medelmåtta

I don't have too much to say this time around, so I'm going to keep it short and sweet.

Per a discussion at the office, someone recently told me there's nothing wrong with mediocrity. I can agree with that - there is nothing wrong with it. For some people.

I refuse to be mediocre.

I'm destined for bigger and better things in life.

This? This isn't it. This isn't everything.

Life is a battlefield. And this Warrior plays to win.

True story.

Tryck 1 för Engelska

I am SO angry right now.

As many of you know, I'm going to school. Well, there was a problem with the check I received from my loan company, so I called to try to resolve the issue. But things didn't go quite as I had planned.

Here's the deal... if I press the number 1 for English, I expect to be able to converse with the person on the other end of the line.

Is that REALLY so much to ask for? Apparently it is.

My Español is not particularly fluent. Which is why I choose to press 1 for English. I mean, if I was told I could press 6 for Svenska then I totally would! But it's not an option in America. So I pick what I speak well: English.

Yes, I know I have an accent. But if I want you to understand what I'm saying: you WILL be able to understand me. Either I will alter HOW I'm speaking, or I will slow down when speaking. It's called common-courtesy. But unless I feel like being a complete bitch (which does sometimes happen), then I'll be sure you can understand me.

To further irritate me, the woman I attempted speaking with was unable to help me. She was extremely unhelpful on MANY accounts.

So now, here I am. Livid.

Since this call, I've faxed paperwork to what I THINK she said the fax number was. It was a bit difficult to understand. So hopefully that will help expedite this process.

In the meantime, I hope nobody comes into my office today that speaks like her. I may dropkick them in the mouth.

True story.

tatuering för Japan

A local tattoo parlor near me – Cherry Blossom Studios – is doing a fund-raising event that is dedicated to helping survivors of the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear fallout in Japan. This is a really good cause, obviously. My roommate and I have decided to get involved!

On Sunday, April 17^th I will go to Cherry Blossom Studios to get a new tattoo in honor of Japan. There are about 50 different Japanese-related designs to choose from. I haven’t yet decided which design I will choose, but some of the options are: cherry blossoms, lotuses, Maneki Neko, and so much more. I'm definitely open to input from those who donate.

Donations will be accepted through MIDNIGHT/12AM EST on Sunday, April 17th. Then I will take the money collected, and go to Cherry Blossom Studios. All proceeds will go to their relief efforts. As I don't have a PayPal account, my roommate has graciously allowed me to use hers in this endeavor.

All proceeds raised will go toward relief efforts in Japan. Help me raise money as I get inked for a cause!

For more information, visit Cherry Blossom Studios!

dum kamera

I took a road trip to Pittsburgh, PA last weekend. It took two hours longer than expected to get there. But I filmed a good portion of my trip. Unfortunately, I lost a lot of the footage from my camera, and have no idea why. But now my trip isn't nearly as entertaining to watch. Oh well. *shrug* That's not really my problem. I had a blast! Well... except for the two hour delay!

Really enjoyed seeing my former manager and roller derby teammate (1/4 of the Cupcake Crew) Moxie over the weekend. I hadn't seen in two years! So that was pretty phenomenal. It was great spending time with her.

Time flew by WAY too quickly in PA. Before I knew it, it was time to head back home. The 10.5 hour drive on the way TO Pittsburgh turned into 8.5 hours on the return trip. Go figure.

BUT.

I did make it back just in time to catch the main event at Ring Wars Carolina - my home promotion. "The Genuine Article" Ash Walker vs. Hangtyme. Due to unfortunate circumstances, the referee (Don Hector) ended up incapacitated and I had to slide in to make the count. Poor Ash lost to Hangtyme, on my count. Unfortunately, when Don Hector came to, he DQ-ed Ash, which resulted in no title change. Alas, maybe next month in Lumberton, NC Hangtyme will get the belt.. I am the special guest referee for that match... *grin*

My YouTube channel is going fairly well. I've decided to post a new video every Tuesday. Anything else is really just "bonus" material (such as the prequel to my road trip). The one I'm posting today will be from my road trip... it will have some footage from the trip. A lot of the footage seems to have disappeared from my camera, such as:
* Cussing out a van from Quebec for taking too long to park at the rest area
* Trying to decipher if that big rig REALLY had a picture of Hitler on it
* Realizing it was actually Kim Kardashian's new perfume ad on the trailer
* Fraggle Rock
* Car Dancing
* Car Karaoke
* Various "Captain's Log" segments
* Torrential downpours
* Longingly gazing at IKEA during standstill traffic
* Cussing out construction zones
* Pondering where the tunnel is that the sign just announced (found it 10 miles later)
* Other comical moments...

