You gonna bark all day little doggy or are you gonna bite?

Kismet? Fate? Luck? Coinkydink?

I talk about how much I love jiu jitsu. I talk about how I need a job. I go to class almost as much as I would if I could train.

So.......................

AG asked me if I would like to have the job of being the academy secretary basically.
Answer phone, run student cards, sell memberships, track payments, run the Facebook page, schedule seminars and privates. All that sort of organizing, paperwork style stuff 99.9% of black belts would hate to do.

I'm starting to think of this as a golden opportunity, not something to fear.

Bark bark bark. Bite!

update

As you probably know, I woke up at 5am this morning wondering why my t-shirt was wet. Well my midline incision decided it needed to erupt out some blood and pus. Picture me making a not happy smirking face and saying "Uhh, yeah."

Wasn't I just at the doctor on Monday for an infection caused pocket in my other incision? Why yes I was. So of course I just can't stand to be away from any sort of medical thing. Why do you think I got with a physician? You think I have a fetish or addiction to/for "medicine"?

I don't!

My frequent patient medical miles got me a 2pm appointment today to let the surgery department have a look at my latest and least greatest piece of bodywork. They were not happy. I was not happy. So we were the perfect pair!

Until he decided the best thing to do right away is what is called an "I-N-D". Basically this means cut you open, the I in incise. Then, or the N in and, and D you for whatever comes out of you, draining. It's not fun. It hurts. There is blood. More than a little. So my scar around where my belly button used to be is now re opened, open for the business of draining stuff out.

But why? How come this is happening? Whenever I get to the cusp (one of my favorite words of all time) of healing I get some sort of infection. They are totally stumped. So what does a clueless doctor do? He orders a CT scan! Meow.

Now I'm waiting for my HMO to call me to schedule my "stat" CT scan. And for my wound culture from Monday to come back. And for all of my doctors to pow wow and decide what to do next. Another surgery to reopen, explore, debride and clean was instantly thrown out there.

So there you have it. You are totally updated. Both my wounds are infected. They sliced one of them open today. I'm waiting on more tests. No one has a clue why or how this is happening. Thus I wait.

OH, by the way.... I was supposed to do the Warrior Run this weekend. No go. I was advised not to do anything physical that would make me sweat or wear me out. Let alone doing that jumping over fire and crawling through mud. I'm still gonna go up there though and get my hat!! I mean, it's a cool furry Viking style hat with horns. No way am I wasting the chance to get that!

If it werent for bad luck I'd have no luck at all...

Both of my surgical wounds are infected again......

The end.

winner winner

I am writing a short 300-500 word story about horrible first dates for a popular lifestyle website. I think I have a winner on my hands, er... hard drive.

Since I never win the New Yorker cartoon caption contest maybe I'll do better here.

When the story is done I will put it on here as well for your perusal, shock and laughter. One hint, it happened when I lived in Modesto.

I killed a gerbil today

I killed a gerbil today that was living on top of my head. I was giving myself a buzz cut and when I was done I found his carcass. So sad...Poor little guy.

"Technique will beat steroids"

I have a new jj crush on Caio Terra. He won the Pluma class at the Pans today and in his interview with Budovideos.com afterwards he made a pointed reference at the size of some dudes/women (specifically in Alliance) in competition and said "I have technique, and that will always beat steroids."

The place blew up! I'm totally going to support him. His new dvd set is on order now.

And after looking at this picture of me, I hope he's right!

Atos chants!

2011 Pan Jiu Jitsu Championship

Wow, just for hours ago I was on the mat fighting and now I'm sitting on my couch, hearing the rain come down and barely able to finish a rice crispy treat.

Want to know something else odd? I'm wearing my USBJJF id card around my neck but not my medal. Yes, I was given another medal, 3rd place. But let's rewind a little bit first.

If this is your first time reading my blog, I have been sick and recovering from 4 different surgeries over the past 29 weeks. I haven't been to a jiu jitsu class since September 9, 2010. I know my opponents had been training like crazy. I would have been to if able. But instead I was bed ridden for months and lost 20 pounds. I was not allowed to do more than walk a bit. If I could even at all. Rough time.

Time passes and I start to feel about 65-70% of my "good". In my zealousness to return to my version of normal I sign up for the Pans, against everyone's wishes. No one really wanted me to do this but me. I HAD to do it. One of the largest jiu jitsu tournaments in the US just 90 minutes from my house? Of course I am fighting!

Last year my class had a guy who was in a wheelchair and he had to drag himself out there with his arms, on his belly, to fight. When I saw something like that, no way is a messed up surgical wound, a loss of 20 pounds and zero training in almost half a year going to keep me away. Just to prove to myself that Crohns disease is not beating me, not totally running my life, I had to fight.

