All Journal Entries (393)

Hi Everybody! I have a special request to make...

Most of you guys are aware that I do a lot of stuff with Getty Owl Foundation. And some of you are aware that I run a lot. Well, here's where the two meet: Kate,…

As some of you know, I started this journey back in 2010 but had to unfortunately quit early in the quest. This time I will reach my end goal and test for my Black Belt!

This is my letter of intent for black belt testing 2013.

Over the next year I will be participating in our Dojo’s black belt test to empower my mind, body and to accomplish the requirements to be able to test for the rank of Shodan.

My journey will be starting on Sunday, December 1^st…

So here's the thing...



A few weeks ago after a class, Sensei sat down with me and handed me a folder of information and some potentially scary requirements. We…

My Black Belt Test Begins on 12/01/2013 …

As Karate begins and ends with courtesy, I’d like to thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts on the book Karate-Do by Gichin Funakoshi

Funakoshi is responsible for introducing the Okinawan art of Karate to Japan in the early 1900’s, a process that was accelerated by the world’s descent into World War 1 and 2.

Having read some of the other student's notes on Karate-Do I was struck by how different parts of the book resonated with different people, and re-reading my own…

Karate-Do, My Way of Life, Gichin Funakoshi, presents an enlightened way of life by way of kara-te “empty-hand”. Gichin Funakoshi practiced and strived to emphasis karate and gave every moment of focus toward it's greater meaning. As a young man he re-forged himself through rigorous humility, fending off judgment with silence and dedication to his teachers. He conditioned his body and mental resilience by standing balanced in horse stance in the middle of a typhoon. He continued to practice…

This is my final blog entry for my brown belt project.  I am collecting fruit & veggies for Wellspring Women & Children’s Center.  This week I interviewed Maria Torrez, a guest of Wellspring.  She has been coming to Wellspring for 18 years!  She likes the food and would not change anything about Wellspring.  Maria has made many friends at Wellspring.  This week we got plums, peaches, cantaloupe, tomatoes, eggplant, basil, corn, yellow squash, cucumbers, peppers, lemon cucumbers, and…

This is my 7^th blog entry for my brown belt project.  Next week will be my last entry.  I am collecting fruit & veggies for Wellspring Women & Children’s Center.  This week I interviewed Annie Hassid from Wellspring.  Annie is the volunteer coordinator.  She likes her job because she likes working with people.  Annie has to be able to manage and coordinate…

My name is Alex, and I am a student in the adult class. For my green belt project, for 4 weeks this summer I delivered water and reusable water bottles to Loaves and Fishes for the homeless. On this final week, I also made sandwiches and put together lunch bags. Then I passed out water and lunches to the homeless around Sacramento.

The hardest part of the project was having the courage to walk up to random people and give them water and a lunch. 

The part of the…

This is my 6^th blog entry for my brown belt project.  I am collecting fruits & veggies for Wellspring Women & Children’s Center.  This week I interviewed Damonte at Wellspring.  He has been coming to Wellspring for 2 years.  He is 8 years old and is in the 3^rd grade at my school.  He likes the food at Wellspring & would not change anything there.  He has made several friends at Wellspring since he started coming with his family.  This week we collected 20…

For my green belt project, I am collecting water to donate to Loaves and Fishes.

Here is a link and a video with information about their water drive:

http://sacloaves.org/water

My name is Annabella Sobrato, and for my green belt project I created the Foster-A-Pet Project, because I wanted to help homeless animals and also because I want more people to be foster families for homeless pets.

What is the Foster-A-Pet Project?

            For my green belt project, my family and I fostered a dog for the Sacramento County Shelter. I helped the dog by training him, feeding him, walking him, playing with him, exposing him…

This is my 5^th blog entry for my brown belt project.  I am collecting fruit and veggies for Wellspring Women and Children’s Center.  This week I interviewed a farmer from J and J Farms.  The name of the farmer is Fidel.  The farm is in Hughson, a town located in Stanislaus County.    About 35 people work on the farm.  Fidel likes being a farmer because he likes working with the cattle on his ranch.  They grow stone fruit, strawberries, oranges, nuts, pomegranates, and tomatoes. …

This week is the 4^th week I have been doing my brown belt project which involves collecting fruit and vegetables for Wellspring Women & Children’s Center at the local farmer’s market.  This week I interviewed a farmer at the market named Pamela from Saeturn Farms.  The farm is located in Gridley, CA.  Pamela has been working for her parents on the farm for about 17 years and the farm started in 1994.  Pamela likes being a farmer because she likes being able to talk to the…

My name is Naomi this is the 3^rd blog entry for my brown belt project.  I am collecting food at the farmers market for the Wellspring Center for Women and Children.  This week I interviewed a farmer.  The name of the farmer is Ruthanne and Alex is her helper.  The farm is called Shared Abundance and is located in Auburn.  I have attempted to post some…

My name is Naomi and I am continuing my brown belt project collecting fruit & veggies at the farmers market for Wellspring women and children’s center.  Before we left home I loaded the crates and handcart into the truck. This week we got lots of fruits & veggies. We got 40 lbs of oranges, 12 lbs of kiwi, 20 lbs of apples, 16 lbs of peaches, 20 lbs of apricots, 1 bag of artichokes, 3 baskets of blackberries & raspberries, 6 lbs of cherries, 1 crate of lettuce & dill, and 2…

Hi, my name is Naomi and I am working on my brown belt project.  I am doing a personal goal.  I am going to the farmers market on Sundays and collecting fruit and vegetables for Wellspring.  Wellspring is a center for women and children located in a former fire station in Oak Park.  They serve meals Monday-Friday and also have many other services.   When we get to the market we always have a plan.  We drop off the boxes first, then we wait until the market ends. Then we go and pick them up. …

     This weekend I read Karate-Do: My Way of Life by Master Gichin Funakoshi. Master Funakoshi was instrumental in spreading the influence and training of Karate throughout the Japanese Islands, and setting the stage for Karate's eventual global reach. Master Funakoshi wrote several books on the history, study, and principles of Karate. Karate-Do: My Way of Life is the Master's memoir presented through an assortment of recollections, anecdotes, and reflections of a life dedicated to the art…

Hi!  My name is Ethan Smalley and I love animals!  I have a dog named Cody and a cat named Bristow (but we call her Bunny).  My animals have a great home to live in with loving owners and lots of toys - but not all pets are as lucky as Cody and Bunny.  I want to help other dogs and cats that do not have a cozy home to feel loved and cared for as they wait for homes of their own.  This is what brought me to my decision to bring what I've learned out of the Dojo, and into the community, by…