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~life
by Josh on 04/02/2001

So today is 4/1/01. April Fools. And more importantly the Roselle Park Dojo Opening Seminar. Four hours of harmonious ass-kicking and instruction by the best teachers around.

Here is the plan, followed by how it all went down.

So today is 4/1/01. April Fools. And more importantly the Roselle Park Dojo Opening Seminar. Four hours of harmonious ass-kicking and instruction by the best teachers around.

Here was the plan, followed by how it all went down.

8:15 Rob gets dropped off at my house. I wake up, shower, and get ready.
9:00 Ed swings by and picks us up. We hop on the Garden State Parkway.
9:30 Registration and sign-up at the dojo. We say good morning to Sensei, get changed, and rub elbows with the uchi-deshi.
10:00 Seminar starts, Karen teaches the first class, followed by Sensei, Sensei Stickles, and Hal Lehrman Sensei.

This is how it went down.

7:35 I woke up, looked at the clock, and thought to myself. “Ok, I’ll start getting ready when Rob gets here.”
8:00 Grandpa, who happens to be staying over, came down stairs and told me “There is a tall guy with glasses hanging around outside the house. Are you expecting someone?”

I thought, “Oh, must be Rob.” A moment later, fellow with glasses came down stairs. It was Ed! I said, “Huh? Aren’t you an hour early?”

Ed: “Daylight savings, buddy.”
Me: “You mean that its actually 9:00?”
Ed: “Yup.”
Me. “SHIT!”

I picked the phone and called Rob. I left a voicemail and he called me back a moment later. He said, “Daylight savings! Shit!” I gave him directions to the dojo, he got driven straight there. I was heading for the shower, so we could get the hell out of there, when my mom appeared.

Mom: “What are you doing?”
Me: “I’m about to leave for the seminar.”
Mom: “I said you couldn’t go.”
Me: “What!?!?! I am going!”

Fierce battle ensued, with the location moving to the upstairs kitchen. I gave it everything I had, including an attempt at using reason and logic. She contended that I needed to stay home and work on “schoolwork”. I countered with the fact I didn’t have any schoolwork to do. (Rob later informed me that such an attempt was useless, I was better off screaming the word “turnip” repeatedly.)

In the end, Ed left - I stayed. It wasn’t within reason for me to just run outside and hop in his car, considering at that point it would be the equivalent to kidnapping.

So, there it is. I missed the most important event, possibly of the year. I had been planning on attending for five months. Sensei thought I was going, I thought I was going, and everyone at the dojo thought I was going. And I had to stay home for NO reason.

The moral of the story kids, is:

“Don’t try". It is silly to have dedication and love for something. Because then it can be taken away from you. And anyway, holding your self to a higher dignity makes you better than everyone else; which is wrong. Its best to be equal with every other man, don’t have greater aspirations.