Category: KungFu

Where’s Mike D?

mike d. 2 Comments A Day In The Life..., House of Rock, KungFu

I haven’t been able to update my website as much lately because of the horror that is the House of Rock kitchen. Well, it’s not really a horror – I’m just redoing it.

The goal was to replace appliances, add lighting, and remove the drop ceiling. The drop ceiling has been quite the endeavor, and I suspect there will be more moaning and groaning this coming weekend. Last night Paulette loaned me her camera so that I’ll be able to take some pictures and keep everyone updated on progress. So keep an eye out for those as the next week or two pass.

Right now the drop ceiling is down – as is the plaster & dry wall ceiling that was above it. New lights have been installed in the main section, though the under-cabinet lighting and the soffits still need completion.

What else is new? Well, there was some roller derby this past weekend. i hope to have a recap written up and posted in the feature section sometime today or early tomorrow. It’s been a challenge returning to Kung Fu. I keep forgetting my forms and my sparring has dramatically worsened. That said, I started learning a new bo staff form last night which requires me to kick the end of my staff sending it spinning around my left wrist. Here’s an MSPaint depiction.

Yeah. Look out. Staff forms are intense. I’m eager to really get back into the swing of things because I really want to get started on Sword which is the next weapon of my kung fu journey.

I’m not sure if I already shared this, but a few weeks ago I saw a bunch of my kung fu friends training with Fans. I have always marveled at the awesomeness of Fan as a weapon. I got to talking with one of the instructors about weapons at higher levels. What’s written below isn’t accurate… but it’s something akin to this:

Purple belt: Staff
Adv. Brown belt: Sword
Black belt: Spear
1st Degree Black belt: Fan
2nd Degree Black belt: 3 sectional staff
3rd Degree Black belt: … I forget, maybe double sword?
4th Degree Black belt: Saw Horse.

WHAAAAT?!? SAW HORSE?!@?!? Imagine being proficient in Saw Horse?

Anyway, that’s what’s new. Stay tuned for more kitchen renovation stories.

Comic.

mike d. 5 Comments Blogpost, KungFu, PaintBrush!

Last night I whipped up a little Kung Fu comic.

Check it out here.

I thought of this concept in the middle of my kung fu class on Wednesday. Sure enough, we have a door along the side wall of our workout space that is labeled just like that one. When the thought hit me, it really took some effort to keep myself from breaking out into crazy laughter in the middle of class.

(It should be noted, in real life the room is full of first aid supplies, extra uniforms, wood to break, and various folded chairs and tables to pull out if we need them.)

Kung Fu Party Tricks. V4

mike d. 14 Comments Features, KungFu, VIDEO

The time was right at Darcy’s party for a new Kung Fu Party Trick. This particular one has been in the planning for awhile: kick a marshmallow into a friend’s mouth.


Kung Fu Party Tricks: Volume 4. from mikedidonato on Vimeo.

Amazingly, we completed it on the first try. I’m stunned by this. Special thanks to Irene for throwing, Chris for catching, and Laura for camera-ing.

Also, props to Alicia for the sick Kung Fu fighting musical beats.

The Wound is Healing.

mike d. 8 Comments KungFu, Weekend Update!

Last week’s Kung Fu wound is healing nicely.

wound.JPG

It’s developed a dark purple core with an amber halo. Thankfully, it no longer hurts to walk – although my leg still feels a bit weak.

This past weekend was decent I got to hang out with Darcy a bit on Saturday night. We painted her bedroom shades of fig, made lemonade sodas, and shared some food from Whole Foods. Sunday I did some work to start cleaning the garage and then made pizza with Tony and Paulette. Sadly, I’m still not feeling back up and chipper from a sickness that I came down with late last week. Hopefully I’ll be back in an excited healthy state soon.

Keep your eyes out for a sweet science write-up in the feature section this week.

Did you guys have good weekends?