Giant Juggling Club

I made a thing!

The idea behind this 8+ foot juggling club has been rattling around in my head for a while now. After lots of thoughts about process, material, purpose, etc., I finally got around to just doing it. And while I see countless places I could have done a better job, I'm actually really pleased with the results.

The core of the club is a 3/8" steel rod with stacked 1.5" discs of styrofoam insulation (with every other disc being a ring to save on material and weight). To smooth the stairstep edges, I used drywall mud (after my initial attempts of smoothly carving down the high points proved less than ideal). Then there are 2-ish layers of fiberglass with epoxy resin to harden the outside and hopefully make it waterproof. Cost of materials came in at around $250 to 300-ish(?). Overall weight is maybe 20-25 lbs.

If urged to justify this seemingly silly endeavor, I guess I would say I've always been fascinated with big versions of regular things. And I've been finding a good escape in the shop making stuff. Also, in my recent trips to Europe, I've really enjoyed the statuary in the public spaces. I thought maybe this could be installed as an art piece at the Lookout Arts Quarry.

As mentioned, I see lots of ways I could have gone about this better, resulting in a better, cheaper, lighter, and safer* club. It was, after all, my first attempt at anything like this including my first time working with fiberglass at all. My lesson learned, in short, is be more deliberate, take more time, don't get over excited for the next step*. That story checks out with my life overall.

What will I do with this behemoth? Well, this, for one. I'd love to figure out a way to do a little act with it. And maybe I'll do a slightly more elaborate photo/video shoot*. But I imagine it ending up at the Dreams Come True Pavilion at the Quarry, hopefully with a fancy pedestal, so that when somebody walks by and see it, they'll think "Huh, that's kind of cool". That'd be good enough for me.

(An astute observer might notice my very specific choice of colors. These were, of course, the colors of Della's clubs, clubs we bought together after that whirlwind Chautauqua where we met and started our grand adventure together. A big part of my inspiration for this project was thinking this serves as kind of a secret dedication to her (secret in that very few people will make the club color connection).)
Monday May 29 2023File under: juggling

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Crossword Tournament 2023

This year represents my 8th appearance at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, again held in Stamford, CT. The trip has become rather routine, with lodging arrangements, eating plans, travel transfers, etc. all feeling comfortable and smooth. As you may have guessed, I find comfort in familiarity so this routineness is welcome. And, as part of the routine, I offer this recap blog post.

First, about the tournament: it was the largest to date with over 1000 crossword people packing the poor Stamford Marriott. It was easy to feel the largeness of it all in crowded tables and lobbies, but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It meant more enthusiasm, more people to meet, and more people to compete with! Of the 771 official competitors, over 200 were there for the first time! As you might expect, there was a rather well delivered April Fool's Day prank at the beginning of Day 1 which set the mood for a fun tournament. But overall, it was...well...routine. I got what I was expecting and that was a good thing.

Secondly, I must log my performance. I did, well, well!! In the end, I placed 233rd out of 771 putting me in the 69th percentile which is my best showing to date. I had 6 clean puzzles (no errors) and was pleased with my solving time in each. As per usual, Puzzle 5 gave me some difficulty. But that's okay as it affords me something to improve on for next year (though, in all honesty, after time ran out on Puzzle 5 and I still had so much empty grid and no understanding of the theme, I wasn't as upbeat. But time offered a little perspective...)

Another occurrence of note was a somewhat amusing overlap of my worlds. At the hotel's continental breakfast Sunday morning, they had the local news on (we're talking really local—out of Norwalk, CT) and I saw they had a piece about the tournament. As is my wont, I kept my eyes peeled for myself in the background of the footage. Sure enough, there I was! I've yet to decide whether that will go on my TV/Film Resume, but I imagine it will...you know, for posterity.

And that is that. I'm glad I went to the tournament and I had a good time. It's kind of hard not to have a good time while doing well-constructed puzzles among fellow enthusiasts. I'm hoping to put together a more analytical and statistical write-up of the event, but we'll see. I'm often hoping to do a lot of things...
Sunday April 2 2023File under: crossword

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AI Portraits

For a hot second there, AI image creation was all the rage. I saw a few of my circus peers generating some pretty amazing photos so I thought I would give it a try. Finding a couple of new promo pics to sprinkle in to my @wrenthejuggler feed would more than justify the $3.50 price tag*. I used the Lensa app, where you upload 8-10 photos of yourself and then pick a couple styles you want generated. The results were...less than spectacular. I really liked the style, etc. but of the 105 images, it didn't feel like that many looked like me. It was always something about the eyes. Needless to say, nothing much in the way of promo pictures generated. Alas.

