Rae Roy's Blog, page 80

Wonder Wednesday: Burning Out

I’ve decided to take some time off of writing in June. I’ve not had much of a break in the past few months. I could use a breather before I burn myself out long-term.

What will I do in that time?

1. Geocaching

2. Playing guitar

3. Videogames

4. Clean

5. Garden

6. Visit the folks

7. Practice martial arts

8. Whatever else I feel like. Perhaps date.

My boss announced his retirement a couple of weeks ago. I hear a lot of people say they wouldn’t retire because they’d be bored. I doubt I’ll have trouble keeping busy when I get there. Besides, retiring from office work just means more time to write stories

Merry Monday: Jo-ha-kyū

I got frustrated with my Sensei and Sempais on Sunday. Lately, they bring up Jo-ha-kyū often, which is a timing used in our martial art of Iaido, but actually comes from the theatre.

This will be explained in writing terms shortly.

We like to say the kata needs feeling. It needs Jo-ha-kyū. It also needs metsuke, but we aren’t discussing that today.

Well, I snapped at them and said that they keep saying that and it’s just words without meaning. I said it was entirely subjective and asked why there couldn’t be a guideline on the timing, like Jo is 6 beats, Ha is 1-2 beats, and then Kyū is 4 beats? Well, they said that’s just not possible because each kata needs different timing.

Valid point.

So we discussed it further.

Jo is the “Rising Action”. Often, this is when we are unsheathing our swords. In Ippon-me Mae, we are drawing slowly because at any point we could decide we don’t need to fight after all and we can place the sword back in its scabbard.

Ha is the “Turning Point” and is often the shortest part. This is the saya banare point where our sword is no longer in its sheath. We’re committed to following through.

Kyū is the “Climax” and usually, we’re cutting something.

But katas can be made of more than one scene and contain several Jo-ha-kyū moments.

Take Mae, for example. We rise as we draw (Jo). The sword leaves the saya and the tip is flicked into position to start the cut (Ha). We perform the horizontal cut (Kyu). Next, we bring the sword upward (Jo), briefly pausing as it reaches cutting position (Ha), and then we cut vertically down the centre (Kyū).

We write using Jo-ha-kyū. Or we should. There’s a thing our protagonist is trying to get (Rising Action or Jo), but s/he has to deal with something else first (Obstacle/Opportunity/Turning Point or Ha), then they get what they want (Climax or Kyū).

After the final Climax occurs we must move into resolution. In Iaido, we call this Zanshin. We slowly come down from the climax and the fight or story is over.

These things relate to music as well. Songs often start soft and gradually build. They rise and might hit a turning point by changing timing for a small piece or keys. Then, they climax and resolve. This might happen a few times in a song. Each climax may supersede the previous one.

Geocaching also has these elements. The Rising Action (Jo) of choosing the cache, the commitment by setting the GPS (Ha), the climax of locating the cache and doing whatever is required to log it (Kyū).

Everything in life has a rhythm.

In Iaido, we want to be able to take control of the timing. If we control the timing, we win the fight. With writing, publishers long held control of the timing. Now, the author can choose to be in control.

I now have concrete examples of each of the elements of Jo-ha-kyū, I just need to get my body to do it. You can’t see it, but I’m rolling my eyes. It can take months or even years to get the body to apply what is known in the mind.

This happens in writing, as well. We know if we write about our character crying, the reader won’t cry. Knowing this doesn’t tell us how to write a scene where the reader will cry, though. There are other critical elements like ensuring the reader cares about the character in the first place. We know this too. We can’t know if the reader will care. There’s a higher likelihood if they can relate to the character, but we can’t all relate to each other all the time. If the protagonist is a serial killer, has no remorse, and has no reason beyond enjoying killing for murdering people, then there won’t be too many who empathize with them. If said serial killer is a forensics guy who kills serial killers because he’s using his affliction for good we are put in this grey area because we know there are major cracks in the justice department that let dangerous criminals off too often. Then we think about how this guy is doing something bad to save the lives of others. He’s doing something for the greater good. We can’t help but like Dexter Morgan.

Anyway, I think I’ve gotten off-topic. I hope you find your own rhythm in whatever you do.

