Aerials

I've been taking Aerial classes at the Philadelphia college of circus arts for a little over six months now. It not as painful as it was in the first few months and I'm stronger than I've ever been ; )

It's tough... What's strange is the some of the impressive looking things that I've learned so far seem to be easier than the less impressive things??? I'm absolutely sure that isn't going to apply to most things...just what I've learned so far ; P For instance there's this upside down spit in the air thing that looks really cool, but all you have to do is flip up your leg. But then there is this maneuver called a hip key/lock. You have to scissor your legs around the fabric get them way up in the air and shift the fabric around just so...and it's one part imposible, two parts painful and 3 parts annoying! Perfecting this sucker in the air is my personal goal this semester, allong with doing an ankle hang properly (so it doesn't hurt so much that I scared of it). I accomplished my goals last semester so I'm hopeful for this one.

I'm realizing that strenght equals control and grace, so I'm really focussing on trying to get stronger. Precission is the key...to the hip key... ; P

My Sorta Twin

This has been an ellastic summer, fraught with changes. New exercises can stretch you in ways you never expected. A little pain with big rewards seems to be a well accepted means of progress. Well, at least I'm cool with it. But my Brother moving to Florida to be with his Girlfriend has left me with a surprise months later that decided to lie dormant until normalcy and comfort had finally settled in. Like the sneaker guy in Seinfeld who Eilane had to give tick tacs to, it snuck up on me. And just like beer that's far too hoppy, it left a crappy aftertaste.

We were born on the same day, three years apart. It definately wasn't planned. When we were kids, I thought this was entirely unfair. Your Birthday was supposed to be the one day that was entirely for you, hell we already had to share all the other cool holidays like Christmas and Easter (I really like candy). And we weren't even twins, right?

Life threw us together, drove us apart, until we were both old enough to make the decision to treasure our connection. Since then our gradual maturity allowed us to realize the depth of understanding we had for eachothers' childhood experiences. While some of those have been very different, many are more similar to mine than anyone elses could posibly be. Both the painfull and fond memories are lodged permanently and uncontrolably in both our brains. It is a connection that only the two of us out of billions can share. And although the emotional connection can't be stretched or broken, the physical barrier of about half a dozen states between us puts a rather large and obstructive wrench in the works.

I miss him...
And on September 24, for the first time in my life, he won't be with me on my birthday. This realization, a quiet tap on the shoulder, left me with a hole in my chest. It was a silent reminder of how precarious and special some relationships are. The day won't be the same without my sorta twin. I love you Greg.