skidding sideways

A fire night we will [remeber?] with friends we won't forget

yummilicious — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 12:57:59 GMT

Our first real paid-for performance happened this weekend... a wedding at a beautiful beach resort. When I got the call Thomas was off island.. I went to practise one night without him. I was kind of hesitant at first - to practise without my trusted best in the world safety - but as I knew he would be back for the actual performance, I decided to be game. The practise night was beautiful, I gained so much confidence, everyone were so nice... maybe I already blogged about this, can't remeber. Anywa, a week later... Thursday.. both me and Thomas met up with Krissie (the other fire girl) at her friends place again and did another practise. It went well and afterwards we had nice wine, music, food, conversation. We agreed on the sequence of fire and glow sets and we decided on what to wear, what music to play and such. Friday was the big night. The performance area was set up right the beach - a big circle in the sand bordered by luminaries, conch shells and flowers. It was beautiful! Krisses's friend Andrea was in charge of the event and she really did a fantastic job of making everything so nice. I really hope her employer understands to value her great work - at least all of us really were impressed by everything she had done and was doing. To start off the night we were offered a nice meal.. lobster on the grille and other goodies before the event. Then we set up our gear and soon we were spinning. It went well, at least considering that this was a first real gig fro me and Thomas. Krisse is already experienced with this, but she was so amazingly supportive and encouraging. Gosh I like her, she is so much fun, has similar humor, likes puppies and spinning and scuba and giggles at the same things as me, is just a really great person to be around! I hope to spin as well as her eventually! Anyway, we got kitted out in our Thai tiger pants, green glitter and fake eyelashes. Such lovely circus freaks! We started off with Krissie spinning really short glowpoi while I was fueling up. Then I spun my first fire set. I realize I was rather stiff... but I felt the exitement of the fire and I did all moves I had planned on. The set seemed to go on forever! When I stareted to fade Krissie came in with her fire. She has such presence! She performs with such light... on her fade I came in with glow and I was soon joined by Thomas. Was really cool that he got to perform as well! Someone told me not long ago that Thomas is antisocial and dont dance. Well I couldn't disagree more! I just smiled watching him, his enthusiasm... dancing in front of a big crowd barechested with his long wild hair swinging on his glittery shoulders and his fake red glittering eyelashes batting... Ha! Then I did another fire set and Krissie did one too. We finished off with all three of us spinning glow - me and Thomas did a mini double routine... Afterwards Corin announced that we'd give free glow poi lessons and of course a bunchb of the guest came up dancing which was really a great way to finish off. Afterwards, with so much adrenaline pumping and all these great emotions sunning,,w e had a party over at the cottage... we had wine, dancing, a guy who played impromtu sax... we swam, played... and yeah.. there was a coozy floating around saying "a night we won't remeber with friends we won't forget"... Well, I am faily sure that we WILL remeber this beautiful night - and we won't forget these friends!

Nite with Beautiful Fire Friends

yummilicious — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 20:45:55 GMT

Saturday nite... met Krissie in Fsted to practice our dbl fire performance which is next Friday at a hotel on a beach. We went to her friends cottage on the beach. Played with fire. A bit strange to spin without Thomas, but we safetied for each other and it went well. Afterwards Torn and Andrea, the couple that lives there, put us up with a beautiful dinner under the stars, freshly caught lobster, good wine... Friends came and went, had lots of good conversation. Andrea is from Costa Rica where I traveled earlier this year and Torn has traveled in South East Asia where I lived for two years + Tauren is also a dive instructor, so we had tons of stuff to talk about. And Krissie, she's just brilliant! She also has the cutest doggies. So the wine was flowing and suddenly it was morning... So happy to have made new beautiful friends!

Carpe Diem

yummilicious — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 22:20:53 GMT

Once, when I felt very torn, someone read this perfect passage for me out of the Alchemist: "I'm alive... Because I don't live in either my past of my future. I'm interested only in the present. If you can concentrate always on the present , you will be a happy man. You'll see that there is life in the desert, that there are stars in the heavens, and that tribesmen fight because they are part of the human race,. Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we're living right now". - Paolo Coelho

Island fire

yummilicious — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 14:24:55 GMT

Another weekend of playing with poi and staff on the beach ...under the sun... soft sand between toes... the glittering turquoise Caribbean Sea as a backdrop. L ... 4 wheeling down to tide pools ... good friends... kids and dogs and guitars and poi. Dancing again like animals in the rain forest at the Pig Drinking Jungle Bar... Bliss! Fire on the beach at nite - surprised at who all showed up to watch! And some very unexpected visitors came to spin afterwards... life's full of sweet surprises! I am so happy that I am living here- such a well kept secret magical island paradise. Things that make me inspired at the moment: - I've got a a big bag of glow toys to share for anyone who can shake up a few doubloons. I can finally say "Ay mate! " when ppl want to buy my toys. - We've got a real fire gig coming up on September 9 - a beachside wedding ... - My Big b-day party on the beach with my fav musicians, bonfire, fire spinning in October - Images of mud, sun warmed skin, salt spray. Photographing again. - My first piercing ;)

