Dispatches From Clown College: Supply Day

[bloodyrosemccoy]

Alcohol-Free Weekend
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Independence Day (Senegal)
National Tomb-Sweeping Day/Qing Ming Festival (China)

 
AHAHA. Check out—and I do mean “check out”—the greatest advertising photo for juggling equipment ever.  I bet they move a lot of those clubs.

Yesterday was SRS School Supply Shopping Day, when I got new pencils and pens and a stack of books on things like Japanese psychotherapy. Today is Clown College Shopping Day, and I now own a pair of tap shoes,* and am surfing around looking for beanbags which are weighted, durable, and possibly glow-in-the-dark.

I am having an awesome term already.

Oh, and while I was rooting around, look what I found!

Gimme nine more weeks, and I’ll be there. 

(I love watching the faces of people who have let the motor program take over, like violinists or dancers. There's so much raw concentration going on there ...)


*Dear family: OKAY! I admit it! I have tiny feet! I was positively swimming in the 7.5s. Had to get some 7s. And I was wearing thick socks. Please, proceed with the ribbing about how my footwear looks like baby shoes! 

Comments

[ellixis.livejournal.com]

I know I used to sway and bow and dip around when I played my flute, back when I still could. The hands work independently, and you can concentrate on nuance.

I found recently-ish that I've got at least part of the programming in place for DDR, too. A couple months back, while waiting for my friends to finish playing laser tag (I'd been gently advised that I was a bit too pregnant to play safely), I dumped some quarters into the arcade machine (on Light mode, mind, in keeping with my condition), chose a song with funky patterns, and watched with mild intellectual panic as a set of eighth notes with crossovers approached the top of the screen. While my conscious mind was busy going OH SHIT EIGHTH NOTES, my feet scooted calmly through the pattern, leaving me going "hay what just happened?"

[pixel39.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, Zen practice. ;-) You finish playing, and you're pretty sure you were playing because your instrument (recorder, in this case) is full of spit, but you have no actual recollection of doing the playing.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

At least YOU had an indicater. If I came to after practicing and found a bass or a piano full of spit, I'd be a little concerned.

[tiryn.livejournal.com]

1. Video was sweet.
2. Duuuuude. Does your family have giant feet or something? lol Because I wear a 6/6.5 and my friend wears 5. We got the tiny feet, you got normal feet. =P
3. Yeah, I've seen some pictures of me playing taiko...mine and everyone else's faces do odd things.

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

Actually, yes, they do. Mom and sister both have 9s, and then there are men with GIANT MEN FEET. So mine do look like baby shoes next to theirs.

I'd love to see you playing taiko someday. That's so cool!

[childthursday.livejournal.com]

Dance shoes tend to fit weird, so your feet aren't that strange. Depending on the maker I've had tap shoes fit anywhere from one size below to two sizes above my regular ones.

Will there be video of you juggling? I'd love to see you do it!

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

I've considered it. But I'm not much of a video poster ... I'd have to figure it all out, and I'm laaaazy ...

[pixel39.livejournal.com]

Yes, dance shoes fit weird--the dance sandals I wear for middle eastern dance are two sizes smaller than my street shoes. Go figure.

[queenlyzard.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, a great video indeed. I should have thought to recommend it when you mentioned taking up juggling. There is also a video of a man doing this same exact routine with twice as many balls (look up "Chris Bliss dis" on Youtube)-- but despite the fact that it must require amazing technical skill, I still think the original works better as performance art.

I'll have to remember to ask my brother for more recommendations of juggling stuff, as he is very into juggling and other circus arts. I should get him to post one of his routines somewhere!

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

I saw the dis video. It was pretty good as skill goes, but I was put off by the way he presented the video itself. "FUCK YOU, I'M BETTER" is not a nice way to show off.

If your brother posts, let me know!