Ciao,

R~

Funky Friday: Long Weekend Recovery

I’m mostly oblivious to what has been going on this week outside of my own world, which has been packed as of late.

Personal

Bittersweet: Saturday, Sunday, and Monday were seminar days that involved a lot of hard training and partying. I did well at the auction and came home with an entire outfit for $50, which normally costs around $200 at least. While the seminar was a lot of hard work and my body and mind need rest, I already miss everyone. Only around 356 days to go… At least there are several Iaido events before then.
Happy: I was reunited with Scarlet (my guitar), but too exhausted to play Rocksmith. I still played her, but not as much as I will once my novel is finished.
Annoyed: Condo drama appears to be the result of a special snowflake who wants them to bend visitor parking rules because all of the spaces allotted for second vehicles are currently being rented by other owners, so she gets ticketed for parking illegally in visitors. I had a feeling there was more to it, so refused to sign the petition to force the board to resign. And another woman also tried to get on the board last election, so I’m not surprised they started all this drama.
Moved: I wrote a new poem.
Hermit: I need to hunker down and finish The Page & The Magician for submission by June 8th. This *might* impact my blogging and will impact all my other online activities including moderating several Facebook groups. Sorry in advance. I will also be tackling my messy home and scaling laundry mountain, which has been neglected between the Mu Mon Kai Open, Ad Astra, Comiccon, and the Sei Do Kai Spring Seminar. The next major event involving travel isn’t until July and except for a visit to see the parents, most upcoming things are low key, so I’ll get caught up for sure.
Excited: Things are changing for me at work. My boss decided to retire and I will be changing divisions.

Canada

Confused: I really don’t get why people have to freak out at everything little thing the PM does. So he’s taking some vacation while he’s in another country and Parliament is out anyway. Get over it. It’s actually more efficient that way if you think about it for a couple of seconds. He’s already there and there is down time he can spend with his family in between doing his job. Alternatively, he could take a separate vacation with his family for 1-3 weeks like regular people do and do absolutely no work during that time. He has a high-stress job and needs down time like every other human being on the planet.

World

Sad: A female Magic the Gathering player has succumbed to her injuries and passed away. She was a girl scout leader, a fan of things like Game of Thrones and Star Wars, and a bio researcher. I didn’t know her, but she sounds like someone who was worth knowing.

Well, that’s all I know about and I’m too tired to scan the Internet for more this week.

Ciao,

R~

Wonder Wednesday: Deadlines

Made using Bit Strips

The only thing I’m wondering this Wednesday is whether or not I can make my deadline. I need to finish editing this novel as I found a place to submit to. The catch? The submission date is by June 8th. I have to haul ass in other words.

It’s going to be quite the challenge as I have paint nite tonight, an Ottawa Independent Writers meeting tomorrow, Iaido on Sunday, and movie club on Sunday.

So I’m wondering if deadlines are good for us? Sure, they push us to complete something, but do they ensure quality or just speed?

NaNoWriMo gets you to write the bulk of a novel in 30 days, but it needs a lot of work to turn into a worthwhile story. Most first drafts are awful anyway and affectionately known as vomit drafts.

And deadlines give a target to focus one’s effort on.

I feel like I’m going to start rambling. My brain is still recovering from the weekend though I managed some words last night and at lunchtime today.

What do you think about deadlines? Do you like them? Hate them? Think they’re useless?

Ciao,

R~

Merry Victoria Day Weekend: The 2016 Sei Do Kai Seminar

I’m thoroughly exhausted on physical, emotional, and mental levels, but seminar was fantastic. My body is happy to be able to rest; my spirit wants more; my brain is fried.

The trip down was made quicker with good music and lots of Worms, which brought much laughter as our attempts to blow up the opponents often accidentally resulted in our own demise.

We arrived on Friday and had our dinner out with whoever was available. The food could have been better for me, but my belly was full. After dinner, I visited with the Peterborough clan for a bit.

I had a suite to myself, which was mostly good because it was very quiet. It was a little lonely, though.

Day One

We worked on Zen Ken Ren Iaido with my sensei in the morning. In the afternoon, we worked with one of the female sensei. I learned a lot from both and am glad I took notes because brain mush no remember stuffs.

