Ugh. So, apparently, my old username, "shadowtrax", is the name of a production company. I got a "cease and desist" order today from someone throught LiveJournal. First, I got a text on my phone from LJ saying ""shadowtrax is a copyrighted production company!!". No other info other than that. So, I responded to the message, saying "I did not know that my username on Live Journal was that of a production company. I will comply in changing my username so as to not infringe on copyrights".  Then I get a 2nd text through LJ, that said "Unfortunately the name you have chosen for your group is a copyright infringement. to avoid legal action cease and desist using this name."

Jeezis Criminy! Its a blog USERNAME for gosh sakes. I'm not a business, a group, or any other public entity.

I googled for the production company...and lo and behold....it DOES exist.  Wow, I didn't know people can possibly get sued over a blog user name.

So....I spent the friggin' $15 bucks it takes for LJ to change my username. Its now "akaneshadowgrrl".

I swear....if some company named "AkaneShadowGrrl" says I'm infringing on their company name, I'm gonna blow a cog!!!  What next.....I'm "shadowgrrl" on a few online discussion forums....am I gonna get a "cease and desist" on that name too? Or "TobigeriNinjagal"?  Grrrrr.

Its been AGES since I've posted here on LJ. But I'm still around and haven't fallen off the face of the earth. :-)

Its been a wierd/tough past few months....I've moved my studio, but its not working out because of the noise we generate with jump kicks and acrobatics (we're on the 2nd floor). Luckily the property manager has agreed to not hold me to the terms of the lease, but finding a new spot for the studio has been difficult. I'm trying to keep positive though...and I hope that I'll find a suitable space soon.

But, the Wushu team is keeping busy, keeping up to speed in their training and performing at demonstrations. Lunar New Year is usually a busy performance time for many schools of Chinese martial arts, doing demos for New Year celebrations and festivals.

As of this minute, I have a case of laryngitis to go along with my cold. This sucks. Its hard to teach classes while I'm whispering. :-)

I've missed out on alot of training in Iaido and Kyudo due to my schedule and demonstration performances, but I hope to get back on track soon.

*deep breath in.....deep breath out...*

Today is my "chillout" day.....for the last few weeks I've made the *dumb* choice to get so involved in my little world that I overlooked the little blessings that fill my days...such as..

1) the smell of freshly cut grass...reminds me of my Dad
2) the tantalizing aroma of a neighbor's BBQ
3) riding the bikes....i've used them as "alternative transportation" the last few rides...nothing wrong with that, but I "forgot" to enjoy the rides.
4) friend's animals that run up and greet me as if I've never been away....
5) my Mom starting to climb the stairs and doing other physical activity with more stamina, after her surgery...

I think I'll make some iced tea and sit on my deck and smell the grass......

(Also posted on MySpace)

This journal should be called "Riding and camping in 2 days of rain", but it was fun, nonetheless...

The Sol Duc motorcycle trip diary....
Current mood: tired

Anna Marie, Lyn, and I packed up our motorcycles and headed out for our first time "motorcycle camping", and to celebrate Lyn's birthday in a fun and novel way!

Day 1 Friday 7/20/07

Getting ready to go.....

I woke up pretty excited....I showered, dressed, and threw a few last minute things into my tank bag. I made sure everything was secured on my bike, opened the garage, and it was pouring down rain!! I had to throw the rain covers on the saddlebags, tailbag, and tank bag....as well as throw on my rain gear. That took a little bit of time, and I was running late to meet Lyn and Anna Marie at their office...I was supposed to meet them at 8:15 am, and it was already 8:10.  I wanted to pack my inflatable mat, but I didn't have time to figure out how to bunjee it to the bike, so I figured I'd deal with hard ground for a couple of nights....I've done it before, and I figured "what would it hurt to do it again?"  Famous last words....

All packed and ready to roll....

