Earlier today, I was talking to this guy about something I wrote a couple of days ago. He commented on this part:

There's also something to be said about a recent exchange I had with someone who was very upset about how communication went. It's a common story: they wanted to set up a match, I wasn't sure if I could, etc...

However, this got taken to pretty high irritation levels which includes a note that I was being unfavorited, that I wasn't a nice person, that other people must have met me by magic, etc. 

Of course, reading that, my buddy here sided with me, but there are really no sides to be taken here. It's just unfortunate. I want to present both sides as fairly as I can. First, mine. I'll use bullets for easy reading.

1. It's Friday in Italy. Yay weekend! I've been here for a week due to work and so there's a lot of things I'm doing with coworkers.
2. A wrestler here contacts me a day before and asks if I want to meet up, but I have plans that evening and tentative plans for the next day, so...
3. I explain that I am not sure if we can meet up or not.
4. I head out for food, come back, and check a few messages before bed. Some are from this wrestler asking for whatsapp info and the like.
5. I message back with some of the info and head to bed as I'm exhausted.
6. Now it's Saturday. It's our last day in Italy. I go shopping with the guys from work.
7. I leave for the day.
8. Phone dies. Now I'm concerned about this wrestler, but I didn't commit to anything, so I don't panic too much.
9. I get back around 7PM. Now I have the evening free. Let's check messages!
10. Lots of messages wondering where I am, why I'm not responding to messages here (see above paragraph).

Now here, it would be easy to say that given my circumstances, maybe this person is being a bit much, but then again, my thoughts (again with bullets):

1. Someone contacts me.
2. I respond, but intermittently.
3. They don't know if I'm here for a day or a week. They just want to wrestle.
4. They aren't getting enough feedback to make plans.
5. They start an exchange, but then it fades into nothing with no discernible reason why for several hours.
6. This person suddenly reappears like "oh hey, let's wrestle now".

Bonus:

1. Person is getting ready to leave town soon.
2. Person can't even state if/when they are coming back clearly and they are already difficult to communicate with, let alone plan anything with.

I imagine that any person like the above might seem like a bit of a jerk comparatively speaking, so I empathize. There are no bad guys here. Just rough timing.

Ah well.

So I'm back after my trip to Italy and Dubai. To say the least, it was a blast and included a bit of wrestling. In terms of wrestling, I have some special notes for the following:

• mewrestle: my first match in Dubai. It was enjoyable.
• N: I'm hunting this guy down the moment I get back to Dubai. The match was electric. Fun and exhausting.
• Andre: this guy was fun. Time flew by fast with this one. A bit of a language barrier, but sometimes, words need not be said.
• Opon: this was my first time jobbing and by the end of it, I was happy to do so.

There's also something to be said about a recent exchange I had with someone who was very upset about how communication went. It's a common story: they wanted to set up a match, I wasn't sure if I could, etc...

However, this got taken to pretty high irritation levels which includes a note that I was being unfavorited, that I wasn't a nice person, that other people must have met me by magic, etc. I think I'll take moment to note just this: we rarely know someone's circumstances when they don't respond to a message here. In my case, it was work-related travel and the time allowances that go with that, but these things vary between people. I think it's always best to just ask the other person what's going on and, if they don't respond, not to take it too personally.

Sure, it can be disappointing or even frustrating at times, but eventually something new happens or you find another way to occupy time until you can actually set up something.

That said, I think I'll try to sort out writing these warriors some recommends because they definitely deserve them. Also: holy cow, I have 14 matches now....

o/

So it finally happened that I got a bit of wrestling in a couple of weeks ago.

As always, it was after quite a while and therefore very much welcome.

EXHIBIT A

Since then, Shawty had been challenging me off and on about having a one-on-one, which I was all for. Lo and behold, he took a mini-vacation and came here. I met him on the last day he was in the area and we chatted, caught up, and wrestled. I was relentless and he was surprised. Body scissors, head scissors, nelsons, it was just all sorts of fun. Afterward, we ate a bit of food and I took a nap.

When I woke up, we talked a bit more and I headed home to avoid being a zombie and/or fighting rush hour ATL traffic.

EXHIBIT B

The next morning, we suited up in singlets and began to wrestle. It was a lot of fun, although short as we recognized there was too much potential for us to throw each other across the room on accident. Having shown a bit of strength to each other, I showered up and got myself ready for work while he headed to ATL to enjoy his vacation with friends.

That's the story for now until I get some flying done and collect some more stories to tell. I might have to plan some of my vacation time to see you all. So far, I know with certainly that I will be in NY, CA, and WA. If you're in those areas, I just might have to make a house call.

So I shall be on the road - or rather, in the air - for another round of work related travel to:

• Dubai
• Italy
• North Dakota (the hell?)

The fun part of this is, in order to get there, I have to have layovers in more than a few places:

• 1.5 hours in NY
• 3 hours in Italy

And that's just getting TO Dubai. On the way to ND:

• 3 hours in NY

And then on the way to finally get home:
*1 hour in MN

This is the part where I say that, if you're in any of these area that I'm in for 3 or more hours or in any of these places I'm headed, then hit my inbox. I'm mostly friendly and I don't bite often.

Context

Yesterday, one my buddies here asked me about a wrestler. We'll call him Wrestler A. My buddy wasn't sure abou. Wrestler A for all the normal reasons: pictures not recent, request for pic denied bc "My cam takes grainy pics", etc.

So he asked me what he should do and i said he should trust his instincts. After this, I do a bit of research:

1. I look up Wrestler A on another website.
2. I notice a recommend and read it.
3. I see if the writer of that recommendation is on this site. They are.
4. I go back to my buddy and suggest contacting them.

What my buddy finds out is that this eyelet doesn't look like his profile pics. My buddy has problems with people that lie, so this is a red flag.

Now then....

The Point(s) I Want To Make

• We're adults, most with jobs, in 2016. Cameras are not rare finds and are also not excuses for lack of a recent photo; your phone probably has one on it if you've bought one in five years.
  • See above for laptops
• I think it is safe to say we're adults here. We're on this site bc of our own choice to do thinhs we want to do. Lying about who you are or what you want is stupid for that reason. There's literally no reason to.
• Recommends are a thing. I've made friends here and avoided potential trouble because of them. My boys will protect me and I will protect them. Translation: we will research the hell out of you and expose that ass if you're being shady so don't do it.

With that off my chest, I'll be off to the office. Love you all. Let's keep looking out for each other.

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. :)