Friday, July 26, 2013

Random things I'm listening to.

I'm about to settle down for a busy day at work and thought I'd share some of the music I listen to in the background.  The first is a rip from the Global DJ Broadcast and I am really impressed with the CG in the video (that I unfortunately don't get to watch when I'm working.)



I recently discovered Medina; this is one of my favorite songs of hers, for the song itself and for her boots and for the dancing...



And two favorites of mine-- Daft Punk and takeSomeCrime--



And more takeSomeCrime-- with Skrillex this time.  His movement and body isolations are outstanding.  I'd love to see him on the salsa floor...



And last for the jiu jitsu peeps still tuned in... Kaskade plus Skrillex plus Swiss ball antics... don't ask me why the hat, I NO KNOW.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Jiu jitsu doesn't get any better and neither do you.

Wow, that sounds so negative.  I don't mean it to be.

[image source]

What I mean, in non-sound-bite speak, is this.  (Take with a grain of salt; I've been a blue belt for four+ years so I'm no expert.)

I mean that beginners are often told that "it gets better!"  I heard that all the time.  I catch myself saying it to whitebelts especially when they're looking down at the mouth.  I think I feel guilty after mashing whitebelts.  I feel guilty because I know it can be miserable getting mashed all the time (welcome to my life) and then when they see a small female bluebelt next in the rotation.. there have to be some moments of hope there.  In fact I even tell lots of whitebelts that I'm the next rung on the ladder for them... I'm the first bluebelt they'll tap out or positionally dominate.  It's one of my roles in the academy, I think.  I'm sort of low hanging fruit (in a good way.)

But I tell them it gets better because I want them to have hope and I want them to persist.  There's a girl I'm specifically thinking of... I am so excited every time I see her in the academy, because she is such a disciplined, determined student.. she works full time and not an easy schedule, but she always makes time to train, and I see her improving (physically, mentally, and jiu jitsu-ally, if that makes sense.)  And seriously, when we do positional sparring together, I have a VERY hard time with her, because she's much bigger than I am.  So I want her to have some pride that I have to exert myself fully just to be even with her.

BUT.

Yes, but....

BUT, here's my experience.  No matter how much I'm told that it gets better and I'll get better, I rarely feel it.  On an intellectual level, I am sure I have improved a little bit since I started.  On occasion I torture myself  by watching old competition videos, and I cringe because I see so many mistakes, and I fervently hope I wouldn't repeat them now.  At least I can identify them as mistakes!

But I don't FEEL any better when I'm training.  I still have lots of rolls where I feel just as inept, ignorant, uncoordinated, frustrated, smashed, and unable.  I have lots of rolls where I despair of ever making progress.  My pathetic little belt is a freaking LIAR because it's ratty and implies I am a senior blue ready for purple.  When I compare myself to my peers (and people who have been training even less) I know I have a long way to go.  Frankly I could care less about the belt color.  No, seriously, for reals.  I'm not competing so it has really no relevance for me.

Under it all I know that the feeling of standing still, not improving, is an illusion created by the simultaneous improvement of my training partners.  But as that is the way of the world, it means that my title is semi-accurate-- it doesn't ever feel easier, and you won't feel like you're improving.

But you are :)

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Cool new (to me) blog about BJJ and med school and whatnot...

Stethoscopes and armbars!  How can you top that for a title?

Blue belt lady in med school training with Ribeiro Jiu Jitsu in Toledo Ohio.... check it out here!

And if you haven't seen it yet, the cutest love song ever... listen to the words, seriously...

Friday, July 19, 2013

Screw your diet. Maybe you're hypothyroid! And... SCREW TEXAS.

A quick personal note:  this year I finally found an endocrinologist who listened, and I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism.  Although my blood levels of TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) were technically within the normal range, the more I read about hypo the more I saw I fit the profile.  Because of well-meaning but clueless medical professionals who not only failed to note the entire cluster of my hypothyroid symptoms, but rigidly relied on the TSH lab test, I was proclaimed “normal”.

