Today was my first aerial silks class at Circus Center. The last time I was at a circus school was 7 years ago and in Ottawa but the general atmosphere at this one was practically the same: a bunch of acrobats practicing on a variety of equipment in a big gym and no real semblence of order to be found. I was able to locate my instructor my asking around and was glad to find that she was both empathetic and competent. However, apparently there were supposed to be 2 instructors but one of them quit to go work for a real local circus and now we have a 6:1 student:teacher ratio, whereas the maximum we're supposed to have is 4:1. She told us this would be OK for the first 3 classes but after that she'd either need to find another co-instructor or a couple of us would need to switch to a different time-slot.
She seemed a bit shocked that I was in the class at all when I told her I'd never tried silks before so I assured her that I could climb up a rope just fine, having done so several times at a climbing gym. Ironically, the first thing she had me do was grab a ribbon with each hand, wrap them around my arm and flip over so my legs pointed straight up: exactly what I've been randomly doing with ropes at Mission Cliffs lately! We did a few more such excercises and stretches before she taught us our first skill: how to tie a knot around one foot with the other so we can safely hold up our entire bodyweight with very little effort.
She also had use climb up the ribbons a couple of times. Evidentally I'm the only one who can do that easily. I guess it helps that everybody else taking the class are women, most of whom have backgrounds in dance rather than rock-climbing. On the other hand, this might be the first time I've been told I need to work on my flexibility.
soap, shampoo.
toothbrush, toothpicks
vitamins, anti-diorrheatic & painkillers
wet wipes
hand-sanitizer & band-aids
hiking shoes
water bottle
hi-tech towel
flip flops
ziplocs
deodrant
a book
Invisalign tray, efferdent
flashlight
passport
TP
credit card & atm card
2 shorts & 1 long pants
4 t-shirts & 1 button-down shirt
5 socks & underwear
camera, phone & chargers
pen & notebook
laptop
http://inaugural.senate.gov/history/vide
I was briefly appalled before I realized that I knew him and he was on the SF Bike Coalition board. It turned out that he'd had his jacket containing his keys stolen and was trying to rescue his bike. As luck would have it, the hacksaw couldn't even put a dent in the u-lock so he had to go back for bolt-cutters.
I woke up at a quarter to 6 today. It was too early so I went back to bed and pretended to sleep for a while before checking my email and surfing the InterTubes. At 6:30 I called James. He sounded sleepy when he answered the phone but quickly realized what what was going on. It was time to go climbing.
Leaving my house was hard because it was dark outside and I don't think it's natural to leave home before sunrise but I didn't want to make James wait for me at the gym so I made a concerted effort of will and, once I was on the road, it wasn't so bad. The gym was largely empty so we had our pick of routes, of which we each climbed two before heading out.
This could become a habit.
In case you hadn't figured it out already, I've switched to Posterous as my blogging platform.
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sleepyI have a wild and vivid imagination, probably inherited from my mother. As a creative type, most of the time that comes in handy. On occasion, however, it can prove to be my undoing. The last time that happened was several years ago while watching Requiem For A Dream. Tonight it struck again as I was listening to a story at Porchlight.
The theme for tonight's stories was Tales of the Human Body. We'd been regaled by a few good tales and I was enjoying myself as I sipped a soothing mix of Kahlua and Baileys. Then Montrealer Frank Andrick took the stage and launched into an account of how he was simultaneously treated for diabetes and hepatitis. He was good. Really good. As he unveiled detail after detail I unwittingly began to picture myself in the story, as him. Pleasant was not a word I would use to describe how I began to feel. No, I began to feel weak and queasy. I slurped down my drink, hoping the alcohol would numb my mind, but it was too late.
Against my will I found myself experiencing a powerful psychosomatic reaction to the story. I held out until he was done and then got out of my seat and left the room. No sooner had I walked into the foyer than the tunnel vision I'd been experiencing brought me to an abrupt halt and my legs gave way. Still conscious and coherent but unable to pick myself off the floor, I accepted assistance from one of the staff who lad me to a couch, where I lay for a minute while my vision restored itself. Then I stepped outside for some fresh air and a couple of minutes later I was totally fine.
