Above:The Baha'i House of Worship of Asia. Below:Life and times of your fellow World Citizen, Kolya

The latest, unfortunately sad news from the Baha'i World News Service.  In reading it we can find solace, though, that from every crisis in the history of the Baha'i Faith has ultimately always come a victory!

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I just found out the other day from one of their daughters that my dear friend, helper and American mother figure, Peg O'Connor-- in the times i passed through and/or lived in Denver-- for this traveler so far away from his actual parents-- ascended to the worlds of God at the end of April (2008).
I sent her family my heart felt condolences.  And said some prayers for the departed that night. Here's an example of a Baha'i prayer for the departed:

"Glory be to Thee, O Lord my God! Abase not him whom Thou hast exalted through the power of Thine everlasting sovereignty, and remove not far from Thee him whom Thou hast caused to enter the tabernacle of Thine eternity. Wilt Thou cast away, O my God, him whom thou hast overshadowed with Thy Lordship, and wilt Thou turn away from Thee, O my Desire, him to whom Thou hast been a refuge? Canst Thou degrade him whom Thou hast uplifted, or forget him whom Thou didst enable to remember Thee?

"Glorified, immensely glorified art Thou! Thou art He Who from everlasting hath been the King of the entire creation and its Prime Mover, and Thou wilt to everlasting remain the Lord of all created things and their Ordainer. Glorified art Thou, O my God! If Thou ceasest to be merciful unto Thy servants, who, then, will show mercy unto them; and if Thou refusest to succor thy loved ones, who is there that can succor them?

"Glorified, immeasurably glorified art Thou! Thou art adored in Thy truth, and Thee do we all, verily, worship; and Thou art manifest in Thy justice, and to Thee do we all, verily, bear witness. Thou art, in truth, beloved in Thy grace. No God is there but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting."

- Bahá'u'lláh   (Compilations, Baha'i Prayers, p. 40)

I'll always remember with great gratitude how helpful Peg and her husband Wayne were in giving me a place to stay during my travels and when i returned to the States in October 2005, they let me stay in their home for about a month and borrow their car while they were on pilgrimage, which was a big help in getting settled back down in the States after 4 years in China.

There is solace in the firm knowledge that her soul now soars in the Blessed Realms of the Beloved.  Our love, thoughts and prayers continue to be with you dear Peg.