But here's the symptoms I had and the explanations I used to rationalize them away in parentheses.  If you are curious about your own situation, check out this website, Stop the Thyroid Madness, for a complete list of possible symptoms.


Foggy thinking (Just complex issues at work, I must not be very smart)
Inability to lose weight (Despite enormous calorie output via BJJ/the gym)
Always gaining weight (if I ate more than 1000 calories a day no matter how much I worked out)
Inability to get pregnant; miscarriages (I'm just too old)
Swelling/edema/puffiness (Ate too many carbs, salt, didn't work out enough)
Broken/peeling fingernails (BJJ)
Dry skin (BJJ)
No appetite (working out all the time)
Low body temperature
Low blood pressure
Headaches and migraines
Cold fingers and feet all the time
Losing hair (BJJ)

Anyway-- I found a great doctor here in Austin and she listened.  I'm on a very low dose of Synthroid and it's made ALL THE DIFFERENCE.    And this means I can eat... CHEESECAKE.

Coconut-Lime Cheesecake with Mango Coulis, to be precise.  But don't stop reading if you're not a cook.  There's a whole new topic, some Texas-bashing, after the recipe-- so keep going.

Coconut-Lime Cheesecake with Mango Coulis Recipe


INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
3/4 cup crushed gingersnap cookies
3 tablespoons melted butter
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (10 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
1 tablespoon lime zest
2 tablespoons lime juice
green food coloring (optional)
1 tablespoon coconut extract
2 cups cubed fresh mango
1 teaspoon white sugar, or more to taste depending on the ripeness of the mango

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan.
2. Combine the coconut, gingersnap cookies, and melted butter in a bowl; mix until evenly moistened. Press the cookie mixture into the bottom and slightly up the sides of the prepared pan.
3. Bake the crust in the preheated oven until browned and set, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
4. Reduce oven heat to 300 degrees F.
5. Beat the softened cream cheese in mixer bowl until smooth. With beater set to medium-low, slowly pour the condensed milk into the bowl, mixing only until just blended, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the eggs, individually, allowing the first to blend into the mixture before adding the second; again, scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary.
6. Pour about half of the cream cheese batter into a separate bowl. Stir the lime juice and lime zest (and a few drops of green food coloring if you want a bicolored cheesecake) into the portion in the new bowl; pour the batter over the crust in the springform pan, smoothing into an even layer.
7. Stir the coconut extract through the remaining cream cheese batter; pour over the lime-flavored batter in the springfom pan, smoothing into an even layer.
8. Bake in the preheated oven until the top of the cheesecake springs back when gently pressed, about 45 minutes. Turn oven heat off, but leave cheesecake inside with oven door slightly ajar until the oven cools completely. Refrigerate until completely chilled.
9. Prepare mango coulis by pureeing the mango with sugar until smooth. If too thick, add a teaspoon of water at a time, using just enough to make pourable. Drizzle over cheesecake when plated.

And... the Texas bashing.  Lately I'm pretty down on Texas.  The Texas legislators who keep screwing women over, to be specific.  Check my facebook post about the new bill proposed, to ban abortion after a fetal heartbeat is heard (fyi, totally unconstitutional, and stupid, heartbeat is heard at 6 weeks.  GAH.)  And I also hate Rick Perry, one of the stupidest individuals in office since... oh goodness, he's up with Sarah Palin and Bush and Cuccinelli, the Virginia AG who is running for governor and wants to ban oral sex....

So watch this, it's freakin' hilarious.   (This is the safe-for-work version.)








Thursday, July 18, 2013

Food, MMA in New York, sambo/catch wrestling, etc.

First, Keebler at Gracie Humaita Cleveland shares his new favorite Paleo summer treat-- aka Yonanas:



And if you want a free 30 minute private lesson from the 2013 Pan Brownbelt Light Feather Champion, here's how to score it:



Second-- I want you to check out this new documentary, New York Mixed Martial Arts.  It's a feature-length film coming out soon, documenting the NY MMA community's grass roots struggle to legalize the professional sport in New York state.

