I had a bit of a learning curve adjusting to my new normal.
Jun3
Tag Archives: Americana
Oct31
Wake me up when September ends. -Green Day
I could also call this “My birthday month, Part 2… No, really!”
Yes, I know it’s nearly November. I’m behind at life. Also, I must clear Mrs. Instructor’s name by stating that she was in no way demanding I post my stories about her. Unlike her predecessors, Chex Mix Guy and Sensei, she has not become an attention monster. You know who else hasn’t? Surfer Dude. He knows full well about this blog and has never, to my knowledge, checked out what I’ve written about him. Wouldn’t you think he’d at least be curious? Amazing.
Okay. On with the pics, etc.
When we last saw our intrepid heroes, Heather, Neighbor, and Ilsa planned a coffee date do-over, this time at a joint called Archer’s Arrow, totally chosen by me for the name alone.
Sep10
And they’re back!
Okay, friends. After lulling you into a false sense of security with posts related to baking, beeping, and random food pics, I’m bringing Jiu-Jitsu back in force! (I just heard Mrs. Instructor quietly say, “Yay.”)
In a recent class, Instructor used the Combatives Belt Kid (CBK) as his demo partner. I thought of telling CBK later, “Hey, man, good for you. What an honor.”
But in last night’s class, Instructor used me as his demo partner, so I now realize it’s a matter of who’s sitting closest or randomly makes eye contact, rather than a matter of skill. [Note to self: Sit far away and avoid eye contact as though Instructor is Kaa from The Jungle Book or the basilisk from Harry Potter.]
Being demo partner in Master Cycle is frightening. Thankfully, the moves here are sort of a crap shoot. Some are ridiculously complicated, but a lot are really quite simple when you get down to it.
Jul27
Turns out, you can accomplish something when you work really really hard at it. Who knew?
Yet another previously written post, but I had good reason to delay publishing.
The writing was slowly appearing on the wall. The beginner Jiu-Jitsu class was becoming too basic. I’d lingered longer than a normal person would because I wanted to soak up every last detail.
Then when a student I’d been helping when he was relatively new earned his fourth stripe, I knew I had overstayed my welcome.
With this new resolve, after class one day, I approached Instructor.
“When do you think I’ll be ready to test?” I asked.
He looked down, thoughtful, then turned to his brother.
Surfer Dude looked at me. “Now?”
I rapid fire blinked at him.
“Yeah, do you want to do it now?” Instructor asked.
“What? Uhhh.” I had not expected this response, and I was not prepared to test on the spot.
“Do you want to watch the demo videos first?” SD asked and suggested I print the test pages which list the moves for each of the four main drills.
I agreed with this plan and left in a daze.
Having made the decision to test, I needed to prepare. The best person to help me was someone who knew enough Jiu-Jitsu to be a knowledgeable “bad guy.”
May2
Surfer Dude has abandoned me
I’ve watched SD reprise his role enough times to *mostly* know how the game is played.
I’ve watched SD reprise his role enough times to *mostly* know how the game is played.
When Surfer Dude (SD) isn’t present and Instructor needs a demonstration partner, he usually scans the faces along the wall before saying, “So-in-so, can I use you, please?” often with a cupped hand beckoning the person onto the mat.
This time we had barely lined up, Instructor was still walking onto the mat, and didn’t even look when he called me out, as though it was a given.
That’s cool, and it’s still an honor, but when I reached the center of the mat, I saw SD standing on the far end.
Normally, I play the part of dutiful partner, staying on script, making myself as unmemorable as possible, but I couldn’t help but look at SD and throw my arms up in a “What the heck?!” fashion. He just smiled broadly then trained his eyes on Instructor.
I did the same because focusing on Instructor made it easier not to think about SD watching me. While I did his job. And he sized me up for competency.
Apparently he was just waiting to get across the mat without interrupting, because he left shortly after that. I breathed a little easier.
I’ve watched SD reprise his role enough times to *mostly* know how the game is played.
Mar6
Let’s pretend I did that on purpose
Frequently I’m partnered with the kid, whom I’ll call Billy. (Get it?) Even when I’m not the only female, I get matched with Billy. That’s not my favorite, since I’m unlikely to be attacked by a 6th grader, but I get it. I’m closest in size to him, since I, too am built like an 11-year-old boy.
Anyway, one night he did some move which was apparently cool. I didn’t see it, but Instructor asked if he had done it on purpose. Billy said no. (Points for honesty!) Instructor said he shouldn’t admit when he does something cool by mistake.
Later, Instructor told Billy to really make me work for it, which I appreciated. So Billy put up a fight. Instructor: “Whoa, Betsy. You got your knees up behind his back. Pulling out stuff from class 11.” He turned to Surfer Dude. “Did you see that?”
“Yeah.” Surfer Dude nodded appreciatively.
It’s a good thing I had just learned not to admit when I do something cool by accident.
In another class, we learned a new-to-me way of doing the headlock escape superbase variation, so I had no muscle memory to carry me through on this one. Instructor sat down in front of me to watch, so of course my mind immediately went blank.
Writing and Martial Arts 