I should be writing
I want to report on the Mundial, and I want to finish the next draft of my proposal. I'm not really doing much of either, though. (You know this about the Mundial; you can take my word for it about the proposal.) I was feeling sort of deflated before the tourney, and now I think I'm dealing with let-down. Meh.
Some random thoughts:
1. The Saturday of the Mundial, when I won one and lost one (to Gabrielle Garcia, the big woman) in the open and then won two to make it to Sunday's final for my weight class, was the one-year anniversary of the day I received my brown belt. So that was kind of cool.
2. Lots of people have told me in the past week that I am their hero. This is flattering, obviously, but also a bit disconcerting. I don't know what I do/am to make that the case. It made me think about who my heroes are and why. And then I think about "real" heroes and how they seem lonely.
3. My dad noticed that my calendar was still on May and went to change it. But then he thought better of it and said, "Let's wait till after the tournament is over." Reminded me that when he played football and lacrosse and rowed in college, he had his own rituals, and I guess he didn't want to jinx it. (I managed that all on my own. Meh.)
4. In the same vein, my parents kick ass. They were amazing troopers for the entire weekend. They seemed to enjoy the tournament, and they even bothered to learn how to pronounce "Rickson" and the like properly. They got to meet some of my friends, who now understand why I am the way I am.
5. I started teaching a conditioning class at New Breed. The first one was Monday, the second one yesterday. And the next one is tomorrow. I think people are "enjoying" it, which is to say that they are miserable during the workouts, which is as it should be, and then they realize they are addicted and come back for more.
6. My friend Traver is opening a CrossFit affiliate-slash-acupuncture clinic in Santa Barbara. Trav is the one who cured my alopecia. Check him out at http://www.crossfitpacificcoast.com. Congrats, Traver! Can't wait to visit you next month!
7. My friends Rick and Anahi are opening their own MMA academy, called East Coast MMA, in New Jersey (YAY!). I don't know the URL yet, but I will post it soon. Congrats to Rick and Anahi! I'll look forward to visiting the next time I'm on the right coast.
posted by Valerie @ 11:18 AM
3 Comments:
In your final match against Penny I was wondering what was the mistake you made that you felt your opponent was able to capitalize on?
Hi Valerie--I'm delurking because, well, now is as good a time as any. Just wanted to say I've spent the last couple weeks reading through your blog and I've really enjoyed it. You're an engaging writer, you tell stories well, and you have a great sense of humor. Your story has a great rhythm and people can identify with your struggles and triumphs.
Personally, I identify with your internal conflict as a perfectionist just as much as I appreciate the narrative of a female martial artist. I cheered when you got your brown belt because I'd recognized the self-denial of perfectionism in your posts--not (consistently) believing you were as skilled as you really were, when other people could see it clearly. That blind spot is something I struggle with in my own martial arts experience as well as in other areas of my life. Perfectionism FTW! Or not. :-)
In a recent post you mentioned not being sure how to end your book in an uplifting way when you were going through a rough time, despite having reshaped your life the way you wanted. To that I say: heh. Humans always get restless even if they live in a "perfect" situation. I sympathize and hope your equilibrium is restored soon. But I also like non-Hollywood endings. I would be happy to read an ending to your book that says: "My life still isn't perfect and I'm not always overjoyed with it. But I'm working to make sure it fits me and working to improve myself, and I'm happy most of the time."
Anyway, hope to hear more about the Mundial soon, or whatever you want to write about.
I believe the official name of Rick and Anahi's place is "Big Rick's House of Pancakes and Asskicking."
Just FYI.
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