Category Archive

I had a surprise last night. I was asked by an old student to play with the band for her wedding & play this coming weekend. She and her husband-to-be are professional clowns, I did a show with them last year, for those who follow this there remember the the theater and the circus shows. Anyway, so I told them I would be glad to do it. I’m always up for playing. It meant going late to another event I had planned, over on Treasure Island for a Summer Sailstice event. Acually I had planned sailing to it, but that had to be canceled with the Wedding. Anyway, on my last gig, my Amp started to major act up. I had put off getting it fixed. At this point it was too late. I ended up with a little bit of extra money from our tax refund. So I went looking for a Used Amp. I found one, I thought would be good. I drove for 1 hr to this place got lost, which meant losing another 30 min. Only to find this Amp was NOT a good buy. Bummer!!

I went back to the search on Craig’s list. I happened a cross a new ad the next day. It was for “like new” Amp much closer. I jumped on it! I called the guy only to find out, he runs a mUsic store and is clearing out some Amps he had. The amp was not “like New” it was NEW!! Still in the Box. At less than half price!!! Cooll!! I was there!

So now I have a new Amp, prefect size and weight and the Brand I wanted CHEAP!. How cool is that!? So last night I went to my first rehersal. The AMp sounded nice, but sounded better after I put in my In-line EQ. Now it was great! However that was not the surprise, I digress

The surprise is, I was expecting to do this gig for free. However when I got there my student has a small stack of stuff for me, which included MONEY! NICE! I tired to turn it down of course, but she insisted. I have learned through the years, not to try to argue with a woman

The Buddha taught that life is suffering. We suffer because we don’t get what we want, we suffer when we get what we don’t want, and we suffer when we do get what we want because we know we cannot hang onto it forever…me..I’m tired…

The family is gone back to Japan now. I am so glad that we got to have some time with them, with no worries. It was great sort of like our last visit to Nihon. Which was almost at the same time last year. Then came home to the bomb drop of being laided off at my last company. I believe it was around March 18th…March 15 isn’t that the ides of March and unlucky. I know it was for some Ceasar or somebody. Anyway I digress.

It is back to business at the office. It was an interesting week at work. I do not remember if it was this week or last, two people had gotten laided off. Not because business was bad , because their 3 mo probation was up and they were not workingout…

We had just finished up the BIG conference in Nashville. There are still post stuff to deal with. We had had a debrief after the big show and told we all did a fine job. I was busy with doing some web up dates, and taking care of the photos that need to be handled and cards designed, etc. Everyone was a busy, but …I’m feeling something is wrong in the Force.

After the end of the day on Thurs, I’m heading out and do my usual goodnight to those there. The President says her usual and I’m off to the car,… feeling very uneasy..Something IS wrong in the Force.

The next day there is a note on my desk, ” There will be a small meeting in the dining room ” Hmm, I’m thinking, food? Because we never meet in the dining room.

But, I’m not feeling food…

maybe the wrong room name …

I was right on that it was the other room…

Lady Z has been sick with the flu all weekend. We got out a little early on Friday, I have been letting her rest so far all weekend. I have just been staying inside seeing what she needed and meditating on life and the circles within it. I wrote a song over the last couple of days. The first I have done in a while. No words, different from my older stuff. This was really just done so Lady Tokyo could Jam with it and add some keyboards. It was good for me to make that musical connection, doing sometime like that always changes my spirit. A different way of meditating and connecting to the Universal Chi. Reminds me I do have some small talents to do something…

It is Sunday, I thought about going down to s/v Zen today, but I’ll wait until tomorrow, Monday. Nice that it is a holiday, bad that there is no wind for sailing. So I just sit here finishing up this and that, doing a few misc items before going back to work on Tuesday. Nice it will be a short 4 day week. I’m taking advantage of some down time to re-center.

Lady Z should be feeling better by Tues. She’ll have gotten some needed rest. I guess that is the time to tell her, about the movie Ground Hog Day…

Because that is how I feel like I’m in it after being told, I only had 1 more month of work, until March 14th, when the company moves it office and I am once again out of a job almost exactly a year later.

Due to work and family visiting from Japan I am missing all my Gung Fu families New Year Parties. However, one must be one with the flow of things and make the best. It will be a treat to she my Sis-n-Bro inlaw, we will have some good memories and it is still a pleasant way to start the New Year.

