Trapeze High Show (Tori the Trapeze Fly Girl)

On Sunday, I watched Tori perform in a show for the first time. While I have seen her skills on the trapeze many times, I discovered she really kicks it up a notch for the crowd. Our Friends and Family Show at Trapeze High started at 4pm with Kenny, Dave and Kira demonstrating their skills on the Traveling Rings while Chris and Gina showed off an impressive Static Trapeze routine.

Back over at the Flying Trapeze rig, the six kids in Tori's Troupe each performed two tricks to the net before Tori dismounted from the board with a Reverse Suicide. After climbing the rope in style to the Catch Trap, she showed off her horizontal swing and the prettiest catch locks as she called her flyers off the board. Morganne was our brave volunteer to attempt a trapeze swing for the first time back in the November show and now here she is, throwing her Splits to a catcher.

Below are several videos of Chris (Hotdog) catching the Adult Troupe and showing off his dismount skills. It was great to see Angela perform her Half Turn Catch after all the practice she put in on Saturdays.

Flying Trapeze - Catch Trap Backflips

Tori has been catching for many years now but today she attempted her first back flip out of the catch trap. Here is the video of her second attempt. Now I'll have to get up the nerve to try it.



While Dave was helping my wife pump up her swing by pulling on the safety lines, the carabiner caught on the net and suspended her at forty-five degrees. She was stuck for a few minutes before they could free her.

Afterwards, she said it was more tiring practicing tricks out of the Catch Trap since she had to re-climb the rope for each attempt. The ladder up to the board is not so bad after all. :)

Drift Trikes (Watch out for Road Rash!)

We got to play around with some Drift Trikes after working our Flying Trapeze classes today. They are battery-powered tricycles with PVC Pipe encasing the rear tires so the back wheels can drift easily around corners.

There was two Trikes so we all took turns taking them for a spin around the neighborhood. Very Fun! Chris and Jill raced three laps up and down the long driveway and Jill easily won.





Since it was mostly club member's in the second trapeze class, I got to catch a variety of tricks today instead of just the beginner Knee Hang.

AcroYoga - Form 1 (Basic Postures)

Tori and I performed our Form 1 demonstration for our AcroYoga class tonight. (It contains the basic postures for learning the fundamentals of AcroYoga.) All our practice paid off and now we are ready to learn the next series of intermediate postures and transitions in Form 2.

Form 1 Postures:

Courtesy
Bird Mount
Dhanurasana (Bow Pose)

Bird to Shoulder Stand A
Shoulder Stand A to Bird

One Legged Birds (x3)

Straddle Throne

Bird Mount
Bird Pops (x3)

Half Barrel Roll (Bird to Straddle Bat)

Paschi Arm Balance Dismount
Courtesy

Below is the time lapse video of Tori and I performing Form 1 in our driveway.



Link to Form 2 Post

Link to Form 3 Post

Las Vegas - Surprise Elopement and a Giant Ferris Wheel

At the last minute, Tori and I were invited to Las Vegas for Wayne and Lisa's Elopement. They still have a big wedding planned for November but due to Wayne's upcoming Navy orders to move to San Antonio, they decided to get married now to help with the transition. Due to the short time frame, Tori and I crossed our fingers and booked a mystery hotel through Hotwire for only $56 dollars a night. After paying, we found out that it was the Riviera Hotel which is closing May 4th, only 10 days after our trip. Opening the same year as the Stardust and used as the shooting location for Martin Scorsese's "Casino", the sixty year old hotel has been bought by the Las Vegas Convention Center for their expansion out onto the Strip.

Taking a half day off from work on Friday, we drove out to Las Vegas, stopping at the border to ride the roller coaster at Buffalo Bills. This was my third attempt for Tori to experience the fun ride but it wasn't operating due to high winds. We arrived in Vegas at 6:30pm but the Riviera didn't have our reservation. This was the first time this has ever happened to me and we spent two hours sitting in the lobby calling Hotwire and dealing with the Front Desk before we finally got our room. I am still not sure if it was Hotwire's fault or someone at the hotel who dropped the ball due to their upcoming closure. Since we had to get up early the next morning for the wedding, Tori and I just walked around the hotel and had a good meal at the Wicked Vicky Tavern before calling it a night.

At 8:30am, we drove over to the house Wayne and Lisa rented for the weekend so Tori could help the Bride get ready for the early ceremony at 11am. I met Lisa's family and Wayne's mother before the ladies drove over to the Riviera to catch the limousine to the Little Church of the West wedding chapel. The ceremony was officiated by the best Elvis impersonator that I have personally seen. He was a good singer and had a fun sense of humor. Nick was able to make it to the ceremony as well after his Trapeze class ended nearby. Afterward, we all went to the Encore for lunch at the Society Cafe.

