Tex,<P>Hey, it's pretty cool that you're feeling good and alive again. Nice link to the Aikido of Dallas site. As far as being like Judo, Judo is not bad, I took some <B>many</B> years ago growing up. Developing skill in any martial art tends to be both fun and an advantage in a self-defense situation. If I ever get a round tuit I intend to find a good MMA (mixed martial arts) school.<P>I'd tend to encourage you to find a couple of UFC (ultimate fighting championship) tapes and see what successful folks use before making a long term commitment, assuming self-defense is one of your goals. A good book on avoiding the pitfalls of the whole martial arts scene is Bob Orlando's <I>Martial Arts America</I>. For example, a lot of places may say you'll only pay $x but then you find out there are also belt test fees. Or some may want you to buy into Eastern religious ideas when you really want practical self-defense. Best to go in with your eyes wide open.<P>Another source is the rec.martial-arts usenet group and <A HREF="http://www.he.net/~mousel/" TARGET=_blank>Tim Mousel's site</A> in Houston. Sometimes on MA forums you have to search through a lot of nonsense to find intelligent opinions, though. If you're interested in another POV on street-effective martial arts check out <A HREF="http://www.diac.com/~dgordon/MA.html" TARGET=_blank>Making your Martial Arts street-effective</A> by Marc MacYoung, a guy who has lots of experience (but is no longer proud of it) in street fight situations. There are no simple answers here, most martial arts have a "blind spot" or two. For example, when I took karate (TaeKwonDo based) I remember seeing a second degree black belt miss a kick several times in a competition and fall on the concrete floor. In a real fight this would be disastrous, but there was no penalty in the competition.<P>In reality, the one who can turn a fight into the kind he is good at will usually win. Kick-boxers against boxers tend to wind up in a boxing match, and boxers against grapplers tend to wind up on the ground. Anyway, keep an open mind, investigate what you're interested in, and stay away from long-term contracts.<P>The racing and salsa dancing both sound like a blast...I guess I need a few more round tuits .<P>I guess you're up near or in Dallas, but if you're ever in Houston shoot me a line at smmcse@yahoo.com and I'd love to shoot the bull over a beer or two.<P>Steve<P>