Monday, February 27, 2006

karate seminar

Just got back from a phenomenal karate seminar. I feel like I have been in the presence of greatness, a truely phenomenal man. Nishiyama sensei came to this country in 1963, having studied and help develop Shotokan karate in Japan, and since then he's built literally a worldwide system based on the fundamental principles of karate, but of course also based on him, and his laserlike direction on one hand, but also his ability to listen to people, and to get a good cooperative synergy in a room...we had a council meeting of the northwest area dojo directors, and then he came down from his hotel room to say a few words, and it was pretty neat. He's 78 years old, can remember WW II, and kind of has a presence that is amazing. Just knowing the guy is around has helped me tremendously over the years, and being part of the Shotokan karate system, specifically our little group that follows Nishiyama, has given me something to focus on that's so much better than real life, it's kept me out of a lot of problems and gotten me to where I am now, which is a pretty good place.
So anybody that wants to try karate, my instructor teaches in town:
geocities.com/farrellc912/corvalliskaratedojoindex.html

In other news, people sit around and drink coffee at the beanery.
Thanks for the comments. It's nice to get noticed. .....


Friday, February 24, 2006

not a whole lot happening

Corvallis really seems about the same every day. What is the deal with this town? You go to the bean, get a cup of coffee, stare out the window. Still, the trees and scenery are nice and low crime level is miniscule as far as I know. There are amusing crime reports in the paper, but they seem like they are put there just for the amusement of the residents, like somebody that leaves a purse unattended with $1000 in it in an auditorium. That was a really smart move.
The interzone is a really neat new addition to the town, that opened six or seven years ago now, and is a really idiosyncratic and confluential type of deal. It doesn't have the history of the bean, but things change, life progresses, and the beanery seems stuck in one mode, not that there's anything wrong with that. You get old, you get your deal together, and you basically come up with a certain presentation and stick with it, and it's the same for businesses I guess.
As for me, call me Ishmael, I mean Chris. Melville, with his certain "uneasiness" that caused his hero to go to sea, spoke for anybody who is young and needs to get out and find some answers, but at a certain point you just have to say, well, I've learned this and that and the other, but did it mean anything, and if so, what was its relevance?
I guess for me it would be nice to do a bit more travelling and have more freedom to make my own schedule. I basically have to work certain hours, and I would rather be my own boss and set my own hours. Lots of people manage to do that, and maybe I just have to figure it out. Hard to say.
I just gave up on the idea of studying Spanish for now. It's not really realistic, and seems unnecessary, because I already get along with my coworkers okay, although maybe taking a class would be a good option. Certainly it is a great language with a great aura or feeling or sort of mystique surrounding it.
In other news, the bean is filled with people chatting. It is nice that they have this free computer here to use for those of us who don't have laptops as of yet. I really prefer to carry a sketchpad, because I like drawings and handwriting, so I'm sticking with that. Also, I'm kind of old and don't feel the need to be connected to email or cell phone things all the time. I want to have time where I'm just out walking around, enjoying the sunlight and the weather. Apparently in Japan and everywhere now, teenagers walk around in a daze, looking down at their cell phones, continuously text messaging friends. Okay. Well, heck, if it works for you ,,,...do it.
Still, .....people go through phases. A friend's son recently went from being immersed in video games 24 hours a day to getting into my style of karate, so that's a transition. To me, karate is a game, in which you can have fun and get a workout and not get hurt, ...but infinitely more fun than playing a computer game,,,but whatthe heck;;people have phases.
the coffee is getting cold, mostpeople talk about moststuff, and undoubtedly cinnamon rolls are being served at my place of work.

Thursday, February 23, 2006

paranoia

Sitting in the library, it seems as everybody is kind of involved in the stuff they are studying, and all of that. Sometimes one just wonders how things are and where they are going, but try to keep a handle on the whole thing.

Here's my upcoming letter to the gazette-times:

Dear GT:
The letters to the editor have been of embarrassingly low quality for quite some time. People with anything intelligent to say are just not writing because they don't want to descend to the level the debate has been at in your local letters column.
So whoever out there who has been writing these letters, why don't we just get a couple of things straight: people are the religion they are. End of story. Let's not have any more idiotic letters about which religion is right.
Also, no more letters regarding gays. People are gay or they are not. They are born that way. End of story. Move on to intelligent subjects of discussion. Homophobes please stop writing and get a life.
Chris Farrell
Corvallis, Oregon

Corvallist on Orblogs.com is a fun blog to read for local Corvallis happenings.


I'll try to publish more relevant corvallis type stuff on my blog too, so stay tuned. I sent a letter to the gt regarding buses to albany and back and how we should have them, and it wasn't published. What's the deal with that? Why isn't there a regular bus going back and forth along hwy 20 to Albany. So then people could shop without all getting in their stupid private cars.

Monday, February 13, 2006


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Friday, February 03, 2006


mom and two kids on bus Posted by Picasa