My Blog

Double Staff Dance Playshop by Bliss

suibom — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:38:03 GMT

Come learn the art of Double Staff, including dance, choreography, and partner work from the beautiful fire artist Bliss. She won't be in Eugene for much longer, so this is an excellent opportunity to learn a mixture of both tech and body movement. Information is available in her blog, check it out! http://people.tribe.net/bliss-butterfly/blog?topicid=471102cd-edbd-4060-965a-a40a6a17d782

It doesn't get any better than this!

suibom — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 20:55:12 GMT

Hey all! To all you folks that like to spin and manipulate objects of various sorts, epic times are coming our way this month and next, and it starts here in Eugene!! I'll be creating and sending out event invites to all the folks I have in my lists in the Oregon area, so if you know anyone who might be interested and uses myspace or tribe, tell them to add me if I'm not already on their friend list. I'll update this blog post with the invite links once they are created (next few days, time depending). First off, we're fortunate enough to be getting folks from the Vulcan Crew/Spinagogue to come to Eugene and teach some of the awesome new patterns that are emerging in the world of poi! They will also be teaching necessary fundamentals at both the beginner/intermediate and intermediate/advanced levels. I HIGHLY recommend these classes if you spin poi! These folks are pushing the envelope and changing the thought patterns on what can be done with poi. The classes will be held at the Dojo (Corestar). Then, up to Portland for more Spinagogue teachings. Members of the crew will be in Portland to dish out the latest madness in staff play! They will be spending all day teaching beginner through advanced classes in single, double and contact staff movements. If you spin staff, or have ever wanted to, you will NOT want to miss this event! Again, cutting edge stuff; let your happyfeet dance and get your arse out there!! So who are these folks from the Spinagogue? Who are the Vulcan Crew?? Check them out: http://www.youtube.com/user/VulcanVideo As if that wasn't enough, come the beginning of next month the most epic fire and manipulation arts gathering happens here on the West Coast... FIREDRUMS!!!! It's down south, near Santa Cruz, but sure to be one of the most amazing trips that can be made this year. You've seen the videos, you've drooled and wished you had the skill and strived harder to learn those crazy patterns. Well all those folks are gonna be at FD and it's going to be off the wall!! Here's just some of the listed confirmed folks teaching workshops (taken from the firedrums.org site): Michelle Baas (Firegrace) Poki Chad Bennett Anna Maltese MCP Blue Haired Sarah Sean Von Stade Mike Icon Jenai Ian Smith Shireen Noel Yee Matt "Silence" Sweeny Andy House Yuta Greg Maldonado Chris Bailey Zan Moore Arashi FireGroove Sage Drooling yet??? You should be! Cause that's just some of the list! Remember, FD isn't a rave, and it's not there for electro thumping. It's more of a trade show of accoustic drumming/instruments and body/prop manipulation talents, but for those of us in the trade, it's a DO NOT MISS event!! Not sure what I'm talking about but want to know more? http://www.firedrums.org/ and http://firedrums.tribe.net/ Ok, surely that has to be it right? It can't get any better can it?? Well that's a silly question, of course there is more! At the end of next month MCP will be coming back to Portland to teach us more cutting edge staff work!! Details on this one are still a bit sketchy, but I'll keep you all informed. All I have to say is... WOW. What a helluva couple of months we have knocking at our doors. I hope you all can join in the fun! Keep an eye out for more details coming from me soon. (oh, and a side note in case you were wondering, I don't have any official ties with any of the above happenings. I'm just excited as all getout and I consider some of the folks friends.) Peace, - Sui (edit: oops, I said the Vulcan folks would be teaching beginner through intermediate staff.. silly me.. it’s beginner through ADVANCED!! staff :)

Fire Drums roll call!!!

suibom — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 18:17:11 GMT

I'm curious, who's going to FD and what days will you be there? Let me know! I should be there from Thu - Sun.. But I'm carpooling with the gracious Lawrence, Michael and Tam, so we might do some stilting city invasions on the trip :P, if so we might be getting there a bit late or leaving a bit early. (And, since Tam is with us, there's the odd chance we might get attacked by a capibara or a rare indri lemur or some other bizarre animal). Peace, - Sui

Quote

suibom — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:40:47 GMT

"All important questions are loaded... Therefore, all important questions must be answered with precise ambiguity." - Sui 02/11/08

New vid

suibom — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 00:41:32 GMT

New vid available on my profile. Check it out and let me know what you think... (or you can visit the vid directly via one of these links) Youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwyQEK-ze1Q Myspace vid link: http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=18367680 Google vid link: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5436431875251579806 Peace, - Sui