Needless to say, this resulted in a very watered-down road trip. But hey - it's still somewhat entertaining. Somewhat. Maybe. I'm not quite done in the editing room yet. My laptop battery ran too low, so I need to plug in and finish it tonight. But it will be posted by the end of the day!

Oh - and apparently I'm on a hat kick right now. I love hats. And will likely end up wearing one in the majority (if not all) of these webisodes. If you'd like to get me a new hat to add to my collection, feel free to look at the HAT WISHLIST that I made. *grin*

In other news... I have a few big webisodes coming up in the future. However, they're a bit too big for me at the moment. If anyone is interested in sponsoring a full (or even part) of an episode, shoot me an email (mia@scandinaviansweetheart.com) with "Sponsorship" in the subject line and we can start up a dialogue. These can literally range anywhere from $10-$100. And as I said - you can sponsor a whole or partial episode - it's completely up to you! If you choose to sponsor an episode, it comes with some perks: recognition (if you wish) in the webisode, a signed still shot from the actual taping, and maybe some additional swag. It will depend on the budget to be honest.

There are currently three upcoming webisodes needing sponsorship:
* Big-A Challenge
* DFTBA
* Baked Cakes

In addition, if there's any stupid or random thing you'd like to see, let me know. I'm open to suggestions.

True story.

på allmän begäran...

The ballots are in, and winner – by default – is the one and only Scandinavian Sweetheart Mia Svensson. I had a lot of great ideas come in, and many thanks go out to everyone that offered up suggestions. Unfortunately, my favorite of the suggested names was already in use [insert HUGE booooooooo here]. So I had to do some tweaks and modifications to find the name that I deemed right for me and my channel.

I DID really enjoy quite a few of the suggestions. Some of them will become episode names.

You will find my YouTube channel… HERE.

There’s no point in looking now. There’s nothing there. But you can go ahead and subscribe to get it out of the way!

First episode to air tonight.

Now, before you get your hopes up, this isn’t going to be spectacular by any means. It’s mostly going to be my misadventures, thoughts, and whatever else I feel like posting. I may update it regularly. Or not. A lot will depend on what I have going on.

HOWEVER. That being said…

I have a few interesting shows lined up. I won’t divulge too much information on them right now. But if you want to sponsor a future show, shoot me an email and I’ll send you more information on how. You will, of course, get props on the episode when it airs. And possibly some swag. Only time will tell.

Until tonight…

Jag är en stjärna!!!

Okay, I'm not. But I could be!

Regardless, I've officially decided to start up my own YouTube channel. In all honesty, there won't be much wrestling on it. There MIGHT be some. But it's mostly going to be... well... me! Random acts of Mia, so to speak. My musings. My actions. A more in-depth look at me and my awesomeness.

Step one: Buy a video camera. Check.

I bought one Monday evening. It's not a fantastic camera. But it will get the job done until I'm ready for an upgrade.

Step two: Start a YouTube channel. Processing.

I'm currently debating on a name for my channel. My original name was already taken. Totally lame, I know. So now I'm on the hunt for a new name for my channel and/or show. Who knows? My show might be named something different than the channel name. You just never know!

I can't call this "The Untitled Mia Svensson Show"... I have a feeling my life would be in serious Danger if I even attempted it. *snicker*

THIS IS WHERE YOU COME IN.

I'll be accepting suggestions for my show between now and noon EST Friday, April 1st. (And no - that's not a joke!) If one particular one catches my attention best, I'll select it. If more than one grab me, I may put them into a jar (or my Viking helmet) and select them. Hey - that might even be my first episode! Who knows? I sure don't.

So let's get those wheels turning and come up with a cool name for my show. Oh yeah, and the genius behind the name will get a surprise. Game on!

True story.

PS - You can submit your suggestion via a DM on Twitter or Facebook. Or submit via email: mia@scandinaviansweetheart.com And no - I won't limit your genius to one submission.

trettiosex timmar.... och lite till

Not this past weekend, but the weekend before, I had an amazing weekend of wrestling. I experienced 36 VERY long hours. And then some.

