Don't Let Anyone Sit on Your Head

Today's Sneakerdoodle Zebra Judo points out what apparently is not so obvious to many people in judo, i.e., it is preferable NOT to allow people to sit on your head.

Julia was not terribly helpful in this week's video. In fact, she insisted on watching the movie, Annie, until late at night and, as a result, we did not have the video posted on Thursday but, rather, two days later.

I apologize to anyone whose quality of life has been negatively impacted by this delay.

I leave for Beijing in the morning. Having been a partner in a consulting company for many years, this is my first actual paid vacation in a long time. You don't go to work and they direct deposit money into your bank account. What a concept! Whoever came up with this, I am all in favor.

Watching Julia at the conditioning practice in the park this morning, while Ronda is in Beijing about 72 hours from competition, a thought crossed my mind,

"I don't know how it will all end, but this is how it begins."

Julia was whining and crying because it was hot, Tony had made them run a half-mile to the park, run ten wind sprints, do about 80 push-ups and then do some football running drill. She wanted to give up and walk back, but Tony and I both yelled at her and she ran the half-mile back. After lunch, we had another three-hour workout when she was crying again by the end of it, apparently just for the exercise because she wasn't hurt and there was nothing wrong with her.

Julia is almost the age at which Ronda started judo and I see a lot of similarities. She has lost her baby fat and is starting to get some real muscles. She gets frustrated and cries when she can't throw people. She gets mad when she cannot get techniques to work. And she really enjoys hanging out with her friends from judo and eating junk food of which I disapprove.

I have been feeling nervous for the past few days, but I felt a lot less nervous after today's practices. Part of it, of course, is getting a chance to work out and just work out some of that nervous energy. Another part, though, was looking around at people like Gary and Tony who were there when Ronda was ten years old, and realizing that we - all of us at home, the Pedros - have done our best for her, and she has done her best back. She is ready.

"I don't know how it will all end, but this is how it started."