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FEELS FRIDAY: For yourself
Gearing up for National Poetry Month
April is one of my favorite blogging months because it’s National Poetry Month!
I usually feature a poem every day during this month, most of it selected based on the emotion I was feeling that day. Hahaha. But, given the prevalence of social media, I would like to feature poets and writers that have made their mark in various social networking platforms.
Lately, I’ve had so little in my life to complain about, but a lot to be sentimental over. So the hashtags on Instagram has been very useful for me, especially in finding comfort and waxing nostalgia over particular life events. I’ve been very blessed, but human nature tend to mull over the sad parts more often than the good ones.
Or maybe it’s just that time of the year.
Anyway, do you have any poet you’d like featured in this blog? Drop a line below or here and I’d be more than happy to give them the space. I’m sure I’m not alone in being excited for National Poetry Month.
Let the beauty of the written word flow! ❤️
TALK TUESDAY: A Saturday with a Gracie
Right before we headed out for a quick visit with friends in Maryland, the husband just had to attend a seminar at AllStar MMA Training Facility, his bjj home school. He said he must attend because Gregor Gracie is teaching. Now, being the dutiful wife, I immediately looked him up. His last name is Gracie, so I already know he’s a very big deal. The husband has Gracie in his Youtube history, AllStar is a Gracie school, and my brother-in-law’s gi has Gracie all over it. So yeah, I know he’s a big deal. I just needed to see how much.
So this was the top search result from BJJ Heroes:
Gregor Rangel, also known as Gregor “Gracie” is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Renzo Gracie and a former world champion in the lower belt divisions who also successfully ventured into mixed martial arts (MMA). Gregor is not a member of the Gracie family by blood, but is the half brother of Rolles and Igor Gracie, both sons of the legendary Rolls Gracie. Gregor has also competed in freestyle wrestling with a notable win over Darryl Christian, a highly accomplished wrestler.
Wow. It doesn’t end there. This is a list of his main achievements:
World Champion (2004 & 2005 purple)
Pan American Champion (2006 brown)
Brazilian National Champion (2005 purple)
Brazilian National Teams Champion (2003 blue, 2004 purple)
Grapplers Quest Champion (4x)
World No-Gi Championship 2nd Place (2008)
World Master Championship 2nd Place (2016 Master 1)
ADCC 3rd Place (2009)
Pan American 2nd Place (2001 blue)
Thoroughly impressed with his resumé, I asked the school if I can come in and take some pictures of the seminar. They were kind enough to let me in, and the seminar started at their neighbor mat Apex Wrestling School. Starting the afternoon with men grappling on the floor was something new for me, and this one will be counted as a good learning experience.
Gregor Gracie and Professor Jamal Patterson of AllStar MMA
The seminar started with Gregor (I feel so close to him now that we are on first-name basis) showing a sweep from standing. At least that’s what I heard.
He emphasized the importance of form. One thing that I truly appreciate about jiu jitsu is the fact that each movement leverages on the response of your body without having to exert brute force. With a thrust of the hip coming from bent knees and feet together, Gregor shows how easily a lift can be done.
Like a regular class, the group broke up in pairs to begin their drills.
Ever the observant teacher, Gregor walks the mat to observe each student.
I very rarely get the terms correct for this lifestyle. So you can never imagine my joy when I correctly identified the spider guard! Gregor exhibited a number of passes and sweeps from the spider guard.
Hi, husband. 😍
The seminar ran for almost two hours. At the end, Gregor opened the floor for some more questions and clarifications on any other topic under the sun.
Someone asked what is the best advice Gregor can give for those starting to join the competition circuit. His advice was very practical: warm up correctly. He pointed out that once you’ve loosened up and sweated out, you are just going to fall in the groove when competition starts. It doesn’t make sense to be tired from a 5-minute round; you’ve rolled longer than that. You’re tired because you didn’t warm up correctly and your body is tight, forcing its way to the roll. If you warmed up correctly, say an hour or so before you compete, you go into the mat as a well-oiled machine.
Gregor also explained his perspective about competitions. He said winning and losing are mere consequences. What one should be concerned about is if he/she competed well. Were you a good competitor? Did you give your opponent a challenge? Did you give your best? If the answer is yes, then whatever the consequence may be — win or lose — you got what you came for in that competition. You’ve competed and you did it well.
At the end of the class, Professor Jamal thanked Gregor for gracing his school. Did I mention they go way back? Like I said, in jiu jitsu, you gain a family FOR LIFE.