The Birth of Aikido in India

Written by Yulia Pal

Friday, 28 December 2007

CMA Times. January, 2007 (New Delhi) The New Delhi Aikido Dojo was opened in November 2004 by Sensei Paritos Kar, a 4th Dan Black Belt from Aikikai Hombu Dojo Tokyo, who returned to India after living for 15 years of in Japan. Sensei Paritos Kar is one of the few martial art instructors in India to have the courage to start teaching aikido professionally. To come to Delhi to open an aikido dojo was undoubtedly a big decision for him to make: aikido is almost unheard of in India and it is considered to be a non-competitive "sport" and so it does not interest schools. Moreover, it requires mats and a dedicated space. However, Sensei Kar's sincerity and dedication helped him to overcome the initial difficulties and attracted like-minded people to help him in his mission. During the two years of the dojo’s existence, the active membership has grown stronger: as of now, there are about 30 adults, Indians and foreigners, men and women, all training cooperatively. Many current dojo members have a martial arts background. However it is often said that once you start practicing aikido, it is practically impossible to go back to other martial arts because aikido is so different in its approach. The uniqueness of aikido lies in its spiritual philosophy which was taught by the founder, O-Sensei Morihei Ueshiba and encompasses an attitude of peace and love for all living beings and a oneness with nature and the cosmos. As peace and love have no enemies, an aikido practitioner has no enemies, no opponents to fight. Any aggressive force directed at an aikido practitioner is redirected and effectively neutralized without doing harm to the attacker. The aikidoka's response is fast, the technique is invisible and it utilizes the aggressor's own energy and turns it against him. This normally is enough to stop the aggressor in his tracks and to prevent an escalation of the conflict. Aikido training is not soft or easy by any means. In fact, it is considered one of the most technically difficult and even "esoteric" martial arts. However, the good news is that there are no age limits in aikido. In the Hombu Dojo (The World Aikido Headquarters), Tokyo, I saw many senior people, some in their seventies and even eighties, practicing aikido on a regular basis. There was an elderly man who had knee replacement surgery who was a regular in the early morning class, always with a small foldable stool to help him to do the sitting techniques. The age factor is not a problem in aikido. On the contrary, with many years of practice the techniques become awesomely powerful and imperceptible. The practitioner does not rely on muscle strength but invisibly blends and utilizes the energy of his or her partner/opponent. I have never met a person who claimed that they had perfected their aikido. The aiki spirit is ever elusive and the search for perfection lasts a life time. It becomes a way of life for many practitioners. In our dojo we have regular visitors from abroad. This is another tradition: an aikidoka while traveling prefers to carry his keiko-gi (practice uniform) and a hakama (black traditional samurai pants) with him - just in case there is an opportunity to practice. Aikido practitioners from different counties are welcome to practice in our dojo. Through them we get exposure to different styles and, indirectly, to the teaching of various great aikido masters. In 2006 the dojo was fortunate to hold 3 seminars conducted by distinguished aikido masters: Shihan Gaku Homma Sensei, the founder and chief instructor of the Nippon Kan, Denver, USA, Shihan Terry Ezra Sensei, the founder and chief instructor of Komyokan Aikido, UK, and K. Sakurai Sensei, 6th dan from the Aikikai Hombu Dojo. Not only did these senseis came and stayed in New Delhi at their own expense, they also taught the students for free. Their mastery of the art combined with their goodwill has helped to boost the nascent art of aikido in India and give tremendous encouragement and experience to our pioneering aikido students. It is evident that after the two years of hard work and sacrifice on the part of Sensei Paritos Kar, the New Delhi Aikido Dojo has finally established itself and is poised for new growth. We hope that the year 2007 will be rich in aikido experiences and events and that the dojo will attract more dedicated, talented Indian students capable of becoming aikido instructors. Source:http://aikikaiindia.org/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 NOTE: Gaku Homma Sensei's Nippon-Kan is where i studyied Aikido when i lived in Denver Colorado from 2005 to 2007.

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Last weekend was fun and interesting!  But i'm so busy working full time now (and often too tired to write a bunch by the end of the day-- also from getting over a cold)... as well as other activities like Ruhi study circles and Aikido... so i haven't found time to write about it until now!
Anyway, so last weekend, on Saturday, was many Olympians' annual favorite: The Procession of the Species.  Which is a long parade of people and floats dressed as endangered species and coincides with Earth week.  For more info and pictures of it you can click here X.  Apparently a 27,000 member crowd of tall 'n's and munchkins gathered and watched.  (i.e adults and children).  And i was one of them.  It was a beautiful sunny day the whole day.  With the flowers up and trees also in full bloom.  :^)
Upon arriving downtown a little after 16:30 i parked near the place where the parade would end where the wonderful Traditions Cafe is.  I was surprised and happy to find colored chalk all around and adults and kids drawing all over the road (which was blocked from traffic) and side walks.  I first walked a few blocks until i came upon a place where the parade was going by.  After watching a while, i went back to were the parade would end and watched the beginning of the parade go by.  I then found an area of sidewalk i liked with the Capitol Park to my back and sat down with some colored chalks and started drawing with out a plan other than for it to be on the Baha'i theme of "unity in diversity" it got bigger and bigger until ended up with the final result (see photos included).  I didn't have my camera, but my attempt at art was still there on Sunday at noon, when i went back there after almost completing Ruhi Book 2.
I ended up being very happy that i didn't have my camera the day before because otherwise i wouldn't have stumbled upon Olympia's 2008 Dragonboat Festival!  I noticed lots of tented booths in the distance, next to Capitol Lake.  When i walked up to them i found out from one of them that was handing out event programs that the 2008 Olympia Dragon Boat festival was in progress right then and there!  It's sponsored by neighboring town Lacey's Saint Martin's Uni.  So i spent the next few hours watching the races and meeting the team from China-- from the Shanghai Maritime University, (i was eager to practice my Chinese a bit) which is also the team which won the First Place for the whole competition!  By 14:00 i was getting quite hungry and started strolling into town to find a place to eat.  On the way i stopped off at some interesting booths, first was one for the Olympia Area Chinese Fellowship which was doing free calligraphy of Western names transcribed into Chinese characters.  I already have a Chinese name (Kuò Lì Yà --阔利亚) so i had him do that (on a bookmark sized piece of paper) and chatted to them about China and found out about local Tai-chi and Chinese language classes that i hope to take once i have money to spend on such things (the Aikido instructor, Will Sensei, is very kind and compassionate in allowing me to participate in his classes already now even though it'll be a couple months before i'll be able to start contributing financially).
Eventually i pulled myself away from that booth only to get stuck at a booth with Japanese students who were doing the same with Japanese Characters (in Japanese my name is Ko Ri Ya or Ko Ya and there's 3 different scripts in which it could be written!).  I enjoyed meeting and chatting with them (and getting my name written in Katakana) and so it was around 15:00 by the time i actually got to the restaurant (i chose the Indian restaurant which has an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet for about $8).  It's yummy!  ... I was wearing a Baha'i pendant and while i paid for the meal the owner enjoyed identifying the religious symbols of the world's major religions that are on it.
After lunch i headed back to the lake and practiced calligraphy (writing Ai Ki Do) with the Japanese students (from St. Martins Uni) under their tent at which time it started raining and then pouring.  After getting my coat i then watched the finals of the Dragonboat races.  The Shanghai team won the first place (see photo) as they did the last time they were here, in 2006.
On Monday evening and this morning (Saturday) i attended Aikido classes in Olympia for the first time.  It's great fun-- but i noticed how out of shape i've gotten in the year since i was an Uchideshi at Nippon-Kan in Denver!  I was very sore on Tuesday and Wednesday!  But i think i'll be able to stay healthier now that i'm getting regular exercise-- despite being around little kids all the time, hopefully!

