If I really were dead, this would be a lot shorter...
Wow... So this is still here after 3 months…
Has there been nothing to report? No. There’s some stuff I can’t talk about yet and other stuff that I won’t say much about, but mostly I’ve just kind of drifted off, which isn’t really all that uncommon for me.
Testing for Brown at the end of this month (the 30th, for those keeping score at home). I know have 3 forms (I feel pretty solid on form 3 after working on it a lot last night), 2 concentration forms, and 3 elements, the latter being from Hsing-I. The elements are fascinating in that they might be best described as ‘primal’, the building blocks from which an art is made. I find myself leaning more toward the language of the classics when I try to describe something to another student, evidence perhaps that the clichéd speech of the wizened master is actually based less in the desire to write fortune cookies as a retirement hobby and more in the lack of other words to use. The elements are like that; a way to learn energies that is truly simpler to apply than if they were only included in a form. I don’t know if everyone sees it this way though, though that may be simply because I’m trying to see all of this as a curriculum to be taught as well as being a path to learn. I will be teaching this stuff eventually, when I’m ready. As soon as a couple years from now, I might be looking for volunteers to experiment on, though I’m truly thinking a lot longer term than that.
A few thoughts on teaching forms:
Form 1 - Linear progression. It’s pretty easy to understand why this form is first; it moves in two very simple lines with a total of two turns. The movements are simple and I think there’s something to be said for teaching a student how to learn forms.
Form 2 - Overt complexity. This is perhaps the most superficially impressive looking of all of the forms that I’ve seen that doesn’t involve a weapon. There is more turning, more complex attacking motions (simultaneous hand and foot strikes, changes of direction within a discreet series of attacks, etc.), and a little more subtlety to some of the applications, though the movements themselves are still obvious. There’s a longer form of it too that has a jumping kick (groan) and a foot sweep (yay!) and I’ve only ever seen that once. While learning form one would make someone feel like they are learning kung fu, learning form two will certainly make them look like hey are learning kung fu, and for that alone it would be valuable.
Form 3 - Subtle motion. My concentration of this form recently has me obsessing about how subtle motions give tremendous returns. There are quite a few places in this form where overreaching a step slightly or failing to turn a foot is the difference between doing it right and being quite tangibly wrong. I received a couple object lessons in this just last night and I think that’s a necessary part of being at the level reaquired to learn this form. I may not have all the subtleties right, but I know what they are and why they should be there and that makes all of this an effective tool.
I’m making higher quality mistakes lately. Even the nights when I feel like I have no business calling myself a student, I have no doubt that I have learned much from my experiences over the last three years, even if I can act in such a way that seems to hide that fact. And this is a very good thing.
Dad moved into a house that might well be called a mansion if I felt inclined to use the term. I would feel much less bad about ever having to move into my parent’s basement if that basement is over 2000 square feet and has it’s own kitchen. Dad, never content with anything as it is originally conceived, has already ripped up a floor or two, chopped down two really ugly tree/bush things that were in the front yard, added a “water feature” (it’s kind of a fountain and I think it looks pretty damn cool), and done some serious slicing and dicing on the deck in the back. Kinda neat to see it all in action and the place seems to look a little different every time I’m there. Needless to say, things are going well for dad, and they are doing so in a way that is safe, completely legal, reproducible (Really. Rich, I’m amazed as you are), and plays perfectly to his strengths. This is perfect for him and I couldn’t be happier for him and mom. This coincides with Adrianna graduating and going off to college, Mojo going back to school and Ted heading down to California to do something or another. I’ll miss all of them, though I’m sure they’ll be around all the time still. Dad would like nothing better than to have a huge compound where his entire family lives and this seems to be a step in that direction in space. If he can get all the kids to move back home, he’ll be set.
I picked up a computer game called City of Heroes back in May and I haven’t stopped playing it since. This in itself is not that remarkable, but it gets weird when you consider that:
1. It’s an MMO (massively multiplayer online game). Most people who know me should be aware that other people in large groups make me want to stab something and the fact that they’re internet people and not physically present gives me little opportunity to do so.
