Viewing 1 - 5 out of 5 Blogs.

I know everyone is thinking Spring ....which means thinking Green!  Thought this was an insightful essay.  Hope you enjoy....

Green is a combination of the colors yellow and blue, each of which brings its own unique energy to the overall feeling of the color green. Blue exudes calm and peace, while yellow radiates liveliness and high levels of energy. As a marriage between these two very different colors, green is a unifier of opposites, offering both the excitement of yellow and the tranquility of blue. It energizes blue’s passivity and soothes yellow’s intensity, inspiring us to be both active and peaceful at the same time. It is a mainstay of the seasons of spring and summer, thus symbolizing birth and growth.

Green is one of the reasons that spring instigates so much excitement and activity. As a visual harbinger of the end of winter, green stems and leaves shoot up and out from the dark branches of trees and the muddy ground, letting us know that it’s safe for us to come out, too. In this way, green invites us to shed our layers and open ourselves to the outside world, not in a frantic way, but with an easygoing excitement that draws us outside just to sniff the spring air. Unlike almost any other color, green seems to have its own smell, an intoxicating combination of sun and sky—earthy, bright, and clean. In the best-case scenario, it stops us in our tracks and reminds us to appreciate the great experience of simply being alive.

Green balances our energy so that, in looking at it, we feel confident that growth is inevitable. It also gives us the energy to contribute to the process of growth, to nurture ourselves appropriately, without becoming overly attached to our part in the process. Green reminds us to let go and let nature do her work, while at the same time giving us the energy to do our own.

This message in it entirety can be found on http://www.dailyom.com/

I spend a lot of time on my computer (and on conference calls) and have a bad habit of surfing the net looking for great sites (like tkdspace.com) when I should be listening to what is being said on the call.  One website I tend to go back to quite often is www.tkdtutor.com  for information, to learn new things etc... 

Hope you enjoy it too and please don't tell my boss!

Tags: Website

Stumbled across two new authors everyone might want to check out.  The first is Michael A. Black, who writes about a private detective from Chicago who is also a professional kick boxer.  There are three books so far in the series and you really need to struggle through the first before they get good but I have to say by book three I was hooked.  his myspace page is

http://www.myspace.com/michaelablack  

 

Ron Shade, the character, is 100% a dude from his American muscle car to his desire to win a champion fight but the author also gives him some depth so the series is a light, enjoyable read.  Don’t expect a lot of substance…these books are more for the beach or a plane ride.  I will say though, I was disappointed when I finished book three that I couldn’t immediately pick up book four!

 

The second author everyone may want to take a peek at is S.J. Warner and the book is called “Love is Murder”.  This author writes about a character named Rick Trudeau who is a private detective and owns a Dojo in Florida.  I would give this book a “thumbs up” more for his awesome descriptions of the classes he teaches than the plot development.  He does a great job describing how he comes up with curriculum to teach his black belts.  The main character is also an avid motorcyclist so if you like bikes you should check it out!

 

I spend a great deal of time reading...obviously from my blogs...and came across a quote I find fitting for marial artists....   Let me know what you think!

Watch your thoughts, for they become words
Watch you words, for they become actions
Watch your actions, for they become habits
Watch your habits, for they become character
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny

Unkown

As an avid reader of fiction I am always looking for authors who not only spin a good yarn but add a twist of martial arts. I especially enjoy authors who portray martial arts in realistic situations and have an understanding of how to use them. I love when I can be entertained and learn at the same time!

One of my favorite characters is Jack Reacher. If you like loners who stand up for what is good then you will want to take a gander at the Jack Reacher books. They are addicting, action packed and Jack Reacher is one cool dude. The Jack Reacher series is written by the author Lee Child. Here is the link to learn more: www.leechild.com

Now, another great example of martial arts fiction is the John Rain series by Barry Eisler. He has a MySpace page www.myspace.com/barryeisler  as well as an official website. www.barryeisler.com . I know this is contradictory but John is an assassin with a conscience. I think the book Rain Fall inspired me to start taking Combat Hapkido.

Another series you may want to check out are the books called Sensei and Deshi by John Donohue. The hero in these books is a gentleman named Connor Burke who is a senior student of a master swordsman and a student in Karate and Judo. Unfortunately there are only two books in this series so everyone will have to wait until fall of 2008 for the next. You can check out John Donohue's books at the following link: www.johndonohue.net

Enjoy and let me know what you think. I will list a few more authors soon…don't worry…I have many favorite authors…I would rank these three in the top five with regards to a martial arts twist. Enjoy.

Casey (wontoughcookie)

Tags: Fiction Books Martial Arts Writing