New York is one of a handful of states in which MMA is still criminalized.  In his first feature-length film, Kahleem Poole-Tejada presents a moving account of the struggle to legalize MMA, seen through the eyes of one amateur fighter, Bradley Desir, following his quest to go pro under his coach's guidance.

This film is produced by Stephen Koepfer, the co-founder of the Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York and head coach at New York Combat Sambo.



In fact the 2013 North American Freestyle Sambo Championships and Int'l Submission Wrestling Alliance Catch Wrestling Tournament will be held here in Austin TX on August 17.  These competitions will be hosted by Eastside Austin Elite MMA.  Open to all Sambo, Catch, Judo, BJJ, Wrestling, and Grappling competitors.  Catch finalists will automatically qualify for the 2013 North American Catch Wrestling Championships.

That's Stephen, throwing some poor guy.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Pandora's Box is wiiiiide open now.

As my husband puts it, when I attacked rape culture I opened Pandora's box.

Pandora's box is only a problem if there is something bad inside.  Whoever you are, your box is empty.

Your version of revenge is pathetic.  Is this all you got??  Some sad, made-up bullshit?  I thought I'd get at least a photoshopped version of my head stitched on some porn star's body... or a forged email professing my undying love for your penis... or c'mon, the facebook message in which I supposedly blew you off?  But the best you have is a four-year-old photo of me I've posted on my blog, youtube, facebook, google+, and twitter?  Are you fucking KIDDING???

Accuse me of cheating, whatever-- I assumed the risk that butthurt rapists would try some kind of retaliation.  (Admittedly I thought you'd man up and actually assault me, not hide behind some anonymous login like your momma's skirts.)  But to insult my husband when everyone who knows him knows he's the NICEST guy ever?  Fuck you.

I hope you're ready because this was a very foolish mistake on your part.  You've sown the wind.





http://www.cheaterville.com/?page=cheaters&id=27363&sid=75857










You can't beat Stevo!

I'm sure you've seen this.  Right?



But here's his 2012 highlights reel (They disabled embedding.... sorry!)  It's pretty impressive how dedicated he is, and how his technique has progressed...

And just because... one of my favorite throws of all time, the sasae tsurikomi ashi...

Monday, July 15, 2013

Follow up on previous posts...

First, I've been thinking about Paul Saucido's victim, and I hope she continues to heal and recover.

Second, I reported the blackmail communications to the Austin Police and it appears that, with the detective's help, that whole situation has gone away.  What a relief.

Third, my back is still sore.  Much better than it was, thanks in part to Catherine at Myo Austin ... but I'm still not training and it's been ten days.  Very frustrating though I know that's not THAT long a time.

I heard Invicta 6 was really good, but I was at work :\  Big project with a Tuesday evening deadline.



How was your weekend?  What do you think of the whole George Zimmerman deal?  (I have no opinion; I've intentionally tuned out and as a prosecutor I know the media often gets it way wrong, in one direction or the other.)


Friday, July 12, 2013

No-cream, creamy avocado pesto pasta




Creamy, thick, and rich with lots of garlic flavour and a hint of lemon.  The avocado works well in this recipe to create a sauce so creamy and thick, you will think it's a cream sauce.  Nope!

Inspired and largely based on Angela's recipe at Oh She Glows.

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 medium ripe avocado, pitted/peeled
1/2 lemon, juiced + lemon zest to garnish
1-3 garlic cloves, to taste
1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
~1/4 cup fresh basil
~1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 servings/6 oz of your choice of pasta (I used gluten-free rice pasta)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste


1. Bring several cups of water to a boil in a medium sized pot. Add in your pasta and a sprinkle of salt, reduce heat to medium, and cook until al dente, about 8-10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, make the sauce by placing the garlic cloves, lemon juice, and olive oil into a food processor. Process until smooth. Now add in the pitted avocado, basil, nuts, and salt. Process until smooth and creamy.