2. I pay every month for the privilege of playing this game. It’s not much ($15), but it’s a line I swore I wouldn’t cross when I first heard about these things.
3. I’ve been playing for 4 months, have 8 characters, and have at no point felt bored with the game.
4. I’ve somehow mind-controlled Andy into playing with me on a regular basis (she has 5 characters of her own).
It’s really one of the only examples I’ve seen of the superhero thing done right, as well as a great example of how limiting the options within a virtual world can make for a more focused game without really losing anything. I picked up a few books on MMO design a couple years back and I’ve not gotten around to reading them, mostly because of this experience. But the part of me that’s less of an engineer and more of a player is just excited that I got to make a virtual Rau who has kicked the crap out of robots, zombies, government operatives, and evil clowns (EVIL CLOWNS!!) for 41 levels now and is just a little ways away from having laser beam eyes. Oh yes, you heard that correctly. Laser beams that shoot out of my frickin eyes.
And that novel I’ve been writing? Yeah... about that. Starting scenes is not a problem for me. Ending them, on the other hand, certainly seems to be. There always seems to be that one piece of dialog, or a subtle transition, or a character that I just can’t seem to get correct. I’m finding that there is a difference between being able to just spin out a few pages on a whim and the ability to write something that large and fix it in place with it’s sheer mass. It’s like the difference between a great concert and a great CD; not all bands are capable of producing both and there are significantly different skills required to do so. I may have to adjust a lot of what I’ve already done, completely rewrite parts even, but I will finish this thing. The most rewarding thing about what I’ve managed so far is that I have a depth to several new characters that I think will be fun to RP if I ever manage to get back into doing so. Bethany, in particular, is a good chance to see if I can be convincing as a human. We’ll see if I’ve learned anything. ;)
So now I’ve posted, for the first time in three months. I’ll have something to say soon about seeing my sisters for the first time in 3-4 years. And probably some other stuff. For now, I have a city to save...
p.s. *looks up* I don't remember having this icon... Pretty cool though.
Has there been nothing to report? No. There’s some stuff I can’t talk about yet and other stuff that I won’t say much about, but mostly I’ve just kind of drifted off, which isn’t really all that uncommon for me.
Testing for Brown at the end of this month (the 30th, for those keeping score at home). I know have 3 forms (I feel pretty solid on form 3 after working on it a lot last night), 2 concentration forms, and 3 elements, the latter being from Hsing-I. The elements are fascinating in that they might be best described as ‘primal’, the building blocks from which an art is made. I find myself leaning more toward the language of the classics when I try to describe something to another student, evidence perhaps that the clichéd speech of the wizened master is actually based less in the desire to write fortune cookies as a retirement hobby and more in the lack of other words to use. The elements are like that; a way to learn energies that is truly simpler to apply than if they were only included in a form. I don’t know if everyone sees it this way though, though that may be simply because I’m trying to see all of this as a curriculum to be taught as well as being a path to learn. I will be teaching this stuff eventually, when I’m ready. As soon as a couple years from now, I might be looking for volunteers to experiment on, though I’m truly thinking a lot longer term than that.
A few thoughts on teaching forms:
Form 1 - Linear progression. It’s pretty easy to understand why this form is first; it moves in two very simple lines with a total of two turns. The movements are simple and I think there’s something to be said for teaching a student how to learn forms.
Form 2 - Overt complexity. This is perhaps the most superficially impressive looking of all of the forms that I’ve seen that doesn’t involve a weapon. There is more turning, more complex attacking motions (simultaneous hand and foot strikes, changes of direction within a discreet series of attacks, etc.), and a little more subtlety to some of the applications, though the movements themselves are still obvious. There’s a longer form of it too that has a jumping kick (groan) and a foot sweep (yay!) and I’ve only ever seen that once. While learning form one would make someone feel like they are learning kung fu, learning form two will certainly make them look like hey are learning kung fu, and for that alone it would be valuable.
