A dragon on the wing

Sometimes you have those moments that remind you that even when you don't necessarily realize it, there are others watching you, listening to you, and taking note of things you do or say.

Several years ago, I was talking with a martial artist friend who was working towards their black belt test. The topic came up about what it means to be a black belt and about some of the lesser-known personal challenges that many people encounter along that road. This person was not a student of mine, just a friend who was also into martial arts.

Today I heard from them, and they told me that our conversation from that day had stuck with them through the years.

Fast-forward to today. It seems that they have a good friend who runs a nearby school where a young student is preparing for their black belt test and is experiencing some of those challenges. My friend, now a black belt themselves, shared with the student what I had said years ago.

For me, this wasn't some Formal Teaching Moment(TM) at a class or seminar, or even a one-on-one session with a student. This was me chatting with a friend. But for them, something I said resonated inside and stuck with them.

I am EXTREMELY pleased that what I said helped my friend, and incredibly proud that it made such an impression on them. But for them to pass it along to help someone else? That's some next-level stuff.

Most of all, it drives home the need to be sure that I always walk my talk. I won't always be right. I won't always have helpful things to say. But I hope I can always come from a place of sincerity and honesty, and I figure I can't go too far wrong like that.

There seems to be a theme cropping up again and again around me lately. In the books I read, the music I listen to, whatever.

"[Humans] need to believe in things that aren't true. How else can they BECOME?" -- Sir Terry Pratchett, "Hogfather"

"From the paintings of a child to the works of God above, every act of creation is an act of love." -- Joe Bethancourt, "Acts of Creation" [Edit: I have since been informed that the original author of the lyrics is Catherine Faber]

We as humans have a greater ability to create a greater range of things than any other creature we've ever observed -- and likewise a greater capacity to destroy, but that's a topic for another day.

Tomorrow is the Winter Solstice -- the shortest day and the darkest night of the year. After tomorrow, they days slowly get longer over the next six months. The amount of physical daylight increases, and I hope for you that other forms of Light will increase as well.

What shall we do with this increase?

You may say that Physics tells us that neither matter nor energy can ever truly be created or destroyed, only converted from one form to another. Fair enough. What, then, shall we convert? And what shall we convert it into?

Put another way... what will you create/convert in the days to come?

Perhaps you are like one or more of my friends:

* Matt, who creates delightful artwork -- and well beyond the "paintings of a child" stage mentioned by Mr. Bethancourt/Ms. Faber, too!

* Sharon, who goes out to aid our four-footed or winged cousins who've become injured.

* Caitlyn, who helps make injured bodies become sound again -- to re-create that physical integrity that has become compromised.

* Dvorah, who helps mend people's psyches, their spirits, to get back to where and who they were before their trauma, to create that space and those conditions where such growth (and re-growth) can occur.

Or perhaps you are like one of my many friends who create stories, both the ones you see on the shelves of libraries and bookstores, and the ones that are just as carefully crafted (sometimes more so) but are only seen in various online communities. Creating entire worlds or even universes, sometimes on their own and sometimes as an outgrowth of already-existing works.

Whatever the form your creative aspect may take, I salute you and hope that you will look at year's end with pleasure and pride on what you have wrought.

In a few days, many of us will set goals, expectations, "resolutions" for the new year. Many of these will involve some form of creative effort -- especially creating an improved version of ourselves.

To me, this is one of the highest aims of creation -- to make ourselves better than we were. Physically, mentally, emotionally, even spiritually.

Above that is to make things better for others of our "tribe," our friends, our family, our neighbors.

And highest of all (to me) would be to make things better for our entire world, our entire race and the others who share this bit of rock and water and air with us.

It's going to be awfully dark and cold tomorrow night. What do you say we all go and create a bit of warmth and Light?

STS-51L, with seven aboard. Eight brave souls who "slipped the surly bonds of Earth to touch the face of God."

( Remembrances, and thoughts on souls )

We are a very powerful nation, in many different ways.

Power is like a hammer: you can use it to smash and destroy, or you can use it to build.

These last few years, we've seen the destructive use of that hammer. Not against the enemies outside our borders, but against our neighbors and against ourselves.

The tone of our new "John Henry" this morning sounds like we can expect to see a different use of that hammer. I truly hope this will be so.

But it's not all about the people on Pennsylvania Avenue, or the people on Park Avenue. It's also about the people on Main Street. It's about you and me, and what we choose to do.

It has always been easier to destroy than to create. Destruction just takes energy. Creation takes controlled and directed energy. It's harder and it's slower, but didn't we used to pride ourselves on our willingness to do the hard things that need to be done, and our determination to stick with them and see them through?

I may not have as much power as anyone with a *TUS label (POTUS, SCOTUS, etc), but that doesn't mean I have none. I get to choose whether I'm going to build or destroy. Whether I'm going to live my days filled with anger, or with optimism.

That's a choice I made a long time ago. If you know me at all, you know what that choice was and is.

What's yours?

Oh, my dear and fluffy lord.

( Disturbing thoughts ahead )

Dad's been gone just over 9 months now, but he still cracks me up sometimes.

Last night, I finished what I understood were the requirements for Stage 3 of the knife-throwing program I'm doing and sent in the video. Sadly, I was told that I had misinterpreted one aspect of the requirements, and would have to re-do it. (Mind you, at least 3 other people made the same "misinterpretation" that I did.
But I digress...)

So today at lunch, I went out and did a few practice throws, then in less than 5 minutes I had my new video with their interpretation of the requirements.

And as that last knife went home, I distinctly heard my father's voice in the back of my head: "Well, I guess you fucking well showed THEM, didn't you, boy?"

