14May2017
Karate, The Arts
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May 14, 2017

I wake up rubbing my eyes, groggy and irritated by the sound of my alarm. Five more minutes. Then I remember: it’s grading day today. Shit, I slept in. Get up, get up!!

My wife and I both have our pre-black belt grading today. It’s more intense than the black belt grading itself, because we represent our sensei’s dojo there. Since our performance is a reflection of his, and we’ll be compared to students from other dojos, he tends to… uh, let’s say make sure… his students are ready to handle the challenges of the day. (more…)

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3May2017
Photography, The Arts
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May 3, 2017

This is the second post in a series in which I pick some really cool photos and break down the technical elements about them that I like best. They’re designed to help you (and I) improve your photography. You can check out the first post here.

In my first post in this photo review series, I took a look at an HDR photo of a beautiful boat. (If you don’t know what HDR is, you can read more about that in another post I wrote.) In today’s post, I’m changing it up. This time, we’re going macro, getting up close and personal with a drop of water. (more…)

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In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities. In the expert’s mind there are few.

Shunryu Suzuki (1904-1971)

Karate, The Arts
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April 30, 2017

This post is the third entry in my Karate Life Lessons Series, a collection of posts that examines how lessons learned training in the martial arts translate into other areas of life as well. You can read the first entry here. (more…)

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5Apr2017
Photography, The Arts
April 5, 2017

We’ve all seen great photography. You usually know it right away: you see a photo that makes you say “Holy crap, that’s good.” But can you explain WHY it’s good? Have you ever tried?

This post is the first in a series where I’ll try to do just that: choose great photos and outline in detail exactly what I believe drew me to the photo in the first place. (more…)

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29Mar2017
The Arts
March 29, 2017

Ever heard of Maki-e before? Yeah, didn’t think so. Most people haven’t, and I think that’s a real shame, because in my opinion it’s one of the most beautiful forms of art in existence. This post is dedicated to bringing some awareness to the art. (more…)

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Be as hard as the world forces you to be, and as soft as the world allows you to be.

Sensei Chuck Merriman

Karate, The Arts
March 22, 2017

This post is part of a series on lessons I’ve learned through my studies of Karate that I’ve found apply well to other areas of my life. To read the first post of the series, click here.

As I’ve said before, I’ve been training karate for over three years now. Not long by any means, but long enough to have recognized that there are lessons I’ve learned in the dojo that apply to other areas of my life. Last time, we talked about the principle of Shu-Ha-Ri. This time, we’ll focus on the quote at the top of this post. It hangs on the wall in my dojo, and it’s a quote I find myself returning to over and over again. Heads-up: this one’s a little sappy, so brace yourself. (more…)

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The Arts
March 9, 2017

There are few things more satisfying than walking around feeling like you look your very best. Attention to detail matters, and in order to look put together your entire ensemble needs to tell a cohesive story. That includes your shoes, especially walking into work. If you’re wearing a power suit with faded, scuffed up leather shoes, your get-up will lose its impact. Here, I’ll teach you how to get a mirror-shine on your shoes, so that you can walk around looking and feeling like a boss, and not the rookie using the $5 express shine from Aldo (good lord please don’t do it, no shoe deserves that). (more…)

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