As a follow up from Monday I'm still plagued with the issue that I'm fairly out of shape. In my defense we don't often do a lot of basics due to test prep, but that's changed and it was a shock to the system.
At blackbelt class (before the regular evening adult class) Olivia and I went over Gekisai Dai Ichi and went on to learn Ni since they share most of the same moves. We followed that up with the Bunkai. I'm pretty proud of the fact that we learned it as fast as we have even though it's fairly elementary. The bunkai causes me more problems but even that was going fairly well by the end of adult class.
I'm scheduled to learn the Kyoku kata with a high school guy named Cooper. This will make my plate very full indeed, at least for that first year or so. However, my focus immediately turned to the warm up. This is usually by-passed because were all working out in the blackbelt class the hour before. To add insult to injury my wife has been learning to become a yoga instructor and we thought we'd run through a routine just before I left for class and it left my legs like rubber. So much for warming up.
Daniel had us do kicking drills for only ten minutes. In just ten minutes I managed to pull/frog the thigh muscles in my left leg. What a softy! This morning was met with the worst pain just trying to get out of bed. Not fun. I was able to run through the kata this morning, but I'm really enjoying sitting still.
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Fresh Look
As a celebration I decided to try another theme for awhile. I hadn't realized so much time had passed since I last posted so when I sat down to type I thought it might be nice to have a small change.
The last month was pretty much a write off in terms of classes and practice. I got to go to two classes right after the exam and then work had me travel until class last night. I was feeling pretty out of shape and pretty soft, but the treat of completing a rank is that you get to learn something new!
My current plan for my third degree is incredible aggressive. I have to learn twelve kata with the bunkai in three years, but I also have to learn 5 kyoku kata on the side. These are the school only kata that are not shared outside, but a brown belt needs to know them all before they achieve blackbelt. My job is to learn those as well because my blackbelt was acknowledged from my old school, but it left me without some fundamentals. They are actually seven Kyokus, but the first five are supposedly elementary, the sixth is for the confirmation exam a year after the blackbelt is awarded and the seventh is supposed be for fourth degree and above.
So I was pretty excited about going to class last night, but really didn't understand how quickly I'd gotten out of shape. I wasn't out of breath, but my muscles felt slack and warm up basics that required lots of blocking showed me that my desensitization has long since passed. I was squirming in pain a lot.
The good bit was that I got to learn Gekisai Dai Ichi. I had learned it four years ago in order to help MaryAnn. Back then I was just helping people out with whatever. MaryAnn was learning and she was best doing it by teaching others what she was learning.
It wasn't that I remembered it well, but I remember the basics. It's a fairly simple pattern to remember, but leave it to me to make something more complicated than it is. We also went through the bunkai which generally speaking, is easy, but there is a lot of moving parts.
Here's a slow and fast breakdown of the kata:
The last month was pretty much a write off in terms of classes and practice. I got to go to two classes right after the exam and then work had me travel until class last night. I was feeling pretty out of shape and pretty soft, but the treat of completing a rank is that you get to learn something new!
My current plan for my third degree is incredible aggressive. I have to learn twelve kata with the bunkai in three years, but I also have to learn 5 kyoku kata on the side. These are the school only kata that are not shared outside, but a brown belt needs to know them all before they achieve blackbelt. My job is to learn those as well because my blackbelt was acknowledged from my old school, but it left me without some fundamentals. They are actually seven Kyokus, but the first five are supposedly elementary, the sixth is for the confirmation exam a year after the blackbelt is awarded and the seventh is supposed be for fourth degree and above.
So I was pretty excited about going to class last night, but really didn't understand how quickly I'd gotten out of shape. I wasn't out of breath, but my muscles felt slack and warm up basics that required lots of blocking showed me that my desensitization has long since passed. I was squirming in pain a lot.
The good bit was that I got to learn Gekisai Dai Ichi. I had learned it four years ago in order to help MaryAnn. Back then I was just helping people out with whatever. MaryAnn was learning and she was best doing it by teaching others what she was learning.
It wasn't that I remembered it well, but I remember the basics. It's a fairly simple pattern to remember, but leave it to me to make something more complicated than it is. We also went through the bunkai which generally speaking, is easy, but there is a lot of moving parts.
Here's a slow and fast breakdown of the kata:
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
Finally.... Nidan
While we waiting for the results of the exam Reed, MaryAnn and me lolled in the back practice area amusing ourselves with anecdotes and stories about the test that had just finished. But time was moving on and the advanced belts were passing through to the locker room and leaving and I still hadn't been called.
When we lined up to start the test the room was absolutely packed to the gills. Twelve of us were testing this time which is a fairly large number for the room. Add to this twenty plus judges and at least 10 testing partners. The room was 90 degrees and we were already sweating profusely from lightly warming up.
Since putting the twelve of us on one line proved impractical we were broken into three lines to give us space to move around. Unfortunately, I placed myself on the far left of the room due to my rank and the length of my kata, but a 7th degree blackbelt placed himself in front of me which was frustrating. I wasn't sure how to manage that because who knew what kind of crazy stuff he was going to be doing?
As part of the test process judges and come up and randomly select a person to judge. In my case they would ask what Kata package I was going to be doing and either moved on or got my list of kata. I'm not the two who ended up with me were particularly thrilled with doing a Nidan, but they both knew the katas in my list so I thought that was a good sign. Unfortunately, the guys that did my test last time didn't volunteer again which bummed me out because I wanted to show how much I'd improved.
The test always feels like it starts abruptly, but that's because that wait is several years long! We do the bowing and then it's go time. I don't remember doing much of the kata, but can recall the bunkai fairly well because of the thumps, sweat and exhaustion. Reed and I selected a complex bunkai to finish everything off after the 10th kata. I was completely shot and we had to do it four times. Each time I had to reach down and pull the energy to get moving. I wasn't quite gasping, but I was pretty darn close.
And then it was done and we got to watch a few folks that has twelve kata and then it was bow out and drink some water. A side note is that I didn't urinate for a full 12 hours afterwards, and that was after consuming liters of water. I've never been so dehydrated.
During the test I had to make my way around that 7th degree guy, which wasn't great, but I gather it didn't weigh against me. I completely messed up the 9th kata I did, but I did it with great confidence so if the folks who were watching they might not have caught that. I could fail two kata and still pass though.
