Rae Roy

I hear all kinds of crap all the time. Stuff like, "Don't schedule your blog posts ahead of time." Why is it crap? Well, some people say you shouldn't in the off chance that you blog about something that isn't relevant to the news that happened that day. In case something big happens like Trump getting impeached. Guess what. If something big happens, you can just issue another blog post for that once you've wrapped your head around it rather than being reactionary to everything around you. Also, just because something big happened in the world, doesn't mean it's something your blog should talk about. I try to focus on being positive, music, martial arts, writing, movies, and the things that relate most directly to them. Yeah, maybe some military coup just happened, but unless I'm going to look at it from a point of view that relates to the rest of the content on my blog, I don't need to jump in on that discussion. If you jump in every time some...

[caption id="attachment_11040" align="alignright" width="300"] Image created using Bitmoji[/caption] Sometimes battle looks more like fighting with a computer in this modern age. Especially when making preparations for the yearly seminar. Last year's form was found, but it was not in the format I needed in order to edit it. I tried to copy and paste, but it wouldn't copy the information. Luckily for me, I'm going back to school this year and one of the software packages we use is the Adobe suite, so I was able to convert last year's file to a word document and update it with this year's particulars. I have the main restaurant booked. I just need to book the Friday night whoever's in town place. My first choice looks like it probably won't work, which is annoying. There are some new places even closer to home for several of us, so perhaps they will be the place to go. I have menu questions to ask for myself and to see if they ca...

I've caught up on Game of Thrones. The finale was awesome in so many aspects. And I do mean awesome, not just really cool. Points literally struck me with awe. I felt myself cheering at parts, cringing at others, and in shock by the end. I can't believe I have to wait until . . . Who knows? One friend said he heard Season 8 might not come until 2019! I REALLY hope he's wrong on that one. I suppose it's good that it ended before school starts. It's one less thing to distract me from my studies. I'm also caught up on South Park, so I've been trying Bob's Burgers. South Park returns in about 2 weeks and I guess a few other shows will too, but I can't believe GoT is over again already. Wait, I think I'm behind on Supernatural and perhaps Archer. Maybe it's also a good time to rewatch something like Lord of the Rings? I'm sure I'll have no shortage of films to watch for my Film and Media in Canada course soon. It's a Tuesday class and ...

[caption id="attachment_4711" align="alignright" width="300"] Image created using Bit Strips.[/caption] I've been pretty exhausted since the pre-orientation day at school. It was a lot of walking. I think the first couple of weeks are going to be tough for me. There's a line where the right amount of exercise reduces my fatigue and if I cross it, I end up extra tired for days. Extra tired as in I feel like the world is wrapped in cheesecloth (or maybe I am) and only some parts seep in. Of course, that line is like an invisible moving target, but it is what it is. Martial arts was rough yesterday. I've been spending time going through my things to reduce where I can. As I wash clothing, I decide whether or not to keep it before folding it. I've been reducing my jewelry. I don't wear much of it anyway. I got the last kitchen drawer bottom cut on Friday. The next step is hand planing it to the right thickness for the slot. Not today thoug...

What's a Sheerio? Why it's a fan of Ed Sheeran of course. He and I have a few things in common! I wasn't aware of his love of swords or that he names his guitars, so I'm thankful to this article for this new information. We both love Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. We both love Game of Thrones. We both love Star Wars. I'd totally be obsessed with LEGO too if I could afford it. We both love swords. We both name our guitars. We both play music. Though I'm terrible at it in comparison and still learning. We're both geeks. We both have tattoos, though I'm way behind in comparison... I've been a fan of Ed since before he got famous. Back when he just had one single out and regularly used the body of his guitar as his drum beat. He was different in a good way. A-Team was a song that helped me through some tough times. I also love LEGO House . Actually, I don't think there is a Sheeran song I don't like. Some are quiet and mell...