Below is a life update (in imperfect German) for my German readers:
Ich habe letzte Woche nach 2 1/2 Monaten Mühe nicht nur ein Job gefunden (irgend einer für weniger Lohn hätte ich auch viel früher finden können) sondern sogar eins der mir spaβ macht!  Nähmlich als Lehrers Assistent an einer Vor-Kindergarten (für 3 und 4 Jährige). (Kindergarten fängt hier meistens mit 5 Jährige an).  Ich helfe im Klassenzimmer und begleite die Kinder auch im Schulbus.  Es bezahlt nur ungefähr ein Dollar mehr pro Stunde als das mindest Lohn (für der Staat Washington —das ist aber schon ein Paar Dollar mehr als der Bundesmindestlohn).  Ausserdem, kriege ich dadurch auch gutes Versicherung… und es macht mir wie gesagt viel Spaβ, und ist auch gute Übung für wenn ich in Ferner Zukunft selbst hoffentlich mal Kinder habe.

Das Auto das ich in Februar billig gekauft habe (ein 1987iger Suburu) obwohl alt, läuft sehr gut.

Olympia ist ein sehr schöner Kleinstadt.  Dabei ist es aber Hauptstadt vom Staat Washington.  In 2000 hatte es 42.514 Einwohner, jetzt bestimmt mehr.  Das Wetter, obwohl mehr regnerisch als Colorado, ist vergleichbar mit Manchester oder auch Berlin (von meiner gefühl her).  Lezten Samstag hatten wir hier auch Schnee und ein Paar Tage später dann Hagel, aber es ist beim Kontakt mit der Boden geschmolzen.  Die Bäume sind jezt alle in voller Blüte—sehr Hübsch!

Bald zieh’ ich vor wieder Aikido Klassen zu nehmen.  (Vieleicht auch Tanz (Salsa, Swing oder so was) Klassen-- kann sein, daβ ich eins um sonst machen kann).

Hier ein Gebet Geschrieben direkt von Baha'u'llah (Baha'u'llah heiβt übersetzt: “Herrlichkeit Gottes”), der benutzte ich oft:

"Ich bitte Dich, o mein Gott, bei Deiner Kraft und Deiner Macht und Deiner Herrschaft, die alle in Deinem Himmel und auf Deiner Erde umfaßt, zeige Deinen Dienern diesen leuchtenden Weg und diesen geraden Pfad, damit sie Deine Einheit und Einzigkeit mit einer Gewißheit bekennen, die weder der eitle Wahn der Zweifler schmälern noch der leere Trug der Widerspenstigen verdunkeln kann. Erleuchte, o mein Herr, die Augen Deiner Diener und erheitere ihr Herz mit dem Lichtglanz Deiner Erkenntnis, damit sie die Größe dieser erhabensten Stufe erfassen und diesen strahlenden Horizont erkennen, so daß die Menschen mit ihrem Geschrei sie nicht mehr davon abhalten, den Blick auf das strahlende Licht Deiner Einheit zu richten, noch sie hindern, ihr Angesicht dem Horizonte der Loslösung zuzuwenden."
--Bahá'u'lláh   (Compilations, 1996 Bahai-GEBETE)