After everyone had passed through I started to get concerned. There was a lot of passes for the high rank folks and there isn't a lot of tests where everyone passes. My nerves were getting to Reed so he went to find out where things were. He popped his head back around the corner and waved me forward.
Reed and I kneeled in front of the two Shihans running the test.
"You've got two passes!" I whooped and bowed. And then they reviewed the notes from the two judges and gave me the certificate. And then I was done.
I was pretty happy evening and we ended up staying up to 1am telling stories and joking, but I found that the next day I simply, was. I was neither up or down. Phooey.
I was glad that I was able to start something new after so long, but I didn't necessarily feel any particular excitement. So it was the journey after all, not the destination. Phooey again. I wanted that excitement of achieving something I'd worked on for so long and feel a buzz that lasted days. Sigh. I was just focused on trying to sort out what to work on next.
The drive back from Yakima was long, but fun and I think that was a reward in itself. Rather than dealing with failure, it was gift to look at the future and the possibilities expressing themselves while we talked.
When we lined up to start the test the room was absolutely packed to the gills. Twelve of us were testing this time which is a fairly large number for the room. Add to this twenty plus judges and at least 10 testing partners. The room was 90 degrees and we were already sweating profusely from lightly warming up.
Since putting the twelve of us on one line proved impractical we were broken into three lines to give us space to move around. Unfortunately, I placed myself on the far left of the room due to my rank and the length of my kata, but a 7th degree blackbelt placed himself in front of me which was frustrating. I wasn't sure how to manage that because who knew what kind of crazy stuff he was going to be doing?
As part of the test process judges and come up and randomly select a person to judge. In my case they would ask what Kata package I was going to be doing and either moved on or got my list of kata. I'm not the two who ended up with me were particularly thrilled with doing a Nidan, but they both knew the katas in my list so I thought that was a good sign. Unfortunately, the guys that did my test last time didn't volunteer again which bummed me out because I wanted to show how much I'd improved.
The test always feels like it starts abruptly, but that's because that wait is several years long! We do the bowing and then it's go time. I don't remember doing much of the kata, but can recall the bunkai fairly well because of the thumps, sweat and exhaustion. Reed and I selected a complex bunkai to finish everything off after the 10th kata. I was completely shot and we had to do it four times. Each time I had to reach down and pull the energy to get moving. I wasn't quite gasping, but I was pretty darn close.
And then it was done and we got to watch a few folks that has twelve kata and then it was bow out and drink some water. A side note is that I didn't urinate for a full 12 hours afterwards, and that was after consuming liters of water. I've never been so dehydrated.
During the test I had to make my way around that 7th degree guy, which wasn't great, but I gather it didn't weigh against me. I completely messed up the 9th kata I did, but I did it with great confidence so if the folks who were watching they might not have caught that. I could fail two kata and still pass though.
After everyone had passed through I started to get concerned. There was a lot of passes for the high rank folks and there isn't a lot of tests where everyone passes. My nerves were getting to Reed so he went to find out where things were. He popped his head back around the corner and waved me forward.
Reed and I kneeled in front of the two Shihans running the test.
"You've got two passes!" I whooped and bowed. And then they reviewed the notes from the two judges and gave me the certificate. And then I was done.
I was pretty happy evening and we ended up staying up to 1am telling stories and joking, but I found that the next day I simply, was. I was neither up or down. Phooey.
I was glad that I was able to start something new after so long, but I didn't necessarily feel any particular excitement. So it was the journey after all, not the destination. Phooey again. I wanted that excitement of achieving something I'd worked on for so long and feel a buzz that lasted days. Sigh. I was just focused on trying to sort out what to work on next.
The drive back from Yakima was long, but fun and I think that was a reward in itself. Rather than dealing with failure, it was gift to look at the future and the possibilities expressing themselves while we talked.
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Fragile Male Ego 2.0
Here's the pattern. Practice at home when I can. Go to class or private practice. Get corrections, repeat. Wake up in the middle of the night going over moves in my head or get cramps in legs because I didn't drink enough water. Repeat.
I've got eight days before the test. I can't believe I'm typing that. We keeping working on detail work that Reed indicates should be related to the level of skill I should be at. I'm meeting with Reed every day now and the heat is near unbearable in late August.
He doesn't say I'm ready or not and I'm not asking. I don't think I can bare to have him say it's 50/50. The truth is that I have to be better than I was last time and I have to have judges that like what they see. Urgh.
I realize I can only do as best as I can, but I'd rather be done with this. I really don't want to be in Ivana's situation where she had to come back three times. I can only imagine that she kept going back to prove it to herself, but it absolutely burned her out on Karate. She never came back. School and regular life took the preference at that point and she never made space ever again. I definitely don't want to be in that situation.
Writing this is cathartic. I've got to get my head in a correct space to do well, but not perseverate over the results. The goal is to do the best I can without rushing.
Ten straight days of practice? Not sure about that part, but it allows for a lot of focus on one kata/bunkai a day.
I've got eight days before the test. I can't believe I'm typing that. We keeping working on detail work that Reed indicates should be related to the level of skill I should be at. I'm meeting with Reed every day now and the heat is near unbearable in late August.
He doesn't say I'm ready or not and I'm not asking. I don't think I can bare to have him say it's 50/50. The truth is that I have to be better than I was last time and I have to have judges that like what they see. Urgh.
I realize I can only do as best as I can, but I'd rather be done with this. I really don't want to be in Ivana's situation where she had to come back three times. I can only imagine that she kept going back to prove it to herself, but it absolutely burned her out on Karate. She never came back. School and regular life took the preference at that point and she never made space ever again. I definitely don't want to be in that situation.
Writing this is cathartic. I've got to get my head in a correct space to do well, but not perseverate over the results. The goal is to do the best I can without rushing.
Ten straight days of practice? Not sure about that part, but it allows for a lot of focus on one kata/bunkai a day.
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
2 Weeks To Go
The testing cycle is coming up in a few weeks (Sept. 6th) and I haven't found any anxiety yet; just the desire to see a success as I'd rather not practice this stuff so much anymore.
We've added a few things and corrected a few things, but in the end I'm whittling away at small things to make myself look presentable/passable.
Since this is a retest I'm slightly off schedule and figured I'd be testing by myself or a small group. That sounded nice because I didn't want anyone doing the same testing package as me for comparison and contrast. I felt like the last time Olivia looked so good that it weighed against me. Of course, I've improved and have a more appropriate partner in Reed, but I felt better without that comparison.