Form 3 - Subtle motion. My concentration of this form recently has me obsessing about how subtle motions give tremendous returns. There are quite a few places in this form where overreaching a step slightly or failing to turn a foot is the difference between doing it right and being quite tangibly wrong. I received a couple object lessons in this just last night and I think that’s a necessary part of being at the level reaquired to learn this form. I may not have all the subtleties right, but I know what they are and why they should be there and that makes all of this an effective tool.
I’m making higher quality mistakes lately. Even the nights when I feel like I have no business calling myself a student, I have no doubt that I have learned much from my experiences over the last three years, even if I can act in such a way that seems to hide that fact. And this is a very good thing.
Dad moved into a house that might well be called a mansion if I felt inclined to use the term. I would feel much less bad about ever having to move into my parent’s basement if that basement is over 2000 square feet and has it’s own kitchen. Dad, never content with anything as it is originally conceived, has already ripped up a floor or two, chopped down two really ugly tree/bush things that were in the front yard, added a “water feature” (it’s kind of a fountain and I think it looks pretty damn cool), and done some serious slicing and dicing on the deck in the back. Kinda neat to see it all in action and the place seems to look a little different every time I’m there. Needless to say, things are going well for dad, and they are doing so in a way that is safe, completely legal, reproducible (Really. Rich, I’m amazed as you are), and plays perfectly to his strengths. This is perfect for him and I couldn’t be happier for him and mom. This coincides with Adrianna graduating and going off to college, Mojo going back to school and Ted heading down to California to do something or another. I’ll miss all of them, though I’m sure they’ll be around all the time still. Dad would like nothing better than to have a huge compound where his entire family lives and this seems to be a step in that direction in space. If he can get all the kids to move back home, he’ll be set.
I picked up a computer game called City of Heroes back in May and I haven’t stopped playing it since. This in itself is not that remarkable, but it gets weird when you consider that:
1. It’s an MMO (massively multiplayer online game). Most people who know me should be aware that other people in large groups make me want to stab something and the fact that they’re internet people and not physically present gives me little opportunity to do so.
2. I pay every month for the privilege of playing this game. It’s not much ($15), but it’s a line I swore I wouldn’t cross when I first heard about these things.
3. I’ve been playing for 4 months, have 8 characters, and have at no point felt bored with the game.
4. I’ve somehow mind-controlled Andy into playing with me on a regular basis (she has 5 characters of her own).
It’s really one of the only examples I’ve seen of the superhero thing done right, as well as a great example of how limiting the options within a virtual world can make for a more focused game without really losing anything. I picked up a few books on MMO design a couple years back and I’ve not gotten around to reading them, mostly because of this experience. But the part of me that’s less of an engineer and more of a player is just excited that I got to make a virtual Rau who has kicked the crap out of robots, zombies, government operatives, and evil clowns (EVIL CLOWNS!!) for 41 levels now and is just a little ways away from having laser beam eyes. Oh yes, you heard that correctly. Laser beams that shoot out of my frickin eyes.
And that novel I’ve been writing? Yeah... about that. Starting scenes is not a problem for me. Ending them, on the other hand, certainly seems to be. There always seems to be that one piece of dialog, or a subtle transition, or a character that I just can’t seem to get correct. I’m finding that there is a difference between being able to just spin out a few pages on a whim and the ability to write something that large and fix it in place with it’s sheer mass. It’s like the difference between a great concert and a great CD; not all bands are capable of producing both and there are significantly different skills required to do so. I may have to adjust a lot of what I’ve already done, completely rewrite parts even, but I will finish this thing. The most rewarding thing about what I’ve managed so far is that I have a depth to several new characters that I think will be fun to RP if I ever manage to get back into doing so. Bethany, in particular, is a good chance to see if I can be convincing as a human. We’ll see if I’ve learned anything. ;)
So now I’ve posted, for the first time in three months. I’ll have something to say soon about seeing my sisters for the first time in 3-4 years. And probably some other stuff. For now, I have a city to save...
p.s. *looks up* I don't remember having this icon... Pretty cool though.