It isn’t easy teaching Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Not if you want to do a good job and be of value to your students. I used to do a good job and I like to think I’ve been of value. As of late? Not so much and in this post, I’ll tell you why.
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Archives (page 2 of 6)
Do you remember that post where I lamented the idea of becoming a bored old man? I’ve got some news for you. I don’t think the threat’s going to come to fruition after all. Why not? Because of motorcycles, that’s why not. Ah, what a revelation.
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Have you noticed the sun hovering just a tad bit higher lately? I have. Every morning while Laura and I eat breakfast in the kitchen, I’m forced to close the front window curtains at around 11AM. If I don’t, the sun that slowly creeps across the sky will ever so hesitantly, yet persistently, blind me. As of late though, I haven’t had to close the curtains. The sun’s trail now strides above the window’s edge, out of reach of my tender eyes.
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This is going to be a post about 90s dance music and the 90s New York City (and surrounding areas) nightclub scene. I’m not particularly proud of my once taste in music, but I’m certainly proud of the many good times I’ve had in the once nightclubs. There’s a lot to tell from this era and if you happened to have been alive during it and if you happened to have lived in the New York tri-state area, you may just relate to what I’m about to share below. Either that, or you were simply annoyed by the entire thing. Or you found yourself somewhere in the middle.
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There are a lot of heavy metal bands out there. I’m no aficionado, but I do know this: It’s widely believed that back in the late 60s, Black Sabbath initiated the birth of this genre. If you’ve ever heard of Ozzy Osborne, let it be known that he may just have been the impetus behind some of the most loved and followed music on the planet. And I mean that – metalheads are unlike any other type of music lover in existence. They were and still are dedicated, well informed, and are flat-out unique in so much of what they do in their lives. Back in the 80s, I’d see these folks walking up and down the sidewalks all decked out in their black jeans, black leather jackets, and spikes all over their wrists, shoulders, waistlines, and necks. Metalheads still exist today. Many of them have never lost their love of 70s and 80s metal and they’ll die wearing their lonely, somewhat off-putting outfits. That’s what the average person thinks of their clothing, anyway. But if the average person were to stop a metalhead to chat, they’d most certainly discover an introspective, hyper-resolute, and wildly thoughtful person. The depth of the metalhead isn’t to be underestimated.
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January in Maine is legitimate winter. There are hardly ever any warm days sprinkled in like there might be during November or December. It’s winter. It’s cold. There’s no way around it.
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I do believe I’ve found the Hemingway I’ve been waiting for. While I’m now on page 300 and something of For Whom the Bell Tolls, I marked page 252 because, on it, the writing was stellar. It’s the sort of writing that reminded me of The Road by Cormac McCarthy. By the way, if you enjoy what you read below, please take a look at The Road. It’s one of my top five favorite books of all time. It’s intense, to say the least.
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Guess what we did a few days ago. We visited the Sugarloaf Outdoor Center here in Maine. Why? Because I took Laura out to a birthday lunch at Longfellow’s in Kingfield and the outdoor center is right up the road in Carrabassett. It’s only a 15-20 minute drive farther north on Rt. 27, so I figured, “What the heck. Let’s do it.”
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A few weeks ago, Laura and I decided to re-watch the entirety of Downton Abbey. We adore the series and if memory serves, this latest viewing was her fourth. It was my second. Granted, Laura has been aboard the Downton train since its inception. She, along with my mother, have been avid fans who harken back to the days of 2011 when it initially aired on PBS. I’ll confess that I ignored much of the hubbub. The brouhaha. As my mother filled me in on the show, I secretly thought she was mispronouncing Downtown, as in Downtown Abbey. As it turns out, she was correct and I was incorrect. Downton Abbey is a fictional estate located in Yorkshire County, England (filmed at Highclere Castle). It’s an excellent show, but not one without its drawbacks. It’s those drawbacks I wish to discuss in this post today.
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Throughout my life, I’ve encountered so, so many people who’ve moved to the southern United States to escape the cold weather and snow of the north. You must remember, I grew up in New York, a state most residents incessantly complain about and want to eventually leave. And being from New York, these people don’t necessarily desire a repeat of cold, snow, dirty roads, and expensive real estate. So they move to North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida. It’s just a thing. I get it, but really, I don’t. I suppose some people are into an easier way of life. One where they don’t have to deal with things. For me though, I enjoy the struggle of it all. The discussions of the impending snow fall. The talk of some Joe right up over the hill who’s stuck in four feet of snow in a gully, without a prayer in the world. The driving around in the bitter cold in an attempt at finding the best cup of coffee. You can’t do these things in 80° heat.
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