What I Have Learned In The Last Half Year:


(update 3/29/08):
Spring Is For Breakups
("This is spring." -John Crowley, Engine Summer)

Crap.
I showed up at Kelley's today steeled to hurt someone I really, really like.

Before we could get down to the unpleasant business of the relationship conversation, she had suggested that we go to Chinatown for the afternoon and then back to her place to watch "The Mist".
Like she was trying to seduce me.

For the record: everything in the relationship was good, and nice, and fine.
And that was the only problem the poor little relationship had.
So I killed it.
I felt like I'd just drowned a child for having slightly below-average intelligence.

Oh, well.

Update 3/30: Just to cheer myself up I resurrected my Honda PC...
Actually it finally yielded on an evening when I felt like doing nothing else, so that was a lucky happy event.

Back to the previous spring update:


Spring Is For Chain Whips

I finally put flags on the ends of mine, and what do you know: when your teacher encourages you to do something, there is often a good reason.

I had talked Kelley into watching Iron Monkey a while back (when your boyfriend encourages you to do something, there is often a good reason, too). One of the scenes is like an irresistible ad for the heavy, skull cracking version of the light chain whip I own.
I nearly went to Brendan Li's to buy one (or more likely to order a longer version, heh). I will still have to get one of those, eventually, but putting the flags on the Wu Shu version slows the whip down like each end is anchored in the air, affording the sort of control I wanted from the heavier weapon while actually reducing the risk of wounds and bruises.

End result: Many happy evenings in the back yard whipping.
And hitting the heavy bag.
And waving my newest stick around.

There is such a thing as too much Tam Tuei.

Another thing that my teacher told me was to start students off with a quick, fun set called Siu Wan Chuan.
Damn, damn damn damn damn.
"No" reasoned I: "Tam Tuei has twelve discrete parts, each easy to learn, and is much more basic."
Well teaching these twelve easy pieces to around one hundred and fifty people in seven separate classes is getting a bit old, but fortunately some students are progressing, and classes are being shaken up at the end of the school year.
Unfortunately:

People in my line of work have to look for a summer job while it is still winter...

M'yep: don't think I'm moving out just yet.
I'll try and let you know how it goes.





About my Teacher's classes:

Sifu Michelle Dwyer has devoted her life to the martial arts,
she's won and JUDGED Tai Chi contests, and
the class which I take is free.
Now you want to know: you only have to have Mondays and Wednsdays free
either from 9:45am to noon or 1pm to 3 beginning
the first Wednesday after Labor Day

Her other classes include Monday and Wednesday evenings in Berkeley and
another arrangement with an existing school (she teaches Tai Chi to Nuns
at Holy Names College, is the impression that I get). Her Berkeley class and the Jing Mo Association are both a regular Communion Of Saints.
That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.




Here to please my self-indulgence and to allow me to click my IBM Model M keyboard
(born January third, 1989) some more
is a list of sets I've learned so far:


  • Tai Chi:

    • Tai Chi (Dragon Tiger Mountain (Yang) style)
    • Two Person Tai Chi (both sides)
    • Tai Chi Sword
    • Four Corners, Four Directions Tai Chi Sword (almost unheard of, very flowery)
    • Tai Chi Saber

  • Gung Fu:

    • Warm Up Sets:
      • Lien Bo Chuan (Continuous Step Fist)
      • Tam Tuei (Tan T'ui)(Springy Legs)(see animated image above)
      • Bung Bo (Praying Mantis style)
      • Siu Wan Chuan (Small Circles)

    • Hunan (Northern) Shaolin Style:
      • Set One (Hoy Moon) Open The Door
      • Set Two (Leng Low) Pointing The Way
      • Set Three (Jo Ma) Sit on the Horse
      • Set Four (Chuen Sum) Piercing Heart Strikes
      • Set Five (Mo Ngai) Martial Skill. An excellent book on this one is available from
        my second Sifu Rick L. Wing (Bucky).
      • Set Six (Duan Da) Short Strikes
      • Set Seven (Moi Fah) Plum Flower Fist
      • Set Eight (Bot Bo) Uprooting Step
      • Set Nine (Lien Wan) Continuous Links
      • Set Ten (Sik Fat) Posture Applications
      • Two Person Gung Fu

