A note to my friend Robin explains what I've been up to recently: (also see this post at her blog with paintings by the Japanese kids she's teaching)
Hi Robin! Many travels lately - we had the wonderful 30th Anniversary celebration for Seido karate earlier this month, people from all over the world - Japan, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Jamacia, Poland, Germany, UK, Brazil, US - came to Columbia U in NYC for five days of special seminars and classes, and a charity benefit tournament. I even met some folks from Osaka; now if I get back over there for a while, as I hope to eventually, I might have some people to play with. It was a *wonderful* gathering!
Then I was off to the Free Spirit Gathering, one of those pagan things I go to each summer, dancing around bonfires late into the night...
Monday I'm off to Chicago for a few days, visiting some Seido people there (wonderful group, they do a great job of connecting budo with nonviolence - www.thousandwaves.org ), on my way to a shiatsu conference near Milwaukee. Then home for a few days, then off to the Starwood Festival, that other pagan thing I go to each summer.
I feel in the past few years I'm making up all the travelling I never did in my youth. Slowly growing wings, or learning to use the ones I didn't realize I had. I begin to understand why, when the Taoist masters of old sought students, they waited in inns, looking for travelers whose minds were already being opened by the journey.
Zeldas endures. We usually have about 6-8 people there on any given Sunday, which size works well. We had a great after-session at a Fells Point bar last Sunday, like old times at 1919. Certainly you can pass my e-mail to prospective participants, or folks just passing through. (I won't be there the next few Sundays as I travel about, but I think the other folks have the hang of it enough to survive a few weeks w/out me).
Some friends of mine are right now on their way to the Rainbow Gathering, which this year is being held in Colorado. They're planning to stop by Naropa for a visit - any suggests of things to see and do?
Also wanted to ask, does Eric have an e-mail address? I went to the Baltimore Buddha Day, dropped his name and some folks were asking about him. Please send him my love. And of course my love to you as well.
-Tom