3. When pasta is done cooking, reserve 1/2 cup cooking liquid, then drain the rest and place pasta into a large bowl. Pour on sauce and toss until fully combined, adding pasta water as needed to reach the texture/sauciness you like best. Garnish with lemon zest and black pepper. Serve immediately. Makes 2 servings.

Please note: This dish does not reheat well due to the avocado in the sauce. Please serve immediately.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Bullshido welcomes a new board member...

And that new board member is me!

If you aren't familiar with Bullshido, you should correct that and quick.  Bullshido.net is, among other things, the Consumer Reports for martial arts academies.  Hit up the Martial Arts BS, Fraud, Investigations and Skepticism forum (often abbreviated as MABS) to check out schools and instructors you or your loved ones are attending.  Check out the guidelines which shape our investigations.  Bullshido also has lots of other forums for discussion on traditional martial arts, divided by discipline, as well as BJJ, MMA, and off-topic topics like politics and the like.  And then there's Bullshido.org which is the Martial Arts Encyclopedia with articles on techniques, arts, weapons and so on.

I've been a member/participant on Bullshido for about five years-- in fact, Bullshido sponsored me some entry fees and a patch when I was a whitebelt-- and I have contributed to investigations on two martial arts frauds here in Austin.  (Larry Sanders, here and here, and Richard Guerra.  I hope these links go directly to the investigation reports, but my work firewall blocks my access to forums :\ )  As the daughter of a World War II Air Force veteran, I find false claims of military service and prowess to be exceptionally offensive, and those tend to be some of the easiest fakeries to defrock.  But Bullshido also exposes fraudulent claims to training, rank and expertise.  In fact, one thing Bullshido encourages is alive training and alive testing of claims to ability.  That helps weed out someone like this guy, who teaches fighting with the invisible force.



For giggles, here's more of the same guy:



Is there a storefront martial arts academy where the instructor claims he can't actually DO the techniques on you because he'd kill you?  Mention it on MABS and help us determine the truth of their claims.

Stay tuned here and on Bullshido because I'm keen on a future project we've planned....

Tuesday, July 09, 2013

Eye gouging in bar fights.. how about now?

Kind of a funny little video, companion to a new book I've been hearing about called "Don't Wear Your Gi to the Bar (and Other Jiu Jitsu Life Lessons)".  (It's available for a free download here.)  I haven't read it yet but sounds like a cool concept.



In other news-- my massage yesterday was heaven.  (I can't say enough good things about Catherine Collett, owner and myofascial massage maven at MyoAustin.) When I first went face down on the massage table, my back hurt just existing and I had to keep my pelvis tilted to alleviate the pain.  Within the first five minutes, the pain disappeared.  After an hour, I was nearly asleep and thought with delight that I'd bound up from the table wholly healed.  Uh, not quite... but when I walked out to my car, I realized all the tension and tightness was gone.  My hips were actually moving normally!  And I did feel better the rest of the night.  I have another massage scheduled for tomorrow.  I won't be training today, most likely, though I will go to watch class and scoot around on the Swiss ball.

Monday, July 08, 2013

Back sprain.

Last Wednesday during warmups I noticed my back felt... tight.  Something was wrong but I had no idea what, so I persisted and did most of the calisthenics (skipped the ones which were obviously lower-back intensive) and then did class (which ended up being positional sparring for the next hour.)

One of my larger teammates offered to go a little heavier with me than usual because he was concerned that the local brownbelt who I outted might have other means of shutting me up in mind.  Of course, given that this person in question is a brownbelt, I'm probably screwed anyway-- but despite my back I accepted his offer.  And because my back was out, I couldn't even upa, shrimp, or escape with even my usual mediocrity.  So, I cowered and protected my face and generally endured.  Which was what my teammate wanted to see and show me-- even injured, even against someone twice my size, I can survive.

