Crazy Guy Tries Stealing This Street Performer’s Money

What a day. Some crazy homeless guy possibly on drugs tried stealing my money as I was street performing on Grant in Chinatown, SF. I do a hybrid kinda street performance that entails a costume (see the latest), some miming, story telling, goofing around, and beatboxing.

I divided this post into 2 parts as there were 2 altercations with this same guy within maybe 10-20 minutes.

Part 1 – Guy tries to steal my money

So I was sitting out on Grant St. in Chinatown doing my pink man show and waiting for someone to push play. Then this guy who wasn’t wearing a t-shirt or shoes comes by and picks up my money can sitting between my legs and starts walking off.

At first I thought is this guy joking?

I told him to stop and he kept walking. So I threw him with a judo throw. It happened fast and I can’t remember what kind of throw it was, it was something like osoto gari or o guruma or harai goshi.

He hit the ground, my money went flying and then there was that moment of thought…

“Arm bar him, get on top or this guy is probably going to go away…”

That was my mistake. He got up hit me in the side of my temple and than ran over to a store across the way and grabbed a bin of umbrellas.

Then he tried throwing them at me and eventually ran off.

After that I was thinking about my mistake. I was telling myself… “You got to get on top of the guy and finish him with a submission. That’s why he got up and hit you. That happened cause you didn’t control the situation. Don’t assume he is going to go away.”

Luckily most people are good people and a few people collected my money that had flown everywhere and watched it while this was happening.

Weird too, after that the woman who works next door gave me $20 and another guy $5. It’s weird how that works. The same thing happened another time when a guy was being a jerk throwing these loud firecrackers near me and then I got angry and went over to him and said some things.

Drama.

Maybe people like drama or maybe it’s compassion. Maybe some people feel a sense of compassion for this pink or blue dude who people are messing with.

Anyways back to the story…

Part 2 – He comes back

Then he came back.

He started saying I took some of his stuff. This guy was crazy. He wouldn’t go away and kept walking around me. This time I took off my sign that I wear. Then he took his shirt off the ground and started whipping me with it.

This is all happening on the sidewalk and middle of the street.

There was that thought (a moment) of, “do I back off or attack?” I actually attacked him and grabbed him and got him up against a car from behind in a rear naked choke.

But his chin was tucked and I couldn’t finish him. Later I thought how I could have got that choke… more on that later.

Then another guy comes and asks if we could get off the side of the car. So I threw the guy again on the pavement and got on top of him. He was pulling on my shirt and pushing towards my face.

I was going for the americana. I was thinking of a choke, but he had no shirt on and I’m less confident about my arm triangle chokes. So I went for the americana.

The guy is fighting, but eventually I got his wrist to the ground. I kept my elbow by his head to keep him from biting me. I was thinking this guy could bite, try grabbing my balls or any other dirty thing.

Once I got my grips I pulled it down and up toward his hips. Then I heard some pops and cracks in his shoulder or elbow, the guy yell and then suddenly he became limp and apologetic.

“Sorry. Sorry.”

“I am sorry”, he said.

“Sorry.”

He stopped moving.

If I wanted to be mean or really destroy his elbow or shoulder I would have done it again even deeper. But he stopped fighting and started saying sorry.

So I just held him there in that arm lock.

I was thinking, “do I let him go or hold on or what?”, but I held on, the cops eventually came and handcuffed him. I guess he was causing problems up and down Grant.

Things I learned from that fight

So that’s my story about using judo and jiu-jitsu in a street fight. I always wondered if it would work. I mean it should right? I had been training in jiu-jitsu for maybe close to 3.5 years frequently and in judo for a few years less often.

But you never really know until you are in a fight.

Even after part 1 I was thinking about that mistake and well like most things in judo or jiu-jitsu there are no mistakes.

I know it sounds a little cliche, but…

There are only learning experiences. You may have heard that if you have been practicing jiu-jitsu. It may sound cliche, but it’s the truth.

And I got the chance to immediately apply what I had learned from the first episode. I knew this guy was a problem when he came back so I took my sign off. He took his shirt off the ground and was whipping me with his shirt and then I attacked.

In the end I submitted the guy until the cops came. But learned a few things along the way.

  • Don’t just throw the guy and think the fight is over. Get on top and/or submit.
  • I think I could have gotten the rear naked choke had I used my other bicep on his fore head to open up his neck more for my other hand. Probably hard for some to visualize what I mean.
  • Be aware of your vulnerabilities because the guy may try the dirtiest stuff.

But that’s jiu-jitsu.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a real fight, rolling at the gym or a competition.

The same sort of reflection happens every time you roll with someone. When you fail you can look back on what you did and think about what you will do next time.

