Stevenson
The Tossup Juggling Festival at Stevenson High School was this past weekend. Mark, a very fun juggler from Madison, stayed with us for the weekend, and Harper’s brother Dylan also came out. Juggling time on Saturday was cut a bit short because Harper and I had to swing back into the city to stop by Rebecca’s birthday party, inconveniently timed right in the middle of a juggling festival. (The party doubled as a going away deal for her host family, the only excuse for such terribly poor scheduling). After saying hi at the party, we made it back to grab some fast food and eat it right before the festival show. While we ate, this middle-aged woman came up to me and said “Are you Matiss?” After I said I was, she continued, “My daughters have been stalking you from Six Flags. We figured you’d be here tonight…you’re performing, right?” I said I wasn’t performing and she disappeared.. Just a tad spooked, we headed into the theater.
The show ruled. One act, called Swan, I think would appeal to my parents.. It featured a pianist and a cellist playing a piece of classical music. Then a third man walked out onstage, juggling three balls. He tossed one to the cellist, who caught it with his non-bow-holding hand and continued playing, actually using the ball. Every so often, he would toss the ball he was holding to the juggler, and the juggler would toss him a different ball. This basically continued until the cellist quit playing and ran off as the juggler had fetched knives instead of balls… Most of the other acts were good too..contortionists, a juggler who worked with Cirque du Soleil for a few years, etc.
Brian couldn’t make it on Sunday, so he wasn’t there to pass with me in the numbers passing competitions. I still entered my usual solo competitions, and managed to win at quarters juggling again. It wasn’t as much money as last time, but the prestige alone is worth it. Or something.
Birthday
Monday was my birthday. I took Tuesday off from work, so that I could go to a Ministry concert that night.. The show ruled. They’re starting to get a little bit old, but they still put on a good performance. The singer kept stage diving, which I haven’t really seen at one of these shows before.
Harper gave me an English translation of the Japanese book Ring, on which the movie was based. It was good, but not as scary as the Japanese movie. It definitely seemed like a bit of a rushed translation job as well; there were assorted errors throughout the book.
This weekend is the Stevenson High juggling festival, the last convenient midwest juggling festival until November, basically. Looking forward to it.
