...Izee's Thread

[Izee]

...Being put into my PLACE!!!!   

Back when I was practicing Independent Law, (Before I became a Hitter for a large insurance company  ) I focused on business and tax law.  I tried to attract clients by charging very little to form a Corporation or a Partnership, I figured that I might get more referrals and be retained for different legal issues if my name got around in the Business Community.     One day, a middle aged Japanese-American man came in and hired me to help him open a restaurant.  I was DELIGHTED!!!!  I LOVE Japanese food, and a restaurant would be a good client to have.  So I did, and was ESPECIALLY delighted when he selected a shopping center that was about a mile away from my home to open his business.  I could WALK there on weekends, or at night, and pig out on sushi and sake and NOT have to worry about driving home!!!   

We got the place open, I worked hard to negotiate a fair lease with the Owners of the Center, and after a lot of preparation, it opened.  It was a Teppanyaki style of cooking, where about a dozen people sit around a large table that has the cooking surface on one side, and the Chef cooks right in front of you.  On the first day, it opened with a blessing ceremony with a Shinto Priest, and I was standing in the back, holding a beer, watching.  The Owner had invited me to come and dine, saying to not worry about anything, that I would be an HONORED GUEST!  I was excited, I had never been an Honored Guest before.  The kitchen got noisy, and the Owner, my client, looked over at me and GLARED and quickly motioned at me to head back.  I figured that he wanted me to quiet the kitchen, so I quickly went back, and whispered to them that the Priest was doing a blessing, and they all stopped what they were doing.  I went back out and thought..."So much for being an Honored Guest, I am just one of the Help".

Later, during the dinner, the Owner came over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder and said...

..."I was gesturing at the employee standing behind you, I wasn't telling YOU to quiet the kitchen"...

I laughed, and, unfortunately...had TWO more flasks of sake...

I called my H after I ate, and had him come and pick me up...I wasn't very sure if I could walk back home.   

[Izee]

...Well...

...OK...OK...OK!!!!!

...You CAN play the cello standing up!!!

Izee' and her friends put on a refined classical music performance.   

https://youtu.be/BKezUd_xw20?si=SeDjTKAOlmq6Dg_8

[Izee]

...Bach Toccata and Fugue...

https://youtu.be/zhH53UODLEM?si=jd58O7odzlhxUAqy

This is an ASTOUNDING presentation of the work!  We usually hear it performed on an Organ, this is played on a piano, and the graphic background helps one hear the counterpoint and the several voices.  I WISH that the technology to produce this was present back when I was a teenager studying cello at the Conservatory, it would have been entertaining to watch works like this with other Music Majors.  I bet Theory & Composition Majors would have really learned a lot!   

This really is an amazing work by Bach.  I wonder what was going through his mind when he composed and wrote this out.  The opening is SO simple, but challenging, just a 7 note theme that is repeated, I envision it being a question.  And then the ANSWER COMES!!!!

[Izee]

...Karate Katas...

I had a very good impromptu lesson in the Korean Hard Style Karate School I attended for a couple years when I was in College.  I had achieved the 'Yellow Belt' rank that was the 3rd Rank above White Belt, so I had some basic skills and was beginning to be taught more complex Katas.  For those unfamiliar with the term, a 'Kata' is a series of punches, kicks, blocks that are executed one after the other.  A Kata can be short, or in the school I studied in, they could take up to three minutes.

When learning a Kata, you take it very slow at the start, and then get it going faster as your muscle memory kicks in.  Although, even in the VERY high ranks, you practice a Kata very slow so you can study on focusing your punches and kicks and on shifting your weight. 

I had, I thought, mastered an early Kata, and was practicing it on my own at the side of a small matt, there were no classes going on.  I was aware that the 'Shifu', the Master Instructor, and Owner of the Dojo, was watching, and so I did it a couple times.  He came over, and said, "Do it again."  I was EXCITED, I had NEVER had a lesson from him, so I did, and I thought that I did it well.  I finished, holding the final position, and he came over.  He gently shook my shoulder, and intensely said,

..."A Kata is meant to not only show your technique, but to show how you would fight five or six opponents who all attacked you at once.  You are moving fairly well, but, you are treating it as if you are doing a DANCE!  Yes, a DANCE!  And, despite Hollywood and Eastern films, a REAL fight is NOT a dance!  So, when you do a Kata, I want to see you focusing on opponents, and punching, blocking, and kicking as if you are trying to disable each one with one or two punches or kicks!  So, when you practice, IMAGINE that you are fighting a bunch of attackers at one time!"...

