Hello down there....

Thursday, October 9, 2008

October in NY

So here we are our second fall upon us....i love NY in the Fall...the weather is great and so is life. Tammy is still working hard at the Hospital and we are talking about her going back and getting her masters...that'd be pretty dope. As for me i am soo ridiculously neck deep in teaching it's funny. I'm teaching 9 classes a week in two public schools here to students in 6th-9th grade as well as teachers for both schools. in addition to that i've been training for some competitions and am preparing to put together a competition team from the students i'm teaching. So that's pretty exciting. Beyond that i'm 28 now and still some kinda good lookin...so to all our family everywhere, Love.

Jonathan

Monday, August 11, 2008

My Mommy Told Me To....

Actually she asked, so 2 posts in one week for me at least has to be some kind of record worthy of an award..

so this one's for my mom, bc she called with a question about BJJ (Brazilian Jujitsu) and since i can't train i'll talk about it.

I guess i'll start with the concept of BJJ...As a martial art it was developed from a Japanese form of Jujitsu late 19th century by the Gracie family from Brazil as the "ultimate form of fighting." if you want more info on the history, google it. It was developed bc the originator believed all fights ended up on the ground, and his family was notoriously undersized as far as people went (short and 135 on average as adult males). So this system of grappling or wrestling was developed focusing on immobilizing and submitting your opponent based on joint locks and chokes, which is very different from other martial arts since there are no strikes in BJJ.

So now to the Method....

The idea of engaging your opponent in BJJ is to put them on the ground, control them with your body weight, leverage, and superior technique (not strength) and to submit them as i mentioned. So there are a few basic positions you need to become familiar with:

1)the Guard: This is a primarily defensive position where the opponent is grasped between your legs and you are seeking to sweep them, or possibly submit them. Your leverage here is your arms but especially your legs. You throw your opponent forward toward your head and look to isolate their arm or neck for a submission or to get their body weight and balance off so you can sweep them and get on top.

2)the Half Guard: This is a slightly better position for the person on top then being in full guard. from here you have better control of the person on bottom but are admittedly often at a risk of being swept if you don't keep your base solid. Here you can attack chokes, arms, and possibly the legs from the top. From the bottom you are surging upward with your energy trying to imbalance the person on top and keep them from attempting a submission with the hopes they make a mistake and leave an opening for you to sweep or submit from the bottom.

This is a good time to mention base everything in BJJ is about balance. you have to be grounded and sensitive to what your opponent is doing. In most of the positions your goal, especially when on top is to keep pressure on the person below you so they can get to a more advantageous position. The idea is to feel heavier than you are. That being said however you have to remain relatively relaxed at almost all times, tension can hurt you and make you more vulnerable to being swept and submitted or freaking out prematurely when in a bad position and giving up unnecessarily.

3) Side Control - This is when you are on top of your opponent at a roughly 90 degree angle to them with all your limbs free of their guard. This is a very good position to submit and control the opponent especially by driving your weight in to the ground. To maximize this position you have to minimize the amount of space between you and your opponent. you don't allow them a crack of space to work with and meanwhile are attack their arms neck and looking to move to mount or take their back. From the bottom when you are being pressed down you have to look and try to create space between you and the opponent on top so you can either sweep them, take their back if they are careless, or get them back in your guard.

4) Mount - this is when you are straddling your opponent and is a very good offensive position but often leaves the one on top vulnerable to sweeps and reversals when they attack. In this position base is even that much more important to maintain balance and weight on your opponent.

5) Taking the Back - this is possibly one of the crumbiest positions to be in as a defender and a good one for the attacker. in this position as the aggressor you have your legs wrapped around your opponent and feet ("hooks") under their thighs. your chest is tight to their back and arms open to a number of possible submissions, especially chokes.

As a BJJ practitioner there are times consistently through the rolling process that you feel in pain, afraid, like you screwed up, don't have enough energy to throw the guy on top of you, can hardly breath as your being choked out, or just plain out of ideas bc nothing seems to work. This is an are of BJJ that i am learning to painfully appreciate - patience, determination, stamina, planning. Inevitably i have been in positions where i am being choked by a triangle choke and couldn't position myself to break the hold of my opponent so i've had to decide wether to tap and give up or push through and hope he gets tired before i pass out. now a number of factors go into deciding these things and i do both quit often, however the necessity of that decision still exists.