As luck would have it, our sister school from Eugene will be putting up several people also working toward their Ni Dan. Hopefully I'll be shiny and awesome in comparison to them.
I'll be trying to squeeze in as much practice as I can in the mean time. weeeee
We've added a few things and corrected a few things, but in the end I'm whittling away at small things to make myself look presentable/passable.
Since this is a retest I'm slightly off schedule and figured I'd be testing by myself or a small group. That sounded nice because I didn't want anyone doing the same testing package as me for comparison and contrast. I felt like the last time Olivia looked so good that it weighed against me. Of course, I've improved and have a more appropriate partner in Reed, but I felt better without that comparison.
As luck would have it, our sister school from Eugene will be putting up several people also working toward their Ni Dan. Hopefully I'll be shiny and awesome in comparison to them.
I'll be trying to squeeze in as much practice as I can in the mean time. weeeee
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Punishment Round
After a somewhat strenuous Black belt only class, in which I showed some nice improvement, we all headed down the hill to the school.
I was feeling some degree of pleasure because I was given corrections and was able to deal with them right away. Not always the case for me.
Sensei closed out the Black belt club with discussions on how to deal with test stress. This was more oriented to our Brown belt who could potentially be testing along side me. She's pretty young and is juggling the options. She's never been to Yakima so she's considering do the test here in the Rose City.
I hate the travel and expense, but I love going to the mothership. It's a nice experience and it's great to see all the high ranking folks from around the region. It confirms a deep bench for our Style/school even if it is just a regional thing.
Regular class started with movement. This consisted of back and forth attacking and blocking. Although we haven't done this in awhile I didn't think much about it until we got going. I ended up with Kyle, who's my height and quite a bit heavier than me. I get a kick out of this because when I started at this school he was still going through puberty.
We were doing a multitude of attacks and defenses which started out fine, but after two runs I thought the muscles in my forearms were broken. I mean I know there is bruising, but my muscles actually felt like they burst. By the forth run I could barely make contact. I kept think that the bruising was going to be horrible that night or today. And to my surprise I don't have one mark on me! My arms are a bit sore, but there's not one bruise. Totally weird.
I was feeling some degree of pleasure because I was given corrections and was able to deal with them right away. Not always the case for me.
Sensei closed out the Black belt club with discussions on how to deal with test stress. This was more oriented to our Brown belt who could potentially be testing along side me. She's pretty young and is juggling the options. She's never been to Yakima so she's considering do the test here in the Rose City.
I hate the travel and expense, but I love going to the mothership. It's a nice experience and it's great to see all the high ranking folks from around the region. It confirms a deep bench for our Style/school even if it is just a regional thing.
Regular class started with movement. This consisted of back and forth attacking and blocking. Although we haven't done this in awhile I didn't think much about it until we got going. I ended up with Kyle, who's my height and quite a bit heavier than me. I get a kick out of this because when I started at this school he was still going through puberty.
We were doing a multitude of attacks and defenses which started out fine, but after two runs I thought the muscles in my forearms were broken. I mean I know there is bruising, but my muscles actually felt like they burst. By the forth run I could barely make contact. I kept think that the bruising was going to be horrible that night or today. And to my surprise I don't have one mark on me! My arms are a bit sore, but there's not one bruise. Totally weird.
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Notes On A Hot Day
Jeeez, I'm not really good at this posting thing lately. The main focus is on the esoteric these days. Smaller and smaller detail work. It appears to be paying off as I received many compliments from my co-students and teacher last night. I was a bit concerned about how I'd do because I'd been on vacation for two weeks and was only able to practice two or three times.
We met on Wednesday of last week and I got a full sheet of notes. I picked the lowest hanging fruit and started working on those pieces. We went over the first five kata last night and everyone agreed that I was much improved. This carried over into the normal class where we worked on two more and ripped into them with great detail.
Exhausting due to the heat and a bruise on my foot that I picked up on vacation from walking so much? Anyway it turned out to be a right to bed night.
Today my foot is aching furiously. I'm off to call the doctor.
We met on Wednesday of last week and I got a full sheet of notes. I picked the lowest hanging fruit and started working on those pieces. We went over the first five kata last night and everyone agreed that I was much improved. This carried over into the normal class where we worked on two more and ripped into them with great detail.
Exhausting due to the heat and a bruise on my foot that I picked up on vacation from walking so much? Anyway it turned out to be a right to bed night.
Today my foot is aching furiously. I'm off to call the doctor.
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
A Little Collection Of Notes
I'm still grinding away at my practice and occasionally learning a bit of new stuff, but lately I've been teaching a bit more than practice, but it's all stuff I needed to work on anyway.
Most of the time I've been working on Ni Pai Po which is modestly long and somewhat challenging. However, I'm teaching it as I refine it. I had no idea how difficult it was to pass timing on how rewarding it is to see the other person get it!
My next big goal is to be lower in stance by the end of every kata than the start. That goes with the assumption that I'm rising during the middle of the kata.
I've been working with my new bunkai partner, Reed. Which is nice as we look better matched than I did with Olivia. We are simply practicing the basics and haven't amplified the standard stuff we usually use. Reed usually leaves that to the last couple of weeks. Stressful to me, but that's how he works.
Other news:
I'm now using a blood pressure cuff twice a day. Slightly high blood pressure for three visits in a row means I have to monitor. Depressing.
I've been back to running after a very long time off. I thought it was good for you. It's a perfectly ridiculous way to spend time. I thought it was going to help me sleep better. it seems the fitter you get the more you have to work to get exhausted. Silly!
I'm making knives for my three teachers. I should have done a video on how not to do it. However, I'm impressed how sharp these things are. I'm up to polishing the blades a bit more before I work on the handles. I want those done before the test this time.
Most of the time I've been working on Ni Pai Po which is modestly long and somewhat challenging. However, I'm teaching it as I refine it. I had no idea how difficult it was to pass timing on how rewarding it is to see the other person get it!
My next big goal is to be lower in stance by the end of every kata than the start. That goes with the assumption that I'm rising during the middle of the kata.
I've been working with my new bunkai partner, Reed. Which is nice as we look better matched than I did with Olivia. We are simply practicing the basics and haven't amplified the standard stuff we usually use. Reed usually leaves that to the last couple of weeks. Stressful to me, but that's how he works.