The evening had us hike to the auction where I won a whole set of keiko gi, hakama, and obi for $50! It’s white and the hakama is thicker than my other one. It’s very durable. It sticks to the floor, though. This means I need to put forth extra effort to slide, but that isn’t a bad thing. The whole set would retail for at least 3 times that, so I got a fantastic deal on it. Most didn’t bid because it was a very small size. Sometimes it really pays to be tiny[image error]

Day Two

The morning of Day Two had us doing Koryu kata, specifically Omori-ryū in my group. I never realized exactly how many differences there are in the Omori version of Mae vs the Zen Ken Ren version. I need to learn those differences well before December grading.

They talked to us about the key thing that usually fails those who challenge Sandan level being a lack of technical proficiency. Ikkyu was about showing etiquette and a general grasp of the kata outline. Shodan was about making sure the tip of the sword is in the right place. Nidan is somewhere between Shodan and Sandan and I’ve been feeling like I’m in a gray area in my training. It’s unsettling, but now that I know that’s how it is supposed to be, I feel better about it. I had already been planning to work on the technical bits like ensuring my sword tip is where it should be after unsheathing and before performing the horizontal cut.

The afternoon had us doing Eishin-ryū, otherwise known as the knee killing set. We slide about the ground often in this set. My knees had too much skin on them anyway. As usual, day two also came with sore feet.

That evening I went to dinner with pals from the Peterborough/Oshawa dojo and had a tasty meal at The Shakespeare Arms. It was the best meal of the trip. After that, it was off to the party where vodka, great banter, and Bushido Blade were the focus. I wasn’t sure about Bushido Blade at first. The graphics aren’t stellar. As we played, however, it really grew on me. It was basically our martial art as a video game. It was so fun that I played until I beat it! It’s been a long time since I last beat a game.

Day Three

I ate and packed a few items into the car in preparation for the journey home then checked out and went to the last training session. We, thankfully, did all standing kata that morning. I grabbed a quick shower then it was into the car and more Worms. I didn’t suck so bad on the way home.

I had all these ideas of what I would do with the rest of my evening, but I had a bath and barely ate super before I had to go to bed. I collapsed in exhaustion.

I’m happy to be back in the realm of 2 and 3-ply toilet paper. I may have some paper cuts in uncomfortable places. Perhaps it would be good to pack some next year.

I’m very glad I took today off to rest and get caught up on Game of Thrones. I think writing and video games are in order now that my salivary glad ultrasound is complete. Why did I shower beforehand? Goo in my hair, ugh.

On the way home from my appointment I renewed my library card and picked up a French Neil Gaiman graphic novel to work on my language skills.

Well, time for lunch and the most recent Game of Thrones episode. Number 4 ended on this “Fuck Yeah!” note. Can’t wait to see how the next one is though I’ve been warned it brings tears. I doubt it’ll make me cry given lower than normal tear production levels. I might dry weep, though.

This evening is folding, writing, and guitar methinks. I missed Scarlet while I was gone.

Ciao,

R~

Funky Friday: May Long Weekend

This post was pre-scheduled because I’m traveling for a martial arts seminar this long weekend. I hope this doesn’t diminish your reading pleasure.

Personal

Mixed: The other day, my boss announced he’s retiring at the end of May. They’re splitting up my department and I’ll have a new boss. Hopefully, this will be a good change and the transition goes smoothly.
Super Duper Excited: This weekend is the annual Sei Do Kai seminar in Guelph. I look forward to this event all year. It’s a weekend filled with hardcore training and heavy socializing. It will exhaust me, but it’s worth it. Sounds like it will be filled with gaming too.

Ottawa

Intrigued: Need some geek food?
Shocked: I can’t believe the Movati gym that is not allowing a woman to wear a tank top because of her bust size. It’s not like her girls aren’t contained within the top and her bra. She’s not going around flashing people. Ridiculous.

Ontario

Awed: A First Nations reserve has raised money to help the Albertans affected by the forest fire. This particular reserve has been plagued with suicides. Will Alberta help them in return? I know the community isn’t expecting anything in return, but I think that a community that is suffering as much as theirs that is giving so much to others deserves some help in return.
Disgusted: An ultrasound company in Ontario has been giving out the same photo to multiple expectant parents.

