Two Things

[Charlie Kondek]

Joking around with a guy at work who quotes a high-up executive at a major Detroit automaker in saying that "you get two things." That is, you have room in your life for two hobbies. "More than two things," this guy says, "and you're just asking for trouble. You get two things, golf and boating, or woodworking and softball, whatever, just keep it to two things."

So, if swordsmanship is one of your things, what's the other? Or do you have more than two? Personally, I think this is sound advice and I think I have more than two, unfortunately.

[gendzwil]

Originally posted by Charlie Kondek

So, if swordsmanship is one of your things, what's the other?
Snowboarding in winter but that's always with the family so it doesn't count. Skateboarding in summer maybe once a week - hope to be more active this year, new concrete park in town. Golf maybe 4 or 5 rounds/year. Weight lifting/running year round (but I do that over lunch so it doesn't count). Judo, but that's a father-son thing so it doesn't count.

[Paul Kerr]

Regular bodyweight training - but that's not really a "thing", that's just keeping in shape.

A couple of months ago I would've said aikido, but I've pretty much jacked that in now (long story).

The motorbike in the summer 'cos I just don't have the iron balls needed for winter riding.

Movie/music geekdom is my other big thing - hunting down and collecting all those endless classics can take up a fair whack of my time.

Oh, and reading - reading LOTS!

[Charles Mahan]

You get two?

[Rough Rider]

Fishing when it's warm, duck and goose hunting when it's colder. (Is that 3?)

[Charlie Kondek]

See, I have a lot of "don't counts," too, so I'm not sure I should count them.

Reading, reading comics, watching movies - that's just, like, life. I also write, but I'm trying to do that professionally, so that's work sorta. Or a hobby that I hope to do professionally.

I think I have three things, though. Kendo, judo, and *cough* role-playing games. The judo and the gaming have taken a serious backseat to parenting, though.

[jest]

Originally posted by Paul Kerr
Movie/music geekdom is my other big thing - hunting down and collecting all those endless classics can take up a fair whack of my time.

Oh, and reading - reading LOTS!

Both of those, for sure.

Wait, that leaves me with nothing...

No space for TSKSR, rockclimbing, running, hiking, sailing, photography...

[chrismoses]

Originally posted by Charlie Kondek
Kendo, judo, and *cough* role-playing games.

GAMER!

I have a friend who still games regularly. When he's out his wife tells her friends that he's out drinking. That's more socially acceptable...

:D

I haven't had time to game in years, I just play Magic, er, "Playing Cards with the guys." Gamer crack. I hate my own kind. But I only play once in a while. Really. And I shower, really, I don't smell like that.

[G. Zepeda]

Yes, Charles, you get two, for the second, I chose breathing.

[gendzwil]

Originally posted by chrismoses
I have a friend who still games regularly. When he's out his wife tells her friends that he's out drinking. That's more socially acceptable...

I have buddies that still play D&D every couple of weeks. I join them once or twice a year but the appeal of that game has faded a lot for me - I'm mostly just there to socialize.

Speaking of socially non-acceptable - my neighbours certainly have the 42-year old skater pegged as the non-conformist on the block. Especially when I drag out the slalom board and cones and start self-timed training runs...

[Paul Kerr]

Speaking of socially non-acceptable - my neighbours certainly have the 42-year old skater pegged as the non-conformist on the block

I dragged my very old-school board (1979/80) out of hibernation a couple of years ago to see if I still had any chops left at all (I didn't). Stacy Peralta fishtailed deck, 9" Trackers and 65mm blue Kryptonics...aaaaah nostalgia :) . I embarrassed myself enough in public before deciding that keeping it in retirement was the best option. Most gruesome injury I ever had came from skateboarding - landed badly coming off a small ramp, my left foot planted and stayed where it was but the rest of my body decided to turn 180 degrees - snap, snap and snap. Broke my tibia on a vertical line and snapped my fibula twice. Four months in a cast to my hip and another 6 months on crutches after that.

I did, however, learn to "bum board" downhill in a hip cast :)

[chrismoses]

Originally posted by gendzwil
Snowboarding in winter but that's always with the family so it doesn't count.

So when are we going to have the first e-budo Whistler trip? I'm in. Go down sideways or not at all.

[gendzwil]

Originally posted by chrismoses
So when are we going to have the first e-budo Whistler trip? I'm in. Go down sideways or not at all.
We had a small kendo ski trip in Banff this year, I'd love to go to Whistler but that's big bucks. If I did it, I'd probably go for the Steveston taikai/Whistler combo. Hit the taikai on the second Saturday in February, then cruise up to Whistler the next day and do the mid-week thing.