The damage

My performance glasses got f*cked up, I got a bump on my temple from getting hit, scratch on my forehead and a bruise on my knee – mounting on the pavement is a lot harder than a mat in the dojo, but otherwise I am o.k.

I noticed that guy had a bloody hand when I had him in an arm lock and I am pretty sure by the sounds of things mentioned earlier that something tore or broke in his elbow or shoulder.

I didn’t punch or kick him I just did what I learned.

In the end

I wanted to get a video because I saw some people recording it, but left by the time the altercation was finished. So hopefully one will surface on Youtube or somewhere else that I can use in the next week or so.

Seeing some pink street performer dude fighting on Grant Street in Chinatown, San Francisco is a little unusual so maybe a video or two will surface somewhere.

Before I got into jiu-jitsu I heard people talk about how it can make you more confident. I always wondered if it had made me more confident. I still don’t know, but had these things happened 4 years ago I think the outcome may have been different.

The cops were actually pretty cool to me which was surprising considering I had known one of the cops for a long time. I think that same cop seems to respect me more now for whatever reason.

Allergy test says DUST MITES & What I Am Doing About It

I have been very congested since living in San Francisco. I recently became determined to find out why. I started eliminating foods, I cleaned my house, bought a HEPA air filter and recently a dehumidifier.

Now I remember in the past when I vacuumed the carpet I would sneeze and get more congested.

I got tested for allergies today. They tested me for 43 compounds which include mold, pollens, dogs, cats and dust mites.

Here is what they skin tested me for:

Tree Pollens:

1. Golden Acacia (2-5): 0
2. Alder, Red (12-3): 0
3. Ash, Red/Green (3-5): 0
4. Birch (mix) (3-5): 0
5. Bottlebrush : 0
6. Box Elder Maple (3-5): 0
7. Cedar, Mountain (1-5): 0
8. Cottonwood, Com. (3-4): 0
9. Cypress, Arizona (1-5): 0
10. Elm, American (8-10): 0
11. Eucalyptus: 0
12. Gum, Sweet (3-4): 0
13. Olive Tree (4-7): 0
14. Pepper Tree Species (7-9): 0
15. Mesquite (5-6): 0
16. Mulberry, Mix (3-5): 0
17. Oak, Mix (red,Virg, Live/White) (3-6): 0
18. Sycamore, American (2-4): 0
19. Walnut, Black (4-5): 0
20. Walnut, English (3-5): 0
21. Willow, Black (2-5): 0

Grass Pollens:

22. Bermuda (3-10): 0
23. Johnson Grass (5-9): 0
24. Perennial Rye (4-8): 0

Weed Pollens:

25. Careless Pigweed (5-9): 0
26. Cocklebur (7-10): 0
27. Dock/Sorrel, Mix (4-7): 0
28. Lamb’s Quarter (5-10): 0
29. Mugwort Sage (7-10): 0
30. Nettles (4-8): 0
31. English Plantain (4-7): 0
32. Ragweed, Mix (Giant,Short,West) (8-10): 0
33. Wing Scale (5-10): 0

Mold Spores:

34. Alternaria Tenuis (HS1:10): 0
35. Aspergillus fumigalus (HS): 0
36. Helminthosporium inters (HS): 0
37. Hormodendrum cladospo (HS): 0
38. Penicillium notatum (HS): 0

Epidermals:

39. Cat, Standardized AP: 0
40. American/ German Cockroach mix: 0
41. (HS) AP Dog 1:100 std.: 0
42. Dust Mites, DF 30,000: 4+ (12/31)
43. Dust Mites, DP 30,000: 4+ (11/20)

The zero on the end meant that I was negative. The last two were the positive ones. Dust mites.

I threw out my carpet about a month ago, but there is carpet I can’t throw out which is in the hallways. It’s old and dirty enough and probably filled with dust mites.

I washed the curtains too.

I think the humidity is a problem. Drier places and high elevation places are supposed to be better. I don’t remember having a problem in the Southwest.

There is also mold and apparently dust mites like humidity.

So I am trying to use some dessicants like

  • salt
  • silica gel
  • cat litter (bentonite clay)

I placed these in open containers/tea bags around my room in drawers and in my closet.

Then a few weeks ago I got a small dehumidifier which takes about 16 oz. every 3 days or so out of my small 7×8 room.

This is what the allergy doctors at UCSF suggested to do:

  • Use zippered dust mite proof covers for pillows and mattress and box-spring
  • Remove feather pillows and down comforters from bed
  • Washing sheets/bedding weekly in hot water (140 F) to kill dust mites
  • Steam clean or remove wall-to-wall bedroom carpeting
  • Remove area rugs
  • Dust mites die when the humidity falls below 40 to 50 percent. If you don’t have dry skin or eczema, consider using a dehumidifier if the weather is humid.

