on good days

thankfully, sometimes my students will meditate.

efficacy of law

i can't fight the media bombardment and spewing rhetoric from all sides.

it doesn't matter which side you support.

the agreement must be on this:

laws and restrictions are only band-aids.

they attempt to stop things that have already gone wrong.

violent crime can only go away with better education and a mentally healthy society.

the gov't can build as many jails, hire as many cops, and pass as many laws as they want.

as private citizens we can train defensives, own as many protective tools as we want.

but as long as violent, unstable people are being produced, they will find a way to harm others.

lobbyists and advocacy should move towards preventing people from going off that deep end.

then it won't matter what dangerous weapons are available to whom.

i mean, someone ate someone's face off last year. will we ban TEETH?

year end

every year flies by now.
a lot happened in 2012 though.
trained in the philippines.
hosted tuhon mel's seminar.
grew the brooklyn training group.
started teaching at elementary schools again.
began mentoring at a high school.
rode the mtb more than last year.
no cross races, but more riding on the cross bike.
also got to visit worcester for the first time in years.
rode the track bike there and in boston too. fun.
also visited tahoe for a buddy's wedding.
spent some time in oakland too of course.
i guess it was kind of a busy year.

next year is a day away and i'm already planning.
big ideas: bikepacking/camping. gravel rides. mtb rides.
getting our students ready for sparring.
getting a driver's license. finally..
studying for the GRE, maybe?
oh and shooting photos. and video. creating art.
travel will figure itself out.
more ideas percolating..
new year, new adventures.
chasing the horizon.

appreciation

when was the last time you felt really great?

that big, full, overflowing feeling of joy and wonder.

the kind that makes you whoop and yell.

i can't really remember.

and in seeking those big joys,

do we overlook the little ones?

all the small pleasures and half-smiles and bright eyes.

things worth noticing, but we forget.

the focus is shifted the other way.

even part of a moment of something perfectly itself,

could change your whole day if you gave it a chance to.

progress

started teaching at an elementary school after school program. one day a week.
begin mentorship gig next week. also one day a week.

still teaching every sunday.
a couple private lessons throughout the week.

riding the folding fixed gear on the weekdays.
cross bike on the weekends.
looking at gravel rides.

i do and i consider and i plan moves.
nothing big, yet.


yearning for something.
unsolvable mystery.
for the time being.

THREE MONTHS!

oops!

too busy teaching, working, and riding my bike.

specifically, back on my mountain bike. and it's good to be back!

short park reviews:

sprain ridge is full of logs,

some steep climbs, some steep rocky descents,

and is overall a fun and challenging place.

there's even a tough trials-y rock crawl!

that was pretty tough to navigate.

and the park in general was tough to navigate!

the trails were poorly marked,

and we kind of got lost around ridge hill.

but it's worth going back to for sure.

cunningham is flat as a pizza!

you can get motoring pretty quick,

and the singletrack is nice and windy.

windy like a spring, not like a breeze.

fun little ledges and rock bump jumps,

a berm thrown in here and there.

the whole park was really well marked.

you can turn off the green trails into the blue and black,

and end up back on the green to keep moving through.

fun place.

graham hills is next on the list.

living defensively

not to say that you always expect the worst from every person and situation.
but that you understand the probable risks involved in certain places and activities.

IF all of us are to go about our dailies with little effect, good but especially bad, on others,
then there will be little conflict, and most of us will get home without issue or story.
things are seldom so uncomplicated. we are all vulnerable to emotions.
and our social environment tells us how we ought to manage our emotions.
and our social environment does not always provide the best guidance.

so while i won't say it is impossible to live with zero impact on anything,
(and even if that were possible who knows if it would be good for anybody),
even if you were to do the best you could on any given day,
that doesn't mean everyone else will also.

now. WHEN another person you encounter on your dailies for some reason takes issue.
(because it will happen. and you may or may not respond according to social powers.)
HOW you respond is what dictates whether you or they or both of you get home without issue.

if you can keep your head, refuse to engage, and have a usable exit; that is a sound tactic.
if you can keep your head, engage with level words, and have a usable exit; also sound.
IF you perceive their intent to use force, or force has ALREADY been applied;
the game has or will become physical and you need to move away from or into the center.

none of this matters if your head is not kept and you succumb to emotional social violence.
responding by yelling, responding by moving towards the party with issue, NOT LEAVING, etc.
in the context of when law enforcement arrives and someone is hurt and there are witnesses,
you are either "one of the fighters", "the party who was attacked", or "the party who attacked".
who do you think has the best shot at not being handcuffed?

well, if these considerations haven't crossed your mind before, sit and digest that for a bit.

next post will discuss articulating how what you did in this DEFENSIVE situation
was not only necessary, but was also your only option.