Other news:
I'm now using a blood pressure cuff twice a day. Slightly high blood pressure for three visits in a row means I have to monitor. Depressing.
I've been back to running after a very long time off. I thought it was good for you. It's a perfectly ridiculous way to spend time. I thought it was going to help me sleep better. it seems the fitter you get the more you have to work to get exhausted. Silly!
I'm making knives for my three teachers. I should have done a video on how not to do it. However, I'm impressed how sharp these things are. I'm up to polishing the blades a bit more before I work on the handles. I want those done before the test this time.
Thursday, May 30, 2019
Head So Big
Hey All,
Just another episode of "practice, practice, practice". It's been tough to get motivated to do my daily practice (the entire test with shadow bunkai), but I'm trying to do a little each day so I don't forget stuff. Mostly I'm working on two basic stances, cat and long split (Nekoashi Dachi and Zenkutsu Dachi respectively).
Sensei had told me to video myself as much as possible and it's provided to be a cruel mistress. Even when I think I'm doing better in practice, review doesn't pull any punches. I've been doing this for three weeks or so and really trying to do a few things better. That would include depth of stance and balance. Two things that are so simple yet equate to the backbone of what everyone is going to see and judge me on.
As I suppose all men must do, the farther I squat down the more I have a tendency to lean forward. I've been forcing my back straight for awhile, but it means that I have to struggle with my balance in a new position which is also trying to be very low. It also means that I have to practice this in every position in my katas. Ouch.
Last night we had a very small class, just three of us. So Sensei had Mark watch him and I do Haku Cho and Haku Cho Dai. He wanted any remarks so I was prepared to take the regular onslaught of commentary following me do a kata.
These comments aren't verbatim of course, but here's the gist:
Just another episode of "practice, practice, practice". It's been tough to get motivated to do my daily practice (the entire test with shadow bunkai), but I'm trying to do a little each day so I don't forget stuff. Mostly I'm working on two basic stances, cat and long split (Nekoashi Dachi and Zenkutsu Dachi respectively).
Sensei had told me to video myself as much as possible and it's provided to be a cruel mistress. Even when I think I'm doing better in practice, review doesn't pull any punches. I've been doing this for three weeks or so and really trying to do a few things better. That would include depth of stance and balance. Two things that are so simple yet equate to the backbone of what everyone is going to see and judge me on.
As I suppose all men must do, the farther I squat down the more I have a tendency to lean forward. I've been forcing my back straight for awhile, but it means that I have to struggle with my balance in a new position which is also trying to be very low. It also means that I have to practice this in every position in my katas. Ouch.
Last night we had a very small class, just three of us. So Sensei had Mark watch him and I do Haku Cho and Haku Cho Dai. He wanted any remarks so I was prepared to take the regular onslaught of commentary following me do a kata.
These comments aren't verbatim of course, but here's the gist:
- Tater had lower stances
- Tater had better hands
I told Sensei I'd give him a 20 later for making me look so good.
Of course it wasn't particularly fair since it's all that I work on, but it was a nice feeling after being made to look shabby by doing the same things next to Olivia for the last year and some.
Thursday, May 16, 2019
Working The Basics
It all comes down to the basics - at least when folks are looking at you with a microscopic analysis of your skills. Each superfluous movement of a foot, every time I look in the incorrect spot, and every stance that makes me appear standing far too tall all add up to make me look less than proficient.
I mentioned some years back that this style of karate tends to focus deeply on Kata because one of the original guys said that some people are naturally adept at fighting so the only way to see where the skill lays is within kata and bunkai.
Because of my intermittent history with various martial arts over the course of my life my basics are scattered at best, but has made me flexible when it comes to relearning.
This all leads to last night. Somewhere in my head/sub-conscious I decided that I would do all the stances as low as possible. Just to see where it would go. I'd stop when my knees couldn't take it or i'd fall over. Then I'd focus on my hips. I make them snap for every move with a punch or strike.
What I didn't take into account was that Daniel was going to run the class and he was okay with working on our cardio. And part of working of cardio was just trashing the legs. Squats, sprints and slow kicks. I mean I loved it, but by the time I got to work on kata I was pretty wrung out. However, I made sure those stances were fantastic, just hard as heck to keep balance when moving.
Today's practice felt a tiny bit better and a tiny bit lower.
I mentioned some years back that this style of karate tends to focus deeply on Kata because one of the original guys said that some people are naturally adept at fighting so the only way to see where the skill lays is within kata and bunkai.
Because of my intermittent history with various martial arts over the course of my life my basics are scattered at best, but has made me flexible when it comes to relearning.
This all leads to last night. Somewhere in my head/sub-conscious I decided that I would do all the stances as low as possible. Just to see where it would go. I'd stop when my knees couldn't take it or i'd fall over. Then I'd focus on my hips. I make them snap for every move with a punch or strike.
What I didn't take into account was that Daniel was going to run the class and he was okay with working on our cardio. And part of working of cardio was just trashing the legs. Squats, sprints and slow kicks. I mean I loved it, but by the time I got to work on kata I was pretty wrung out. However, I made sure those stances were fantastic, just hard as heck to keep balance when moving.
Today's practice felt a tiny bit better and a tiny bit lower.
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
Painful Review
Or maybe not.
It's taken me a bit to sit down and write about the test and my feelings around how it went. It's been a week plus now and I have had plenty of time to mull over how it went. But let me jump back to the test first.
Reed, MaryAnn and me got to Yakima with about three hours till testing. We checked in our hotel which was pretty rough as places go, but at least semi-clean. Lesson learned; don't go for the cheapest place you can find.
We drove over to the dojo and they hadn't opened up just yet so we sat around outside socializing while everyone collected. After they opened we went in and changed into our Gis and started warming up. Strangely, I felt very distanced emotionally and not overly nervous or excited.
Olivia and I practiced our bunkai lightly and worked through our kata and just chatted until we were told to line up.
The test seemed to take a long time because we were with some other advanced belts and their parts took a very long time. This gave me ample time to rest which I appreciated. I also had a great view of their bunkai which impressed me greatly. There were a lot of complicated throws which we rarely see in karate.
After we completed we ended up sitting in the lobby for an hour. Apparently, there was a lot to discuss which was intriguing. We found out later that the judges were taking the view point that their style was different that what we were presenting. Reed was politely explaining that our style was what we'd been doing for the last ten years. So they had to come to terms with a lot of theoretical stuff before they could address the results.
