Exceding Expectations

I started my new job last week. So far it's going well - I can handle 3-4 hours/day, especially knowing that once I settle in, it's supposed to move down to 2.5 hours/day. ;-)

I have the benefit of knowing the owner of the company since I worked for 4 years at his previous endeavor. I also knew a small handful of the employees already. So, I had no problem showing up in my typically casual dress: shorts, a t-shirt, and sandals (gotta love Israeli winters!).

I wonder what the other people think, though. I'm supposed to be the department head and I'm sure they must be thinking that the owner is crazy. Especially the people whose boss I became. I personally am amused by the minor shock value I can provide. Well, at least I get a kick out of myself.

I've never had a problem in the past with coworkers' concern for my professionalism, even with my very casual demeanor. I once felt awkward, though, when I hired 2 men who were over twice my age to work under me. I've also had people with a lot more formal education than I. But in the end, it became obvious why I was the boss and there was never an issue with it. I even prefer knowing that I've earned the respect from my actions and abilities, rather than artificial means like fancy clothes, titles, diplomas, or intimidation.

But let's get on the real topic here: juggling!

I'm not sure why, but it's important to me to be respected by my peers. I love showing off, especially for jugglers who can appreciate the technical skills and originality involved in what I do. I'm very proud of my achievements and even more so when I can surprise people by my skills. The thing about juggling is that you can't tell from looking at someone how good they might be.

Many years ago there was a juggling shop in Tel Aviv that people used to meet outside of on Friday afternoons. I remember well the first time a group of us from Jerusalem showed up. The regulars had thought that nothing could be greater than the jugglers from Tel Aviv so I took a lot of satisfaction in blowing them away. ;-)

I would love to show up at the New York City juggling club and surprise Slammin Andy (one of my favorite online juggling personalities). He once wrote about how he judges new people even before they start juggling. I have a feeling that my shleppiness and one-piece juggling clubs would throw him for a loop.

Early Bookings

I generally book shows about a month in advance on average. I occasionally get things even earlier and have a few shows lined up for late summer already. And then there are freak things like the Turkey trip mentioned the other day which is 11 months in advance. So today I got an email asking to book me the day before the Turkey trip. Maybe I'll book next January up before next month is even full!

Loving Springtime

It's an amazing time of year. There is so much green everywhere and the wildflowers are in bloom. I'm lucky to live out in nature. I have to make sure to enjoy it more instead of spending too much time in front of the computer (it's nighttime now so it's ok).

The other day, I took my girls on a picnic and hike a few miles south of here. We saw so many beautiful flowers of every color, shape, and size. I made an effort to hunt down more and more different types and to teach my kids to appreciate them all.

Next week I'll take them to Givat HaTermosim, a hill nearby that has all the regular wildflowers plus a special type (Termosim) that only grow on this one hill. It's a beautiful place that I've taken my kids to a couple times already in previous years. Ok, I just got off the phone with a friend of mine, and we'll go together one day next week with our kids. I'm really looking forward to it.

Interesting Upcoming Gigs

A couple unique requests were processed today.

1. A family of former immigrants to Israel are now doing business from Turkey and are planning now for a January, 2007 bar mitzvah. Much of their event will be run by locals but they decided that it's crucial to have a Jewish juggler. Their plan is to fly me out on a Friday, arrange my accomodations, have me perform on Saturday night, and return me home on Sunday. Yes, an all-expenses vacation to Istanbul! Plus my regular fee, of course. I'm even going to collect an extra finder's fee for arranging a Jewish musician to come along, too.

2. An organization that supports disabled veterans is sponsoring a wheelchair basketball game and are in need of halftime entertainment. It's hard to play to large crowds on both sides
(especially when I don't juggle rings which are the ideal prop from side view), but they only require 10 minutes so I was able to come up with some suitable material.

PS - It's 1:30am and I wrote this post with one hand and a small child falling asleep on my lap. I'm losing the battle against jetlag.

Love at First Chat

The other night, I had a really pleasant chat with a woman on a singles website. Thankfully, she has excellent typing skills and the conversation flowed nicely. Last night we chatted some more.

Now is where I get nervous. It was off to a good start, but what does the future have in store? Will it remain as good? And to top it off, I've got a fear of rejection and therefore I get nervous about making the next step. I sometimes have the terrible attitude that it may be better not to try because then I won't fail.

(Ooh - I really should delete that last sentence because it's embarrassing to admit. I don't honestly feel, however, that it's hindered anything major in my life. I think it's normal to mainly pursue things that one will be successful with. I'm getting off-topic here so I'll shut up already.)