He patted my shoulder, and walked away.  I was floored, to say the least, and my mind was whirling, so I went to where we would meditate, and knelt on the mat and held my body straight as I focused on just what he had said, and how that would affect my practice.

It had the effect he wanted, I believe.  Katas became more interesting, as I let my imagination flow as I fought imaginary opponents, and it didn't feel like I was just practicing a dance.  I earned my Blue Belt, and then my Green Belt very quickly.  But, other aspects of life took more importance...one was that I had to take very careful care of my hands so I could play the cello and the piano...trying to play an instrument with sprained or stiff fingers was very difficult.  So, I dropped out when I was learning very advanced martial techniques that you had to master before you became a Brown Belt.

[Izee]

...I have had a bit of problems with an aspect of my personality at times, mainly, that at times I have little respect for Authority.  I had a difficult early childhood, we moved from our home when I was about 4 years old because we got flooded out twice.  So, when we arrived in the new neighborhood, I was the odd child out.  I was bullied, and learned that I could NOT rely on 'friends' when I being bullied, they just took off.  So, I was a 'loner' until I got to College, although I did gather good friends in H.S.

So, I did things 'my way', and questioned authority, I wasn't being difficult, I just wanted to understand why someone wanted me to do something in a particular way.  I figured that since it was MY task, well, I could do it as I wanted to do it.

I did have an amusing experience when I was helping put on a Community Musical, it was Music Man, and the Director wanted me to hire the musicians, since I had done a lot of musicals and knew a lot of musicians.  So, I recruited the musicians for the Pit Orchestra, and the Director was satisfied, and we were set to perform for 6 weekends.

Before the 3rd performance, the Bass Player contacted me, and had to miss that one due to a personal matter.  I figured, "No problemo", I knew 4 other Bass players.  But...NONE were available, they had other gigs or something.  So, I pondered, and thought that another cello might work, but, a cello just doesn't sound like a Bass.  But, when I was pondering the problem after having a couple 'adult beverages', I came up with the ANSWER!!!  So, that weekend, when the Conductor entered the pit, a TUBA was sitting in the Bass chair.  The Conductor stared at me...he had a very 'interesting' look on his face...and I just smiled, held up my hands, and softly said "Best I could do..."

But it went well, the Tubist could 'temper' his instrument, so he didn't overpower the strings, and it went OK.  The Conductor was relieved, but at the end, he did tell me to NEVER SUBSTITUTE an instrument WITHOUT his approval ever again!  I just smiled, looked embarrassed, and promised him that I would never do that again...

...But I did...a year later...

[Izee]

...I REALLY don't think I lied...but...

I had taken on a business client when I was practicing Law that I soon wished that I hadn't...

Well, he was a VERY handsome man, and had a nice business, and I helped him open a new one.  But, he disclosed that he had OTHER business ventures that I hadn't known about, and they were in trouble.  So, I went ahead and signed him up, he had paid me a VERY nice retainer, and I figured that I could get him squared away...and he HAD bought me a VERY NICE LUNCH!   

Well, it was like a door opened and a waterfall poured out, I was spending a LOT of time in Court with him appearing on various lawsuits that had been filed against him.  His name was "Brian B"...(Not his real name)   

So, one morning I was in Court with him, and was in the Hallway outside of the Courtroom, he had gone to get us some coffee.  I could see him approaching with two cups of coffee, and some attorney came up to me, and said, "I hear that you represent Brian B, I need to discuss some issues he had with one of my clients".  The attorney was facing me, Brian was approaching, and I loudly said, "Well, if I see Brian B, I will tell him you are looking for him."  Brian heard me, and apparently knew the man, and did a very precise 'about face' and heading off in the opposite direction.  The attorney looked at me, and then turned around and looked at Brian's retreating back, and looked at me again.  I did my best "Don't know nothin 'bout nothin" look, and the attorney looked at me for a moment, and then walked away.

I had to get Brian to release me from all of his lawsuits, he had no money, and the Partners were all over my ass over the time I was spending on his matters without getting paid.  Brian ultimately filed for Bankruptcy, and, 'sighs', I was a creditor.

