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| Monday, November 16th, 2009 | | 9:19 pm |
School of Arms
Got a phone call from Trent Retallack the other day. He has been our only competition in town for a formal school for European Martial Arts. For better or worse he was teaching longsword. His gym developed an in addition to his classes became a training center for Mixed Martial Arts types. Complete with an Octagon Ring. He is discontinuing all training at Historic European Martial Arts and is closing out the MMA training. Converting the whole operation to being a dedicated boxing gym. Says he will be refering his half dozen longsword students to us come December. Anyone wants an Octagon ring he has one to get rid of. It's very too bad our rental space hasn't come through. He has a bunch of pergo wood floor with a floated under mat available to unload that we could really use in that space. | | Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 | | 11:39 pm |
Thibault seminar - again
Matthew and I are off to the Boise Idaho area this weekend to teach another seminar on Thibault's rapier. New format for it, will be interesting to see how it works out. The interpretations have come a long way and the seminars keep changing in format pretty well. One of these days we will manage to get someone to help compile all the video footage for us. | | Saturday, October 24th, 2009 | | 9:26 am |
Halloween Help - Southern Oregon!!!!
Lookiong for something to do on Halloween? My Friends at Darkwing Manor Hount need help. I would be there myself but a trip to S. Oregon for Halloween isn't in the works as I have to work Friday and Sunday. Darkwing Manor is an old victorian farmhouse between Phoenix and Medford. They create a great haunted house experience every year. It's free to the public but they take donations which they donate to charity. They are really great people. I used to do this haunt every year and had great fun. It's the best haunted house south of Eugene - possibly portland. This year they are coming back from a break after a couple years off when their son died in a fire in Portland. He was one of the best creature/special effects make up artists in the area. It's kind of a big deal they are back at this. They need help. They are short on vampires and parking staff. There is no pay, except you get to scare people so bad they pee their sexy halloween costumes, and isn't that payment enough? Really - seeing a 6'4" guy scream like a little girl and almost fall over is well worth it. (ask me for the story) "We desperately need: 2-3 physically fit actors to man the vampyre's lair. We have a total of Zip-Zero-Nada signed up as of today! We have NO babysitters for Halloween night! Please ask your church group, parents, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunties, home ec. class, 4-H, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, child psych majors; if they would be willing to man the Kiddie Pit. They get to keep their tips! We are still short 2-3 parking helpers. Parking will be a much bigger challenge this year with pedestrians crossing the road. Please help us keep everyone safe! Please call if you can help! Tim and Tina " Let me know if you can help and I will get you their phone number. | | Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 | | 8:22 pm |
Blah......
Head cold sucks. Missed seeing Brandon this week because of it. Matt sent me home from practice tonight. Have to work out in the cold tomorrow. Blah..... | | Monday, October 12th, 2009 | | 10:39 am |
Whew..... busy
Working full time with a 3 1/2 to 4 hour round trip commute has real suckage. Add in teaching class on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and you are looking at 12 to 15 hour days....... not including seeing my kid. I am tired all the time these days. Took Brandon to the Corn Maze out on Sauvie Island last weekend though. We had a great time. Got lost in the maze, rode the cow train behind the tractor..... lots of dust in the teeth..... but it was fun. Climbed on the hay bale tower and tunnels. And bought some fresh corn and vegetables at rock bottom prices. This weekend had Brandon down to Corvallis overnight. My brother Scott was here for the football game with dad so Brandon had the cousins to play with and Mom and I were here with the kids. We cooked up the corn that Brandon and I brought from the corn maze outing for dinner. Man those kids are growing fast. Little worried about his cousin. She is a little older than Brandon and has speech problems. She talks.... but it's her own baby talk lanquage for the most part.... so I don't understand most of it. Unfortunately her mother does and they communicate just fine. Today I am heading into Portland to do as builts for Robin's house so she can have an interior decorator help her with her remodeling of the kitchen and dining room area. Staying the night and will go into work from there on Tuesday. Tuesday I am meeting with the Director/Producer of "Dex Dixon" http://www.dexdixon.com/index.html to discuss fight work for the series. Meeting at a martial arts studio where the studio is working up movement systems for the vampires and werewolves. I have my doubts about them as martial artists, but they are certainly able to do tricks and acrobatics. We shall see what we see. In any case my primary innvovlement is fight styles for Dex (The Hero) and his nemisis who likes to use swords. Academia Duellatoria has an upcoming trip to Idaho the beginning of November to teach a seminar on Thibault's rapier system. | | Monday, October 5th, 2009 | | 11:43 am |
Last weekend I went down to Sacramento. What happens when AKANA member blackbelts get together under Hanshei Piddington at an international karate symposium? Well, lots of karate for one. Walking on broken glass and breaking arrows on your throat for another...... and lots of fellowship.
