I'm Your Fan

It began this morning, with a necklace.

A tiny pendant from New Orleans, a manhole cover, from my darling trip mates. 

The chix next door and I took a trip to see Leonard Cohen at the Mahalia Jackson Theater Read review from Times-Picayune . At 78 years old and with decades of polished style, Cohen and his impeccable ensemble wowed us all; transported us to an ethereal world where sensuality and spirituality were never closer. Watching as Cohen prayed in his Tower of Song on bended knee I wondered if I could, at 49, do this a dozen times an hour on stage without faltering or vocalizing each ascent.

The next day I was taking in the morning air outside the Cotton Exchange in typical NOLA fashion, when a band of bicycling boys (adult boys) wearing tutus and tiaras,; cocktails in hand, headed out for a local race. At the time, I thought it might really be something; alas, this is NewOrleans. Next I watched as a cautionary tale was written before my eyes; two police cars pulled up and extracted a man wearing only a black garbage bag, from one of the patrol cars. I wondered, does the hotel double as an overflow jail? Or is it, perhaps, a local clothes-lending center?! I waited in vain for the 'party' to exit the building. Early, though it was, I decided to track them down and ask some questions. I found the officers having breakfast in the hotel. 

What follows is the cotton exchange exchange.

ME: So, is there a jail somewhere in here? (I had previously noticed that a side exit through a curtain in the dining hall went to a 24 hour bar next door) 

NOLA's FINEST No. 1: Not that I am aware of.

NOLA's FINEST No. 2: Nomnomnomnom.

ME: A secret passageway to the actual jail?

NOLA's FINEST No. 1: Nope.

ME: Well?!!!! 

NOLA's FINEST No. 1: We aren't going to tell you that.

ME: Pleeeeeease?!!

NOLA's FINEST No. 2: Nomnomnomnom uhem.

ME: You've gotta! Did you arrest him?

NOLA's FINEST No. 1: Nope; took him upstairs to his wife's room.

ME: No mercy, man. Have a nice breakfast. Thank you.

NOLA's FINEST No. 1: Yep.

So back to Leonard Cohen. I just read the Holy or the Broken by Alan Light. Can a book about a single extraordinary, much re-interpreted and beloved song make a good book? Yes. It sent me youtube-ing to listen to each version and countless remixes. I was aware of  Buckley's, but not Cale's "I'm Your Fan" part in the drama that rescued Hallelujah from obscurity......Shrek, k d lang, Idol, et cetera, ad Nauseam. 

My Hallelujah for today, a shiny manhole cover that catapulted me to a wonderful mini-break, with my wonderful chix. 

Hula Hoop Handler

Bright idea number 3,876,972,456,003. Hand make a  couple of hula hoops for your child's 21st birthday.

She got a yoga gift certificate as well, no worries. She also has 'mad' hoop skills, whereas I can only manage to keep it circulating and walk a few steps or turn around.  That is my entire bag of tricks.

I'm dying to learn some breaks, reverses and stalls. Oh yessum.

I proceed to read many blogs about the various diameters, weights, circumference choices, sound v. silent, et cetera. As I am a 'now or never' type personality, I had to do this immediately, and couldn't wait for mail ordering of gorgeous colored vinyl tapes, neon tubing, LED thingys and stickers with which to add my design elements.

I settle on 3/4', 160 psi polyethylene tubing, a popular choice. I learn that it is used as irrigation tubing and comes in black or black. I decide that I'll consider it 'true black' like those Herman Miller ads. Alas, after calling every hardware store, landscape supply company and even a water engineer and a water district client, I get lucky with a kid at a tractor supply that has about 100' left from a large roll. The only other local option I could find was minimum of 500' with discounts starting at 5000'. An average adult hoop is approximately 10' of tubing.

Next step, a pop of color to properly showcase 'true black' and create visual interest while spinning. Readily available vinyl tape is rather boring:

Red.Yellow.Black.White.Green.Orange.

I consider duck tape because there are some fantastic patterns out there, including her UT hook 'em logo. It is too sticky, yucky and once on, you're committed. Fabric paint was decidedly too bumpy for spinning against one's body.

I find three odd colors of electrical tape! Purple-ish, Muddy Green and Caramel Brown. Ta Da!!!! (see phase one photo). Vinyl/electrical tape is re-position-able and has an ultra smooth and stretchy quality. Gorgeous but it still needs some bling. As luck would have it, my darling neighbors Stormy and Chis, on a snail prevention quest, received two rolls of copper tape...THE SAME DAY! Now that is providence, if there is a God, friends.

I clandestinely work with the adorable but apparently not stealthy, Megan, a friend of my daughter, via text. I say "Megan, here's what I am doing. Take Alex to hoop and then figure out what size hoop she prefers".  I suggest she "casually" have her stand still with the hoop and see if it comes closer to belly or collar bone height. More on this never. I love you Megan :)

Anyhow, I have made three hoops and plan to make another this weekend. I continue to learn tricks for making everything work and while I love the look of the copper, a few words of caution, it will cut you. A lot. Again. Ouch. I may have to give it up because I hurried on a section and now have to be sure not to hoop on bare skin. I said, it will cut you.

For a great, simple and much passed around lesson in the hoop circles (pun intended), check out  http://www.jasonunbound.com/hoops.html  THANKS FROM YET ANOTHER ADORING FAN. Thanks as well for the sprouting lesson Jason.

I plan to up my hoop game. By my 50th birthday, 14 months from now. I shall make a video! Oh, and look VERY hot in a bikini. Whew, I'd better get busy.