The higher ranking folks went into to get their results and it took another hour for just three folks. Finally Olivia, me and another guy that tested for Nidan were ushered in. They gave Olivia her notes first but they said right away that they all passed her. They went into a lot of detail about what they liked and what needed to be fixed, which was minimal. They loved her bunkai because of the way she thrashed me around.
Then it was my turn. They all agreed that I need to come back next quarter and do the test again. I had been fairly hopeful, but it was balanced with everything they had said before and I had a sneaking suspicion that being partnered with Olivia probably wasn't in my best interest. She looked so good that everything that I did looked mediocre - the differences were really emphasized. I mean I really needed to do some things better, but you get the idea. They also didn't like the fact that she was my partner. They thought I needed someone that I could hit and I clearly was holding back on occasion. Although she would say that was untrue because she was really sore.
In the end I got two pages of very detailed notes which makes fixing things way easier when you have a check list. So I'm burying myself in making my basics way better, but the depth of my stances really weighs against me. I'm not totally sure how to make them deeper because it doesn't actually feel like I can. Well shall see.
I have until September 3rd (which is the next test day) to see how far I can go.
It's taken me a bit to sit down and write about the test and my feelings around how it went. It's been a week plus now and I have had plenty of time to mull over how it went. But let me jump back to the test first.
Reed, MaryAnn and me got to Yakima with about three hours till testing. We checked in our hotel which was pretty rough as places go, but at least semi-clean. Lesson learned; don't go for the cheapest place you can find.
We drove over to the dojo and they hadn't opened up just yet so we sat around outside socializing while everyone collected. After they opened we went in and changed into our Gis and started warming up. Strangely, I felt very distanced emotionally and not overly nervous or excited.
Olivia and I practiced our bunkai lightly and worked through our kata and just chatted until we were told to line up.
The test seemed to take a long time because we were with some other advanced belts and their parts took a very long time. This gave me ample time to rest which I appreciated. I also had a great view of their bunkai which impressed me greatly. There were a lot of complicated throws which we rarely see in karate.
After we completed we ended up sitting in the lobby for an hour. Apparently, there was a lot to discuss which was intriguing. We found out later that the judges were taking the view point that their style was different that what we were presenting. Reed was politely explaining that our style was what we'd been doing for the last ten years. So they had to come to terms with a lot of theoretical stuff before they could address the results.
The higher ranking folks went into to get their results and it took another hour for just three folks. Finally Olivia, me and another guy that tested for Nidan were ushered in. They gave Olivia her notes first but they said right away that they all passed her. They went into a lot of detail about what they liked and what needed to be fixed, which was minimal. They loved her bunkai because of the way she thrashed me around.
Then it was my turn. They all agreed that I need to come back next quarter and do the test again. I had been fairly hopeful, but it was balanced with everything they had said before and I had a sneaking suspicion that being partnered with Olivia probably wasn't in my best interest. She looked so good that everything that I did looked mediocre - the differences were really emphasized. I mean I really needed to do some things better, but you get the idea. They also didn't like the fact that she was my partner. They thought I needed someone that I could hit and I clearly was holding back on occasion. Although she would say that was untrue because she was really sore.
In the end I got two pages of very detailed notes which makes fixing things way easier when you have a check list. So I'm burying myself in making my basics way better, but the depth of my stances really weighs against me. I'm not totally sure how to make them deeper because it doesn't actually feel like I can. Well shall see.
I have until September 3rd (which is the next test day) to see how far I can go.
Thursday, May 02, 2019
One Day To Go - Nidan
Everything is in preparation and everything is practiced. A few of the bunkai got shifted yesterday, but not in a big way. Hotel is secured. Travel is planned. Details are detailed.
The adrenaline is pumping and we all feel good. Three of us are testing (Daniel, Olivia and me) and we've been told we look really good. Better, in fact, that when Sensei took his Nidan or so he says.
Last night we aggressively went after our bunkai for several hours. Unfortunately, I'm feeling pretty bruised, but nothing is impaired.
I'll do a run through today and call it good. Tomorrow we leave in the morning and will have a couple of hours before the exam to warm up. I'm not sure I need that much, but it'll nice to work out some of the adrenaline with a light run through for me.
Pray to the karate gods that we get good and equitable judges and that we do a great job as well.
The adrenaline is pumping and we all feel good. Three of us are testing (Daniel, Olivia and me) and we've been told we look really good. Better, in fact, that when Sensei took his Nidan or so he says.
Last night we aggressively went after our bunkai for several hours. Unfortunately, I'm feeling pretty bruised, but nothing is impaired.
I'll do a run through today and call it good. Tomorrow we leave in the morning and will have a couple of hours before the exam to warm up. I'm not sure I need that much, but it'll nice to work out some of the adrenaline with a light run through for me.
Pray to the karate gods that we get good and equitable judges and that we do a great job as well.
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
The Final Week to Nidan
My wife has been talking to be me about how we as people interpret adrenaline. Is it fear or is it excitement?
I've been calling it "a case of the nerves" for years. In an attempt to frame my upcoming test in the best light possible I'm called it excitement, but tempered with reality.
For all the practice tests we've been working on we've been given passing grades, but they keep on pointed out that there is a level of precociousness with the judges. They've identified a few that simply fail people outright with not a lot of reasoning. Or in the worst case scenarion - no reasoning.
To put it in the best light- the judge will identify something wrong with the kata and have no way of putting into words that are helpful to the person in the test. Definitely not helpful and it's occured over the years with no avenue of complaint. Urgh.
My fingers are crossed tight that we get some supportive upper ranks to give us objective scoring.
I leave Friday morning to drive up to Yakima. Our test is in the evening and isn't surrounded by the normal Kyu level belts or larger ceremony which is a bit of a bummer, but it means we'll be out of there fairly early depending on the amount of testers. Normally, we'd be there till midnight.
During this week we are trying to do as much fine tuning as possible before we take off. As part of this the regular class time is totally dedicated to test run and bunkai refinement. In the BB class I ran through the test and noticed all my flaws, but MaryAnn Sensei still thought it was a pass. Unfortunately, Olivia couldn't be there until the evening class so I ended up going through the test again. I was completely shot about halfway through which didn't look good with me gasping. Thankfully I can do one run and look okay, but that stretched me pretty bad. And then we spent the last 15 minutes working on one bunkai that I'm kinda sketchy on. No longer!
