Plans and Changes

It has been planned for a while that we would leave soon for our trip to California.

I have a week booked at a nicely located Best Western, followed by a second reservation at the same hotel for two more weeks. Beyond that we'll play it by ear. The first week was done normally on a credit card, and the other two weeks done on the same card, but using magic-fairy points.

I did it that was in case anything “came up” to delay our departure. A normal reservation is easy as pie to modify or cancel. I suspect that credit-card-travel-points bookings are more hassle to mess with.

“What could come up?” you might ask. Well, suppose our car started acting funny, or I managed to wreck myself running? Even weather might make us decide to delay things a bit.

In fact, as we were packing to come home from my brother-in-law's place in Victoria, I made my back go ping. I was carrying some stupid thing down the stairs and something went. It actually made me elicit a noise. I never make sounds when I'm hurt, but I did then; sort of a cross between a squeak and a grunt. Was very careful finishing the loading of the car, and the unloading when we got home. I can still feel it, but it doesn't hurt at all. Now that a couple of days have passed I have officially declared it a non-issue. No bookings had to be changed.

Now it turns out it's Helen's turn. She says it happened when she was reaching for the light switch last night. I was already asleep. She hasn't been comfortable since, and has made a doctor appointment.

Her's hurts way more than mine did. It doesn't look like a non-issue. We'll know more after the doctor visit. The booking might need changing.

She may not be doing Jiu-Jitsu in California, but the long driving days to get there are a big hurdle. Heck, even sleeping in strange, less-than-ideal beds is a bad idea. She might not need to be 100%, but she needs to be pretty close.

Can you tell that we're both over 50? I'm as concerned about beds and long drives as I am about martial arts activity. My little hurt was caused by carrying something pretty light down a flight of stairs. Her worse one was the result of turning off a lightswitch.

I'd say that we should just stay safe and unmoving in our puffy chairs, but I've been hurt doing that, too.

Week to Year

Every once in a while I wonder about where I'll be in a week, or a month, three months, six months, or a year.

I week from today it will be the first Sunday evening of 2014. We will have checked into our Los Angeles hotel. I will be starting my Jiu-Jitsu odyssey the next morning.

In a month, it will be nearing the end of January. I'm hoping my body will still be holding up. We'll have spent the month doing the tourist/vacation thing, and I'll be in the middle of a my 39^th class with the Gracies.

In three months that will all be over and we'll have been home for a goodly while. It will be a lovely home period. We both like those. We have a friend-filled cruise to Alaska planned, but that will still be months off.

Six months puts us into the very end of June. The cruise will be long over. Summer for us will be a time of short trips to visit friends in Vernon and family in Victoria, and other short-distance adventures.

Between then and a one year look into the future we have nothing planned in any way, except for Christmas. Helen has decided she wants more than the one week we did in Victoria this year. I have nothing against this. Let's call it two weeks. She likes to put Christmas more towards the early part of the two weeks, but nothing is in stone. If we go by these ideas, we'll still be in Victoria.

Well, that is what our upcoming year looks like so far.

Looks good to me.

Pack

How on earth do you pack for two months away from home?

There are all the other preparations, like bills, house sitters and such, but what about the actual packing?

Luckily, we just did a week with family to refresh our travel memory banks. I always forget the silly little things I like to have along, so our little pre-holiday was very useful.

We are taking our folding bikes along. That's a must. We didn't talk about it much as we both knew they were coming. The question turns out to be, “how are they coming along?”

I was expecting to put the bike rack on the car and carry the bikes out there. Helen doesn't like them exposed to winter road grime and weather, and wants them folded, bagged and inside. The difference is huge.

On the rack, they take up no room at all. There would be a single box in the car to handle helmets and things like that. Inside they take up the majority of the vehicle's inside space. I'll have to do a test packing to see if there is room for other stuff with the bikes in the car, or maybe one bike inside. Experimentation is necessary.

I have six Jiu-Jitsu uniforms to take. These are not normal items of clothing. They are big and bulky. Even with six I'll be doing lots of laundry in LA to keep them clean. If I have to do laundry anyhow, we don't need to take more than about a week's worth of other clothing. That strangely helps. Otherwise we'd probably take twice as much to wear. Cool; half as much underwear, socks, and shirts.

We are taking a ton of electronics. There are ipads, phones, ipods, cameras, and a laptop. The cool thing about this stuff is that it's all remarkably tiny in real-world terms. The biggest item is the laptop, and it easily slips under a car seat.

So to recap in order of size. The bikes; my uniforms; our clothes; the electronics; toothbrushes.