Anyway, here are a collection of the 10 shots that felt like the closest match. All in all, it was a pretty fun experiment. (And for the record, I wasn't depriving any starving artist of money by doing this*. It was just a fun lark.)








Thursday March 2 2023File under: pics

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Extra Updates

Last year, in my eternal quest to realize my simple dream of being a background extra in a movie that plays in my hometown theater and you can see my face, I spent 11 days on various movie/TV/commercial sets. While the end goal still hasn't been realized, it was perhaps my most prolific year to date. My favorite part about the experience, usually, is seeing myself in the final product. So as an update, I thought I'd share a few screenshots from the past year (for anyone who doesn't follow my TV/Film Resume).

Often, when I share screenshots of me in the background of some film or commercial, I think people usually have a hard time reconciling my obvious excitement with the fact I'm barely a blur and hardly recognizable. Take this from a Crown Royal Apple shoot; super blurry, right? And this was the best look I got in the whole commercial. Believe me, I know; I go through every video frame by frame to snag these.

Some highlights of late were doing a Microsoft/Seahawks commercial and getting this fun shot with Tyler Lockett. Can you see me in the upper left holding the sign? Just imagine it flying by at 30 frames per second. But still, I'm stoked.

I did two commercials for Washington State Department of Health, with one of them calling specifically for a juggler (pictured above)! The slow-mo of the shot actually turned out really fun, despite being half a second long. If I could be a juggler in the background of a movie, that would be a dream. This shoot was a step in that direction. In the other, I was just a random party-goer in a mask, but my brother spotted me on live TV when the commercial ran, the second time that's happened!

But perhaps the biggest highlight was Somebody I Used To Know, a film I spent 6 days on set for in October 2021. By virtue of being around so much, I ended with more than just half a second of screen time (though realistically, all combined, it might add up to less than 7 seconds total.) In addition to the fun looks on screen, it was a gas to be around such fun and talented people and made me feel I had a decent connection to the movie, having gotten to know the story line, etc. I even got to do a little stand-in work which was new for me and pretty fun! Anyway, here are a few shots from that.

To see a rundown of all the projects I've been involved in (with screenshots, links to videos, etc.), I do encourage you to check out the little list I keep. The hope is that it will continue getting lots of updates as I do more and more projects. Stay tuned!
Saturday February 11 2023File under: extra

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Financial Recap of Europe 2022-23

Like I do, here is a recap of the cost of my recent trip to Europe. Overall, it was more expensive (per day) than many of my trips (for reasons we'll touch on below), but still quite reasonable. I share it here not only as an entry into this ever-growing data repository of my life, but also to perhaps be* helpful to others who might be looking to travel and want tangible financial data to help inform them.

A few notes before we get to data:
  • Money was harder to track this trip than previous ones. For one, Della and I used to keep a dedicated financial journal with every penny we spent traveling. I was tempted to bring that same journal with me this trip but feared losing or ruining it. As a result, my records are less precise.
  • Also adding to the "harder to track" column was this was the first trip I relied so heavily on my credit card. Bopping between 5 different currencies made this much more convenient. Online booking of lodging which I sometimes used PayPal with also led to more dispersed records.
  • I actively tried to penny pinch less on this trip, occasionally treating myself to hotels instead of hostels, public transit instead of walking, and indulging in food opportunities more than I have. That said, I'm still a super cheapo, but I'm less of a cheapo than I used to be.
  • For purposes of categorization, I split up the 7-day Danube cruise ($825 total) into lodging->45%, food->30%, transportation->15%, and entertainment->10%. This was the easily largest expense of the trip (outside airfare), accounting for ⅓ of [non-airfare] costs yet only being ⅙ of time. (I'm still glad I did it, though.)

