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After using up all my drink tickets from the company holiday party and downing over two full glasses of water in an attempt to sober up, I found myself in the parking lot of the dojo half an hour before class started for the evening. It was like Mecca, like home, like the North to my compass needle--the place where, in my slightly inebriated state, I half-consciously defaulted to. On auto-pilot, I suited up in the Ladies' room, donning my gi and hakama. It was a good thing putting those on and tying the various strings had become second-nature.
Training under the influence turned out to be a better experience than I had thought. Muscles warmed and brain fuzzy, I had the added benefit of being completely limber and relaxed, as well as being able to shut off that often-overanalytical part of me that tried too hard, or automatically censored all that I did. I was past the fear of pain during take-downs and loosened up during all the instances where I was pinned. Walking by to observe, Sensei questioned my training partner whether he was "giving me enough juice." Probably he was giving me plenty, but I was more relaxed than normal.
Something about sweating or aerobic workouts got me to sober up really quickly--more so than times in the past when I had that much to drink. By the time I made it home, I felt completely fine. But a few hours later, I found a reason why attempting to train while drunk was a bad idea: I couldn't find my Ziploc bag that I stored my jewelry in. Tw
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1. I plan my schedule around keiko instead of the other way around.
2. Martial arts books have replaced fine literature on my shelf.
3. When house-hunting, I first check the vertical clearance of the ceiling to see if it'll accommodate my jo katas.
4. I'm not heartbroken over not yet being able to afford furniture because, hey, more room for suburi practice.
5. I assess square footage of individual rooms by how many tatami mats will fit.
6. Mop handles and hiking sticks make me think of jo's.
7. I pass the lumber section of Home Depot and wonder which wood would make a good bokken.
8. Going gi shopping fuels me with endorphins that most other women get when stepping into Macy's.
9. I do laundry based on when I run out of fresh gi's.
10. I consider purchasing future car models based on whether the trunk will sufficiently accommodate my weapons bag.
11. I'm actually up at 8:00AM on a Saturday morning so that I can commute to weapons class.
12. I've avoided certain fast food chains for years, and suddenly I'm burning enough calories so that those McDonald's golden fries are looking very tempting.
13. I suck at sewing but would spend an entire morning hemming/altering/patching up my gi.
14. I've never folded any article of clothing with such meticulous care as I do my hakama, and I do this almost on a daily basis.
15. People look at me funny because I carry a litany of bruises on my forearms.
16. I've sprained and twisted mus
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12-19-2009 12:25 AM 
