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Is this the Cardaholics Anonymous meeting?

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Is this the Cardaholics Anonymous meeting?
« on: February 29, 2012, 12:57:42 AM »
 

Don Boyer

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Hello.  My name is Don [HI, DON.], and I'm a cardaholic...  It's been about five minutes since I opened a fresh deck of cards...

I'm from the greater New York area, have lived here most of my life with the exception of '89/'90, which I spent in Broward County, Florida, either in Coconut Creek or Pompano Beach.

I've always enjoyed playing cards, since childhood.  Loved watching magic on TV and seeing it in person when I could (which wasn't often).  I played around with a few Svengali decks and stripper decks when I was younger, but I didn't get solidly interested in magic until around mid-2010, when I was searching the web for custom playing cards for the family poker night and found Ellusionist.  I hemmed and hawed, finally placed an order in December which I received on Christmas Eve.  I've been hooked ever since.

Got married at 25, got divorced in a messy manner 15 years later, and now, four-plus years later, I'm engaged and very happy.  My fiancee, Anya, is a Ukrainian women who emigrated to the US nearly 20 years ago and has an attractive Russian accent but understands my English very well.  It helps that I enunciate clearly most of the time and don't rush my speech - she has trouble understanding people with thick accents who talk fast.  Interestingly enough, my mother was also from another country - she's Quebecoise and moved to the States in the middle of high school.

Anya and I were born on opposite sides of the Earth but only 30 days apart from each other (I'm the older one).  She has two sons from a prior marriage, one of whom lives on his own and is graduating from the School of Visual Arts in the spring, the other of whom wants to be an FBI agent but is still struggling with the 7th grade.  He's smart, but wisecracks a lot, acts very spoiled and lacks focus and time management skills.  I'm working with him on those.

I practice aikido, a Japanese martial art, and my dojo is with the Takemusu Aikido Association, following the teachings of Saito-shihan (may he rest in peace) and his son, Saito-sensei.  I was hoping to be taking my black belt test this spring, but I've been out of the dojo for over a month now, largely due to a pain in my hip that my orthopedist is diagnosing.  It's probably just osteoarthritis, but I need to make sure it's nothing serious before going back.  So perhaps I'll be testing in the fall instead - we shall see...  For now, I'm ikkyu - 1st grade, the highest rank before obtaining a black belt.  In dojos that use colored belts, it would be a brown belt with a black stripe.  My dojo doesn't - you're white belt or black, that's it.

My wedding will be in south Florida, hopefully on September 1st.  I always visit Florida in the late spring and summer, it just seems to work out that way for me.  It's not as crowded that time of year, but there's a lot of sun-starved European tourists that drop in despite the heat.  We're planning on two receptions: a small one in Florida with some of my friend's family (his dad will be officiating over the ceremony), and a second one a week later for our New York family and friends.  Anya's never been to south Florida, so she's a bit excited about the idea.  I'm still trying to convince her to stay at my buddy's apartment rather than renting a hotel room - summer or winter, good hotels aren't cheap in Florida and bad ones aren't worth the trade-offs.  I'm thinking of trying to book one of those little family run motor lodges, the tiny operations with ten rooms or less - never tried that and I can't imagine it costing more than the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale, my past default hotel.  Trivia: it used to be called the Sheraton Yankee Clipper, and the Wreck Bar with the window behind the bar that's also the side of the outside pool was the location for the bar scene in "Analyze This!" between Billy Crystal and Robert DeNiro.  It's fun watching bikini exhibitionists swim past while enjoying beverages and bar snacks...  :))

What else about me...  I enjoy science fiction and anime, but it's been a while since I kept up with either.  I enjoy reading, but these days most of my reading is magic manuals.  I dabble in video games, but I'm not exactly the greatest - generally stink at a new game, get up to being about average or slightly better, but don't usually devote more time than that to it.  Big movie buff, and a tech geek, but one who doesn't find it necessary to always have the latest and greatest gadget if the one I have is doing the job well enough.  My favorite color is black, I am often wearing something black, my favorite food is freshly-made Tokyo-style ramen with real ingredients and fresh noodles rather than powder stock and a freeze-dried brick.  I aspire some day to have a company of my own, probably a retail magic shop, because I'm tired of having a schedule that's almost completely opposite from that of my partner.

