So I read an article in the Globe and Mail this morning about this 18 year old thief who's been at it since he was 12. His escapades and trademark bare footprints have become so legendary he's got a facebook fan page with thousands of fans and there's a business selling fan T-shirts. At first it was just an interesting story, until it mentioned he had shown up on the Canadian side of the border from rural Idaho. Well, Idaho's panhandle has a rather small border and Creston is right on the other side of it - sure enough the next paragraph mentions "tiny Creston" by name. Odd that I've never heard about this before even though I've been in Creston for 2 years now. Anyway, this 18 year old brazenly stole a Cessna and flew it right out of the airport!
There are 5 jurisdictions looking for him and still no luck.
Some idiots think he's some kind of hero. I don't see how. Just because he's living a life that is sure to one day be turned into a movie and descriptions of his crimes are entertaining doesn't in any way give comfort to the victims of his crimes.He's still a criminal taking what other people have worked hard to earn. I hope they catch the cocky little jerk and lock him up tight.
If you're interested, here's a link to the G&M article:
Wanted man is a barefoot burglar, amateur pilot and cult hero
Showing posts with label Creston. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Creston. Show all posts
Friday, October 9, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
Red Jade Kung-Fu Store
If you know me at all you know I'm a bit of an artisan. I make stuff. Often I'll see something and say - I could make that. I don't have any training, or any background in any related industry. I fiddle around and things turn out.
So a couple of years ago when started Kung-Fu class I saw these wooden practice broadswords and thought "I can make that". I'd never made anything like it, but I figured I I had the right thickness of wood I could cut the shape with a jigsaw and shape it with a sander. So I did. I made a set of 10 swords with the Red Jade school's logo hand-burned into the blade of each one, and then I made a stand to hold them in. It took me weeks and at the time I was camping and using a generator to power my tools, so it was a real pain. But I learned a lot along the way.
Fast forward to now and I'm currently on a quest to make some extra cash to finance house renovations - we really need a new furnace and new windows. So among my many projects (none of which has made me any real money yet, but many of which have cost me a fair bit - my many talents do NOT include making money, unfortunately!!!) - I decided I should try selling stuff at my Kung-Fu school. Currently anyone who wants something Kung-Fu related has to order it on-line as there's no local resource, and there's no China-town in any of the communities in this area. So I made a deal with my Shifu (That's Mandarin for teacher/master - equivalent to the Japanese word Sensai) if it would be OK to set up a shop and he would benefit from getting a portion of any profits made. I had already sold some other hand-made stiff at a friend's store and the deal there was a 30% mark-up, so that sounded god here. The great thing is I don't have to pay rent, and Shifu doesn't have to do anything except handle the cash when someone buys something. He's already got the space so it doesn't cost him any extra.
So I set o work. First I decided on a list of products I would offer, then figured out how to present them. I decided that since the space is a section of wall it would be cool to make a Chinese style archway and display all the products in the space created inside. So I researched Chinese archways on Google image search and settled on a basic design. For the sign it was straight boards with a curved horn at the ends. So I made a template for the horns, traced it on to the boards and cut them out. Then my daughters and I painted them and after my Wife added the signage and Chinese characters.
The rest was basically making a set of shelves, and cuttig and painting the other components. Given it's size I had to assemble it on-site. So off to the school we went and I put it together and then we added the stock we had and realized it was practically empty. So we had to make lots more stuff. These pictures are with the current stock after a few days of making stuff. So far everything I've put in the store is hand-made by myself or my wife and daughters. I do all the weapons an anything involving wood-working - with some assistance from my daughters. Janelle especially likes to help with tracing patterns, sanding, painting, etc. My wife is skilled at copying things, so she's mostly in charge of the Chinese calligraphy. We get characters from chineseculture.about.com and copy from there.
Eventually I'll also buy things from China or China-towns I visit to re-sell them at a mark-up. In addition I've provided a space for Shifu to sell some of hs books and DVDs. As well, my friend, kung-fu sister and illustrator Lorna Foot is making a series of mini-books for the kids. So far they are cartoon manuals, but she may also do some comics and other things. She's a very talented young artist.
