variously

Today in jiu jitsu, we did this exercise where you grab the sleeve and collar of your partner and jump up so your legs are around their waist. The exercise is really for the standing person to practice taking the weight, so we practiced with people roughly our own size.

Being a tall woman, I ended up working with a man who was a couple of inches taller than me, but reasonably slender. 

I surprised myself: I actually did dare to jump up like that, to trust myself to hang on. 

And then I surprised myself even more: I had no trouble holding the guy up.

And then I surprised myself still more: I could hang on with my legs and lean my head back down to the ground and do situps to work on core strength.

Apparently I am stronger than I think I am. 

See also: the 2.5 minute plank in stand-up fighting is no longer a problem.

It's funny, because those 90 minute stand-up classes are still kicking my tail. I can barely make it through. But I must be getting stronger somewhere in there.

...

It's the time of year when people bring grocery bags full of tomatoes into the office, and I am stocking up for winter. I roasted a big pan of cherry tomatoes yesterday, all different colors, and today I am simmering down tomatoes with butter to freeze in an ice cube tray. (Next time I am going to flash-boil them and take the skins off. They are quite annoying in the sauce.)

The corn is getting big and too starchy, and I bought the wrong kind of beans, so the salad that my niece called "the stinky salad" didn't taste great.

I'm starting to wonder if squash is back in season.

...

I had a conversation today which I switched to Spanish, and the communication was better in Spanish than in English. 

Which is not saying much. 

But it's better than a month ago, when I couldn't find any words at all in Spanish. I think the mere act of thinking about Spanish when I'm with the teacher and while doing the homework has made me think in or about Spanish at other times. I find myself thinking of how to say things in Spanish even when it isn't necessary.

That, and I've had a bunch of situations where I needed Spanish interpreters lately. It's all fresh in my head.