I've been calling it "a case of the nerves" for years. In an attempt to frame my upcoming test in the best light possible I'm called it excitement, but tempered with reality.
For all the practice tests we've been working on we've been given passing grades, but they keep on pointed out that there is a level of precociousness with the judges. They've identified a few that simply fail people outright with not a lot of reasoning. Or in the worst case scenarion - no reasoning.
To put it in the best light- the judge will identify something wrong with the kata and have no way of putting into words that are helpful to the person in the test. Definitely not helpful and it's occured over the years with no avenue of complaint. Urgh.
My fingers are crossed tight that we get some supportive upper ranks to give us objective scoring.
I leave Friday morning to drive up to Yakima. Our test is in the evening and isn't surrounded by the normal Kyu level belts or larger ceremony which is a bit of a bummer, but it means we'll be out of there fairly early depending on the amount of testers. Normally, we'd be there till midnight.
During this week we are trying to do as much fine tuning as possible before we take off. As part of this the regular class time is totally dedicated to test run and bunkai refinement. In the BB class I ran through the test and noticed all my flaws, but MaryAnn Sensei still thought it was a pass. Unfortunately, Olivia couldn't be there until the evening class so I ended up going through the test again. I was completely shot about halfway through which didn't look good with me gasping. Thankfully I can do one run and look okay, but that stretched me pretty bad. And then we spent the last 15 minutes working on one bunkai that I'm kinda sketchy on. No longer!
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
Two Weeks To Go
Hey all, I apologise for not writing. I'm sure there is more than enough to talk about, but the test is in two weeks and pretty much the only things I think about are the test and the test.
I kept meaning to write, but composing my thoughts in a cohesive manner has been tough. I run through the test pretty much every day and last time I wrote I had intense workouts pretty much every day. I didn't think I could get any more changes or improvements in. However, last night I was given a few corrections to work on and they seem doable to fix. A foot there and a fist there and so on.
Probably the biggest deal/change was that we converted the normal bunkai on our last kata into a Oyo. Oyo is a longer, back and forth demonstration of the techniques in which both sides gets to play at attacking and defending. The normal bunkai was just a single move and seemed modest compared to the kata; which is very long and complex.
Olivia and me, with the help of Reed and Daniel, contructed an interesting and graphic routine based on 6 self-defense moves. I don't know about Olivia, but our practice leaves me pretty sore and bruised. By Saturday of last week I was having problems with my abs and realized that my ribs were bruised. Nice work Olivia!
Next Friday is the exam and I'll be excited to do it, but I'm a touch nervous because there is always space for failure. If it occurs I have to wait four to six months for restest, and thankfully don't have repay the test fee. Each rank goes up another $100. So my NiDan will be $200. Poor Daniel is going for his ShiDan which will go for $400. Ouch.
If I can get the video practice from Olivia I'll post or link here.
On a side note, allergy season is here and practicing with a half lung is brutal. Hopefully things will be clear by next week. Wheezing at the test will probably be frowned upon.
I kept meaning to write, but composing my thoughts in a cohesive manner has been tough. I run through the test pretty much every day and last time I wrote I had intense workouts pretty much every day. I didn't think I could get any more changes or improvements in. However, last night I was given a few corrections to work on and they seem doable to fix. A foot there and a fist there and so on.
Probably the biggest deal/change was that we converted the normal bunkai on our last kata into a Oyo. Oyo is a longer, back and forth demonstration of the techniques in which both sides gets to play at attacking and defending. The normal bunkai was just a single move and seemed modest compared to the kata; which is very long and complex.
Olivia and me, with the help of Reed and Daniel, contructed an interesting and graphic routine based on 6 self-defense moves. I don't know about Olivia, but our practice leaves me pretty sore and bruised. By Saturday of last week I was having problems with my abs and realized that my ribs were bruised. Nice work Olivia!
Next Friday is the exam and I'll be excited to do it, but I'm a touch nervous because there is always space for failure. If it occurs I have to wait four to six months for restest, and thankfully don't have repay the test fee. Each rank goes up another $100. So my NiDan will be $200. Poor Daniel is going for his ShiDan which will go for $400. Ouch.
If I can get the video practice from Olivia I'll post or link here.
On a side note, allergy season is here and practicing with a half lung is brutal. Hopefully things will be clear by next week. Wheezing at the test will probably be frowned upon.
Monday, April 01, 2019
One Week Straight
The question I pose, is how much karate is too much?
I've just completed a week of karate. Normally I try to practice every day, but during the last week I was doing work outs and refinement with other people every day except Friday. The pinnacle was driving up to Eugene with Sensei's Reed, Daniel, and MaryAnn to meet with Sensei Albert for an intense review. It ended up lasting 6 hours.
Both Reed and Albert had Morris Mack as their primary instructor and Reed considers Albert a type of uncle in the complex school relationship. I think Albert is around my age, but he's been practicing since he's been six. Unlike many of us, he never took any time off, so his reserve of information is tremendous.
Our purpose was to go over our testing material to see what a fresh pair of eyes might see. At times I thought Albert was skipping looking at basics and just looking at the main areas of interest in each kata, but as time went on he would shift occasionally to pick up errors in my more advanced katas. This gave me a small sense of pride, assuming that it meant my basics were solid enough to be ignored.
I left completed wiped out, but no one said that I sucked so bad that I shouldn't test. In the greater scheme of things I'm only able to fail two Kata to blow the whole test, but I'd rather they all be good/great.
Perhaps my only area of concern was that I didn't feel any nervousness when I was performing my kata in front of everyone. I'd rather experience some tension, which would be more like the actual exam.
I'm looking forward to this week. Only two class nights and time to actually practice on my own.
I've just completed a week of karate. Normally I try to practice every day, but during the last week I was doing work outs and refinement with other people every day except Friday. The pinnacle was driving up to Eugene with Sensei's Reed, Daniel, and MaryAnn to meet with Sensei Albert for an intense review. It ended up lasting 6 hours.
Both Reed and Albert had Morris Mack as their primary instructor and Reed considers Albert a type of uncle in the complex school relationship. I think Albert is around my age, but he's been practicing since he's been six. Unlike many of us, he never took any time off, so his reserve of information is tremendous.
Our purpose was to go over our testing material to see what a fresh pair of eyes might see. At times I thought Albert was skipping looking at basics and just looking at the main areas of interest in each kata, but as time went on he would shift occasionally to pick up errors in my more advanced katas. This gave me a small sense of pride, assuming that it meant my basics were solid enough to be ignored.
