Workshops and Seminars

 Training with others is always a very enjoyable and educational process.  Other instructors and sparring partners have ideas you may or may not have thought about, have a different way of explaining, showing details you hadn't considered before, possibly point out little mistakes you've been making that others hadn't picked up on etc etc, so whenever you get the chance, try and participate in one. 

I did just that this weekend, joining US instructor Sifu Richard Torres in Leiden,  the Netherlands for a workshop on the finer points found in JKD techniques/mechanics.  A great time was had by all.

Walk On!

You can't hit what isn't there!

 Seems obvious doesn't it?  Yet so many martial artists neglect their footwork, they rather spend their time training all kinds of fancy kicks and acrobatics, than endlessly working on their mobility, footwork. 

Yet footwork is the engine of a good fighter.  Footwork get's you in the right position to strike, it get's you out of range when attacked, it helps tremendously in the powerful delivery of your blows, so why don't you work on it, it should be part of every training you do!  You don't even have to do it hours on end, a  couple of minutes daily, just focus on your feet, go through the basic steps, move backward/forward, left right, pivoting etc. you should 'glide' effortlessly, not stomping like a heard of elephants.Your head should also remain 'level' , no hopping up and down with each step (unless you are shoulder rolling/ bobbing & weaving). 5-15 minutes, that's all! 

Move your upper body loosely, move your lead and rear hand / arm slightly but never deviating too far from your on guard so that you remain well covered, but at the same time are elusive, and learn to strike from these motions and where the 'tools' are, never first reset to your 'perfect' on guard and strike from there, strike from where the tools are, and they become much harder to read by your opponent.  But don't always practice footwork including strikes (so you'd be shadowboxing), sometimes just focus on just your feet (whilst keeping a good on guard of course), move from the balls of your feet, rear heel raised slightly higher than your front one when in motion, so you can burst fwd at a moments notice and propel all that body weight forward and into your attacks. 

Again, you can't hit what isn't there! Foot work, foot work, foot work!

Walk On!  

Should I train everyday?

Conventional training methods state that you should take rest days between training sessions, to have time for recovery and avoid burn out etc.   

However, a JKD practitioner isn't conventional (he/she would have chosen MMA, or whatever else is popular at the time, and follow the masses...) so it stands to reason our training can be unconventional too.

What?!  Let me explain.  

It is absolutely true that fatigue will happen and recovery etc is hindered if you do the same training , at the same intensity, every single day!  It is important that the muscles (and nervous systems) do not get the exact same impulses every day.  Also remember that training in martial arts is more than just martial arts.  You need to make sure that the body can perform all the actions involved and to aid in that, you need to work on your cardio, strength, flexibility  seperate from your JKD training. Supplementary training in other words. 

However you should do so smartly, so that this dreaded burnout/fatigue doesn't occur and muscles get time to recover.  Even Bruce Lee already knew this so he set up a daily planner to train different things at different times/days of the week.   You should do to.  The image just shows his routines for his fitness program, he had similar planners for his martial arts training. 

Depending on the ammount of time you have or are willing to commit to your training,  devide it up in sessions. They don't need to take up several hours, a couple of minutes here and there can be effective.   Do always keep your goals in mind.  As a martial artist, you're not training to run a marathon, fighting is about short bursts of moderate to high intensity, your supplementary training needs to be designed to support that. 

Some examples:  Monday: 30 minute jogging (depending on your fitness levels, this can start off at walking with short jog intervals, building up to high intensity runs with sprints etc). Tuesday: 5 minute foot work drills + 10 minute bouncing tennis ball of a wall (hand eye coordination)+ gentle stretching.

Wednesday: JKD class! , Thursday Body weight training (push ups, sit ups, squats, etc etc) work on some punches, Friday 20 minutes heavy bag (or if you don't have one, several rounds of shadow boxing), Saturday, 30 minute jog + work on your kicks, Sunday , stretching/flexibility, 2x set of sit ups, 2x set of push ups, 1 or 2 rounds of low intensity shadow boxing.  Eat, Sleep, JKD, Repeat ;-) 