[caption id="attachment_10523" align="alignright" width="300"] Image created using Bitmoji[/caption] I bet there's something you've wanted to try with your lover. Maybe you've worried they'll think you're weird. What if they want to try it too or something like it? Some things are hard to talk about. Opening up makes us vulnerable. But vulnerability is one of the most important things in a strong relationship. Seriously. Your partner should be the one person you can open up to about anything, especially what you like in the bedroom or what you're sexually curious about. If you can find some courage, you might just have the best weekend sex you've had in a long time. The experiment could also turn out to be less fun than you thought, but you won't know until you try it out. Try to ask in a gentle way though. You're more likely to be successful or at least get your partner to consider it for the future. Have fun ;) R~

Yesterday was a big day. It was a pre-orientation day at school. I didn't do a tour because I already had earlier in the summer. I quickly learned the tour was barely useful for anyone coming from the other side of the building where the bus drops people off. In other words, a large chunk of the student body not living in residence. The bus station was far from the building I needed. After asking people for help along the way, I eventually made it to the common area where most of the services and the main theatre are located. The next thing I did was get in line for my student card and bus pass. Thankfully, it wasn't too long when I did it. About 5 minutes after taking my photo, the cards were ready. Technology can be a wonderful thing. The bus pass isn't usable until September 1st, but I have everything I need to get to school on the 5th. After cards, I tried to find out about books and software. Largely this was unhelpful. We learned later that those resources won't b...

[caption id="attachment_11040" align="alignright" width="300"] Image created using Bitmoji[/caption] Something my grandpa Sensei said resonated with me. He said, "At 5dan we ask "do you have it". At 6dan we ask "do you own it". At 7dan we say "can you use it"." I think writing is the same as everyone needs to go through stages with it. So I got thinking about what writing might look like in martial art rank terms and came up with the following ranking system. It's not perfect as writers often cycle through the upper ranks because as we fix one problem area, we notice the next weak area to fix. Writer Fu Rank System White Belt: Without rank. They can coo and yell incoherently. Yellow Belt: They have said their first word and might be mimicking others. Orange Belt: They now know a couple of words but may or may not say them correctly. Green Belt: They can speak in simple sentences. Blue Belt: They know a lot of wo...

Watching the Muscular Dystrophy Telethon was a tradition around my house growing up. I was young, so I don't remember it vividly, but they often had performers on it or did comedy skits to help raise money. To see the kind of programming they did in between pleas for funding, check out the Muscular Dystrophy Association channel on YouTube. One of the films we enjoyed most was The Disorderly Orderly . He played a hospital orderly who was always dropping things and making mistakes. I was young when I last saw it and I think it's time to rewatch it because the plot description and what I remember are rather like opposite cliffs of the Grand Canyon. I just thought he was clumsy or squeamish. He did a lot of good while he was here and I'm sad he's gone. More on his passing here . Rest in peace, Mr. Lewis. R~

I had a wonderful day yesterday.  In the morning, I surrounded myself with people who advocate love and kindness. They use actions to back up their words and helped drive the criminal elements out of my neighborhood. On Tuesdays they help refugees run a farmer's market, which brings high quality vegetables to residents at low prices. This benefits the community and helps the refugees contribute to the economy.  There was a good chat with my significant other.  Later, I also got hugs from friends and my toddler buddy. Four-year-old hugs are the best.  Later in the evening I watched a terrible movie with my B movie club and we had many laughs about it. The night was capped off with a chat with a friend.  It was exactly the kind of day I needed.  The only bad thing was missing martial arts,  but I've gotten very little sleep lately and needed to at least try and nap.  I need to make more time for self care and have more days like this one.  Guid...

History is something that can override logic at times. Sentimentality is an emotional attachment. It makes it hard to get rid of things like sweaters. Often it's a longing for a time when life was different and seemed wonderful or at least better than what one is living right now. I grew up in a time where children played outside and rarely were seen by their parents except at meal time. We were too busy playing in the neighbourhood. Street hockey, Hide-and-go-seek, Grounder, Redass, 21, and so many more games. But it wasn't all good. There was more bullying. I think that helped me become a strong adult today, but it certainly wasn't fun to go through. Also, I definitely can't pretend laws that let parents send their kids to buy cigarettes for them were a good thing. We were also poorer and I remember my parents constantly worried about the mortgage and other bills in those days. It was before my mom became a hoarder though, so there's that. I collect vinyl records....

