2012: The Apprenticeship
In my last blog I wrote about my acceptance into an apprenticeship program to work with Paul Discoe and the San Francisco Zen Center. In this program, I and 10-12 other apprentices/students, studied how to build a 12 pillar mountain gate to to the Tassajara Zen center in Big Sur. It was an amazing opportunity to work with a great craftsman, with a great team of fellow apprentices, on a great project. Unfortunately, for many reasons, I could only afford to stay in the program for 4-5 months. It was an 8 month ordeal. From my 4-5 months however, I learned a lot about myself and picked up many valuable skills and lessons.
2013: Graduating and Japan Travels
I GRADUATED!!! It took 10 years. I attended more than 10 colleges but I did it. I finally finished something. My family was so proud but so bummed I didn't walk for my grad ceremony. Instead, I was very fortunate to travel to Japan for 3 weeks!
I chose the date because it was during the Kezuroukai event in Shizuoka. For those unfamiliar with this event, its traditional Japanese woodworking convention. It happens twice a year and hosts all kinds of craftsman. I had the opportunity to meet so many fun and talented woodworkers and spectate the planning competition. A sport of sorts where they compete on who can make the longest, thinnest wood shaving with least imperfections. In my 3 weeks I traveled all over Hanshu, the main island with my JR pass. Tokyo, Yokohama, Kamakura, Kobe, Miki, Kyoto, Nara, Ise, Shirakarago, and Shizuoka. It was a once in a lifetime woodworkers tour. My fondest memories I carry from the trip was spending time with my Uncle Brian in Yokohama. Its rare for me to see him and we enjoyed our reunion. Lots of good memories.
I lived in South Berkeley my sister and good friend Vlad. For a semester I was studying at Laney College within the Wood Tech Certificate program. It was intensive full time course to become more familiar with industrial woodworking machinery. I worked at a local after school care program in Albany. It didn't last long with our salaries. The Bay was too expensive and I moved back home in Santa Cruz.
2014-2015: Teaching
A slow two years for woodworking but I gained many valuable experiences as a teacher. For half of 2015 I worked as a math tutor and instructor at Foothill College. The work came very naturally for me, I had a great talent and gift in helping others struggling with math. Because of my degree and new found talent, I was inspired to pursue my teaching credential at Mills College and follow an old friend from UCSC who got his credential before me.
During my first semester in the teaching program, I made a lot a friends, worked hard to keep up with my classmates, but something was bothering me. I was loosing sleep and I failed to realize in time I couldn't keep up with the assignments. Getting a teaching credential turned out to be harder than I thought. I was tired all the time. For mostly health reasons, I left the program and moved back home.
I should note that in 2015, my friends, Sayuri Suzuki, Jay Van Arsdale and many others involved in Japanese carpentry within the Bay Area, got together and brought back the Kezuroukai in the US. They hosted their first event since 2005, at Oakland. It was a great convention and it re-invigerated my passion for woodworking. I competed for the first time, and managed to pull a shaving at 30 microns. The winner was 5 but I was proud with my ability to get it to somewhat thin considering the condition of my dai (the block of wood that holds the blade).
2016: Washington
While floating in space, wondering what to do with my life, I became long distant pen pal friends of sorts with Shawn. Shawn was Dale Brotherton's apprentice in Seattle, WA. Talking with him, Dale and my parents, a vision began to grow. My mom expressed an interests in Dales work and inquired what it would take to build a home and use that project as a way to apprentice with Dale. Naturally, I loved the concept of working with Dale again and helping build my parents retirement home. For a few months I conversed with Dale and Shawn about the idea. Knowing that this vision of building my parents house would take time to actually get of the ground, I took a leap and moved to Seattle.
