2 Birthdays and other things

Right about this time of year they come one right after another. First on July 20 and then 6 days later on July 26. First Dame Diana Rigg and then Kate Beckinsale. My first interest in martial arts was actually an interest in her, the character of Mrs. Peel on "The Avengers". This more than anything else inspired me to start what has become my occupation. Then some years later I found a modern update in Kate Beckinsale's Selene of Underworld fame. They are both British. Both Astrologically very strong women. Diana Rigg has her sun in Cancer conjuncted by both Mars(energy, assertion, aggression) and Pluto(power). And Kate has Mars in its own sign of Aries, which means she also is a warrior. Not only are they both accomplished actresses both in roles demanding women who are warriors are also supported by their Astrology. This by the way is courtesy of my astrologist Andrea Mallis(www.virgoinservice.com). And since they have in their own way (as symbols or archetypes) supported me in becoming who and what I am I also included along with them a picture of me a the recent Santa Cruz Aikido Retreat.

The recent Santa Cruz Retreat was a chance for me to spend time with and catch up with both Mary Heiny sensei and Linda Holiday sensei. They are of course world class aikidoists and instructors and I'm proud to say we have shared some significant history. It was 40 years ago that I went to Japan for my first short year of training in Shingu. This was courtesy of Mary sensei, who had established a connection with the Shingu dojo and Hikitsuchi sensei, and at the time if you wanted to visit or train in Shingu you needed to go through her. When I arrived Linda sensei had already been training there awhile. So it was fun to see them, see what they are doing, and spend time. Mary sensei and I as is our annual custom went to a movie Saturday night. We saw 'The Lone Ranger' movie. While this is not a great film it is very entertaining. And there is a lot more social commentary in the movie than has been mentioned. There is a strong statement about how the native Americans were badly treated, cheated out of their land and resources, by power hungry individuals. And how the military was brought in on all this. In some sense the film suffers because it can't really decide what it should be. Action film? A spoof? Social commentary? The commentary there is seems a bit out of place because the rest of the film jumps around quite a bit. In 1975 Mary sensei and I saw a similar film 'Doc Savage Man of Bronze' that was very similar. Both are entertaining because they never settle on what they are. So if you are in the mood for a matinee or just a popcorn film see the Lone RAnger. Mary sensei did not want to see "Pacific Rim'', but I saw it the next day. While it is a good special effects film with some interesting stick fighting scenes, I strongly preferred 'The Lone Ranger'.....

If you haven't seen it yet, catch 'Man of Steel' while it's still in the theaters. For me it is my all time favorite Superman film........

This is a video I found on youtube with a lot of great 'moments' on 'The Avengers':