Normally, I write about sex on Fridays as you know. As you're also undoubtedly aware, it's been a hell of a week. I wasn't originally intending for Fridays to only be about sex, but also generally fun. Today, however, I want to announce a new main section of my site. It's a place that holds links to stories that offer hope in the fight against racism through non-violent methods. It's in the main bar, but I'll link it here as well. Guid cheerio the nou, R~

Every time I have sat down to write this post, I have struggled to find the words. A woman was killed. She sounded like a nice person. I didn't know her. She was younger than me and probably had a bright future. It's sad, but not shocking as it was only a matter of time. Actually, I thought it would happen sooner. A lot of white people are being stupid about it . When I was a child, I used to wonder why wars happened at all. I used to think the two sides should just talk things over and make some agreed upon concessions then live and let live. I'm not a child anymore, but I've always seen this as an option. Some don't believe that option exists and prefer bloodshed. There's a movement in Charleston, South Carolina by people on both sides agreeing to debate openly rather than taking to the streets with weapons . Anyway, this isn't a political blog and I have no intention of turning it into one. I hope they can set an example that brings about peace. Guid chee...

[caption id="attachment_11040" align="alignright" width="300"] Image created using Bitmoji[/caption] Being a martial artist is about being a good person rather than destroying another person. The 7-5-3 Code is a guide for living The Way. You may have seen images referencing it online. I charged myself with discovering the deeper meaning behind the words. The 7 Virtues of a Warrior 1. Rectitude is living morally. The Golden Rule, to do unto others as you would have them do unto you comes in a few flavours. Some say that if you wish ill upon another, you are wishing that same ill upon yourself. Moral living means to do no harm, to prevent harm, and to do good. 2. Courage , according to Wikipedia, comes in several forms. Physical courage is where one chooses to act despite known, resulting, physical threat, which may include death. Moral courage is about choosing the proper path even if it isn't popular, will damage your reputation, or cause some other ...

I watched Whatever it Takes when I was visiting my parents this past weekend. It wasn't a good movie, but it could have been. **** Spoiler Warning: I'm going to talk about the plot in depth. **** It's biggest issues stem from two things I've been reading about; genre conventions and complexity. Genre Conventions: The movie was supposed to be a typical teen film where boys pursue girls to try and get laid. The twist? Two boys are setting each other up with girls that are outside their social circle. One is best friends with one and the other is related to the other girl. Naturally, the best friend finally realizes he's in love with the girl he's setting the other guy up with. Now, there are often humorous components to these films, but they're usually like shaving mishaps or awkward conversations with parents. What did we have instead? Hot girl must be crazy. She invites him to shower with her then freaks out at him when he tries to join her, then they...

I arrived in North Bay in the late afternoon on Friday, my brother's 40th birthday. I gave him his card in which I started I couldn't tease him about his age because it was too close to my own, so I'd tease our other brother instead ;) His gift was some pink elephant popcorn I happened upon in my travels because we agreed to not spend much on each other. He presented me with a box. Inside was a Rainbow Bright lunch pail. Inside of that was a Super Nintendo game. He and his girlfriend had found these things while cleaning up and thought of me because I loved Rainbow Bright as a child.  Also inside was my ticket for Big Fish. I paid my brother for the ticket as if he was a drug dealer because our parent's poodle likes eating dollar bills.  The next day I went for a run and found a friend from high school theatre. There was a Pokemon raid and I stuck around for it while catching up.  Later, my brothers and I gathered with our cousins for beers and BBQ before I went off to ...