Poi workshop in Eugene with Chris (Rovo) Bailey! (potential)

suibom — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 17:40:00 GMT

Hey all, I'm sending out the lure, seeing what kinda bites are out there. We have the potential to bring Chris to our fair city for poi workshops. Chris Bailey phenomenally progressive spinner that will help you to bring your poi to life in ways that you probably haven't imagined yet. If we can get him out here it will be an absolutely amazing event. If you're not familiar with who I'm talking about, check out his YouTube space: http://www.youtube.com/user/ChrisRovo So, who's interested? Please send me a message if you are so I can begin to guage the interest and continue harassing Chris to come visit :). There is no firm timeframe at this point, but it will likely be in September or August if it happens. I'll send out a few of these bulletins over the week and possibly may send some of you a PM, just as a heads up. Peace, - Sui

OCF and general thoughts on spinning

suibom — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 00:55:01 GMT

Headin to the Oregon Country Fair tomorrow.. but sadly still as a tourist. It's still a great time, though I hope to maybe get in as camper next year. Mostly because there's a good deal of spinning talent that rolls through that place. This year Sangre Del Sol is going to be there... Those are some folks that I'd LOVE to meet. Arashi has been a strong voice in progressive poi for as long as I've been involved and Sage was one of my first inspirations. Forest may be there, he usually is from what I hear. He's an exceptional spinner and great person from the brief time I got to meet him last year. I hear Bliss will be there too, another person I'd love to meet and watch spin with her staff skills. I recently got to meet the folks of Fire Groove, who were also some of the first bites of inspiration I found when devouring the internet for poi related information... wow, that was almost two years ago. Very nice and gracious folks, I wish I had more of a chance to talk with them. Lester is sick with the staff, it was a good night of spinning that night. I also got to meet Atacan recently for a spin with the Fire University - Seattle folks as I headed through Seattle. Another good night. I got to play with fire meteors for the first time (first time with them on fire anyway) and got to try out some of my wrapping techniques with fire snakes.. Fire snakes are a helluva lot of fun if you're a little fearless (and stupid :P). There's nothing quite like the feeling of having those ropes of fire lash around the arms and hands. I'm hopin to possibly run into some folks at the Fair, but it's such a chaotic place that it's not too likely. My brain likes to shut down in chaos :). My wonderful partner, Nikki, her son, myself and my son will all be wading through that sea of chaos and having a good time of it. I hope. This is the longest my boy has visited me since the divorce and the adjustment phase to our life here in Eugene has been a bit difficult. He's got alot of his parents in him, which makes for a very headstrong individual :P. It's been a good time though. I'm hoping this year I get to continue to meet alot of the folks that I've come to admire from internet forums and vids. Sooo much to learn and share. I wasn't sure about this year at the onset, but the fates continue to steer me in the right direction, and I am greatful for that gift. It looks like I'll be at Burning Man this year! And I'm soooo looking forward to meeting a ton of you folks. Ahwell, felt like blabbing for a bit, but I'm not really sure what I said. Thanks for reading. And if you see me out there, spinning something somewhere, be sure to say hi!! I'd love to meet you! Peace, - Sui

Fire Groove Eugene Workshops

suibom — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 21:25:20 GMT

Fire Groove is coming back home to Eugene and they are holding some great workshops! Fire Groove Eugene Workshops! Eugene - July 7th, 2007 Core Star 439 W. 2nd Street, Eugene 1:00 - 2:30 PM - Hoop Groove Basics 2:30 - 4:00 PM - Intermediate / Advanced Poi I 4:00 - 6:30 PM - Intermediate / Advanced Poi II 6:30 - 8:00 PM - Staff - All Levels & Styles 8:30 - 10:30 PM - Fire Eating & Painting More info here: http://www.firegroove.com/Fire_Instruction_OR.htm If you're not familiar with Fire Groove, check these video links: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVzEZmVLHnY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVzEZmVLHnY

Spinny Park Play

suibom — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 00:16:58 GMT

When: Saturday Jun 30, 2007 at 2:00 PM Where:: Skinner Butte Park 199 Cheshire Ave Eugene, OR 97401 United States http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Skinner+Butte+Park,+199+Cheshire+Ave,+Eugene,+Lane,+Oregon,+United+States&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=61.711173,104.853516&ie=UTF8&cd=1&z=17&iwloc=addr&om=1 Summer is here and it's time for some spinny play in the park! Bring your poi, staff, meteors, rope darts, hoops, juggling gear, bring it all!! The fun starts around 2PM and goes on for a couple of hours at least, somewhere near the playground. Probably between the playground and the river (near the bike path). Come join the fun and bring your toys. I will have extras for sharing as well. Peace, - Sui