Any questions?
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Re: Is this the Cardaholics Anonymous meeting?
« Reply #1 on: February 29, 2012, 10:59:54 PM »
 

Lara Krystle "Lane"

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By far the longest intro I've ever read in my entire life.................

do I have to welcome you?

goodness.....


anyway

RE-welcome to the Discourse
I'm sure you'll find tons of topics here that you will like (and have probably already replied to).
If you are looking for a search topic, I know you use the search function all the time so YEAY for that!

blah!

no fun to RE-welcome a Re-member Lulz!

love ya Don!
 

Re: Is this the Cardaholics Anonymous meeting?
« Reply #2 on: March 01, 2012, 12:05:50 AM »
 

NathanCanadas

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Welcome to the Discourse! I am sure you will be able to enjoy your time here! We will wait and see! :P LOL HAHAHAHA :D
 

Re: Is this the Cardaholics Anonymous meeting?
« Reply #3 on: March 01, 2012, 04:58:18 AM »
 

kensei777

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Well, since you formally introduced yourself, I will formally welcome you to The Discourse even if you were here before I was.  ::)
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Re: Is this the Cardaholics Anonymous meeting?
« Reply #4 on: March 01, 2012, 05:18:12 AM »
 

xZEROx

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An official welcome to you, Don.
Need I say more?

I'm actually surprised how involved you are with the Japanese culture. What got you into it?
 

Re: Is this the Cardaholics Anonymous meeting?
« Reply #5 on: March 01, 2012, 05:45:12 AM »
 

digipunk

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An official welcome to you, Don.
Need I say more?

I'm actually surprised how involved you are with the Japanese culture. What got you into it?

Maybe he likes Steven Seagal's movies :o :o :o
(just kidding...)
 

Re: Is this the Cardaholics Anonymous meeting?
« Reply #6 on: March 03, 2012, 06:44:31 AM »
 

Don Boyer

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An official welcome to you, Don.
Need I say more?

I'm actually surprised how involved you are with the Japanese culture. What got you into it?

It's hard to say.  I probably started getting into it on a conscious level when one of the UHF stations near me (in the days BEFORE cable TV existed!) started playing a one-hour block of "Cyborg 009" and "Galaxy Express 999" in Japanese with subtitles.  I don't think I was even a teenager just yet.

I started liking ramen when my father made the bricks on soup-and-sandwich night.  There's a boatload of noodle shops in the East Village and a few in Midtown.  Good, cheap hearty food, when done right.

I gravitated to aikido when I was checking out martial arts schools near me.  The sensei seemed genuine and caring, interested in more than simply collecting your fees.
« Last Edit: March 03, 2012, 06:45:47 AM by Don Boyer »
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Re: Is this the Cardaholics Anonymous meeting?
« Reply #7 on: March 03, 2012, 07:23:26 AM »
 

digipunk

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@sxjy0109, is Aikido (合氣道) popular in Hong Kong or China? Almost all senior high schools and universities in Taiwan have these clubs. You know, there are some historical factors, Aikido, Judo, Kendo, Karate, etc are still popular here. "Sensei" (先生) is still used here in daily life to call teachers, doctors, and lawyers.
 
@don, sorry to off topic again :( :(
Taiwan belonged to Japan in 1895-1945, people elder than 70 here still speak fluently Japanese. The reason that Taiwanese love baseball is due to Japan instead of MLB.
.
« Last Edit: March 03, 2012, 09:05:45 AM by digipunk »
 

Re: Is this the Cardaholics Anonymous meeting?
« Reply #8 on: March 03, 2012, 09:09:12 AM »
 

Don Boyer

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@sxjy0109, is Aikido (合氣道) popular in Hong Kong or China? Almost all senior high schools and universities in Taiwan have these clubs. You know, there are some historical factors, Aikido, Judo, Kendo, Karate, etc are still popular here. "Sensei" (先生) is still used here in daily life to call teachers, doctors, and lawyers.
 
@don, sorry to off topic again :( :(
Taiwan belonged to Japan in 1895-1945, people elder than 70 here still speak fluently Japanese. The reason that Taiwanese love baseball is due to Japan instead of MLB.
.