Dieses Gebet von der Bab (heiβt übersetzt: "der Tor", Er war der verheißer von Baha'u''lah) ist mir immer behilfrig gewesen:

"Gibt es einen Befreier von Schwierigkeiten außer Gott? Sprich: Gelobt sei Gott! Er ist Gott! Alle sind Seine Diener und alle unterstehen Seinem Befehl." --Báb  (Compilations, 1996 Bahai-GEBETE)

In Search of...Something

Beijing -- Anyone in China over the age of, say, 30 has lived through more change than most Westerners can imagine in a lifetime.

In the early 1970s, China was in the grip of the Cultural Revolution, one of the most extreme incarnations of Communism the world has known, a chaotic period when traditional culture and values were all but eradicated. The Maoism that replaced Chinese tradition has since been eviscerated by three decades of economic reforms and opening that began in 1978. Today, it often seems that the pursuit of growth and profit are China's new reigning orthodoxy.

Not surprisingly, many Chinese feel unmoored by these turbulent ideological swings. There is a growing belief, especially among urban residents who have benefited most from economic change, that China's material success has come without any accompanying moral anchor for society. They argue that this dearth of morality in China's materialistic modern society is the cause of many of the country's well-known woes: corruption, environmental abuses, a growing gap between rich and poor, and even China's hyperreliance on cash, which many argue flows from a lack of trust needed to develop a flourishing credit culture.

The result is a widening search for religious and spiritual traditions to fill the void -- a search that some think could change society as much in coming decades as economic reforms have.

A priest blesses Catholics.

"When China opened up...many of us believed that the market would save China, and let China become stronger and more civilized," says Zhao Xiao, a Beijing-based economist who writes frequently about religion and morality. "And they were right in a way, because people became successful," he says. "But the market isn't perfect.... It stimulates greed and arouses desires."

As a consequence, says Mr. Zhao, "China is going through a new transformation. This transformation will be the most profound for China -- far more important than the superficial changes in wealth."

A Broad Search

That search for answers is surprisingly broad. Protestantism is gaining followers, and the revival of Buddhism is evident in the increasing number of people who wear prayer-bead bracelets -- a rare sight in China just 10 years ago. Among a small but growing class of wealthy executives in Beijing, Baha'i, a factionless faith founded in 19th-century Persia that stresses the unity of all groups including races, classes and religions, is gaining a following.

Xue Yongxin, founder of pharmaceutical company Chengdu Enwei Group who practices both Daoism and Buddhism, says spirituality taught him that financial success would not fulfill him. "A person's [material] fortune is an illusion," he says. "If it's all that you are, then you will lose yourself. And when we lose ourselves we may as well be penniless. Material things just give you an average lifestyle; take your extra money and do something good with it."

Muslims gather to pray.

Even the officially atheist Communist Party is beginning to embrace at least the trappings of spirituality and tradition. During the late Maoist era, worship was off-limits. Christian priests were often imprisoned, and even native traditions -- like the 2,000-year-old philosophy of Confucianism -- were actively stamped out.

China explicitly guarantees "freedom of religious belief" and protects "normal religious activities" in its state constitution, adopted in 1982, four years after Deng Xiaoping initiated economic reforms. But the government has continued to tightly control religious practices -- limiting worship to officially sanctioned services overseen by one of five "patriotic religious associations" governing Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Protestant Christianity and Catholicism.

The party's relationship with religion remains strained -- as recent clashes with T i b e t a n Buddhist m onks show. It crushes movements that it perceives as threats -- such as the spiritual discipline called F a l u n G o n g, the target of a brutal crackdown after its adherents surrounded the leadership compound in Beijing for a silent protest against criticism in the state-run media.