Thanks, Dad. :-)

And on that note... onward, to Stage 4!

I was doing okay until I saw the footage of the people outside the Supreme Court singing Amazing Grace.

RBG, thank you for all that you did. Heaven knows, we needed you -- we still do, but it would be unfair and ungracious of us to be anything but grateful that you carried so much load for so long.

Part of me is thinking, "God help us"... but I've always been more inclined to believe that we need to do all within or power before calling on a different Power.

So I guess it's time to figure out how to best bring about what our country needs, what our world needs, and make it happen.

Hey, folks.

Do any of you play a game system called Hero Games?

If you do, do you have (or know anybody who has) the supplement "Star Hero"?

Thanks in advance!

We have an awesome Boxing Day tradition of many years' standing -- one of our dearest friends opens their house to those us and other who've had too much family, or who have no biological family left to them, and we gather and watch old movies and exchange gifts and gorge ourselves on roast leg of lamb.

Even as I write this I am sprawled on the couch, blissfully sliding into a food coma.

This year there is sorrow for me at this season, as well as the many joys. My father is no longer with us.

Tomorrow morning GryphonRhi and I will rise early and drive to my home town for a memorial service for him. I know that many people who've known me my entire life will be there. I wish I thought I would remember more of them than I expect to.

Some of them I will be happy to see after so many years. Some I will even be quite amused if they show (my home town, while small, boasts a few celebrities).

And then there are also a few that I hope are NOT there. Sadly, those people are also my ... let's refer to them as kin, rather than as family.

But those of you who have spent any time at all with me know that I am almost constitutionally incapable of dwelling on negatives for very long. So shall it be with this -- I will look forward to the good things that the day will bring, and while I will accept the less-wanted things, I will not allow them to take precedence.

And I know that is exactly as my father would wish it, too.

I have no idea why this popped into my head today. It just showed up, fully formed, like Athena bursting forth from Zeus' forehead (fortunately without the headache).

Leverage, the series. Season 4, The Last Dam Job.

I'm convinced now that Chaos is playing both sides of the field.

Three on-screen canon points:
1) Hardison, Hacker Extraordinaire, tries to hack into Latimer's mainframe and is immediately caught by someone specifically looking for HIS software, and those defenses took Hardison's software and "spanked it." Chaos is one of the VERY limited pool of people capable of doing that.

2) Chaos was already packed and waiting when Hardison contacted him. I know, Chaos said, "Come on, who else were you going to call?" But how did Chaos know they were going to be calling ANYONE?

3) When Chaos tries to hack the same mainframe, he gets full access immediately, on the first try. It's almost as if he'd already been familiarizing himself with that system, and maybe even had a back door already set up.

My new head-canon? Dubenich knew Chaos hated Hardison and was his equal, so he hired Chaos to set up the mainframe's defenses. After collecting his pay, Chaos then goes to work with the Leverage team, gets to look like an uber-hacker because he gets in so easily (where Hardison has failed again), and Chaos gets paid a second time.

Bastard! LOL

I'm not sure where this came from. I don't write. But one of my role-playing characters (a modern-day wizard, similar to Harry Dresden) started bitching in my head about pentagrams, and this was the result. Warning: has not been beta'd, etc.

( Cut for space )

I haven't been terribly active on this site for a long time. Most of my posts here have been written on DW and cross-posted to here.

The recent changes here are ones that I am not willing to endorse or operate under. As such, I am importing all of my LJ posts over to my DW account and will be deleting all content here ASAP.

Those here who wish to keep in touch, please feel free to contact me as "Draconis" on DW.

For those interested in qigong and are in (or feel like coming to) the Memphis area, I will be holding a 2-day qigong workshop the last weekend in March. Let me know if you're interested and I'll shoot you the details. :-)

In 2017, BE Princess Leia.

Fight on the front lines. Strangle the fascists with the very chains they would have you wear. Be a motherfuckin' General!

Can you imagine a more fitting tribute to Carrie Fisher than if women started living up to that?

Rest in peace, Princess. I'm sure Artoo was waiting to welcome you.

On this anniversary of one of our darkest days in recent memory, I've been thinking.
( Proceed at your own risk. )

50 years ago tomorrow marks the date of a cultural shift that is still being felt today.
( Warning: There be Geekery ahead )

A question from a fellow instructor made me start thinking again about what it means to become a black belt. Not to have one, not to be awarded one, not to wear one, but to become one and to BE one.

( clicky )

A poem that was written for me after my fall last year.

Thank you. This is... something special.

( The Day You Didn't Die )

Yay, the doctors have removed all medical restrictions and said I can resume normal activities -- and yes, I told them what "normal" is for me.

More thoughts to follow on this, but for now? Yay!

I don't usually do memes, but this one caught my fancy.

Gakked from sharpest_asp:
Everyone should post their ten most CRUCIAL CRUCIAL CRUCIAL-ASS movies, like the movies that explain everything about yourselves in your current incarnations (not necessarily your ten favorite movies but the ten movies that you, as a person existing currently, feel would help people get to know you) (they can change later on obviously).

Not in order:
1) Star Wars, original trilogy (yeah, I'm cheating a little bit, what else is new?)
2) Serenity. (Actually, "Firefly" as a whole, but we're supposed to stick to movies)
3) Undercover Blues
4) Wargames
5) Big Trouble in Little China
6) Roadhouse
7) Next of Kin
8) Hopscotch
9) In & Out
10) The Last Dragon

Feel free to ask about any of them, and I'll try to explain. Or if you think you know why I included a particular one, say so.

They say the two topics you should never discuss in polite company are religion and politics. Well, I'm about to break both of those, so be warned. Read more at your own risk.
( last warning )