Last night went well--not exactly according to plan but close enough. The city and its environs were slowed down by rain, so B was a little after 6:00 arriving. I'd already dragged furniture here and there around the motel room to clear a space by the window. I pulled the middle cover off the bed and spread it out for a mat. When Bill got there, we chatted for a few minutes, then changed and started wrestling. He's a great big man--6'2" & 275 or so, I'm guessing--and lots of fun to wrestle. I got caught in some good head and body scissors holds, and I caught him in a couple as well. I'm sure he's a much better wrestler than I, but he made sure that we stayed about even. I thank him for that.

In between falls, we talked a lot about a lot of things, from gay line-dancing to local food to accents to teaching. I enjoyed myself, and I think he did too.

A, the other wrestler for the evening's event, got caught in horrible traffic and was also late. When he got there, the three of us talked for almost an hour before any more wrestling took place. We talked politics and the local road system, among other things. B & A are entertaining together, and much of the time I just sat and listened and laughed.

A and I wrestled three falls. Like B, he worked at my pace and experience level and even let me win one submission from him. A is tough and fun to wrestle, and I think that if I were able to get with him on a regular basis, I'd be a much better wrestler very soon.

My falls with A were followed by a couple of falls between B & A. These two guys know each other and are obviously comfortable together. I enjoyed watching them wrestle, although it wasn't all that I expected. Because they know each other so well, they each know what the other likes. A lot of the action I couldn't see and didn't really need to see. I could tell what was going on, and while it held a certain level of excitement of them, it didn't do that much for me. So my longstanding fantasy of watching two other men wrestle right in front of me didn't turn out just like I'd hoped. But, then again, it isn't all about me, is it?

All in all, I had a great evening with these two new friends. They made me laugh, and they wrestled me in just the right way to allow me to feel like I could wrestle a little bit too. And they provided me with some much needed company in the middle of a lonely trip.

I'm traveling again, and that usually means that I'm wrestling again. Two fellows are coming by this evening. They're friends, and we're all getting together in my hotel room for some grappling. One will arrive at 6:00, the other at 7:00.

I've never had three together before. I'm looking forward to wrestling both of these guys--not at one time, I hope. I'm also thinking that I might have another fantasy fulfilled here, that of sitting close up and watching two big men--neither of which is me--wrestling.

About 6:00 this evening, I met up with an old friend made through wrestling, and we went back to his place. There we talked awhile before we changed into our wrestling trunks and put on boots--both of us in black trunks and black boots. Then, with our gear on, we watched some wrestling on video.

It was getting on toward 8:00 before we finally hit the mat. We wrestled around for fifteen minutes or so--pro style with some good solid holds but no pain. C---- knows I like head scissors, so he made sure that he put me in a couple and that I got him in a couple. He felt good, and I enjoyed the contact.

Then we just lay on the mat and talked about what it's like to be gay (C----) and straight (me) and grown men into wrestling.

Then we were both starving, so rather than do any more wrestling (having grown cold and stiff while talking) we headed out to eat. Over our meal we talked about books and writing and work. We're just normal guys and friends.

Not too long ago, I received a comment from somebody who stumbled across this blog and thought its title meant I would be trying to analyze my life--and nothing actually to do with wrestling. Obviously that was the wrong impression but an understandable mistake, as we often use wrestling as a metaphor for any struggles we have in our lives.

I'm going to keep writing about my wrestling here, but I'm also going to go more into my life. Here in this seemingly anonymous space I can write about the things that I can't write about in my other blog--wrestling (of course), but personal struggles with relationships, work, faith and so on.

As for the immediate "wrestling life," however, I'm on the road and meeting an old friend on the mat tomorrow evening. I'll write about it here when it's over.