I rode carefully to the office, as the rain had just started and I didn't want to wipe out on a slick street before we even left for our trip! When I got to their office, I found only Lyn in the parking lot, fighting with her gear and bunjee cords. Lyn packed ALOT of stuff on her bike, as she was the only one with a luggage rack and a BIG piece of luggage.

She was not to happy.....she had to figure out how to secure all that stuff down, and Anna Marie wasn't there yet. She called, needing garbage bags to keep the rain off her load. Since Lyn couldn't ride with her bike's load unsecured, I ran to Anna Marie's house with garbage bags.

When I got to AM's house, she had no way to secure her mat and bags other than the bunjee net and cord she had. I gave her my bunjee net and another cord, secured her load, and went back to the office.

By the time we got back, Lyn had secured her load. Woo hoo! Time to ride! It was raining, but we figured we'd get through it.....again, Famous Last Words!

Off we go....

Anna Marie led the train, Lyn was 2nd, and I rode tailgunner. We got to West Seattle (to take the Southworth ferry), and AM took a different way to the Fauntleroy way, the road that leads to the ferry dock. I followed, thinking that she knew a totally different way to get to the dock than I do. We ended up turning on the wrong street, and while AM stopped on a side street interesection(an incline and slanted slightly on both the right and left sides of the street), her bike listed to the right....she couldn't hold it up, and the bike tipped over with her on it! Lyn and I immediately dismounted and helped her pick up her bike. Unfortunately, AM's hand was already injured...and she injured it more trying to pick up her bike.

On the ferry....

We got to the ferry, and we went upstairs to "zook wax" our helmet faceshields to allow for better visibility in the rain. (I hate trying to see through water droplets).  After that,  I used the restroom then got a hot dog and was looking forward to eating onion/relish/mustard/kraut goodness.....but I took too long "zooking" my helmet and messing with my raingear in the restroom......I took one bite, and the announcement went out: "Attention passengers, we are now arriving at Southworth...". WHAT!! Already??  I rushed downstairs in just enough time to get my glasses shoved into my ears in my helmet before the ferry staff signalled for everyone to start their engines.

Ride to Sol Duc....

RAIN! RAIN! I guess I'm not a hardcore rider because although I can ride in the rain, I'd much rather NOT. Poor AM and Lyn....as we rode for 2+ hours, I saw that their boots were getting waterlogged. At a food stop, we watched AM pour water out of her boots and wring out her socks. It was heartbreaking.

 I had the waterproof boots and wool socks....my feet were toasty and dry.

We got sprayed a few times from passing cars, and although it was raining, it was sort of muggy. Here we were, wearing raingear that pretty much were terrariums!  I can't speak for AM and Lyn, (although I'm sure they felt the same), but I was sweating like a pig inside my leather jacket and raincoat. Like an idiot, I wore my jeans under my Joe Rocket overpants, AND my rainpants. My legs were sweating so much that my jeans were wet. So wet, that it was difficult to bend my legs because they stuck to my legs. (gee, ya think that sitting on top of an engine would contribute to the sweating??)

We finally got to Sol Duc.....we were soggy....we were tired, but what a welcome sight the campground was!! That is, until we had to set up our tents....

Just arrived.....

Lyn's great packing job..

Yes, there's LOTS more stuff under Lyn's motorcycle cover!

Ugh, soggy bikes...

Anna Marie's bike..

Not long after the above pics were taken, the rain turned to POURING. There was no way for me and AM to keep the ground tarp dry as we set up our 2 person tent, but at that point, we just wanted to get the tents set up so we didn't have to worry about setting them up later. Lyn had a cute little 1 person tent that she set up in no time.

After setting up camp and unloading the bikes, we walked in the rain to the lodge, where a dry table and food awaited us!