Park Play spin jam, Eugene - Saturday, Apr 28

suibom — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 01:00:08 GMT

Hey all, there's a spin jam happening at Washburn Park in Eugene, Oregon tomorrow (Saturday Apr 28). Come play! Bring your poi / staff / hoop / juggling gear or whatever else. The spinny/twirly fun starts around 3PM. Agate and 21st (google map link) http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=eugene,+or&layer=&ie=UTF8&z=16&ll=44.037496,-123.068858&spn=0.01413,0.025771&t=h&om=1 Peace, - Sui

Ah the suckiness of life

suibom — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 20:03:45 GMT

The good news is that I'm surrounded by beautiful and amazing people and I'm extremely grateful for that. I'm constantly taken aback by the wonderful folks that choose to call me friend and what awesome gifts they bestow selflessly to the lives they touch. Thank you! The bad news is.. well life can suck sometimes. I was horrendously broke two weeks ago, just squeezing by till the next paycheck. Then I did my taxes and realized that I owe a massive chunk to the man.. I've never owed money before and was not ready for that.. but I guess that's what happens when you go through heavy life changes. And then, to top it off, I haven't received my paycheck yet, which I should have had by friday. I'm hopin it didn't get ganked from the mailbox, which is an annoyingly possible reality in the part of town I now live. I had been pretty much ready to give up alot of the fun I was hoping to have this summer, but now I realize that I need to set it all aside to catch up (maybe except for one or two items.. maybe). I was really hoping to meet many of the amazing folks that I've conversed with online, or heard about through others. So many great festivals that I need to let slip by another year. Sigh... I'm sorry to all of you folks with whom I had plans, or the possibility of plans. But that's how life rolls it sometimes, you just gotta take the hit and keep on running. Shrug it off and learn from the experience. Thankfully the fates treat me well and I'll make it through with due course, so long as I quit pushing the boundaries for a bit and remain anchored and grounded. So tell me how your events went, then fun you had at the places you visited and what you learned from your fellow performers. Send me vid links and let me live vicariously through you :). I'll keep honing my skills and picking up new ones and I'll be around, posting vids of my own. Mostly I just wanted to say a thank you to everyone and let you know why I've been overly silent this year. Peace, - Sui

Intermediate to Advanced Poi Workshop

suibom — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 17:52:35 GMT

Dustin from Portland is one of those amazing poi spinners that makes you just stare at his patterns and think to yourself "ddaaaaammnnn" with admiration. Well, Dustin is holding a poi workshop here in Eugene tomorrow and I highly recommend it! Check out his vid listed here, it's sick, but only just touches on this cats crazy skills. Here's the info from Dustin: I'm giving a poi workshop this saturday in eugene and think that you should join me! This workshop is going to be a bit different. Instead of teaching people how to do things trick by trick, I've put together a system that incorporates theory and concepts with a little geometry to give people a more in depth understanding of how poi works. The goal is it to give people the tools to find their own patterns. With a proper understanding of how to move with poi/how to make poi move for you, finding new patterns can be a simple, logical progression. Also, since I think most workshops are too expensive, it's cheap. If you'd like to register, you can contact me via tribe or email at dustin.hubel@gmail.com Time: 6-8pm Place: Corestar Dojo (439 W. 2nd) Cost: $20 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2yXhBND1nA - a video that we shot back in december. it's a little dated, but it's still the most impressive video I have online for my shameless self-promotion. I'm also running a second workshop at the dojo from 2-4pm the same day that focuses on the basics of learning how to spin poi with hoops. If you'd like to attend both, you can do so for just $35. For this class, people attending will need a set of hoops about 26'' in diameter. If you'd like to purchase a set for $10, or get instructions on how to make a set, you can message Revolva on tribe.