Flights$1233Seattle->Krakow, Prague->London, London->Seattle. Had I bought a simple rountrip, I could have shaved $500+ off the cost, but the flexibility one-ways give was desirable this time around*
Lodging$83213 nights with a room to myself (average $45/nt), 9 nights in free volunteer dorms, leaving 15 nights in shared hostels (average $16/nt).
Food$750Average ~$22.5/day when accounting for board provided when volunteering. That number probably skews high from cruise portion of food. Also of note, very few hostels/hotels had included breakfast.
Long Distance Travel (excluding flights)$270Trains/buses around Europe, portion of cruise (as noted above), ½ of my bike rental (with the other half going in entertainment)
Short Distance Travel$55Public transport, including to/from airport state-side, 3 all-day passes (Vienna, Budapest, Prague), Heathrow->London round trip ($15!), etc.
Entertainment, etc.$450Stonehenge, Vienna circus, cinemas, castles/museums, salt mines, other ½ of bike rental, souvenirs, postcards/stamps, cruise entertainment portion, public baths
Other$50Money exchange fees, public toilets, leftover currency, laundry
Total$3640

Like I mentioned at the top, the per day cost of this trip (~$93) was higher than many trips ($65/day for Camino/Africa 2021, $96/day for both Della and I combined for Indonesia 2019, $70/day for a transatlantic cruise/Portugal/Morocco 2013). I suppose when you account for inflation, less penny pinching, and the not having the travel partner "discount"*, it's not too bad. And for what I got—6 weeks in Europe, a chance to volunteer, a cruise down the Danube, some perspective on my life, a much needed escape—it's a bargain.
Sunday January 29 2023File under: travel, data

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Today I...

Throughout this trip, I kept a simple travel journal (available here), mostly about the day to day events, record of costs, etc. Its main purpose was for me to have some way of summarizing and remembering my day, kind of like sharing how your day was with your partner. I feel so grateful that so many people followed along with the journal (which, had I known, I might have put a little more effort into spicing it up!). But for those who didn't (and for lazy me of the future that wants to know generally what I did during the trip), I put together this calendar of sorts. The note and photo about the day aren't meant to necessarily be the highlight nor a summary of the day, just something notable.


Thursday January 19 2023File under: travel, europe

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Biking Vienna to Budapest

Ever since I heard about the EuroVelo system of bike paths across Europe, I felt like I needed to check it out. I didn't know how or when, but it seemed like a good fit for me. As I do most of my travel in Europe's winter, I thought it might be a bit of a pipe dream. After all, who likes pedaling in rain, snow, and freezing temperatures? I somewhat put it in the back of my mind until...

During my Christmas cruise down the Danube, after the weather went from sub-freezing to just at or above freezing, I found myself eying the pleasantly paved paths that line much of the Danube thinking, "Maybe this could actually work!" A quick peek at the weather forecast once the cruise ended, and it was decided; I was going to do some biking!

No less than an hour after disembarking the ship, I found a place to rent a bike (a big shoutout to Vienna Explorer for 1) being open while everywhere else seemed to be closed 2) having just the right package for me (1-week of rental with helmet, lock, panniers, and tool kit), and 3) being super super nice and supportive!). The cost came to $135, just under $20/day.

EuroVelo 6 passes through Vienna so I had the choice of heading east or west. Going west would keep me mostly in Austria (the most expensive country I'd visited yet) but going east would take me back to where I just was on the cruise. The foriegness (and cheapness) of Slovakia and Hungary won out so I headed east!

As a consequence of doing very little research*, the actuality of the trip differed from my imagination of it. I was picturing a clear, smooth, wide path along the Danube the whole way. While some of it was like that, maybe 40-50%, 20-30% was on less ideal paths (sidewalks, less even surfaces, or sometimes unpaved tracks). The rest was on roads, probably evenly split between very few cars making for a lovely ride and not overly enjoyable because cars are more frequent and go fast. Those percentages might have skewed more favorable had the signage been a bit better so I didn't get lost as much and I wasn't in the offseason so facilities (hotels, ferries, etc.) were open and operating. But even as it was, EuroVelo 6 between Vienna and Budapest was a very pleasant ride.

Another "didn't fully think it through" consequence was the state of my body. Sure I ride a bike at home. I sometimes even ride 10 miles in a go, usually in less than an hour. So having a full 24 hours to ride 30-40 miles for 4 or 5 days in a row? That should be easy, right? Easy? No. It was doable, but at a cost. My legs (quads, specifically) really turned to jelly by the end of the day. I found myself cursing hostel keepers for putting me in a 4th floor walk-up room. But that was the good kind of hurt, the kind that makes it feel like you're getting stronger. My "sit bones", however, were a different kind of hurt. By the end of the day, esp. when I ended up on less than smooth pavement, I would audibly yelp when I hit a bump.