The other stories were good too but thankfully none of them involved lurid details about the effects of scary ailments.
A few months ago I wrote Nancy Pelosi, the SF congresswoman, about an
issue. Since then , she's been spamming me on a weekly basis with
updates on what's she's been doing on a host of unrelated matters.
Replying to the sender address just bounces and there's no unsubscribe
link in the emails. I've resorted to marking them as spam in Gmail :-(
I don't know who it was but "Thank you"!
While biking though the Sunset yesterday evening, I spotted a shopping-cart full of durians and purchased one. Despite their reputation for being stinky, I did not find it stinky at all. It was, however, delicious.
I was supposed to show up at Narita airport an hour before my flight's scheduled departure on the 18th but didn't make it there until about 55 minutes prior. When I tried to check-in, I discovered that I could no longer do so. A JAL staffperson informed me that I had arrived too late and would have to catch the next flight. She then discovered that all flights for the next 2 days were fully booked. Moved by my wild-eyed desperation, she called the gate and tried to see if she could get me on the flight anyway. By the time she explained things to the gate, there were only 20 minutes left before boarding was to commence and I it was unlikely that I'd make it through security in time. That's when they pulled a rabbit out of their hat. After sticking a red aeroplane-shaped sticker on me, one of the JAL staff lead me to the crew security area, where there was no line-up, and got me through.
So far, so good. But I still needed to return my $200 rental keitei (cell phone) and there was no way for me to do that. That's when JAL really came through for me. They contacted the phone rental company and arranged to get the phone back to them on my behalf. Best airline service I've ever had :-)
Last night I went to see a Kabuki adaptation of an opera called Aida with Chris and two other Waterloo co-ops. For ¥1300 we got standing-only rush tickets and an additional ¥400 got us a headset with a running English explanation. Interestingly, even some of the Japanese get such headsets with explanations in modern Japanese because the style of discourse used in kabuki is sufficiently archaic that it can be hard to follow even for native Japanese speakers. I'm not sure if Shakespeare or Chaucer would be the better analogy though. It was very enjoyable, although the ending was rather heart-wrenching. I suppose that's just par for the course with operas. I'd definitely go again but I'd probably pay more for a seat next time.
The Onsen and capsule hotel are on a synthetic island made of landfill
in the Tokyo harbour. Upon emerging from the capsule hotel in the
morning, we wandered around the island for a bit until the museum of
science and technology opened at 10am. I was struck by the number of
Japanese teens who wander around without the parental supervision that
seems necessary in North America. Maybe the Japanese are less paranoid
because their society is safer.
Once the museum opened, we went in and ate lunch before checking out
the exhibits. I was amused to see that there was a man whose job
appeared to consist of pushing buttons for people using the
ticket-dispensing machine! Honda's Asimo robot is a huge hit with the
kids and I noted the contrast between the Japanese idea of a robot as
cute and the American idea of a robot as fierce. O thought the
mechanical router was a great way to illustrate the concepts of
network data transfer to kids in an interactive and visual manner.
Disappointingly, the special pterosaur exhibit was almost entirely in
Japanese.
On Saturday, after picking up an SD card for my camera, Chris and I met up with his neighbour and coworker Dennis to go on a bus tour of Tokyo along with a couple of other tourists who were visiting from Perth. Our first stop was a bonsai museum run by a man who has been collecting the little trees for the past three decades and now teaches foreigners the art of growing bonsai. He showed us some of his prized specimen and answered our many questions about the art form, after which we partook in a green tea ceremony.
The next stop was a special event to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Kyoto's only geisha house. We were treated to a lovely performance by a troupe of dancers keeping alive the ancient art of the Japanese courtesans (who weren't geisha). The tradition of the courtesan dance is that every year these women would parade through the street and then select a suitor to join them for a tea ceremony. First the suitor would drink from the tea bowl and then, if she chose to do so, the courtesan would signify her acceptance of his love by finishing the bowl.
