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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![]() 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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on Tue 24th Sep, 2019 08:07 pm EDT Chris said: Congrats! Although I can't say I appreciate the cliffhanger - how did it all end on page A9?!? ************************ on Tue 24th Sep, 2019 08:10 pm EDT Chris...again said: Ok, I'm an idiot, I JUST found the link the whole article you so blatantly provided :-( , I have shamed our honored brotherhood of SVH front pagers! ************************ on Wed 13th Nov, 2019 04:30 pm EST Horge said: Nice work. One question, are you planning to post a copy of this Skagit article on your wall with the crosswords? That'd be pretty meta. Though I think you should also then post on your wall a copy of this Blog article talking about the Skagit article talking about your crosswords. Now that'd be some Inception-level meta-ness. (p.s. check your email dude) ************************ |
Monday Aug 26 2019 | File under: misc |
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on Wed 13th Nov, 2019 04:33 pm EST Horge said: I like the middle photo best with an expression seeming to say "if you don't get that camera out of my face, I'm going to projectile vomit all over it" ************************ |
![]() 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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on Sun 19th May, 2019 01:25 pm EDT Horge said: Cool! Though I wouldn't have managed any better if I'd been your phone-a-friend. I mean, I could've helped you out with other planetary questions maybe... In any case, sounds like a harrowing 9 months' wait. I know a bit about that myself ;-) (=read your email!) ************************ |
![]() 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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![]() "Maybe I left it in the room..." [Nervous two hours of trying to ignore possibility of phone loss, search room top to bottom, ask hotel staff where bus lost and found is, enjoy staff's laughter at this concept, lose hope] "Didn't I hear a podcast about an online way that can help you track where your phone is?" [Google "find my phone", log in, see blinking red dot a map nearby(!), hustle out on the street, get lost finding intersection, find intersection, don't find phone, return to hotel] ![]() "The dot moved again!!" [Put on Sherlock hat, start spreadsheet of GPS coords with time of observation, frantically refresh website until bedtime, sleep fitfully] ![]() "The buses seem to be laying over in this abandoned field. We should go there and search every bus we find!" [Jump through hoops to get internet on Della's phone, hop a bus that looks like it's going that direction, hop off bus once it diverts, see intermittently updated blinking dot pass us, furiously speculate, hop on new bus, bounce our way to the "station"] "Yesterday he/she/it lose thing phone in bus please us look for"* [Start searching buses, try to connect via Della's phone to make it ring, no ringing, see dancing Della with phone in her hand, jump for joy, many self congratuations] With a successful completion of the mission, we felt like badasses. From the get go, we felt like our chances were slim. But for a few pesos for bus fare and international data charges and a bit of ingenuity and persistance, we triumphed. In fact, it was a better adventure than the overpriced omni-present snorkeling excursions the resort keeps trying to pitch us. Adventure, badassery, frugality: that's the way we roll! |
Thursday March 7 2019 | File under: travel, mexico |
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on Thu 07th Mar, 2019 01:34 am EST Mom said: OMG I was on the edge of my seat until I realized that you must have found it or I wouldn’t be reading this tale. Whew!! ************************ on Sun 10th Mar, 2019 09:37 pm EDT rus said: well ill be damned ************************ on Thu 14th Mar, 2019 05:14 pm EDT Horge said: ¿Donde está la tarta de hoy? Aunque estaís en vacaciones no sería un razon bastante fuerte para no hacer una empanada por el catorce de marzo... ¿Porque no estás/eres listo? ************************ |
![]() Della and I are on a bit of a Mexico adventure and Zipolite proved the perfect places to start it out: a mile long picturesque beach on which we found a circus hotel for next to nothing price-wise. We played in the surf, we juggled for locals while dad played accordion, and we ate really well for very cheap. ![]() My dad and I have good travel history together. This trip is the third Mexico adventure together (San Cristobal 9 years ago, and San Miguelle de Allende 15 years ago (pre-BdW(!))). While "adventure" might apply less on this trip than it did to the others, easy time over crosswords and good food is an experience I can get behind just as much. I can only hope that when I'm his age, I'll be living as great a life! |
Wednesday February 27 2019 | File under: travel, mexico |
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on Sat 02nd Mar, 2019 03:38 pm EST Andrew said: A ese gato le encanta hacer malabares! ************************ |
I wish Della and I were on it enough to put out an end of the year letter to send to friends and family every year. We love it when we receive updates from others (even if we have gotten bits and pieces from social media.) We put one out back in 2013 and again in 2015. Well, we got it together enough to do it again for 2018! Most of the info is probably old news, but not everybody is so good about staying updated on BdW* as you! Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
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Tuesday January 15 2019 | File under: misc |
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