In the end, I covered the ~180 miles to Budapest in 4 days, quicker than I anticipated, but mostly because I had a hard time finding hotels where and when I needed them (leading to cycling much longer than I wanted at the end of the day). I could have kept going because I had the bike for another 3 days, but my body told me to maybe chill. So I ended up taking the train back to Vienna and using the bike to get around the city which greatly increased my appreciation of the place! And it only took a day or two of rest before my "sit bones" were no worse for wear!

Very often while in the saddle, I found myself comparing the experience to that of the Camino last year. There were just so many similarities: physically taxing, off season, loneliness, motivation, diet (grocery store meat and cheese FTW). And just like the Camino, while I can't say that I had the best time ever, I am really glad I did it. It was where I was meant to be.

I think with better planning (esp. in regards to not pushing myself so hard) in a less off-season, a long bike trip could be a really good trip for me, though I don't imagine I'll put it at the top of my list. I've done Europe 2 years in a row now, and there's so much of the world still to be seen. But, like I said, I'm glad it's a thing that I've done.

Saturday January 7 2023File under: travel, europe

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Recap of Danube Cruise

To some people, "cruise" is 4 letter word. I often find myself evangelizing to often bewildered people, as I'm not the type. And while I do understand many of the downsides of cruises that the nay-sayers say, I typically find the positives outweigh the downsides. But there's a whole other post in that. There's probably another complete post weighing the difference of ocean cruises to river cruises too, but that's not why we're here. We're here to recap my Christmas cruise on the Danube River.

The itinerary was simple, 7 days basically going from Vienna to Budapest and back with a few stops along the way, notably Bratislava and less notably Melk, Durnstein, and Esztergom* In between "ports", there were maybe two 3/4 days of sailing where we could watch the shore go by. Mostly, though, they did a good job of motoring along while we were sleeping so time in the cities were optimized.

You've heard me rave about cruises before and I'm afraid that won't be the case here. It's not that there was anything bad about this trip, but it had a few strikes against it that weren't its fault. But before we get into the downsides, let's highlight the good!

The Good
  • I loved docking right in the middle of the cities. I was out walking around the cities' main squares within 10 minutes of leaving breakfast (vs. on an ocean cruise, the port is often logisticially difficult to get to and from.) Also, since our destinations were so close together, we'd leave a town in the morning and be to a new one after lunch.
  • The crew was really really great. They were almost all Ukrainian and they were just the right mix of respectfully distant and engaging*.
  • My room had a view(!) albeit a small one. But having natural light makes a huge difference vs. the closet you sometimes feel like you're in on an ocean cruise ship.
  • The food will fall into both the good and the bad categories. On the good side, the meals were really top notch, with fancy plating, WAY too much silverware, and 3 options for every meal (in addition to soup, salad, and dessert). Rack of lamb, borscht, seafood pasta, roast duck, pasta bolognese—not a bad selection at all. Plus the portion sizes were pretty small (or, as I like to call them, normal person sized) so it kept me from overeating too much. Also, the breakfast buffet was quite nice.
  • The crew, again, did a great job making Christmas feel special, with extra little touches like origami napkins in the shape of Santa's boot, christmas cookie decorating class, and a free drink with Christmas dinner.
  • The itinerary was really great. Being able to see Vienna, Budapest, and Bratislava without having to pack and move hotels was great. The three little cathedral towns were a great counterpoint to the big cities, too. And the shores along the Danube were very pleasant to watch drift by.

Let it be said that I don't hold the "bads" against Crucemundo, the crew of the MS Fidelio, or anything. It's more just an observation on my experience that I want to share and also capture for the next time I'm thinking of cruising.

The Bad
  • Cruising alone isn't very much fun, at least for me. Traveling alone in general doesn't suit me, but cruising esp. feels like being at a couples dance stag. There were 4 of us solo English speakers (2 Brits, one Australian) that they stuck at a table together and we made the best of it: checking in about people's plans, building a repport, etc. But for me, I'd rather be non-solo. Or maybe it just really made me miss Della.
  • The amenities on a river cruise are necessarily less than its bigger ocean partner. No performance halls, mini-golf, pools, cafes tucked everywhere, spas, nor multiple eating options (notably no buffet).
  • The cost (more of a breakdown later) was roughly twice per day the most expensive ocean cruise Della and I ever took. Again, this is merely an economy of scale issue and you'd be hard pressed to find a river cruise for what I paid for this. But when looked at it side-by-side, it feels worth noting.
  • While the food was great, it definitely lacked a lot of the flexibility I have experienced on previous cruises. Dinner was at a specific time as opposed to an open buffet. There were just 3 options, always one fish, one meat, and one veg. And if something was good, you couldn't get more. And you couldn't not get something you knew you wouldn't eat (I'm looking at you, brussel sprouts.) And there was nothing except tea and coffee for between meals and late night snacking.
The cost breakdown is this: I came across this as a "Black Friday Deal", at more than 50% off. The original advertised price was $450 which, in terms of river cruises, is very good. After taxes, port fees, single supplement, and tips, it came to more like $835(!). Additionally throughout the week, I spent maybe $20 on public transportation, museum entry, and maybe a postcard or two. Again, while good for a river cruise, much better per day rates can be found on ocean cruises.