Another challenge of training like this is simply the discipline day in and day out to train and get up early and eat right when most days you just want to snuggle in bed, or go get pizza and a movie...the self inflicted challenges of working through pain, discomfort, and determination of training for championships, as well as the outward inflicted challenges that come with this sport and challenges of the mental aspect of the game are all things that draw me to and bring me joy in BJJ. Maybe you have to be slightly sadistic, maybe simply this mans need to challenge himself beyond what i want or am comfortable doing. Regardless, the effect of the sport caries into my spiritual and personal life...discipline i believe is holistic in its application. as are concepts of fluidity, relaxation under pressure, and determination...if i can get up tomorrow at 6am and train in 3 classes, 1 lifting\ conditioning workout, mental focus drills, spend 1-2 hours drilling, call my bride and tell her i miss her, answer some emails, eat 5-6x's and be home by 4 to wake tammy up and kiss her so we can have dinner together and either go out, stay in, or do it all over again the next day...then i can sacrifice my comfort when God calls me to, i can give when it hurts to give, i can serve when i don't want to serve, i can give grace\ forgiveness\ and mercy when i want to inflict pain\ hate\ and retaliate. i can read scripture every day and humble myself to rebuke, i can become a better more patient and loving, serving, and giving husband than i was the day before....

of course the challenge with all these things are the same as me getting up at 6 tomorrow...i don't want to...but i have to decide every morning to not give up.

in honesty,

Jonathan +)

I Need the Wisdom of Your life...

For the record, i'm pretty sure i've mentioned this before but i'll do it again, New York rain is great...15 minute serious thunderstorm and finito...geographical weather patterns amaze me.

So our friends Jeanne and her mom are currently on the way to Laguardia to fly back to SC and we had a good time with them this weekend. Tammy as usual played the patient role of tour guide, we have decided to start charging a nominal fee for her services of guidance and my google maps researching contributions to peoples trips. and for the record we love our new little buddy Gus. He is a wonderfully inquisitive ferret, very energetic and prone to claw, shred, dig, break, fall, knock over, climb, or randomly attack things...like our knees and shoes, but he is super sweet and strangely (as compared to jeffery who tolerates it) loves to be petted and rubbed much like a dog...

And so everyone know Tammy made it back safely from Vegas and had a really good time plus got the chance to see the Cirque du Soliel KA production, which was mind blowing she says and if you know her fascination with Cirque, was a fantastic dream come true...

We are very much still discussing the plan for my teaching in the future and what that's going to look like this next year. And i think i still think in a college time frame, partly due to my association with schools here, but also due to our schedule with CV...so i mean this school year. On that note, Tammy and i have discussed time and again my involvement in continuing to teach evening classes over the next year and here's the lowdown:

As i mentioned before CV and Sheng Tai Studios (STS) are going into a public school here in our neighborhood in partnership with an organization from Dallas called Heart of a Champion (HOC) - we like initials in the non-profit organizational world - HOC has been actively providing materials for character development in public schools in a number of states in the country, but has struggled bc of costs to stay afloat here in NYC. So through Divine orchestration, we are able to partner with them and take their program of simple materials to the next level (and not the summer missions experience) with onsite followup, advocacy for the school and families to the community and political leaders, launch event with pro athletes, and of course my role - martial arts instruction to reinforce the materials in about 50 students.

My role will be a paid position by the program and i will be responsible for 4 classes a week with 2 on Monday, 1 Wednesday, 1 Friday. This is great for me bc i'm working with slightly older students 6-9 grades and able to really focus on mentoring students and helping develop character, i like this hands on ministry style. However this leaves me in a pickle...

