Fred,
It's like Ted said, I get really energized training with good folks. I don't think too much about what I know or don't know. I just like to train and
be happy. 
Time is definitely a factor, especially for attending classes. For me, it's gotten a bit easier now that the kids are older. Still, don't want to be like absent from their lives. I get to classes in different stuff when I can. This obviously is not enough if you want to progress faster and get rank in a certain system/style. Not a goal for me so I am freer in that respect. What works with scheduling is to practice certain stuff that lends itself to solo practice whenever one can, e.g. bag work, kata, swinging the sticks and knife work against cutting dummies, etc.
However, working alone, only goes so far, so there is a need to work with partners to develop reflexes, distancing, tactics, etc. This is where I enjoy having an informal but committed training group of folks who roughly share the same goal (or lack of). We take whatever material and work on it for, say, 3 or 4 months and rotate to something else. We do drills, techniques, etc, but at the core of it, we play some freestyle because this is what we can't get training alone. Here, a group with members from different styles/systems is beneficial because it individuals bring perspectives and experiences that challenge and inform. This is often missing when everyone is from the same style. This can lead to "in-breeding" and predictability. Just my take on it.
Regarding the balisong, I think Raffi knows how to play it. You should check in with him. I also have two books by Jeff Imada that illustrate the beginning to advance manipulations. You're welcome to borrow them. JUST MAKE SURE YOU TAKE CARE TO TAPE THE LIVE EDGE. Or, buy a cheap bali, dull the edge and play with that. Bali has the advantage of being a pocketstick when closed and live blade when opened. For application, pick any FMA knife focused art and play those drills and freestyle. You know, of course, that Bali is illegal in most states. You get hit with a weapons charge just for carrying it (why I don't bother with it anymore even though it develops good dexterity.)
I recently reconnected with a FMA group that found a new training home in a health club in the Boston area on Tuesdays and another place on Sunday. I like this group/style because of its encompassing curriculum that spans empty hand to sticks to blade work (forward and reverse grip. Actually, one guy in this group can make the Bali sing.
) There is another FMA group that I used to work with that is more stick focused (at least in the workouts). This latter group also trains Tuesdays in the exercise room of my agency/community center. Both groups start training around 7:30 PM. If you're interested, let me know.
david
[This message has been edited by david (edited March 27, 2002).]
but a lot of it goes away. I trained in FMA in Albuquerque, then in Indianapolis. I continued self-training for a few years then taught what I knew in my Tennessee dojo. My current crop of students have interest, but not enough time.