Crash chaos island weekend

yummilicious — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 23:38:54 GMT

My friend Adam, this dude I backpack thu Europe with 20 years ago sent me a message today saying that the meaning of life is to die young as late as possible. Well said and good timing - good cure for moral hangover. This weekend was life in overdrive, skidding around island parties on Saturday into Sunday then dancing in the rainforest at the home of the beer drinking pigs at a most excellent Kurt Schindler gig on Sunday and playing with the spin toys and recruiting loads of gonnabe spinners to our beachjams in the process. And our little fyre pod gained our first gigs. Not one but two! One is a private event and one if a monthly recurring beach party thingy. Also have suddenly regained a craving to play with paint . Needed to sleep last nite but the color lust was too strong and I had to paint. It was supposed to be a Phoenix but looks more like a Turkey. Image of work in progress. If progress happens I will repost. I need to sleep tonite.

Under a Blue Moon

yummilicious — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 13:31:00 GMT

Saturday night - the sun was getting low - Me, my fire tribe and some other frinds were kicking out from the Cane Bay beach, then diving down the wall, watching as the shift on the reef changed, some fish were packing it in for the days while for others the hunt for breakfast was on - like the Predatory Barjacks and Horseeye jacks that were pursuing schools of silvery sardines. It was a first for me - first time in 10 years and 650 dives that I actually dove without a camera. It was a strange expereince, my mind was wandering a lot. As we swam back to shore the sun was setting in the ocean and the mountains at the end of the bay turned into inky silhouettes in a vanilla ocean. I am just so happy to be here, live a life with great friends by the ocean. We made a fire on the beach. We had a BBQ. As I was sitting on the beach waiting for the June Blue Moon to rise I saw Saturn snuggling close to Venus. I wondered if it could be seen in the Northern sky as well. It was time for fire. It was supposed to be a practise, but somehow turned into a "performance" because so many ppl had showed up and now they were all lined up on the beach ready to be "entertained". I tried to explain that this is not the Circus - you know where the performers know what the heck they are doing and it all safe and when things start burning it's just part of the show. I tried to expain that I am just an adrenaline junkie and it is probably advisable to stay far away from me... but they wouldn't listen. So - my first performance in fromt of an group besides my usual "tribe" came about. It went well. I got my rush. Noone was hurt. Everyone was happy. Then everyone glowpoied until late nite, and a few more souls were saved and walked home with some practise poi. And our tribe grew. Yeah!

Midsummer nights fire

yummilicious — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 13:28:48 GMT

Last night, what is the night of lightmy country, but dark and stary here in the tropics, I spent on my favorite beach again. Spinning fire. For some reason I felt really odd at first. when we first lit up, my flames were bigger than a week ago and they were licking up to my hands and very ballsy and wild. I swung back and forth for a whil, but decises I was not comfortable - the flames were too big. I felt bad, almost guilty for extinghusing tham. Also, I felt irkked about the country music comeing from the beach bar across the street, the vibes were just wrong. In a few minutes the country band stopped playing. We lit the poi again, now the flames were much more managable. June stared up some beautiful ambient fire music. Yeah! I was still a bit tense but once I stared spinning I fell into the flow. I bumpped myself on the arm with the 5bw once, but I also was able to do the reels I feared last week. The fire did not last long, maybe just 5minutes, but it was good enough, as I ended with a really good feeling. Afterwards we stayed and jammed. Everyone had picked up their skills over the week and they were all doing weaves. I showed June the 3bw and she picked it right up. Then just sat on the beach chilling, having a beer, watching the stars, listening to the ocean... perfect.

my original poi friend

yummilicious — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 13:31:54 GMT

I remember how at first you didn't want me to.. But I also remember playing in the park, practicing at bus stops, playing on the shore of the lake, playing at the foot of the volcano, rumbling eruptions of hot lava and the earth moving under us, night time UFOs on the beach under the stars, soft sand between our toes. Some good seeds land on shore after every storm.

