Re-Entry

Jaysus...do I even remember how to blog at this point?

Thanks to all who have stopped by recently to check in and leave notes. I have an unholy amount of email to sift through in this Inbox, so if you dropped a note and I haven't responded, know that I'm getting to it.

I also still owe you the remaining parts of Dustin Haywood's take on Casey Serin, so will get that queued up as well...

I've been out of reach of the blogosphere, inking up my passport with some emergency business travel. I've now done three round-trips from CA to London in the past, what, ten? fourteen? days---I've got no fucking concept of how long I've been away, as the jet lag and life at 30,000 feet is absolute bullshit. My brain is pudding, everyone, so be kind.

A special thanks to a friend that I kept up all night after my first re-entry, even though that person had to take a stupidly long flight that day as well. I can't even tell you right now how absolutely thankful I am for that conversation.

This morning finds me racked with insomnia, yet again, but still not home. Am spending the day checking in with one of our other offices, though I'll be damned if I feel like boarding a flight anytime soon. I really might just rent a car, point it toward Mexico, and buy a surfboard somewhere along the way, never to be heard from again.

Of course, this is the bitterness of jet lag and sleep deprivation talking. Just wrapped what eventually came to be a very nice merger, and once all of this wears off, I might actually celebrate for five minutes before diving head-first into the next thing.

In that spirit, I thought I'd share the most bizarre thing I'd come across in recent weeks. While sitting in an airport surfing around for mindless chum, I came across this. It's best watched with volume on, though you don't need to hear the accompanying music to see that it's truly bizarre.



At first glance, I thought these were some crazed southern California kids doing a circus sideshow version of a talent show. It appealed to me because I did a heap of competitive gymnastics growing up, with the family sitting down at one point to discuss whether I would leave home at the ripe old age of eight to study under one of the world's elite coaches. Obviously, the answer was a resounding no.

But because of this background, I love the human form. I'm constantly awed and inspired by the graceful lines that the body is capable of achieving. Needless to say, I love the ballet--or pretty much dance in any form--and have developed an intense fondness for the works of Cirque du Soliel.

It's never left me. I have a close friend who is a pro surfer with incredible upper body strength. When we're on the beach together, I run up to him yelling, "Let's play Cirque du Soliel!!!" I force him into strange positions, requesting that he then catapult me into the sky so that I may flip and fly, if for a few lovely seconds. He is always afraid that he will break me and, while I'm normally empathetic, I refuse to let his anxiety stand in the way of my fun.

So you can see why I find these girls such crazy fun to watch. Although I'll be the first to say that the thing where the girl's head is on the ground and she squirrels her feet around her body like a bug pretty much grosses me out. Like totally.

After a minute of so-called research, it turns out that these young women are not merely some kind of sideshow wunderkinds of southern California. They are, in fact, one of the latest additions to Cirque's latest North American touring show that will take place through 2008. So that at least explains something.


Other than this brief glimpse into my web surfing history, you guys are going to have to clue me in to any happenings on the interwebs. I've been living an incredibly stressful yet blissfully ignorant existence for quite a bit now, and I think I might be able to take in some of the news between naps :)