I really can't pinpoint what I did that cause my back to go out.  It's never done this before, and generally I think I have pretty good core support and fairly strong back musculature.  But whatever it was, my back did NOT like it.  By Friday I was really challenged to get out of bed or stand up from the toilet.  I had to miss a friend's baby shower on Sunday, and today I'm still hurting.  I will be happy if I feel like training tomorrow night; today is out of the question.

I'm going to set up a massage, hope that helps.  Otherwise I've done NSAIDs, hot showers, even tried muscle relaxants.  Foam roller and swiss ball have not improved things.



Friday, July 05, 2013

UFC 162-- Tim Kennedy v. Roger Gracie



Tim Kennedy is my teammate.  This fills me with ridiculous pride.  The man is a beast!  [Edited to add: and he beat Roger in a unanimous judge's decision!]



Strong, fast, tough goes without saying (duh, he's a Ranger!); he's also funny, kind, and definitely goofy at times (you should see his American flag wrestling singlet).  He can decimate pretty much everyone on my team except the blackbelts.  With me he's gentle as a kitten, toys with me, lets me work, and then just as gently ties me up in a neat package and kills me.  He's fighting Roger Gracie this Saturday, too... I'm psyched!

Here's his RevGear pre-fight interview:



Here's some of the secrets of his success (the funniest video of all, and if you only watch one of these, make it this one.  Check the kimono-and-katana action!)



Tim's interview with Patrick Stanger (who happens to train jiu jitsu with my husband at Sean Cooper's)



And Tim's pre-UFC 162 press conference with MMA Weekly:



Wednesday, July 03, 2013

Watch this Wednesday: Duck under to doubleleg...

My friend and instructor Keebler-- Pan 2013 brown belt champion, light feather-- of Gracie Humaita Cleveland shares some wrestling love...




Tuesday, July 02, 2013

I will not be blackmailed.

I've ruffled some feathers and the chickens want to scare me into shutting up.  

Previously, I allowed anonymous comments on my blog (no longer!) but I have always had to approve or disapprove comments before they became public.  I'll get an email notifying me of a comment and I can publish, delete, mark as spam, etc.

Over the weekend, an anonymous person commented on my previous blog post (about the local instructor who is a registered sex offender) something to the effect that I cheated on my husband.  I posted the comment because it was stupid, and then commented after it along the lines of "what a chickenshit to post anonymously."

But I reconsidered, and removed both comments as irrelevant to the issue.

Then I received this comment via email on Sunday 6/30, which I did not publish:

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "When an instructor in your own backyard is a crimi..."

Seems somebody struck a nerve with this jiujitsu blogger. Why would she now call this person who is commenting a "chickenshit" and "douche"?? I know why... 

 Somebody has some "issues" to deal with. I guess we all can't be perfect. 

 -Judge Barney 
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 Posted by Anonymous to Georgette's Jiu Jitsu World at 3:03 AM

Later that day I got this one, also not published:  [edited to add-- I've since become more educated about spambots and I realize the next comment was likely spam but I had no idea.]


Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "When an instructor in your own backyard is a crimi...": 

If you're a CHEATING WOMAN and you need to know what to wear this summer to fit in with your floozy peers, you're in luck....

Ashley Madison, the extramarital dating site, recently conducted a study exploring the relationship between fashion and female philanderers. 52,390 cheating women (presumably Ashley Madison members) responded to the survey, and the results are pretty fascinating–and also somewhat unexpected.

While female cheaters are often portrayed as promiscuous and racy, it turns out that, when it comes to fashion, their tastes are actually quite wholesome. Ashley Madison asked respondents to name their favorite stores to shop in, and, let's just say that they're probably not ones you'd expect. Coming in at number one? Banana Republic, followed by Fashionista fave J.Crew. (Cheaters: They're Just Like Us.) Even more surprisingly, Chico's–yes Chico's–made the list.