I left completed wiped out, but no one said that I sucked so bad that I shouldn't test. In the greater scheme of things I'm only able to fail two Kata to blow the whole test, but I'd rather they all be good/great.
Perhaps my only area of concern was that I didn't feel any nervousness when I was performing my kata in front of everyone. I'd rather experience some tension, which would be more like the actual exam.
I'm looking forward to this week. Only two class nights and time to actually practice on my own.
Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Six Weeks
Last week we had a new guy show up for class which is always a pretty cool thing in my opinion. He came last night and participated and by the end of the class you could see that twinkle in the eye that reminds me of a religious conversion. He's going to come back to class on Wednesday for sure.
I enjoy when we have a new adult in class. There is such an interesting chain of events that gets people there as an adult. How they find time; how they make a new priority; and how do they find us? If he makes it more than a month I can't wait to here the story. He's at least done some TKD and Judo so he's no neophyte, so it's nice to see him fall into the basic moves.
---
Daniel Sensei said we've got 6 weeks to go until the test. Generally speaking this is the pinch time where we work out as much of the bugs in our katas as we can. Up to two weeks before the test it's crunch time. To that end we are meeting as much as possible to get things dialed in. At two weeks out they no longer trying to correct actions and just encourage us to keep practice sharp.
This week I think I'm going to be meeting every day, but I think Reed Sensei is getting us particularly squared away because we are going to head up to Eugene to visit with his instructor to have a fake test. This process is to get an objective view of our progress. Albert Sensei should be able to identify anything that we can work on it short order.
All of this work means that I'll be sharper, but it's exhausting. I hope they don't expect this for the next 6 weeks, because my wife will kill me and I'll never get anything done around the house.
---
Maia was particularly sharp last night. Our little brownbelt helped the new guy and me through variations on takedowns last night. Unfortunately, leaving me a bit bruised and sore this morning. She's going to be a good instructor possibly one day.
Tuesday, March 05, 2019
A Brief Glimpse Into The Future
In the midst yet another deep dive in the details of one of our kata I started feeling the warmth of some emerging confidence. I'm not saying that my kata was any better than before, but I felt relaxed in that I was able to correct small errors quickly and feel a bit better about things in general.
We didn't have much of a class last night. I was just with Reed and Daniel and the point I found some of that confidence was when all three of us did the same kata and I saw that I was doing the same timing as them and I actually looked good. Of course then I messed up some portions, but the first part was gold.
We didn't have much of a class last night. I was just with Reed and Daniel and the point I found some of that confidence was when all three of us did the same kata and I saw that I was doing the same timing as them and I actually looked good. Of course then I messed up some portions, but the first part was gold.
I haven't been writing much because there hasn't been much beyond practicing the test and working on timing. May feels far away and just around the corner at the same time. I'm experiencing a bit of nervousness about the bunkai portion simply because we haven't spent much time on them. Olivia and me just haven't been in the same room enough to really get into it. At the very least we have the basic ones down. The newer ones we tried aren't set in my mind so if we go that route we won't do well unless we work very hard in the next couple of months and real life doesn't often allow that.
I'm off the East Coast next week so I'll miss yet another tournament period and I'll have to really work on practice as not to lose what I've got.
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Half A Bubble Off
It was late in the evening and sudden impact of our foreheads connecting was alarming since it was accompanied by that ripe watermelon noise. Both Reed Sensei and myself stumbled back for a second as my eyes attempted to focus for a bit. Thankfully neither of us was hurt and that led to some laughter.
However, that wasn't going to be the end of it and it certainly wasn't the beginning either.
Since it was a Monday we did a Test run through starting in the Black Belt Club (aka Reed's garage). I felt pretty good going in, but my recent lack of practice started to show. By the fifth kata the accumulation of mistakes make me stop and start over at one point - a definite low point.
I will say that part of the distraction is that I'm trying to keep my eyes up. I practice with my eyes down and that's a no-no for testing. Through the course of the night I got better, but the first katas were pretty terrible.
In between each kata is the bunkai. These are designed to show that we can extract a move from the kata and make a practical defense out it. The ones that were original to our teachers are often short and a bit boring. So we've been developing them into some lengthier more elaborate exchanges. Last night we made a rather action packed one that started with me being the aggressor. I try to do a forward collar grab and Olivia reaches in and grabs mine and pulls me down toward her. I'm met with a knee to the chest. This brings me into position for her to swing a leg over and catch the opposite shoulder and drive it down while yanking my other arm up. The result is that I spin in the air, land on my back and she punches me in the face. After we did this a few times I notices my elbows getting a bit sensitive, but didn't think much about it. Apparently my new gi is way rougher than I'm used to and removed the skin around my elbows in a couple of places, ow!
After all the action I'm completely sore this morning. My back is in knots, my thighs are super sore from knee strikes, but I'm motivated to practice and have already made it half-way through the test by 8am.
However, that wasn't going to be the end of it and it certainly wasn't the beginning either.
Since it was a Monday we did a Test run through starting in the Black Belt Club (aka Reed's garage). I felt pretty good going in, but my recent lack of practice started to show. By the fifth kata the accumulation of mistakes make me stop and start over at one point - a definite low point.
I will say that part of the distraction is that I'm trying to keep my eyes up. I practice with my eyes down and that's a no-no for testing. Through the course of the night I got better, but the first katas were pretty terrible.
In between each kata is the bunkai. These are designed to show that we can extract a move from the kata and make a practical defense out it. The ones that were original to our teachers are often short and a bit boring. So we've been developing them into some lengthier more elaborate exchanges. Last night we made a rather action packed one that started with me being the aggressor. I try to do a forward collar grab and Olivia reaches in and grabs mine and pulls me down toward her. I'm met with a knee to the chest. This brings me into position for her to swing a leg over and catch the opposite shoulder and drive it down while yanking my other arm up. The result is that I spin in the air, land on my back and she punches me in the face. After we did this a few times I notices my elbows getting a bit sensitive, but didn't think much about it. Apparently my new gi is way rougher than I'm used to and removed the skin around my elbows in a couple of places, ow!
After all the action I'm completely sore this morning. My back is in knots, my thighs are super sore from knee strikes, but I'm motivated to practice and have already made it half-way through the test by 8am.
Thursday, February 14, 2019
Research And Development With Fists
Intermittent poster here.