So far in the store we have for sale:
-Pendant necklaces
-Form counters (Boards that are mostly blank with some decorative calligraphy for students to mark down a number each time hey practice a form aka kata or set)
-Sash hangers to display your sash (in other martial arts would be called belts)
-Rocks painted with Chinese calligraphy
-Wooden ornaments with Chinese calligraphy
-Kids 5 foot bamboo spears
-kids and adults pairs of wooden ring daggers
-Kids and adult size wooden Dao (Chinese broadsword)
-And one wooden Wing sword
-Shifu's 16 Dragon manual
-Lorna's White Sash manual for kids
-Seiza meditation benches
I'm very proud of the store. I think it looks great in the school. I think I'm offering some unique items that are right for the people that visit the school at reasonable prices. My family and I have invested a lot of time and energy - and a bit of money - into this little store, so we're very hopeful that it will prove successful. Now that it's up it should prove to be fairly low maintenance. I will have to add products to keep it stocked, but since I enjoy making them that's no great chore.
So if you happen to be in Creston, BC, Canada (just North of the Idaho Panhandle and about 3.5 hours from Spokane Washington) stop by the Red Jade school to check it and maybe do a little Kung-Fu while you're there.
So a couple of years ago when started Kung-Fu class I saw these wooden practice broadswords and thought "I can make that". I'd never made anything like it, but I figured I I had the right thickness of wood I could cut the shape with a jigsaw and shape it with a sander. So I did. I made a set of 10 swords with the Red Jade school's logo hand-burned into the blade of each one, and then I made a stand to hold them in. It took me weeks and at the time I was camping and using a generator to power my tools, so it was a real pain. But I learned a lot along the way.
Fast forward to now and I'm currently on a quest to make some extra cash to finance house renovations - we really need a new furnace and new windows. So among my many projects (none of which has made me any real money yet, but many of which have cost me a fair bit - my many talents do NOT include making money, unfortunately!!!) - I decided I should try selling stuff at my Kung-Fu school. Currently anyone who wants something Kung-Fu related has to order it on-line as there's no local resource, and there's no China-town in any of the communities in this area. So I made a deal with my Shifu (That's Mandarin for teacher/master - equivalent to the Japanese word Sensai) if it would be OK to set up a shop and he would benefit from getting a portion of any profits made. I had already sold some other hand-made stiff at a friend's store and the deal there was a 30% mark-up, so that sounded god here. The great thing is I don't have to pay rent, and Shifu doesn't have to do anything except handle the cash when someone buys something. He's already got the space so it doesn't cost him any extra.
So I set o work. First I decided on a list of products I would offer, then figured out how to present them. I decided that since the space is a section of wall it would be cool to make a Chinese style archway and display all the products in the space created inside. So I researched Chinese archways on Google image search and settled on a basic design. For the sign it was straight boards with a curved horn at the ends. So I made a template for the horns, traced it on to the boards and cut them out. Then my daughters and I painted them and after my Wife added the signage and Chinese characters.
The rest was basically making a set of shelves, and cuttig and painting the other components. Given it's size I had to assemble it on-site. So off to the school we went and I put it together and then we added the stock we had and realized it was practically empty. So we had to make lots more stuff. These pictures are with the current stock after a few days of making stuff. So far everything I've put in the store is hand-made by myself or my wife and daughters. I do all the weapons an anything involving wood-working - with some assistance from my daughters. Janelle especially likes to help with tracing patterns, sanding, painting, etc. My wife is skilled at copying things, so she's mostly in charge of the Chinese calligraphy. We get characters from chineseculture.about.com and copy from there.
Eventually I'll also buy things from China or China-towns I visit to re-sell them at a mark-up. In addition I've provided a space for Shifu to sell some of hs books and DVDs. As well, my friend, kung-fu sister and illustrator Lorna Foot is making a series of mini-books for the kids. So far they are cartoon manuals, but she may also do some comics and other things. She's a very talented young artist.
So far in the store we have for sale:
-Pendant necklaces
-Form counters (Boards that are mostly blank with some decorative calligraphy for students to mark down a number each time hey practice a form aka kata or set)
-Sash hangers to display your sash (in other martial arts would be called belts)
-Rocks painted with Chinese calligraphy
-Wooden ornaments with Chinese calligraphy
-Kids 5 foot bamboo spears
-kids and adults pairs of wooden ring daggers
-Kids and adult size wooden Dao (Chinese broadsword)
-And one wooden Wing sword
-Shifu's 16 Dragon manual
-Lorna's White Sash manual for kids
-Seiza meditation benches
I'm very proud of the store. I think it looks great in the school. I think I'm offering some unique items that are right for the people that visit the school at reasonable prices. My family and I have invested a lot of time and energy - and a bit of money - into this little store, so we're very hopeful that it will prove successful. Now that it's up it should prove to be fairly low maintenance. I will have to add products to keep it stocked, but since I enjoy making them that's no great chore.