+Sinus rinses and a nasal spray (steroid)

Other effects

If you are congested then you can’t breath well. If you can’t breath well then you’ll start breathing through your mouth which is no good and probably the reason why I got 3 cavities (so they said) in spite of eating well, brushing and flossing.

So I have been trying to be more mindful of keeping my mouth closed when sleeping and have even tried taping it closed when I sleep which is tough.

The other problem is a deviated septum which also helps block my nose. I had one surgery in 2006 on it. The ENT doctor gave me a couple of options to consider and showed me with a camera the scar tissue that grew inside after that surgery.

 

Which makes sense as I didn’t really notice any improvement from that surgery.

Working on getting that fixed too.

Diet Update #1 – Zinc & Omega 3 + Other Changes

I decided I would try to keep track of the changes and things that I am experimenting and learning about diet.

I was taking a whole food multi-vitamin then I just went to taking spirulina then around 2009 I stopped. I was thinking do these things really work? But I started to take it again maybe 6 months ago or so when I started the ketogenic diet.

Since then I have added Omega 3 Algae oil, Vitamin D (for my teeth) and just recently Zinc. As mostly a vegetarian I don’t get much omega 3 since I don’t eat fish. I occasionally ate some seafood when I lived in Asia, but not since I lived here.

The highest source of zinc is oysters. I tried oysters once in Xiamen, China in like a green onion sort of pancake. I don’t remember much taste, but it was a bit sandy.

They don’t appeal to me that much so I decided to take a supplement.

I might have been on the lower end for getting zinc, so I decided to try it out on the high end.

Why I am taking zinc?

I read that it helps:

  • Allergies
  • Prostate
  • Warts (I have had these little plantar warts on my feet for years and I tried burning them and duct tape to no avail)
  • Prevent injuries
  • Anti-inflammation
  • Aromatase inhibitor (boosts testosterone/lowers estrogen)

Other changes

I eliminated cucumbers from my diet and some other night shade vegetables that I rarely ate. That was part of the plant paradox book on avoiding certain lectins.

I am trying to stray away from foods that are high in phyto-estrogens. I don’t eat stuff like flax or soy or grains. However, I was occasionally eating tahini which I read was high in phyto-estrogens.

Despite it’s high in that it’s also pretty high in Zinc (aromatase inhibiter which blocks estrogen). So I am not sure, but I’ll stop eating it for now.

Probiotics…

I recently have been making my own kombucha and yogurt. I have been making yogurt from coconut milk/cream and A2 cow’s milk.

Root vegetables & green bananas/papaya

Recently I added some sweet potatoes and taro into my diet. I guess these do I have some phyto-estrogens but nothing compared to soy, flax or sesame.

Apparently green papayas and bananas are better for you because of resistant starch (prebiotic).

Reducing omega 6 from nuts

I guess some nuts have a lot of omega 6 fats in them. Nuts are like my favorite food. I think I may eat too much at times so I am trying to cut back a bit. Omega 6 causes inflammation and pain.

Increasing omega 3

I have been taking algae oil which is high in EPA and DHA and from what I have gathered a better/cleaner source of omega 3 than fish oil.

Omega 3 is supposed to reduce inflammation.

Books I read recently:

  • The Art And Science Of Low Carbohydrate Performance
  • The Plant Paradox

The “Pleasure” Of Getting Promoted To JUDO Green Belt

I got promoted to green belt in judo yesterday at CCSF. And I am being a bit sarcastic when I say “pleasure”. When you get promoted there is a certain sort of ritual and part of the ritual is that you line up and get to throw the people who got promoted 3 times – once for yourself, once for the teacher and once for the person promoted.

Me about to get thrown by a big black belt
Me about to get thrown by a big black belt

Last week Jackson got promoted to 3rd degree brown belt. I thought it looked a little brutal when I saw some people throwing him pretty hard. I was thinking that maybe that treatment was reserved for the higher belts and maybe newly promoted green belts wouldn’t get thrown.

I was wrong.

The moment before getting thrown
The moment before takeoff

The four of us promoted got thrown 3 times by each classmate (16 classmates). So that means we got thrown 48 times in about 10 minutes or so. This isn’t like randori. You have no fair chance. You just have to accept it. You let the other person throw you.

And some won’t throw you that hard and others will. I was a bit worried about that.

But I survived.

The four of us in the front row were promoted to green or brown belt.
The four of us in the front row were promoted to green or brown belt.