First it was touch and go if I would make weight. I did. Barely. Then they told me my belt was illegal but I appealed and they allowed it. Then my patches on my pants where 2cm too low and had to be torn off. Then they didn't like my "Orange Crush" patch either but it stayed. Freak! I have to get a new purple belt now. (or find my old one)

My first fight is Tom V, a guy from a division two years ago that I took second place in. A real bunch of fights. Three to get into the finals. That silver medal was totally earned. Well a guy from that division and I were paired as the first fight on our side of the bracket. (the guy who took gold when i took silver at blue fought today at purple, pluma. so i'm sure Milo and i will meet again)

I was too stiff. I was slow mentally. I got submitted. And thus the conciliatory 3rd place as there were only 4 of us in the group.

The guy who beat me went on to win the division against the favorite. He was gracious in defeating me and told me I was a winner just for fighting when no one else would in my situation.

So here I sit at home. With a medal many would love to have, cast off onto the couch. But my ID card I'm still wearing around my neck. Why?

I feel embarassed that I should lose one match and yet still get a medal. I feel ashamed that I represent Andre Galvao as one of his students and I lost. I feel self conscious my ego drives certain of my decisions in such an obvious way to those around me.

But yet, I feel like a warrior for doing something no one else would do. What others told me would be crazy and fool hardy to do. But I grit my teeth and did it. I stayed true to myself. I truly have had to fight to live. And evidently a large part of me also lives to fight. Vive para lutar, lute para viver!!

And that's why I'm wearing my ID around my neck. I'm proud of "me", my internal strength. For fighting. For following the Rowdy dictum, "that's the difference between you and me. I'll do what you won't."

For fighting.

Thank you to Tenacious/Super D. I can do nothing with out you.
Thank you to Andre Galvao for accepting me into the team, though I have yet to earn it.
Thank you to Fabio Santos for giving me the best start in bjj I could have ever had!
Thank you to KB, MW and RS for being willing to come to my house and help me start to get some jiu jitsu movement again.
Thank you to Caleb at TheFightworksPodcast.com for always listening and supporting me. I always listen and support you back!
Thank you to all my training partners and opponents. You teach me soo much!
Thank you to God, all blessings come from you. (though I don't think he really cares about what I do in jj hahahaha)

If I don't fight tomorrow, then to me I will feel as if my Crohns disease will have won and I will have lost.

Mentally, for my own good and no matter what the physical cost, I just can't let that happen. I need tomorrow that badly.

So, the standard 2011 Triumph Daytona 675 in blue.....

Or the 2011 limited edition 675R version that gets some carbon fiber bodywork, quick shifter, Brembo brake upgrade and Ohlins suspension front and rear. $4,000 retail in upgrades but only a $1,400 difference in price between models

I can see the benefit to either. Based on my usage the basic model would be "best" but the exclusiveness of the other R model really gets me too.

What to do????????

sniff sniff. Goodbye dear friend.....

First I do have to say, I agree with the statement "The things you own, end up owning you." So while I lament this motorcycles passing to a new owner, to me it is really just a hunk of metals and plastic. I owned it for the most part, it rarely owned me.

In 2005 I had a GSXR 600. At that time it was the first motorcycle in a while where I felt super comfortable and could wheelie, stoppie, track day and just do whatever I wanted with. But I was living in the Bay area and moving down to San Diego and I just couldn't bring it with me.

During the year that passed I learned about this thing called supermoto. People basically road racing dirt bikes. My cousin was a supported rider for Suzuki at the time and he had been given a DRZ 400SM that I rode once while visiting his family. I was intrigued, while it felt underpowered it felt totally different. I was slowly getting hooked.

I went to look at them at the dealership. I started searching stuff on the internet. I talked to people who had them. I went and watched a race.

And then I got one for my birthday! Oh my goodness did it hook me. I've owned 4 supermoto bikes now! I got the first WR250X in San Diego and had the "WR250X" plate as well! After getting the DRZ for one birthday, two years later I got the WRX for another birthday. You can't tell me I'm not in love, look at my eyes! The night I first rode it home.

Races. Rich Oliver Mystery School. Tons of track days. Riding at the motocross track. Meeting my first friends in San Diego, most who I still have. Back country road adventures. OHV dirt adventures. Thursday motorcycle meets. I did more on this style of motorcycle than I have ever had on any other. And many times I came home from a ride saying, "that was the most fun I have ever had on a motorcycle."

