Had to shake things up a bit tonight and I blame Metamoris for it.  Metamoris 4 is on Saturday, I've been had been watching the promo videos and got all fired up.  So I decided to skip strength and conditioning and go to the No-Gi class instead.  It was fun but I was a bit rusty. Somethings you can do easier in the Gi and somethings are easier in No-Gi.  It took a few rounds to shake the rust and get in to the flow.  Definitely going to have to work No-Gi into my training schedule more.  Prior to tonight, I hadn't trained without the Gi in about 6-8 months.  

Dan was teaching tonight as Brian was taking a few well deserved days off.  I'm pretty sure he (Brian) hasn't taken a day off in months.  Last night it was Marcelo teaching, and during the day Clobber and Guillermo.  Up until a few months back we had another Black Belt teaching who was a partner in the academy but he has a young son and wanted to step away to spend more time with his boy.  So he sold his half of the academy to Brian and in an emotional night,  explained the situation to us all.  I give the guy credit for stepping away, not without a few tears and being honest with us and himself.  This, coincidentally, was the second time in the past year and a half a grown man almost broke down in front of me and his other students for almost the same reason.  So far it isn't something I want to get used to seeing.

You sweat, and bleed, and train with someone.  You learn from them and teach them.  Get to know them and their life.  Jiu-Jitsu really brings people together.  You see your training partners almost daily.  Not a one of us isn't a stand-up individual.  Its like a family away from your family. When one of us has to step away for whatever reason, its always rough on the ones left behind.