Overall, I'm glad I went. While not something I would necessarily glowingly recommend to someone, I had a good time and it was a pleasant way to spend my Christmas. It also gave me an idea of what river cruises are like, so if the occasion arises again, I will have a basis for comparison. It definitely added to the texture of my Europe 2022/23 trip and for that I'm grateful.
Sunday January 1 2023File under: travel, cruise

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Twas the Night 2022

'Tis the night before Christmas and lay down to rest
I've earned a good sleep from my day in Budapest.

I'm spending the week on a Danube boat cruise
We're seeing the sights and getting great views.

We launched in Vienna then headed downstream
The mist and the fog make it feel like a dream.

Hungary's currently our home, docked right in downtown
My main activity has been walking around.

Yesterday I walked for miles upon miles
At the end of the day, the castle brought me most smiles

But today I set goals, for this Christmas eve's day
So I set out early (after the breakfast buffet)

First stop was some disc golf, the course meh or not even
But I sank some good putts and then I was leaving

Next was a park full of communist statues
I took selfie upon selfie to keep me amused

The day'd been quite fun, exploring places brand new
But I had a more somber goal that I wanted to do

Della and I were here, back in twenty sixteen
And I wanted to visit some of the places we'd been

Della's still so deep within me, esp on days like today
I try to find ways to feel closer whenever there's a way

Then after the day I had had, I needed a break
So it was back to the ship for tea and some cake

The shipboard dinner was quite the affair
I had duck, soup, and as much dessert as I dared

The group that I eat with, we all came on our own
We have much fun together, better than being all alone

After dinner I head back for just one more wander
A evening in Budapest isn't something to squander

But my feet have informed me 12 miles is enough
So I head back to the boat to take care of some stuff

Writing this poem is a task and a half
I'll share 'bout my day and try to give you a laugh

This yearly tradition is routine that I need
So you're doing me a favor by giving it a read

Now I'll wind down this rhyme like I always do
By sending Christmas wishes to all of you

May your holidays be full of all you desire
Like hopefully you got that hippest air fryer

Merry Christmas, dear friends, I say with all of my might
And a Happy New Year to you and to all a good night
Saturday December 24 2022File under: holidays, poetry

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A Few Days In Poland

Ever since last year's visit to Spain, I've found myself with Europe on the mind. Something about the old buildings, pedestrian-forward cities, reasonable prices (at least in Spain), newness but with some familiarity—whatever it was sat and stewed in my mind all year. So when it came time to plan this year's travels, I cast my gaze eastward.

First stop on the tourist part of the trip (as opposed to the semi-productive volunteer portion of the trip as seen below), was Poland. While I did get a chance to peek around the small city of Jaroslaw in the southeast, Krakow was the majority of my Polish experience. And, I have to say, it was exactly the blast of Europe that I was hoping for! There were castles, narrow streets, bustling squares, cheap food, ease (and pleasantness!) of transit, and so much more.

In Krakow, I did most of what I was "supposed" to: I saw the fabled salt mines (super interesting in concept and history, slightly less so in practice (esp. when the requisite tour guide had a thick enough access that I only caught every other word)), I toured Wawel castle (I was hoping for more castle-y stuff and less in the way of a medieval art museum, but not bad), I spent a ton of time in the main square complete with its huge Christmas market. After much consideration and talking to many people that did it, I skipped the Auschwitz tour.

But mostly I did what I do: wander. I logged many miles walking through the snow, slush, and ice just taking it all in. I usually try to set a mission for the day to guide me (find pierogis, for example), but mostly I just tried to keep myself occupied. After all, staying occupied is half the reason I'm traveling in the first place. And I'm pleased to say, so far, I've been mostly successful. Thanks Poland for keeping me occupied!


Friday December 23 2022File under: travel, Poland

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