Still felt kinda down this morning, but had it kicked after a nice aikido weapons class taught by my friend Leslie, and it's been another perfect day since then. Kelly came, actually, which was a nice surprise, and we trained for the first part of class. Our dating relationship was deeply woven with aikido, so training with her outside that context has always been interesting, though still lots of fun. We're both much better than we were at the time, though I've gone through more dramatic changes, both because I've trained more consistently over the past five years, and because of my physical changes.

Something I've been noticing in these months after my test is a greater ability to connect in aikido, and to use less brute force. I've been training a bit with Jane and Neville, a couple who teach classes that are very focused on connection, often barely touching your partner, and thinking of it not as throwing your partner, but as leading them to a point where they lose their balance and fall down. So on that score, I'm finding I'm very often able to simply get out of my partner's way and let them fall. The other thing I'm noticing is that I can still be heavy, except that now it's not brute-force physicality the way it was when I was bigger. I've settled into my new size (except for lots of my clothes), and I can apply that weight when I connect with my partner, even if they're bigger than me; and now I know that it's because I'm connecting through them (and if that connection isn't there, I can't apply the weight, whereas when I weighed more, I could just barge in).

I have applications in for two apartments. Both have good light if I want it, are pretty clean and everything. Both have carport parking and storage (I realized I need the carport for current and any future motorcycles).

1. Good: smaller building (8 units), quiet end unit, private deck, extra-larger storage area.

   Bad: 3 blocks north (away from the train station and downtown), barky dog next door (though away from the bedroom), smallish living room/kitchen area.

2. Good: 1 block closer to train/downtown, bigger main living space and bedroom.

   Bad: bigger complex, right on Whipple Ave. (though the apartment itself is not), smaller kitchen, no deck.

I read through a bunch of work email today. I laughed a lot, and I get this big grin on my face when I think about going in on Tuesday. Mmmm, freedom.