Now, you look like samurai.

So last night was my first night back to martial arts in a week. Holidays and finals and all that jazz.

Last night was the first night I was also wearing my Iaido uniform which seem to cause much amusement to the Aikidoka in my dojo. I think it was seeing me in a hakama was funny as hell to them. I just felt really self concious just because I am not allowed to wear in Aikido since I am not a black belt and not even an any belt yet (hopefully next Saturday night I can at least say that “I am 5th kyu”). Anyway, I’m lucky as that we do have quite a few Japanese people in our midst, either on the Buddhist temple side or doing Iaido. This Japanese lady was so kind as to attempt to teach me how to wrap myself up like a Christmas present (in the meantime, Sensei E is laughing at me in a hakama and my horror that slowly spread on my face as I figured out what a fucking pain in the ass it is to get dressed.)

So get this- I am wrapping TWELVE FEET of kaku obi belt around my waist. This is over the waistband of my pant and over my gi top. I then have to put the hakama on over this and this has two sets of strings that get wrapped around over the obi and then tied in a neat like oragami like bow in my front.

I swear it took like 2 hours for me to get dressed.

In the end, I looked something like this:

Except for the fact that I am a tan curly haired mutt with tattoos. But you get the idea.

The Japanese lady was pleased with her work “You now look like Samurai!” and marched me out into the hallway where snickers from the Aikidoka came and the Iaido teacher says “Now you look ready for class”. Mind you- I’m all in white for Aikido and then I switch to all black in Iaido.

Now I have all this fabric on me. My hakama is of decent quality so its heavy. I’ve never walked in something like this before and its fine- but my middle is all confined now and its even worse as that then I had to stick a sword in my belt, making everything even tighter. Still, I’m like “okay, cool” and bow in… until we had to kneel then stand up again:

Where I promptly almost fell over because of stepping on my own hakama.

Ah well, tomorrow is class again so I get to practice more at wearing a hakama. The only thing I remember is how I felt when I first did Aikido and put on an Aikido gi. The ribbing is in good fun and I think when I do earn my Aikido hakama, I’ll already know how to deal with it (and I will already know how to fold the teacher’s).

But right now, that hakama is hanging in the closet because I cannot figure out how to fold it back properly. Damn thing. Anyway….

***

I’m not feeling super great. (what else is new?) I seem to be getting those eating/digestion/lack of appetite working itself up again. I actually went out earlier and got a bunch of cut up mango and pineapple for breakfast tomorrow. I will have that and water because I MUST eat but everything makes me uncomfortable again.

Ah well. It is what it is.

Now I am going to try to go to sleep. I keep going to bed at 1 am, 2 am and that’s no good. I will have to go back to “the grind” eventually which is not being a night owl.

P.S. I wonder if it is a good sign if Sensei doesn’t object to me helping someone study for the 5th kyu test even though I’m not 5th kyu? This person hasn’t been coming in and needs to cram fast since the test is next Satruday. No one seems to be objecting to me showing him what to do.