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AKANA Gathering 2009 in Sacramento
AKANA meeting - Hanshi Danny McCall, Renshei Neil Godfrey, Renshei Joseph McClellan, Grandmaster Hanshei Jerry Piddington, Sensei Dave Pritchett, Renshei Nick Lukowsky, Instructor Jeff Richardson, Shihan Chris Shaw - Not pictured but at the gathering Eva Leazer-Piddington, Braxton Reid, Thomas Gormley, Lynn Harris |
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Arrow Break
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Arrow Break - about to break
Breaking an arrow with the soft spot of my throat |
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Walking on Broken Glass 2009
Jeff Richardson walking on broken glass at 2009 Gathering. Braxton Reid in background. Danny McCall background on the right and Joseph McClellan looking on. |
Current Mood:  accomplished | | Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 | | 11:23 pm |
Dex Dixon - Paranormal Dick
Hahahahhahahahaha...... To be filmed soon in Portland. I am printing out the script now. Have been asked to look at doing some fight choreography for it. | | Thursday, September 24th, 2009 | | 9:33 pm |
Film
Have been contacted by Steve Coker about working on a Noir piece with him. (Worked as an extra on Steve's movie last year) Wants help with fight work. More after I talk to him. Leaving for Medford and then Sacramento in the Pre-dawn hours. | | Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009 | | 11:31 pm |
Update
I have been real busy lately. People have been asking where I have been. Holiday weekend. Started new job day after. Have been working overtime.... Portland Pirate FEstival last weekend. Working this week. Heading to California for the Gathering to meet with my Karate Instructor and various black belts from AKANA. Taking the bike and leaving after work on Thursday. Plan to stay the night in Medford and finisht the trip to Sacramento on Friday. Staying at Nightshades place while attending the gathering. Heading back up the coast on Sunday..... staying the night in Arcata area to see friends and driving home on Monday. Back to work on Tuesday. I am one tired monkey. | | Tuesday, September 1st, 2009 | | 1:16 am |
Anti Government riot in Boston!
Riot in Boston, Scores Killed
AP-Boston
April 20, 1775
Scores Killed, Hundreds Injured as Para-Military
Extremists Riot in Boston Area
National guard units seeking to confiscate a cache of recently banned assault weapons were ambushed on April 19th by elements of a paramilitary extremist faction. Military and law enforcement sources estimate that 72 were killed and more than 200 injured before government forces were compelled to withdraw.
Speaking after the clash Massachusetts Governor Thomas Gage declared that the extremist faction, which was made up of local citizens, has links to the radical right-wing tax protest movement. Gage blamed the extremists for recent incidents of vandalism directed against internal revenue offices. The governor, who described the group's organizers as "criminals," issued an executive order authorizing the summary arrest of any individual who has interfered with the government's efforts to secure law and order.
The military raid on the extremist arsenal followed widespread refusal by the local citizenry to turn over recently outlawed assault weapons. Gage issued a ban on military-style assault weapons and ammunition earlier in the week. This decision followed a meeting early this month between government and military leaders at which the governor authorized the forcible confiscation of illegal arms. One government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, pointed out "none of these people would have been killed had the extremists obeyed the law and turned over their weapons voluntarily."