The dance

suibom — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 13:18:07 GMT

Fire fire burning higher Making music like a choir Circles weave, shift and twist Flames sway, curl and dance Liquid energy explodes Patterns emerge, meld, entrance We are the artists of light and heat We are the seekers of eternal beat Join me in this love affair Spinning, twirling, swinging grace My soul is lost and found at once Burning heart and flame embraced Peace, - Sui

Portland play and fire today

suibom — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 16:06:59 GMT

Headin up to Portland for a day of play. Going to be at Laurelhurst park around noonish with the hoopers for some general spinning fun (I don't hoop, but I like watching a good hoopin. I'll be spinning poi/staff/juggling/the usual). There's going to be a powerizer demo there today! Lookin forward to seeing that. Then I'll be grabbin some grub, brew and playin some pool. Then off to the Concordia spin jam around 6:30ish if Squirrel is still around, if not I'll hit another park for some more general play. Then, around 9ish is the fire jam under Marquam bridge. Anyone coming to any of the above? Come play! For more information on these events, check here: http://www.thespinsterz.com/pdx_events.htm Peace, - Sui

Full Circle

suibom — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 02:31:21 GMT

Well, back from the Faerieworlds Festival (www.faerieworlds.com) and an absolutely amazing time. One year ago at Faerieworlds I saw a fireshow that changed me, and this year that show was reprised wonderfully! Anyways, more on that and more on the full circle later, for now I'm enjoying doing nothing for a bit. I spent far too much wonderful time dancing to the great music with my poi and staff, now every muscle is sore in a great kind of way. In the mean time, there's an archive vid (a vid I use to review my progress, so not a polished vid) of me spinning fire staff (doubles, contact) and fire poi in my profile at the top titled "Video: Fire staff, Fire poi - July 22 06". Peace, - Sui

SOAK* Info (the OR BM Regional Event)

suibom — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 17:57:13 GMT

Oooohhh yeah.. Lookin forward to this! I hope I can make it to the event. Here's the info so far: =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= SOAK is a Portland/Oregon regional Burning Man event slated for July 14 - 16. It is being held 1 hr South of Portland (off State St exit) at a 110 acre private ranch. The land is beautiful!! There is a swimming hole, wooded trails to wander around in, a creek that runs through the camping area...much fun is to be had!! Tickets have just gone on sale and here is the info: SOAK*2006 tickets are for sale at Le Rouge 3418 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Ignite on Wednesday's Pala 105 NW 3rd $35.00 presale / $40.00 gate Minors (under 18) free with parent or guardian. More outlets & online sales coming soon... The outlets listed are in Portland. More info on SOAK2006 itself is in the works and will be available at the Burning Man Portland portal as well as the Portland Burners tribe: http://www.burningmanportland.com/ http://portlandburners.tribe.net/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Peace, - Sui

A new obsession and complete lack of time comprehension

suibom — Sat, 27 May 2006 03:34:19 GMT

Wow.. So, it's been like a month since I was in ABQ, and somehow I just about lost that whole month somewhere in my brain.. sigh. My time comprehension is completely fubar.. I guess that's what happens when you forget to sleep... often. The worst part, though, is I've fallen out of contact with lots of folk in that time period, which has had some odd repercussions. Ahwell, I think things are starting to come back in line, hopefully. On the good side, since visiting ABQ I've picked up staff play and have furthered my enjoyment of juggling. Tomorrow I head up to Portland for a day of contact staff workshops, should be a blast. The day ends off with a fire jam, which I've not had since ABQ (uhmm.. I think.. again, the time thing, I could be wrong). The Portland fire jams are always fun and hopefully this one will be even better due to the workshops, which are being taught by MCP, kickass contact staffer from Scotland... Ahh, good times. Also, the Oregon Country Fair is coming up damn quick, as well as the Faerieworlds Festival, both of which I am very much looking forward to. Good times indeed. If anyone is going to OCF or Faerieworlds, be sure to drop me a line and let me know! Peace, - Sui