The rest of the results:
1) Banana Republic
2) J.Crew
3) Macy's
4) Ann Taylor
5) H&M
6) Bebe
7) Lane Bryant
8) Chico's
9) Lululemon
10) JC Penney

The results actually make a lot of sense when you consider that, according to Ashley Madison CEO Noel Biderman, the dating site's "typical female user is a professional woman in her early 30′s." More than one-third of the women polled also said that they spend more than two times as much money on their style since before they started cheating. Sad–but good for the economy.

Other interesting factoids to be gleaned from the study:
* 17% of philandering females rock pumps from Aldo while stepping out on their significant other
* Mark Jacobs [sic] makes the most popular handbag for hanky panky
* The majority of AshleyMadison.com's shady members prefer aviator shades from RayBan
* Top three summer trends for two-timers: Pencil skirt with slit, maxi dresses, and brightly colored skinny jeans
* Banana is the #1 stop for clothes but Victoria's Secret is the go-to store for undergarments
* 12.4% of cheaters admit to returning items after wearing them to a rendezvous! In summation: Cheating women like the same kind of stuff as regular women, and there's a small chance that someone had sex in that dress you just bought.


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Posted by Anonymous to Georgette's Jiu Jitsu World at 4:37 PM

Then on Monday 7/1, I received a new one (also, of course, unpublished.)  I just wish "Mike J" could spell!

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "When an instructor in your own backyard is a crimi...": 

You know what's pretty funny is that she deleted some other post someone wrote apparently directed at her misadventures. 

But one day you will be exposed for your indescretions via local media, tv, paper, local attorneys, etc and people will be whispering about you in the community as you pass by with your husband. It's really sad how you can take a position but not let people know about your indescretions....they will come out. -Mike J 

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Posted by Anonymous to Georgette's Jiu Jitsu World at 4:55 PM

All this just kind of made me laugh.  I mean, seriously-- what kind of "indescretion" [sic] would "local media, tv, paper[s]" be interested in?  When I am not at my office, I'm training or I'm at home.  When I'm home, I'm cooking or in the garden or plopped on the couch with my kindle.  And even if I was cheating on my husband, which I am NOT, it wouldn't be particularly newsworthy.  I'm a nobody!

It's not sad AT ALL that I can "take a position" even though I'm not perfect.  Ha, there are no PERFECT people.  If we waited for the perfect people to speak up about wrongdoing and injustice, those sexual predators would waltz freely.  

As for indiscretions, I do let fly with some four-letter words when I burn myself or dinner or discover earwigs munching on my roses.  Just this last week, I spilled root beer on the bed and stained the sheets, and hid them under the bed so my husband wouldn't yell at me before I could oxiclean them.  I can't forget the time I shoplifted (as a child!) though I doubt "Mike J" or "Judge Barney" knew about that.  


Like many people in a long-term intimate relationship, I have gone through rough times with my mate.   I've lost loved ones over the years.  My husband was laid off.  Anyone who has experienced infertility can tell you, it is VERY STRESSFUL.  My husband has always been supremely supportive and wonderful, but it has not been easy for him either.   We've been to marriage counseling and for a while we put "for better or for worse" to the test.  But we made it through our rough times and we're standing together.  There's nothing "out there" about me or us, so you don't scare me.  Nothing you can say will frighten me into hushing up, and you should be ashamed of yourself.


Then less than an hour later, I got this one making clear his/her intent to blackmail me (albeit no better spelled):



Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "When an instructor in your own backyard is a crimi...": 

Hi Gerogette,

Heads up, since you're are being selective on what comments to post, and as a matter of fact deleting some, if you do not post every comment to have a fair and balanced discussion about your mission to dictate what this guy can and can't do in the world of jiujitsu, or for his livelyhood, 'Anonymous' will create a blog to air your dirty laundry and disseminate it. Particularly amongst your beloved bjj cronies. Lets call this responsible tit for tat. Start with the one you just deleted. As they previously stated; we'll just be "putting facts out there". 

