So recently, I had a brief jaunt to London which included Birmingham, London, and Oxford.

I was here this week for work, so catching up with people during that was every bit of impossible; not everyone shares my rather reckless sleeping schedule.

This is fine but considering I had so many people I wanted to see, it was regrettable that I didn't get to roll with any of you although I have a number of good convos recorded and more than a few IOUs when next I visit.

In terms of visiting you all, I've come to the conclusion that this is going to take more focused commitment; my normal work schedule doesn't allow me to wrestle when I travel and everyone lives at least 60 miles away so I think I'm going to have to make a little project plan if this is going to work.

I'm looking forward to this little experiment. :)

After being here for a while and dealing with the logistical gymnastics that sometimes go with meeting up with wrestlers, I have to wonder if the answer to my frustrations is anger or apathy.

After a while of that battle, I think apathy won out; it takes too much energy to care about things that don't work out. That "Hey, let's roll next weekend" that turned into nothing and left me with a ton of free time? That "I'll be there at 4PM" that turned into "Oh, sorry something came up" two months later because I happened to ask about it? All of that. Not worth the frustration, so it just goes off the radar.

At the end of it all, it either works out or it doesn't and that is 95% the choices of everyone involved. So in the event we plan something and it doesn't work out, I probably won't be bothered by it and I won't put too much thought into it.

As for why I wrote all this: how do you all feel about this sort of thing? Share in the comments if you would.

Thanks!

Dear All Of You

Thank you for the fun, excitement, frustration, and lessons that made up 2015.

For those of you I got to meet, laugh with, and roll with: thank you so much. I still remember every one of those moments and I hope to repeat a few of those this year. Special shoutout to Rick, NickSI, Anthony, Patrick, and so many others not on this site that made this year awesome and taught me so much about myself.

For those of you I have yet to meet, we'll see what next year brings. I'll be in a few places and hopefully I will run into you while I'm out.

Take care, guys :D

IT WAS ABOUT TWO MONTHS AGO...

It was another night of lamenting how few matches I've had in the last few months when I saw this guy's profile for the umpteenth time. I did what I normally do and just check the profile pictures (pretty cool), the recommendations (lots of good ones), past opponents (some of you know this guy), and his location.... Canada.

Meh, well maybe with all the traveling he does, I'll run into him some time in the next 20 years. Maybe.

A few moments after leaving his page, I received a message on here and on globalfight from him. Something to the tune of, "Hey there! Thanks for visiting for the 15th time.... What's up?" After a bit of chuckling, I wrote back and it went from there.

After exchanging some information, we had a conversation on skype about likes, dislikes, experience, and so on. All of which were always fun and enjoyable. It became a ritual after a short while to talk a bit every day.

After a while of talking, we started planning for his visit to ATL. He was a bit hesitant at first, but I have good references. :) A week or so later, we talked dates and times and other logistics and everything got scheduled. I ordered some gear and he ordered plane tickets. This was already good.

The days came and went and, yes, we did start a countdown.

THAT WEEK ON FRIDAY

Last Friday, I got on the phone with my favorite people and arranged for a rental car. Today was the day I'd meet Marc at the airport. I drove up right after work... well, okay, I had to pack a bit... and headed up through rain and traffic blasting tunes. He texted and I simply told him to call me when I had the chance to text back.

I drove to one of the airport, realized he was at the other end, and drove there. After meeting, I took care of my main goal in having that visit: I gave him a hug. He was so much shorter than me. It was fun. I wanted to pick him up and run around.

Having accomplished this, we drove to the hotel to put away suitcases. Bottom floor room in a remote area of the building. This was experience, y'all. He was surprised by how warm it was, which amused me; it's always a bit warmer until mid-November here. After a bit of food and conversation, it was time for match one.

MATCH ONE

We changed into speedos for the evening and he set up a camera and tripod. It was set to take pictures every 30 seconds or so. Before we began, I asked him to let me do something and he nervously agreed. With that, I picked him up and walked around with him on my shoulders for a bit.

After that, we were ready to roll and roll we did. He placed me in some holds and I took time to return the favor where I could. Some I requested - a spladle in this case - and he obliged. In fact, he obliged quite a few times. :)

After a bit, while enjoying a moment where he had an advantage, he started to grind on me. I simply looked up at him and wondered if this was the fight he wanted. Playing his role of heel to the hilt, he asked what I'd do about it. I smiled....

...and then reversed the move and returned the favor. He was very much a fan of smack talk which led to me politely covering his mouth while grinding until he called me master. He couldn't get away, but he held out admirably. Ultimately, I won that match and we took a shower. Afterward, I passed out while he tried to talk to me later in the evening.

SATURDAY SCHEDULE

The morning started with a few greetings, brushing my teeth, and Marc challenging me to more matches. I had to remind him again of why grinding on me was a dangerous idea. We punched each other some. It was nice to do that and not worry about the consequences. Nothing too hard, but we did that.

