"Everybody has tried to choke myself"

An attorney who in specializes in self-defense told me that of the 300 clients who said something to the police before talking to him, only two managed to NOT hurt their case. Those two didn't help their case, they just didn't hurt it any. If you are involved in a shooting, call the police, physically cooperate with them, but don't say anything except you want to call your attorney.  --Greg Hamilton


Down another half pound. Doing well with diet.

I am vexed that Tuesday evening "study hall" and "team pink" classes in Seattle overlap one another. I like study hall, I miss Rodrigo (who is teaching Tues study hall); I have never made it to even one womens' class ("Team Pink"). I don't even *know* the majority of the female white belts right now, which is sad.

Unfortunately I did not make it to either one last night. I have been having so much trouble with my contacts lately. By the time I got out of lunchtime class Tuesday, it felt like there was a shard of glass in my right eye. Tried to take the contacts out in the locker room, and couldn't even _find_ the right-side one. I don't think it popped out, so it might be folded up far under my eyelid or something. Anyway, the eye was all irritated and smarting (moreso after I was poking around forever seeking the contact, and squirting an ocean of saline in there), far too distracting to do class with (much less driving at night).

Will have to forgo contacts for at least the next day or two. Putting on glasses to watch the demo's and then taking them off is such a hassle, especially since I can't put the durn things on while I have my headgear strapped on.

Another thing I will have to forgo- COBRA. Just got the paperwork. It costs over FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS per month. Holy flippin' cowpies!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Who can afford that???!?!!!??  I couldn't afford that even when I *was* employed!!!!

Housemate: "And if you get a broken bone?"
Kitsune (holding up crooked right middle finger): "I just ignore it, see?"
Housemate: (after long pause) "Some bones you can...sort of.... do that with, others you can't...."
Kitsune: "I'll just put a little ice on it."
Housemate: "And then you'll ask me to Tiger Balm it for you, right?"

Lunchtime BJJ at Gracie Sea:

It was sort of a small group; I think a number of people were at the seminar in Bellevue.  Carlos looked at the line and joked, "Today we are doing blue gi's versus white gi's." There were only two white belts in the room, both with white gi's- all the colored belts were wearing blue today.

Bottom side control: Frame up the arms, hip up (get all the way up on toes), turn JUST ENOUGH to get your knee on opponent's hip. Do not do a huge shrimp-out. Square up and grab opponent's sleeve cuffs. You now have one leg straight and one leg with the shin folded (knee out) across opponent's belly. Try to trap opponent's ankle with your straight leg (you may need to pull hir forward onto your chest a bit to accomplish this). Now hip out just enough to extricate your folded leg and catch closed guard.

Positional training from side control, with everyone in the room. Bottom person- try to get to closed guard. Top person- hold side control and look for submissions (KOB okay, no front mount).   As usual, I suck in bottom side control. Bryan and then Glenn tried the Technique Of the Day gi choke from Monday on me. With Bryan, I discovered that you can't defend that by getting your fingers in. If you don't get the entire forearm in,  you're just setting yourself up to get choked out *AND* break all your fingers.  

Glenn also did a breakdance pass hard enough on my poor ribs to make me wheeze. I did KOB Tutorial with the white belt guy, hopping from one side of KOB to the other and making him shrimp out quickly. I got a choke tap on him; didn't get one on anybody else (although I came really close on Nic). I was finding myself unable to set up Monday's TOD becaue I couldn't adequately control the near arm. Nic: "What's up with this? Every single person in line has tried to choke me with that same choke."  I started laughing, and Carlos looked over. Me: "Every single person is trying to do that choke from Monday." He nodded. "Everybody has tried to choke myself." (Carlos doesn't know the English word "me"- he always uses "myself".)  He was happy that we were all trying to do it.