Okay, I admit it: I loved The Next Karate Kid with Hilary Swank. I wanted to go to remote mountain monastery to meditate, dodge giant swinging bean bags from sadistic monks, and generally learn to be as badass as Julie. Hey, I grew up in the mountains; I was bored.

Why Aikido? Because while I am still interested in martial arts, I've heard that Aikido is a good stepping stone to Parkour. Now, weak flabby little thing that I am, I could never ever learn the principals of Parkour without a good starting point. Two birds with one stone, eh?

Furthermore, the principles of Aikido interest me:

"Aikido is performed by blending with the motion of the attacker and redirecting the force of the attack rather than opposing it head-on."

I'm not (generally) a violent person, and learning a fighting style that focuses on defense rather than offense seems much more suited for me (not to mention, more useful since I don't feel like starting fights all the time).

First step:

I decided I will start taking classes at Aikido West, a local dojo in my town. I initially winced at the monthly fee of $90 (seriously, ow) but I promise to cancel my subscription to Warhammer Online first if I start whining too much about it. Goals first, mindless computer entertainment second!