Don't sweat it.  It's interesting to know.
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Re: Is this the Cardaholics Anonymous meeting?
« Reply #9 on: March 03, 2012, 12:49:55 PM »
 

dee1orean

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Wow, well I now know more about one of the most respected members of The Discourse than I probably ever needed to!!

They say that the first important step to conquering your problem is admiting you have a problem. I don't think there's any of us here who won't admit we have card issues... I for one have no interest in conquering those issues just yet, I'll settle for just managing the addiction better for now.

I don't think I need to welcome you, or tell you you are amongst friends, or if not friends, at least like minded individuals.

But,

Well,

You are!
I'm the Master of Nonsensical Sense and illogical Logic
 

Re: Is this the Cardaholics Anonymous meeting?
« Reply #10 on: March 03, 2012, 11:45:33 PM »
 

Don Boyer

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Thank you, everyone.  I did the intro since I figured some of you might be curious about what I'm like when I'm not talking about playing cards.  If anyone has questions, I'm happy to oblige.
Card Illusionist, NYC Area
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Re: Is this the Cardaholics Anonymous meeting?
« Reply #11 on: March 04, 2012, 12:02:45 AM »
 

Frost

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that was really cool posting a piece of your life in the discourse and for that i really admire you now, i know that when i first came to the discourse we didn't really get along and i apologize for that now i know that your a great guy and we are glad to have you on the forums . :D
 

Re: Is this the Cardaholics Anonymous meeting?
« Reply #12 on: March 04, 2012, 12:39:21 AM »
 

xZEROx

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@sxjy0109, is Aikido (合氣道) popular in Hong Kong or China? Almost all senior high schools and universities in Taiwan have these clubs. You know, there are some historical factors, Aikido, Judo, Kendo, Karate, etc are still popular here. "Sensei" (先生) is still used here in daily life to call teachers, doctors, and lawyers.

In HK, it's not as popular as Karate or Taekwondo. Hong Kong was influenced much by Japan until recent years for their technology, animation (and/or products), and film productions. Neither in China or Hong Kong was "Sensei" used elsewhere besides from those classes. And in China, you'd probably wouldn't expect many people, as least a decade or two ago, for people to learn Japanese-styled Martial Arts, for historical reasons. It used to be just our own styles, and small amounts of Korean. But nowadays it's getting much better. More varieties of arts are practiced.
 

Re: Is this the Cardaholics Anonymous meeting?
« Reply #13 on: March 04, 2012, 04:02:57 AM »
 

Don Boyer

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@sxjy0109, is Aikido (合氣道) popular in Hong Kong or China? Almost all senior high schools and universities in Taiwan have these clubs. You know, there are some historical factors, Aikido, Judo, Kendo, Karate, etc are still popular here. "Sensei" (先生) is still used here in daily life to call teachers, doctors, and lawyers.

In HK, it's not as popular as Karate or Taekwondo. Hong Kong was influenced much by Japan until recent years for their technology, animation (and/or products), and film productions. Neither in China or Hong Kong was "Sensei" used elsewhere besides from those classes. And in China, you'd probably wouldn't expect many people, as least a decade or two ago, for people to learn Japanese-styled Martial Arts, for historical reasons. It used to be just our own styles, and small amounts of Korean. But nowadays it's getting much better. More varieties of arts are practiced.

I think that no matter where you look, aikido will not be as popular as karate, tae kwon do, jiu-jitsu, kung fu, etc.  It's not very popular here - most people forget the word aikido when I tell them about it and assume I'm talking to them about karate.  Steven Seagal was the only real aikido celebrity known outside of aikido/martial arts circles, but the quality of his recent cinematic/televised works have kind of blown any celebrity cred he may have had out of the water.  He is, however, a top notch artist - he's master level, and was the first American to open a dojo in Japan.  There's some video of him on YouTube giving demonstrations at aikido seminars in Japan, and he's no joke on the mats - he knows his stuff.
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Re: Is this the Cardaholics Anonymous meeting?
« Reply #14 on: March 04, 2012, 06:01:41 AM »
 

digipunk

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@sxjy0109, is Aikido (合氣道) popular in Hong Kong or China? Almost all senior high schools and universities in Taiwan have these clubs. You know, there are some historical factors, Aikido, Judo, Kendo, Karate, etc are still popular here. "Sensei" (先生) is still used here in daily life to call teachers, doctors, and lawyers.