I'm pretty good at chatting (I think) and I could play it safe and chat some more. But what about if she offers me her phone number? Oy, I have problems with phone calls - chatting is so much easier. And I get particularly anxious about the first call. What if that original spark isn't there? It's so easy to push it off and leave the status quo which was quite good. But I know I should do it and move forward - hey, the goal is to actually meet the person and fall in love. Luckily, I rarely get rejected from phone calls with people I've chatted with - but that may be because I usually keep the first one to business: arranging the first date.

Ah, the first date. My first few after the divorce were tough for me. Not because I wasn't emotionally ready but because I had never really been on dates of this nature before. All my past girlfriends were women that I knew socially somehow for some period of time before they became my girlfriend. So online dating and blind dates are really awkward for me. I try conversing as much as possible to catch up on those months of background knowledge that I'm used to.

On my first few dates, I felt a serious pressure - probably because of certain unrealistic expectations I had for success. Luckily, I've gotten over that and have managed to have more fun on dates. But I'm still a bit nervous because I want it to work out. I want to end my online dating subscription as soon as possible. I was optimistic at first and only bought a one month subscription, but of course I've had to renew a few times. I don't want to be a life member of JDate!

Kids are Home!

My kids came back this morning! Woohoo! They've got jetlag and are taking naps right now. I'll wake them soon, though, so hopefully I'll have some sort of chance to get them on schedule.

They're the sweetest things ever. They ran over and gave me the most wonderful hugs at the airport. I picked them up and couldn't put them down until we got to the car. They are so sweet and wonderful. It's so cute to hear them babble on and on.

Once home, we jumped and cuddled and played on the bed, played with toys, went to the park, read some books, and played some more. They're so much fun.

Life is good!

Searches to my site

Below is the absolutely fascinating list of what people searched for to find my site in January. Ok, maybe it's not as interesting as AbbaGav's list, but it does say a lot about the deviants who find my web page.

# Hits Search String
1 385 18.47% back tattoos
2 100 4.80% juggler
3 72 3.45% juggling tricks
4 58 2.78% lip ring
5 53 2.54% lip tattoos
6 33 1.58% mickey mouse tattoos
7 32 1.53% ankle tattoos
8 30 1.44% jester tattoos
9 25 1.20% arm tattoos
10 22 1.06% shoulder tattoos
11 21 1.01% tattoos
12 20 0.96% scott seltzer
13 18 0.86% jugglers
14 18 0.86% juggling videos
15 17 0.82% pooh bear tattoos
16 16 0.77% pics of back tattoos
17 16 0.77% pictures of mickey mouse tattoos
18 15 0.72% anthony gatto
19 15 0.72% ring tattoos
20 14 0.67% cat tattoos

Street Performing

When I spoke to Ofer a couple weeks ago, one thing he spoke about was street performing. When I first got started, I did street performing on Jerusalem's pedestrian mall, Ben Yehuda Street, but I hadn't really thought of going back since it's not my preferred performance style. But, as I'm getting started, I may have to compromise and do certain things just for the money. Actually, another good thing is that it's good publicity and hopefully it could help me get some gigs.

Last weekend I went to Tel Aviv's Nachalat Binyamin which has arts and crafts fairs on Tuesdays and Fridays. I saw 3 juggling street performances (Uri Weiss and wife, Gili, and Edgar (not to mention running into another juggler, Michal Abulafia, a little while later on Shenkin Street). I hadn't really seen any street performing for many years and it really got me thinking. Hey, maybe it's not as bad as I thought. I could see a lot of my material working in this setting. I have some ideas for how to customize my routines to the street as well as some nice additions that may work.

Yeah, I think it's something I'll pursue and try to develop to be ready by early summer.

Technorate Tags: juggling Street Performing

Learning From Nachshon

Thinking further about the name Nachshon (mentioned in one of my recent posts), I was reminded of the importance of the character in Jewish biblical history. I've even got a way to connect his story to my decision to spend less time working in an office, and more time doing things I love.

When the Israelites escaped Egypt and stood trapped up against the Red Sea, it was Nachshon who pressed forward. He stepped into the waters, started wading, and continued further into the deep waters. We all know that eventually the Red Sea split for the Jews, but it didn't occur until Nachshon pressed forward and got in as far as his nostrils. Further reading about Nachshon's bravery.

Nachson didn't sit back and wait for miracles to happen; he took initiative and caused the miracle to happen. We learn from this that good things don't come without making efforts. The bigger the risk, the bigger the potential for success.

