By request

First things first: thanks to Sam and Denise for nudging me (gently) out of my sheer laziness, and getting me to post again - I didn't realize how much I missed it until I sat down at the computer again...

So it's been a while, and probably not the best idea to go on a blogging hiatus right after hurting myself... it makes it seems like I was down for the count. In fact it worked out well. I probably needed a break anyway, and if it wasn't a mandatory break, I wouldn't have taken it. Plus it fell on the weekend before Thanksgiving, and since there wasn't really any flying going on that week, it was as the most opertune time (if there is such a thing) to sustain an injury.

But really, it's been more of the same, up and down, some days great, others not so much, if any progress. Still tweaking the mod - trying to get it less whippy at catch point. I'm learning to control its speed and the release off the bar, which were both previously happening of their own accord almost.

And I've taken up the layout in earnest, and trying to make that more powerful at this point. I've almost fixed the whippiness problem on that, but still need a more powerful break and to pinch a smidge less. And funnily, as I've been working on it, I've started to enjoy it in its own right instead of just as a stepping stone to the full-twisting layout. (Although I'd like to be good enough to start working that as well.)

I've caught both tricks, but not perfectly, and not the way they should look, so there's still a lot of work on both to be done.

The new series of Jeff/Dino classes has been great because I have catching midway through, and so I can warm up, work my trick to catch, catch it (plus work interesting returns -- last week, I did my angel returns, and made it back to the board!) then have more time still to work another trick without being too tired to catch! After last Tuesday's class, my lats were killing me, but in a good way - I haven't worked that hard in a while, apparently!

Plus I decided to revisit the cutaway/half with a force-out over the board, thinking that when I figure it out right, it will have a lot more power. Right now, it's just a lot harder, but I still like it better insofar that it makes more sense to me. I think that having a force-out turnaround (something to work on tonight) will infinitely improve it, though.

So it's been lots of fun, and I've been really enjoying myself. It's also been great going back after the winter break, part of which I spent in Sandpiper catching up with Silvan and Liza, and working my layout (when it was warm and dry enough -- there were some brutally cold days, which made everything harder, and done day of being rained out.)

And as a bonus, Marisa has finally signed up for not one, but two IFW's (only one of which I'm in, though) So that means that I get to see her again, which is always a treat. Of course, the unfortunate trade-off is that Denise has disappeared yet again, but will hopefully be around on weekends.

Randy's weekend classes don't start until this weekend, and I'm probably going to have to miss the first since Thing 1's birthday party falls on that day. I'm still (wrongly) trying to figure out if I can make it to both, but really, shouldn't even go there.

And in other semi-trapeze related news, this weekend I have a chance to do two trapeze-people related things.

The first was a visit to Johnny Utah's for some mechanical bull riding with Jean, Maryam, Colleen and Marcie. Since I didn't record myself riding (though I did passably well, thanks to the guy on controls), for your viewing pleasure, I bring you Jean's ride, in two parts:



and


(they're in 2 parts because my camera can't record more than one minute, at least not in action mode)
The other thing I did was go visit Jeff and Elena, and their new daughter Madison. She is absolutely adorable (which is high praise from me, since I tend to think that newborns look a bit like shrivelled prunes, my own excepted, of course!), and very good tempered, as far as I could tell. It made me miss those newborn infant days a lot, and also realize how incredible it is that a little person like that grows up into a child, like my Things, and eventually an adult. I mean, I get it, but stepping back from it every once in a while, and seeing it again really blows my mind!

Okay, I'm going to take a shower while Jean's videos are uploading. I'll also bring my camera to Streb tonight, so hopefully next post there will be some trapeze related shots, instead of bull riding!