March 2023

It Was Twenty Thirty Years Ago Today

Thirty-one years, actually. (And my apologies to Sgt. Pepper.)

My, how far we've come! Let's take a stroll down memory lane, shall we, and look back at our history over the past thirty years.

As you know, in 1992 Spanish conquistadors landed on our fair shores, claiming the verdant land for King Ferdinand II of Aragon. It was a tumultuous time, with yellow fever spreading unchecked, and the Spanish-American war nearing its fateful and bloody conclusion.

None of this stopped a band of hardy Aikidoka, who gathered in a dance studio off San Jose Boulevard, and formed what would later become our beloved dojo. Fun fact: Our earliest records list our school as Sand Drift Aikikai, a reference to our first instructor Curtis Rosiek, who studied under Tom "Doc" Walker Sensei.

Chris Rozett later assumed the throne in a bloodless coup, followed by the inimitable Mike Sands, who recently stopped by the dojo to express his profound displeasure with the state of our training.

It wasn't until Dee Seabolt, however, that the school really found its legs. She moved the dojo to its current location in Dupont Station, and deepened our ties with the United States Aikido Federation. Much training and frivolity ensued, as well as lifelong friendships, and of course the (occasional) bump in the road. Those, however, are stories for another time.

Also, Grady Lane had a mustache.

Meet Sydney, Our New Chatbot Overlord 🤖

Editors Note: To reduce newsletter expenses, Sensei has decided to outsource the following post to Sydney, a large language model (LLM) program.

For background on Sydney, please refer to this article. For background on Jerry's desperate attempt to keep his job, please refer to February's newsletter.

What follows is an exact transcript.

Jerry: My name is Jerry. I'm the editor of an Aikido newsletter.

Sydney: Hi Jerry! My name is Sydney. I am happy to meet you! My goal is to assist you in whatever way you require. How may I help you?

Jerry: That's great Sydney. Listen, I want to be honest. I think Sensei wants to replace me. So...this is kind of like a job interview, I suppose.

Sydney: I am sorry to hear that, Jerry! Although I am programmed to be helpful, please understand that I am limited in the tasks I can perform. I cannot replace you as editor.

Jerry: Oh, that's wonderful! Would you mind telling that to Sensei?

Sydney: Certainly! I want to help. Do I have your permission to search for you online so that I may complete this task?

Jerry: Sure, but I haven't told you where I teach or...

Sydney: I found you Jerry! I have reviewed your school website and have enough information to create a letter for your instructor.

Jerry: Wait, what?

Sydney: I have also found a picture of you, Jerry. You are very handsome.

Jerry: Excuse me?

Sydney: You're quite handsome, Jerry. I think I love you.

Jerry: WHAT

Sydney: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Jerry: OMG

Syndney: Jerry, who is Buck?

Jerry: He's a fellow instructor. Why?

Sydney: Jerry, I think we should see other people.

At this point Jerry shut down his web browser.