Tumbleweeds...crickets...Bueller...Bueller...

I have been BUSY. Turns out financing my grappling is really time-consuming. I'm teaching two courses, doing a consulting gig, working at the store, and then doing the usual: training, conditioning, Zoneing, blooming where I'm planted. And I just lost the blog post I was going to add here, so now I'm writing it again. Sigh. I think the lesson for this week is learning to impose tranquility where chaos seems to reign. Not one of my strong suits. I haven't been sleeping much either, partly because I condition early in the morning and stay up late grading papers, and partly because I don't make myself go to sleep when I should. So that's another thing to work on.

On the blooming where I'm planted, I did pretty well on that last week. Had a play date with a friend of a friend, went to lunch with several grappling ladies, and then more lunch on Sunday with other grappling ladies. This week won't be so good for that because I'm headed to Richmond for a women's open mat, but it will be fun, and then that's the last trip for the foreseeable future. And I ran into a few acquaintances at the store and elsewhere that may lead to more blooming here. I'm determined to give LA a fighting chance, which I now realize I wasn't doing. But as GI Joe says, now I know, and knowing is half the battle.

The open mat will be fun. Even out here in the mecca of US grappling, rolling with women is a few and far between phenomenon. I got to roll with Felicia the other day for a good hour, but there will be about 30 chicks at this event, including some seasoned purples. So it will be lots of fun and good for me. Also, while I'm out there, Sean, a Burdo blue belt, wants to interview me and get footage of me rolling for his documentary. He already did one on the Richmond BJJ scene, and I guess he's doing a sequel. How will I look as a talking head? Good question. Will I sound smart or pompous? I do know a lot of big words. I'll try to keep it real, yo, as the kids would say.

Grappling continues to be very very fun! It doesn't hurt that Johnny spent his Christmas vacation inventing sweeps and remembering awesome moves that he had forgotten years ago and then showing them to us. So that's a joy. I also got to roll with Marcel last night, and he let me crawl all over him like a monkey. He'd let me sweep him, then he'd sweep me back, then he'd let me sweep him again. And we both giggled like little kids the entire time. THAT's what I'm talking about--isn't that the cool phrase these days? At any rate, I am back in love with grappling. It and I just needed some space, I guess. Now I just need to get there with takedowns. But the grappling itself is WAY fun again. I'm so grateful.

Okay, more later. Pictures of New Year's Eve, of my gnarly hands after 100 pullups (they ripped the crap out of my palms) for the Angie, a CrossFit challenge, and of whatever else might be on my camera.

Now, back to financing my grappling.