Day 2, July 21

AM and I awoke to everything being wet. Luckily, I thought about putting a big lawn trash bag under my sleeping bag (remember, I didn't bring my inflatable mat), so my sleeping bag was dry. Not only did moisture collect inside the tent from condensation, but our ground tarp was set up funny and since it rained hard all night, rainwater collected under the tent and seeped into the tent. All of Anna Marie's clothes and everything, were soaked. Since I've had rain soak all my belonging before, I'm always paranoid about rainwater, so I put all my luggage and belongings on top of plastic bags and trash bags. Whew. Still, all the stuff I kept outside of my luggage (my Joe Rocket overpants, my tennis shoes, my jeans and some other clothes) were wet with condensation that soaked through them. I didn't want to pull out my only other pair of dry jeans, knowing that everything wouldn't dry out if they got wet, so I put on my wet pair of jeans and wet boots (my insoles got wet with condensation too...yuk) and made it through the day. Lyn and AM's shoes were still wet from the ride, and I felt really guilty that only my insoles were wet.    Also, my back was really aching from sleeping on the hard ground. I think I have a bruise on my left hip from a tree root or something that I laid on all night.

Wet, hungry, and in dire need of coffee, we went to the lodge for breakfast. (Making a fire and cooking on the fire was not an option....it was raining too hard, and even if we got a fire started, there's no way we would sit out in the rain!). We carted all of AM's and Lyn's wet clothes with us to the lodge, because we hoped that there would be a dryer there. The front desk said there was none, but our waitress in the the restaurant spoke with the lady at the hot springs check in....we could get the clothes put into their dryer. Hooray! That was nice of them!

The hot springs were a welcome experience. Hot and inviting, the water was sooooo nice to soak in. Yes, it smelled like perm solution, but the water made my skin sooo soft! And what a great way to relax after a soggy night.

Lyn and Anna Marie soaking in the hot springs...

We met a nice couple, Jerry and Patti, at the springs. We talked all during our soaks, played water volleyball in the pool (that was fun!), and soaked some more. They invited us to their cabin at the resort, so after our soaks, we went to their place and talked until late afternoon.  Lyn has their email address, so we're going to keep in touch. Jerry rides motorcycles too, and told us about some great events to go to. They live in Poulsbo, so we might just ride over there (on a SUNNY day) to visit one of these days!

Lyn, AM and I  headed back to camp, sat in the 2- person tent and talked, listened to music and ate junk food for a little while before heading back to the springs for dinner and a final hot soak and a hot shower before bed.

After our evening soak, we bought some plastic bags to put in our tent, fixed the tarp, and prepared for another soggy night.

Day 3, july 22

We awoke to the lilt of guitar music from Lyn's iPod in her tent. Time for breakfast and coffee!!! But ugh, it was still raining. Thank goodness for the plastc bags and newspaper that Jerry and Patti gave us. Our stuff was drier than it could have ended up being.

We packed up, loaded the bikes, and rode to the lodge for breakfast. After fueling up on eggs and taters, we headed out into the rain.....

The rain let up when we arrived in Sequim, thank goodness. It was a relatively dry ride to the ferry dock, but when we arrived in West Seattle, it started to rain again. UGH!! We stayed dry in the ride (I love my raingear), but again, it was another terrarium ride...I was so sweaty because it was so muggy out.

Resting on the Ferry on the way home....leaning back on my luggage...I could've just taken a nap right there....

I must say, we all learned alot from this adventure. It was a fun first motorcycle camping trip, and it was alot of fun as well, even though the rain made alot of stuff difficult. But now we know a little better for next time. But, the biggest lesson is...."go motorcycle camping on a NICE SUNNY weekend!"

We all got home around 6:30 pm. I immediately put my wet clothes into the laundry. Ahhh. I think I'm done with riding for a couple of days....

Maybe....  I might just take the Ninja out for a jaunt tomorrow!

I've spent many months of lusting after a red Ninja 250R at a local dealership,....I'd go into the dealership and sit on a Ninja (a red one!!) and say "wouldn't this just flick around the corners!....I want one..." I thought about buying new, but after taxes and licensing and maybe an extended warranty, it would run me around $3500 or so, and I'd end up having to finance it anyway...meaning more money.