Again, these are just examples, you can do anything else but important is that if on one day you really hammered your legs, then do something the following day that is perhaps more focussed on the upper body, and only light on your legs.  It still means that your heart rate will increase, circulating the blood and aid recovery in other areas by doing so.  If you have (a) dog(s), then going out for a walk somewhere where you can let them run and you can throw a ball, then that is also (light) exersize (and you get fresh air too!) , you can even take the opportunity to throw some shadow boxing in whilst your pet(s) are running and playing by themselves.  Vary the intensity if you have a certain drill that you repeat two days on a row, one day intensive, the other lightly (again to aid recovery but still doing something)  Just learn to use your time effectively.  Practice footwork, or throw a few jabs whilst the kettle is boiling! Waiting for the bath to fill up? do a few pushups!  A rest day doesn't have to mean do nothing at all, but do something different or at light intensity. (read a paragraph of the TAO whilst doing a couple of dumbell curls ;-) )

Many people go to a martial arts class  and  if that class is held 2-3 times per week, all activity they do is just that hour training 2-3 time each week.  Nothing on other days.  Not in JKD! (or at least not typical). 

JKD training in many places is traditionally only done 1x per week in a formal class, usually one and half to 2 hour sessions.  The practitioner is expected to train at home, independently (or with a partner) in between sessions. This is a great way to build discipline, so look at the class as a session to get a lesson and then homework is set.  They don't expect to be taken by the hand and told what to do, do research, read the TAO, find areas you are weak on and work on those, test them out next session if the opportunity is there, ask the questions! Not only do you get the answers, but you will also keep your instructor sharp and engaged. If your instructor doesn't like tricky questions, leave! He / she should have the courage to say I don't know, if he / she hasn't got the answer right away, there's no shame in that and we all grow. If someone get's defensive/upset, then you are not in the right place! 

In short, work out a plan based on your available time, stick to it for a few weeks, see how you get on, tweak it, or change it up completely for variety, if your personal / profesional life changes, try and adjust around it, still ensuring that the exersizes and drills you do support your martial arts training. 

That is if you want to of course. 

Very simply, do not expect Bruce Lee like results, if you don't put in Bruce Lee like time and effort! And don't think because you are not Bruce Lee, it makes no sense for you to train in that way. Also you'd be doing it for the wrong reason, you are you, so train to make a better version of you!  

So determine how much time you have available and are willing to devote to your training, and set up a plan and stick to it! Make it realistic, don't set goals you know you can't acchieve, and if you do acchieve them, set new ones, change things up!

Walk On! 

So you want to train in Martial Arts/Jeet Kune Do?

Let's first have a look at the why.

First things first. Any physical activity is good for you, anything is better than to be idle on the sofa engrosed in your smartphone (you're probably reading this on one right now...). 

I don't need to repeat what is universally accepted that to be healthy, exercise is key, combined with a good and varied diet.  But how do you go about it?  A lot of people get stuck in the making plans stage, and never get any further than that. Sometimes people do a trial session of whatever it is they were interested in, only never to return. This can have a variety of reasons, they didn't get a good vibe of the instructor(s) or other people present, they didn't enjoy the activity as much as they thought they would, or they misjudged the commitment it takes. The first two are highly subjective experiences, but the commitment one is generally one that can be over come. Sometimes it means juggling around 'life' a little bit. If the time that your class is, clashes with another activity, see if that activity can't be done another time (your favourite TV show being on at the time should be a non issue, record it, and watch it later!). 

The main thing is, how bad do you want it? Are you willing to make some changes and stick with it? Do you have that commitment?  

Getting started is often the hardest bit making that initial push to get in touch and then to actually show up! Keeping it going is the second hardest. Once you have been going for a few months it gets easier and for most people that point will be reached around month 3... push past it, and you may be in for life!  

Are you not sure still? How about  the benefits of martial arts? Well martial arts training has several things in common with other physical activities, such as improving your fitness, strength and flexibility (which are all benefits that will help you in many other aspects of life). Often after a training session, you will feel good about yourself, a sense of acchievement etc.  Training isn't always about learning something new or improving, sometimes it's just therapy. A moment for yourself, to switch off and forget about the daily struggles for a bit and focus on something else.  In particular the ability to focus/concentrate is an aspect of Martial Arts training that is so beneficial and helps greatly in reducing stress, anxiety and a host of other mental health issues.  Getting a confidence boost is also a key factor. Whilst social skills improve because you're working closely together resulting in a rise in self confidence, learning to defend yourself is also a big contributor to this. Knowing that you can take care of yourself and your loved ones (or at least have a much better chance) is something no other physical activity provides.  Lastly it develops a good sense of values and morals, again something that is unique to martial arts. 