[nicojo]

You bastards.

This is the second e-budo thread in the same day that has made wish yet again that I hadn't left the NW.

Well I will board with you at Whistler sometime, it is a great place. (The other thread was chanbarra with Knob Creek and nerf sticks. We should do that too.)





mutter mutter mutter....


edited to say:
Oh by the way, no way am I only getting two things.

[Mekugi]

Maybe this "Exec" should stop worrying about his "two things" and focus on making decent cars that can compete with the foreign car companies that make a firm stand on US soil. Just my thought.

I have more than two things. I have like 17 or so. No problems yet, just plenty to do in my spare time.

-R


Originally posted by Charlie Kondek
Joking around with a guy at work who quotes a high-up executive at a major Detroit automaker in saying that "you get two things." That is, you have room in your life for two hobbies. "More than two things," this guy says, "and you're just asking for trouble. You get two things, golf and boating, or woodworking and softball, whatever, just keep it to two things."

So, if swordsmanship is one of your things, what's the other? Or do you have more than two? Personally, I think this is sound advice and I think I have more than two, unfortunately.

[kruger]

My two... martial arts and pistol competition.

Of course "martial arts" is composed of multiple arts like: aikido, judo, and iaido, and I compete in two different pistol organizations: IDPA (I Don't Practice Anymore) and IPSC (Irritable People Squabbling Constantly).

If you think role playing games have a social stigma attached to it, you should see the stereotypes associated with firearms owners... :(

Mark Kruger

[Mekugi]

Originally posted by kruger
.....pistol competition.

Cool! What type of match are you competing in?

[Bill Gallant]

My God two would be ideal. Too bad it will never happen, MA, Bodybuilding, powerlifting, school, work(shifts), genealogy, politics, kids, house and servicing the wife. How I get more than three hours of sleep a day amazes me.:D

That doesn't include reading, TV(Star Trek), keeping the damn cars running, extended family
etc,etc,etc

Hey guys if you're single and living at home? Stick it out as long as possible!! that way you can do more than two things, and not kill yourself in the process.

[Charlie Kondek]

Bill's got it right. Enjoy it while you're young!

See, I can't count all my MA as just one thing. Especially if it's more than one club. My judo club knows that most of my MA time is spent on kendo. Still, I know they wish I could come around more, and me, too. And I haven't had as much time for iaido as I would like. Read: none at all!

Anyone else see the humor in Russ' last post?


Maybe this "Exec" should stop worrying about his "two things" and focus...


I have more than two things. I have like 17 or so.

As for gaming:

:D

Nerd til I die, dude! Still trying to envision a 42-year-old skater. Isn't Tony Hawk up there, too?

[Charles Mahan]

You mean you get two things????


I gotta have a talk with my wife...

[gendzwil]

Originally posted by Charlie Kondek
Isn't Tony Hawk up there, too?
Naw, he's a pup, just turned 36. Mind you, he's slightly better than I am :) He's gotten a lot better since he first bust out. He was kind of a whimpy, tricksy skater - you'd never see him going big or doing anything without pads, and he was always kind of gawky and awkward even when doing incredibly hard stuff. Now he's got a little more muscle and goes big while still doing inhumanly hard stuff - very cool. But overall I still think I'd rather watch Cab or Hosoi.

I've been skating since I was 15, and have always been the oldest skater around here. The overall age seems to be going up though. Now it's quite common to see guys skating well into their 20s, while in the mid-80s when I was in my 20s I still got dirty looks for being too old and in the 70s when I was in my teens I was older than most.

There's a big downhill/slalom revival going on, mostly consisting of old farts like me that don't have the time or patience to master the flippy tricks on popsicle stick boards the kids do. Ground zero for all this action is at www.ncdsa.com.

[kruger]

Originally posted by Mekugi
Cool! What type of match are you competing in?

The nature of the video setup makes it hard to see the "accuracy" part of the sport, but you get a feeling for the speed and what some courses of fire look like at:

http://www.hosercam.com/video.html


There seem to be quite a few parallels to "run'in and gun'in" and iai. Relaxing everything you don't need to get the task at hand done, smoothness leading to speed and power, seeing what you need to see, and follow through are some of the concepts I have found useful in both fields of endeavour.

Mark Kruger

[chrismoses]

Mark! Good to see you online, when are you going to come see us next? Hope you and Sasha are well, send me a PM or email sometime.