I'm back in my hometown this weekend to celebrate my brother's 40th birthday. I figured that one was kind of an important one. He's pretty relaxed about the whole thing. We all figured he'd be wanting to go on a drunken adventure, but he's saving that for the work golf tournament next weekend.  Anyway, most of the friends I hang out with when I come to town have all flown the coup. My brother managed to get through torrential downpour to get me a ticket for the finale of  Big Fish performed by TOROS . This group is called Theatre Out Reach On Stage and I was part of them back when I was in high school. Most of the actors are high school students. They do musicals. The music is also mainly played by high school students. They practice nearly every evening for about two months and put on a spectacular performance in August.  I usually miss when it's happening. I haven't seen a TOROS production for about a decade, so I'm excited! Hopefully, the weather calm...

[caption id="attachment_10523" align="alignright" width="300"] Image created using Bitmoji[/caption] Innuendo is a lot of fun and it can add a layer to your writing that only those in a certain age group will understand. It's one of the things that can make a story rereadable too. There are so many examples of it around if you know what you're looking for. Sometimes you just need to laugh at the things that are made on this planet . I hope there's enough innuendo in the above to get you through the rest of the workday and weekend. I'm off to visit family as my just slightly older brother has turned 40 today! Guid cheerio the nou, R~

I'm thinking about success today. What it means to be successful. What I have to do to get there. What I'm willing to sacrifice. Everything costs something in this world. The truth is that success means something different to everyone. To some it's massive wealth, to others it's being sought after for your intellect. To me it means achieving my goals and getting to enjoy the results. 1. Life isn't all beer and skittles Human beings aren't fulfilled when they have only playtime. We need our existence to mean something and if all we do is eat, drink, and play, there is nothing that separates us from animals. We wouldn't have movies, books, TV, airplanes, cars, electricity, the Internet, and more if we weren't driven to do more with our brief lives. These things are fantastic, but everything is subject to diminishing returns. They need to be enjoyed in moderation. Only you can limit your playtime. We all need some playtime though, so make a little time to p...

[caption id="attachment_11040" align="alignright" width="300"] Image created using Bitmoji[/caption] As my home gets cleaner, I see more mess. This is true of my Iaido as well. The more I work to refine my technique, the more I can spot problems in it. I think it's a sign of maturity. The longer I practice, the more I am exposed to people above me that do it closer to the ideal. I said ideal because I haven't met anyone who thinks they do it "right". Indeed, even 8th Dan senseis have stated they still struggle with their grip or some other thing. This is true of life as well. This year has opened my eyes to much. I no longer look upon the world with the rose-coloured glasses of a child. I no longer see issues as black-and-white, but in scales of grey. To some degree, this makes me sad, but mostly I'm happy that I know more today than I ever have before. What that knowledge tells me is that I still have so much to learn in all facets ...

Seeing a movie such as Sharknado 5 when you missed Sharknado 2, 3, and 4, is quite a thing. Despite how far-fetched the premise in the original movie was, it seemed at least somewhat plausible. There was at least water everywhere there were sharks. Not in Sharknado 5. Prepare for a lot of suspension of disbelief in this one. EFFECTS The effects were well done for the level of the movie. ACTING The main actress rarely changed her expression despite the situation. Perhaps a good samurai face, but not one for connecting with the audience. It was hard to tell if she even cared about her son. WRITING There were a lot of funny lines and the script met the expected level for a B-movie. There were some great groan-inducing puns. It did have me wonder if I should put obviously false information in my scripts or if they did that to connect back to the tagline "Make America Bait Again." Regardless, it led me to fact check some things and I ended up learning something new about sharks be...

[caption id="attachment_4711" align="alignleft" width="300"] Image created using Bit Strips.[/caption] Well, my weekend has been a bit of a roller coaster of emotions. Sometimes I get extremely frustrated. Especially if my B12 levels get low. The frequency that I curse rises the lower my B12 levels are. When they get low, I get upset easily and feel really angry. It sucks. What sucks even more is somehow always forgetting that's what's making me upset until it gets bad. I had been slightly reacting to the cherry flavoured sublingual ones. I'm annoyed I can't seem to find the unflavoured kind now. They tasted fine. I don't need my vitamins to taste like candy. Anyway, the sublingual ones are 1000 mcg and the only ones I could find when I went that didn't have a bunch of extra additives were 250 mcg. You can see how that became a problem, I'm sure. My original plans for the weekend included seeing my significant other, but he was...