Good days in ABQ

suibom — Wed, 26 Apr 2006 06:03:41 GMT

Been having a damn good time out here. Spent the first day recovering from one of my infamous two day all-nighters (getting ready for the trip, procrastinating, generally avoiding sleep). Then, on Sunday, we had the fire jam. I got to meet "Burningbear" Jay, the organizer of the ABQ fire jams. Very cool guy, a great resource for the community. I got to meet Rain (oy she's cute :) ) and Shawn. Didn't get to hang out much with them yet, since I was tryin to gather more info for the Saturday gathering. I look forward to hanging out with them and Jaimie more (Jaimie, Shawn and Rain make up the members of Frost's Pandemonium Carnival http://www.gryphonseggproductions.com/pandemoniumcarnival.html ) There was only a few of us spinning fire, but it was good times. One of the folks spinning was a juggler and I got to check out some pretty glowy juggling balls and got my first shot at juggling clubs (err.. tossing one club back and forth for a bit :P). The guy mentioned a local juggling shop that had the glowy balls for sale.. cool, so I figured I'd stop by and check it out. So, Monday I was a total slacker and just hung out with the family and my boy.. damn kids grow quick :). Tuesday, my mom and sister took my boy out to play and I decided to scope out some parks for the Saturday teach and learn and play session that I've been trying to gather up. I started out visiting the juggler shop. The owners kick ass, the shop has everything you could want. An excellent store. Here's a shoutout to them if anyone is in the Albuquerque area, check out www.magicjugglershop.com and ask them about the spin jam! So it turns out that they were the ones that invited Shireen down to do a Poi spinning class. Small world indeed. They are also working on bringing up the ABQ spinning community. Very cool stuffs. So, I found the park to play at, and am in the process of last moment organizing. It's a loose endeavor to be sure, and dunno how well it'll be populated. But it should still be a good thing. I've got myself some juggling clubs now and the pretty glowy juggling balls. I got my first three club basic juggle well on it's way.. Happy with that! I've got a good number of toys to light up now, just need to kevlar to make it a firey reality. Anyway, I suppose that's it for me for now. A good vacation it is turning out to be! Peace, - Sui

Heading to Albuquerque (yes, the confusion vortex of Bugs Bunny travels)

suibom — Wed, 19 Apr 2006 16:54:27 GMT

Well, I think I know why I was feeling sad yesterday, turns out I'm sick :(. What a time to get sick, getting on a plane in just a few days... Hopefully I'll be good by then. NM should be fun, I've found a grouping of fire spinners to play with.. seem like very cool folk. I've added practice meteors and staff to my repertoire, fun stuff. I've not found much info on meteors, but there's plenty info to take in regarding staff. I have the pieces for another, so I'll probably build doubles. Next on the list? Juggling clubs would be nice to have, I still want to play with fire fans, contact juggling :).. I think that's it. Lots to learn. I start looking for a new place to live when I get back from my trip, that's likely to put me into a heavy funk.. but hopefully the park spinning sessions will keep me level. Ahwell.. another day, another dollar in debt.

I think I'm sad today

suibom — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 10:27:12 GMT

wish i may -------------- i am losing my love of adventure i'm losing all respect for me and myself tonight i wonder what happens if i get to the end of this tunnel and there isn't a light i've worn down the treads on all of my tires i've worn through the elbows and the knees of my clothing i am stumbling down the gravel driveway of desire trying not to wake up my sleeping self-loathing do you ever have that dream where you open your mouth and you try to scream but you can't make a sound that's every day starting now that's every day starting now don't tell me it's gonna be alright you can't sell me on your optimism tonight it's a stiff competition to see who can stay up later the stars or the street lights all they really want is to be alone with the darkness no more wish i may no more wish i might it takes a stiff upper lip just to hold up my face i got to suck it up and savor the taste of my own behavior i am spinning with longing faster then a roulette wheel this is not who i meant to be this is not how i meant to feel i don't think i am strong enough to do this much longer god, i wish i was stronger this song could never be long enough to express every longing god, i wish it was longer... © 1999 ani difranco / righteous babe music ---------------------- Thank you Ani, for sharing your beauty and beautiful poetry with us. - Sui

Spinning in the snow!

suibom — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 15:10:17 GMT

So... It's dumped for the last few hours, the city is blanketed in white and I just went for a quick spin on my break. What a beautiful thing! A small bit of slip and slide while turning flowers in the white is definite magic. I wish I could light up here at work (oh yeah, good 'ol career ender there). Ah well, maybe it'll keep snowin a bit through the weekend and I'll get my chance. The morning started out pretty crappy, but I'm feeling pretty good now. I love it when the energies of the earth brighten the day. Anyone up for a fire in the snow spin this weekend? Peace, - Sui

More from the land of twisted fates...