I woke up around 7am on Saturday, March 19th. I had only slept for a few hours, as I was lit up with excitement for the days ahead of me. And I still had to workout, pack, and whatnot. En route, I found that the pomegranate fruitisa from Taco Bell is extremely tasty.

That night I was to wrestle at CWF Mid-Altantic in the qualifying round for the ArenaChicks upcoming title tournament. I was to face off against the Rate Tank Kellie Skater. I think the match went fairly well. I definitely learned a lot facing against the Rate Tank. I thought I was prepared for her indestructibility, but I was wrong. I was about to get the win - I executed my High Coast Bridge on her - but she pulled me down so both our shoulders were down for the 3-count. A double pin.

This led to a dispute, as it was the first qualifying round for the ArenaChicks Championship Tournament. The ArenaChicks CEO - Amber O’Neal - intervened. But then Sassy Stephie came in and snatched the belt. Amber Gertner suggested a tag match later in the evening. And so it came to pass…

The tag match: Svensson & O’Neal vs. Skater & Stephie. What started off as a good match quickly became my downfall. They must not like the way I look because they decided to rearrange my face. There was blood and sweat, but no tears, from this Valkyrie. As many times as I tried to tag out, I just couldn't reach Amber's hand. The crowd really got behind me, but I was unable to turn things around. Skater and Stephie for the win.

After the show, we went to dinner still in gear. After dinner we went back to the building to shoot be-the-booker matches. It was already closing in on 1am. We didn’t get done filming until around 4am. Post-shoot trip to Walmart and then to the hotel. There was JUST enough time to shower and then get in the car to head to the airport.

Check in went by quickly. Before I knew it, my plane was boarding: 24 hours after I had awoken the morning before. Alas, no sleep on my plane ride, as I had many loud and obnoxious people surrounding me. Sooner rather than later, the plane was touching down in Philly.

No sleep on the ride from the airport to the venue. Too many thoughts buzzing around in my head. Had to prep for my upcoming match against against Mia Yim for Pro-Wrestling SUN.

Not much to say about the match. I tried to make her submit to me, but it didn't work... this time. Regardless, I still walked away with the win. BAM! Some people call my win a cheap victory. But you know what? A win is a win. Svensson -2, Yim - 0.

Post show, went back to the airport. Still no sleep. Wooooooo! On the bright side - managed to finagle an earlier flight home. I still had plenty of time to kill in the airport, so tracked down my mentor - the wonderful Danger - and picked her brain for a bit. Then I had to leave to catch my flight.

Boarded the plane. There was an older woman in my seat. I gave her an evil glare. She realized her wrongdoing and shifted into her seat - in the aisle. I proceeded to put my hoodie on, pull it over my eyes, lay against the window, and - 36 LONG hours later - went to sleep. Woke up on and off, but had a decent nap.

Landed. Got my bag. Drove 2 hours home. Took a long hot shower. Tweeted a pic of me eating Chunky Monkey - my victory meal. Then went to bed.

******

Overall, it was a very long - but amazing - weekend. I met some awesome people. I beat Yim again. I learned a lot. I had some great opportunities. I really wouldn't trade it for the world.

True story.

Jag är bara mig

I have a lot of things to touch on today, so I will probably bounce around a lot. I have a tendency to be long-winded at times. I also like to ramble. To make things easier for people who probably don’t want to read everything I have to say, I’m going to break things up a bit. I’m going to put things into categories as they come to mind. There may even be some sub-categories. If it seems like something you want to read, go for it. If not, pass it up. I mostly do this for me anyway.

******

ALLISON DANGER VS…
I recently participated in Danger’s new podcast “Danger Versus…” in which she spoke with both me and Mia Yim about – among other things – our upcoming match at ProWrestling SUN. If you haven’t heard the podcast, feel free to listen to it here:
DANGER VS… ON DIVA-DIRT

ASH WALKER
I was slated to defend my RWC FLOW Championship at the beginning of February against Fruity Joose. But Ash incapacitated her before the match, and decided he wanted to try his hand at me again. Once again, he didn’t quite put me down. And Hangtyme “came to the rescue” as some men feel they need to. I really would like to finish things. I feel like there are loose ends that need to be tied up. On a semi-related note, I will be the special guest referee in May for the RWC Heavyweight Title Match between Ash and Hangtyme. This should make things very interesting…

BULLYING
When I was in school, I got made fun of a lot because of the way that I talked. So I learned to fit in. I can do it whenever necessary. But as I get older and wiser, I don’t care so much about fitting in. Why blend in when you can stand out? As I said, I’m older and wiser now. And nobody is going to bully me anymore. Bullying is childish.

