![]() To start with, there is, of course, tea. We got to tour a tea plantation and factory (being sure to take the requisite 1 million selfies). And although the traditional pot of tea is nice, my favorite way to take tea is with ice, milk, sugar, and BOBA! I finally get the bubble tea craze, though I will have a hard time paying $5 back in the states when it comes to about $1.25 here. Other favorites so far have been fresh mango smoothies (made with real mango), coconut milkshakes (made with real coconut), strawberry juice (made with real, grown right out behind the restaurant strawberries), and corn juice (made with real corn)*. Who knows what Indonesia will have in way of can't-be-missed drinks. But I can only imagine they will be cold, they will be cheap, and we will drink a lot of them! |
Thursday December 19 2019 | File under: travel, malaysia |
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![]() I actively avoid getting too much information about a place before I visit lest I'm unable to keep an open mind upon arrival. Singapore, and Gardens By the Bay, was no exception. So aside from the trees, we didn't know what to expect. As it turned out, around every turn there was something new and wonderful to see: large scale installation art, topiary gardens, water features, an amazing food court*, and a holiday light installation to that puts Vegas to shame. We wandered through mostly deserted paths and were positively giddy*. All in all, Gardens By the Bay set a wonderful tone for the upcoming 2 months of adventure: hidden wonders, delicious food, and being together. This is going to be fun! |
Sunday December 8 2019 | File under: travel, singapore |
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If you're not following @wrenanddella over at instagram, what are you waiting for!?! In this new day and age of social this and insta that, Della and I finally got around to having a place to put pictures up on a slightly faster timeline than this blog. But since we all know how traditions die hard with me, I offer up some photos from our 2019 juggling summer season. Enjoy.
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Tuesday November 19 2019 | File under: juggling, pics |
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Tuesday November 5 2019 | File under: juggling, holidays |
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![]() The SVH runs the Universal crossword, which, up until this past year, was a somewhat of a throw away puzzle constructed and edited by a persona non grata. Then editorship was taken over by David Steinberg, a great editor I've worked at the Orange Country Register and the Puzzle Society. This allowed for some of my puzzles to appear in the paper, which I thought was neat, something a small town paper might be inclined to point out—"Today's crossword is by area man" or whatever. So I pitched the idea when I had a puzzle coming out. To make a long story short, this article is what came of the pitch, notably not in conjunction with one of my puzzles. In fact, it doesn't even mention having a puzzle in the SVH, which was the pitch in the first place. I can't deny that it is nice to have a feature story about me on the front page of my town's newspaper (albeit with a less than flattering photo). It feels like a neat nod to this thing I do. It would have been great if things could have come together to have the feature run with a puzzle, but I guess you can't have it all. If you want to try some of my puzzles, I've started a bit of a resume, as it were. Here's to hoping it keeps growing. |
Monday September 23 2019 | File under: media, crossword |
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Monday Aug 26 2019 | File under: misc |
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![]() Housesitting is up; that's good. As our circus business grows, housesitting represents a less critical financial piece, but it is still a prominent part of our life that I would not like to see fade away. Travel is down; that's bad. Both overall and the two most interesting types of travel, international and domestic, are not nearly as high as I would like. After two years with no nights in a tent, we got 2, internationally no less. At Home percentage is spot on to the 10-year average, which I find oddly amusing. Other interesting stats from the year:
As always, I'm excited to see what the next year will hold. We've got a big international trip planned, some changes in the housesitting landscape, and as always, the possibility for the unseen. Life is fun. Looking at it through the lens of data is fun too! |
Friday August 2 2019 | File under: stats |
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![]() Nearly 4 years to the day after I taped my Wheel of Fortune episode, I found myself back in a TV studio, this time in Las Vegas, nervously waiting to appear on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire. The process with Millionaire wasn't too dissimilar to Wheel, if you replace face-to-face testing and auditions with Skype calls*. There were a few more logisitics around bringing your "plus 1" and my producer was a bit more specific about wardrobe*, but overall the process was something like: apply online -> [get lucky to be picked to move on] -> take a test -> [be smart] -> have audition -> [get lucky your attempt at jokes go over well] -> wait hopefully (and a bit nervously) -> [receive "You're in!" letter] -> do a jig -> anxious wait to hear about taping date -> binge watch the show for studying purposes -> keep waiting* -> fly to Las Vegas to tape the episode -> exhale Overall, it was a wonderful experience. I got to meet some really great people, added another cool adventure to my life resume, and ended up with a little bit of change in my pocket*. While the result of this pass at TV game show-dom didn't quite support the this-is-a-big-part-of-my-how-I-make-my-living plan, I'm not going to let that stop me from continuing to try! ![]() ![]() ![]() Oh, and if you never saw my Wheel episode, check it out here |
Thursday May 2 2019 | File under: video, pictures |
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![]() The Real Food Show is a dynamic 35-minute performance that combines circus arts, food education, laughter, healthy lifestyle awareness, and fun. Della eats an apple while juggling. I ride a unicycle. Della dances* while standing on my shoulder. I balance a huge stack of protein blocks on my face. It's a really fun show. The funding model so far has allowed schools to get the show for free through sponsorship by local area co-ops. Overall, the show has been in 75+ schools (40-ish under my tenure) and is universally well received. But we're looking to expand to communities that might not have co-ops. We're excited to be doing a PTA sponsored show soon and hope to find lots more ways to bring this important message delivered in a fun way to more students! If you have want the show to come to your kid's school or have an in anywhere that might want the show, please contact me. A few of our recent shows have been covered in print, and as is my wont, I shall post the articles here for posterity. A big thanks to the Port Townsend Leader and the Skagit Food Co-op for the coverage, and as always, the Community Food Co-op for their initial and continued support of the show! ![]() ![]() |
Friday April 19 2019 | File under: media, juggling |
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Saturday April 6 2019 | File under: Mexico, pictures |
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