Supermoto Rowdy through the years:





But I am at such a major life changing point right now it feels right to make a change. I feel like I want a motorcycle that is either a dirt bike or a sport bike, but not a combination of both.

Yamaha supermoto, I will miss you.

Why so serious?

Jumbo shrimp. An oxymoron almost as good as fresh frozen. Think I made enough?
Man, I go to Viet Nam one time and now I end up eating bahn mi for lunch!
I think of all the classic cartoon characters I am most like Donald Duck or Woody Woodpecker. Though I like to think of myself more as Bugs Bunny. And yes, I did buy this sky diving Donald. I have a special trip for him in mind....(evil grin)
Wanna be a spinster, old cat lady? Get started by buying them in bulk!!

Now that I am almost healed totally it is time to start job hunting again. Fun!

Previously I have worked as/in:

Nuclear Medicine Technologist 5 years
Radiation Safety/Health Physics 1 year
Bicycle Mechanic 2 years
Journeyman Produce Clerk 8 years
Motorcycle Parts Counter 1 year
Receptionist 1 year
Sporting goods store cashier 2 years

So it would be good to find something where I could use a previous skill or education in my job. But I am also totally open to something new!!

Any of my blog readers have a lead on anything they want to share with me???

button, button who's got my button?

look mam, no belly button!! if i were on the road runner cartoon i would be "rowdius non umbilicus"

anyways, this is where my scars and such are in the healing process now. no machines, no drugs, just a fancy alginate dressing for a while. and as soon as the one wound on my right side is totally healed i can get back to doing whatever i want!!

I want this t shirt!!!

R+R=R aka I'm a jiu jitsu matth genius!!

I'm not a jiu jitsu genius, or a math genius. But I know someone who does jiu jitsu and is an honest to goodness math genius. Like math PhD at 25 years old.

Since my doctor doesn't want me to roll at class until I have skin grown over my wounds completely I bring class to my house! Actually I get above said math genius who weighs within 5lbs of me and has a good jj game come to my house.

So we got to roll a little bit. It felt soooooo amazing. My timing is horrible and I can't move with any power or quickness of my back, but it is coming back to me.

While I may not be a genius in any sort of measurable way (my IQ being only 132 last time it was tested) I do know that R+R=R when R{rowdy, ravi, rolling}.

Here's the pictures, you do the math!

Don't hate me......

Ok, so I've whined and whined about not gaining weight or being able to work out or anything. Well I am about 3 weeks away from no longer having any issues at all so I'm almost there!

I can eat anything. My bathroom habits are almost totally normalized. I have zero prescription pills I have to take. My body is feeling good and responding. I can tell it is healing and moving forward!

But.........(and you knew there was a but coming) I signed up for the Pans in 10 days and I need to weigh 123.5 pounds that morning. Lately I've weighed between 123 and 126 first thing in the morning. One night I weighed 129 before I went to sleep! So my body is loving having food and wants to gain weight. Wants me to get stronger and more flexible.

So right when it feels I am on the verge of 'taking off' I am having to cut back so that my weight is low enough for this tournament in 10 days. I even ordered a new gi that is a pound lighter than my others to give me some breathing room on the scale!

Why am I doing this? Well the weight classes are <126.5 for galo or <141 for pluma. I figured it would be easier and better to drop the two pounds than try to gain 13! Normally I weigh 142 pounds and cut 5 pounds down to 137 to make it with the gi on. Because if you are .1 of a pound over you get disqualified and they weigh you right before your fight.

Breakfast has gone from potato, egg and chorizo burritos to fresh papaya and a protien shake.

Lunch went from two slices of pizza and a soda to water, 7 wheat crackers* and a can of tuna.


*Yes, I do have a scale that measures in grams I can weigh food with. Normally I use it to weigh bike parts to see how much a difference is between parts.

President Obama says that all US troops will be out of Iraq bu the end of this year. It all seems so very far away......

What's the difference between foolhardy and courageous?

I'm not sure I even have the chemical/neurological ability to differentiate between the two when I have to make decisions in certain parts of my life. Maybe there really is a "risk taker" gene or something analogous to it.

Now I know what you are asking, what did he do this time? Did he go skydiving again? Nope. Though I've thought about it. Did he get in the ocean and surf with his wounds still open? No, but I've been looking at a new surfboard and waiting till I can get in the water again. Did he ride his motorcycle too fast? YES. I went for a ride within the hour of getting my wound VAC taken off! No biggie.

Hmmm.... those are actually all pretty tame. Well in my mind they are. So what did I do? I registered for the Pan Jiu Jitsu Championship that is the last weekend of this month. Normally I would have been preparing for months for this competition. This time I have days. My coach, Andre Galvao, is not happy I am doing it either.

