les is not this goodlooking

This is my photo as it appears on the Marco Alvan Brazilian Jiu Jitsu website. I am not this goodlooking in real life. I also do not weigh 130 pounds.

Yesterday Marco and I taught the karate class at Amherst College. Actually, we taught Brazilian jiu jitsu (heretoafter referred to as BJJ) to the Amherst College karate club. The club is made up of a bunch of smart kids under way too much pressure to succeed. But I manage to refrain from feeling sorry for them because they are also primarily a bunch of rich kids so how bad, really, could life be?

Marco always brings Cesar (his 4-year-old son) to BJJ at Amherst College. Cesar (aka the C-Monster) is a handful under the best of circumstances. Last night he was a T-Rex around the room, crawling and growling and gnashing his teeth, weaving in and out of pairs of kids on the floor practicing their techniques. Every now and then he got in someone's way and Marco would say something rapidly in Portuguese and Cesar would bow his head and stick his lower lip out and then recover within 5 seconds and morph into a T-Rex again. Marco's 2nd son will be born in July.

As I was crossing South Pleasant street on my way out of the gym, I met up with a police officer. There were lots of Amherst cops there directing traffic around a big concert that was taking place nearby. The cop helped me across the street and asked me if I was "LH." I don't think it is ever a good thing when a police officer that you do not recognize knows your first and last names.

We stopped and chatted a bit about martial arts until I finally asked him how he knew me. Seems he met me with a local animal control officer one time. One time. Had to be a couple of years ago because I haven't seen that particular ACO in a couple of years. And he recognized me in gym clothes by my first and last names. I always assume that I'm fairly anonymous and that no one could possibly remember me after having just met me. I didn't remember his name and don't recall meeting him. I find this episode slightly creepy. Apparently I'm not as invisible as I think I am.