FAMILY
I went to my sister’s baby shower in February. Or rather, I threw her a baby shower. We had a good turnout. I spent a few days down in Tampa, FL for this. I love my family, and it was great to see them. I wish min pappa could’ve been there though. I haven’t seen him since last summer. I really miss him. Maybe I’ll get to see him this year. I’m keeping my fingers crossed. I’m going to be an aunt at the end of next month. I’m excited to meet my future nephew.

FEBRUARY
February really flew by. I know a lot of people call it a “short month.” But, really, it’s not THAT much shorter than the other months. It still has the same number of weeks. So why is it, then, that it seems to fly by? I don’t know. But mine really did.

ICE CREAM
I love ice cream; especially of the Ben & Jerry variety. I LOVE it. And I won’t give up having some every now and again to obtain that “perfect” body that I know isn’t in the cards for me. True story.

INK
I want another tattoo. Actually, I have about 3 or 4 in my head I want to get. But they’ll have to wait a while longer. *nods*

MIA YIM
As I’m sure you’ve realized by now, I have a match against Mia Yim this Sunday at ProWrestling SUN in Jackson, NJ. I can’t wait. Because of her, I ended up with a cracked rib last September. This started the process of keeping me out of the ring for a couple months. This was followed by more time out of the ring due to a knee injury. Because of Yim, I missed out on almost 4 months of wrestling. Some speculate that I may have fallen behind. But once the doctor gave me clearance, I was back at the gym and rebuilding my strength. I spent more time than I care to admit preparing to face her again. I managed to convince Allison Danger to give me this match. It’s time for Yim to learn a lesson. She put me out. Had I not had the passion for this sport that I do, she may have killed my desire to compete. While I was ordered to bed rest, she was wrestling names such as Del Rey, Haze, Social, Craft and many others. I had to sit by and watch her shine while I was stuck on my ass, unable to do anything. Am I bitter about this? You could say that. I’m mentally ready for Sunday. I’m ready to face off against Yim. I’m going to make her scream. I’m going to hurt her. She’s going to learn what it’s like to be put down.

MOSTER J
Min Moster J is one of the greatest women I know. She inspires me. *nods*

KELLIE SKATER
I have a match against the Rate Tank, Kellie Skater, this Saturday in Burlington, NC at CWF/ArenaChicks. I’m really looking forward to this match. I’ve never had a match against Skater before, but I hear she’s quite the challenge. Rumor has it that she’s indestructible, her bones are made of adamantium, and she takes something called roo-roids to keep her strong. I don’t know the validity of any of that, but it does make me a bit nervous. For those of you that have seen her in action, you know she’s an amazing wrestler. She’s strong, quick, and clever. But I’ve been training really hard. I’m ready to step up my game and take on the Rate Tank. I know I can hang. I’m looking forward to taking her on and proving to everyone that I’m not playing around.

PAINTING
I love painting. I didn’t know this until recently. I love creating something out of nothing, so I suppose it stems from that desire. And I love beauty. Creating something beautiful is amazing. And painting is actually quite therapeutic. I don’t like my instructor telling me “do this, do that.” That’s a load of BS to me. Painting comes from within. What I see as beautiful, others may not. And I’m okay with that.

POST-PODCAST PONDERINGS
If you follow me on Twitter, or are my friend on FB, you probably already know this. But I’m going to address it again. Only now that I’m not limited to 160 characters, I can elaborate a bit more. Let’s set things straight, shall we?

Yes, I’m a bit heavy. I’m not super-toned. I don’t have mega-muscles. And I will never be skinny. It’s not in my genetic code. But I work out and do my best to stay in shape. If this makes me a cow, so be it. In the words of Tracie Thoms in Death Proof, although in a different context: “Moooo, muthafucka! Moo!”

Yes, I don’t have a lot of money. I’ll often wear similar gear. I’m not rich, nor do I pretend to be. I spend my money on other things: rent, bills, food (moooo), a gym membership, etc. Gear, unfortunately, is a bit lower on the list for me. Do I like shiny new gear? Of course I do! But it’s not my priority. Training is. Being in shape is. Do I need shiny new outfits to showcase in every match I do? No, I don’t. My talent speaks for itself.

As an aside – my gear costs a little more because it actually has enough fabric to color all of my naughty-bits.

