January's goal: learn the steps - Gojushiho Dai

This is a new Shotokan karate kata for me, and one I'm actually looking forward to focusing on. No leaps. No jumps. Just large, focused movements that emphasize the contrast between slow and fast, and hard and soft. If I can ever encompass just 1/100th of the focus and control that Luca Vadesi demonstrates below, I'm a happy camper.

One of the early challenges (at least for me) is it's similarity to Gojushiho Sho. There are just too many similar movements and turns.  I know both well enough to "follow along" in class if we're going by the count, or at a slow pace. The only way I think I'm going to keep them straight is to learn them separately, and my own little memory trick to remember the start of each one: Gojushiho Sho ("show off") and Gojushiho Dai ("double hands").

See Luca Vadesi's excellent demonstration (link in YouTube)

Dad

Testing the blog. Picture of my dad, painted by my daughter.

 

John David Murphy, painted by K. Berfield

 

Sergeant painting of the day

William Sergeant Kendall (American 1869-1938), “Alison, Christmas Day” (detail), 1909, oil on canvas; Collection of Maryhill Museum of Art.

Will Sergeant Kendall, "Alison, Christmas Day"

French Fry Rationing? Who Knew?

Per an article on CNN’s Money site, McDonalds (MCD) in Japan has been limiting the size of French Fry orders to the small size at its outlets in Japan. Labor disputes at US West coast ports had delayed exports of fries. See the story here: McDonald’s to end fry rationing in Japan