No flowers. Really.

Cutting off blood to the brain, whether you call it a “vascular neck restraint”, or a “sleeper hold” or “jime waza” is reliable despite size, strength, psychosis or drugs.  It is also the safest way to shut down a human. –Rory Miller



Thursday lunchtime BJJ in Bellevue.

Standup drills- double-leg setups.

Next: Same thing we've been doing lately, with the sprawl-twirl to the side-take the back. I need to pay extra attention to positioning myself so as to shove in that lower hook adequately.  Finish with any choke. I always like the RNC. Simple, reliable. I also did a few bow-and-arrows. John was impressed with my bow-and-arrow for some reason... I'm not sure what was particularly impressive about it, but okay, I'll take a backpat.

Spars with rotating people. I got a kneebar on somebody today.

Straight to Lindsey's studio. Getting tattooed is surprisingly exhausting, due to the fact that you are tensing every muscle in your body for most of a two or three hour period. I don't know how some people sit for half a day. We did about 2.5 hours, that's the longest I've done (I usually draw the line at 2). It was all linework, and on the back- which is not known as one of the more painful spots, although some areas were definitely more painful than others: along the spine, the outer sides (which is technically "ribs", which I already knew was terrible), and along the very bottom edge- like tailbone level. Lindsey had suggested putting a line of flowers down there, which I vetoed, and when he was down there doing Ox Head's boots, I was really glad that we weren't putting a whole freakin' line of goddam flowers down there. In fact, I was beginning to wonder if Ox Head would look okay with just one foot.

It looks incredible so far.... you can really see my Spyderco on his belt, which tickles me no end.

I was going to try to do one 2-hour session per month or so, but several people called in cancellations while I was there and Lindsey was (rightfully) grumbling about them- so I went ahead and took a spot for tomorrow.

The tat doesn't hurt much right now- if it feels and looks all right in the morning, I might go to class before I go back to the studio. I know I'm not really supposed to, but it's just linework!      ;)