Grading Impossible?

I was talking to one of the other students of the iai dojo I go to. He's a former Junior High School English teacher so I can usually understand what he's talking about... Anyway, I brought up the subject of doing my 5th-dan grading, and he says that there's a grading in July, but that you have to attend at least 2 seminars in a year in order to be allowed to challenge a grade. (That might be a good idea for the CKF Iaido section to adopt! Get all those Toronto folks out of the city once in a while...) They hold a seminar about every 2 months, which means that I probably can't squeeze in 2 seminars before July. Hmmm. On one hand, "gradings don't matter, show your grade on the floor," etc. but on the other hand it's kind of disappointing to have that feeling of falling behind somehow.

I have been getting some good pointers lately. Well, I'm not sure if they're good, but they're from a different perspective so that's interesting. Basically, at this dojo, they seem very keen on making sure that everything is done "clearly" and without ambiguity. So when they do Seitei, it is really bereft of any feeling, but it sure is deliberate and obvious that they are hitting this point, and then that point, and so on. Like I said, it's an interesting way of doing things. So now when I am practicing, I am really concentrating on doing all those little details properly.

I haven't been to see Kaneda Sensei yet, but hopefully will get there soon.