Happy Fourth of July!

My favorite 4th of July Video:

 

 

2024 Birthday Post

I'm 67 today. Won't you help me celebrate?

 

I've been retired for over a year now. 

After last year's misadventure with the motorhome, I was certainly surprised this year.

The Mrs and I were staying with friends in Lexington MI on Lake Huron for the 4th of July weekend.On a misty Sunday morning, we decided to drive to Port Sanilac, where we had a vacation home, which we sold about 10 years ago.

 

Among the reasons we sold it were that we weren't using as much as we thought, we had no view of the lake and it was a matter of out of sight, out of mind; and we had some setbacks. The pipes froze one winter and burst.The water main in the park had also ruptured... directly beneath our unit. It wasn't the optimal experience.

We sold the place and paid off our primary home with the proceeds. It turned out to be good timing for that, because I was laid off from a job a few months later.

Anyway, we went to look at the old place. While driving around, I noticed that there was an open house that was just shutting down. My wife and I asked if we could see the place and so we did.

It was pretty nice. It's less than 500 ft from Lake Huron and there is a nice view of the lake from the deck.

We thought we might just have happy eyes, so we asked the people we were staying with to meet us and take a look. The husband is handy, so he might see some flaws that I missed.

They thought it was quite a place too.

We said our goodbyes to the owners and went to meet up with some more friends at a local bar in Port Sanilac. 

After a couple of beers, my wife said, "why don't you go back and make them an offer."

I did. They took it. We bought the place. Once again, life changes.

 

The vacation home is keeping me pretty busy. We took possession in August and have been spending our time about 50/50 between there and our primary home. 

My habits and routines are out the window, which is a little stressful. I know that I'll fall into a rhythm, once the place is set up the way my wife wants it, but right now, I'm really hopping. It's all good. I'm accomplishing a lot.

In other news, I have a retirement job. Sort of.

A handful of times a year beginning about a year ago, I've been working at trade shows as a "booth babe" for a small software company. The money has been great, the venues are all top shelf. I'm accumulating loyalty points for hotels and airfare. It's all good.

Unfortunately, the company recently hired a full time salesman who will be working future shows next year. My only opportunities will be when they want a presence at two shows that happen to be taking place at the same time, in different location. It's been a good run.

Being retired, my taijiquan practice has been flourishing. I've been reading a lot (even with the time demands of maintaining two places). I'm walking a lot. Losing a little weight. My health is good.

My wife and daughters are all doing well. 

Life is good.

Let's finish with this: 

 

 

2023 Birthday Post

Today is my birthday. Won't you help me celebrate?

 

 

 

I've had my share of changes in the past year, but the biggest one is that I'm now retired.

This is what happened. Full retirement age for my cohort is age 66 and 6 months, which would have taken me to April of next year. Since I would have had to work the first quarter anyway, and the commission payout for the first quarter occurs in May, I was planning on retiring at the end of May next year.

But the best laid plans of mice and men are proverbial the same and my well laid plans to sign up for this and enroll in that were crushed down to a single point as if they had met a black hole in outer space by the machinations of my latest employer. After an abysmal 2nd quarter, I was among those who were laid off.

Overall, it's not a bad thing. There has just been a lot of short term chaos to manage.

Once upon a time there was a Chinese farmer whose horse ran away. That evening, all of his neighbors came around to commiserate. They said, “We are so sorry to hear your horse has run away. This is most unfortunate.” The farmer said, “Maybe.”

The next day the horse came back bringing seven wild horses with it, and in the evening everybody came back and said, “Oh, isn’t that lucky. What a great turn of events. You now have eight horses!” The farmer again said, “Maybe.”

The following day his son tried to break one of the horses, and while riding it, he was thrown and broke his leg. The neighbors then said, “Oh dear, that’s too bad,” and the farmer responded, “Maybe.”

The next day the conscription officers came around to conscript people into the army, and they rejected his son because he had a broken leg. Again all the neighbors came around and said, “Isn’t that great!” Again, he said, “Maybe.”

 

 

My wife and I had purchased a motor home earlier this year, anticipating another year's income and commissions. With the abrupt change, the RV had become a source of anxiety to my better half and so we have it up for sale.