I’m not the prettiest girl in the world. But I’m far from the end of the spectrum. I’m happy with who I am. I’m comfortable in my own skin. You don’t like it? I don’t care.

Here’s the deal. I’d say I’m your average girl, but that would be a lie. I’m real. I’m all natural. I’m awesome. I’m happy with who I am. If you can’t handle it: sod off. I don’t need you.

SCHOOL
School is still going well. I’m maintaining a 4.0. Or at least, I was until now. I might get a B in one of my classes. This bothers me. But if I do, then I do. I’ll just have to keep working hard and try to bring things back to where I want them. School has been quite stressful for me this semester. My schedule has been very hectic. I feel like I don’t have enough time to get everything done. A lot of times I rush my homework assignments. I struggle to find the hours to sleep. I’m keeping my head above water, but some days I feel like I’m about to drown. When this happens, I keep my head up and push forward. On the bright side, school has helped me to find a passion I didn’t know I had…

TRAINING
People have gotten onto me as of late because I’ve had some weight gain. You know what? Deal with it. My weight doesn’t reflect my wrestling ability. Yes, I’ve put on a few pounds. But guess what? That tends to happen when you’re in the ring with someone careless, and end up with an injury. Next thing you know, you’re out of commission for a few months. You can’t get in any cardio because it hurts to breathe and then your knee gets jacked up. These things happen. Yeah, I’ve put on a few pounds. But you know what? I’m still awesome.

WRITING
I miss writing… a lot. I really should blog more. I have a lot to say at time. But I actually would like to move forward on my book. I may start this up shortly, as I’ll be restricted to the websites I can visit while I’m at work. I guess the one good thing that will come from this is finally sitting down and getting it out.

YOUTUBE CHANNEL
I’m contemplating starting my own YouTube channel. I haven’t decided for sure yet, though. I have a lot of ideas swirling around in my head. This channel wouldn’t be totally wrestling related. It would be Mia-related. Awesome things I do and whatnot. I’m already contemplating doing a vid of Mia vs. The Tree – part 2. There is not part 1 vid, but it’s already happened so the moment has passed. I think this would be a way for people to get to learn more about me. Any thoughts from the peanut gallery?

*********
I’m sure I missed a bunch of stuff. But hey – that’s why I have a blog. I can keep adding as I see fit. After all is said and done, yes, I went back and alphabetized my blog. You can take the girl out of the library, but you can’t take the library out of the girl.

lite av det vardagliga

It's February already. Funny how quickly time seems to pass by.

Once again, life has been a bit of a roller coaster - twists and turns, ups and downs, and lots of excitement. I've been staying busy. Some might even say too busy.

BUT.

On the bright side - today I managed to play a bit of catch-up! Three cheers for me! Over a month late, but I FINALLY got my holiday promos in the mail today. Each are en route to their destination. I hate falling behind. But even more than that, I hate not following through on what I say I will do. So - it's a bit behind - but it's done!

That's one more thing off my list.

Now, I have exactly 17 days to cross the remaining 20 items off my list. Slowly but surely I'm able to cross things off. Some are bigger items. Some are smaller items. But I'm determined to get the majority of them done. Preferably all, but at least the majority. I foresee about 4 of the items remaining.

Training is coming along well. I'm doing my best to stay on track. Sometimes it gets difficult because of school and work. But I do the best I can. I guess that's really all I - or anyone else - can ask for.

I have some things in my sights, some goals I'm shooting for. We'll see how it all goes.

I have a match coming up this weekend, against a girl named Fruity Joose. She's still fairly new to the game, but she's a hard worker and has heart. We'll see if it's enough to get my belt or not. I'm gonna have to wager not... I'm too much of a fan of the gold. :)

I have my iPod geared up and ready to go. All the previous junk has been removed from it. All new stuff for the gym. Real get-your-ass-moving music. It's going to be good, very good.

I suppose in comparison, this has been a bit mundane to my usual blog. But I'm okay with that. After all - life can't be all sunshine and lollipops. :)

20 dagar och 20 nätter

Förlåt mig fader ty jag har syndat, har det varit 20 dagar sedan min förra blogg...

*snicker*

Okay, now that I'm going to likely burn with fire and brimstone, I shall continue on. This month has been a fairly crazy one for me.

I had a match against "The Genuine Article" Ash Walker on January 8th. The match went well, but was cut short due to an electricity malfunction. Then, next thing I know, there's drama going on all around me. Luckily, no titles changed hands due to a run-in by Hangtyme. I think Ash and I have a bit of unfinished business. But that will have to wait for another day...