  • Gung Fu Weapons:

    • Gung Fu Staff
    • Gung Fu Spear (Tai Lan Jing Mo)(Lifting Block)
    • Dragon Phoenix Gung Fu Sword
    • Two Person Gung Fu Sword (Six Harmonies)
    • Double Dragon Plum Blossom Swords.
    • BaGua Saber
    • Spear Vs. Saber (both sides)
    • Spear Vs. Double Daggers (spear side)
    • Two Person Saber (Short and lovely, more like a drill, really)
    • Plum Blossom Rolls On The Ground (insane double saber action)

  • Shing Yi:

    • Five Elements
    • Twelve Animals









OLD NEWS:




I have published a web site.
This was made for a friend who used to enjoy
disturbing and angering people, among other things.
I miss him dearly. Consider yourself warned.

DAVID MAUTNER.COM




I finally digitized a
flip book
a that I made somewhere
around age 11 (1.6Mb).

I have passed the halfway point in my latest work, based on Thomas Dolby's "Weightless" from the The Golden Age Of Wireless album. I love every song from the first three albums, each one is special to me, but this one is my favourite.
I had expected to have it done by now but hit one of those stalls wherein one is dead set against doing the only thing one can think of doing, but then you sit down and, yes, once begin and the work is completed, or at least becomes something which can possibly be completed... You'll get to see it after another couple of such stalls, no doubt.

I also have a cartoon done in Flash to a song by The Gluey Brothers:

"The Stabbing Trilogy (in five parts)".

It is the first art I've done for it's own sake in a few seasons,
and it felt really good to do it.
The group in question has seen fit to post it to their front page:

www.glueybrothers.com


"The Stabbing Trilogy" surprised me by jumping on me and driving me like a stolen car, seriously.
I'd stay up late working on it, which is nothing new, but then I'd get up early to work on it, too,
which is kind of spooky.
It was a lot of fun, and has distinguished itself among my work as something which people I don't even know
recommend to each other; I found it linked from bulletin boards I'd never heard of before.

This experience helped me to finalize my decision to give up on working to show off my skills.
In fact I've sworn off of doing any art that I don't enjoy: no more freelancing, no demo reels, even.
I'm sick of it, and if it doesn't make a living wage I'm not doing it unless it's for the right reason.

The next cartoon is coming along even better *knocks head*, and is based on a song I'll never get permission to,
but all rules are off again on the art: fun only.

Like the day I did the cartoon about the drowning guy.



Elder News:


DECEMBER '00 VISITING FAMILY UP NORTH


The Sleeper Yawns!
Here is my first effort, featuring
The Great Cthulhu: an Alien cursed with aeons-long slumber
(this is a curse?) beneath our oceans.
Capable of some influence over the dreams of the sensitive,
this semi-material nightmare's awakening will signal the end
of the age of man.

While I live to make the film that finally does justice to
H.P. Lovecraft's vision, this cartoon is in a lighter vein.

Screenshot from the finished cartoon:


Click HERE for the 41 second
masterpeice (11.9Mb)
IF YOU HAVEN'T GOT QUICKTIME, AND WOULD LIKE TO
GO GET IT FOR FREE: CLICK HERE


My deepest apologies are due to the memory of
H.P. Lovecraft.

Here are some highly recommended links to counter some of the harm possibly done:

Dan Clore's Necronomicon Site
Everything You Never Wanted
To Know About The Necronomicon
But Weren't Afraid Enough
To Know Better Than To Ask

Amazing Studies
of the man, his environs; drink it in!