suibom — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 06:40:09 GMT

Well, my bday was on the 1st, but I spent it being pretty exhausted due to our store being broken into and burglarized.. a second time.. in so many weeks. I dunno what's goin on with life, but it's becoming a bogging bundle of not fun.. The first time around they broke a door handle and walked right in and got what they wanted.. On the 28th, sometime probably between 6:30 and 8:30 PM, they weren't able to get in the same way, so they tried to bust another door in, and when that didn't work they busted a window, climbed in and again got what they wanted, leaving behind a sprawled mess of shattered glass. If anyone catches wind of a robbery that occurred at an herb store on 3rd and Lawrence, please let me know. Anyways, we're increasing the building security, so that should help, but the timing of whole event was really just a heavy kick in the gut to a guy that was already down. On the brighter side, I was able to borrow some money and secured the tickets to visit family and friends in Albuquerque. Been tryin to gather fire folks to play while I'm down there, hopefully there will be at least a couple of good burn sessions.. hopefully more. I'm lookin forward to the vacation. This sunday is another Portland fire jam night as well, so I'm lookin forward to that too. Too bad the weather looks like it'll be a bit dismal :(. Luckily it's under a bridge and apparently pretty well isolated from bad weather. Should be a good time if folks show up. Anyways, this year is starting out fairly craptastic.. I'm just hoping that's a good sign that the second half of the year is gonna be choc full of good good times... Too optimistic? nah.. good times to come. Peace, - Sui

Life is just a heaping pile of...

suibom — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 23:04:24 GMT

crap.. so, the tickets I was gonna use to visit my family don't quite take me to where I need to be. The cost of the remainder is very much out of my affordability range at this point. My relationship with my son's mother keeps twisting on the not so pleasant side due to general stress all around. On top of that I am behooved to find a new place to live soon, due to people needing their space. All this for my bday in a couple of days.. I'm quite on the verge of not really being able to deal. What the hell do you do with a cauldron of sadness and emptiness with a touch of anger? I don't know, I don't handle these emotions well. I dunno how my son will handle things, I can only hope he copes okay. It's not gonna be easy. This road is going to get alot more twisted before it steadies. I don't know.. I'm havin a helluva time tryin to see the future these days. I guess I just keep goin, let the good things pan out where they will and hold onto them. Ride the rough times as necessary, everything equalizes eventually. Time to start packing.

Back to Portland

suibom — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 17:07:00 GMT

Well, Monday is a holiday for me, Sunday night looks to be nice and clear (though, maybe a tad cold again), and It'll be good for me to be outta the house as much as I can next week.. sooo, I'm headin back to the Portland fire jam! I dunno, maybe I'm addicted to this fire spinning stuff (well, actually I'm addicted to spinning in general, but there's more of a gathering when the items are on fire). Maybe my camera battery will last the trip this time and I can get more pictures. It's a nice atmosphere to spin in, with the lights of Portland's large buildings reflecting off the river... (I wonder if I can find a similar type of location here in Eugene. Maybe I should go looking.) Anyways, should be fun. Hopefully there will be as many, or more, folks there this weekend. But, until then, there's Wednesday here in Eugene :). Looks like our own little gatherings are growing for the spring. We should have a nice grouping, I think, by the time summer rolls around. I've met some damned cool folks with this art form. There's only one problem with all this.. that little thing called sleep. Sigh, I really need to remind myself to sleep more. Over a year with an average of 4ish or less hours of sleep a night is starting to get to me. And now that I've started spinning, the average is dipping even lower, usually skipping sleep, or snagging a 30 min to 1 hour catnap between fun and work on Monday and Wednesday. At least I'm not hammering myself with pure work like I was doing before the separation. But lack of sleep is lack of sleep, and it can be dangerous.. I gotta sort stuff out and get some balance. But what fun is that when you can be dodging fireballs? :P .. sigh. I'll be damned, it's snowing out! :) Ahwells, back to work. - Sui

Portland Fire Jam

suibom — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 10:53:42 GMT

I spent four hours on the road today to hang at the Portland fire jam, and I gotta say... I had a helluva great time, well worth the trip. I met more beautiful people and saw some wonderful spinning. I was hoping to get some more pictures in, now that I found some fun settings on my camera (manual focus, hidden in a bunch of button presses :P), but unfortunately the battery crapped out on me after only a few pix :(. Ahwell... I had a blast, spun to some flowing drums, and further realized that my life is coming to some strange crossroads. I just gotta try and meet the obstacles with strength, compassion and patience, and share the joys with those who enjoy them with me. I have found a home with fire and circles, which brings the cycle 'round again. I find my creativity coming back to me. My muse whispers and I just need enough realization to harness the flow. I feel grateful for the new souls I continue to meet, and I hope I can befriend the kindred spirits. Damn the internal shyness and fractured personalities tho.. gotta sort through those areas. Wulp, 16 hours into my workday, and it's still 2 hours from starting.. fun stuffs. Sleep deprivation is my drug of choice. Thank you, to those who share the fire and flow with me.. - Sui