Tammy and i decided for me to focus on my training with the Gracie's as an investment in our future since that is what i want to be teaching for a number of reasons, as well as working toward competition. so between those two, it makes a challenging schedule to be also offering evening classes and not running myself ragged. When i talk about training i need to clarify that i am training for 2 goals, 1:to gain the knowledge to instruct champions, 2:to become a champion so i can teach champions. So i realize most people are like, "what's the big deal with training? Just do it then teach." But i need to clarify that i leave the house Monday - Friday at 6:30 in the morning and don't get home from training until 4 in the afternoon. We're talking about a full time job here. And on top of that add all the physical abuse i take and the mental strain of the sport, and i am pretty much beat. so we are trying to be wise with our time so we can also have time together. mind you she leaves around 7 which is a prime time for teaching a class, and we want to see each other.

so anyway all that being said in way of explination, we want to be wise in our decision making. i want to be consistent in what i do but realize i can't do everything so any wisdom in that area would be very much appreciated from you guys. Also if you could be praying for the funding for this program to come in, since we need to raise my salary, cost of materials, launch event costs, etc. all in all we budgeted $300,000+ for this years program, thankfully we have connections to some sports teams and all, but still need to raise it. so be in prayer and if you know anyone that want's to sponsor a child, or any businesses that want to get behind this please let us know at jonathan@citivision.org. The cost to sponsor a child is $250.

please feel free to pass on to tammy and i your invaluable wisdom as well...i'm still new to this business thing and life is always a beautiful and challenging ride...

love you all,

Jonathan

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Whooooo....Summer is almost over...

Wow, so it is now verging on the brink of August and i'd like to say i don't know where the last 2 months went, but i know exactly where they wound up...completely consumed over 7 weeks by 12 teams during The Next Level. We are finished and have had the first part of the week off (which i have spent diligently training for about 5 hours a day and have the rashes, burns, bruises, and sore muscles to show for it) and Wallace, Hooptie, and i meet back at 9 to make some sense of what's next and to close out TNL. Tammy is currently flying back from Las Vegas where she was in a nursing convention for the first part of the week and we may actually get to start seeing each other again.

What i mean by that is i would be with teams from about 7 or 8 in the morning (She doesn't get back until about 9) until between 11 to 2 in the morning (which is after she has left for work). So do the math...6 days a week...we went almost 3 weeks without seeing each other for more than a 2 hour period one day. Needless to say we're looking forward to life getting a little more normal. And CV (CitiVision) and I will be assessing the schedule again...we have better plans to make it work even better next year since it sounds like the 3 of us will continue to do this again as well as hopefully we will get to get all 4 of the interns we budgeted for....who would have thought spending a summer in NYC would be soo hard to sell to late HS and College students...

Well the summer was great and it was a fantastic reminder to me to give my seat up on the subway, not to ignore the homeless, the body of Christ can function in unity, i need to always be open to reproof, it's okay to admit i went the wrong direction trying to find the subway, let God interrupt my schedule, i don't know everything about everything, and to be patient, walk in mercy and grace, and love genuinely.

On top of actually making a little bit of money for our home CV or Wallace, i'm not sure which gifted me and austin with iPhones! woooohooo! i love this thing...all phones should be so fantastic, and it's really helped pass some time between classes at the academy when i have no one to roll with. So that was an unexpected and thrilling gift....it may have made all the late nights worth it...may....

Speaking of the academy, while i've been able to train a bit more this week, Tammy and I decided i should focus some more of my time in training since i have such a unique opportunity to train with the Gracie family here in NY. Which as an aside i was training yesterday and today along side the 2 highest ranking Canadian fighter next to GSP yesterday and today....for those of you that understand that sort of thing...Anyway, i am going to be working out my training schedule with Walter as we look at what the rest of this year and possibilities concerning TNL next summer as well...Tammy is still undecided if she wants me to do it again, as am i, though i believe we can work out a better schedule now that i've done it once...So that obviously affects how much i will be teaching as well...so i'm looking at moving to a new location but before i commit to do that i want to make sure that we have time together...so pray for wisdom in the future for us.

