What Ron wants me to do

As conscientious martial artists, we must be fully aware of the power we hold
over those underneath us. Lower ranks look up to and often too lightly lionize
those of higher rank. The reality is that the more advanced have been practicing
for longer, started earlier, and nothing more. In the eyes of the new student,
though, particularly the young one, these people may as well be superheroes
with powers they cannot fathom possessing. More than knowledge, these more
advanced students hold the power to control others, harming or not harming,
assisting or ignoring them as they see fit. Even if it isn’t discussed, that is a
deeply primal thing in the mind of a person. It is not to be abused. –Ryan Hall


Tuesday evening Advanced class, Belle.

Tone was back tonight. I didn't get to work with her today. She did two classes yesterday. I hope she doesn't burn herself out or get injured. She still seems very enthusiastic.

King Of the Hill from mount. Then rotating spars.

Ross is getting very good. He tapped me twice.

Crisanne stuck her head right up into my favorite collar choke. I cheerfully throttled her and told her to never do that again. Otherwise, she was doing quite well.

With Ron:
Kitsune: "I can tell you're trying to bait me into passing your half guard on the right. I've been rolling with you too long, Ron. At this point I'd rather stay in a shitty position than do *anything* you want me to do." Rolling with Ron continues to feel like trying to balance on top of a golf ball on your heel. Blindfolded. On ice.

I worked with a tall white belt guy with whom I spent almost the entire time gripfighting, with a few interludes of me grabbing closed guard and trying vainly to sweep him. He had good base, good choke defense (as I told him). He kept repeatedly apologizing for not knowing what he was doing, and for just being defensive, and for his percieved suckage. I hope he believed me when I told him he has nice basics and he's doing great, that he should just keep doing what he's doing.

I got an omoplata on a blue belt, which I'm pretty excited about. That's not a sub I get very often. I don't get *any* sub very often, especially on a colored belt, but when I do it's usually a choke. He made me work for it. He was trying to summersault out of it, but I grabbed his gi and hung there, and kept tightening it up till he tapped.

Casey nagged me about my belt. I have't been back to Seattle yet, and I wanted to look for it myself before having to buy a new one. But I asked Cindy to look for it last week, and she didn't find it. I went ahead and ordered a new one online tonight, but it will take a while to get here. Casey told me I'd have to start going into the basics class. Good Lord, does he think that's a punishment? He doesn't know me at all, does he?

I now have a King County library card. I apparently have to physically go to the library and show them ID before I can borrow Kindle books. By searching free Kindle books on the web, I found a couple of really old and fairly short ones that count as "reasearch": One on old Chinese religion and one of old Chinese fairy tales.