Government troops initially succeeded in confiscating a large supply of outlawed weapons and ammunition. However, troops attempting to seize arms and ammunition in Lexington met with resistance from heavily armed extremists who had been tipped off regarding the government's plans. During a tense standoff in Lexington 's town park, National Guard Colonel Francis Smith, commander of the government operation, ordered the armed group to surrender and return to their homes. The impasse was broken by a single shot, which was reportedly fired by one of the right-wing extremists.
Eight civilians were killed in the ensuing exchange. Ironically, the local citizenry blamed government forces rather than the extremists for the civilian deaths. Before order could be restored, armed citizens from surrounding areas had descended upon the guard units. Colonel Smith, finding his forces overmatched by the armed mob, ordered a retreat.
Governor Gage has called upon citizens to support the state/national joint task force in its effort to restore law and order. The governor has also demanded the surrender of those responsible for planning and leading the attack against the government troops. Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, and John Hancock, who have been identified as "ringleaders" of the extremist faction, remain at large. | | Monday, August 31st, 2009 | | 10:50 am |
The two hour orgasm - heroin in America
Richard Farrell is an author, filmmaker, teacher, journalist, and adjunct professor of English at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell. His documentary, High on Crack Street, was aired on HBO and received Columbia University's duPont Award. Originally written by Nicole Powers... this is only part of the intro and part of the article she refers too. His journey to redemption is chronicled in his new memoir, What's Left of Us. Farrell was one of the lucky ones; after twenty failed attempts, he slayed his dragon at a run-down, state-funded detox clinic in Massachusetts, and went on to fulfill his potential as an author, journalist, teacher, filmmaker and screenwriter.
Many addicts will not be so fortunate. Clinics such as these are the easy victims of budget cuts. As bankrupt states struggle to pick up the incarceration tab for the collateral damage of the War on Drugs, and our federal government goes deeper into debt to pay for its War on (drug-funded) Terror, Farrell's life experience leads him to pose an important question: Have we forgotten the simple laws of supply and demand? By funding these two never-ending wars are we ineffectually treating the symptoms instead of battling the cause? Wouldn't our money be better spent reducing the demand for drugs?
Richard Farrell: The Two Hour Orgasm
President Obama has failed to confront the issue of free and immediate health care for all addicts seeking help. This is not only an egregious oversight but arguably an error that has the potentiality to crumble America from within. Recently, President Obama created a four point plan of attack. First up on his agenda will be an all out effort to crackdown on drug use in our cities and towns. Next he'll be sending an increased, unspecified amount of US Border Patrol Agents to facilitate his third point of action. For the first time ever, the US Border Patrol will be conducting inspections of all trains and cars exiting the United States. And finally, Obama released $59 million to Homeland Security for immediate execution in the war against drugs. On paper it appears to be a comprehensive attack. But the goal of reducing drug use in America and thereby decreasing demand of illegal drugs entering from Mexico will not be effective without an emergency health care plan that allows access to rehabilitation hospitals for drug addicts seeking recovery. There simply are not enough jails in America to hold the mounting numbers of drug addicts. Those suffering from this addiction only have two choices every morning -- repeat or recover. Heroin is back. The Federal Drug Administration has no way of adequately policing the vast network of crisscrossing highways in Middle America. Drug-traffickers understand their advantage here and are mounting an all out war for control of America's suburbs. But there is another large ingredient to add to this potpourri. The ... wheels have come off the United States economy. From coast to coast, fear, unemployment, crime, and mental depression have reached all-time highs. Bottom line, President Obama must confront the ever increasing popularity of heroin in America's heartland. We need to focus more tax dollars on free comprehensive health care. It is quite simple; the demand for heroin is increasing daily. Mr. President, I personally do not know one single heroin addict with health insurance. | | Saturday, August 29th, 2009 | | 11:12 pm |