In HK, it's not as popular as Karate or Taekwondo. Hong Kong was influenced much by Japan until recent years for their technology, animation (and/or products), and film productions. Neither in China or Hong Kong was "Sensei" used elsewhere besides from those classes. And in China, you'd probably wouldn't expect many people, as least a decade or two ago, for people to learn Japanese-styled Martial Arts, for historical reasons. It used to be just our own styles, and small amounts of Korean. But nowadays it's getting much better. More varieties of arts are practiced.

I see, 2001-2005 I went to China several times (Beijing and Shanghai, business trip). One day I walked with an engineer talking around interesting things. When I mentioned I met an "Obasan" and how interesting she was, I noticed his confusing face... then I knew I had to explain the meaning. They are all common used terms here in daily life. When we go to see a doctor, we say "go to see a sensei". Or "today in school the sensei said...".
 
Acutally in ancient Chinese, 先生 was used to refer to teachers or educated/respectable people too, wasn't it?
 
@Don, two men fought with each other, the loser gave his son to the winner. The kid cried but the old father could not do anything about it. Fortunately the new father didn't tease the kid, instead, he took great care of the kid. Public constructions, medical facilities, education, etc. were better than the old father. (The fact is, in that period, some public constructions in Taipei were even better than that in Tokyo)
 
1895-1945, it's 50 years, not a short span of time, many people were born and educated in that period. They spoke Japanese and had Japanese names, some of them even volunteered to fight for Japan in WWII (and US planes bombed Taiwan in 1944-1945 :P ). That's why when Japan lost the WWII and China retrieved Taiwan, many Taiwanese confused their identities.

After the China civil war, Taiwan and China have been in the state of hostility since 1949. I don't want to scare you, but currently China aims 2000 missiles at Taiwan and Taiwan aims its missiles at China big cities such as Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, etc. This is an open secret. However, Taiwan and China have very good communication in education, culture and economic activities. China has been getting strong since '70s, and you won't find too much information about Taiwan because Taiwan is not a member of UN. For example, Taiwan has been a developed country since '80s, but you can not find it in the UN HDI chart: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2011_UN_Human_Development_Report_Quartiles.svg
 
Many Asian countries hate Japan due to the WWII. Taiwan might be one of few countries that are friendly to Japan. I mean REALLY friendly. For example, after the 3-11 earthquake in Japan, Taiwanese denoted most money, much more than other countries in the world. However, Taiwan and Japan have territorial disputes for a small island, so the warships and planes often openly confront each other. (Taiwan is simply a small island if compared with most countries, but the armed forces is not too weak: http://www.globalfirepower.com/ )
 
 
--EDIT--
@Don, I guess sxjy019 is too young to know Steve Seagal or "Under Siege", but he probably knows Aoi in Virtua Fighter  :t11:
Besides, I just found a funny Aikido demo video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW4u1SaQubc
.
« Last Edit: March 07, 2012, 02:47:57 PM by digipunk »
 

Re: Is this the Cardaholics Anonymous meeting?
« Reply #15 on: March 04, 2012, 11:45:18 PM »
 

Don Boyer

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My impressions of Japan as a culture are that going from the 1950s through the 1980s, the Japanese grew a little big-headed from all their economic success.  But the following two decades seems to have brought them much lower, especially in light of the successful economies of South Korea and China.  I can't speak for Taiwanese culture, since I unfortunately don't know enough about it.  I do know that the US has been a strong supporter of Taiwan in the past, but the current economic situation doesn't allow them to act on their convictions - China owns a large amount of US debt right now, and if they were to stop buying it, we would probably be in a Second Great Depression rather than a long-term recession.

The fact you mentioned about missiles being aimed at each other doesn't scare me at all.  There are many nations targeting the US, just as we target many nations.  Modern wars seem to be fought on a smaller scale, however - ever since the Vietnam war, it's been largely little strikes by small units, then they vanish before the enemy can respond.  The combatants are among the civilians and don't always wear uniforms - you can't just drop a bomb on a population center filled with more civilians than combatants and call it a day.  After Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the final days of World War II, the world at large finds such indiscriminate slaughter nauseating.

