Ridewood Church Show

Alakazi and I had a show this week end. It rained a bit. Actually it drizzled the entire time. Even with the rain fun was had by all. We did realize that we do not have funny colored umbrellas.

Well just checking in. Be safe out there and keep your stick on the ice.

My Play List

If you listen to the play list on my phone it is nuts. There is only one radio station that half as nuts as the music that I choose to listen to that is WRCT. In the middle of the night that sometimes have a DJ Filling Dead Air. Well that it what it says on thier web site when you tune in over the web. i apparently live on the back side of a hill from thier transmitter so I get a clear signal over the web.

No one appears to advertise on this station so it is not cluttered with any of that. For some reason I always tune in the middle of the night. So I had no idea that it was a college radio station. I suppose I should have guessed because of the lack of advertising or pledge drives.

With any luck there will be juggling on Sunday. I think I am going to put in a request.

Be safe out there and keep your stick on the ice.

Facebook needs Customer Service

Facebook continues to be a pain the neck. The Brigade has a facebook page where we put up our practices and events. Members check what they are showing up for. When it was working it was a nice thing. Sadly it is not working. People who have left the group accidentally cannot be invited back. I have tried over and over and not been able to figure it out. Of course there is no customer support from facebook. There are tons of ads and if you click the wrong thing they try and sign you up for a video game advertised by a half naked cartoon. I wonder if female members get the same half naked cartoon or if their half naked cartoons are male.

Well anyway. I would like to fine a social network site that all of the Brigade members can log into and get regular updates of what we are doing. That is the sad thing about facebook. Surely they have made money off the tons of adds that are plastered through out the thing. Heck now I am getting ads that appear to be entries from other users. Of course they are put in because everyone has learned to ignore the ads on the sidebar. You would think they had made enough money to have a customer service department. Maybe they have made their money by convincing a new generation of customers that they do not need to be respected.

Juggling Ball Obessions

Juggling balls have been a minor obsession over the last couple of years. I have sewn them, knit them, crocheted them, filled balloons with sand, slit open ball pit balls and turned them into juggling balls. They have been stuffed with sand, wood pellets, BBs. ball bearings, ground up walnut shells and even water. They have been cube shaped, pyramids and now sort of round. As for the round we have tried all kinds of ways to make them round. We have tried six pieces, ten pieces and even one horrible experience making them like a mini soccer balls. The closest on the round we have gotten to is making them like a baseballs. Odd how the one sport I like to watch turns our to know the easiest way to make a round juggling ball.

Tonight I am going to bed after making one ball that is the closest we have ever gotten. A millet filled baseball shaped juggling ball. It is still not perfect but it closer than I have gotten thus far. The newly minted ball is sitting in bed with me as I type this before I turn in. I locked all the cats out of my bedroom so they will not play with it. In the morning I will stuff two waiting shells with millet and sew them up. If all goes as planned I think this will be as good as we can make them without industrial sewing machines.

I would like to thank the members of my clown troupe and the Masters of Flying Object Juggling Club at CMU. Their feed back and testing has been invaluable. Also none of them have tried to have me committed for my obsession and have been down right polite about it.

When all is said and done it looks as if these balls will cost around 2 dollars a set to make. That is not bad. Heck it down right affordable when you consider most juggling balls are ten dollars or more a ball. As I look at the finished ball on the pillow next to me I realize two things. First my quest to make the best juggling ball I can make may be at an end. Second I need a girl friend.

Thank you all for you time, help and understanding. Now I wonder if I can make a decent juggling club.

Balls and Roller Skating.

The millet has been ordered. Well 20 pounds of it has been order and will be here tuesday. I have several cut outs of the balls at the ready. I have been sewing them a few at a time as I sit around watching the tele. So when I do have the millet I should be able to stuff the balls and have a few sets ready to go for next friday's juggling group.

After letting everyone in a couple of juggling groups play with the round balls. They like the size and the only complaint with the sawdust off the wood pellets and they angular ends. So the millet should solve all our problems with the balls.

I will keep you posted on this thing.

Also the Roller Skating at Eden Park starts thursday. This is a great little fundraiser for a local college fund. You would not think clowns are into education. Actually you would be right for the most part. Heck Tri-Rivers Clown Alley threw out a bunch of people who wanted to teach juggling. Anyway Steel City Clown Brigade is all about education. We tutor kids and help raise money for educating them.

Well  our contribution to this outing is showing up and doing balloon animals. In future I will post the times and cost of these events. So if you are in the South Hill may want to stop by for this one.

Be safe out there and keep your stick on the ice.