[Izee]

The Secularists keep going after Religions, I just read an article where a 'Scientist' said that the Earth may have been terraformed by an advanced alien civilization.  Well, doesn't the Bible mention that the Earth was just formless matter, and then God commanded "Let there be light"...and populated it with animals and life.  Both sound the same, and maybe the 'Aliens' were 'Angels'.  But, even if you believe that Aliens brought life to Earth, well, how were the Aliens created? And how did they learn to create life?

Again, life is a very compelling concept when you try to figure it out.  Just HOW does dirt somehow become organic, and then evolve into creatures who have consciousness? Just WHY would dirt need to become conscious? I think dirt and rocks would feel fine just being dirt and rocks, even in water. 

I have seen articles written by genius scientists who said that they were Agnostic until they REALLY studied life.  They said that when they got down to the molecular level that they couldn't conceive just how matter evolved and became conscious.  So they concluded that SOME OUTSIDE force had been active.

I also do believe that there have been very high level civilizations here on Earth.  Just look at the Pyramids in Egypt and Mexico and Central and South America.  We would find it difficult to construct one, now.  Makes me wonder what happened to them.     

[Izee]

...A picture is worth a thousand...WHAT???

Interesting times we live in, the Dems are making a big issue over a letter that Trump allegedly wrote to Epstein, and published a copy.  Back in the 'good ol days', before computers and WORD, that could be a matter to discuss, especially since it has a 'signature.'  Trump denies preparing it...and it EVEN includes a poorly done outline of a female torso.

Hell, with todays technology they can prepare pretty much everything.  As for signatures, they can be scanned onto anything.  The replies take issue with the signature, saying that it is NOT like his usual signature.  Of course, others point out examples where his signature is different on various authentic documents.  I haven't seen any articles that say that it was actually written by hand.  But, I have encountered people who could easily mimic my signature.  One was an Expert I was deposing, I was trying to get him to ADMIT that a signature is always unique to a person, and couldn't be easily copied.  He pushed a sheet of paper to me, and said, "Write your signature".  I did...and he quickly rewrote it down five times on the paper...and they ALL LOOKED THE SAME!  I said that that talent must be rare, he said yes, like all talents it is rare, but with practice one can learn to mimic a persons handwriting for a word or two.  "But, if I tried to write an article in your handwriting, it would regress to be more like my handwriting."

[Izee]

...Hello Darkness, my old friend........

Here is a performance of the Simon and Garfunkle song by a very intense performer, Disturbed...

https://youtu.be/u9Dg-g7t2l4?si=nWcy8UUxkESADjOM

This song hit me very hard when I was young.  I was heavily involved in music, I practiced the cello and the piano for hours every day in H.S....I actually didn't ever touch a cello until I was a Frosh, and TOTALLY SUCKED FOR TWO YEARS!!!    But something woke up my mind...namely my manic/depressive illness...and during the first manic episode I was a bit out of control.  I didn't need to sleep more than an hour or two a night, and I was full of energy.  I excelled at all of my school subjects, AND practiced the instruments all hours of the night.  I also took long, 3 and 4 hour walks after midnight, once almost halfway up Mt Diablo...getting back in the house as light began shining in the East.

I guess being out at night made the idea of darkness being a friend, people couldn't see me, often if I saw a car approaching I would quickly get behind a car or a bush so I couldn't be seen.  I would also be very deep in my head, and a few times did trip when I just didn't notice that I was coming to the edge of a curb.

I tried to walk when I was depressed, but stooped trying.  I would be so depressed to the point that I had Pscho-Motor Retardation, I just couldn't walk.  Just getting out of bed and to the couch took all that I had, and I had to hold on to something since my sense of balance was gone.

Back then, I don't think that people were aware of mental health issues as they are today.  I was still a 'nice girl' to those around me, but I cut down on socialization.  They got me to an MD, and I believe that they tried EVERY anti-depressant on me before they found something that worked.  I took Trazadone when the depression cycles hit.  I would get the depressive cycle twice a year, and they would last for 2 to 3 months.  They stopped when I hit my forties, and my moods have been fairly stable.

Understanding the illness REALLY helped me.  I KNEW that my mind was just not functioning normally when they arrived, so I could cope with both cycles.  I just tried to tamp down the manic cycles, but actually got to like them!  Not needing to sleep and having a mind that functioned very well and was creative was fun!  And, when the depression hit, well, it was...

...Hello darkness my old friend...you've come to talk with me again...