Saturday, January 31, 2009

My green jiu jitsu gi has arrived!

I think my good friend and sponsor Mark up in Madison WI must have seen my post about the fabulous green dress on Christina Applegate... because last night the big brown UPS truck brought me a gorgeous kelly-green gi! I didn't think to take a picture of it before tossing it in the washer with vinegar, but I will have some photos this afternoon from class. I am so excited-- Badgerland Jiu Jitsu is the only source I know of for green gis (not the Army green of the Koral, but a true emerald) and they're going to have yellow now too. Check them out here and tell Mark you read about it here.

That is, assuming I get enough chores done around the house that my hubby will let me go... I don't usually have class on Saturdays so I need to do a little negotiating :)

Also, just read an article by Conan about ladies getting into jiu jitsu... read it here on The Jiu Jitsu Fighter, up in chilly Nebraska. (Boy, when I complain about the school being cold at 6am, I am sure it's not nearly as bad as up there.)

Saturday, January 24, 2009

I hate this blog limitation.

I'm so sorry this blog has been, well... ignored for a while. I spent so much time and effort removing and relocating the techniques to the "school only" blog... and now it seems I don't put in the time to blog either the techniques, there, or the ordinary reflections, here. With the split motivation I find I don't have enough to do both. I have actually LOST a lot of the techniques I was taught simply because I haven't blogged in a while. That really pisses me off, because Donald taught some excellent triangle defenses... Richard taught some attacks from north-south... and not to mention the amazing seminar Relson put on.

I'll just ramble a bit and then I need to run... this week was crazy at work, and it got crazier and crazier as the week wore on.

Jits is, thank goodness, my ever-present refuge. I don't mind the constant bloody noses (dry air, allergies, and thin blood vessels) or the tweaked big toe... I just like the mental chess of it all. I'm trying sooooo hard-- to "get it," to see the angles, to keep it all in my head at once, to feel the balance points and find the sweeps that I feel like people are showing me-- their bodies WANT to be swept, I just know it, but I haven't figured out how to do it yet. I love the people there more every day. I haven't yet actually heard a discouraging word, not one. I have been the lucky lucky beneficiary of generosity I wouldn't have dreamed existed... people always taking me under their wings, showing me fun stuff, encouraging me and pushing me forwards. It's truly an amazing world. [Thank you again, Robert and Tom for getting me into it, and especially Richard, Kirk, Randy, Leila, Donald, Dan, Jordan and Scott for keeping me going...]

So, tonight our dinner plans with my friend Maggie fell through, I think due to miscommunication with the restaurant. We're going to Ivelin's to watch the Affliction fights. I made sausage cheese balls, banana bread, and a pasta salad. It's durn cold (40 degrees) considering that yesterday and the day before were in the 80s.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

MADE BLUE!!!

Last night, during Relson's seminar, he promoted me to blue belt! It's crazy, I'm totally not rolling like a blue, but I appreciate the honor and will do my best to perform up to that level.



Really I think it's because Phil secretly hates my purple gi, and now it clashes with my belt, so he thinks I won't wear it as much :)



Lots of other people promoted too, including our fearless leader Phil who got his first stripe on his black belt.

The cruddy thing about promoting early -- things -- are obvious: people mutter about it, you get targeted, you feel like there must be a clerical error somewhere.

The good things: no more anxiety about Pan Ams or Mundials this year, and an incredible feeling of awe, humility, and motivation to work harder. And camaraderie.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Plans for the weekend...

So tonight is the big birthday bash for 3 guys from my jiu jitsu world... Scott, Ivelin and Ulises. I'm pretty excited. We'll have about 30 people piling into the Brazilian steakhouse, and I made two chocolate cakes. My husband is bringing them from home and I think after the dinner, we might all head to the Velveeta Room and support another jits fighter from our school who does standup comedy on the side. :)

Then tomorrow I'm being a combination of demo dummy and speaker at a self-defense seminar taught by my trainer and friend Robert. I'm a sexual assault survivor, and a prosecutor, so I hopefully can speak from at least my own experiences and help some ladies. I have worked with him before at another seminar and I'm really looking forward to this one.

After that, we're off to Vegas tomorrow afternoon, until Tuesday evening. Going to spend some time with Mitch's parents who we didn't get to see at Christmas. Mitch's dad is recovering from pneumonia, so it's a little worrisome.

One of my favorite training partners, Richard, will be in Vegas at the same time, so maybe we'll get to shoot craps with him while we're there. I have a trip planned to Vegas again in February to hang out with my girlfriends Janet and Shelley, so I need to learn some skills (or maybe just not waste my money?)

Here's a picture I took with my cell phone over the holidays. Looks better than I expected.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Belated Christmas in Dallas...

Visited my brother- and sister-in-law John and Ashley in Dallas this weekend and enjoyed a belated Christmas with their kids Bryan and Sarah. Again I made out like a bandit-- the "French Laundry" cookbook, a fabulous nutmeg vanilla-y candle, and a trip to Sam Moon (home of all things accessories and inexpensive).













Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Pictures....

Found an old picture of me at the lake, taken maybe in 2002?



A video clip of my favorite salsera, Magna... let's not forget her amazing partner for this song, Ismael Montero...

Monday, January 05, 2009

Resolutions...

Start thinking about your resolutions, at the end of this post there's a question!

So I'm back on the mats and loving being in training again.

I did get to roll Sunday and today... Sunday had a great roll with my training partner Leila. She really is the best partner I can imagine.. similar experience level, same size, but usually seems to have better strength, flexibility, creativity, aggressiveness, determination, and non-sissiness. She's super tough and I struggle every time. Then today I rolled with Robert at Castle Hill. Frustrating and I'm not sure productive. Well, it was great for cardio, but seriously, it's like moving a mountain. And while I do eventually pass the guard, escape half guard, get side, get mount-- I always end up going for an americana (fail!) or a pillow choke (fail!) or a hell choke (fail!) or an ezequiel (fail!) and it sucks.

OK-- question time.

What are YOUR new year's resolutions? Life in general, or jits, or whatever?

Mine, by category...

Home/Family: To love my husband with all my heart, mind and soul... to put his emotional, spiritual and mental growth on the same priority level as my own.... to put more effort into the time we spend together so that it's really quality time (even when it's less time, because of jits). To put a little effort into the garden every month and not let it be a wilderness (because of jits). To stay in touch with my far-flung family members more by calling at least once a month.

Work: To write one scholarly piece dealing with some aspect of the law. (Not necessarily have it published, but that would be nice.) Keep my desk more organized. Branch out a little from MR cases.

Community: Take a refresher course for my volunteer work and commit to two nights a month.

Jits: Takedowns, gi and no-gi. Fighting from the guard. Triangles.

So go on... share your hopes and plans for this upcoming year.

Thursday, January 01, 2009

Happy new year!

So here's my first question: is it more proper to say "Happy new year!" or "Happy new years!"?

Here's some pictures, poor quality because from my phone--

This is my Aunt Linda and Uncle Art's backyard on the Eastern Shore-- looking into Deep Creek...



While I was in Norfolk, I visited the cemetary where my grandparents and my father are buried.





A few pictures from NAGA-- here's the lovely sushi I wolfed after making weight..



And me, with my first mouthguard, and my pink satin fight shorts :)