Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Little Black Belt
I am a black belt and as part of that accomplishment I am expected to be ready to help the other students with whatever they are working on. The students that tend to need the most help are the ones that are preparing to take their test to achieve their own black belt. At this stage a student is trying to perfect the 15 techniques each for defense against kicking, punching, knife attack, and the 15 for hand to hand throws against a neutral opponent. Add to these 60 maneuvers the various kicks while standing moving and spinning that you need to have mastered. This is a serious work load and a serious commitment and so our Master has a special Friday night class for the black belts and the almost black belts to train up for the test.
I had an interesting experience at the dojo last night at the black belt prep class. I was holding a spin-kick pad for some recommended black belts and helping them refine their kicks. It is sometimes difficult to get the younger students to commit to the art, and you have to gauge your instruction against the desire of the student to learn and their ability (some students are just going through the motions and some are farther along then others). I had two young recommended black belts to help that night. I am going to refer to these kids as A and B. First A stepped up and delivered his kicks swiftly and almost without effectiveness. He ran through the four kicks (180, 360, jump 180, jump 360) quickly. I tried to get him to slow down and aim better. I showed him how to angle his body to strike with the heel (instead of the side of the foot that will leave you with a broken foot) but in the end the lack of eye contact and slack posture defeated me and I sent him on to his next step (low kicks).
Kid B came up and I was immediately worried about his lack of eye contact. I started him out on his 180 spin kick and there was an immediate problem. His turn was jearky, his kick was very low and his balance was very weak. I lowered the pad and had him kick a few more times to no better effect. At this point I stopped and asked him if he was struggling with anything. He told me through a stutter that he has minor cerebral palsy. I have no experience with cerebral palsy and had no idea where his limits were so I just took it slowly and tried to help him at his level. I could tell, by the fact that he had come up to me, that he was ready to learn so I gave him what advice that I could. He needed to break the movement down and build muscle memory of the movement. I had him repeat the movement and tried to work at his level with the goal of improvement and not mastery. We did the 180 and 360 degree kicks but skipped the ones with jumps. I don't know if he will ever be able to do the kicks properly but he will be able to improve.
This moment really resonated with me. Here were two students, one with the will and one with the physical ability. It was nothing short of tragic that kid A was apathetic and kid B was physically disabled. When it comes down to a decision, I would rather work with kid B than kid A. I want to be there for someone who wants to learn, not talking to a kid who is just waiting for when they can go home. It just makes me so sad to know that kid B is fully aware (his father described him as freaky-smart) but is stuck inside a body that won't respond properly to his mind.
This really reminds me about how fortunate I am to be strong and healthy. Count your blessings sweet reader, and never take life for granted.
I had an interesting experience at the dojo last night at the black belt prep class. I was holding a spin-kick pad for some recommended black belts and helping them refine their kicks. It is sometimes difficult to get the younger students to commit to the art, and you have to gauge your instruction against the desire of the student to learn and their ability (some students are just going through the motions and some are farther along then others). I had two young recommended black belts to help that night. I am going to refer to these kids as A and B. First A stepped up and delivered his kicks swiftly and almost without effectiveness. He ran through the four kicks (180, 360, jump 180, jump 360) quickly. I tried to get him to slow down and aim better. I showed him how to angle his body to strike with the heel (instead of the side of the foot that will leave you with a broken foot) but in the end the lack of eye contact and slack posture defeated me and I sent him on to his next step (low kicks).
Kid B came up and I was immediately worried about his lack of eye contact. I started him out on his 180 spin kick and there was an immediate problem. His turn was jearky, his kick was very low and his balance was very weak. I lowered the pad and had him kick a few more times to no better effect. At this point I stopped and asked him if he was struggling with anything. He told me through a stutter that he has minor cerebral palsy. I have no experience with cerebral palsy and had no idea where his limits were so I just took it slowly and tried to help him at his level. I could tell, by the fact that he had come up to me, that he was ready to learn so I gave him what advice that I could. He needed to break the movement down and build muscle memory of the movement. I had him repeat the movement and tried to work at his level with the goal of improvement and not mastery. We did the 180 and 360 degree kicks but skipped the ones with jumps. I don't know if he will ever be able to do the kicks properly but he will be able to improve.
This moment really resonated with me. Here were two students, one with the will and one with the physical ability. It was nothing short of tragic that kid A was apathetic and kid B was physically disabled. When it comes down to a decision, I would rather work with kid B than kid A. I want to be there for someone who wants to learn, not talking to a kid who is just waiting for when they can go home. It just makes me so sad to know that kid B is fully aware (his father described him as freaky-smart) but is stuck inside a body that won't respond properly to his mind.
