in the works.

IAIDO

Drawing the sword in the backyard dojo. (I took the finger splint off for a few minutes.) I am having such a great time working with 舌 (shita) each day.

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This photo is a trick of perspective. I was near the fire, but not immediately above the flame.