The universe strikes another blow

I thought I’d finally gotten a leg up. (Man, these Jiu-Jitsu puns are writing themselves!) I went to another Saturday class, did as a BBB advised, and just inserted myself in with the guys.

“Mind if I squeeze in here?” I asked two stretching against the wall.

“Oh, sure,” one said and scooched over a bit.

Seeing these same guys two weeks in a row helps, I think. They’re hopefully getting more used to the Girl in their Midst. (In case you’re unsure, yes, I was going for a Gorilla in the Mist thing there.)

One guy I recognized from the previous Saturday was assigned to me by Instructor, so he had no choice but to partner with me. That was basically fine. Then, just like last Saturday, Lopez showed up late. I don’t know if he was told to, or if he jumped in with me on his own, but my previous partner melted in to a group elsewhere without a word. Maybe with a breath of relief? Who knows.

Lopez, as I’ve mentioned, is great. I was happy to show off my white stripe. “Hey, great! Congratulations,” he said, and the rest of the class passed without incident.

Then Monday’s daytime class was mysteriously canceled. I tried to make it to the evening class, but I just couldn’t swing it. (Eh, maybe a pseudo-pun. That seems more appropriate for a Taekwondo post.)

Then this morning I checked the course calendar and discovered this:

Gracie Combatives March calendar. Notice anything missing?

Where was my 11:00???

I texted Instructor.

“Maybe,” he says. “MAYBE?!”

Turns out, it was not a maybe. It was a definitely.

Despite that blow, I had a great class with just the two of us. He then asked if I wanted to suspend my membership, but I do not. I’m going to try for the night classes, and maybe I’ll manage the 6 a.m. He goes to bed at 10:30 and gets up at 4:30. Six hours of sleep? Eww. “It’s hard the first couple of days,” he said, “but you get used to it.” Hmmph.

We also chatted about the oranges from our tree, which I brought him, (“It’s not a bribe,” I said. I mean, unless that would work to keep my class. They are the best oranges on the planet.) our families, this and that, and whatever–another thing I’ll miss from these small classes. When there are a ton of students, shooting the breeze before class is not a thing.

My potential salvation comes in the form of none other than Lopez, who is training to become an instructor himself. He may practice his teaching skills by opening some classes of his own. Sad thing is, Instructor would not be there. He is the best. But Lopez is a close second. I’m really hoping that will come to fruition and I won’t be seeing any more of this:

An empty gym. In case you’re wondering, the balls are for dodge ball in the kids’ classes. I witnessed this once. Man, those kids have a blast. 🙂

Also, one of our chickens died today. Probably egg bound and all backed up, the poor thing. So there’s yet another blow. (Though I know one of you is thinking, “Good riddance.” 😉 )

Now the score is more like:

Betsy: 2 (I did manage to eek out a few more day classes and earn my stripe); however, Universe: 4ish, 5?

What do you think, BBBs? Set my alarm for 5? Push harder to get to the night classes? It was dumb to get chickens in the first place? Well, maybe, but they’re a good experience for the kids. Also, fresh eggs, like our oranges, are the best.

Thanks for reading! 🙂