On Labor Day, I finally got back on the mats. A mere seven months and three days after my surgery but who’s counting… who are we kidding, I was counting. I was probably driving people nuts with my Facebook posts and comments about how I missed it and how I’d be back “soon!” Six months of healing, one month of constant business trips, and one major move later, words finally became action. I walked into the Academy with a smile on my face and a gi in my bag. Continue reading BJJ: It’s Good to be Bruised
SoML: Windows Down, Volume UP
Lately I’ve caught myself spending too much time with the windows of my car rolled up and my stereo off or at a modest volume. Jamming out in the car was a piece of myself that I recaptured last summer. I’d gotten used to keeping the windows up to filter the air and keep the temperature at a set level. I sang along with the radio at a reasonable volume. Sounds like a simple, normal adult thing, right? But it isn’t my normal and it should never have become that way. Continue reading SoML: Windows Down, Volume UP
Operation: You Can’t Go Home (Nomad Edition)
I’ve moved 3 times since leaving the “house formerly known as home” – a way stop at my parents’ for 3 weeks until I moved into the snowbird’s for 5 months and then back to my parents’ for (hopefully only) 5 months. Moving 3 times within 6 months to places where I can only have a subset of my “stuff” has taught me a few things. Continue reading Operation: You Can’t Go Home (Nomad Edition)
My 1st Tattoo: I Love It When a Plan Comes Together
Even before I turned 18, I’ve had the rough idea of a tattoo in my head that hadn’t quite formed into a design. With my 36th birthday in the not-too-distant future, I can honestly say that today was 18 years in the making. (I think that might be some sort of record for analysis-paralysis.) Continue reading My 1st Tattoo: I Love It When a Plan Comes Together
BJJ: The Friendliest Shark Tank Around
In late April I finally made it to the gym to watch testing for the first time. The format was simple and I suspect it’s pretty universal among BJJ gyms.* The instructors sit at the front of the room and ask people to demonstrate techniques on the curriculum. Describing the reasons for the test and the focus for each belt color may not be standard but as a newbie, I appreciated it. I doubt Jay’s brand of commentary is considered par for the course, but it would have felt like I was in the wrong place without it.
Jay and Eli providing direction and color commentary
Getting in the Gameness
Note: A briefer version of this story was going to be told on the Jay Jack Uncensored podcast when they talked about the need for gameness in women and how society typically squelched that trait. But, between my accident and the podcast’s “squirrel!” attention span for topics, I decided that I’d go ahead and publish this anyways. Maybe we’ll still go over the idea on a future JJU episode. But I needed to tell my story while the last bit was still fresh in my mind.
This all starts with a foolish summer fling in 2001. I met a guy working security at a concert, we hit off, we spent the summer having some fun together. I made it clear from the beginning that this was just going to be a summer thing, I was headed back to Ithaca in the fall for my junior year of college. I like to think that I ignored any signs that he was a little “off” because it was just a summer thing so it didn’t really matter. I wasn’t looking for a life partner. He was sweet, he was fun, and that was all that mattered at the time.
SoML: Overplayed Pop Songs
So here I am, laid up and getting a little more time alone in the next two days than I usually do. I’ve been having a tough time of it the last few days. I consider myself pretty solidly an Alt Rock Chic, but sometimes a girl needs some fast, funny, and occasionally fearless pop. The kind of stuff that you can’t escape – it’s been in commercials, half-time shows, endlessly played on multiple radio and muzak stations. The stuff that you usually get sick of for a while even if you started out liking it. So I’m taking a day to indulge in some foolishness in the form of a Meghan Trainor station on Amazon Prime – at least until I get sick of it. (And I still skipped Single Ladies) Continue reading SoML: Overplayed Pop Songs
In Dating Years, I’m 22
“The last time I was single, AIM was popular.” I’ve used that line on a number of occasions to try to give people a concept of just how far out of the game I have been. I was single for about 2 months of my 21st year. I was attending Ithaca College, living in an apartment just up from the Commons that was full of other college students. You met guys in class, at parties, in bars. Dating played out mostly in-person with some conversations over phone and IM. Texting on your little Nokia brick phone was a PITA and I don’t remember people using it much.
Julia Rue vs. Subaru
So I’ve realized that, even though 99% of my readers are friends and family who’ve heard at least a version of this tale, it might be a good idea to give people the full story about what transpired a few weeks ago. Especially since it’ll play a roll in some posts I had almost completed (but need to edit) and will provide an explanation if the number of typos and grammatical errors goes up (thank goodness for the WP app and text-to-speech since single hand typing is a pain at best). Continue reading Julia Rue vs. Subaru
SoML: I Am the Fire
Some days I feel like nearly every song in the Halestorm catalog could be a SoML post. Although some of them would be NSFW and definitely NSFF (not suitable for family). I can guarantee you this won’t be the only Halestorm song I talk about – but I will try to keep the number within reason.
If you love rock and you haven’t discovered Lzzy Hale’s powerful vocals and smoldering lyrics, please do yourself a favor and seek out everything you can find on Spotify, Amazon Prime, or whatever music service you prefer.
Now that I’m finished geeking out over the band, on to the song… Continue reading SoML: I Am the Fire