Anything we forget, we can get there.

Time

Christmas is a corridor; a passageway through the years.

It brings up memories of Christmases past better than any Charles Dickens ghost ever could. It burrows back through the years as if they'd never existed. For me this is grand, as I've been very lucky. For others it is a mixed blessing. A dear, close relation finds it a difficult time of year.

In either case, the memories are incredibly strong. My wife shares her own so vividly that they have almost become mine. I wonder if mine have also become hers.

It's funny how this holiday manages to hold so many traditions that be believe are immutable, and yet no two Christmases have ever been the same. It is a day that evolves from year to year, but no matter how much change it also remains the same.

A microcosm of life and all of our recollections.

Results are in

The waiting is over. My Jiu-Jitsu exam results are in.

I earned my Blue Belt a year and a half ago. That was my start down this track, but I didn't start very fast. Helen and I spent two months that summer travelling. As a result, I didn't start training at the new level until September.

I took things as they came until around Christmas. About then I noticed how long things were going to take. Progressing at the approved rate means a minimum of 21 months between level; longer for me due to our summer travels. Let's call it 25 months. That's too much.

I started taking private lessons and bumping up my solo study. Managed to get it all done within a year. Madeline was ready at the same time as me, and we spent a month getting everything polished up in preparation for testing.

We pushed through and recorded the exam sections. Mine was uploaded last weekend.

Today Helen and I were sitting at Denny's, enjoying a breakfast and using their wifi when I received my results. You need a minimum of 80 to pass, and I managed a 92. I'm darn proud of that.

Next on our schedule is a two month trip to Los Angeles. While there I'll be training with the Gracies 11 times per week.  I will be going with my new rank.

Can't really predict how long my new level will take, as changes in the requirements are in the works.

Doesn't matter. The journey is the destination.

SoCal

We've driven to California many times, but never in the winter. My parents used to do that all the time, and apparently there is an issue with snow and Interstate 5 around the Oregon/California border.

I don't like driving in snow at the best of times, so we'll likely head out to the sea after we hit Portland, following the Columbia River. From there we'll hug the ocean. Our first night's stop will be someplace in Oregon.

The next day we'll do the coast road until we're in the San Francisco Bay area, then head back over to I5. The sleeping second stop will be someplace around there.

The last day of driving will all be zipping along on the freeway, and will get us to our Los Angeles hotel after a light road day. This will be Sunday.

I start training Monday. The schedule is pretty complicated, but every weekday there is a class that starts between 11am and noon. They last from an hour to an hour-and-a-half, and end anywhere from noon until 1:30pm.

There is always an evening class as well. These start between 6:30 and 8:30pm; last 60-90 minutes; and end between 8pm and 9:30.

This creates an afternoon break each day of varying length. The shortest is 5 hours, and the longest 8.5 hours.

Monday the break is a short one of 5 hours. This is a respectable chunk of time, but I doubt I'll want to go very far afield that first training day.

Tuesday the gap is 8.5 hours. Disneyland is about half an hour away. I bet we'll do the half-hour drive over and do our first of many visits. We'll be purchasing annual passes even though we'll only be in the area two months. It's cheaper that way.

We'll keep entertained through the week as I train. Helen is even investigating a music group in nearby Gardena. Our hotel is walking distance to the academy, so Helen can have the car if she wants.

On Saturday there is a single one-hour class that is over by noon. On Sunday there is nothing in the timetable at all. Weekends will be largely dedicated to having fun. I think we can find find ways to keep entertained in Los Angeles. If not, there are always things slightly farther afield. San Diego and Palm Springs pop to mind. Each is a two-hour drive away.

All assuming my old body holds out, of course.

Ends

At the start of 2013 there were two UFC Champions who shone far brighter than any of the rest.

The welterweight division's king was Canadian Georges St. Pierre. He originally won the belt in 2006, but lots it again in his first title defense to Matt Serra. He took the championship back from Serra on April 19, 2008 and had held it ever since.

That works out to 5 years and 8 months. In comparison, Muhammad Ali's held his title for less than 4 years in any one go, as did Mike Tyson.

George St. Pierre won again on November 16^th, 2013, but for the very first time he did not dominate. He won by controversial split decision. He has since announced he is releasing the title, and taking a break; retirement perhaps.

In any case, the very-long-reigning Welterweight Champion no longer holds the crown.

The other dominant UFC Champion at the start of the year was Anderson Silva. He took the title from Rich Franklin way back on October 14^th, 2006. He had fought 14 times since then without a single defeat.