As you can also see from the illustration, there are a lot of positive points in martial arts, that are unique to martial arts. These are equally valid for training in Jeet Kune Do.

Perhaps all these positive points have made it a bit easier for you to decide to dedicate some time to yourself, and make that commitment. 

So if you're still considering it, live relatively near to us (wider Newton Abbot area/Torbay, Devon, UK),and you want to train with us, why not drop us a line.  Time to make a commitment! In the wise word of Yoda: Do or Do not, there is no Try! 

Use the contact page on our main website: www.junfanjeetkunedo.co.uk , or look us up on Google of Facebook.

Walk On! 

The way of the intercepting fist way!

 Yes, that's right, that is the correct translation of the book shown here.  Interesting fact might be that originally, Bruce Lee called his art the Tao of Jeet Kune,  which is translated the way of the intercepting fist.  However it wasn't that catchy sounding and when Bruce was asked for an interview and asked about his art, he stated that it was called Jeet Kune Do, taking inspiration from other martial arts such as Ju Do, Karate-Do, Taekwon Do... Do is a japanese/okinawan spelling of the 'Way' or 'method'.   

That's not the reason for this post however. Instead I want to invite you to take your copy of your bookshelf (if you don't have one, then what are you doing here?! Go get one already!) and have a closer look at it, I mean properly read it! 

Forget the Zen bit for a moment, a lot of people who bought the book read the first chapter about Zen and are disheartened to read on, thinking the rest of the book is very similar and subsequently don't really read it, but it looks great on the bookshelf amidst all the other books about (insert martial arts of choice) in your collection..

Just look at the titles of the other chapters for a moment, to name just a few, there is Qualities, Mobility, Preparation, Attack etc.   It isn't an how to book, in the sense that it is a step by step instruction manual on Jeet Kune Do (thankfully, I'd be out of something to do otherwise...).  rather it invites you to look deeper at the core principles of Jeet Kune Do, or fighting in general.  Also realise that the book was released after Bruce Lee had passed away. When they found Bruce Lee's treasure trove of notes, sketches etc on the martial arts, his widow Linda decided that they should be shared with the world, and a few years of pain staking research and organisation followed to try and put his notes together in a coherent way, that eventually became the Tao of Jeet Kune Do.  

If you read the book and understand it, you will see that not often does Bruce Lee refer to other martial arts, but is more engaged in how the human body moves and can do things the most efficient way, he details types of speed for example (see Qualities), which have everything to do with the science of the human body, not any particular art.  Yes there are some notes where you can find for example 'studies on Judo or Jiu Jitsu', but they are just that; notes. You certainly won't count 26 (see other posts).  Remember in an earlier post I wrote that Bruce Lee had a uncanny ability to dissect and understand other martial arts and their techniques, without the need to spend hours training in them, in fact while he did work on a little bit of Judo with friends, particularly when he first came to the USA, he never took any formal classes in it or practiced it to great length.  

All over the book, there are interesting bits of knowledge, here's a few you may want to look up, page numbers below are of the expanded english edition, as that is the book currently in print. 

Page 92: chapter Tools:  At the top is a column with Training aids, read it and try your training in that way, similarly on page 95.  

Page 25: chapter Empty your Mind:  The list on the Facts of Jeet Kune Do, read it, do you understand it? do you know what he meant with the 'un crispy stuff' and 'shifty blasting'?  Think about it! Ask your instructor, see if he knows!  

Do you know what a SPBKS is?  (really fundamental stuff, look it up, I won't tell you the page!) 

I'd recommend to take your copy of your bookshelf at least once a week, just open a random page and really read it, understand it, try to see a clear picture in your head, and practice it.  Make notes! I have several copies of the book, one I keep pristine, the other copy is scribbled full with marginal notes and underlining of important teachings etc.   I recommend you do the same!

Walk On!

Concepts, Art, Philosophy,MMA, Original, what on earth?!

 Jeet Kune Do is the martial art founded by Bruce Lee.

There, that's that, move on...   Only it would seem that there is a huge debate (sometimes clear mudslinging or worse) about what it actually is.

Is it just a philosophy?  Is it a mix of 26 different martial arts? Is it just a concept, but you can take what you want from anywhere and make up your own thing? Is it it's own art, with its own set of principles / toolset and strategy? 