The main purpose of this blog is to share my recent experience of quitting my comfortable hi-tech job to pursue my passions in life. I feel in many ways like Nachshon. I am taking a serious financial risk, but am starting to see the pay off. I've been semi-professional for years and get occasional phone calls for shows, but it was never enough to make me think I could quit my job. But the week I gave notice on quitting my job, it seemed that the number of phone calls doubled. And during the last week of working, I got a number of freelance computer jobs including a consistent long-term project at a company 5 minutes from my house (5 minutes in the opposite direction is actually Kibbutz Nachshon).

Ok, so I don't believe there's a metaphysical cause/effect connection here - it's really just coincidence. But it sure is inspiring to hear about people making unpopular decisions but then becoming heroes. Well, I may not have a fan club yet, but hopefully some reader someday will follow my footsteps and make their world a better place. Perhaps people will rethink their priorities and have the courage to do what is really important to themselves and what will have the most impact on their soul.

Aside from the root of name Nachshon being the the Hebrew word for snake, I think I may choose the name for my boa so I'll be reminded of the importance of controlling one's destiny.

Full Time Juggler

My last day of work was Thursday. Yippee!

Snake Lover

I don't want you to think that I don't love juggling (because I do, I really do), but I'm posting again off the normal topic.

I grew up in Arizona and spent a lot of my youth playing outside in the desert. Among my favorite pasttimes was turning over stones and looking for interesting insects and wildlife. One of the best finds was snakes. I learned a lot about snakes, particularly how to capture them carefully and how to identify and avoid the dangerous ones. Several even turned into pets. The one I had the longest was a longnose snake names Clyde (named after a snake in a poem by Shel Silverstein).

This was the perfect pet since my mother was allergic to furry animals. Also, snakes are good for kids because they're very low maintenance compared to something like a dog. You only have to feed snakes about once/week, they're quiet, they don't need to be taken for walks (slithers?), and they don't need to be given baths.

For many years, I've been wanting to get another snake. More recently, I was considering a ball python. I did a lot of research online and got really excited about the thought of buying one. I found some locals with experience with snakes to talk with and found out about a store specializing in exotic pets. A few weeks ago I visited with a friend of mine who is also hoping that his parents will get him a ball python for his bar mitzvah in April.

At the store, I enjoyed the ball python but after seeing the boa constrictors on display, decided that that might be better. In the shop, I met a woman snake owner who also recommended the boa. She actually lives nearby so I called her a few days later and arranged to see her snake. After hanging out with her for a while and discussing things, I became more sure that I needed to get a boa.

I called the shop the next day and they told me that they had some 4 month olds or I could wait a month and get a baby. I decided to wait. I called today and found out that there was a misunderstanding and the baby boa eggs haven't been laid yet and it'll be a few months even before they hatch. Phooey. I can either wait some more or get a medium-sized snake now. I have a feeling I'll wait.

Oh, I've got something a little bit on the topic of juggling. In one of my shows, I do some magic and throughout the show take different props from an "empty" box. I was thinking of maybe reaching in once expecting to take out more juggling props and coming out with a handful of snake. It could be a funny surprise. I've seen similar stuff done with rubber toys, but a real snake could be cool.

As long as I'm here, I can ask ya'll to help me choose a name for my future. Some of the names I've thought of so far include:

• Nachshon - Nachash is the Hebrew word for snake and Nachshon is a biblical name. I'm not sure if the name is too obvious to a Hebrew speaker (for example, in English many children's books have a Sammy the Snake - in Hebrew kids books are all snakes named Nachshon?)? Perhaps a different Hebrew or biblical name could be nice?
• Fluffy - just so I could tell people I have a pet named Fluffy and they'll assume I have a bunny.
• Shorty - have you ever seen a tall snake?
• Girldae - ok, this is a subtle one. Boidae is the scientific name for the boa family. I figured if I got a female, I'd replace the Boi with girl to get a new name.
• Mr. ????? - Pets with titles can be cool. Perhaps Dr. or something?

Of course I'll have to see the snake and get to know it a little before I decide on a name. Sometimes the skin patterns or personality of the snake can suggest something.

If you've got any brilliant suggestions, please put them in the comments.

Typing Matters

Another excursion from the normal topic of juggling...

I took a typing class in high school but mostly cheated by starting on the timed tests before the fairly senile teacher noticed and continued after the buzzer, too. Many years passed and I was able to get through typing papers in college. I mostly kept my hands in the proper position but always looked at my fingers. Now, after 12 years of working in hi-tech, I can touch type pretty well. Except for when I chat with my sister, Ruth, I type faster than most of my chat buddies.

Anyway, the reason I've been thinking about typing is a conclusion I recently made about online dating, one of my recent favorite pasttimes. First of all, I get really turned off by poorly written profiles. The kind of woman I'm looking for can express herself well and is conscientious about her spelling and grammer.

