What we’re doing now: Still Practicing!

2015Salton Sea, photo from

Our little group is still practicing karate! We’ve had some , changes: a couple folks have left for college and others decided to pursue other styles. Our club granted two shodans roughly a year ago. One of those shodans was my youngest! He and his companion shodan have been helping me run the week night class. More recently, we’ve had a few new families join. We still practice mostly outdoors: we meet on regularly in a local park on Saturdays, and we use the courtyard of a local religious institution on Wednesdays. On occasion, when weather doesn’t permit us to practice outdoors, we’ll hold class over Zoom.

We have four ichi kyus right now, too! Roughly every six months, we hold a picnic and break wood and bricks together. We’ve formed a 501(c)7 and hope to start shopping for an indoor space soon.

I have not been keeping up with this blog very well since I started working again on a science fiction novel. One of my goals this year has been to put some thought into how to repurpose this blog to better suit the needs of the group.

I should find out if any of our newest ichi kyus like to write!

Author: an Ichi Kyu

I study Kyokushin karate at a dojo in Burbank. I don't yet have permission to say more than this about my dojo. I am also a mother of two, both of whom have studied Kyokushin karate a year longer than I. They are instructors! My husband created the art posted on this site. I have his permission to use it, but he expressly asked me not to credit him as the artist. He's moved on to other styles, and doesn't particularly want a public association with this piece. I love this artwork, personally. And me? I work full time as a cloth and hair simulation artist, as well as a python coder, in the visual effects industry. I have roughly sixteen years experience in film and about four in television. I am 50; I suppose my decision to attempt the black belt test, along with creating this blog, represents my mid-life crisis. Wish me luck!