This really reminds me about how fortunate I am to be strong and healthy. Count your blessings sweet reader, and never take life for granted.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Guts and Art
There is an artist called Mr. Brainwash. Anyone who has seen the movie "Exit Through Gift Shop" will be familiar with his story but for those who are not, here is a brief summary. One day a man with a camera obsession found his way into the world of street art (some would say graffiti) and met a bunch of influential street artists (some wold say vandals). He eventually met one of the most influential artists, a man who calls himself Banksy. This video enthusiast convinced Banksy and a bunch of the others to let him film their work. Finally he became so interested that they convinced him to make a movie with his tapes. He did. It stank. Banksy then told the man that he would re-edit the movie and that the man should go pursue other interests. This is when Mr. Brainwash was born. The videographer became a street artist (some would say copycat) and started working on his own art. This culminated in a huge art show in 2008 that cemented Mr. Brainwash as an artist and a public figure.
Today I watched an interesting show called "A Day In The Life." This episode focused on Mr. Brainwash and was an interesting update to his story. Some people think he is an amazing artist and some think he is a hopelessly derivative poser. I am not sure what to think. If he is anything, he is an art director as he relies heavily on others to bring his visions to life. This begs the question: how is this any less valid than a film director.
Today I watched an interesting show called "A Day In The Life." This episode focused on Mr. Brainwash and was an interesting update to his story. Some people think he is an amazing artist and some think he is a hopelessly derivative poser. I am not sure what to think. If he is anything, he is an art director as he relies heavily on others to bring his visions to life. This begs the question: how is this any less valid than a film director.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
School Then and Now
I am back at school. The same community college that I was at before but with major differences. I am now living on my own and supporting myself. This adds serious weight to the decisions I make regarding school and how I spend my money. I have also spent several years working in the 'real world' away from the sheltered cove of the academic world.
I have come to the conclusion (as previously explained) that I need a 4-year degree, and I have chosen CIS as my major. I see everything differently now. I am not here to make friends. I am not exploring my options. I have a plan: get in, get out, get on with my life. I have built my schedule to be all on Tuesdays and Thursdays and to get me done in the shortest amount of time possible. The wandering and uncertainty is gone. I don't have time for all of that. I need to get this over with so that I can go on to a more concrete job with greater learning potential.
through this lens, everything looks different. I can quickly tell the difference between students who have a plan and those who don't know what to do with themselves. I can also see myself as I was and all the time I wasted. I can not afford to waste any more time. I am running out of pre-family time to get my things in order. If I am going to be the man my Novia deserves then I need to get this right. I am now in the mindset that grades lower than an A are not an option and that I need to plan out my class schedule far in advance. School is not some game or testing ground for life, it is a challenge to overcome and a rite of passage that I failed once but will not fail again.
I have come to the conclusion (as previously explained) that I need a 4-year degree, and I have chosen CIS as my major. I see everything differently now. I am not here to make friends. I am not exploring my options. I have a plan: get in, get out, get on with my life. I have built my schedule to be all on Tuesdays and Thursdays and to get me done in the shortest amount of time possible. The wandering and uncertainty is gone. I don't have time for all of that. I need to get this over with so that I can go on to a more concrete job with greater learning potential.
through this lens, everything looks different. I can quickly tell the difference between students who have a plan and those who don't know what to do with themselves. I can also see myself as I was and all the time I wasted. I can not afford to waste any more time. I am running out of pre-family time to get my things in order. If I am going to be the man my Novia deserves then I need to get this right. I am now in the mindset that grades lower than an A are not an option and that I need to plan out my class schedule far in advance. School is not some game or testing ground for life, it is a challenge to overcome and a rite of passage that I failed once but will not fail again.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Old Friends
Facebook is an interesting thing. It serves as a sort of portal into another person's life. It has become an absolutely crucial tool to keep in touch with some of my friends who live far away or travel in different circles, but tonight I see it in a different way.
Tonight I am looking at the facebook profile of a friend of mine for whom I acted as best man when he was married. I had stumbled onto his profile and then browsed his recent pictures. I was about to say that I can't remember the last time we hung out but I can because it happens so infrequently these days and it was more than 6 months ago. It makes me sad, but I understand why.
(here is the part of the post where I get more specific and the two guys to whom the above applies figure out which one of them I am posting about)
We have known each other since high school and were constantly at each other's houses for years but all that tapered off. I don't blame his wife who is the force that changed him and enabled most of the things that keep us from being closer but the truth is that he doesn't need me any more. He has his shit together now and sets and attains his goals like he never could before. She has made him into a more complete person. I have never gotten along that well with the wife but I recognize that she is good for him, and that they love each other very much. Now despite us living about 15 minutes from each other, we never meet up. We do different things, go different places, and have different goals.