In the meantime, all the action/drama can be viewed HERE.

Although a bit bruised and battered from the match itself, it was nothing compared to what the next few days had in store for me. North Carolina had a freak ice/snow storm. I decided on Tuesday to go to the store to get some supplies - the roads were mostly melted. Unfortunately, as I left my apartment and went to walk down the stairs, I didn't realized they were completely iced over. It resulted in me falling down an entire flight of stairs. Once again: luckily, no broken bones - just a bit of a deflated ego. I had a few bumps and bruises - the imprint of the stairs on my back - and a slightly twisted and scraped ankle. But nothing I couldn't bounce back from. I even continued to the store so I could get hot chocolate and a few other necessary items.

Since then, things have been pretty hectic. I beat down a cold that tried to attack me. I started back at school, and have been keeping up nicely with that. So far.

Training has been going well. I've been putting in 7 hour days at the training facility on Saturdays, and a few additional hours on Sunday. This is, of course, in addition to my daily workouts. Things are coming together nicely. I'm getting back on track, and in good fighting shape.

Coming up in February I'm scheduled to face off against Fruity Joose at Falcon's Children Home. She's chasing after my title, but I'm looking to hold on to it. Gold looks so nice on me! Also, the first weekend of February I'm scheduled to be at OAP.

Biggest news right now is probably my upcoming debut for Pro-Wrestling SUN in New Jersey. Allison Danger is the new President of this promotion, and has agreed to let me have a match against Mia Yim. Back at the September tapings of Shimming, Yim broke one of my ribs. Although I defeated her, I'm still looking for a bit of payback. I'm spending a lot of time preparing for that.

Life is throwing a few hurdles at me right now. But I'm doing my best to overcome each challenge as it's presented.

Looking forward to seeing what's coming my way.

True story.

förbereda sig för krig

Let me start by sending out big THANK YOU-s to those that helped make my Christmas special. Many thanks to Bob, Joseph, and Steve - among others who chose to remain nameless - for my lovely Christmas gifts. They each brought a smile to my face, so thank you SO much. :)

My holiday was nice - very low key. I slept in, then woke up and opened presents. I made phone calls to my family, and it was nice to speak with many of them. I bought a new jungle-gym for my cats, and assembled it. They absolutely love it, which made me happy. Had a nice holiday meal with some friends, and enjoyed playing Scrabble by the fire that evening.

Yes, I love Scrabble. Yes, I am a bit of a nerd. What do you expect? I used to work at a library. I mean, really? C'mon.

I also took a few hours to thoroughly clean out my flat. I cleaned out my closet, and have 2 bags of clothes I have to drop at the donation center. I also went through my files and got rid of what I no longer need, as well as re-filed items that were misfiled. My flat looks better than it has in a while. I was also able to catch up on some reading. :)

I had a few days off from work, which was nice. Finally finished creating a website for Ring Wars Carolina. It's not spectacular - but I did the best with what I had to work with, and it didn't come out to bad. In fact, feel free to sign up for the new RWC Forum and keep up with the current news and feuds and such.

Speaking of which - I have a match coming up this weekend. As you can tell from my blog title (or not) I am currently preparing for war. I have a match against "The Genuine Article" Ash Walker, who is upset about me being named RWC 2010 Wrestler of the Year. He can't believe that me - a girl - the RWC FLOW Champion - won it. He can't believe I beat him - the RWC Heavyweight Champion - for it. That being said, we'll be having a match on January 8th in Lumberton, NC: my Wrestler of the Year plaque against his belt - winner takes all. He's a great wrestler. But I've made it my duty to defeat him and show him that women DO belong in the wrestling ring and our sole purpose is NOT to wear cute things and bake tasty treats in the kitchen.

My knee is feeling pretty decent. We're at about 80% recovery. I have some of my strength back, but nowhere near where I want it to be. I don't have nagging pain anymore - just sharp pangs every now and again, usually when I've over-extended it. I'm still in a brace, and will continue to be for a while. But I finally have a solid starting point.

I've started this year off right. On January 1st, I spent 3 hours training in the ring. The next day, I got in almost a 3-hour workout, followed by a short nap, then another 2 hours in the ring. Today - more of the same.

This is a whole new year. You'll see a whole new me. This year is going to be great. I can feel it.