Let me try to bring some clarity (or for some perhaps I'm going to stirr it all up once again...) Note that below I'm not trying to be 100% chronological and may jump around a bit as it comes up in my mind, but hopefully you'll get the gist of it...

As Bruce would say, 'Open your mind'... 

First you need to realise that Bruce Lee was a young driven man, who was learning and developing every day whilst he could. Always critical of things he saw, read etc, and most of all of himself, he kept changing / evolving his martial arts development, once he had already laid the foundation of it. 

In parallel to this he moved around a bit to be closer to opportunities to work in the film industry, in the US this was from Seattle to Oakland and L.A.  not spending an awfull lot of time in any given place. Oakland is a good example, whilst he 'lived' there, he actually did travel from there to Hong Kong and other places so the actual time spend there wasn't that long in reality. This means that those people that studied with Bruce in Oakland, didn't actually get to spend all that much time with him and only during a certain phase of his development.  What he did in Seattle looked even different and truth be told, wasn't called Jeet Kune Do at the time, and is generally accepted as Jun Fan Gung Fu. One well known instructor who continues that legacy was Taky Kimura and his son Andrew (Taky passed away in 2021)  (btw Jun Fan being Bruce Lee's chinese birthname) This was a few years before Bruce started working to develop JKD.   Then he spend some time in L.A.  and ran a school there, when other job offers came along, he told his then most senior student to look after his school for him and appointed him as instructor (note, appointed, not graded), this person is the great Dan Inosanto.   It could be said that Dan is the person who single handely did a lot of work to promote the art of Jeet Kune Do and Bruce Lee, although Dan's own ideas and interest changed over the years, further muddying the waters. (He's not solely to blame for the confusion, some seminar promoters would advertise Dan's seminar as Bruce Lee's JKD, when Dan was actually demonstrating Filipino Martial Arts for the most part, resulting in the believe that FMA = JKD, or part of JKD etc.  Further more, some of his students who also started teaching or running seminar had a similar mixed approached, flowing from 'style to style', saying that at a certain point you use Thai Boxing, flowing into Wing Chun and then onto jiu Jitsu. There's not one single piece of writing by the hand of Bruce Lee that describes this process, none! )

Dan's own ideas and interpretation led him to come up with Jeet Kune Do 'Concepts'.  Depending on if you read early articles on Dan's ideas, or watch video demo's made some years later etc, school curriculums, etc, you'll find a variation in his approach, how he taught and explained things etc. Also, and this is a factor that is always overlooked in these debates, is the fact that Dan Inosanto promised that he would never commercialise Jeet Kune Do, so that might also be part of the reason why he chose to do things differently.  

This is starting to get confusing, isn't it? It gets worse! 

Enter (amongst others) people like Ted Wong.  Ted joined the L.A. school but had no background in any other martial art.  Bruce noted this and also found Ted lacking in a bit of strength etc.

 As they got along very well on a personal level too (they both spoke the same languages) Bruce took him on as a private student and helped him get stronger, fitter and the two became very good friends. Ted Wong's knowledge of JKD is not dilluted with anything else but what Bruce Lee taught him.  Again however note that this happened at another time in Bruce Lee's development, but Ted was privi to some of the latest things Bruce was working on, and can be regarded as one of the most knowledgeable people on what could be termed as 'latter stage Jeet Kune Do'.    Also Ted Wong had some preferences and aside from Ted Wong and Dan Inosanto, there were several others, that all studied with Bruce Lee, at various times during his life, some a few months, others a few years, some merely weeks.    

You can imagine that after Bruce Lee died, and the 'kung fu craze' took hold, everyone wanted to learn what Bruce Lee did (note my earlier post, I am one of those!).  Several of Bruce's students decided to pass on what they knew as the demand was there! But this lead to several 'versions and interpretations' of one part of the development of Bruce Lee's art.   How then, do you know you're actually learning Jeet Kune Do, and more specifically, where Bruce went with it.  

Shall we make it a bit worse still? Yes lets! Lets look at the man himself, Bruce Lee! 