I'm not about to get upset about losing it after only have had it out a couple of times. It's just a thing, and there is no use fighting about a thing. Besides, if she's not comfortable, how am I going to be?

 

 

Most of the aforementioned chaos stems from having to rapidly getting my Social Security, Medicare and unemployment (since I was laid off) all lined up. It's getting there. 

I always have something to do. I'm still married and have so far not discovered that I've been smothered in my sleep with my own pillow.

My retirement plan had been to mow the lawn every morning at precisely 7 AM, then sit on a lawn chair in my driveway to make sure no one steps on it. I haven't been able to realize that just yet.

I have been working out more, lost about ten pounds (so far) and have increased the pace of my reading (from a baseline of about 50 books a year). 

In addition to the taijiquan practice I have been almost religious about, I am slowing adding in other practices I have learned from yiquan, xingyiquan and baguazhang to my morning.

One thing I am immediately thankful for is not having to toe the line every morning at work. 

Something else that I've been doing is helping out a friend with a medium sized businesss by working at trade shows with him. My expenses are covered, I get a nice check for my time and talk to strangers about technology. I have a blast. The only downside is being on my feet all day in dress shoes on concrete.

The long and short of it is that we should just roll with the changes.

Chinese Opera

This is an aria of a Chinese opera styling dated 500 years ago. The soprano sings and performs martial art play in "Kun" style. The story is about an heroine fable killing an evil monster for the good of the people. 

 

 

Birthday 2022

Today is my birthday. Won't you help me celebrate?

 

I have successfully completed another trip around the sun. 

I have just completed 1 year at my present job. Of course, something had to happen along the way. 

As I was nearing the one year anniversary at work, I received an email from HR (I have come to hate emails from HR). Between my age and my years of service (1), I was eligible for an early retirement incentive program. 

Great. The plan has been to retire in another 18 months (when I hit full retirement age), but with crazy inflation and a recession, it looks like I'll probably want to keep working until I'm 70, if I can. Now I was looking at taking the incentive and rolling the dice that I could find another job, not taking the incentive and rolling the dice that I don't get laid off (as there is obviously a reduction in force program going); and hoping I can get back to work in the event I do, or nothing happens.

Just in case, I made contact with a former customer who is the CEO of a competitor now. I have a lifeboat with him. I'd have to agree to work until I'm 70 and to justify my salary, I'd have to wear many hats; but it's a lifeboat.

My wife and I sweated this out over a long weekend, going over all the scenarios. When I spoke to my boss, he tells me that I wasn't supposed to get that email. Our part of the company was newly acquired and the corporation's intent was to leave the newly acquired companies alone for them to get their legs under them.

It was a relief that I wasn't getting pushed out. But we are in a recession and there is a workforce reduction taking place. I expect anything to happen.

One of my daughters was married this summer. It was a beautiful wedding in northern Michigan. She had one of the best weddings I had ever attended. They did a great job putting that together.

Unfortunately, my other daughter has just been laid off. She's busy looking for a new job, but is also enjoying her time off.

I am practicing the best taijiquan of my life right now. I've had many breakthroughs over the past year. As far as my practice goes, I am in a good place.

I've decided to keep track of how many book I've read this year. I'm on track to read 50 books.

Everyone's health is good. Although we all expect some rocky times ahead, due to the economy, we're all in a good place.  

2021 Birthday Post

Today is my birthday. Won't you help me celebrate?

 

What a year, huh? 

I worked from home most of the year. I have had a great view of my yard, which I really enjoy. Sometimes deer or wild turkeys walk through.

I returned to the office starting in June and was laid off in July. We had a new VP of Sales who wanted a young, hip and cool sales team; and as a grumpy, old, expensive dinosaur, I didn't make the cut.

It all worked out though. I was given a generous 2 months severance and they paid for COBRA coverage for that time.

I made 113 applications, received over 40 rejection emails; which I appreciated because I knew where I stood with those companies. I had a handful of interviews I had two job offers and could have had a third but I backed out as I learned more about that third company.

So before the 2 months expired, I started a new job as a Sales Engineer in an industry I've enjoyed before. What I made on unemployment turned out to be a bonus. 

