Just wanted to drop in and say "zdravstvuite" to folks on this
forum. Thanks to Rachel for setting it up and keeping it going.
I've enjoyed the posts, particularly Rachel's notes on training.

And if Rob Green is still hanging around here, a big "hey" to you as
well. I met Rob at a seminar he co-taught with Jim King last year in
Seattle, and we compared notes on pizza and beer in the post-seminar
feed in the parking lot outside of the aikido school where Brian King
and Scott Meredith hold forth on Systema (Brian now has his own space
next door devoted to Systema). I may concede that NYC has the better
pizza (in 20 years in Seattle I have yet to find a really good pizza
joint, though there are several decent ones), but Seattle clearly has
the better selection of good microbrews.

I'm afraid I've been something of a Systema dilettante, between lower-
back injury and competing commitments for time. However, seminars
with Rob and Jim, with Scott Meredith on Systema basics, last spring
with Emmanuel Manolakakis, as well as occasionally rolling with
people to try out Systema practices, have whetted my interest in
regular training. It's a bit of an effort for me to get to Brian's
school from where I live west of Seattle, but I think the trips will
be worth it.

Spasibo,

Thomas