While Japan did have hold of your island for fifty years, aikido didn't come into existence until some time in the 1920s, more than half way into Japan's leadership period.  It likely took a number of years just to take hold in Japan, so the spread to Taiwan must have been close to the end of that period.  One possible translation of aikido into English would be "the way of the compassionate spirit".  O-Sensei, the founder of aikido, intended his art to be one of peace - it's why most branches of aikido don't hold competitions, since that fosters the wrong spirit.  (The one exception is a somewhat more violent form of aikido called Tomiki aikido, after its founder.)  He retreated to Iwama during the war years to refine his art, and stayed there for some time afterwards because of American restrictions on martial arts during the occupation of Japan.  The fact that it managed to take hold in Taiwan is quite incredible, since most of that would have occurred after Japan surrendered Taiwan to China.

That aikido video was actually very good!  The aikidoka being attacked was extremely skillful and made all the techniques look easy and graceful.  I guarantee you that the photographer and the seated spectator were both aikidoka as well - the photographer rolled away in an experienced manner after being thrown.  Do you happen to know the name of the person giving the demonstration?

I imagine that the relationship between Taiwan and Japan is in many ways similar to the relationship the US has with the United Kingdom.  We are a former British colony, and though we have formed very friendly relations in the years since, there are still times when the two governments don't see eye-to-eye.  But I don't think it's come down to close confrontation since the War of 1812.  I do recall, however, that the British were supplying weapons to the Confederate States during the American Civil War, 1861-1865.  I don't think things truly warmed between the two nations until the were united against a common enemy during the First World War.

Please, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on any of these ideas!
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Re: Is this the Cardaholics Anonymous meeting?
« Reply #16 on: March 05, 2012, 01:23:24 PM »
 

digipunk

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That aikido video was actually very good!  The aikidoka being attacked was extremely skillful and made all the techniques look easy and graceful.  I guarantee you that the photographer and the seated spectator were both aikidoka as well - the photographer rolled away in an experienced manner after being thrown.  Do you happen to know the name of the person giving the demonstration?

You are right and know Aikido well, the performer was 6th dan, called 陳昌平 (Chen Chang-Ping). He was also the Aikido club instructor in several universities, though his real identity was a boss of a company. He passed away last year, only 60 years old. And yes, the photographer and the seated spectator are his students, because there is a similiar video, haha: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vhyDb5k8o4 (2004).
李清楠 (Lee Ching-Nan) is Aikido 8th dan, currently the highest in Taiwan (his Judo is also 8th dan). I failed to find his performance videos on YouTube.
 
"Aikido" in Japanese is "合氣道", its meaning is not difficult to me. I found Aikido was aristocrats' martial art before WWII, civilians were not allowed to learn it until Japan lost the war. Now it is an essential skill for their Self Defence Froces troops and policemen. This situation is really similiar to 八極拳 (Ba-Ji) in Taiwan that I mentioned in another post. Ba-Ji had been a secret martial art until 30 years ago, and currently it is an essential skill for Taiwan special service troops and police school students. But...unlike Aikido, Ba-Ji focuses on attacking the vital parts of the human body and the only purpose is to strike down enemies ASAP.
_
« Last Edit: March 07, 2012, 02:48:33 PM by digipunk »
 

Re: Is this the Cardaholics Anonymous meeting?
« Reply #17 on: March 06, 2012, 03:02:44 AM »
 

Don Boyer

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You are right and know Aikido well, the performer was 6th dan, called 陳昌平 (Chen Chang-Ping). He was also the Aikido club instructor in several universities, though his real identity was a boss of a company. He passed away last year, only 60 years old. And yes, the photographer and the seated spectator are his students, because there is a similiar video, haha: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vhyDb5k8o4 (2004).
李清楠 (Lee Ching-Nan) is Aikido 8th dan, currently the highest in Taiwan (his Judo is also 8th dan). I failed to find his performance videos on YouTube.
 