Our tour concluded with a dinner of tempura and sushi aboard a little boat where we were watched the sunset amongst the skyscrapers of Tokyo and learnt a great about Japanese history.
[cross-posted from my new blog at Posterous.]
tiredAfter the bus tour, we rode the amazing Tokyo subway to a a place that
offered onsen (hot-springs) and a capsule hotel. I'd long wondered
what it would be like to sleep in a capsule hotel and the Tokyo subway
stops running at midnight so we needed a place to crash anyway. The
hot-springs were almost entirely filled with Koreans! I had to stick a
band-aid over my tattoo to avoid being mistaken for a member of the
Yakuza (Japan's organized crime rings). But I got to wear a yakata
(traditional Japanese bathrobe), which was pretty neat.
We had some trouble gaining access to the capsule hotels because none
of the staff spoke any English. Eventually one of them resorted to
using a Web translator, which did the trick. The capsule hotels did
not quite match my expectations of a tempofoam coffin in a drawer,
being more like bunk beds in a hostel.
Exploiting my jetlag, we beat the tourists to the Tokyo fish market in Tsukiji. Everywhere we walked there were men on motorized carts trying to run us over. Bathed in the scent of raw fish, this was a market my grandparents would have loved. Having stoked our appetite, we proceeded across the street for the best sushi I've ever had. Never having been frozen, this fish made all prior sushi experiences seem like warmed-up leftovers.
Because it was still very early, we decided to explore the inside of a skyscraper and a mall. Although the buildings were open, there was nobody around and none of the stores were open yet. It felt like being inside a William Gibson novel!
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excitedAfter flying into Narita airport, renting a cellphone and taking a shuttle to Tokyo, I bumbled my way to my friend Chris' studio apartment. After grabbing a quick bite at a nearby eatery, Chris showed me a multi-storey building that was filled with fancy restaurants. There was even a grocery store at which I satisfied my craving for some red-bean paste-filled snack.
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sleepy1. What time did you get up this morning?
>
6:15 but it was because I got a call from my friend in Japan who thought it was 8:15 here. Normally I get up between 7 and 7:30, depending on how late I went to bed.
> > > 2. Diamonds or pearls?
>
For what purpose? Diamonds are good for making drill bits. Pearls are...???
> > 3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? ????????
> >
Facing Windows (at the Jewish Film Festival):
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0352343/plot
> > > 4. What is your favorite TV show?
> >
I've been watching BattleStar Galactica recently but I don't think I really have an all-time favourite or anything.
> > > 5. What do you usually have for breakfast?
>
Whole multigrain cereal with goat's milk yoghurt, blueberries, almonds, pistachios and pine nuts.
> > 6. What is your middle name?
> >
Michaelangelo, like the sculptor and the ninja turtle.
> > 7. What food do you dislike?
> >
Raw tomatoes and parts of animals that are not muscle (e.g. kidney, liver, etc.)
> > 8. What is your favorite CD at the moment?
>
What's a CD...? I always listen to iTunes on random.
http://www.last.fm/user/quikchange/chart
> > > 9. What kind of car do you drive?
> >
Why do you assume I drive a car...? Silly quiz ;-p
I ride a silver Marin hybrid.
> > > 10. What is your favorite sandwich? Roast beef sandwich with > everything on a sourdough roll w/ havarti cheese heated
>
I can make a sandwich out of nearly anything! I *luuurve* sandwiches!
I eat PB frequently but that's mostly out of convenience. Melted pepperjack is yummy too :-)
> > > 11. What characteristic do you despise?
> >
Despise is a strong word. I think poorly of people who display wilful ignorance about things that affect them in meaningful ways.
> > > 12. Favorite item of clothing?
> >
T-shirts. I also take a keen interest in shoes and own several but I prefer being barefoot whenever possible.
> > > 13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where > would you go?
> >
Japan was #1 on my list but I'm flying there in 2 hours so I'll have to replace it soon, probably with Peru or Thailand.
> > > 14. Are you an organized person?
> >
Heh. I organize the kings I care about. My computer is very organized but my desk is a mess. I don't have clothes lying on my floor, if that's what you meant.