Toys

yummilicious — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 13:01:44 GMT

Toys I'm using - Moonblaze K2 Medium wicks w 15 gauge stainless steel chains. Both single and double leather loops. Tend to prefer the single loops. These are from Flamma Aeterna. - Low poi in assortment of colors, 7 color fade, 7 color change, blue, turquoise. These are from Home of Poi and Glowpoi.com. I really like the solid colors from Home of Poi, they are super bright. - Sock poi. Long stretchy socks stuffed with another pair of roller up short socks which contains $1 worth of quarters. These are my favorites for practicing, I like the way the stretch and swing smoothly. - Loads of tennis ball poi. I paint them and adorn them with flowing ribbons and beaded strings and stuff them in hand painted bags. Picture to follow later on.

How it all started...

yummilicious — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 12:47:39 GMT

Backpacking thru Central America , we came spent some time in Granada, a cozy city on lake Nicaragua. We were just hanging on La Calzada when this group of kids showed up and stared spinning fire. It ended up being a most interesting night which resulted in lot's of spinning, singing, one unexplainable art purchase, laryngitis and a newfound interest in poi. The next day we met up with one of the kids, Miguel, in the park. He made up practice poi out of socks, rice and shoelaces. (This explains the brows shoelaces on my hiking boots). As much fud as Granada was we eventually moved on. I hope to go back tho and show Miguel the fruit of the seeds he planted...

How I deflowered my virgin poi

yummilicious — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 12:20:47 GMT

I saw poi for the first time in March while traveling thus Central America. Some kids in Granada, Nicaragua were spinning fire and I hooked up with them. They made me some practice poi out of socks, shoelaces and rice, and ever since I have been swinging unlit poi (glow poi, sock poi) around. A week ago my first set of fire poi arrived in the mail. Saturday night it finally happened - my first burn. We - that would be me, and friends Scott, Rick, June and Thomas - gathered at Cane Bay after sunset. I brought all the gear: Fuel (lamp oil), Water, wet towels, spin out cans, dunk can, first aid kit, fire extinguisher and of course the fire poi and a big bag of assorted other poi. And music. As this is all completely new for all of us, and we did not have an experienced fire spinner amongst us, we stared off by watching the HOP fire safety video on my laptop up on the dive deck. We looked thru all the gear and we discussed safety procedures. Thomas is an ex firefighter and EMT, so I could not have asked for a better safety. Rick was appointed the official "fuel dude" and June is the videographer. Scott's the guy who tried to talk my into new hobbies such as knitting... After the safety preparations we hopped to the beach. We found that the boat ramp on the beach was perfect. It has an even layer of sand on top of it so it's soft and nice on feel while relatively flat. There was no debris to stumble on or to set on fire and it's far away from trees and other hazards. We laid out the fuel station away from the spin area, laid out the safety gear etc And we had my car close/ far enough for the music but to keep it safe. When all was done it was time to light up. We had much trouble getting he poi lit. Apparently we did not soak it long enough to begin with and it was also a bit windy. We were almost about to give up when we decided to try one more time. Voila'. the poi lit and what a flame! Having seen some other fire performers flames, in comparison, these flames were pretty big. Maybe I should have ordered some smaller wicks to start off with. I had read that there will be a loud sound, I was still quite surprised about how loud the flames are! The sound is like a roar! Quite pleasant once you get used to it tho. Time to start spinning. I had envisioned that I would only do "simple moves" such as 3 bw, 5 bw, 3bw 180 anad 360,hip and shoulder reels and corkscrew i.e. moves that I think I know really well. Well... I had not counted on the psychological effect of having the fire swing behind my back where I can't see it... so I actually ended up doing mostly 3bw, 5bw, corkscrew and an occasional hipreel just to turn. I tried a 3bw 180, but I stared "over analyzing" the move in my mind instead of just letting it happen, and of course I smacked myself pretty hard on the neck... but this was a good thing because the experience showed me that just because I smack myself it doesn't mean I will go up in flames. Also, I found that the flames created a lot of drag and the whole rig was a lot more heavy when fueled and on fire. It was a different sort of experience. Once I started getting into things, I really enjoyed the experience. It was definetly a very powerful feeling! The fire and the dancing was wonderful, but so was the feeling of being on the beach, under the stars, with the surf crashing on shore, surrounded by some really good friends who were there to support me and keep me safe. It was like magic, beautiful... The poi kept burning... and burning... I had expected 3- 5 minutes of burn time, but it kept going. At 10 min it was still going strong and I think it was about then that we extinguished them. I was very happy with this first burn. The experience affected the others as well. They all picked up glow poi and stared jamming. Now at least Thomas and June are ordering their own glow poi and want to get into it. See I am spreading the joy of poi! And I am eagerly waiting for the weekend and burn #2