Not much news in the way of martial arts. I've learned #4 kumitachi both sides and #5 one side. There's talk I might get ikkyu soon (I sometime wish I would stop eavesdropping on my senseis). I'd rather get my green belt in karate but that's just been one frustrating practice session after another. It looks like I might not be going to the tournament after all, as my brother's flying in from Austin that week.
So, anyway, I've decided on writing a little update and commentary post to clarify some things for my new friends at B.S. (hehe, funny initials) and peeps from school.
Here goes:
Aiki Still a white belt. Well, it's actually more grey now- lots of feet marks and frays. I got my rank sheets for Aiki finally a couple weeks ago and the blue belt rank is nothing special. In fact, I knew most of that stuff from karate or iai. I know a great deal on the green belt (next rank up) sheet. I think now, looking at the pace of the class, it will be a while still before I get ranked. I think head sensei plans to rank the kid ahead of me or one of the senseis first. But, hell, I could be surprised. I realized there's a couple personalities I haven't mentioned. The first is a father/son duo which I refer to as Big T and Little T. Big T is a fun guy, though he's built like a tree, and Little T is so unenthuised it's funny. They decided to join the class full-time a while back- casualities of head sensei's "New uke drive". The other guy is refered to all the time as "Cage Fighter". This guy is freaking huge- has to be 300lbs of solid muscle. He loves UFC and wants to eventually try out for it. We tease him a great deal about it but none of us would be dumb enough to find out if he's good.
Nerdverd Nerdverd has become legendary within my sick circle of friends. I continue to give him the benefit of the doubt and he in turn gives me more reason to doubt his sanity. He's the subject of my very first entry, and yes, I have even more nerdverd-isms to add to the list. Keep in mind, this are actual quotes this kid has said.
Nerverdisms:
(Upon achieving first rank)"Alright! Now I'm one step closer to achieving my dream of being san-dan and opening my own kendo dojo!" (note: kendo is not taught at our school) "I don't care how much it costs to go to Japan, I'll sell my kidney."
N:"I practice all the time and I still don't get any better."
Me: "Are you practicing what we do in class?"
N: "Kinda..."
"Hey sempai, got any dating advice?"
"Hey sempai, if you see Bob (Bob is this nickname he's given to another kid
in our class that doesn't like him and avoids him like the plague), could you kick him in the nuts for me?"
I'm sure there's more, but there's so many, I forgot them.
The Lifetime Orange Belt Plan This was a joke started by a friend and I when I first started karate. I wasn't going to class all the time then; I went to karate just on saturdays because it was between aiki and iai classes. Anyways, he was an orange belt at the time, and I was simultaneously training in another style of karate at college (something I'd not recommend to ANYONE!). He joked he couldn't advance in rank because of his job and I joked I was just hopeless. The update on him is a good one- he is now a purple belt looking to get his first stripe, and he has a blue belt in aiki as well. I guess he was on a different plan! Who knows when I'll get green belt. I have yet to learn a kata needed for rank, the only requirement I don't know, and God knows when head sensei will have time to teach it. He's been busy with the little senseis, and now that they are black belts, he's concentrating on the group of tikes making brown belt. My orange belt is suffering some serious stress. It looks like my dog chewed it (probably did) and everwhere I go I leave a trail of orange thread behind me. Poor orange belt. Retirement is deperately sought after, I assure you.
The Age Gap I've been asked to explain the population of people I take classes with. In short, several kajillion little kids, a couple of high schoolers, and some older guys. You can count the girls/women in my class on one hand still- renshi (or benevolent matriarch/woman you don't piss off), white belt girl, orange belt girl (who is the living proof that sugar and too much TV rots a kid's brain), purple belt girl, and me. The closest personin age that I can relate to is my friend in karate/aiki classes who's two years older than me. The next person is 5 years younger, a senior in high school, who I call Valleyboy. He seems to have way too much pep for a sword student. Plus, he likes to club me with a goshinken a little too much. The other teens are really young- 8th grade/freshman/sophomore territory- can't relate to them AT ALL! It's so amazing kids have parents that can pay for all their stuff. At their age, my parents would have said, "Get a job." It's hard sometimes to try and put yourself in their shoes- see why it's more important that they get ranked. I try to give people the benefit of the doubt when I can. Doesn't make it easy though. We used to have two senseis, one in karate and one in iai that I liked. They were two years younger, but they both quit. I still see them around sometimes but I feel kinda weird saying hi because I didn't get to know them very well. Our school is very small, and when someone in the higher ranks quits, it's weird. In the lower ranks, it happens all the time. Students in karate are like a revolving door. At one point this year, we had 20 white belts. That's insane, considering our training space. In aiki, new people are usually drafted from karate. Chances are, if you're in karate here and you're over 5'4", head sensei has tried to recruit you. That's how Cage Fighter and Big and Little T got into it. I remember the day I asked head sensei if I could try aiki- his eyes got as big as dinner plates. I should have known then what was in store. 
The Kitties from "Kitty Budo" post Yes, Sherry, they've all been adopted. No, there is no "Dojo Cat", though head sensei does have a beagle named Satchel, who I am told, like my beagle, is a sumo wrestler.
I think that's it for now. I wonder what I'll think of this stuff when I am older (and possibly a black belt).
