So glad to be back!

I left class smiling like a fool.

I left work WAY later than usual (gotta love end of month reports). If I made it to class, I'd be 30 min late...I went anyway. It was great! We worked a butterfly sweep I hadn't touched on in...probably a year. My hooks have gotten better, but I'm still not so hot at anything that involves getting my head to the mat.

I got two compliments on my new, purple nails and was kind of disappointed at my triangle from the mount. When I first learned this, it was working left and right...thinking back, that was likely because I was working on opponents with longer arms. I was rolling with the new fire fighter lady and she's quite a bit shorter than me, so when she doesn't want to give up a limb, it's rough to get it. I saw the triangle failing and tried to switch to an armbar, but was a bit fuzzy on some of the detail. I need to drill.

Glad to be back on my "moss drink"...odwalla super food, flax oil and protein powder. Yays:)

Troll...related blog post

Maybe it's the butter paneer I just finished, but I desperately wanted to think of a clever, troll related title for this entry...something about a bridge or three goats or something...but I got nothin'.

They seem to be extra active lately, from a particularly crazy one my best friend has been dealing with to a potential one that just popped up on one of mine, they seem to be extra frisky, bigger and smellier than ever.  I'm sorry I missed this one live, but here's a great response Meg over at MegJitsu gave to an anonymous one that decided their opinion of her appearance was somehow related to her posts.


So I've been told, Anon, so I've been told. You should see me first thing in the morning, appalling! Happily, I make no claim to beauty and strive to be a courageous, capable, genuine and loving woman. Lucky, too, that while I fall short, a good gi serves me well, regardless :) Apologies, brother, but I'll have to delete your comment in a day or two; your earthy language is lowering the tone. Thanks for reading!


I love that she both addressed the post and didn't let it stand.  Addressed the accusation but didn't allow it to dominate. Addressed the impact of the troll but didn't let it drag her down. 

Why I'm not bald. (a BJJ haircare regimen)

This one's for Shakia...

I can't say my hair hasn't suffered some...my stylist has been miffed at some of the breakage in the crown, but all in all, my hair's fared well in the world of BJJ washings, combings, rollings, hair snaggings and all the other beautiful things that happen.

First, my hair. Here's a close up of it. That's me with about 4 months of new growth. The texture isn't changed much by chemical treatment. I just texturize for mangeability. (I'm a 3C-4A in the world of hair typing.) I did have relaxed hair at one point in time (though not while training), but the same basic ideas of protective styling, moisturizing and hair-friendly products should work...you'd just likely have to stay away from heat styling.

Styling

Lock and load baby...lock and load. My hair...can be a banshee of sorts if left untamed. Even in a pony tail, some very bad things could happen if someone got a foot or hand stuck...and my hair wouldn't be the one tapping. So when I go in, whether it's for a full class, open mat or a lighter private lesson, I always pull it back, braid it, then twist it around itself so it's in a tight ball near the base of my head. No looseness. I still wonder how some women/men with long hair roll with loose ponytails. I'd be terrified of getting put in side control. Maybe it's a good motivator to stay out.

Washing

This is the rough part. I wash before and after each class. Yes, even if I'm just running to a meeting between classes. It's tedious, but my hair is a sponge and I can't imagine the critters it could be picking up even from my school's regularly cleaned mats. 

BUT.

I only use SLS free hair products. That means a wash before and after isn't too hard on the Banshee. Worse come to worst, I do a conditioner wash before class and put in a light, quick absorbing leave in (sad Fructis Curl 'n' Shine is so hard to find these days) before braiding, focusing on the edges and ends. Post-class wash is a different story. I use Dial anti-bacterial as my normal I-didn't-find-any-open-wounds-today body wash, and I run a little bit across all exposed surfaces of my hair.. Then I go back and do a full shampoo wash and condition.

I've seen the most success from switching to Curls products. Not sure if it's the fact that their organic or what, but I know they've made a difference. 

Top 5 "What...am I doing?" Moments...

I haven't had any in a long while, and I'm guessing the days of asking "Why am I doing this?" have passed, but I wanted to recap a few of the ones that stick out...

1)  My second roll, I don't remember what position I was in, but I looked over and saw a guy's foot, with a pair of dice tattooed on the top of his foot. Tat aside, I have a foot phobia, and that one was WAY too close to my face.

2) The first time I...expelled gas in class. It was during lifts and I was the only one left drilling. The room was silent. I was partnered with Mr. Rebar-for-ligaments. My instructor turned to some of the guys on the wall and smirked. I just...kept going.

3) When I went deaf after class for a minute. Freaked me out. Made an appointment with the cardiologist first thing in the morning.

4) The first time sweat fell in my mouth. Someone else's sweat that is. It was a white belt teen and it took all I had not to start flailing like a maniac.

5) My first time in north-south.

I'm guessing this happens most often with people who are out of shape, women and those who aren't used to that much personal contact.

6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 switch.

...on multiple levels. First off, I've been off training for about a week now because I've been sick. Considering we've got more visitors at work, it may be another couple of days before I get to spar again. Then, the sickness itself is driving me nuts. Any time I catch a cold, it balloons into sinusitis, which means I can't lie down, not even to sleep. It also means I can't sleep more than three hrs without waking up choking, even with all the meds I've got flowing through my system. I've gone about seven days now without really hitting REM sleep. I'm starting to lose the ability to distinguish between being awake and asleep.

Then there's stress in general. I swear I have PTSD from my first job out of college...any time I even think I might be stressed, it causes me anxiety (which usually turns out to be worse than the stress itself). Being overworked sends me into a nasty cycle even when well. I work more, but feel like I need the same, if not more free time, so I shave off sleep. When I shave off sleep, I don't get to do my morning workouts, or prepare meals like I should, so I start eating badly, working out less and neglecting all kinds of healthful things.

All that said, it's good to know that by Friday, I'll be back at the gym, sweating and working on all the great stuff I learned at my last private.

BUT...things aren't all doom and gloom and craziness. Though I can't handle full on workouts yet, I'm learning that toward the end of being sick, doing some bodyweight work really helps me shake those last bits of a cold. Squat creeps and shin boxes are coming along nicely. I'm really starting to see how the latter helps with your open guard. I can't wait until I get like this guy and manage to stay in one place.

My knees are progressing beautifully if I may say so. Don't get me wrong...they're still crackly, but I don't have pain anymore. No more burning or aching. I can stand from a squat with no pain (and less fear) and my range of motion has increased (in good ways). I mean...yeah...my shoulders have issues now, but BJJ as a whole has done good things for my knees.

Thyroid Tea

I've been extra conscious of my enlarged thyroid ever since I started training. Even though my endocrinologist says it's fine to practice chokes, the idea of the already puffy gland being squashed on the regular makes me nervous.

Well, after my brother touted the effects of parsley tea on his sinus condition, my mother decided to give it a shot and said her gland (also enlarged) had gone down significantly (apparently it's known to help regulate thyroid function). I've been drinking it the last couple of days, and maybe it's just a placebo effect, but I am noticing a difference in size and my overall mood.