My pandemic year, in a list.
- Quit grad school.
- Career-wise... switched over to data science role. Made peace with where I was at. Related: started taking my pills to stabilize my brain chemistry.
- Started Black Wing Collective. Learned how to build a curriculum, and got comfortable becoming a teacher. And met a lot of really awesome people.
- Met Scott and really started learning LFS. Actually, he encouraged me to start the Collective.
- Did Muay Thai every day like a ritual.
- Started kickboxing with Rob.
- Was really shocked that Danielle, Amy, and Rachelle would train with me every week. They could be doing anything else, but they came out to do this with me.
- Started getting more comfortable with my kali experience.. enough to teach it.
- Started exploring the connections between Vietnamese, Thai, and Lao cuisines.
- Learned what home cooking was really about, by letting go of the belief that ingredient X doesn't belong in dish Y.
- Got really into Lao dipping sauces, particularly Jeow Som. It goes perfectly with cucumbers and Popeyes fried chicken.
- Really enjoyed being in this little cocoon at home with my husband.
- Got my first pull-up.
- Read "Art of War" with my dad over Zoom. We're going to do calligraphy together next, and that makes me happy.
- Built out my workout room... Actually, we did that just before the pandemic happened. But that's now my favorite room in the house.
- Became friends with Carlo. Well, it's nearing the end of the pandemic, but it's not over, but that still counts, right?
- Really enjoyed building out my personal martial arts practice, and expanding my understanding beyond LEO and female self-defense applications to civilian applications and just plain enjoyment of techniques.
- Got comfortable being in front of a camera... fwiw.
Favorite quote of the year:
"It doesn't matter who you are; what matters is who is needed. So, be that person."
– Scott Babb, The Prince and the Disciple
Favorite example of that quote: Joe Biden... the average Joe who became POTUS when what we needed was exactly an average Joe.