Bruce set out with a clear intention to set up his own art/style, that is evident from several annecdotes and interviews.  He bought many books/articles, observed several arts for it's pro's and cons.  You have to understand here that Bruce had an uncanning ability to observe a martial art and be able to pick out the good and bad, just from observation and analysing books. He didn't need to practice them physically, to understand it. (This is likely the reason why the myth of 26 arts came to be, while he looks at it all, he didn't take a kick from here, a punch from there ( times 26...).  

He made many notes, and several of these were published, not always very coherent either, by others after he passed away, leading to confusion. He also answered the same question differently at different times,  for example when asked if he had invented a new style, the answer (in a US interview) was that he stated he didn't intend to create a new style (repeated more or less in the 'lost interview', where he goes on to say not to believe in style anymore etc (remember he set out to create his own system initially),  but there seems to be evidence that when asked in Hong Kong, he very much still wanted to call it an art/style.   

The how/why/what is going to be highly speculative, the man passed away, and we are left with his writings, and the annecdotes and teachings told and taught by some of his students (most of which sadly have since passed on themselves). 

Suffice to say where we are today is that there are broadly two camps: The one of Original Jeet Kune Do,  practiced by those who want to understand and get proficient in Bruce Lee's own art (which first and foremost he developed for himself).  

Then there are others that are trying to 'reverse' engineer his process and by using some of the Jeet Kune Do principles, are experimenting with other martial arts to see how things fit in, to see if they can make it work for them, with or without sticking to some core principles of JKD, and then calling it JKD,  or often, JKD concepts.

While I don't mind people experimenting and doing their own thing, often (for a variety of reasons, some harmless, others dubious) the word Concepts, or 'based on' is often left out and the teachings are promoted as Jeet Kune Do, when in fact they are someones own interpretation (good or bad) of martial arts, not Bruce Lee's JKD!  This then results in the general public getting confused on what is and what isn't, everybody just seems to do whatever they please and that then leads to the believe that JKD is just a concept, or a philosophy, when Jeet Kune Do is actually a fairly complete martial art in it's own right,  one that is pretty well thought out to boot!.

So what then is Jeet Kune Do: In short, Jeet Kune Do is a martial art system as Bruce Lee developed and practiced it, with a set of principles / structure / strategy / theories and tools.   All elements of it fit together and are based on the most efficient, simple and direct way the human body can move (in combative form). As it is developed by and for Bruce Lee, it contains some elements of Wing Chun (he wrote Ving Tsun, he spend several years training in it prior to starting to develop his own art), and he was greatly influenced by fencing, and boxing. Certainly towards the end of his life, he had developed it such that Wing Chun elements were more limited, and the fencing/boxing parts played a huge role in how the art started to form. There are also some elements related to ground fighting in there, but largely it was based on mobility (staying on your feet!) , and that is a key hall mark of both fencing and boxing. 

Oh and NO! Bruce Lee was not the father of MMA. MMA is a sport, it has a set of rules and over the years the practitioners have figured out what works best in the octagon, often they box/kick box, adding BJJ  etc, currently you see a lot of grappling as it is a way to get an opponent to tap out and win the match . The only thing that Bruce has in common with these fighters is that he more or less pointed the way , saying to not stick to one approach but research others and see what they may have to offer. (and this is exactly what some martial artists of the concept's approach are doing amongst others! But, and it's a biggie, that's not Jeet Kune Do in my view, that's developing yourself as a martial artist YOUR WAY, not Bruce Lee's way!)  So yes you are doing what Bruce Lee encouraged people to do, but you should NOT pass it off as his work! You should be proud and pass it off as YOURS!  

Leave JKD pure, that is the only way to be able to preserve it and show future generations what Bruce Lee had developed.  Fact is, it is based on science, not styles and unless we somehow evolve with two heads and 4 arms etc in the next couple of decades, the human form of fighting is not going to change dramatically, tactics and preferences may be, but that is society driven...

In our school, we teach Bruce Lee's Jeet Kune Do in the lineage of Ted Wong.  So you learn what Bruce Lee did and had developed towards the end of his life, nothing more, nothing less. 

If you are looking for a school in your area, and it's Jeet Kune Do you're after, then check first if the word concepts, or 'based on' appears anywhere in the school's prospectus. It might very well be that you have a very enjoyable time and the instruction/instructors are great and good at what they do, but it might not be what you were after.

It is also my firm believe that once you have a good understanding of  'original ' JKD, you will not have the need to study other arts, but you will be able just like Bruce himself, to understand them, and to figure out how to deal with them. 

