Ah, what the hell. Here's the skill backwards as well!
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Has Anyone Seen My Jaw? It's Somewhere on the Floor...
Okay, I know this isn't actually circus, but I take a lot of liberties with that kind of thing on this blog. If it's even remotely acrobatic, inspiring, and awesome, it counts. At first I found an animated gif of the incredible feat and thought the video it was pulled from had to be out there somewhere. I'm glad I thought to check because it turns out the gif was made so that the trick is performed in reverse. The good news is that skill remains exceptionally impressive when seen as it was performed.
Ah, what the hell. Here's the skill backwards as well!
Ah, what the hell. Here's the skill backwards as well!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
The Sinking Ship
It was a day like any other. I was going through my Facebook feed and catching up with the news friends and colleagues.
"We won the gold in Paris!"
"Big premiere in Moscow tonight!"
"Heading for Australia in a week!"
My heart sank and jealous feelings bubbled to the surface. Then, like a sledgehammer, it hit me: I have been with my company too long, my career has stagnated, my unhappiness is only increasing, and I've been in France for so long that no one even knows who I am anymore.
Shit.
When I started working for my company, I thought I had found the work environment I had always been looking for. But the more time that passed, the more the true nature of the company was revealed. Yes, most of the people are nice enough, but then why don't I feel like I can trust anyone I work with? Why don't I feel like I can go to anyone for support? Why do I feel like a victim* so much of the time, and like I need to keep my distance from so many people?
Just below the surface, there is something very wrong at a human level. C left because of it. And I know others who have/will as well. There are a number of people who really aren't that happy there but they stay because it's easy and because it's safe. Frankly, there are a few of people there (Associates, no less) who would be unable to work anywhere else. They aren't good enough at what they do and other companies wouldn't put up with it. As others in the company have stated "They were born under one hell of a lucky star."
And now, as the tour winds down and the Associates settle further into the twilight of their careers, some among them (sadly, those with the most influence) seem to be embracing their latent megalomaniac tendencies.
I am so worked up about this I can barely get any thoughts out. That's one of the reasons I've been putting off this post for so long. I just feel so angry so much of the time!
So I've decided to start letting go. Instead of feeling guilty about spending time alone while on tour, I've decided to focus on accepting the way I feel and that it's okay to feel that way, and start to focus on new projects. I guess that somewhere along the line part of my identity as an artist as well as my artistic worth got wrapped up in the identity and product of the company. But the things I want to share and express and the things the company wants to express never really were to be found on the same page, let alone the same book.
It's true that at one time I had hoped to stay on for the next show. But that was before I even really started and it was mostly out of fear and the desire for long term security. I knew fairly early on that I didn't want to continue past this show. And yet it's taken me close to four years to understand that leaving a job, or having a job end doesn't mean the end of everything else in my life.
For once in my life, my timing is perfect. This ship is sinking and it's time to go.
* This stems from a specific event that I have never written about. Maybe one day, when the tour is over, I will.
"We won the gold in Paris!"
"Big premiere in Moscow tonight!"
"Heading for Australia in a week!"
My heart sank and jealous feelings bubbled to the surface. Then, like a sledgehammer, it hit me: I have been with my company too long, my career has stagnated, my unhappiness is only increasing, and I've been in France for so long that no one even knows who I am anymore.
Shit.
When I started working for my company, I thought I had found the work environment I had always been looking for. But the more time that passed, the more the true nature of the company was revealed. Yes, most of the people are nice enough, but then why don't I feel like I can trust anyone I work with? Why don't I feel like I can go to anyone for support? Why do I feel like a victim* so much of the time, and like I need to keep my distance from so many people?
Just below the surface, there is something very wrong at a human level. C left because of it. And I know others who have/will as well. There are a number of people who really aren't that happy there but they stay because it's easy and because it's safe. Frankly, there are a few of people there (Associates, no less) who would be unable to work anywhere else. They aren't good enough at what they do and other companies wouldn't put up with it. As others in the company have stated "They were born under one hell of a lucky star."
And now, as the tour winds down and the Associates settle further into the twilight of their careers, some among them (sadly, those with the most influence) seem to be embracing their latent megalomaniac tendencies.
I am so worked up about this I can barely get any thoughts out. That's one of the reasons I've been putting off this post for so long. I just feel so angry so much of the time!