At first, the idea was to be close to Dale and learn to live in the new city. I got a job as a gardener because I was familiar with the work and wanted to be more accustomed to labor. It payed $20/hr which was enough to get by with a small room for rent. Sadly.. I sucked at it and was let go after my first month. Since then it has been a struggle to live in the new city working part-time jobs. Not long after being let off as a gardener, I worked as a woodworking instructor for a company called Kids' Carpentry Seattle. It was geared toward teaching hand tools to kids ages 5 to 10, after school and during the summer. More on this later..
Another reason I moved to Seattle was to be a scout of sorts for my parents who were investigating potential retirement locations. Hawaii, Malaysia, Oregon and Washington were in consideration. I was rooting for Washington and had to prove if I could survive the harsh wet winters, so could they. Within a year after I moved, my parents finally chose Bellingham, a college town much like Santa Cruz, that was an hour and a half north of Seattle close to the border. It matched their needs and interests and was close enough I could visit more often than when they were in California.
During my first Spring I was invited to help volunteer with Dale on a project he was working on. It was Chinese Mountain gate for the Taoist Institute in Snohomish. With him and Shawn, I started getting more practice with planning again and helped with the assembly.
https://plus.google.com/photos/106005564890045105367/album/6293951785239292241/6293951787254537906
In October that year, I managed to travel home to see family and spectate the 2017 Kezuroukai hosted in Saratoga, CA. This time I brought my mom and got to share with her why I love Japanese carpentry. She couldn't get enough of the shavings.
2017: Grizzly Year
A hard year. Shawn left to Germany, my cat, Rachel, passed away, and I lost sight of many things that made me happy. I moved to Bellingham, got a job with Grizzly Industrial as a showroom salesman. Grizzly is known for making a wide selection of small and large woodworking machinery. They have tools for the garage hobbyist to the professional workshop. Retail was never my dream job, but I did like helping customers, including myself, with building their shops. More projects were started, but never finished.
The 2017 Kezuroukai was hosted back in Oakland. This would be my 4th Kezuroukai event. I'm turning into a KEZoholic!
2018: I'm back in Seattle!
I couldn't move back home with the parents anymore and was inspired to study carpentry full time again. After visiting Seattle Central College's Wood Technology Center, I was sold in the program. Three Departments: Carpentry, Fine Cabinetry, and Boat Building. Five extensive workshops, a library devoted to the trades, computer lab and an impressive kitchen. This was not anything like I have seen before. A well funded program with its own site! But more importantly, incredible teachers like Dave Borgatti and Catie Chaplan. Its a 5 quarter program for an AS degree. First quarter last Spring was CORE, or an introductory class to get everyone familiar with the tools and lingo of the trades. This Fall quarter is my first in the Carpentry program studying remodeling. Right now we're learning all about interior trip work. From base molding, chair backs, to crown around doors and windows, we learn to cope with coping.
The AS degree is irrelevant to me. My biggest goal in the program is to learn how to finish what I start. Another goal is to gain professional experiences rather than come at it with a hobbyist approach. To do that I started working this summer as a Carpentry Labor Apprentice with a residential contracting company, DLH Inc. Their main shop is in North Bend but I mostly worked in Seattle on a remodel. Now that school has started up again this September I haven't been able to work. But I have gained a lot from the job. Its hard for starters. I used to stick my nose up at basic modern 2x4 construction. Now I see it as a more practical skill I'll need to be a successful craftsman and future teacher.
While working with DLH and going to school I have also started helping with my moms big yard work projects. A friend I made at Grizzly, David, has helped with this. We milled logs of WRC (Western Red Cedar), from his horizontal bandsaw to build planter boxes. Rented a dingo and Kubota excavator to move tons of dirt. Next summer we hope to build an elaborate fence to keep the deer out and maybe a green house.
This weekend I'm excited about attending the NW EcoBuilding Summit. Its a sustainable building conference held at the University of Washington in Seattle, where I hope to network with many like minded builders I can potential intern/work for in the future. I just printed out my business cards and finished tailoring my resume and curriculum vitae, should they be needed.