So if you happen to be in Creston, BC, Canada (just North of the Idaho Panhandle and about 3.5 hours from Spokane Washington) stop by the Red Jade school to check it and maybe do a little Kung-Fu while you're there.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Why I love Kung-Fu class
I grew up during the Ninja craze. Looking back it's a bit odd that my parents didn't really mind that I watched movies that involved throwing stars finding their targets in people's eyes - remember the opening scene of Revenge of the Ninja? Anyway, it wasn't the blood that I was interested in, it was the moves... and the weapons were oh so cool. Ther was just something about the martial arts in general that drew me.
So in 5th grade I got into Tae Kwon Do - it had just arrived in my small town. I loved it until a string of migraine like headaches took me out of classes. Looking back I think I was probably pretty terrible at it, but it sure was fun. (despite the fact that the instructor was really not the nicest guy to learn from).
In my teens I tried to go back, but I was so out of shape I turned purple. Slow down they said, but I couldn't do it half-heartedly. It was all or nothing for me, so it had to be nothing at that point.
In the back of my mind I always had a desire to get back into some form of martial arts. I'd gotten into fitness big time in my late 20s (I was actually quite ripped at one point - and I will be again, mark my words!) So when I came to Creston, I figured it would be a good way to to keep in shape and maybe meet some people. And maybe I wouldn't turn purple. One day we were at a flea market and there on a table was business card for a free month of Kung-Fu at Red Jade Martial Arts. So I looked it up on the internet and was at first thoroughly confused. I had no idea what all this talk about different styles was, and this history of the Ma family, and the eight shadows. But it sounded cool, there was mention of weapons training and when I emailed him this Sifu Neil Ripski character seemed like a cool guy. So I went. I was glad I did. One class and I was hooked!
The style we train is a family style. Unlike the TKD I took which was military style and involved a lot of lines and army style drills. Red Jade really is a family. Class is usually taught in a circle, it's much less formal, much more friendly and there's a great camaraderie that develops between Kung-Fu brothers and sisters.
I can only speak from my own experience. I'm sure it's different for everyone. But for me, there's something special about this coming together in a small group and working, sweating and learning together. When I started I was going through some really - no, let's say extremely - stressful times at work. Like nervous breakdown stressful. But after a day of frustration I'd go to class, and within minutes the outside world, work, and all the other stresses, ceased to exist. The school is like a sanctuary - fitting considering that Kung-Fu evolved in monastic temples and family compound courtyards. In that space I am in the moment. I am pushing my body to it's limits. Dripping sweat. Thinking in new ways and drinking from a sea of ancient knowledge. Sifu Ripski has been practicing Kung-Fu since he was little and the depth of knowledge he has is awe-inspiring. He's actually a bit younger than me. I can only imagine what he'll be like when he's an old man since he's still learning! Learning from him is an honour and privilege (yes, he'll read this but I'm not sucking up... much - I'm being sincere). I think Creston is very lucky to have Red Jade. It's a very special place and special family - at least to me.
Yes, the style itself is great, and I like Kung-Fu for being Kung-Fu etc. But had this same club been another martial art, I likely would have been almost as happy - unless it was some rigid military style. I enjoy the laughing and joking around just as much as anything else. Then, there's the friends, of course.
I'm kind of a socially awkward person. I don't have many friends and I find making friends a bit like dating - except with dating there are certain rules. The other person knows what to expect, what your intention is. Not so with making friends. As an adult you can't just say "will you be my friend" like you did when you were a kid - they'll think you're mentally challenged or something! So when I encountered at Red Jade a group of adults my own age with similar interests I was pretty excited. I mean, after 6 years in Winnipeg and 4 in Vancouver I hadn't made a single friend outside work and school (and those friendships didn't really exist much outside those places) - yep, I'm a bit of a loser that way. Just a bit. Unfortunately at first I let my excitement show a little bit too much. One of my Kung-Fu siblings later described me as "an annoying over-enthusiastic little puppy" - thanks Jase! Anyway, my excitement waned shortly after. I did still find friends there. But it's more that your average sit around drinking beers and chatting kind of friendship in a way. There's a certain connection and level of trust that necessarily develops when you're swinging punches and kicks at each other and trusting that you won't get hurt - not seriously anyway. It really is like a family. That's a big part of why I love it.