But, I found a 2006 Ninja on craigslist the other day, and I was surprised that it was still for sale (the ad was up for about a week when I saw it) . The previous owner kept it in immaculate condition and took care of it since he bought it in May 2006. A deal I couldn't pass up, AND it was the color I wanted...red!!

I brought it home last night...

I love my Honda Shadow, and she'll always be first in my heart.....and she didn't seem to mind when the newcomer came into the garage to share "sleeping space".....




The garage is getting a little full, though...my car is parked to the left of the bikes.....

I hope any future roommate doesn't  mind having to park in the driveway!!  lol! 

Anyways....that's enough shiny moto-toys for me! A cruiser for my laid back cruiser-moods, and a Ninja for my sporty-moods !

Well, June ought to be an "interesting" month. Yesterday, my Mom was diagnosed with lung cancer.....

She's never smoked a day in her life....always takes great care of herself, ....eats healthy...

This will be her 2nd bout with cancer....she had breast cancer 25 years ago (single mastectomy). Luckily, its a very small spot in her lungs, and the doctors are confident of a cure and good recovery because it was caught early.  Whew.

On top of having to move into my new house toward the end of June, dealing with all the business stuff, finding a new place for my studio (building owners sold out and condos are going up on the property).....I'm hoping I don't develop and ulcer....

Today, my sister and I are going to take Mom to Overlake Hospital to consult with her surgeon. We'll see when the operation will be scheduled.

But, since my sister is moving to California at the end of June, its going to mean that I'm going to be the only one to take care of Mom during the recovery process, and taking her to follow up apppointments, etc etc. Would be great to have the help, but Sis will be in Sacramento! I think we'll have to discuss the possibility of having Sis come back for a little while after they get settled into their new home in California.

Ugh. Somebody give me a beer. Make that a dirty martini.....

I posted a bulletin about this on MySpace, but I figure I could post here too.....

Wushu / Taiji demonstration:

When: June 2nd, 1 pm (or 1:30, I forget which!)

Where: Seattle Center House--Food court

Why: Seattle Center's annual "Chinese Cultural Festival"

So if any of you Seattle-Puget Sound buddies are free on that day and would like to see Wushu and Taiji at its finest, drop on by on june 2nd!  My students have been working at their best to vie for a spot on my Demo Team....and it would be great if people came by to support and cheer them on....   My teacher's Taiji Team is the best example of "meditation in motion" that I've seen (oh, I'm not biased or anything! lol!)......

Unfortunately, I'm not going to be there, because I'll be in Arizona at that time. bummer!

Hooray! Looks like all the transactions for the home buying processes for everybody has worked out. Thank the Universe.....

The bank that owns the house that my sister and bro-in-law looked at, accepted their offer.  I think, this is going to mean that we're all going to be living in the same house for a few days, but that's no problem.

Whew.  Packing. Ugh.

Would ya look at that...packaged pee...    LOL!




Aahh....Cherry blossoms...in the Spring...in Japan!...





Kyudo Masters, demonstrating proper form and technique. And to answer the question that some people have asked me already..."No, women do NOT remove one side of their kimono when shooting!"  lol!  Only the guys do that.  Women use Tasuki to tie up their kimono sleeves.

Here's a female renshi, with tasuki binding up her sleeves....






Huh??????

OMG...some of the places we saw....

I would have eaten here!!  Mmm...Innards with pepper SOUSE!

  




I kid you not...this was a REAL restaurant.  I wonder what they put in their Phad Thai....






I don't know....I just don't know......






Um...I'd like to buy some NEW ones, please???

My closing date on my new house has been moved up a little earlier....now I get to close on the 20th of June instead of the 26th.

Gaaawwd...that means I should start packing on the 19th now.... lol!!

Looks like my sister and family has found a great house in Sacramento....beautiful house in a gated community. I'm gonna invite myself over there for Thanksgiving, that's for sure!!  :-)

Now if only I can stop being so busy with house stuff, so I can get to business stuff. And "time for me" stuff. *sigh* I don't know how many Kyudo and Iaido classes I've missed since I got back from Japan in late April!!!