I'm pretty sure NYC agrees with us...randomly i was thinking yesterday while i was eating some lunch under a tree on 34th between 7th and 8th that this city is still amazing to me...i forget to look up sometimes, i've decided that tall buildings are like blinders once you've been around them for awhile...you don't look up much...so i'm trying to do that more. The people are great here...in the words of my friend Eric "i like the way they think." And where else could Tammy and i go to a packed showing of Batman on IMAX at 4:10 AM? Where i ask you?

i'm reminded by a text message from our last intern about the longing to return here tammy and i experienced our first year before we moved...it amazes me how God places such a passion and love for people in our hearts especially as they are tied to a location. (for us New Yorkers) This life change has certainly made me a believer in the Exodus concept and the "hometown prophet" deal...i know i was cynical and bitter about the Church as i saw it and especially about where i worked, mostly i see now due to a simple difference in ministry philosophy, but i can definitely see how God takes people from their homes from their comfort and transplants them, like He did Israel...several times, so His greater will can be accomplished...fantastic!

now for some pics....

Honey Bunny with the newest Peagler infant....yes Chris is a dad...

When NY Comes to SC...we are the universal balance for all things good...

We are supper heros...Noemi likes my Mandatory Meal times...

Love you guys all, see you in a later date....

Jontastic

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Update log 72136.9001

Yo! so it's time for our monthly posting...mainly because if we stop posting most of you would forget that we're alive...So many of you might now we passed by the SC on our way to Bahamas for two quick days, and our best souvenir is a picture of Amelia on our fridge. (just so you know the Bahamas are way overrated.)

So i was talking yesterday with Walter and Austin and something i realized i forgot to share (mainly because i think whatever is in my mind leaks to everyone else) came up. I mentioned in a previous post that CitiVision and Sheng Tai Studios are working with a non-profit from Dallas called Heart of a Champion to start a character development program in the fall with 2 public schools in our community. Well one of the schools i've had the pleasure of meeting with the principle, Dr. Drysdale, on two occasions now. She is a very energetic and fun lady who is ecstatic about the program and martial arts. So that being said, last summer the Next Level (missions experience i'm working with this summer) had teams go in and paint class rooms in the school and this was the beginning of our relationship with her and that schools. The class rooms are very nice blues and greens.

So while we were meeting with Dr. D, we asked what we could do for her and she told me they didn't have A\C! i said what! 20+ class rooms with no A\C and they have summer school all year round, and the windows only open 6 inches and they are on the top floor of a 4 story building = HOOOOTTTT! I couldn't believe it and we said, "Okay, we'll get you A\C's" but were all three of us thinking..."where the heck are we going to get 20 something A\C's for this school..."

So we left later that day from the meeting and Austin went by the World Vision storehouse in the South Bronx. This is a warehouse full of stuff for ministries and organizations free of charge provided by World Vision. And he was talking with the director over there as they were walking through the place and he goes, (the director to Austin) "man we got this huge shipment of A\C's today and i don't know what we're going to do with them." Austin proceeded to pass out on the floor and get a rather nasty concussion, where he had to be rushed to the hospital for a frontal lobotomy. He's now fine, but has found he has super psychic powers and is currently fighting crime at night when he's not preparing very nicely done Excel sheets for the ministry. Ok well that last part was made up, but the A\C stuff is true.

So amazing how God provided for this School! Whoo!

We things are good here except it was 70 when we left for Bahamas and has consistently been 50's since we got back...other things of interest, we are almost ready to start the Next Level (TNL) the last day of this month. This will be Austin and I's first time leading teams for TNL so be in prayer for us, we are doing a lot with Wallace (aka Walter) for training and it should all go well but we have redesigned the implementation of the program so it should be interesting. We are hosting 12 teams over 8 or 9 weeks. We've never done this before, but with the three of us it should work. Plus we are praying to get 4 interns in July to help as well as Seacoast's very own Caroline to help with photographing June. These are big helps so pray they come through.