| | Tuesday, August 25th, 2009 | | 2:46 pm |
Recent conversation
Her "We are currently looking for advertising partners, and we actually do charge $30/month to list your business here, but instead of charging you, since you didn't know, who do you know that would benefit from reaching more ...... in there business? Can you provide 5 to 10 referrals in exchange for this directory listing?" me "You might want to fix your website to include the information that you are charging.... since it mentions it nowhere. Fairly new to portland. You probably have more contacts than I do. That said, I don't give out other peoples information so that they can be solicited." her "we partner with local single parent friendly businesses for advertising. I don't appreciate your reference that we are solicitors. We would like to connect with referrals who are interested" me "Not sure why that offends you. If I give you peoples contact info and you then contact them asking them to advertise.... then you are soliciting for customers. That's what the word means." her "We don't call ourselves solicitors because we contact warm leads and work on referral." Hmmm..... nope. pretty sure it doesn't matter how you got the lead, it's still soliciting for customers. | | Monday, August 24th, 2009 | | 1:53 pm |
Qoutes of the day - Frank Lloyd Wright
By Frank Lloyd Wright " An idea is salvation by imagination." " I hate intellectuals. They are from the top down. I am from the bottom up." " The longer I live the more beautiful life becomes. If you foolishly ignore beauty, you will soon find yourself without it. Your life will be impoverished. But if you invest in beauty, it will remain with you all the days of your life." And a great article on Frank lloyd Wrights method of design http://www.franklloydwrightinfo.com/shak ing.html | | 1:50 pm |
Weekend
Spent the morning digging with pick and shovel helping out with some landscaping chores. Now my lower back muscles ache. Took Brandon to the Elks Lodge picnic Saturday afternoon. It was nearly over when we got there but we had a great time chasing his ball around the park. He wore his red cowboy hat. At one point I was telling someone about the Portland Pirate FEstival and said to Brandon "you like pirates don't you." And - being Brandon he replied "I am being a cowboy today." and "But, I don't have a Pirate outfit." I may have to fix that. Audition on Sunday for a short film. Took the motorcycle which was a nice change of pace. Followed by coming home to my niece and her new husband visiting from out of state. | | Friday, August 21st, 2009 | | 7:51 pm |
Audition
Audition on Sunday afternoon for a part playing a sleazy drug dealer in a short film. | | 12:06 pm |
Saturday work
Well, half a days work on Saturday. Digging a ditch. I am surviving just barely on the good will of family and odd jobs provided by members of the Elks Lodge. Today I saw in the paper an article about a guy travelling across the country having people write their stories of unemployment and how it has affected them on his van. He was in Oregon recently. http://ayofemi.blogspot.com/2009_08_01_a rchive.html http://www.themaninavanproject.com/ He hopes to enter his van into an art competition and win some money... he took on the project after becoming unemployed. He's got an interesting story on his webpage about checking into a hospital during his trip and the guy working security telling him he took the security job because he could no longer afford to work his farm where he raises cattle. Now his wife manages the farm why he goes to work at the hospital doing security. ----- from the van man's website... He explained that his income has suffered over the years because the beef industry is owned primarily by three companies: ADM, Cargil, and Monsanto. Combined, these companies own 80% of the national market according to Terry, and that makes it hard for Terry to compete and maintain his small farm. As we continued our conversation, I learned that Terry doesn’t give his cows any kind of shots or hormones whatsoever. “Seriously?” I asked. Yep. His cows don’t need shots, because his cows don’t produce the bacteria you would find at a massive feedlot. He also said his beef is better than anything out there. “When you have that many cows on one piece of land, you create a lot of germs,” he said. “I won’t even rinse off my boots when I go to a feedlot. I just throw the boots away. I can’t afford to get my cows infected.”