I have been practicing judo since around 2015. I started with jiu-jitsu and gradually got into judo. I didn’t take it as seriously as jiu-jitsu and didn’t practice as much, like 2 half classes a week.

I realized that it was important to learn judo because if you don’t know any take downs or throws then how are you going to get your opponent to the ground?

So from a self-defense perspective I think you have to know some judo to be a better grappler.

Jessica getting thrown with the osoto gari throw
Jessica getting thrown with the osoto gari throw

I didn’t really do a lot of randori (sparring) with judo. I would often go to jiu-jitsu Tuesday and Thursday at 6 and then stay for the first hour of judo which follows jiujitsu. I would do some technique and then go home.

Then I tried to add a little randori with a few people before heading out. And I recently started to stay a bit longer to do some more.

I don’t think my judo is very good, but you know it’s getting better, slowly…

Learning to fall is part of it too. I try to work on my falling. Sometimes it’s fun to fall like when you have it timed right and you break the fall with your arm(s) just right.

Then…

Other times it’s not so fun especially when you don’t see it coming or you get the wind knocked out of you.

The photos are from the CCSF judo page.

Related:

How I made KOMBUCHA without a scoby at home

This is how I made Kombucha at home from scratch without a scoby. This was my first time and I thought it turned out pretty good. It was easy and cheap to do.

HOW TO DO IT

1. Get a large glass jug. Glass is better as plastic leeches into your tea.
2. Get some green tea (loose leaf, bags or just bagged green tea).
3. Buy some kombucha (plain) at the store. I suspect flavored might work too, but was told plain.
4. Get some sugar.
5. Heat your water.
6. Fill your jar.
7. Add the tea and steep 5 minutes or so.
8. Take the bags out and add the sugar. I was told a cup, but did about half of cup and it was o.k.
9. Stir and dissolve sugar.
10. Let it cool a bit then add the kombucha.
11. Cover the jar tightly with a thin cloth or coffee filter.
12. Keep it at room temperature out of the sun.
13. Wait 7-10 days or longer if you want less sugar.

Mine turned out good. I tasted it around 8-9 days and then partook on the 10th day. It was good!

A little scummy thing called a scoby starts to form. Mine was pretty thin I did read a 1/4 inch think was o.k. Mine was probably an 1/8th of an inch thick.

HOW I MADE MY SECOND FERMENTATION

Today I made a second batch. I poured out the kombucha into bottles and my tummy;) Then left that little scummy scoby in there. Then poured back in the mixed tea and sugar.

But before I did I let it COOL. I figured the hot water could damage the scoby.

The scoby kind of sank to the bottom as it was pretty thin, but I think it will be alright.

We’ll watch and try it out in 7 days or so.

New Judo & Jiu-jitsu gi Size A3 [For Sale] CCSF

This is a brand NEW judo gi that I have for sale. It’s cheap and it’s good quality. It includes a jacket, belt, and pants.

Works fine for jiujitsu too, yet it just has a bit longer jacket. I tried it on, but it was a bit big for me (5’11, 155) and they wouldn’t return it for free.

judo-gi

Guess it would fit someone about 20-40 pounds heavier and/or a bit taller. I normally wear an A2 yet this was a bit big and may be closer to A3. It has a different sizing which is 4/170.

If you are a student a CCSF [or not], in San Francisco and are looking for a new gi for judo/jiu-jitsu then let me know and I can bring it in sometime.

You can buy it on Ebay too for $59 +shipping or directly through me for $50 which is what I paid for it.

 

How to Increase Your Bone Density & Improve Balance

“Spend more time in a squat position throughout the day. Just doing that will improve your digestion, your knee health, your hips, and it will start to move things in the right direction. Another is hanging, which is so beneficial for shoulders.” – Ido Portal

Squatting has actually improved the mobility of my legs and knees. I had stopped doing them or positions in yoga like child’s pose and after a few years realized I couldn’t kneel any more or put all of my weight done in a kneeling position when I started jiu-jitsu.

But after months of simple squatting I regained that ability.

Yoga is also a great way to improve your balance as there are many single leg positions to do.

I have been doing some squats as an exercise too, but starting tomorrow I will add some single leg squats in there as those are supposed to be better in that they add variable resistance and balance into the mix.

Those things will supposedly make your bones stronger. And when your bones are stronger your muscles can get stronger according to this video.

Listen to the last few minutes starting at (55:09) of this podcast to get some ideas on how to improve your bone density.

Jump

Funny, while watching the above video and listening to the guy talk about bone density and some exercise one of the things I thought of were burpees.

