Jul25

Where the devil is

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Here’s another old, unpublished post, originally written in June.

Instructor is trying to get me test-ready. It’s both flattering and a little maddening. Flattering because I’ve noticed he gives me line edits, as we say in my industry, rather than high-level suggestions. I’m past the basics, and he wants perfection.

That’s cool, but the maddening part is it means yet MORE details to learn and memorize. And they seem to keep being updated. Now I can’t use my hands or feet to get to modified sidemount. I’m to sliiiiide. Also, I felt my foot being lifted and placed back on the mat, toes flat, not propped up. The extra sad part is, Instructor had to do that twice. :/

Would that really be a point deduction? Quite possibly. Instructor is getting better and becoming more demanding. No actual complaint on that, but it’s making all of this harder. Will I ever finish? Will I ever have it all down and be ready for testing?

Hey look there’s me! Sitting apart from the guys. I don’t know why. They smell? I smell?

During this class, I realized something that didn’t materialize into a complete thought until then. Because I’m a firm believer in telling people nice things when they occur to you… For instance, thank you all for reading. You’re the best! … I approached Instructor after class. He was ducked behind the desk doing something, which presumably wasn’t hiding from me.

“An observation,” I said.

He stood, wary. “Yeah?” (Hindsight: not the best opening line on my part.)

“Your Jiu-Jitsu has gotten stronger since I was first here.”

“Oh!” Face brightening. “Thank you. I appreciate you saying that.” Fist bump.

“No problem,” and I swept out the door before Surfer Dude could ask what I thought of his Jiu-Jitsu. Kidding. Kidding. I would say the same to him, and that his teaching has become more confident. He used to have a slight tremor in this voice, which I didn’t blame him for one bit. But that tremor is long gone.

(July update: He recently become an officially certified instructor. I congratulated him. He gave me a quick hug and said thanks. I’m so proud of him. Also, Instructor was promoted to brown belt, so no duh he’s gotten better!)

What will I do when I eventually take and pass (power of positive thinking) this test? Only six more months from then to blue belt. Should I at least get the blue belt? How can I leave these people who have become dear to me? I did it once. Can I do it again? Though doing so after six more months will only make it harder.

Demoing with Surfer Dude

Reusing a photo. Sorry.

Once again, I was Surfer Dude’s demonstration partner. After we show the moves, the students, myself included, partner up to practice what we just learned. There’s always a moment after you and your partner have each done the moves a few times where you’re not sure if there’s time to sneak one more rep in before the instructor calls, “Time! Finish up that last rep.”

If you’re in the middle of a rep when this happens, the other students wind up watching you finish. #Theworst. So, unsure if I should begin another rep, I stared at SD, chewing my lip with indecision. I made the right call, though, because he yelled, “Time,” and called me up for the next part.

“I wasn’t going to call anyone else up,” he said when I reached him, having mistaken my hesitant lip chew for lack of confidence in being chosen. I tried to explain but he jumped in with a dig I sadly can’t remember. I responded with, “I will beat you up,” because I’m super quick-witted and unique with my retorts. #Sarcasm.

He smiled jovially and turned to address the class.

Here’s why that exchange was noteworthy: For years, I’ve watched the JJ brothers do their teaching thing, every once in a while having a brief quiet convo at center mat while the students wait patiently. And then *I* was the one having the brief private chat with the instructor in front of the waiting students.

It’s like I have arrived.

See? Progress made on the image!

That Steve Martin/Michael Caine movie was Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. If you haven’t seen it, get a mov(i)e on.

New question:

Anne was the youngest of three sisters in this 19th-century literary family.

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60 responses »

  1. Boys have cooties, which obviously explains your distance in the photo. Smart move. That stuff’s awfully contagious.

    Umm…err…I’m afraid my 19th-century literature knowledge is somewhat vague. I don’t suppose it’s the Musketeer family?

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  4. Ummm….the Bronte sisters? I think Anne was the youngest? And thanks for this afternoon smile: “I’m a firm believer in telling people nice things when they occur to you… For instance, thank you all for reading. You’re the best!” LOL and LOVE! 🥰😜🥰

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  7. First, the Brontë family who have the reputation of writing most of the literature written in the 19th century. Well, at least according to a few of my fellow English literature students. I kept telling that that “Frankenstein” was written by a Brontë sister, but would they listen to me … no …

    Small edit suggestion – don’t reuse a photo of yourself that has you in an ankle brace.

    I think the boys are sitting apart because they know how powerful you really are and are afraid.

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    • Probably all the other literature not attributed to the Brontes was just the Brontes using pseudonyms. Tell your fellow students that.

      But I’m still in the ankle brace, Andrew. It is a near-constant appendage.

      Haha, yes, the boys are afraid of me. I believe I am currently the top student, so it’s possible, I suppose.

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  12. You’ve arrive, have you? And just think I knew you long before you got there. Keep on keeping on, Betsy!

    Answer to your question: the Bronte family, whose home I have been to and remember as dank, dark, cold, and uninviting. No wonder the sisters wrote fiction to keep themselves entertained.

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  13. I like your philosophy of saying nice things when they occur to you. Of course you can keep going with this – it’s who you are! As for the trivia, we watch Jeopardy nearly every weekday, and the literary questions are always my Achilles Heel, so no guesses from me this time.

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  16. You had me thinking “golf swing” with the early comments about attention to detail. Just when you think you have the essentials down, your instructor throws in more mechanics to complicate the process. Can’t we just swing the club, Teach? Also, your use of “presumably” brought a smile. My brother uses the word (knowingly?) at least once a post in his weekly blog. It’s become a game to search for it in his paragraphs, and I always picture some old Brit talking with an upturned nose.

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    • Oh no, Dave. Do I have a pet word? That’s a writer’s nightmare. I’ve been reading a book series to the family, and we’re cringing every time the author uses “inexorably.” Once there were two only three paragraphs apart. Now I’m presumably going to be on high alert not to use mine. 😉 😉

      And–upturned nose–haha, yes!

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