Posts Tagged ‘karate’

New Blue Belt
Originally uploaded by MikeOliveri.
It’s been 11 months since I first earned my blue belt and left my son in the dust, but he’s finally earned his new rank and he’s wearing it proudly. Friday night he didn’t even want to take it off, as if he were treating it like a new black [...]

One wouldn’t think CPR would be part of a karate class, but this weekend the Academy of Okinawan Karate certified its SWAT team members in CPR. One of our black belts, Mrs. Denise Miller (everyone say hi, as she’s out there reading), works as a nurse for a living, and she led the class.
It’s been [...]

Last night I earned my purple belt in Shuri-ryu.
I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time. A lot of new material comes with the purple belt, and several of our higher ranks have told me purple belt is when our karate really starts to come alive. I’ll also learn a new kata called [...]

I just dumped several pictures on my Flickr account from two recent events at the Academy of Okinawan Karate, the school where I study Shuri-ryu. Some came from last month’s graduation, and the remainder are from this weekend’s Friends & Family Day demonstrations.
These events are a lot of fun for me, not just because some [...]

Avo & Me
Originally uploaded by MikeOliveri.
Friends & Family Day at the karate dojo went well today. Now we’ve got a quiet weekend evening with no real plans, giving me some much-needed time to play catchup and get some writing done.
That’s why I’m out front with an Avo #3 and the MacBook Pro. I’m looking at [...]

For all practical purposes, anyway.
The Wife will be taking the rugrats out of town, leaving me with an empty house. I’ve got a poker game Friday night, karate Saturday morning, and then I write. If I get bothered at home, I will pack up the laptop, jump on the bike, and ride out to somewhere [...]

Mike’s Break — Tetsui
Originally uploaded by MikeOliveri.
I’ve been looking forward to Break Day all year.
The Academy of Okinawan Karate only does break day once a year, so I made sure my travel plans weren’t going to throw it off. Even the Midget has been calling it his “favorite season” and asked me if it was [...]

You know it’s been a long week when you’re looking forward to going back to work and settling back in to a normal routine.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s been a good week. It’s always good to see Brian, Coop and Mikey and spend a few days with good food, good beer, and good cigars. I [...]

I spun the motorcycle up to 40 miles an hour today. Yeah, I’m flying now! I best be careful before I break the sound barrier and piss off the neighbors.
Okay, in all seriousness, I’m finally putting in some real seat time after several weeks of storms, rain, trips, and projects, and my comfort level is [...]

I had a good time at Wizard World, but man did I miss karate class.
I walked into the dojo for the first time in a week tonight, and I hadn’t done so much as a punching exercise or push-up in the meantime. A week may not sound long, but I felt out of touch. I [...]