I wish more students took advantage of this opportunity, to learn from a seasoned fighter. It’s not everyday you get to have a Gracie correct and complement your form, give you life advice and praise your performance. Perhaps more schools should communicate with each other more, so that they are aware of every seminar and visit that can benefit them in more ways than you can count.
We probably wrapped up a little after 3 in the afternoon. Looking at the GPS, it would take us 3.5 hours to get to Maryland, and we’ll probably arrive closer to 8pm. Maybe we’ll be late for dinner, maybe we’ll hit traffic at Delaware. It didn’t matter. It was totally worth it.
REVIEW: J. Marie’s Wood-Fired Kitchen & Drinks (Wapakoneta, OH)
I accompanied the husband to an overnight trip to Wapakoneta, OH this week. I was teasing him for being clingy and not wanting to sleep a night alone, but in the end, I was the one more enthused to join him.
Our flight from Newark was quick, as we were thoroughly entertained by a United Express flight attendant. So calling United Airlines! Whoever was manning flight UA 4186 last 21 March, give her a big hug and lots of commendations because she was absolutely caring and doting to each and everyone. That is not an exaggeration.
We arrived in Dayton International Airport a little after 6pm. We weren’t sure how far Wapakoneta was, but GPS said it’s about an hour from Dayton. Whenever we’re travelling, I try to find a local favorite to eat at. Top of the search was J. Marie’s Wood-Fired Kitchen & Drinks.
The restaurant interior was very impressive, like straight out of prohibition with a modern twist. It wasn’t one of those over-the-top hipster places. It was just a local hangout, with pieces of history all over the place.
The open kitchen was far at the back, far enough from customers to not smell like the food they’re cooking. But the highlight would have to be the wood-burning ovens. Large and imposing, they were wonderfully aged and situated in a spot enough to be recognized but tucked away from service traffic. Funny though, we didn’t really end up ordering their pizzas. With the long drive, we ended up quite hungry.
The menu is quite simple. I wish though that they highlighted the items that are cooked in the ovens. I mean, it is in their name, might as well capitalize on it. We can’t really leave our joy for sriracha chicken wings so we had to have that. It came with a side of red cabbage slaw and some dip that we forgot to ask about. I think it’s ranch.
The wings are tasty but absolutely not spicy. For me, that was a letdown since I was looking forward to that kick. It favored the husband very much since he’s been getting heart burns each time he eats spicy food. But he looked for the kick too. We saw that the wings were bathed in its sriracha sauce in the oven, so I guess that’s the closest dish we ever got to experience from that baby.
Our main course was the flank steak, medium rare like always. It came with the vegetable of the day (cauliflower) and potatoes with bacon and crumbled bleu cheese. Needless to say, it hit the spot so well. We asked for the chimichurri on the side, and that was a good decision. If you’re tired and hungry, you want just the essentials. I did have a bite or two with a pat of the chimichurri and it was good. It’s just that the meat was good on its own.
I looooooved the potatoes. But then, you must remember I love cheese. Having the crumbles tickled my fancy. However, the husband found the cheese overwhelming. With the fat and salt from the bacon and the potatoes obviously seasons, the melted crumbles of bleu cheese brought the side dish over the top to salty. He still finished it though, but not without pointing that out.
We refreshed ourselves with fountain soda (him) and the J. Marie signature lemonade. THAT WAS ABSOLUTELY REFRESHING. The tartness and the hint of strawberry… OH WOW. I just loved it. If I had more space in my tummy, I would have ordered another glass.
When we arrived at J. Marie’s, there was something going on, something that I’ve missed doing with my friends: QUIZ NIGHT. FRIGGIN’ QUIZ NIGHT WITH SERIOUS CATEGORIES LIKE ACTORS/PEOPLE WITH THE NAME ED, BEN/MATT COLLABS AND FIVE-SECOND NAME-THAT-TUNE NUMBERS. I swear I was thrilled. It made time waiting for the food easily fly by and I mean really fly. I didn’t even notice that we were waiting. For those who want to join, it’s every Tuesday night. I’m not sure when it starts as it is sponsored by a group of DJs, but it’s definitely a must-see or must-participate. Seeing Wapakonitans (is that right?) bringing their game faces on that night was a real treat.
It was a great night spent at J. Marie’s. Looking back now, I do wish we had tried the margherita pizza or one of their burgers. But a classic steak can’t fail you, especially when it comes with a side of potatoes, cheese and bacon.
Here’s the full menu as of 21 March 2017:
J. Marie’s Wood-Fired Kitchen & Grill
7 W Auglaize Street
Wapakoneta, OH 45895
(419) 674-2436
the salt of your skin 