This Week's Events.
Kali: I thought I was going to have four days in a row of martial arts again, 1 day jiujitsu, 3 days kali, but since my daughter's flying in to visit this week, it'll only be 2 days of kali. Last night's class was kind of cool. We did an exercise where we had to fight like someone else in the class. It was kind of awkward, but it was fun and I learned a little more kali and a lot about my peers.
Then we went into open hand one-on-one. I went against someone, who, after 3 years, should have the good sense to not use outstretched fingers to the face when practicing with other people in the class. Especially considering that his level of control doesn't seem to have improved over the past 2 years since I've been in the class. It's both dangerous and disrespectful. After my face got scratched, I lost it just a little, and started throwing flurries and combinations. Being both stronger and faster, doing stuff like that doesn't help my kali technique at all, but I think I got my point across.
Jujitsu: In Monday's class I ran into a former Kali student who recognized me. We did some grappling, and I accidently scratched his face. Hmmm. He's a cool guy, but hopefully he stick to jujitsu longer than he stuck with Kali.
Class was kind of odd, because the usually packed 7pm class only had a handful of people. We're all pretty aggressive, and I think about half the class is injured. I don't feel so much like a little punk for drinking water and gatorade throughout class, though. Dehydration has been the source of too many injuries for me to not drink a lot of liquids.
Shab and Drumming: Last week I got to drum once more for Shabnam's troupe Ooh la la. The worst part about going to these events used to be having to sit through hours of average bellydancing. In this case, the worst part was once again going into an environment where I was the only black male.
It's hard to understand unless you've been in the situation. For example, a woman immediately knows when she's in a room full of men. When that happens, it's hard to be yourself. Knowing that a friend's professional career is at stake if you make a mistake emphasizes that point. I don't mind being in that position too much, but it's draining.
My Daughter: She lives in Kansas with her mom and stepdad, and it's always a treat when she visits. She'll be out here visiting for a couple of days this week, and she never seems to mind that I rarely have anything planned. What a great gift to know someone who truly appreciates the opportunity to hang out with you.
Next year she starts high school, so she'll have a lot on her plate during the school year. She's a great student, so when she visits I never really make her do anything other than exercise. Being a parent is an enormous blessing.
Corvette Title: Today I signed all the papers I need to refinance my home, and use the extra cash to pay off my Corvette. That'll be a big relief, because the auto loan and insurance payments are a nightmare. Now I can chop off $500/month from those payments, deduct the new payments as interest paid to my home equity line of credit, and I have the title to the car. Time to figure out a way to pay off the house in 5 years. Is it possible? Yes. Will I do it? Maybe. If I figure it out, it'll be here for everyone to see.
Then we went into open hand one-on-one. I went against someone, who, after 3 years, should have the good sense to not use outstretched fingers to the face when practicing with other people in the class. Especially considering that his level of control doesn't seem to have improved over the past 2 years since I've been in the class. It's both dangerous and disrespectful. After my face got scratched, I lost it just a little, and started throwing flurries and combinations. Being both stronger and faster, doing stuff like that doesn't help my kali technique at all, but I think I got my point across.
Jujitsu: In Monday's class I ran into a former Kali student who recognized me. We did some grappling, and I accidently scratched his face. Hmmm. He's a cool guy, but hopefully he stick to jujitsu longer than he stuck with Kali.
Class was kind of odd, because the usually packed 7pm class only had a handful of people. We're all pretty aggressive, and I think about half the class is injured. I don't feel so much like a little punk for drinking water and gatorade throughout class, though. Dehydration has been the source of too many injuries for me to not drink a lot of liquids.
Shab and Drumming: Last week I got to drum once more for Shabnam's troupe Ooh la la. The worst part about going to these events used to be having to sit through hours of average bellydancing. In this case, the worst part was once again going into an environment where I was the only black male.
It's hard to understand unless you've been in the situation. For example, a woman immediately knows when she's in a room full of men. When that happens, it's hard to be yourself. Knowing that a friend's professional career is at stake if you make a mistake emphasizes that point. I don't mind being in that position too much, but it's draining.
My Daughter: She lives in Kansas with her mom and stepdad, and it's always a treat when she visits. She'll be out here visiting for a couple of days this week, and she never seems to mind that I rarely have anything planned. What a great gift to know someone who truly appreciates the opportunity to hang out with you.
Next year she starts high school, so she'll have a lot on her plate during the school year. She's a great student, so when she visits I never really make her do anything other than exercise. Being a parent is an enormous blessing.
Corvette Title: Today I signed all the papers I need to refinance my home, and use the extra cash to pay off my Corvette. That'll be a big relief, because the auto loan and insurance payments are a nightmare. Now I can chop off $500/month from those payments, deduct the new payments as interest paid to my home equity line of credit, and I have the title to the car. Time to figure out a way to pay off the house in 5 years. Is it possible? Yes. Will I do it? Maybe. If I figure it out, it'll be here for everyone to see.
posted by moluv at 12:39 PM
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