When I lived in Southern Oregon (just before moving into a van), I rented a house on a 300-acre dairy farm. The couple that owned the farm couldn’t afford to maintain the business without each having separate day jobs. She worked at a beauty salon, and he worked as a baggage handler at the local airport. On several occasions, they mentioned that they might not be able to keep all their cows because they simply couldn’t afford to feed them. And in Coburg, Oregon, I stayed on a dairy farm for a month several years ago, and that farm is on the brink of bankruptcy. Apparently, the cost of operation is too high to maintain a competitive edge against bigger companies.
The website is full of great stories. | | Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 | | 12:24 am |
We will be at Portland Pirate Festival - Guinness World Record attempt also happening
A message forwarded from the Scallywaggs at the Portland Pirate Festival:
Ahoy from PPF Headquarters,
Time is drawing near for the "history making" 4th annual Portland PIRATE Festival. We are on course for another great event with a full roster of our favorite performers such as Captain Bogg and Salty, B.O.O.M., King's Navy, Pirates of Puget Sound and Mud Bay Jugglers, as well as some interesting NEW music acts including Baby Gramps, Solidity Hawaiian Reggae, Ecos del Sur, Jake Duncan (Didjeridu Master), Man Overboard and The Billy Moone Family Minstrels. And Saturday night will feature a full-on Polynesian Paradise show complete with Tahitian Drums, swaying hips and Samoan Fire Dancers to celebrate Talk Like A Pirate Day Polynesian style!!!! We are also filled to the gunnels with wandering entertainment by magicians, stiltwalkers, dancers, musicians, jugglers and pirates galore. So keep a weather eye on the website for the schedule which shall be posted soon. This year you can even learn to sword fight with the masters of Western Martial Arts, Academia Duellatoria and kids can dress up and perform with Let's Pretend Theater.
For those of you who are after buried treasure, be sure and buy your ticket(s) for the Treasure Chest Raffle. The one-of-a-kind sea chest for this year will be hand-made at the festival by two of our talented artisan merchants: Shoreline Woodworking and Forge & Thistle. It will be filled to overflowing with fine booty offered up by all of our merchants and every doubloon earned will be donated to the Childrens Healing Arts Project (CHAP).
We hope that everyone is planning on taking part in our Guinness World RecordTM attempt for "The Most Pirates Gathered in one Place" on Sun the 20th at 2PM We need at least 1500 pirates who can commit to dressing up, signing in and being corralled for an hour or two for the counting and then the 15 minute count-down. We'll be challenging the record set by Germany in 2007 and already challenged recently in England. There will be entertainment to help pass the time and lots of opportunity to rub elbows and swap stories with your fellow sea dogs as we sail into pirate history. Details are on the home page of the web site. Bring your sword, eyepatch and hat or bandana with you, or pick one them up at the festival from one of our many fine merchants.
So pack up the family, dress for the occasion and set sail for a grand adventure. We'll see you tharrrr.........
P.S. Consider volunteering. We take volunteers on a first come first served basis. Work just one two hour shift and get your money back!!!
Applications HAVE to be sent in to be considered (on home page of our website www.portlandpiratefestival.com
Portland Pirate Festival
www.portlandpiratefestival.com
This year you can be a part of Pirate History as we attempt to beat the Guinness World Record™ for "The Most Pirates Gathered in one Place". On Sunday, Sept 20th we need 1,500+ fully dressed pirates to pull it off so here are the official guidelines: Costumes must consist of the following: Participants must: Sign the official Log Book Agree to be photographed/video taped Be gathered for a full 15 minutes after count is finished (Expect to be there for an hour or more)
| | Monday, August 17th, 2009 | | 12:30 pm |
I Am!
A great campy comedy martial arts flick tribute with a metaphysicl message hidden beneath. Talk of a remake with Samuel L. Jackson as the bad guy makes me shudder. Don't mess with the classics. | | Friday, August 14th, 2009 | | 1:56 pm |
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