 And I'm working from home. Permanently.

God willing, if all goes according to plan, I'll retire in a few years.

I had stopped training in iaido in May, because my wife and I become very busy, socially, during the summer and I would have missed a large number of classes; for which I would have had to pay anyway. The dojo has moved on to mostly practicing aikido now. I have to see how this new job is going to work out for me timewise, before I commit to training in a dojo again.

Having said that, my taijiquan practice is flourishing. Life just works better when I practice everyday.

Besides getting a ton of reading under my belt, in this last year I've taken up archery and shooting. A neighbor have me a mountain bike. I have to get a new rear wheel because it was bent. Tracking one down because of supply issues in the current nut to crack.

 

Toshiro Mifune Iconic Samurai Performances

Toshiro Mifune was an actor who was most famously known for his portrayals of samurai in the many movies of Akira Kurosawa.

When I was a young man, there was a Kurosawa film festival at the Detroit Institute of Arts, where each of his movies was shown in chronological order every Sunday evening for months. My brother and I watched them all.

Below is a light hearted video which celebrates Toshiro Mifune's many performances. Enjoy.

Halloween Post

Birthday post

Today is my birthday. Won't you help me celebrate?

 

 It's been quite a year, hasn't it? Life comes at you fast. 

There was a point this year that I could have said that: in the previous 18 months, we've had seven deaths in the family; I changed jobs twice within 8 months and I bought and sold a house, then moved with the last two months.

Of the seven deaths, five of them were old and in poor health at the time. Of the remaining two, one was a cousin who was about to turn 50. He died suddenly after some post surgical complications. The other was my sister in law who passed at 52 with brain cancer. 

 

The two job changes happened this way - two jobs ago, I could see the writing on the wall that my position was going to be eliminated where I worked. I wanted to leave before I could be laid off, so I started looking.

I went back to a company that I had worked at some 10 years previously. It was not my first choice but they met my salary requirements and the position suited me. 

For the company sales and engineering were two distinct silos. I floated between them being a sales minded technical guy who could support salesmen when they were talking to their technical customers. It was good enough.

Then one day, there I was just sitting there at my desk, minding my own business, when I received a call from a recruiter I had known for many years. Did I know "X" company and would I be interested in an account manager position with them? Heck yes!

I went to the interview and spoke to the hiring manager. It turned out that we had worked at similar places in similar positions for a long time. It was a wonder that we hadn't crossed paths before. It was like speaking to an old friend.

So I hired on and was on boarded just everyone was told to lock down on account of Covid. 

 

For years my wife and I had talked about downsizing. Our house was too big for the two of us. We lived there for 23 years and soon would have to put money into a new furnace and windows. Putting that kind of money into the house would pretty much mean that we'd have to stay there. Also, the value of the houses in the neighborhood were pretty topped out; all we could expect in the future was that the value of the homes would rise at the rate of inflation.

We've been wanting to downsize and buy a ranch. Climbing up and down stairs was getting old  (as are we). They are really hard to find.

But - one day we were driving and saw a ranch with a sign in front saying "move in in 30 days." The realtor couldn't show it to us because of Covid, but she could open it up and we could look around ourselves. 

I said to the Mrs "I could see us living here." The next thing you know, we bought the place, listed our own home, sold it in 5 days (sight unseen) and moved two months later.

We moved from  a 2500 sq ft 4 bedroom colonial to a 2000 sq ft 3 bedroom ranch. I love living in the new house and neighborhood. I have several friends who already live out this way, and it already feels like home. 

The only thing wrong with the house is that there isn't a lake directly behind my patio.

 

I still continue to practice taijiquan every morning before I go to work. I noticed a karate school not far from me that hosts an aikido class, so I signed up for that. 

Two evenings a week, I'm going to aikido again. It's not the beloved Yoshinkan of my youth, but a different style and organization. I'm starting again from the very beginning and having a lot of fun.

Actually, we're not really doing aikido yet because of Covid. Because of distancing, we're working on Toyama Ryu Iaido after doing aikido warm ups and break falls. I'm having a blast.

I've also taken up (western) archery. I'm on the lookout for a used fitness bike. The neighborhood is filled with bike trails and I want to make use of them.