To READ the REST OF THE ARTICLE PLEASE GO TO THE SOURCE:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120767838373098625.html?mod=2_1339_leftbox

Happy Ridvan!  Tonight at sunset the first of the 12 Days of Ridvan began, which commemorate Baha'u'llah's declaration to those in attendance, in a garden outside of Baghdad in the mid 19th Century CE of his Station as a Manifestation of God and the Promised One of all Ages, the recipient of Divine Revelation equal to that of the Bab, Mohammad, Jesus, the Buddha, Zoroaster, Moses, Krishna, Noah, Abraham and Others before Him.

Also i got one of those questionnaires emailed to me recently and decided to post my answers here.  Some of the questions i replaced with ones more to my liking.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? no
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? during my marriage
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? only when i write slowly and carefully
4. WHAT IS THE FIRST MOVIE THAT COMES TO MIND THAT YOU LIKE>> RIGHT NOW!? The Lord of the Rings trilogy
5. CAN YOU PLAY A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT? no but i like to sing
6. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES/SPORTS? aikido, tai-chi, cycling (in America or the E.U. where there's less traffic and more bike lanes!), tennis, skiing, walking
7. HOW OFTEN DO YOU DO ANY OF THOSE FROM # 6? once or twice a week... ideally... hasn't been the case for close to a year, though.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS AND APPENDIX?  Yes
9. WOULD YOU SKY DIVE? Possibly, if i could do it for free.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BREAKFAST FOOD? Bran flakes mixed with granola with Soy milk or rice milk.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Usually.
12. WHAT'S THE FIRST BOOK THAT YOU LIKE THAT COMES TO MIND RIGHT NOW!? Dune
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? chocolate
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Eyes and smile
15. RED OR GREEN?  monk's red
16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?  dry skin and occasional knee problems
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?  my parents
18. WHAT THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT TO A GOOD MARRIAGE? weekly prayerful consultation
19. WHERE WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO BE RIGHT NOW? Bahji or Haifa
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? crackers with peanut butter.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? J.B. Eckl and Eric Dozier's album: Badasht
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? deep orange, similar to my blog's color but not quite.
23. FAVORITE SMELLS?  freshly broken cinnamon stick
24. DO YOU LIKE TO COOK?  i don't mind cooking i just don't like the time it takes to do it! (I'm very slow at chopping vegetables, etc.)
25. FAVORITE ARTISTIC THING TO DO?  Act or write poetry
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?  football, but i hardly ever spend time watching sports except maybe for the world cup or Olympics
27. THEATER, BALLET, OR OPERA? THEATER
28. HOW MUCH TV DO YOU WATCH? very little actual TV, maybe a few hours a week, but i watch some TV shows online and i do watch lots of DVDs each week.
29.DO YOU EVER WEAR GLASSES OR CONTACTS? glasses all the time, because contacts make my eyes all bloodshot.  I'd like to get corrective laser surgery done sometime so as to not need either!
30. FAVORITE FOODS? My mum's cooking, Indian, Middle Eastern, Chinese, Thai, Mexican, Japanese, etc. Out of all these Indian is my favorite of favorites, though.
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?  I like happy endings. I only like "horror" movies if they are horror-comedies more comedy than horror.
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Brick (last night).  A classic "Film Noir" plot but set in a modern high school.  And The Business of Being Born today, a very good documentary about home birthing with mid-wives (vs. in Hospitals).
33. WHAT COLOR CLOTHES ARE YOU WEARING? mostly Black (I also like wearing more colorful clothing, though!)
34. SUMMER OR WINTER?  I like all the seasons in different ways.
35. HUGS OR KISSES?  Hugs, if short, when saying hello or goodbye (to anyone-- but not in China where it's not part of the culture), kisses only with wife after marriage.
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Chocolate cake, or pumpkin, apple or blueberry pie.
37. HOW MANY CHILDREN WOULD YOU LIKE? 2 seems like a good number but depends on the financial situation.
38. WOULD YOU LIKE TO ADOPT IF FOR SOME REASON YOU AND YOUR SPOUSE WEREN'T ABLE TO HAVE ANY? Yes
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? A fantasy novel, but it's not as good as J. R. R. Tolkien!  This morning i read from the Qu'ran.
40. DO YOU LIKE READING, DO YOU READ MUCH?  Yes and yes!
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?  My house-mates where watching Ocean's Twelve and i was in the same room but mostly paying attention to my computer.
42. FAVORITE SOUND(s)? The wind through the leaves, birds, waves, flute, sitar, guitar...
43. STONES OR BEATLES? The Beatles.
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? I haven't been any further than planet Earth yet!
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Reading out loud, drawing, acting, poetry
46. WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE A TATTOO? WHAT KIND?  Yes, if i could get one for free.  Maybe a nine pointed star and a celtic design with a dragon and or wolf.
47. WHICH THREE COUNTRIES WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO LIVE IN FOR SOME TIME OTHER THAN WHERE YOU ARE NOW? China, India, New Zealand.
48. WHICH FIVE other COUNTRIES that you've never visited yet WOULD YOU LIKE TO VISIT FOR A HOLIDAY? Turkey, Canada, Australia, Ireland, Nepal.
49. IF YOU HAD THE TIME, SPACE AND MONEY WHAT PET WOULD YOU HAVE IF ANY? a dog (a malamut or Labrador or retriever).

