kchenault

I have 6, count them 6, Gmail invites available. First come first serve. If you are one of the six, I will PM you and get your email address. Let the fun begin. Considering you get like 1 Gig of email space you can do a lot with this account.

Speaking of tracing family histories, I found out this last summer that my family on my mother's side goes at least as far back in the U.S. as the 1780's in NJ. My distant cousin is still researching the topic. Pretty cool, although the guy was probably a criminal as most of my mother's relatives seem to be. Maiden name was Hathaway.

Well, there goes the neighborhood. This thread will now die a painful death. I should have kept my mouth shut. Talk about sucking the fun out of everything.

One could see the potential if one just looked. The red head from number three was hot, but young at the time. I would still take ES.

We should all learn the lesson that is becoming more and more obvious to me the more I read this thread. If YOU (read any of us) are comfortable with your chosen school and art, then stop bagging on others schools and arts. There is a lot of bashing of a guy no one here (except the original poster) knows and his chosen art. Grow up and show some maturity people.

The first one. Why? Two words. Elizabeth Shue.

Thanks Patrick.

Good on you Rathe! I hope and pray that the perfect job for you and your family opens very quickly and you know to jump on it. Merry Christmas!

Nahhh! Leave it the way it is and start a new one. Hehehehh...

Sounds like the newest liquor store in my town. 3 Guys Liquor. That is an actual store name. The shameless hussy.

The title should be STRIPING, not STRIPPING. The latter denoted taking the clothes off. hehehe.....

Just a question. Who came up with how to wield a Katana? Who created martial arts to begin with? Were they just etched in someone's mind from birth? Someone had to create them. And following a dream is not that easy. Life doesn't allow most people to move just to fullfill a dream. Too many instructors want your first born child to teach you their legacy. Or like I encountered, they want you to learn a different art to blackbelt level before you can train with a weapon. That's bullpuckey! If one art can be taught, so can another. Haidong Gumdo is generally taught as a separate art, learned independantly from other arts. I will probably not convince you of this, anymore than you will convince me that I can't learn anything from a tape. If I see the deficencies in myself, accomplished by honest introspection, I will know if I can do something or not. Back to my example of painting. I said a specific technique of painting. The end result must look a certain way. Not every practioner of sword arts looks the same when they perform. My painting will not look exactly like someone elses, but you will recognize the technique. Some people who are taught by an instructor still can't do the technique properly. There was an article at one time in BlackBelt magazine that looked at this very question. They found for mechanics and technique, people learned equally well either way. Are there shortcomings from learning by watching a tape, surely. Is it impossible? No way! One other question. Are any of you that have responded to this question of, tape or instructor, in fact instructors in an art? If so, look at your own bias as an instructor first. AAHHH, such stimulating conversation!

While I agree with finding a teacher, sometimes things can be learned by watching a tape. No it may not be perfect, but sometimes you have no choice when trying to follow a dream. You can learn the basics from a tape, if you are careful. I learn better from watching, not being told. I would imagine that most are like this or we wouldn't need to watch the instructor perform the technique first. We should all keep an open mind about this. Otherwise, all instructional tapes need to be considered suspect. I am learning how to paint a certain way by watching a tape and practicing. Is this possible by some of your standards? Some of you would have to say no to remain consistant with your own thinking. Just something to chew on...

I just said it was snowing, there was no mention of loving it.

Go read a novel by James Byron Huggins. I suggest either CAIN or HUNTER. Both fast paced, combat oriented, slugfest, shootemup, guy novels! They are some of my favorites for just escaping reality and "reading" an action movie, because that is what his books are like. THE RECKONING is another good one, more along the lines you are going for I'd wager.

It is snowing right now in Kansas City area.

You will not get a "real Katana" for an inexpensive price. Try a Paul Practical Katana, called a 'PK' by most. A very nice sword for the money. Can be used for Tameshigiri. Stout blade, okay form, just not very pretty. I bought mine for about $200, but that was a couple of years ago. I think they are a little less in price now. Check Ebay using Paul Chen and Katana as your keywords.

True.

Why does he want to switch the drives? Why not just run the new one as a slave, and keep his OS untouched on the old one. No partitiioning to deal with and it sounds like he has already accomplished that setup. Just curious.

I would look under the state section of law that deals with knives or daggers. I think they consider it a dagger of sorts. That is why it would be illegal. That would be where I would start.

Rathe, Get out now while you can. Pull the plug on them at the same time. Gather your evidence to prove your innocence and to convict them of wrong doing. The government is really frowning on this sort of thing right now. I tell you these things because I just got back from working in a prison in Indiana 2 weeks ago. Those guys in prison don't care whether or not you know martial arts. They have pack mentality, and there aren't too many, if any, people who can or could take on ten guys at once. They will do things to you that you don't want them to do. And it isn't about sex, it's about domination and power. It is a constant struggle in prison, just to stay alive. I had an inmate talking trash at me through the cafeteria window all because I was short, according to the guard we were with. They just don't care there. Get out now, for you, your wife and your baby. Turn them in, for Honor and Honesty and because it is the right and noble thing to do. God bless Rathe

Actually, I am. Missed the family quite a bit. Eating out gets old real quick, even though I didn't have to pay for it.

Alright, let me re-phrase. 2 weeks of engineering work in the steam maintenance tunnels below the prison was too much. Never had contact with the prisoners, left everyday at 3:00 (government workers), went to the bars to play pool and have a beer, out to eat on the company dime, back at the hotel in bed by 8. By the way, if you are ever in Terre Haute, IN, they have the worst cable tv I have ever had the displeasure of watching. 70 channels of nothing.

Okay, I am officially back from prison in Indiana. 2 weeks in hot maintenance tunnels is too much. Thanks for the early welcome back 47.

Looking back, mine or yours?