But there is something inside me. I really only lived for 3 things the past 7 months. Without any of them I would have given up hope. God, and my knowledge of him. My family, my love and relationships with all of them. And jiu jitsu, for everything it has given my mind and body.

I have an opportunity to compete again, quickly and on a large stage. Does anyone who really know me think I would pass that up??? Really.....???

I'm so raw I need an extra R, "RAWR!!"

Sept 13, 2010 surgery #1
Sept 19, 2010 surgery #2
Dec 17, 2010 surgery #3
Feb 21, 2011 surgery #4

March 14, 2011 I ran 2.0 miles in 22 minutes with an average heart rate of 162bpm with no walking or stopping. Boom!! 7 months of bed rest and then jump off the couch and do my first jog!

Man it feels soooooo good to be alive. I can't wait till I'm doing runs like this again:

Believe it or not.....

I need to get a t-shirt from this place....

The Rowdy Beaver in Branson, MO.

(Thanks JM for the pic!!!)

3 milestones passed this week!!!

Milestone 1 in the photo is the sign telling us we'd basically gone from the Green Zone to the Red Zone. Normally I did this driving just a regular car and with no gun. Tip if you ever have to drive in a war zone or third world country, never drive a clean car. Never ever wash your car as it will instantly peg you as an American. As for milestone 1 in my health I am now able to eat almost all fruits and vegetables!!

Milestone 2 in the photo is the Via Appia Antica. Or more commonly known in the western world as the Appian Way. Where Rome crucified thousands, where Paul entered Rome, where you can still walk or drive on 2,000 year old stones. One of the times I was in Rome I rented a scooter to ride out to the Jewish and Christian catacombs outside of Rome and then back into Rome and around some of the main attractions. It was a super fun thing, like a living Roman Holiday as it were. Milestone 2 in my health comeback is literally dealing with number two. For the first time I went "normally" today!!

Milestone three in the photo could more accurately be called Kilometerstone three. It is a km marker up in the Atlas mountains of Morocco heading back towards Marrakesh. Milestone 3 for my health will be passed on Monday when my wound vac is scheduled to come off. So I will just have a more conventional wound dressing until totally healed, another two weeks or so.

I am getting better! I am getting better!! Passing milestones and I'm putting my foot down to the floor, twisting my wrist all the way.

Freaky Friday

Letting my freak flag fly this Friday, I'll just randomly write out the freaky or not-so-freaky things of this Friday. Judge for yourself, maybe none of them are and I am just totally self deluded...

I had two Humira shots this morning. I have soooooo little body fat that a .5 inch needle was able to reach muscle in one of the injections. They are supposed to be just sub cutaneous, meaning into the fat layer right below my skin. Pun intended, "Fat chance of that!" But at least the drug seems to be working well with me.

Why are my home health nurses old, fat and ugly? Why can't I have a young attractive nurse? If it has to be an unpleasant visit I should at least get some decent scenery. Or even a cool guy nurse like I had last time? Where we could talk cars and motorcycles.

There are three people in the <141 lbs and two people in the <126.5 lbs, purple belt and senior 1 class at the Pans. I really would like to know in the next week if I will be off my wound vac or not by then. Because I am seriously thinking about entering if I am. (I was only 123.5lbs this morning, so I'd probably try and be in the Galo/rooster weight class)

I don't care what the TV or news websites say, I want to go to the beach and check it out, especially sense there has been a tsunami warning. I mean really, what are we having like an 8" surge? Big freaking deal. Heck, if I could get in the water I would go surfing today!

Fingers. The ends of my fingers are toughening up from practicing the guitar. They are still tender, but I can do it and not feel like they hurt. Though I have absolutely no ability to actually play like a song or something yet. Hahaha. It hasn't even been a week and I think I should be playing a song. I also am starting to figure out reading tab, but haven't printed anything out and tried to play it. Yet.

One of my family members, Killer, goes to Japan in less than 3 weeks. He is gonna hit Tokyo right in the middle of their comeback from the huge quake and tsunami. It should be an awesome trip for him. I can't wait to see all of his pictures from this trip!

I love Nalley's Chili. Especially the "Thick" version. Yum! Well they don't sell it anywhere in in So Cal. I even emailed the company and asked them the closest place I could buy it. They replied with basically that there is no place in San Diego to buy it, duh I knew that, and that I could order it directly from them off the web. For twice the price it is sold in the store! They want $58 for 24 cans and that is before the price of shipping a 25 pound package. Whatever! Though....... I do love this chili so much I might just give in and do it. Don't judge.

What I want..... I get.

