View Single Post
Old 12-14-2008, 11:54 AM   #1
Sam Turnage
 
Sam Turnage's Avatar
Dojo: Grass Valley Aikiki
Location: Grass Valley, CA
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 53
United_States
Offline
Did some Daito-Ryu last night

I have got to do a couple things now that most people here on the west cost of the United states will never get to do in there life time. The first thing was I met the Dalai Lama in a unexpected and unusual way. I am a construction superintendent and we have a very successful VIP client that my boss calls a friend and we have built several projects for him. I have either run or been involved with all of them so I remember hearing that his wife is a Buddhist and that the Dalai Lama stays at there house when he is in the Bay area.

So a few months ago I was at work in a small little city in Northern California north of Sacramento doing a small TI (tenet improvement) and I get a call from the office that my boss is coming up there we a "dog and pony" to meet the Dalai Lama. They were all laughing and did not believe it, but they were just warning me that the boss is coming, and something is going on. I knew it probably was true and it turns out that he was coming out to bless one of the buildings for them that had not leased any spaces do to the economy, and I was working in another building onsite. Only the big wigs were there the superintendent (me) and the project manager were not tolled or invited. After doing there thing for some time my boss called me over to take the group picture. So I got to meet him, everyone shook his hand but I just bowed (it seemed more appropriate to me). And my boss snapped a picture of me standing behind him for proof. It was very cool. I never would have thought in a million years that I would meet the Dalai Lama, much less at work in a small little city in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

Then last night I stumbled upon a Daito-Ryu Aiki Jujutsu class. I am working out of town again, doing a small job in the Fremont for a few days. The first thing I do when asked to work out of town anymore is to look for an Aikido dojo. So I found 2 to try, Tri City Aikido and Aiki Zenshin Dojo in Fremont. I decided to go to Aiki Zenshin Dojo first because on the schedule for Saturday afternoon it said Daito-ryu. I have looked before on the internet and could not find any Aiki-jujutsu schools on the west cost. It has a very small following and they only practice on Friday night and Saturday night but almost all are black belts and they were very nice. I had a great time.

"If we are wise, let us perpare for the worst."

George Washington
  Reply With Quote