I know that people change and that people have some friends for a couple of months, some for years and some for the rest of their lives. It is just strange to see the friends with whom our bonds have long since slackened still living out their lives in different ways so close and yet unseen except for through the crystal ball of facebook.
I know that you are going to call me bro (you were always better at that then I), and we should meet up and get caught up. maybe lunch...
Tonight I am looking at the facebook profile of a friend of mine for whom I acted as best man when he was married. I had stumbled onto his profile and then browsed his recent pictures. I was about to say that I can't remember the last time we hung out but I can because it happens so infrequently these days and it was more than 6 months ago. It makes me sad, but I understand why.
(here is the part of the post where I get more specific and the two guys to whom the above applies figure out which one of them I am posting about)
We have known each other since high school and were constantly at each other's houses for years but all that tapered off. I don't blame his wife who is the force that changed him and enabled most of the things that keep us from being closer but the truth is that he doesn't need me any more. He has his shit together now and sets and attains his goals like he never could before. She has made him into a more complete person. I have never gotten along that well with the wife but I recognize that she is good for him, and that they love each other very much. Now despite us living about 15 minutes from each other, we never meet up. We do different things, go different places, and have different goals.
I know that people change and that people have some friends for a couple of months, some for years and some for the rest of their lives. It is just strange to see the friends with whom our bonds have long since slackened still living out their lives in different ways so close and yet unseen except for through the crystal ball of facebook.
I know that you are going to call me bro (you were always better at that then I), and we should meet up and get caught up. maybe lunch...
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Under new Advisment
I have spent a lot of time in the past few days trying to figure out how best to go about getting a Bachelors degree. There are many different things to study at more then a few different schools and many different considerations.
I am overwhelmed. I bailed out with a 2 year degree before and I kind of understand now how almost inevitable that was. I had no guide and lacked the force of personality to find my own way. Sure there are counselors and websites but they just sit there waiting for you to come to them and I didn't go. I am now ready to navigate that particular labyrinth and I am finding out just how fractured the process really is. I am getting ready to transfer and I haven't quite decided what school to go to. I am closest to transferring to a CSU so I am thinking of Cal State LA or Cal Poly Pomona. These schools are close and cheap. This means that I am using three different school websites to look up classes and majors. Of the three, Pasadena.edu is the most user friendly. I struggle through the differing terminology and layouts and find out that there is one website to apply to either CSU, it is CSUMentor.com. Then while trying desperately to find which classes count for what when transferred, I stumbled into Assist.org which brings my necessary websites up to a total of five.
In addition to the technological confusion, finding someone to talk to about classes is its own kind of torture. The admissions people only know about general education and transfer requirements. In order to get specifics you need to talk to the department head of the major you want to go into. I have to track down the office of the person in charge of the major and then if I am lucky I will have managed to go during their walk in advisement hours. If not, I need to make an appointment and talk to them about what? I don't even know what to ask any more. This experience has made me prefer the scattered information available on the internet.
I am slowly finding the criterion that I need to judge my situation and make the best choice. I am trying to minimize the time and money that it takes to achieve a BS. It is like trying to make a coherent picture out of pieces from three puzzles. It is a confusing task and, to extend my earlier metaphor: when I get to the center of the labyrinth, will I even be able to slay the Minotaur there?
I am overwhelmed. I bailed out with a 2 year degree before and I kind of understand now how almost inevitable that was. I had no guide and lacked the force of personality to find my own way. Sure there are counselors and websites but they just sit there waiting for you to come to them and I didn't go. I am now ready to navigate that particular labyrinth and I am finding out just how fractured the process really is. I am getting ready to transfer and I haven't quite decided what school to go to. I am closest to transferring to a CSU so I am thinking of Cal State LA or Cal Poly Pomona. These schools are close and cheap. This means that I am using three different school websites to look up classes and majors. Of the three, Pasadena.edu is the most user friendly. I struggle through the differing terminology and layouts and find out that there is one website to apply to either CSU, it is CSUMentor.com. Then while trying desperately to find which classes count for what when transferred, I stumbled into Assist.org which brings my necessary websites up to a total of five.
In addition to the technological confusion, finding someone to talk to about classes is its own kind of torture. The admissions people only know about general education and transfer requirements. In order to get specifics you need to talk to the department head of the major you want to go into. I have to track down the office of the person in charge of the major and then if I am lucky I will have managed to go during their walk in advisement hours. If not, I need to make an appointment and talk to them about what? I don't even know what to ask any more. This experience has made me prefer the scattered information available on the internet.
I am slowly finding the criterion that I need to judge my situation and make the best choice. I am trying to minimize the time and money that it takes to achieve a BS. It is like trying to make a coherent picture out of pieces from three puzzles. It is a confusing task and, to extend my earlier metaphor: when I get to the center of the labyrinth, will I even be able to slay the Minotaur there?
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