As the summer begins its wind down on the second last long weekend before school begins, I'm frenetically decluttering my living spaces to create an environment that encourages writing and learning. I decided that I was done with trying to grow fruits and vegetables on my balcony. It just doesn't work for me. So I cleared away the pots and loaded them into my car. I cleared the rest of the junk and swept. I've kept two small pots in case I want a few flowers for something pretty to look at while I sit outside enjoying a breeze and reading or writing. It's what I needed. There's a community garden nearby that I may be able to rent space from in the future if I can ever afford to anyway. The rest of the work is inside my home. Paper to digitize or discard. Dishes and laundry that always manage to manifest into a mountain and threaten to overtake my living space. These remaining chores are always enhanced by music. And I love listening to vinyl while doing them. The ne...

[caption id="attachment_10523" align="alignright" width="300"] Image created using Bitmoji[/caption] While delving into some Canadian film history this week, I learned that there is a thing called Maple Syrup Porn. I laughed when I read the term. I thought, "Is our adult film industry really called Maple Syrup Porn?" It's not. Some is Canadian, but it mostly refers to getting around censorship of sex. It was not only common in Quebec due to religion, but several places in the US. You can read more about it here . If you're looking to heat things up this weekend, consider a sweet old film from the early days of the sexual revolution. Maybe even drizzle a little syrup on your partner ;) Guid cheerio the nou, R~

While cleaning up my home including my drives, I stumbled onto some words I wrote in 1999. I called them "Self Guidelines". Maybe they'll be helpful to someone today. Help others if it's in my power AND they want me to. Don't let a guy come between my best friend and I. Don't do something that will put someone else in a bad position even if they deserve it. Approach situations and people with an open mind. Find the good in others. Keep emotions in check. Don't force others to feel the way you do. Respect that they may feel differently. Be open and honest with the people you love. I lost my way for a little while, but I found my way back. Guid cheerio the nou, R~

[caption id="attachment_11040" align="alignright" width="300"] Image created using Bitmoji[/caption] On Sunday, I had a moment at martial arts where I learned I have been doing something wrong for 4 years. These things come up sometimes. What was it? Standing up. Yep. I know how that sounds. We're supposed to be getting up and down with almost all of our weight on the balls of our feet. Apparently. At least I wasn't alone in this. A dojo mate and I had been putting much of our weight on our toes. Well, that led to him wondering why his big toe was sore all the time. Since I had injured mine before my last grading attempt, I wasn't wondering why it hurt, but rather if it would ever heal. Him asking the question gave us both important information. Thanks dojo mate! Anyway, I need to relearn a basic thing. Initially, I was frustrated. I can't even stand up right! How the hell did I get this far? Why didn't anyone tell me this sooner?! We ...

I was almost an extra soccer fan in a thriller this week, but they decided they needed fewer extras. Ah well, I'm on the list in case something happens to any of the others. Maybe next time. I'm not sure today's post would've been very different as films typically involve NDAs. I'm going to start highlighting Canadian films and TV shows on this blog because there is a lack of marketing around them and I believe that is a major thing affecting our industry up here. Marketing is expensive and with much of the limited budget gone on making the films themselves, there isn't much left to spread the word. Liberty Stands Still is a 2002 thriller written and directed by Ottawa's own, Kari Skogland . She is an award-winning, female, Canadian film director. TAGLINE (from IMDB) Liberty, the wife of a gun manufacturer, is held hostage at a hot dog stand by a sniper seeking revenge. LEADING ACTORS Wesley Snipes plays Joe the sniper who holds Liberty (Linda Fiorentino) ho...