You don't need to be spending hours and hours training in different things.  You can, if you enjoy it, but I personally rather spend my time honing my skills in JKD, and to prevent being a 'jack of all trades, master of none'.  As Bruce Lee once stated: ' I fear not the man who practiced 10.000 kicks once, but one kick 10.000 times' 

Feel free to disagree with me on all of this.  As I said this debate has been raging for a long time and is unlikely to go away any time soon for a variety of reasons, some people don't get it, others don't want to get it, yet others view it completely differently and have their own reasoning, correct or not...  Oh well, such is life!

Walk On! 

Who the hell are you?!

 I guess I best introduce myself, before I get above question.

My name is Koos Fockens.......  (yes, I know....) 

I was born and raised in the Netherlands, and have been living in Devon, UK since 1999.  

I've been involved with martial arts, one way or another since I was about 11 years of age and I started my journey in Taekwon-Do, I did this for many years and had the good fortune to have an excellent instructor, who now is a grand master in this art and currently lives in Italy. I am still in touch with him from time to time.  I've had a busy proffesional life and the move to the UK meant that training suffered from time to time, but I always managed to do at least something, train for myself or read up on a topic.

I saw my first Bruce Lee movie at the age of about 13-14 (I can't remember exactly), it was Fist of Fury.

(In the US this movie was released as The Chinese Connection, later renamed to the above), and since then I wanted to do what he did.  Like many an unkempt teenage boy with too many hormones running through his systems, I ran around making Bruce Lee noises, made my own home made nuchaku's (of which the cord or chain often broke, sending the other half flying off in an unpredictable direction, sometime meeting my face along the way with predictable results....).. 

I watched many a Hong Kong Kung Fu movie, some better than others, and generally was enjoying most of them, but by far Bruce Lee's movies were in a different league.  Where I lived however it was not possible to find anyone that taught or trained in Jeet Kune Do.  The same was when I moved to the UK, so for a long period of my life I had no training in what I now train and try to teach. 

However sometimes life throws you a curveball and that happened around 2011, when my employer appointed me to run their office in the Netherlands, requiring weekly commuting to my country of birth. 

Whilst in the Netherlands I wanted to spend some of my free time doing some form of martial arts so I used Google to see what there was in the area, and that's when I found a school that taught Jeet Kune Do. 

I checked out the website and quickly found that the instructors were very close to the source (more about them in another post).  That was that, deal done, I had found Jeet Kune Do and I was going to make the most of it, only my work pattern in those early years was erratic to say the least and I ended up missing more lessons than I attended, until end of 2012, when things calmed down and I managed to attend pretty much every single one since.   

Then in 2016, the Tax man decided that commuting between two countries for work was not business travel, but commuting, and therefore flights etc were taxable as a benefit in kind.  This lead to a reorganisation and I started doing the same job , but based in the UK at our headoffice.  I still travel to NL but not nearly as often.  

This presented a challenge, how on earth do I continue my JKD training!   My instructors encouraged and supported me to start my own local training group, try and find some like minded people and just train.  That's what I did and here we are in 2022, 5 years later and my training group is still going! 

When I'm in NL, one of the more experienced guys take over the class, whilst I try to catch a session with my instructors,  occasionally they come over to the UK to run a workshop, and I travel to each seminar that I can to further my knowledge (including a week long summercamp in Poland which was a great experience).  So now you know my journey, my background.   

Lets see what the future brings, but I think I'm just going to follow some advice by Bruce Lee, and will use this as my sign off from now on....

Walk On! 

Welcome to the Jeet Kune Do Monologues

 Welcome!  

Whilst we've been operating for 5 years this month, and have a nice website (if you didn't know, it can be found at www.junfanjeetkunedo.co.uk ), a public facebook presence, and also a dedicated private group for the students of our group, these places are not that great for general posts on the matter of our martial art, Jeet Kune Do, Bruce Lee, and to give my personal , unedited, uncensored opinions on the matter.

So here's the first post on this new blog.  I'm not going to write something here every day, but I will if and when something is note worthy, something exciting to share (yes I know, that's also subjective) or I simply need to get something of my chest. Hence I chose to use the word 'Monologues' in the title of this blog.   I hope you enjoy my ramblings and occasional wisdom (???), if not, may I suggest Google and try another search result?   

Thanks for stopping by!