I drove down to the Olympia Aikido dojo this morning at a quarter past 8 but it was deserted due to the fact that it was snowing (i guess) but that's so wimpy because it wasn't even accumulating, rather it was melting on contact... oh well, guess i'll try going on Wednesday instead.  I'm eager to take my first class (here in Olympia).
I'm going to be hosting Olympia's weekly devotional at the De Colores book store down town tomorrow morning.  That should be fun!

I thought it's been a while since i updated my dedicated readers (i've learned recently there are at least a couple!) on my life... as opposed to the more usual news stories that i find most interesting and share-worthy.  So, here it is:
I've been watching a lot of movies on DVD or online on Netflix, it's much more value for your money now that you can also watch a lot of them online from their Site.  Unfortunately, to do so, i have to use "the Borg's" [Star Trek reference] Internet Explorer instead of Mozilla Firefox which is what i prefer to use the rest of the time.  I also got caught up on The Office (season 2 & 3 via Netflix and season 4 via NBC's Website).  The Office (USA version) has an actor who is a Baha'i, by the name of Rainn Wilson, in case you didn't know.  He also had a supporting role in The Last Mimzy (love it!) and Juno, which i'm hoping to finally see this week, as it's playing at the Olympia Film Society's Theater this week. And on Lost, from the ABC website.
And in brief:
Had a stye on my left eyelid last week, didn't go to a doctor since i don't have medical insurance yet (but will soon-- see job news below) but managed to treat it with hot certified organic green tea bags over a few days (green tea has some anti-bacterial properties)-- and prayer    0;^) .
Almost finished studying Arising to Serve (Ruhi book 2) and looking forward to soon doing the practice for it.  Also, i'm currently facilitating a Twin Manifestations-- Ruhi book 4 study circle on Monday evenings, which is also very enjoyable.
On Saturday morning i observed the Bell Misogi and Aikido class at Olympia's fairly new Aikido dojo-- it's only been around for about a year and a half.  This Saturday or by next week i'm planning to start training there, even though my Gi is currently lost (i still hope it'll be found though), but they said i can train in street clothes for now, so i'm glad about that!
I recently finished reading The Kite Runner and will soon finish Khaled Hosseini's next book A Thousand Splendid Suns.  They're both great books!  Well worth reading.
And, i finally got hired for a full time job as an assistant teacher at a "Head Start" preschool.  I filled out the paperwork on Monday, lots of it :^p  And and got a clean bill of health from the doctor.  It's called "Roger's Head Start" and is on the same grounds as an elementary school and/or kindergarten in N.E. Olympia-- that's one of the great things about it: that it's in Olympia (as opposed to one of the many nearby towns)!  It's a full time job. (but not during the summer).  I'm very happy about it, i think i'll enjoy it much more than some of the other options that i looked at/applied for.  Together with the part time theater work i'll be able to get through the summer financially, now, even if i don't get a summer job, but i'm probably going to try to get one, anyway.
I'll be minding the kids on their bus rides and also assist in the classroom for the afternoon class so it'll still be a 40 hour week.  And i'll be able to get full Benefits through it (i.e. health insurance).  It pays $9.25/hr. Which is not all that much but good enough for now, since, importantly, it leaves my evenings and weekends free for Theater work and Baha'i activities.  I will be one of the follow-spot operators for The Rocky Horror Show in June and July which will be very fun, i'm really looking forward to it!