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Posted by Anonymous to Georgette's Jiu Jitsu World at 5:47 PM

You know you've arrived when someone threatens to get Anonymous on your case!  Woo!  This reminds me of the pathetic blackmail attempt on Tom Callos

I can't recreate the post I published and then deleted, so sorry.  It's apparent you feel my motives are questionable.  So let's have this "fair and balanced discussion"-- since you think blackmailing me is fair. (ha!)  


My "mission" is not to dictate what this guy "can and can't do in the world of jiujitsu" or "for his livelyhood [sic]"  -- my mission is to protect the community.  If his students are safe and feel comfortable, I don't CARE what he does in jiu jitsu and I don't care what he does for a living.  I want people to have relevant information so that they can make better choices about where to train.  If a person is a sexual assault survivor, they should know whether their instructor is a sexual offender.  DUH.  His students (and their parents, in the case of the underage students) should know about his criminal history so they can make their own, informed decision.  That's all.


If you know how, you are welcome to run my criminal history.  Unlike some, I am not a sexual predator.  (I am also not teaching jiu jitsu, so my background is irrelevant to this discussion.)  Unlike others, I have never even been accused of, much less tried for, sexual assault.  My rap sheet consists of a few driving infractions, most if not all of which were dismissed after defensive driving classes.

So here's the Fair and Balanced Discussion:  I'm a member of this community and a sexual assault survivor.  I have volunteered as a sexual assault crisis counselor, and I'm a prosecutor.  I am not throwing stones from a glass house.  Whatever my imperfections and failures as a person, a woman, a wanna-be-but-not-yet mother, they're not leverage to make me shut up about these sexual predators in our midst.  They're IRRELEVANT to the discussion because none of them make me unsuitable or unsafe to deal with women and children seeking to protect themselves from abuse or sexual assault.  You have no right to attack me and my husband, and nothing you say or post from behind your "anonymous" identity will dissuade me from doing what I can to protect my community.  


Monday, July 01, 2013

Focusing on one thing while training.

So, last Friday I kind of injured my shoulder.  Just a weird position, I was north-south on top of a big bluebelt, and I made a big mistake-- I reached back too far with my left arm trying to transition from the underhook to the overhook on that side.  Because I had the underhook on the right side, he was able to reach behind my back and grab my left elbow (I should have tapped right there, as it isn't going anywhere useful.)  For whatever reason, I persisted in holding position, so he transferred his grip to my left wrist and kind of pulled my arm behind my back.  Ugh.  So I took the weekend off and did some icing and ibuprofen and now I'm pretty much better.  Right knee still tweaked but what can you do?

At least I am better enough to roll comfortably at noon training today.  We had some visitors, a cool whitebelt lady and her yellow belt son, and both were very technical and fun training partners.  I have been working on a few intermingled passing systems lately-- you know I'm all up in BJJScout's business with the Lo knee slide and toreando passes, plus some corrections and tweaks to my X pass from friends-- and I'm pretty much ignoring the rest of my game right now.

Do you do that?  do you focus on one element and kind of let everything else take care of itself?  I used to be easily distracted-- come to class meaning to work on X, leave feeling like I had to work on A-Z... but now I really do try to give myself a pass on improving everything all at once and just think about X for a while.  I rolled with Ketra, our resident Bronze Place Winner at this past Worlds (woot!) and I kind of accepted that her passing was going to be better than my guard.  I tried to be at peace with that (not the pass itself, I still fought that every step of the way) so that I wouldn't end up leaving the roll feeling horribly down on myself.  But it was a nice opportunity to work on my guard and try to remember the places where I screwed up for later analysis.

I realize I'll never likely be a world champion, and I'm okay with that.  But I do want to continue enjoying this journey for many many years, and part of that will require managing my expectations and hopes.

Hope you're doing well :)