After lunch, we met up with Kyo. He and Marc paired off and I ended up napping for a bit, comfortable in a nearby chair. Marc dominated this guy and was enjoying the spoils. Afterward, it was my turn. This match was a bit shorter, but decisive. After a few taps, I asked what I got for winning. My answer came in short order.

About an hour after Kyo left, this wrester showed up. This person was as pure a jobber as could be, so we had fun with that. Marc first, followed by my joining. It was a fun learning experience and probably generated a ton more pictures.

At this point, I lamented Marc and his having to process all of this later.

A bit over an hour later, our new friend went home with goodbyes and thank yous. I picked him up and spun around for fun. The reaction was priceless.

Following this, we went to dinner at the Waffle House where hilarity ensued. I don't know if the situation itself was funny or if the situation, plus having to translate it, plus having to explain related memes was funnier. I ended up tipping half our order for the entertainment.

We returned to the hotel and met wrestlerbro. It reminded me of Anth a bit. So much laughter and fun. He wrestled with Marc a bit and then it was my turn. I passed out water and towels to keep everyone refreshed. After they were finished, it was my turn which I handled pretty well, I'd say. Those armbars the guys taught me came in handy as I landed a couple.

After this, there was water and cookies and bed. I was actually very energetic, but needed to sleep, so that was that until the next day... well, except for the before-bed wrestling match.

Marc started more trouble that I had to finish. I kept a count of how many times I made him call me "Master" before I let him go.

Three, by the way.

SUNDAY SO LONG

This was to be my final day for a number of interesting reasons. The main one being work the following day. The morning began as every morning does: a bit of a fight, a bit of roaring, and food.

Upon our return, I took some pictures for instagram and enjoyment, then we got ready for this guy to arrive. He explained what he was looking for (he's a competive-ish jobber) and I let he and Marc go at it. After a while, I went at it with him for a bit. He liked slams and I liked picking him up and throwing him around a bit.

Eventually, Marc and I ended up double-teaming this guy and that was fun, too. Afterward, we talked for an hour until his cab arrived. I headed home shortly after. I didn't want to, but it was a necessary evil. It ended up working out okay in the end, I suppose.

Marc and I texted a ton after that, each of us thankful that the other came. I hope I get some of those pictures so I can post them here... well, some.... ;)

AFTERMATH

I am still on a relative high after that match and am already planning to visit Toronto next year to make sure there's more wrestling and more fun with Marc and others that may be in the area.

This weekend and playing with everyone left me wondering if I have a deeper dominant streak than I give myself credit for. While I'm figuring that out, though, just know I'm harmless. A delicate flower. Couldn't hurt anyone. :)

Over the last week, I've talked to someone about this idea for a bit. It's been nice fleshing out the idea and a few ways that could take form.

Also, I've been talking with a few people and may finally have my first roll in a long time with Silence and Marcwrestler next week. Needless to say, I'm excited about both of these meetings as I've talked to each of these guys for quite some time. I'll probably end up grabbing gear in the process.

Because of convos in the recent month, I've ended up taking a few new pictures, so I'll stop being a pansy and post them here for your enjoyment sometime in the next 24 hours. If you've favorited me, enjoy. :)

Now that you've gotten an eyeful of that very unflattering flex picture, let's get to the topic of this post.

PREFACE

Enjoy the carnage.

QUESTIONS

• What are your favorite moves (giving or receiving)?
• Describe your favorite match and why it was your favorite?
  • If you don't have a favorite, then talk about what you generally enjoy when wrestling.
• What are your gear preferences, if any?
• Do you keep in contact with people you wrestle with?
• Do you prefer text, talk, Skype, or other (if other, specify please)?
  • ''If phone is preferred, do you mind my calling you? Are there times of the day that work well or do not?
• Do you have any recent pictures from the last two months or so?
  • If your profile pictures are recent, you can skip this one.
• What brought you to the site and have you met anyone here yet?
• What brought you to my profile and why do you want to wrestle me?
• Do you have issue wrestling with the less experienced?

RESULTS SO FAR

So far, since I've started asking all of this, my favorite exchange to date has been with bamm-bamm. Honorable mentions for karamazoff and sczrbill as they have been equally delightful and I look forward to meeting all of these guys and then some.

Last week on Friday, after a few weeks of chatting and planning, I had the delight of meeting this guy. Prior to this meetup for dinner, we had spoken about wrestling and all of the things we enjoy about it. During that convo, I decided that it would be best if we met before wrestling.

Sidebar: I usually prefer this because I like getting to know the people I'm wrestling with and to see if there is potential for being friends in general.

Dinner was a 10-minute drive during which we talked about our lives and jobs and the like. He's a very open person in general and it is a very nice thing. I recommend it. During the meal, we talked about a few things and this is where I point out the details of the things I enjoyed.