For so long now, 7 months, I haven't been able to do what I want, in the way I want. On the surface that seems very childish and self centered. I don't know how to reconcile that, or even write it in a more appropriate way.

What I have been doing 95% of the past seven months is doing what I needed to do, all things involving staying alive and dealing with the nightmare medical journey I've been on.

Previously the challenges I wanted in my life were all physical. To run faster, be stronger, get better at riding my mountain bike and of course everything tied into brazilian jiu jitsu. The challenges from my surgeries and health issues have been 66% physical and 34% mental, so even than a lot of what I had to put out most of my effort into was doing something physical.

I am feeling better physically than I have in the past half year and so my mind then has time to wander and my body starts to feel like everything is A-OK and I should be just out there doing my rowdy thing, in rowdy style. But I physically can't. I have doctor imposed limitations that I really have to follow.

Which is good that thanks to some natural desire and the help of my dad I was able to find a new challenge. Something I can do at home and is a total challenge to me in soooooo many ways.

Learning to play the guitar!! Monday I got a brand new Fender Stratocaster and all the stuff I needed to get started.

This is a challenge and I love it! (even though I whine about how sore the ends of the fingers on my left hand are) I'm sure the 30 minutes a day I practice could easily morph into something more.

I wanted a challenge........... well now I have one!!

truth

MCs get a little bit of love and think they hot
Talkin' 'bout how much money they got; all y'all records sound the same
I'm sick of that fake thug, R&B-rap scenario, all day on the radio
Same scenes in the video, monotonous material
Y'all don't here me though
These record labels slang our tapes like dope
You can be next in line and signed; and still be writing rhymes and broke
You would rather have a Lexus? or justice? a dream? or some substance?
A Beamer? a necklace? or freedom?

This is from the Dead Prez song Hip Hop and it speaks to two truths the average person seems to be missing.

One, the state of modern, popular rap and hip hop is crap. If you have any sort of artistic sense you could realize that. See lines 2,3,4 above.

Secondly that people would rather have material things that in the long run mean nothing than something physically intangible but of much greater worth. Reference the last three lines from above.

Once again, soo much out there is aimed at and made for the lowest common denominator in the population's taste and intelligence.

And it disgusts me.

firsties!

all today, a monday.... some good, some bad. buy through it all smile and have fun!

bought my first electric guitar ever. a fender stratocaster. i'm also going to be playing my first song ever on the guitar by the end of the week!

ate at a tgi friday for the first time ever today, and it was 100% free through a family connection.

noticed for the first time that someone has keyed my porsche, vandalizing it in two places and requiring it to be painted. they keyed it down to the metal. f-ers.

for the first time in weeks i weighed over 125lbs.

risky business

if my wound vac is off by march 15th, i am going to register for the pan ams and fight with zero training. risky business.


this saturday is a huge bjj tournament in san diego. the world pro gi qualifier. this is what i went up to santa cruz for last year and got all the way to the finals through all of my side of the bracket no-showing, being over weight or being DQ-ed. 3 "wins" i don't count.

so tomorrow i will be spending all day at a jj tourny i'm not fighting in, but supporting my new team mates, Atos jiu jitsu. which means it will also be the first time in public my old team will really see me. some of them have no idea i switched teams since i did it while out for surgery.

jj schools and teams can be like a gang. i switched gangs silently without telling any one, in a less than manly way. could i be called a creonte? maybe. but tomorrow i am sure i will have to face the music in a very public place and i doubt it will be pretty. risky business.

It's a small world after all.... And a cool one!!

Last year for the heck of it I fought in the Mundials, or world championships for brazilian jiu jitsu. You know, cause I do things like that on a whim.

The brackets are online a week before the fights so I googled my first opponent's name and found him on youtube and facebook. I like to scout the people I am going to fight ahead of time.

Well after he beat me and went on to be 2nd in the world in his class (I can't say "our class" as I really am in the old guy class and he is in the true adult class) we became friends on facebook. I even left my old jiu jitsu team when the team he trains with opened a branch in San Diego.

So because there are a bunch of big tournaments in the next 6 weeks in San Diego and Los Angeles area all of the big names from our team, Atos, are here in San Diego training. I am getting to hang out with world famous black belts, spend more time with a guy who I've fought one and then been FB friends with for a year.

Like he is having dinner at my house with my parents and such on Sunday. Just 10 years ago I could have never made this type of friendship and had it grow. It really is an awesome world and I love being in it. I can't wait to visit him in Rio Claro sometime.

It just makes me smile to have friends from different places and cultures. I love it.

Ronaldo and me. Big smiles, big hugs and big friendship!