This ended on July 6^th, 2013, when he was knocked out by Chris Weidman. It happened while clowning in the ring, and many consider it a fluke. Equally, many do not. In either case his reign of 6 years, 9 months was ended.

Unlike St. Pierre, Silva wants his title back. He and the new Champion meet again on December 28^th, to settle the matter.

Both Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva originally won their titles in 2006, and had their reigns end in 2013. Each has dominated their respective divisions for what seems like a lifetime.

Funny how things work out.

Access

I really, really, really want to pass my Jiu-Jitsu exam. I'll get to move on to new material, and even to wear a snazzy, little stripe my Blue Belt.

Passing will also mean giving something up.

Let me explain. Students at Certified Training Centers get access, appropriate to their rank, to online training videos. These are immensely useful. For every technique there is a lesson of from 30 minutes to an hour, as well as several, short, quick view demonstrations.

While working through the 60 techniques of my current level some of these videos have become trusted friends.

If I pass, a similar body of online material will be unlocked for me, and I'll lose access to what I currently have. This makes sense, but for a review junkie like me it is a two-edged sword.

The Gracies do sell access to the material as well. I could pay $378 and be able to view it forever. This is bit rich for my blood.

I'll survive. When I became a Blue Belt, I lost access to the White Belt stuff in exactly the same fashion, and I survived. I will survive this as well.

In fact, I hope I have to.

Results

I am not the world's best at waiting for things. If I know exactly when they will happen, I'm something of a champ, but not if the timing is uncertain.

Right now, it's time to wait for my Jiu-Jitsu exam results. My part is done, which was the performing of the test itself.

The remaining steps are; evaluation and preparation by my instructor; transmission of the material to HQ; grading of performance; notification of results; and arrival of the belt stripe and certificate.

Barring unforseens, whole shebang could take as little as a week, and as long as three to get the results. The final step of receiving the stripe and paperwork isn't really part of things. It is the knowledge of the results that counts.

There is one thing I really like on our new washing machine. It has little lights that go on and off as the cycle progresses. It would be super if the test procedure had little lights. There are no lights.

Madeline completed her exam over a month ago, and the recordings haven't even reached the first step. They've been waiting for our instructor to return from Mexico, and are at exactly the same phase as mine. She doesn't seem to mind. I think she's insane.

There isn't really any rush for me. There are more than three weeks left before Helen and I head to Los Angeles. I'd like the results before then, but even if they take a bit longer it doesn't truly matter. It will be four weeks before I'm on the mat at the Gracie Headquarters academy. That should be more than enough time for everything to sort itself out.

But washing machine lights would be nice.

Ducks in a Row

A lot of things are falling into place.

I've received my lovely, second generation iPad Mini. It's all hooked up to the cellular data system and has become my main device. My old phone and expensive phone plan have been demobilized.

At the Jiu-Jitsu school, wifi has been installed. We can now watch instructional videos directly on the mat. My new iPad could do that with cellular data, but that is expensive. The wifi is free.

Our Jiu-Jitsu instructor has returned all tanned from a vacation in Mexico. The has meant that my paused rank exam could resume. Last Friday and Saturday I banged off the last two exam sections. It should be uploaded to headquarters any time now.

I only have 120km left to go on my 2013 bike riding goal. Looks like I'll make it.

There is also news for Gracie HQ regarding Jiu-Jitsu rank progression. The current super-strict requirements just don't seem to be working out for people. The entire idea of the belts and stripe is to motivate people to attain the next notch. Under the current system, each stripe takes about two years, and a full belt about eight. Goals that far away just don't seem to motivate.

It looks like stripe progression might be possible every 6-8 months, and belts in three years. While still very slow compared to other martial arts, it is light years better than it's been. This isn't in effect yet, and the details still have to be worked out, but it's a big step in the right direction.

Some potentially-big, home-front problems have also worked themselves out.

When we travel, friends of ours move into our house. They live in a tiny place, and consider our home a resort, with cable. It was starting to look like they wouldn't be able to this time, and our place would have to be non-house sat, but it's all worked itself out.

They will be moving in the same day that we are heading to Victoria for Christmas, and can stay clear until we return from LA in 2014. Peace of mind for us.

There was also some weirdness with an American bank account and credit card we'd set up for the LA stay. It was just starting to smell like a huge hassle, but it all turned out to be a temporary glitch with their online sign-in procedure. It has self-healed and all is well. International bank stuff gives me the willies.