As a result of all of this, I've lost 25 lbs since the beginning of the year. 

The Mrs and I will be celebrating our 37th wedding anniversary this month. I remember at our wedding, we let the band select the song for the bridal dance. It didn't seem appropriate:

 

Both of my kids are doing great. 

I've been blessed.

Happy Fourth of July!

I love this song.

Cheng Man Ching, Renaissance Man

Prof Cheng Man Ching was a renaissance man. He was a renown painter, poet, calligrapher, doctor and taijiquan master, as well as a pretty fair bowler and apparently song writer.

Here is a link to a video of his daughter, Katy Ching, performing a song Prof. CMC wrote about the benefits of Taijiquan practice.

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas

Annie Lennox

Happy Halloween

"Listen" Country Taijiquan

The Taijiquan of Jimmy Lauderdale.

Happy Halloween!

2018 Birthday Post

Today is my birthday. Won't you help me celebrate?




Life IS a circle sometimes and that can be appropriate.


Over 35 years ago, I began learning the Cheng Man Ching (Zheng Man Qing) version of Taijiquan from Carol Yamasaki, who was a direct student of CMC from his New York days during the late '60s and early '70's. After a year or two, life took me in other directions as it sometimes does.

A few years ago, I decided that dusting off that form practice and polishing it was a worthy pursuit of a man my age, and so I began practicing again, to the best of my recollection and with whatever references I could find.

Earlier this year by chance I made the acquaintance of a current student of hers. It turned out that she had a class in the evenings during the week that was not all that far from my office! In May of this year, I started learning from her and my practice has blossomed.




Running was a bust this year.

I like to run but I draw the line in certain places. Since I usually run in the dark, at least during the beginning and end of the seasons, I don't like to run when it's wet or slippery out. I don't like dodging puddles and not being sure where I'm stepping. At my age, healing from injuries takes longer these days.

I also need the temperature to be at least in the mid 40's before I'm going to step outside. I've run when it's colder, but that's something I'm not really fond of.

Winter had hung on for a long time. Where I would normally get started around the end of March, we were heading into April before conditions were leaning my way. But before I could get on the road, I had three weeks in a row of work related travel.

I find that it's hard enough to maintain any good habits when I'm traveling, much less running, so we were into May before I could lace up my shoes and get going.

I dove into it, running perhaps a little too far, too quickly after not having run since last October or November. But wait! There's more to it.

For some stupid reason, I decided to may last year's shoes last a little longer before using my newer shoes. I don't know what I was thinking, but the result was that I badly bruised up the soles of my feet.

I tried letting them heal up and trying again, but it became very clear, very quickly that they needed to heal up over a longer period.

I decided to let it go for this year and to pick it up again next spring. In the meantime, my taijiquan practice has benefited from the break.

-

You take the bitter with the sweet.

One of my sisters in law was diagnosed earlier this year with brain cancer. There is no known cure yet.

She's relatively young (51), in otherwise good health, and is neither overweight or a smoker. She's got those things going for her while she endures the year long chemotherapy regimen.

She's had a great attitude in facing the long odds against her.

Her husband has been remarkable in how he's been all over everything and has been finding options for her, for any eventuality.

The support that they are getting from family and friends is heartening.

I hope that I will be able to report next year that her cancer is in remission and a cure has been found.

-

For the rest of us, we have no complaints; how could we?

My wife works three days a week which allows her to help care for her sister two days a week. This year she and I will be celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary.

To celebrate her 60th birthday, which is the day before mine, She and I, together with our two daughters took a look weekend trip up to Mackinac Island. We had a great weekend.

The older daughter has visited a number of national parks this year. 

My youngest daughter is going to Iceland on vacation next spring.

And I am just fat, dumb and happy at age 61,

Books that I enjoyed over the last year:

Happy Fourth of July

I love this song. Shooter Jennings' 4th of July.

Winter Soltice

Winter Soltice,
now the days growing longer.
Summer is coming.

Cook Ding's Kitchen: One Million Hits

Sometime over night, Cook Ding's Kitchen had it's one millionth hit.

Thank you all for your support over these many years.

Happy Father's Day