Other news, Walter and Victoria are pregnant with #3. Pray walter doesn't run himself ragged this summer just because he's used to it being hectic in the past. we've got a pretty good plan with the three of us. Tammy is rocking the face off of the hospital staff. She constantly gets words of thanks and confidence from the staff there. She is really a tremendous example of positivity and hard work. they way a nurse should be. Just last night the surgical team was coming down to pick up a patient and found our that the patient was Tammy's and they (surgeons, attending, surgical nurses, etc) told her they were glad she had their new patient b\c she always takes care of all the testings that need to be done and get them the patients on time. That may not sound like much, but it's surprising how little teamwork there seems to be in the medical field. So she is being a huge min

ster to the people she works with.

On another note please be praying for our friends Joey, Celenia, and their runt Millania. Joey has been pursuing his own business since leaving CitiVision (he was TNL guy before me for 2 years) and because of economy, business is slow. so that's stressful for them and Celly has gone back to school to finish her degree, so all that is a challenge. Plus little Millania. so thanks for that.

Well i have to go do my studio office work. Hooray for quickbooks and coffee shops! We love you guys all. and if your bored and want to see me sound professional (unlike in the photo) check out the studio website, www.shengtaistudios.com

hugs and boogers,

jonathan

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

The Spring is coming...

I awoke this morning about 5am with a horrible headache. Silly pressure system that causes rain. I overlooked that and heard and owl hooting. That was a first for me here. Yeah, we have birds here mom. haha. I've heard birds outside before, usually pigeons... the rats with wings. Or the little finches, but never an owl off in the distance. I guess between the rain and the early situation, not many people wanted to be loud this morning. Usually, I hear the car alarms because a lot of people don't know how to use them, or the garbage truck, or kids yelling, or their rigatone music... Oh, i also hear the pipes in the apt. Which provide us lovely heat, but are very loud... the steam rolling pipes. Stay with us during the winter and you will understand. At first, it starts as a little tinkly, spritely sound.. you think, "santa?" and then, when the superintendent gets really cold, he turns it up and your like, "mr. freddy? freddy kruger?"

Anywhoo. I do love the sounds. Seriously. It is all about the experience of this adventure God has taken us on and I am loving it.

Sorry, I have been awal over this cold season. It has been very busy... I've had to get used to working night shift which I started in December. I like nights a lot better than days actually. For many reasons. And yes, Jon and I spend enough time together... we eat breakfast together. Then he leaves and I sleep... then we meet up for dinner and I leave for work. Pretty awesome.

Speaking of experience... I want everyone that has the luxury of a washer and dryer duo in their place of residence to know how fortunate they are. Because when you have to wash clothes and its snowing... it pretty much effects your desire to wash clothes.. you have to put on the snow boots and the big jacket and walk a block in that snow.. ha. Or rain. Or heat. The owner of our laundry mat is named Santiago. He knows us. He waves as we pass by the place... a really nice guy. He tries to speak english with us and we stumble over our spanish with him, but we all smile and that is fun.

Ya know, speaking of walking. It's not strange at all. In SC, if you see someone walking it's strange. That place you have to have a car because no one cares about CARTA. Here, everyone knows about and relies on MTA. That is Manhattan Transit Authority if you ever come here and wind up on cash cab.

I've always loved walking.. my parents know about this. I'd put on my walkman and walk about the property.... or to my friends house... or to one of their friends houses and then I'd get in trouble because it wasn't good to walk around like that. I think God was preparing me even then for this place.

So, the other day, it got up to 60.. for only a day, but I think everyone remembered spring. Mr. Softee was out, the ice cream truck with the BEST soft serve vanilla ice cream ever. Of course he had a line and I definitley spent my buck fifty that was going to contribute to drying our clothes on some. While I was waiting for my clothes to finish drying, I traveled the neighborhood.... a lot of people were outside. Laughing, playing, living. I was exhilarated.... excited about the coming season.... soon it will be a year since our move.

I hope that I am still in God's will. daily. There are days when I am selfish and think about only what I want... and that happens more than I would like to admit. I need to be more focused on our original call. It's easy to forget when the bills are paid and we have extra funds to spend in this city... comfort.

Thanks for praying for us.... keep it coming. We have decisions to be made and we definitley want them to be true to God's call. I love you all... thanks for listening to my rambles. Just wanted to share.

tammy