Canada

Annoyed: There is too much, IMO, being made of the PM accidentally bumping into someone in Parliament and leading someone else away from the commotion. He’s a boxer. If he wanted to hurt someone he’d use his fists. He’s apologized multiple times now. Can everyone just accept he’s the PM and let him do his job? Can the MPs just do their actual job, which is representing the people that voted for them and not act like spoiled children?

World

Amused: J. K. Rowling supports Trump’s right to free speech: “His freedom to speak protects my freedom to call him a bigot.” Love that woman.
Worried: EgyptAir flight MS804 has crashed. I hope they find the plane and I hope there are survivors. I hope this resolves soon for all those involved.

Well, I’ll probably still be in a car on the way while you read this. I could also be sleeping in the car because I’ve had so much to do leading up to this weekend. I hope you all have wonderful weekends!

Ciao,

R~

Wonder Wednesday: Personality Types

I recently took a personality test for fun. Yes, I do things like that for fun. It told me I’m an INTP.

I wondered if there really are only 16 personality types. With nearly 8 billion people in the world, can they all be categorized into one of 16 types? To me, it seems like there are probably things that haven’t been accounted for.

The two broad categories of Introvert (I) or Extrovert (E) are further described as Intuitive (N) or Sensing/Observing (S), Thinking (T) or Feeling (F), and Judging (J) or Perceiving/Prospecting (P). For more on what this all means go here.

My results showed that I’m about 75% introverted and 25% extroverted. I can’t remember the rest, but here is a brief summary from 16 Personalities:

“The INTP personality type is fairly rare, making up only three percent of the population, which is definitely a good thing for them, as there’s nothing they’d be more unhappy about than being “common”. INTPs pride themselves on their inventiveness and creativity, their unique perspective and vigorous intellect. Usually known as the philosopher, the architect, or the dreamy professor, INTPs have been responsible for many scientific discoveries throughout history.”

It explains why I take so long to revise my novel:

“INTPs remain so open to new information that they often never commit to a decision at all. This applies to their own skills as well – INTP personalities know that as they practice, they improve, and any work they do is second-best to what they could do. Unable to settle for this, INTPs sometimes delay their output indefinitely with constant revisions, sometimes even quitting before they ever begin.”

Romantically, it said I would do well with a partner who is an extrovert. Having once been married to an extrovert, I’d prefer not to do that again. Being with an extrovert is exhausting. I need a lot of me time, especially for writing, but sometimes to just do nothing by myself.

There are a lot of interesting famous people who were/are INTPs.

I wonder if personality is something innate or if it comes about through the environment we live in. Am I introverted and socially awkward because my parents are?  Is it in my genes?

 

NOTE: I’m out all weekend for the annual martial arts seminar, so there won’t likely be a post for a while unless I pre-schedule something… It depends on how well my packing, laundry, and cooking go. We’ll see. If not, I hope my Canadian readers have a fabulous long weekend. I hope the rest of you do too[image error]

Ciao,

R~

Merry Tuesday?: From One Event to Another

Sunday was the final day of 2016 Ottawa Comiccon. I particularly enjoyed the Q&A with John Rhys-Davies and Sean Astin. The only trouble for me was that I periodically wondered why my brother was on stage. You see, his nickname is Rudy because of his striking resemblance to Sean Astin.

Me: “Why is my brother on stage?”

Myself: “That’s not Dana.”

I: “Oh, right…”

I visited a weapons booth and the Japanese man there complimented me on my sword grip. I should hope I can hold the handle by now… They were the black plastic weapons. I so wanted to do a real test with them.

This weekend was the first time in a long time that I wasn’t just smiling because it was expected of me. I was smiling because I was truly happy. The past few years have been really hard. I’m not where I want to be yet, but I am on the path and getting a little closer each day, so yay!

It was a great weekend, but also an exhausting one. Recovery time was needed. The introvert in me is screaming for a cave to hide away in, but I have no time for that.

