saturday in awesome-town

because nothing says, "i'm a hip, cool, suave world-traveller" like "i'm going to pittsburgh for a juggling convention." might as well don a Star Trek uniform and fanny-pack while i'm at it.

regardless, this saturday (nov. 14th) i will be at the Not Quite Pittsburgh Juggling Festival in Sewickley, PA. i'll be teaching a Devil Stick workshop at noon and performing in the public show at 7:30pm. fest is free, show is $2. looks like there will be some other good workshops, vendors, games and lots of juggling. if you're into object manipulation of any kind and are in the area, you should definitely go. if you've always wanted to learn how to juggle, this is a good time. look for people walking around wearing a star--they have agreed to teach people to juggle. just ask. or, if you would just like to observe what happens when members of this uber-dork community congregate in a middle-school gym, this is your lucky day. come on down, it'll be fun.

mum's the word

So I was contacted by James Harris at H/L Communications because he was looking for buskers (performers who do their thing and pass the hat for pay) for an event this Saturday (more on that below) and to start doing events in the area to make busking more understood, accepted and even welcomed in the city of Cleveland. Awesome--I'm in.

Which leads us to tonight's word (yes, I watch a lot of Colbert): Mum's the Word. This Saturday from 1-4pm (I'll be performing 1-3pm) there is a FREE event to celebrate the opening of the Rockefeller Park Greenhouse's beautiful indoor chrysanthemum exhibit. There will be children's activities such as face-painting, mask-making and potting of winter-flowering bulbs. Also, local buskers will be performing juggling, magic, music and dance. Though the event is FREE, be sure to bring some cash so you can tell the performers how much you appreciate the entertainment they provide.

Plus, you can enjoy the beauty of the gardens and lush plant life. For more info, click on the flyer below, or go to the Rockefeller Park Greenhouse's website:

www.rockefellergreenhouse.org

a more perfect union

i saw a sign on the road yesterday that said "Slow Construction Area." and it made me wonder, has anyone ever seen a "fast construction area?" or even an "accomplished-in-what-seems-like-a-fairly-reasonable-amount-of-time construction area?" no. road construction is always slow. stupid redundant sign. grrrr.

foxx-y

i couldn't help it. it looked so beautiful. so tight and sleek. a creation of beauty. and i've wanted a true leather one for so long. wow, so long. probably since i was a little kid and saw Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the lost Ark at the drive in when it came out. sure, the snake scenes scared me, but damn, Indy was so cool. and that whip...

"i've given it some thought and i'm in. go ahead and make it" is what i told Louie Foxx, when he offered to braid me up a sweet 6-ft. kangaroo-hide bullwhip at a great price. i had been looking over his website, www.bullwhips.org, reading the reviews of ecstatic customers, drooling over the fine craftsmanship and reading the words of a man who is obviously passionate about his work. he showed me a picture of the whiskey-colored hide he would make it from and i couldn't help it. i caved like a little boy in a man's body who had enough in his account to cover the cost of the toy he's always wanted and could justify it as a tax write-off. (i love my job)

so the really cool part is that over the process of making the whip, Louie took pictures and posted twitter updates and i could see it being built--knowing it was being made for me. so friggin cool! go to his website and check out the entries for Oct. 23, 2009, about the 6-ft 12-plait bullwhip. really, go now!

www.bullwhips.org

and here is a picture of the whip:

hmm, she's going to need a name...

bridge pics

Here's a few pictures of your friendly neighborhood Bonk workin hard at the Bridge.

The infamous "Keeper of the Bridge." Photo by Susan Curtis--you can find more of her work here:

Susan Curtis on Flickr

Keeper sans helmet. Also by Susan Curtis.

Idiot with dolly on face. Photo by Eric Metzger--you can find more of his work here:

Eric Metzger on Flickr

projection

wow. the Bridge Project was astoundingly more awesome than I even imagined it could be. if you were in the greater Cleveland area and weren't there, i am pointing and laughing at you in a derisively mocking manner. ha ha.

there will be a picture or two posted soon. regardless, ha ha.

bridge project

This is going to be awesome! This coming weekend I will be performing as part of the Cleveland Bridge Project, which will take place on the lower level of the Detroit-Superior Bridge in downtown Cleveland. Click the link and check it out. It is free and open to the public and will include arts and crafts vendors, food and beverage vendors (including beer and wine), buskers and solo performers positioned across the great span of the bridge with the more complex installations and performances taking place at either end.

On both Friday and Saturday (Sept. 25 and 26) I will be Stilt Walking as the giant and intimidating "Keeper of Bridge," letting no-one pass lest they achieve some menial task. This is a new character for me and I'm pretty psyched about it.

Also, on Saturday at 6:30pm I will be putting on a Juggling Show in the All Go Signs space on the East Side of the Bridge. As usual, All Go Signs has put together a serious extravaganza of staging, lighting and some of the best bands and performers around, featuring Audiblethread, Miss Melvis, Paucity and the dynamite explosion of SONEBOY!!! Check the All Go Signs website for show times.

Come on out and experience this innovative event in an awe-inspiring space and celebrate something that is truly Cleveland.

service this!

i've been home for over a week now and the entire time my cable internet service has been intermittent--connected for a few minutes then shutting down and repeating constantly. after 3 hours on the phone with TWC (featuring 3 occasions when their phone line dropped my call) and one visit from a service technician who did little more than disconnect and reconnect cable connections, i placed another joyous call to tech support. after politely expressing my severely growing dissatisfaction with their internet service, the person on the phone actually tried to convince me that i should get their cable and phone services, too. as if to say, "i'm sorry the service you're already paying for isn't working, but can we sell you additional services that also may not work?"

grrr.

home home

I am very fortunate--I have many homes. There are places where I am home because I have been there enough times or for a long enough time, that it is one of my homes. There are places that are home only because they are shared with someone so close to me that no matter where we are, it is a resting place for my soul. I guess on those occasions, it really is the person I am with that is my home. I have homes where my families live and where my friends abide--where I've stopped for rest on a long car ride. Fact is, there are countless places in this country where I feel right at home.

After a length of time away, it is always good to come home, even though I must almost always leave another home to do so.

But there is one place--the place with the address on my mortgage, the place with my bed, the place with my scent and walls of red, which is my home home. And today I have come back to find that I was smart enough to leave beer in the fridge when I left over two months ago. Good boy.

leaving Va Beach

Photo by Fragitsa Katogiritis

another two months are sealed and signed

my heart and mind in what i’ve left behind

memories pervade

of standing in waves

of ocean, applause and auras entwined.

to all my friends there, both new and old:

much love, give ‘em hell and i’ll see you down the road.