More Tales from the Mat

I got my shichikyu, or third degree blue belt today at jujitsu.

Green

I just ate a nutritious little salad and a turkey sammich, no mayo.

My body is positively giddy with nutrients.

Ice Breaker

Ice Breakers Spearamint is pretty much the best chewing gum of all time and space. Firstly, I love spearamint and wintergreen gum. On top of that, Ice Breakers starts out soft and stays that way regardless of how long you chew it. The exception, however, is when you drink cold liquids with the gum in your mouth. This will cause it to harden rather quickly. AND, once the flavor is gone, the gum still tastes pretty good (this sounds like they should be mutually exclusive, but such is the enigma of gum). It's not like a piece of Bazooka Joe where the second the flavor runs out, the gum hardens and has a nasty taste.

That's the stick form. However, the new cube form blows. Firstly, it has a crunchy outer shell which I find somewhat tactilely unpleasant. Secondly, the gum has a slightly different, less appealing taste than the stick. Thirdly, for ten measley cubes it's like $.30 more! The one thing the cube has going for it is that it has a nice consistency, though a bit more rubbery than the stick.

Idunno....

So my fiance, Nellbot, has an older sister, Catherine, who works for Armani in NYC. I'm not exactly sure what she does there, but she gets all kinda' discounts and so forth. She sent a little sample package of aftershave and men's shampoo last week. When Nellbot and Catherine were on the phone, Nellbot thanked her for the samples. Catherine asked her if I would be interested in some cologne that smelled the same. Nellbot relayed the offer to me, to which I replied, "I dunno, you tell me."

Now, I don't want this to sound like I was being an asshole, somehow intentionally indifferent for the sake thereof. Mainly, I just don't know about that shit. The cologne I'm currently wearing was picked out by the fabulous Nellbot. She said she liked it, I didn't find it repellant, so I started wearing it. My main concern is that I don't smell like crotch or armpits. So long as I have those target areas taken care of, I really can't formulate an opinion. Likewise, I can't comment on whether I like tope or eggshell better. They're both just white to me. I simply don't have the refinement nor the inclination to make the distinction.

On top of all that, I'm far more concerned with when the next The Goon tpb comes out, who would win in a fight between robot-Sally Struthers and robot-Bruce Valanch, and whether or not I'll ever finish my version of The Aristocrats.

Nellbot understands this about me and I think it actually makes our lives a bit simpler. That is, if she wants me to wear a certain fragrance, I'll just wear it. Since I don't have an opinion on the matter there can be no conflict. So I say, "I dunno, you tell me," and she smiles and says to Catherine, "Yeah, he wants some."

A match made in heaven.

WHEW!!

Well, I've been at work since 7:00 and I have finally put out all the fires that require my attention. Maybe now I can actually get some work done.

We did arts from the Nage list last night in jujitsu. Nage is ALL sweeps and throws. That means I took a pounding and I can definitely still feel it today. It also showed everyone how I still can't commit to any fall that involves a straight-over. Sensei said we'll have a class on rolls and falls on Sunday, though, and I'm hoping that will clear up a lot of my issues. I think I need them broken down for me just like learning a new art.

More Words I Hate

Here are some more, "words," I hate to hear.

"Conversate" Ok, you have a conversation. When you do so, you converse with another person.

"Electronical" If you have an electronically produced report, it is considered electronic.

"Automize" If you want something to run on it's own, I think you want it automated. Unless, for some inexplicible reason you want treat your reports as though they were made up of many discrete units. In which case, I apologize.

Professor

In the American Judo & Jujitsu Federation, a person who attains a 7th degree black belt (Shichidan) is called a professor. Tonight we will have a class with Professor Hudson from Davis, CA. My sensei is a Godan, or 5th degree black belt. I'm excited to see what the difference is. It'll also be nice to see another style of teaching and outlook on the system. I should be cool! I just hope my back isn't still tweaked by tonight.

Tales From the Mat

I had to take my first real straight-over last night. Until then, I had taken one from a hip throw which isn't nearly as terrifying as having my shin kicked and then hurling myself into a flip, landing on my back. That's what I had to do last night. I didn't do it well, which is to be expected, but I did it.

The two main people that run the dojo are sensei Franco and his wife, Cyndo. Franco's been encouraging, but not overly demanding. He realizes that I'm freakishly large and that it would be more difficult to do the rolls and falls and easier for me to get hurt doing them. His wife, on the other hand, doesn't give a fuck. So, when she was showing us how to do the art, she insisted on throwing all of us so we know how it should feel. When it came to my turn, I kind of did it, I guess. When I got up and started working with my uki (partner), he said, "How was that?"

To which I replied, "Ok, I guess. All I know for sure is that I was in the air forever and then my back hurt."

He said, "Perfect."

Bushed

I'm tired. Reeeally tired today. I went out with sensei and some of the other folks from jujitsu last night. I drank a few beers and didn't get into bed until almost one. Don't even start. You're tired, too. Well shut up, this is MY blog and I'M the one what matters!!!!