Honestly, if it weren't for Red Jade, I likely wouldn't have stayed in Creston. With my work-from-home job I could go just about anywhere, and when it was looking like our original reason for coming to Creston - to be close to the in-laws - was maybe not such a good thing, I considered moving elsewhere. But I couldn't bear the thought of leaving Red Jade.
So thank you Sifu and my Kung-Fu brothers and sisters.
So in 5th grade I got into Tae Kwon Do - it had just arrived in my small town. I loved it until a string of migraine like headaches took me out of classes. Looking back I think I was probably pretty terrible at it, but it sure was fun. (despite the fact that the instructor was really not the nicest guy to learn from).
In my teens I tried to go back, but I was so out of shape I turned purple. Slow down they said, but I couldn't do it half-heartedly. It was all or nothing for me, so it had to be nothing at that point.
In the back of my mind I always had a desire to get back into some form of martial arts. I'd gotten into fitness big time in my late 20s (I was actually quite ripped at one point - and I will be again, mark my words!) So when I came to Creston, I figured it would be a good way to to keep in shape and maybe meet some people. And maybe I wouldn't turn purple. One day we were at a flea market and there on a table was business card for a free month of Kung-Fu at Red Jade Martial Arts. So I looked it up on the internet and was at first thoroughly confused. I had no idea what all this talk about different styles was, and this history of the Ma family, and the eight shadows. But it sounded cool, there was mention of weapons training and when I emailed him this Sifu Neil Ripski character seemed like a cool guy. So I went. I was glad I did. One class and I was hooked!
The style we train is a family style. Unlike the TKD I took which was military style and involved a lot of lines and army style drills. Red Jade really is a family. Class is usually taught in a circle, it's much less formal, much more friendly and there's a great camaraderie that develops between Kung-Fu brothers and sisters.
I can only speak from my own experience. I'm sure it's different for everyone. But for me, there's something special about this coming together in a small group and working, sweating and learning together. When I started I was going through some really - no, let's say extremely - stressful times at work. Like nervous breakdown stressful. But after a day of frustration I'd go to class, and within minutes the outside world, work, and all the other stresses, ceased to exist. The school is like a sanctuary - fitting considering that Kung-Fu evolved in monastic temples and family compound courtyards. In that space I am in the moment. I am pushing my body to it's limits. Dripping sweat. Thinking in new ways and drinking from a sea of ancient knowledge. Sifu Ripski has been practicing Kung-Fu since he was little and the depth of knowledge he has is awe-inspiring. He's actually a bit younger than me. I can only imagine what he'll be like when he's an old man since he's still learning! Learning from him is an honour and privilege (yes, he'll read this but I'm not sucking up... much - I'm being sincere). I think Creston is very lucky to have Red Jade. It's a very special place and special family - at least to me.
Yes, the style itself is great, and I like Kung-Fu for being Kung-Fu etc. But had this same club been another martial art, I likely would have been almost as happy - unless it was some rigid military style. I enjoy the laughing and joking around just as much as anything else. Then, there's the friends, of course.
I'm kind of a socially awkward person. I don't have many friends and I find making friends a bit like dating - except with dating there are certain rules. The other person knows what to expect, what your intention is. Not so with making friends. As an adult you can't just say "will you be my friend" like you did when you were a kid - they'll think you're mentally challenged or something! So when I encountered at Red Jade a group of adults my own age with similar interests I was pretty excited. I mean, after 6 years in Winnipeg and 4 in Vancouver I hadn't made a single friend outside work and school (and those friendships didn't really exist much outside those places) - yep, I'm a bit of a loser that way. Just a bit. Unfortunately at first I let my excitement show a little bit too much. One of my Kung-Fu siblings later described me as "an annoying over-enthusiastic little puppy" - thanks Jase! Anyway, my excitement waned shortly after. I did still find friends there. But it's more that your average sit around drinking beers and chatting kind of friendship in a way. There's a certain connection and level of trust that necessarily develops when you're swinging punches and kicks at each other and trusting that you won't get hurt - not seriously anyway. It really is like a family. That's a big part of why I love it.
Honestly, if it weren't for Red Jade, I likely wouldn't have stayed in Creston. With my work-from-home job I could go just about anywhere, and when it was looking like our original reason for coming to Creston - to be close to the in-laws - was maybe not such a good thing, I considered moving elsewhere. But I couldn't bear the thought of leaving Red Jade.
So thank you Sifu and my Kung-Fu brothers and sisters.
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