So I've decided to start letting go. Instead of feeling guilty about spending time alone while on tour, I've decided to focus on accepting the way I feel and that it's okay to feel that way, and start to focus on new projects. I guess that somewhere along the line part of my identity as an artist as well as my artistic worth got wrapped up in the identity and product of the company. But the things I want to share and express and the things the company wants to express never really were to be found on the same page, let alone the same book.
It's true that at one time I had hoped to stay on for the next show. But that was before I even really started and it was mostly out of fear and the desire for long term security. I knew fairly early on that I didn't want to continue past this show. And yet it's taken me close to four years to understand that leaving a job, or having a job end doesn't mean the end of everything else in my life.
For once in my life, my timing is perfect. This ship is sinking and it's time to go.
* This stems from a specific event that I have never written about. Maybe one day, when the tour is over, I will.
The Oscar Goes To...
In case you missed it, Cirque du Soleil's performance at the 84th Annual Academy Awards.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Circus Equivalent Needed
While performing the viola at an Orthodox Jewish synagogue in Presov, Slovakia, Lukáš Kmiť was interrupted by the ring of a cell phone. His response to this act of rudeness was absolutely brilliant.
I've already expressed my desire to work for a company that enforces this policy, especially since I currently work for a company that seems to have this policy. But until that day arrives, I need to find the acrobatic equivalent to the viola pwnage that went down in that video.
Hats off to you, Lukáš Kmiť. Way to keep it classy like a boss.
I've already expressed my desire to work for a company that enforces this policy, especially since I currently work for a company that seems to have this policy. But until that day arrives, I need to find the acrobatic equivalent to the viola pwnage that went down in that video.
Hats off to you, Lukáš Kmiť. Way to keep it classy like a boss.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Send In the Clowns
From Oddity Central:
Ortrud Kastaun, a 61-year-old woman from Germany, has set a new Guinness record for the world’s largest collection of clown related items.
Orty, as her friends know her, has been collecting clowns for the last 15 years, and has so far amassed 2,053 different clown-related items. She’s had to move to a bigger house that would accommodate all her creepy smiling buddies, and has even opened a small clown museum close to her home, in Essen. But Kastaun hasn’t always been obsessed with clowns; it all started in 1995, when she was a recovering alcoholic going through therapy. ”I remember being in therapy one day putting a jigsaw together. The image was of a clown in a jack-in-the-box. Something just clicked. From that I day on I began collecting clowns,” Orty remembers. It was a tough time for her but she credits clown for helping her get passed it.
The passionate clown collector admits her friends often ask her if she finds the clowns scary, but she always answers “no” and says she sees them as “absolutely positive characters” that helped her get over her alcoholism. Ortrund says she opened her little museum to allow people to discover her wonderful world of clowns. If you ever want to stop by, all you need to to is schedule a visit. You can find contact details on Orty’s Clown Museum website.
Ortrud Kastaun, a 61-year-old woman from Germany, has set a new Guinness record for the world’s largest collection of clown related items.
Orty, as her friends know her, has been collecting clowns for the last 15 years, and has so far amassed 2,053 different clown-related items. She’s had to move to a bigger house that would accommodate all her creepy smiling buddies, and has even opened a small clown museum close to her home, in Essen. But Kastaun hasn’t always been obsessed with clowns; it all started in 1995, when she was a recovering alcoholic going through therapy. ”I remember being in therapy one day putting a jigsaw together. The image was of a clown in a jack-in-the-box. Something just clicked. From that I day on I began collecting clowns,” Orty remembers. It was a tough time for her but she credits clown for helping her get passed it.
Photo by Ranald Mackechnie/Guinness World Records
The passionate clown collector admits her friends often ask her if she finds the clowns scary, but she always answers “no” and says she sees them as “absolutely positive characters” that helped her get over her alcoholism. Ortrund says she opened her little museum to allow people to discover her wonderful world of clowns. If you ever want to stop by, all you need to to is schedule a visit. You can find contact details on Orty’s Clown Museum website.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Beauty is Embarrassing
I like movies, but very rarely take the time to watch them. This film, however, I can't wait to see!
Do what you love. It's gonna lead to where you want to go.
Do what you love. It's gonna lead to where you want to go.
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