"Aikido" in Japanese is "合氣道", its meaning is not difficult to me. I found Aikido was aristocrats' martial art before WWII, civilians were not allowed to learn it until Japan losed the war. Now it is an essential skill for their Self Defence Froces troops and policemen. This situation is really similiar to 八極拳 (Ba-Ji) in Taiwan that I mentioned in another post. Ba-Ji had been a secret martial art until 30 years ago, and currently it is an essential skill for Taiwan special service troops and police school students. But...unlike Aikido, Ba-Ji focuses on attacking the vital parts of the human body and the only purpose is to strike down enemies ASAP.
_

Another good video!  It's interesting that Lee Ching-Nan has black belt ranks in both of those arts - they actually share a common ancestry!  Aikido and Judo were developed out of Daito-Ryu Aiki-Jutsu, an art practiced by samurai for at least 500 years.  There's very little foot movement in DRAJ - the art was intended as a line of last resort, when a heavily armored samurai was dismounted from his horse and no longer had his weapons.  They didn't have the option of freedom of movement because of the armor, so they relied on using their balance and groundedness to their advantage when dealing with attackers.  I participated in a DRAJ seminar a few years ago; it was very enlightening.  From what I know of Judo, it was developed more from Jiu-Jitsu, which was developed from DRAJ; Judo is more of a sport that came into existence after World War II, when the practice of Jiu-Jitsu was banned by US occupying forces, while jiu-jitsu and aikido are true martial arts, meant for self-defense more than scoring points and not having the same rules restrictions that a judoka has on the mats.

There's a particular school of Aikido, Yoshinkan, which is practiced by the Tokyo Riot Police.  Non-police are permitted to train in the same program the riot police do, and it's exceptionally rigorous.  Ordinarily it would take two to three hours of practice a week over five to ten years to receive a black belt; the TRP program goes for one year, and you earn black belt in the ninth month!  It's not for the faint of heart!  A Western writer who was in Japan as an English instructor took the program and wrote about it in his book, "Angry White Pajamas"; you might enjoy reading it if you can find a copy.

My sensei is a go-dan, and has been for the six years I've known him.  He could be ranked much higher if he chose to be, but he's not interested - he cares little about rank and is not interested in paying the rank fees required at that level, which run into the thousands of dollars!

Aikido does work with the sensitivities of the human body, but in a different way.  While many martial arts will instruct you on how to inflict injury in the beginning and teach you the necessary control in higher ranks, aikido does the reverse.  You learn control and good form in the beginning, and only well into the dan ranks do you learn how to make your techniques more effective, even to the point of being deadly, though this in not in the spirit of the art to intentionally seek to injure an opponent.  Aikido works mostly with locks, pins and throws, allowing you to exercise great control over your opponent's actions.  An aikidoka doesn't meet force with force - in fact, if you use great force, you're doing it wrong!  Instead it seeks to take your opponent's energies and direction and use that to exercise control over him/her by redirecting it in a manner that's not harmful to you, him/her, or the people around you at the time.

I find it very enjoyable - the basic philosophy of Aikido shares much in common with Zen Buddhism.  Many people learn about Zen through Aikido, and learn about Aikido through Zen.  The philosophy has infused my life outside of the dojo as well, and I'm a more peaceful and happier person now than I was before learning the art.
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Re: Is this the Cardaholics Anonymous meeting?
« Reply #18 on: March 06, 2012, 06:58:16 AM »
 

Emmanuel

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Welcome (officially) to the Discourse Don! I know I'm not the only one who always look forward to your posts :)

And since my birthday falls on that date, I highly recommend setting September 1st as your wedding date!
 

Re: Is this the Cardaholics Anonymous meeting?
« Reply #19 on: March 06, 2012, 09:29:30 AM »
 

Don Boyer

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Welcome (officially) to the Discourse Don! I know I'm not the only one who always look forward to your posts :)

And since my birthday falls on that date, I highly recommend setting September 1st as your wedding date!


I actually wanted to do it on my birthday (August 25th), but that turned out to also be the same day she married her ex...
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Re: Is this the Cardaholics Anonymous meeting?
« Reply #20 on: March 06, 2012, 11:06:16 PM »
 

digipunk

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@Don, you are really deep into Aikido, not only its skills but also the spirit and philosophy.

I found Lee Ching-Nan's video, I guess it is closer to the ideal Aikido than Chen Chang-Ping. Actually Lee was inspired by O-Sensei and merged Chinese 太極 (Tai-chi) into his Aikido (called Tai-Yi Aikido).