> > > 15. Where would you retire to?
> >
I once thought Victoria in BC would be nice but the truth is that I'd probably get bored being retired or living in the same place for very long.
> > > 16. What was your most recent memorable birthday?
>
Every year I keep hoping for a surprise party and nobody ever throws me one :-(
> > 17. What are you going to do when you finish this?
>
Catch a bus to SFO.
> > > 18. Furthest place you are sending this?
> >
On the Interweb, does distance really matter...?
> > > 20. When is your birthday?
>
June 13th, in case you want to throw me a surprise party next year.
> > > 21. Morning person or a night person?
> >
Morning.
>
> > > 22. What is your shoe size?
>
42
> > > 23. Pets? Lab/pit mix & 3-legged cat
> >
I had a kitten once. She was fun.
> > > 24. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share?
>
Did I mention I was leaving for Japan today...?
> > > 25. What did you want to be when you were little?
>
A scientist. Amazing how well that worked out, eh.
> > > 26. How are you today?
>
Snarky. Wait, isn't that every day...?
> > > 27. What is your favorite flower?
> >
I can't remember its name but it looks awesome!
> > > 29. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to?
>
It was today but it's hard to look forward to it now that it's here, innit.
> > > 30. What was the last thing you ate?
> >
A PB sandwich. Yeah, I wasn't kidding earlier.
> > > 31. Do you wish on stars?
> >
Huh? Were I to find myself on the surface of a massive ball of gases spewing radiation and heat in every direction, I'd probably wish I wasn't there, assuming I time to express such a wish before being incinerated.
> > > 32. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
> >
I'll have to try becoming a crayon sometime and find out.
> > > 33. How is the weather right now?
> >
I live in San Francisco. Since it's August right now, there's a 50/50 chance of it being hazy and the temperature is almost certainly within a few degrees of 18 Celsius.
> > > 34. Last person you spoke to on the phone?
> >
My friend Chris when he called me at 6:15 this morning to give me valuable last-minute instructions for my arrival in Tokyo.
> > > 35. Favorite soft drink?
> >
As opposed to a hard drink like rum? I like horchata, green tea and fresh fruit juice.
> > > 36. Favorite restaurant?
> >
That's a trick question, like asking somebody to pick a favourite child.
> > > 37. Hair color?
> >
That's a question only white people ask!
> > > 38. What was your favorite toy as a child?
> >
Lego and my teddy bear. His name was Ted, in case you were curious.
> 39. Summer or Winter?
> >
Summer. That's why I like California.
> > > 40. Chocolate or Vanilla?
> >
chocolate
> > > 41. Coffee or tea? COFFEE
> >
Tea
> > > 44. What is under your bed?
> >
Monsters, obviously.
> > > 45. What did you do last night?
> >
Attended a talk about robots and then went to City Beer.
> > > 46. What are you afraid of?
>
I am fearless. Just watch me bike downhill sometime.
> > > 47. Salty or sweet?
> >
All things in moderation.
> > > 49. How many years at your current job?
> >
Almost 3.
> > > 51. Do you make friends easily?
> >
Very.
> > > 54. Do you like finding out all this stuff about your friends? > yes-its fun
Yeah, I'm universally curious.
This is good news as I head off to Japan tomorrow.
Dear LazyWeb,
I'm trying to decide upon a new digital camera to take with me when I go to Japan in August. My criteria are that it be an ultra-compact point'n'shoot, use SDHC memory, have at least a 2.7 inch LCD, offer image stabilization, and support USB 2.0 but having an orientation sensor would be really nice too. After some research I have narrowed the playing field down to 3 cameras:
| Trait | CoolPix s700 | DMC-FX500 |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | mediocre | good |
| Image quality | great | mediocre |
| Weight | 130 (+17) g | 155 (+20) g |
| Optical zoom | 3.8 X | 5 X |
| LCD screen | 2.7" | 3" touch-sensitive |
| Battery life | 150 shots | 280 shots |
| Price | $265 | $322 |
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