So it looks like we can slide into the Holiday Season with everything in fine shape. All we'll have to worry about will be how much turkey to over-consume. We can return home after Boxing Day content that our place is well looked after. After a couple of days sharing our place with the sitters, we can head off to LA with finances all worked out and extra medical (US) insurance all set.

We can start off January doing the Snow Bird thing, except with Jiu-Jitsu instead of golf.

A touch of gas

I get a kick out of how emotional people are about their vehicles. Somehow their ride seems to be an expression of who they think they are in the world.

I suppose I'm the same way. I'm a cheap bastard, but I don't want to drive a beater either. A total lack of mechanical ability makes the old car option into a nightmare. I also like things that are pretty techie.

We have two cars, a 2008 Prius and a 2012 Scion IQ. The Prius is a hybrid, and the Scion is a tiny gas car. In fact, it gets the best gas mileage of any conventionally fueled vehicle, tying the Smart Car.

Here's what I mean about me being a cheap bastard. Helen and I will be driving to California this year and back. The one-way drive will be over 1441 km. While down there I'm sure we'll average something like a hundred km of driving a day, but let's half that for my comparison. So we will drive 1441 km down, cruise about for 3000 km, and then drive home.

Using US gas prices, the trip will cost me $352 bucks. This assumes that we take the Scion.

Let's say we decide that the tiny IQ just “isn't us” that we need more room. Suppose we were to trade it in on a 2013 Toyota Corolla. The Corolla is a pretty mainstream vehicle and has a good reputation for mileage.

A brand new Corolla could burn $384 bucks on the exact same trip. Not bad.

However, for most people a Corolla is also just too small. My parents used to travel widely and chose a Dodge Grand Caravan. This is closer to what most people like, what with all the big vehicles around.

In a 2013 Grand Caravan the California drive would cost $523.

The fact is, however that it isn't a Corolla or a Grand Caravan versus our Scion IQ.

For this trip we'll be taking our much larger and more fuel efficient 2008 Prius. It is much bigger than a Corolla and gets better mileage than a Scion IQ.

The Prius fuel bill will be $290.

But is that really a fair comparison. My five-year-old car competing against a 2013 Corolla and a 2013 Grand Caravan. I think not. Let's substitute my current dream car. That would be a 2013 Toyota Prius c.

The California drive in that car would cost $264.

That's less than 2/3 the cost for a Corolla, and about half the price of a Grand Caravan.

And that's just one trip.

Let's take the Prius c, a Corolla, and a Grand Caravan over a ten year life span. Let's drive each a conservative 10,000 km per year and fill the tank with currently priced Canadian gas.

$15,876 for the Dodge Caravan

$10,949 for the Corolla

$ 6,345 for the Prius c

Like I said, I'm a cheap bastard.

Good Night

The last half hour at tonight's Jiu-Jitsu was outstanding. We rolled.

There was just enough time for 5 five-minute match ups. This is always fun, but tonight something interesting was going on.

The least surprising was Tobias. He's strong, fast, and determined. We are a pretty even match, as I have twice as much free-rolling experience and training. Every time we roll, he improves in relation. Tonight was no different. Sooner or later he'll be able to dominate me, and this process continued.

I also had a go at Scott. He's been a Blue Belt longer than the rest of us, but took a couple of years off. He also rolls around with non-Jiu-Jitsu friends, and does some stuff weirdly. He just doesn't seem to trust the basics. Tonight he was different. He was defending using correct responses. In Jiu-Jitsu if you respond wrong you end up either choked, have a joint locked, or with some bastard sitting on your chest. It was the best he's ever done rolling with me.

Madeline is always impressive when rolling. She is fast, athletic, and has the best technique in the class. We rolled a couple of nights ago, and she somehow took it to an even higher level. Tonight it showed that her progress wasn't a one-time event.

I wondered if last time it was due to a change in her attitude, as she was pretty darn intense. Tonight, we were both laughing a lot, so that wasn't it.

I was partnered twice tonight with Elizabeth. She's one of the newer Blue Belts, and has a nasty injury with one arm. She always comes to training, even though she can't really do much physically. She has had to be very careful when rolling, and has to be careful who she works with. I try and be very careful with her.

Today, about five seconds in she caught me in a hip throw. Nobody ever throws me, but Elizabeth did. The whole match kinda went that way. I defended a lot, and did careful attacks. Elizabeth defended against those, and attacked a lot. She was still unhurt when we finished.

Later, Elizabeth and I rolled a second time, and it was a replay of the first time, minus the lovely throw.

Tonight everybody I fought was improved from last time we rolled, especially Elizabeth, and it wasn't because I stunk more than usual.

Every single one of them has improved.