Lee has a English name, Paul, so searching "Aikido Paul Lee" may find many videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEUeP7hx8fs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVXK1OvpXM4
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=aikido+pual+lee
Just like 植芝盛平 (Ueshiba Morihei) is called O-Sensei by people, in Taiwan Pual Lee is called 大老師 (means "Great Teacher") :-\

A quick question, do you know why a samurai should take his knife (katana) with his right hand when he visited others' houses?  :P
 

Re: Is this the Cardaholics Anonymous meeting?
« Reply #21 on: March 07, 2012, 02:35:46 AM »
 

Don Boyer

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@Don, you are really deep into Aikido, not only its skills but also the spirit and philosophy.

I found Lee Ching-Nan's video, I guess it is closer to the ideal Aikido than Chen Chang-Ping. Actually Lee was inspired by O-Sensei and merged Chinese 太極 (Tai-chi) into his Aikido (called Tai-Yi Aikido).

Lee has a English name, Paul, so searching "Aikido Paul Lee" may find many videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEUeP7hx8fs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVXK1OvpXM4
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=aikido+pual+lee
Just like 植芝盛平 (Ueshiba Morihei) is called O-Sensei by people, in Taiwan Pual Lee is called 大老師 (means "Great Teacher") :-\

A quick question, do you know why a samurai should take his knife (katana) with his right hand when he visited others' houses?  :P

Knife would be "tanto" - I believe you mean sword, "katana", roughly the size of a European bastard sword but with a two-handed pommel rather than a "hand-and-a-half" pommel.

Nearly all Japanese schools that teach any swordsmanship train by using the right hand as the lead hand on the two-handed pommel of the katana.  You've probably noticed in samurai movies and TV shows that the katana (and for samurai, the wakizashi, the shorter of the two swords) are always sheathed in the left side of the obi (belt) around their waist.  This is because they're trained to draw the sword with the right hand.

Removing one's sword and carrying it in the right hand is the Japanese equivalent of the European empty-handed salute.  Since a samurai is trained to draw with the right hand, holding a sheathed katana (and wakizashi) in the right hand indicates you aren't in a position to easily draw it and thus are not preparing to attack, in the same manner that a European soldier approaching another by showing a raised, empty right hand indicates they aren't carrying a drawn weapon and wish to show courtesy rather than fight, possibly to parley (or that presenting two raised empty hands indicates a sign of surrender and a request to cease hostilities).

Regarding the wakizashi, only samurai were permitted to carry the two swords, and while some did train in using both in combat, the wakizashi was more often reserved for committing seppuku in the face of great shame, or as a holdout weapon should the katana be lost or broken.  As the merchant class (and the Yakuza) grew, others were permitted to carry a single sword, but it was rarely of the quality of the katana carried by the samurai.  During this same time, with less conflict and less wealth, many Japanese lords released some of their samurai from service, creating a large class of ronin, samurai without patrons.

Some ronin only carried a single sword out of shame or poverty, while others continued to carry both katana and wakizashi, though it was often obvious when one was a ronin because of the rougher nature of living without a paying patron and steady income; they often didn't have access to good clothing, steady homes or a proper place to bathe, and thus tended to look shabby despite carrying masterwork weaponry.  While many ronin became little more than bandits or brawlers, others still managed to find more noble pursuits and retained some portion of the respect they formerly held.

A quick question does not always have a quick answer!  :))
« Last Edit: March 07, 2012, 02:39:11 AM by Don Boyer »
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Re: Is this the Cardaholics Anonymous meeting?
« Reply #22 on: March 07, 2012, 04:33:58 AM »
 

digipunk

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Yes I meant sword :-[
No more quick question :mindf-ck: :mindf-ck:
 

Re: Is this the Cardaholics Anonymous meeting?
« Reply #23 on: March 09, 2012, 11:28:35 PM »
 

K

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Wow, thanks for the long share with us, I'm really interested in people's lives. And now I have more knowledge, thanks to the conversation taking place  :) haha, belated welcome to the discourse don!
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Re: Is this the Cardaholics Anonymous meeting?
« Reply #24 on: March 09, 2012, 11:50:03 PM »
 

xZEROx

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Yes I meant sword :-[
No more quick question :mindf-ck: :mindf-ck:

Lol regret asking now do you? >.<
I think Don knows more about Japanese culture than any of us here, even though if we're more related to it in some way or another.