So, what's new?

Well, I have another shiner, courtesy of a training session Tues eve. (See below for pics.) It started out as what grapplers and mixed martial artists call a "mouse:" a bump that, in my case, eventually flattens out and turns into a black eye. The guy I was rolling with didn't mean for it to happen. It comes with the territory. Plus, you can basically look at me funny and I'll get a black eye; I remember one time my training partner literally touched my cheekbone with his elbow--just a touch--and then poof.

Tomorrow is a tournament in Anaheim, sponsored by No Limits, the academy that sponsored our trip to Turkey. I'm going to go, maybe to compete (though I'm feeling REALLY beat lately), and definitely to cheer on some New Breeders and others. I heard from Karen Santaniello, whom you may remember as the wife part of the husband-wife team of Jim and Karen Santaniello. The women on the team that went to Turkey stayed at their home while we trained together for that previous week. She wants me to bring my USA team gear, the rash guard and shorts, etc. I guess she's setting up some kind of photo op for the team members who are going to be there. Darren and Tara will be there too. Hooray! It will be great to see them.

I'm working pretty hard at my online teaching gigs and getting up to speed on the consulting project I took on. I'm also back to a regular CrossFit and training schedule after the holidays, although I took today off. I didn't get as much sleep over Thanksgiving as I had hoped I would, and I also continued to CrossFit every day, so I guess I didn't give myself much of a break. Today Marcel (black belt instructor at New Breed Marcel, not cranky brown belt metrosexual Marcel) said he works out most every day, but he also sleeps all the time--he only wakes up to teach or to train. He could be exaggerating, but it was interesting to hear that he sleeps as much as he can, because I work out most every day, but I average about 5 hours of sleep a night, which I know is not enough for me.

Anyway, the real busy-ness will be through December 15, and then after that I'll get some breathing room. My courses end and grades are due on or around that date. My consulting deliverable is due in about the same time frame. There's a no-gi tournament tomorrow, one in Richmond, VA, that I'm flying out for on Dec 8, and the no-gi Mundial out here in Carson on the 15th. After that I'll get some time to relax. I just wish it didn't all culminate EXACTLY at the same time. Well, you do what you can.

So no wonder I'm tired. Dang. Of course that means that instead of going to sleep right now, I should post some pics:

Brooke, Una, and me at the Heartland Cafe, one of my favorite earthy-crunchy restaurants in Chicago. Also conveniently located relatively near Skokie, where Brooke and Una are neighbors. We had a GREAT visit!

A sign I saw for sale in a Christmas store in small-town Illinois. I immediately thought of Chrissy when I saw it. I forwarded the picture. She wrote, "It's funny because it's true." I started to disagree, but then I remembered that I didn't have permission to do that.

Eben pretending to give me another black eye. Eben is a black belt under Kamole, on Maui. He runs the New Breed in Portland, OR, and was in town to visit and to beat me up.

(BTW, we were both trying very hard not to laugh as this picture was being taken.)


Can't even be bothered to get off the phone.