#qa nick

[inallthingsbalance]

Answer 10, Tag 10

I have been tagged by @diamondsamura1 to answer 10 questions, so here goes nothing:

1. What was the last movie you watched? Star Wars: The Force Awakens

2. What was the last TV Show you watched? I was at a family member’s house and she was watching some sort of medical mysteries show... the last show I chose to watch was probably Bob’s Burgers or Rick and Morty.

3. What was the last song you listened to? The last song I was asked to write out for one of my guitar students, “Freak Like Me” by Halestorm

4. What is the last book you read? Thoughts and Meditations by Khalil Gibran

5. The last thing you ate? A steak and veggies wrap after two hours of teaching yoga classes at a local charter school

6. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be? There’s a person that I really wish I could spend some time with right now, but it doesn’t seem like it’s a good time... I wish I was at her house, relaxing on the couch, maybe playing a video game with her

7. If you could pick a decade to travel back to, what would it be? Probably the 70′s, because the majority of my favorite bands were around then

8. If you won the lottery and won millions in cash, what would be the first thing you do? I’d bring my Mind-Body studio to fruition, and start organizing classes for Yoga, Karate, Jiu Jitsu, Iaido, Kyudo... lots of other stuff too, community garden, language classes, art classes... someday, I hope I can make it happen, millions or not

9. What fictional character would you hangout with for a day? Oh man... probably someone I could learn a lot from in some fashion. Yoda and Obi-Wan, or Gouken from Street Fighter. Some sort of teacher with a really zen “mind of no mind” wisdom.

10. What’s the last Fandom you Joined? I feel like this is really hard to answer. I watched the play-through of Undertale on Game Grumps, and really fell in love with the game. However, like everything, I feel that there are incredibly passionate fans that are imaginative and can think up really cool art or side stories using the framework of someone else’s creations, and people that just take everything and tweak it to their own specific interests and completely lose track of the spirit of the original, resulting in some really bizarre stuff. So, I don’t know if I really fall into any “fandom”, so much as I’m just a passionate and enthusiastic fan of many different things.

I don’t know who to tag for these things... If anyone doesn’t want to do it, I won’t be offended. @manwithoutborders @claireyfae @zeump @phoenixfireashes @stargasm @ottawamona @nukitsuke2 @anddeathsmiled @fiendlover @neil-gaiman (I don’t suspect Neil Gaiman will actually answer this, but hey... gotta aim big sometimes) =]

[inallthingsbalance]

how come you're not on the budoblr list?

Oh, a handful of reasons, I suppose. My page isn’t entirely about martial arts, it’s just a reflection of things I might be thinking about with no real guideline. You could go on my page and add “/tagged/______”, and type in practically anything, and there’s a good chance that whatever you type might pop up. Video games, motorcycles, animals, art, nature, food, anatomy, science, history….

Also, I just tend to function better as a lone wolf. I’ll venture into different territories, and decide if I like hanging out there, but I never stay in those spaces for very long before heading back to my own little corner of life. If anyone wants to have martial arts related discussions, I’m all for it, but I don’t always like to get into things too deeply, because there’s only so much typing and trying to present new perspectives one can do online. Especially when so many different schools and frames of mind exist, and some aren’t always interested in exploring other avenues at that particular moment.

[inallthingsbalance]

I love when you post your cat!

He’s an awesome cat! I’ll try to post something of him today if I can. Thank you, Ms/Mr Anon.

[inallthingsbalance]

flowerinfant replied to your photo:

My new t shirt is too fun and dorky not to share...

D'aw, I LOVE IT! Where’d you get it? It’s from a Jiu Jitsu uniform company called “Inverted Gear”, that makes lots of stuff with pandas on their stuff. I saw it on a site that has daily deals (bjjhq.com), and snagged it a few days back. Glad you like it!

[inallthingsbalance]

All of them!

All of them? Let’s start with a handful at a time, and go from there, how about that?

Kyu - I think I was 12 when I started taking Karate. I can’t remember exactly when, but I think it was toward the end of 6th grade. I always found martial arts fascinating - the idea of being able to handle chaotic situations while remaining safe and acting with precision and calm was really an amazing idea.

Budo - I have officially trained in Goju Ryu (inching closer to earning an instructor’s degree), and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (much newer at that one, inching closer to my blue belt). Kai - I study under the Goju Kai association, run by Mr. Gosei Yamaguchi, and my BJJ lineage is one person away from a former UFC champion, and Renzo Gracie.

Gi - Oh boy…. I think I own three white Karate gi, and three white BJJ gi. I have a few other spares kicking around, as well as a TKD gi, and some hakama. My Karate association only allows white uniforms, and the only ornamentation is the association’s emblem as a small patch on the front. When I get my BJJ blue belt, I can wear blue gi there as well, and patches aren’t restricted at the school (but there are some regulations for tournaments).

Ibuki - Oh man, my breathing is tremendously deep, thanks to Karate and yoga. Goju emphasizes a lot of very powerful breath work, so that’s one of my more comfortable aspects. When I did my last CPR re-certification, I actually could breath into the practice dummy so strong that the chest plate would come unattached, ha ha.

Hojo Undo - As well as studying martial arts and Yoga, I work as a personal trainer, so yes, I do strength training as well. I like the well-roundedness that comes with cross training that way.

Makiwara - My body has lots of little dents and dings from martial arts training. The occasional chipped bone, or dislocated joint that became double-jointed, but nothing that impinges motion or prevents activity. I try my best to operate at a level that won’t leave permanent damage.

How’s that as a start? =]

[inallthingsbalance]

Nick, I hope you know that you're such an inspiration to those who attend your classes. Keep it up! Good things will instantly fly your way :)

You’re too Kind, Tony! =D

I hope everything is great for you, and that you’re having an awesome day!

[inallthingsbalance]

wholeandhealthy said: I’M STILL MAD AT YOU FOR BUYING ME ALL THAT >:[  just kidding you’re awesome and i’m super happy for you and “the girl” hehehehe

And this would be my lovely friend that I have to FORCE to accept gifts… lol. It was my pleasure, Casey! =D

[inallthingsbalance]

sonsoru said: Good luck! Wishing you the best.

Thank you, friend! I’m confident that the results will be to my liking. One more test to go, most likely 8 months from now. The only thing remaining after that will be to travel to the chairman of our association, to train for a week or so, and see if he feels I’m ready to open my own dojo. =]