I am still working, and like the job, although it is not as creative as a postion as I would like, but it is work. I have been there six months now. This was brought to light when two people were let go yesterday after their three month review. Wheww, I am SO thankful it was not me, although I feel bad for them. It is a difficult time to find work.

I have been asked to teach Taiji at this year’s Zen/Ch’an retreat in May in Monterey. It is difficult to show more than a few movements and the opening in such a short time. However it will serve as an intro to many and they can also see and perhaps understand the connection of Yin and Yang from still Meditation to Movement meditation. As we do some simple Motion Zen drills already this will balance it out further.

Happy Luner New Year to All, may this be a year of GOOD change.

Deep Purple… Japanese style:

Smoke on the water
This is cool!

For now a somewhat short post maybe… I may come back later and make/add some changes to this…

The rain on Friday turned into a major ordeal. We were without power for most of the evening, once I arrived home. That along with some in-harmonious companion energy made for …hmmm lets say challenging most of the weekend.

Marriage is alot like doing zazen at times…maybe all the time actually, some days are better than others!…zen heheheh

My zafu came on Friday I’m liking it. I have no plans on taking to the group sittings, but for home, prefect! Much nicer to have one nice cushion on the floor, than a small stack of several.

I went to Zen practice on Sat. It was pouring rain at first but cleared up for the ride home. The meeting was somewhat small because of the storm and the room was very cold. However it was still a good session. We did one finger Zen practice. which helps develop concentration. A simple explanation is, first you hold up one finger and concentrate on the tip for about 3 or so minutes. Then someone in the circle holds up their finger and everyone concentrates on that, and change to another person every min. or so. Also since it was a small group more time was spent on doing meditation than explaining what/how to do it.

It was interesting hearing some of the Chinese view on the New year 2008, year of the rat. 8 is a fortunate number in Chinese culture. Big thing in China with the Olympics, is the torch being lit at 8:00 on the 8th day, in the 8th month in the year of 08″, see the 8 pattern, it is a big deal. I wonder about in Japan about the number 8. I do know 4 is not or maybe it is just the way it is pronounced in counting, so it is changed. Oh well, I digress. It was also interesting to speak with one of the group about Zen and Christianity as he is a Catholic. We spoke of of other clergy within the Catholic circles that also practice Zen and the some I heard of that also teach to their followers. Zen goes across secular border.

Sunday things are settling. Other than now there is no water due to the rain. Sounds weird doesn’t. Well the condos on the first floor on the front of the building flooded due to the run off from the street, they are set just enough below ground level they get the problem from the rains. So the water was shut off whilst they deal with that. Bummer for everyone. More so for the residents, but everyone will pay with higher homeowners dues to pay for it.

I’m reading reports of the problems with the new finger printing of foreigners in & out of Japan. Many see it as yet another blow of discrimination to the foreign community by the government, which is becoming more and more less foreign friendly, even to permanent residents. Although individual Japanese are friendly and kind, the government does not make life, let’s say pleasant for non-Japanese. In a way it is still left over from the old days, when Japan was a closed country, but now with new muscle, yet need the outsider. Kind of strange catch ne! Some Americans who have said they really liked Japan at first living there, changed after a year. They were never accepted as being Japanese, they were always foreigners. Of course this is how millions of Blacks feel in this country. So Japan in many ways is the lesser of two evils for us to live there. There all non-Japanese have to deal with undercurrent discrimination, here it is just the minorities, because the “real” Americans have been conquered and put on reservations. Hmmm, I guess it is really the same though, because in Japan if you are not Japanese, you are the minority… welcome to our world. The main difference is you do not get burning crosses on your lawn, gang jumped, lynched, and the other sorted, violent weirdness that happens to the various minorities here in the US. True things are better than before. Anyway I expect it to be weird regardless starting in a new culture/country at my age.

I heard the band practicing in the club house today, so I stopped by to do the New Years wishes. Nice to see the folks. We chatted a bit. If I was not doing the put off house stuff I would have sat-in with them. Next time, I’m there. I’m feeling the need to play, it has been awhile. I was just thinking about that just a couple of days ago. I have no idea what happened with the church group, I never heard from the choir leader again after I said I was booked until after the holidays. That is too bad I liked doing that. I could call, but I figure if she was interested she would have replied to my emails or if she did not get them contact me.

Anywhoo, I hope everyone is off to a good start for 2008. I’m off to TCB…