The end of an uninterrupted kendo month. Traveling without shinai means I will need to find other ways to keep my suburi up, which should not be all that difficult, I suppose, as long as I find a wine bottle someplace. I was to write an integrative essay, but I did it on paper instead.

Sensei told the story of what he learned from Taneda (?) Sensei his first sensei when he was 16 and the lesson he has been teaching since: that the key is kamae, and that the left fist, which should be slightly turned inward, should be one fist from the belly button.

Today’s practice, part of the thus-uninterrupted October streak, was without contacts, which was not as fun or helpful as one might think. The only insight I gained was the degree to which the aite’s monomi was salient because it was darker amid the bright fuzzy lines of the men-bars. Otherwise, I am doing well against some sensei, horribly against others, but keeping it up all month, which is all that really counts, I guess

Shinsa season is always mixed. Today, a great crowd and I felt I was perfectly caffeinated as far as the execution of kihon was concerned, but the problem with practice was that waza were omitted, and keiko cut short. A shame.

Otherwise, I have been chugging along suburiwise (Day 50 now), and going to practices though there will be an interruption soon.