He said something about Tony Robbins jumping on a mini trampoline probably helps his muscles and tendons, but maybe not his bones because of the give in a trampoline. That’s when I thought of doing burpees.

That’s when you combine a push up, squat and jump in one quick exercise. If you do a bunch of them fast in a row you’ll get a good work out.

Before I kinda wondered if they were bad for your knees jumping. But here is some evidence that jumping is good.

How to do burpees

  1. Stand up
  2. Raise your arms to the sky
  3. Jump up
  4. When you land jump back or step back into a plank position
  5. Do a push-up or if you can’t just hold the plank for an instant then…
  6. Jump forward so your arms are outside of your feet
  7. Stand and jump up with your arms raised
  8. Continue

When I first did these I would be out of breath after 10, however with time they get easier. It’s a good exercise as you are using a lot of different muscles too as well as making your bones denser.

If burpees are too difficult you could try jumping jacks or even box jumping.

Here’s a 5 minute workout on Youtube

Poisonous foods that you are probably eating [Lectins]

When I weighed myself at the last jiu-jitsu tournament I weighed a bit more than I thought. I have been doing a ketogenic diet for a while. I think the reason why I gained a few pounds was that I was eating a jar of peanut butter or occasionally almond butter every 2 days.

I was also eating a lot of cheese and coconut. Despite burning a lot of calories doing jiu-jitsu and working out 2 days a week I still gained weight and I think it went to my mid section.

Some people in Keto forums thought I was also getting too many carbs from nut butters.

But some things have changed and I am going to stop eating peanut butter and almond butter at least for some time. But not so much for the fat as it is for the lectins.

I started watching some of Steven Gundry’s videos about lectins in plants. I have heard before of people having allergies to peanut butter and others having lactose intolerance.

I never really noticed a problem with those things except for a bit of acne if ate a lot of cheese or peanut butter.

So I am going to try to cut those things out from my diet. As well as some other things like the cucumbers that I used to dip in peanut butter.

Cheese and peanut butter do have some nutrition, but are high in omega 6 fat which causes inflammation. That was the main reason why I was going to cut those things out.

Too see if some pain disappears.

Then I just found some new information —> there are the lectins… which may be causing inflammation

  • Foods with A1 dairy milk (from what I understand is most of the dairy in this country)
  • Peanuts (according to Gundry 94% of people react to it)
  • Almonds although if the skins have been removed then they are better
  • Cashews
  • Tomatoes
  • Eggplant
  • Potatoes
  • Cucumbers
  • Zuchini
  • Grains like wheat, rice, quinoa, etc.
  • Beans

And a whole lot of other foods…

http://gundrymd.com/wp-content/pdf/Plant-Paradox-Shopping-LIst.pdf

All of those things have lectins that can cause inflammation like arthritis and digestive, heart or other problems.

Since I started keto I haven’t been eating grains, potatoes or rice. I have occasionally eaten beans which are not keto, but I have occasionally indulged. Which I guess if they are pressure cooked or boiled are better but not totally free of lectins.

According to Gundry sweet potatoes and other tubers are o.k. I haven’t been eating those either but I might try. Those aren’t keto foods as they are high in carbs, but…

His diet or approved food list is kinda similar to keto in some ways in that he recommends lots of healthy fats like avocados and olives and only seasonal fruit.

Keto

What differences have I noticed since starting keto? Well I may have not always been in a state of ketosis over the last 6 months or so as I may have been eating too much peanut butter at times.

It’s higher than some nuts in carbs.

However, I can’t say that I notice any major changes. I was pretty lean prior to starting it. I might have lost a couple of pounds initially, but as I mentioned I gained a few pounds. A lot of people do keto to lose weight. I don’t think it did for me.

Maybe if I go back to occasionally eating sweet potatoes, carrots or other carrots I will notice a difference.

I watched a lot of Dominic Augustino’s videos on Youtube. In fact he was the one that probably inspired me the most to try it. But he said some people do o.k. with some carbs.

Keto seems pretty strict I have been o.k with eating that way yet occasionally may want to eat a carb like a carrot or parsnip or a piece of fruit which I have hardly eaten since starting keto.

Eating less fruit is also what Gundry recommends. And so does keto.

Gundry – lectins

His work sounds pretty interesting too. I found his stuff by digging into foods that were high in omega 6 fat. Here’s a video by him…

It’s kind of similar to keto in some ways as I mentioned, he also recommends intermittent fasting which I have been doing for a while too.

Yet it’s specific to certain foods and how they may affect your health. So we are going to cut those out for a couple months at least and see what kind of results we get.

http://gundrymd.com/wp-content/pdf/Plant-Paradox-Shopping-LIst.pdf