But where typing skills really come in handy is with chats. A good chat is like a good conversation and should flow nicely. If one side can't type well, there is a lot of dead time and the chat can feel tedious. I'm all for informal chatting and even though I'm fairly compulsive about my spelling (though rarely use spell checkers), I am quite forgiving in chats because they are an informal medium. But sometimes online dating chats can be quite painful because of the lack of typing ability and the woman comes across to me as uneducated because she can barely get a sentence out.

But am I really only interested in women who can type well? Aren't there more important things than having good secretarial skills? Well, you know how important first impressions are. Anyway, I hope that women are at least impressed with my typing...

Priorities

Of course I'd like to leave my mark in the juggling world, but I have many things I'd like to accomplish in life. In geek mode earlier today I read an article about Apple Computer's co-founder, Steve Wozniak. A lot of commendable things were written about Steve, but the quote that got me thinking the most is that "his greatest achievement is being a good father to his kids."

My kids are the most important thing to me. They make me feel happy in a way that nothing else can. I love playing with them, reading to them, teaching them, and just being with them. I feel pride in everything they accomplish. And I savor the purity of their love. And of course I give them a lot of love in return.

The past time has been rough because they've been with their mother for over a month. They will be returning next week and will be with me alone for more than 6 weeks until their mother returns. I'm totally looking forward to the time. It's precisely when my day job ends (yay - only one more week!) and I have a lot of things I want to do with them.

Learning From Ofer

So, I met with Ofer last week. I wasn't sure what to expect.

I thought that maybe he would want to represent me as an agent. On one hand, I thought that he had bad motives - just to make money off me. On the other hand, I would like to have someone to find me some work. But it doesn't really matter, because that's not what happened - he didn't offer to help me directly.

But he gave me mountains of helpful information. He gave me lists of contacts in various industries - event organizers, schools, malls, trade show companies, even television contacts. He told me a lot about the different styles of the individuals and how to approach them. We spoke a bit about advertising materials and distribution methods. He gave me a realistic view of what the situation is.

And overall, he was just a nice guy. I spent about 5 hours at Ofer's house and I really appreciate his (and his wife's) kindness. I feel a guilty that I thought that he had bad intentions. He was truly selfless in what he shared with me. Thanks, Ofer!

Learning From Giraffes

There are two main things I've been thinking about learning to ride the giraffe unicycle the other night.

1. Fear is the biggest barrier to success. Fear of failing, rejection, humiliation, embarrassment, what others think, etc. have a huge impact on how we live our lives. Specifically for unicycle, the hardest part was overcoming the fear of falling. Yaakov even suggested intentional falls so I can learn how to fall properly and also to see that it's not scary. The thing is that it was scary. Riding next to the wall even without touching it wasn't so hard. But to ride out in the open was truly intimidating. My body actually knew what to do but it took a bit of practicing before my confidence increased and I was able to do just let myelf go. But once I did, it was amazing. I rode half a dozen times before I even had my first semi-controlled fall.

2. It feels great to do the impossible. I really never thought I'd be able to succeed at this but, I'm a juggler and I love a challenge. There is nothing like the feeling of success. The greatest thing about juggling is that you have so many opportunities to exceed your expectations. What a great hobby!

Riding a Giraffe

Tonight at juggling club I succeded in doing something that I never thought I'd be able to do: ride a giraffe (tall) unicycle. I used to own a uni and could do the very basics - ride and turn and get off without hurting myself. But I was never so into it so I sold it to my friend some 9 years ago. Maybe 2-3 times/year I see a uni lying around at juggling club or the convention and I prove to myself that I can still do it.

A couple times I sat on a giraffe unicycle to see what it was like. Once a few months ago some friends and I took turns trying to ride one and it seemed totally hopeless.

Recently my friend Yaakov went somewhere and saw someone with a really good giraffe unicycle and he decided that he needed to get one. Tonight I picked him up from work and we picked up his new uni. At juggling club he fixed up the chain and pedals and things and got to work riding back and forth holding on to a wall.

Soon he let me try. I didn't think it was going to work, but it really did. This was a great unicycle. Within a few attempts I was able to make 10 pedals along the wall without holding on. Shortly after I made a leap by going away from the wall some 4 meters across the room. Soon after, I was able to ride fairly freely and once did a nice figure eight for about a 30 meter ride. I even succeded to juggle 3 clubs for about 10 throws while riding.

Anyway, I'm thrilled with this new toy. I'm going to help Yaakov bring it most weeks and hopefully we'll both get better. And have a lot of fun in the process!

Updated Feb 5: Thanks to Yaakov for some pictures:
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