I keep forgetting to jot down notes from class and/or training. Each class has a tendency to blend with another and improvements are small and overall progress is measured by increments.
For instance I know all the patterns all the way through now, and I don't usually have too many errors anymore, but the focus is on timing now. So we methodically go through each kata and work on fast, slow, rest, speed, etc. Thankfully I'm getting slightly better while Olivia appears to be squared away already. Thankfully she's patient with me and can offer constructive criticism and great support.
Due to the schedule, last night was fight night, but Reed was feeling creative so the Black belt club worked back and forth on developing bunkai from some of our kata.
I was asked to see if I could figure something out of Hakutsuru No Ottoko. This turned out to be very difficult to do. The standard bunkai really uses the best that the kata offers, but it's short. We worked on expanding it which seems fun and more action packed, but I wasn't sure if I needed to have Olivia buy off on it.
It did serve to get me to understand that our creativity can be put into use when everything seems to be pretty rigidly set out in our style of Karate. I think the regional group of leadership has started focusing on the fact that we need get outside the box when we are at this level of practice. It just takes time to rework my brain.
At class we had three point sparring and took it me long time to warm up to. I only won two matches and it didn't feel great. I only remembered to use my legs late into the matches and that turned the tide for me. I don't believe my legs are much longer than anyone else, but their perception is that they are hyper long. Whatever. It got me the points.
Point sparring agitates me. Knowing exactly what to look for and to do the things are that easy to be witnessed turn the tide in scoring. So a good block on a kick or punch are disregarded for a few reasons. I get it and I'm learning, but I don't have to like it. It's just that my natural competitiveness makes a loss frustrating.
I keep forgetting to jot down notes from class and/or training. Each class has a tendency to blend with another and improvements are small and overall progress is measured by increments.
For instance I know all the patterns all the way through now, and I don't usually have too many errors anymore, but the focus is on timing now. So we methodically go through each kata and work on fast, slow, rest, speed, etc. Thankfully I'm getting slightly better while Olivia appears to be squared away already. Thankfully she's patient with me and can offer constructive criticism and great support.
Due to the schedule, last night was fight night, but Reed was feeling creative so the Black belt club worked back and forth on developing bunkai from some of our kata.
I was asked to see if I could figure something out of Hakutsuru No Ottoko. This turned out to be very difficult to do. The standard bunkai really uses the best that the kata offers, but it's short. We worked on expanding it which seems fun and more action packed, but I wasn't sure if I needed to have Olivia buy off on it.
It did serve to get me to understand that our creativity can be put into use when everything seems to be pretty rigidly set out in our style of Karate. I think the regional group of leadership has started focusing on the fact that we need get outside the box when we are at this level of practice. It just takes time to rework my brain.
At class we had three point sparring and took it me long time to warm up to. I only won two matches and it didn't feel great. I only remembered to use my legs late into the matches and that turned the tide for me. I don't believe my legs are much longer than anyone else, but their perception is that they are hyper long. Whatever. It got me the points.
Point sparring agitates me. Knowing exactly what to look for and to do the things are that easy to be witnessed turn the tide in scoring. So a good block on a kick or punch are disregarded for a few reasons. I get it and I'm learning, but I don't have to like it. It's just that my natural competitiveness makes a loss frustrating.
Tuesday, February 05, 2019
Timing And Technique
With our Ni Dan test coming up in three months attention to detail is the primary focus.
I try to be objective about my personality, but the truth is the fact that I'm having some problems motivating myself to do the practice I need to do. This would be absolutely going over problem spots in katas until they no longer crop up. However, work at the house and life issues make practice hard to do most days. I mean, I'm just making excuses at this point, but this leads up to how I do in class.
Last night we met in Sensei's garage and even though the heater was on we could see our breath. Due to possible snow barely anyone made it to class. So Sensei, Maia and I just worked on refinement. In last night's case I worked on Wando for both hours and although I'm concerned that I have a lot of issues we were able to get me to look pretty darn good by the end of the evening. Timing seemed to be a big issue for me. My sense is that I'm doing a one-two and I'm usually just doing one, one , one. I'll need to continue to work on that.
The side notes
My Mother is nearing the end of life, but seems to be able to make miraculous recoveries each time she goes to the hospital. She has a medical directive in place that indicates that she wants to end life, but my Father is having a problem with this so things get complicated. So my brother and I wait by the phone.
We are working on yet another part of the house. This time it's our bedroom. Since we are pretty good at it now it's gone a lot easier, but it's still a month in. This time we've elected to put in built in closets and under window seating. It just means more time till completion. So we're living in a guest room in mean time.
We have chickens and we're still learning lessons about them. We had, through a variety of circumstances, two bantams until the rooster died two days ago. This means that the hen is by herself because we can't allow her to mix with the regular hens. So my wife has decided to make her a house chicken. And my wife is now leaving for a week to take care of a sick friend. Sigh.
I try to be objective about my personality, but the truth is the fact that I'm having some problems motivating myself to do the practice I need to do. This would be absolutely going over problem spots in katas until they no longer crop up. However, work at the house and life issues make practice hard to do most days. I mean, I'm just making excuses at this point, but this leads up to how I do in class.
Last night we met in Sensei's garage and even though the heater was on we could see our breath. Due to possible snow barely anyone made it to class. So Sensei, Maia and I just worked on refinement. In last night's case I worked on Wando for both hours and although I'm concerned that I have a lot of issues we were able to get me to look pretty darn good by the end of the evening. Timing seemed to be a big issue for me. My sense is that I'm doing a one-two and I'm usually just doing one, one , one. I'll need to continue to work on that.
The side notes
My Mother is nearing the end of life, but seems to be able to make miraculous recoveries each time she goes to the hospital. She has a medical directive in place that indicates that she wants to end life, but my Father is having a problem with this so things get complicated. So my brother and I wait by the phone.
We are working on yet another part of the house. This time it's our bedroom. Since we are pretty good at it now it's gone a lot easier, but it's still a month in. This time we've elected to put in built in closets and under window seating. It just means more time till completion. So we're living in a guest room in mean time.
We have chickens and we're still learning lessons about them. We had, through a variety of circumstances, two bantams until the rooster died two days ago. This means that the hen is by herself because we can't allow her to mix with the regular hens. So my wife has decided to make her a house chicken. And my wife is now leaving for a week to take care of a sick friend. Sigh.
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