1. He was polite and understanding of differences while being clear about his preferences from beer to politics.
2. He had a few things to talk about and regularly took pauses to just listen to my thoughts. I did the same. Oddly enough, this made for amazing conversation. You'd be surprised how often people miss this simple thing.
3. He wasn't afraid to go into topics that were more serious. We needed a 30-minute walk after dinner to talk about even a quarter of what we could have. Why do I write on this blog? Do I have another one? Racism. Religion. Relationships and how wrestling impacts them. We really should have a podcast, PJ.
   1. He actually read some of this blog and asked me about it. Points.

You'll find out whenever I write it down I guess. :)

After a lifetime of drought, I'm happy to announce that I finally got to wrestle this weekend.

THE PREQUEL

It was five and a half hours in the cars. Prior to that, however, there was a fair bit of chat and planning. Approximately three or so months worth with this guy. He goes by Blaze in some circles.

In the time I spoke with him, I also met another guy that goes by the name Shawty. These two know each other, so it soon evolved into a meetup between the three of us. Talking to them was fun, silly, and laced with innuendo.

In short, perfect.

THE DRIVE

After a bit of planning, I setup the hotel and car rental and made the drive Saturday morning (8/29). The first half of the trip was insane as I didn't have a way to play music I could enjoy on the way up. A trip to a gas station amended this problem and I continued on, happy. I finally got into the area and called Shawty to let him know I was in the area. I then called Blaze.

Fayetteville is the kind of place that will make you scream if you don't have eyes like a hawk on every part of the road.

THE MEETING

I picked up Shawty at his home, then made my way to the hotel where we meet up with Blaze. Sarcasm from me, laughter from them. We checked in, moved the beds around and started throwing pillows. We ended up wrestling before changing into proper clothes just being playful. We did this for a few hours while watching LOTR and The Hobbit on TV. We rolled around and tickled each other a bit, but got good gauges for strength, too.

After a bit of that, we were all hungry and went to dinner. We got back to the hotel and changed into gear where we did another 3-4 hours of round robins. Again, playful with a competitive edge. It was fun. I learned a lot and they learned a lot about me in that time.

Shawty was more creative and Blaze was a bit stronger, but there was a good balance and I think I can say I was certainly no slouch in the middle of this. Most of these battles were submission-based so lots of body contact. There was the hint of erotic without being overboard and they were both very respectful in that sense. As you could imagine, this was appreciated.

There were boston crabs. There were slams. There were grapevines. There were nelsons. There was relatively little clothing. There were hobbitses!

Shawty versus Blaze was the last match of the night.

We also took a few pictures.

The following morning, we took Shawty to work and Blaze and I rolled for another hour or two before we had to finally part ways.

AFTERMATH

I have an email with a bunch of photos for me to possibly post here and elsewhere and I think I have two new friends. Shawty was the most nervous about if I wanted a rematch (which, to be clear, I wouldn't mind).

While I drove home, I had to laugh because one person I wanted to wrestle here in Athens was sick. My theory of how wrestling meetups work continues to hold true in amazingly humorous ways.

So, during the time I went to New York from June 26th till July 3rd, I met with a few people and had a lot of fun. Much of it was only semi-planned, but there were a few visits I did plan. Namely, Rick, Nick, Anthony, and Rob.

This entry is about Rob.

For months previous to our meeting, there were several hours - per day - of discussion about what favorite moves were, what our comfort zones were, how we felt about a number of topics on many levels. It was interesting and soon we formed a plan to meet during my visit. The idea would be to meet up for a meal or something and chat, then wrestle or what not if we felt comfortable around each other, and so on. Normal stuff, right?

Here's what happened: when I got there I called and/or texted every morning, every afternoon, and every evening for each day of my visit except the last one. None of these were returned. At all.

I figured that was the end of things; if you don't like someone, a complete halt to communication is one good way to make that point.

Then Monday happened. They called and asked me how things had been. After a while, I brought up the trip and how the communication went. They're response was that they thought I might end up spending the night at their house and felt uncomfortable with that idea. While we had discussed this, I mentioned I'd be with family in the area and had no problem with visiting him during the day or early evening and just crashing with family in the evening.

In short, the issue was not an issue.

I'm conflicted about how to feel, really. I'm 20% "I should try to be forgiving" and 80% "Nah, bruh..." The really annoying thing was the ease with which anything could have been said or sent or messaged like, "Hey, let's do _____." or "I'm free at _____" or anything like that.

In sum: good communication saves lives (and much frustration). Please do that. Also, if you don't talk to someone for nearly a month and a half after failing to meet up with them after making whatever plan for however long, unless you have a really good reason for doing so, you'd probably do well to apologize without excuses and move along.

/rant

I've wrestled a little bit more since my last writing and while doing so, I thought about the idea of apprenticeship.

Namely, trying to collect people that have an interest in shaping the kind of wrestler I become by providing a foundation in terms of skills, etc. I could probably youtube it, but theory only takes you so far. Besides, I learn better when I'm having fun.

I wonder how the wrestling community, like the ones here or elsewhere, address that sort of "need" if/when there is one...