This coming weekend is the annual iaido and jodo Sei Do Kai Spring Seminar in Guelph. This is the most enjoyable of the seminars. We stay in the dorms and have 2.5 days of training mixed with nights of socializing. I’m super excited for this. Hopefully, I catch up on my sleep before then.

The last practice before the big seminar is tonight. Then it’s all cooking and packing for the trip. I think I’m almost done the music, though I’m not quite at 200 songs yet

2016 Ottawa Comiccon

Day 1

I walked around and found all my friends but one. No matter how diligently I searched, I could not find him. My sense of direction seemed off kilter, though.

I bought flavoured cinnamon decaf coffee. And this year’s addition to my POP dolls collection are Hermione (with her wand) and Kailee from Firefly. I also bought a sweet Wonder Woman hoodie, which came with a giant tardis bag that literally touches the ground. I promptly went to my car to offload as it was a tripping hazard.

I really enjoyed the Geek Universe concert, but had trouble making it through because I was sorely in need of sleep.

Day 2

I finally found my other author friend and hung out with him a lot. He’s a fun person and aside from great conversations he has convinced me that someday I will be able to overcome my introverted nature and be able to sell my books once I have them to sell. This is good news!

Unfortunately, I could not attend the Alan Tudyk Q&A because he was still on the airplane…

The Rock, Paper, Cynic musical performance was hilarious!

The Steampunk panel on gadgets was interesting. I had been to one like it there previous year, but I learned about writing books this year. Those will come in handy at some point, I’m sure.

My Chihiro costume went over well:

Me as Chihiro from Spirited Away

I missed the Zombie defense panel because the it was over capacity.

I WAS done shopping, but then I saw a Hogwarts dress and it was the last one…

Well, I went home early because I feel like relaxing with Rocksmith perhaps followed by something like Assassin’s Creed.

Ciao,

R~

Funky Friday: Oblivious?

I’ve not paid much attention to the news this week. I’ve been focused on getting things done in my life.

Ottawa

Excited: Comiccon starts today! It feels like I’ve been waiting forever. There are lots of fun panels I’m attending, a geek orchestra, Q&As with Alan Tudyk (Wash from Firefly) and John-Rhys Davies (Gimli from Lord of the Rings).
Relieved: I finished a project at work yesterday, so now I am truly unburdened. The actual project is a couple of weeks away from full completion, but my regular role for it is old hat compared to what I was put on to help finish a worrisome chunk.
Happy: My Xbox 360 breakaway cable arrived yesterday and I was able to play some Rocksmith. I bought that game over 3 years ago and I couldn’t play it because I had a guitar with a twisted neck that couldn’t stay in tune, so advancing in the game was impossible.

Ontario

Worried: There’s another wildfire burning around the Ontario and Manitoba border. While that’s not super close to me, there’s also been fires in my hometown 4 hours from here. There’s just a lot of fires all over Canada right now and we could really use some rain everywhere.

Canada

Impressed: I’m impressed with how Trudeau handled the fire situation in Alberta by listening to what the firefighters, a.k.a. experts said. He didn’t go out there for photo ops and instead continued handling the rest of his duties while on standby should the experts decide it was time to call in extra help. Oh, and he didn’t put Canada at risk for being invaded. Autonomy is a great leadership quality. He followed protocol.
Upset: I was attacked on Twitter for tweeting to the PM that he did a good thing working with the UN to eradicate preventable diseases. As such, I no longer allow people who aren’t my followers to see my tweets or interact with me on Twitter. I have no need for trolls in my life or people who try to disguise disrespectful behaviour as “debate”. They made me terribly sad that such rampant hatred exists. I don’t think I’ll ever understand such people.

World

Proud: I’m proud that Canada is helping with the efforts to eradicate tuberculosis, malaria, and AIDS from the earth. I’m not sure on the actual dollars that have been committed to it, but I hope there’s part of the budget that already speaks to this. The UN is predicting really bad things if more isn’t done to get rid of these terrible viruses.

Well, I have a few things left to do to prepare for Comiccon. It doesn’t start until 2:30 PM, but I took the full day off. I intend to put Spirited Away on while ironing my costume and cutting up veggies for my snacks.

Ciao,

R~