After returning to the Riviera to change Tori's high heels, we rode the Monorail down to The Linq Hotel to ride the High Roller. The Ferris Wheel opened in March 2014 and at 550 feet it is still the tallest in the world, 107 feet higher than the iconic London Eye. It sits right next to the monorail station but in true Vegas fashion, we had to walk up through the casino and then back down the Promenade in order to reach it. Since it was daytime, we paid $25 for the tickets instead of $35 each for a nighttime view. If you are willing to pay extra, the Happy Hour Capsule has an Open Bar.

The giant observation wheel never stopped as we boarded our slowly moving capsule in the loading zone. When we realized we had the spacious 40 person capsule to ourselves, Tori suggested we practice our AcroYoga with the Vegas Strip spread out below us though the large encircling windows. It was fun performing our poses as the capsule made the 30 minute journey around the sky. Half way through our spin, the wheel's exterior lights turned on as the sky darkened and rain began to fall.

After overcast conditions all weekend, we woke up to bright blue skies on Sunday morning. Too bad since we were leaving in the morning to avoid the afternoon exodus. We walked past the bankrupt Fontainbleu tower next door to the Riviera for a quick breakfast at McDonald's before hitting the road. (It was strange seeing the second tallest building in Las Vegas sitting vacant.) With the bright sun, the 173,500 heliostat mirrors of the finished Ivanpah Solar Electric Plant caught our attention immediately after crossing the state border. I was surprised that we could actually see the visible pyramids of solar flux concentrated back towards the top of the boiler towers illuminated like three shining light bulbs in the desert. The plant was still being built the last time we drove out to Vegas. The thermal heat generates steam that powers turbines up to 392 MW.

AcroYoga - Paschi Arm Balance (Plus English Beat Concert)

Tori and I have started taking an AcroYoga class at Aerial Revolution on Thursday nights. Since my wife was already experienced with Flying Trapeze when I started, it is fun for us to learn something new together. In the first class we worked on our first form, transitioning through a series of beginner postures to help prepare us for the more advanced positions in the later forms. On Sunday, we went to the small park at Swami's Beach to practice with our friends. The picture below is of us in the last position of Form 1, the Paschi Arm Balance.

Tori and I have messed around with AcroYoga in the past but it is great to get formal instruction. Even simple tips like proper foot placement helped a lot. Trapeze and Pilates have really strengthened my core over the last three years. Back when we first started dating, I really struggled to base Tori in the simple Bird Mount. I hope we have enough experience by the end of the summer so we can participate more with it at Burning Man.

On Saturday night, we went to the English Beat concert at the Belly Up with our friends. We saw the band last year and we reserved the same loft seats as before. It is nice to have a place to sit during the opening act. The first time I saw English Beat in 2000, I danced the entire time but the floor at the Belly Up is so crowded that there is hardly enough room to move. Their songs are still great though.

My best friend, Chad, is going to India for six months so it was great to spend time with him at the concert before he leaves.

Flying Trapeze - Catching Twisting Tricks and Floatation Spa Trip

On Saturday, I caught a flyer's twisting trick for the first time, a Half Turn Catch. Chris performed a turnaround at the front end of the swing and forced out over the board before swinging back into the set position where he performed a half twist at the peak of the swing. I had attempted to catch one months ago but I could not reach the flyer's second wrist as they turned. Chris had both wrists right there for me to grab. He is one our new club flyers who used to work for the two trapeze schools up in San Francisco. (He likes that ours is an outside rig.) I will have to get used to the twisting motion the flyer's momentum carries into my swing after I catch these type of tricks.



For our second catch, we tried the Cutaway Half that Chris was working on earlier in the class. It is a forward somersault with a half twist after performing a turnaround during the swing. He had been traveling it so I swung low for the catch attempt. He didn't get enough height so he still traveled but he did a good job of ducking away from me at the last moment to avoid a harder collision. I still have to convince Tori to throw me one since she does the trick so beautifully.



After our trapeze classes, Tori and I went for a 60-Minute Couple's Magnesium Salt Water Float Tank Session at A Quiet Place Floatation Spa. Tori likes to spray Magnesium Oil on her skin for its health benefits against muscle/joint soreness and inflammation so I thought it would be good for us to try a total immersion. Richard, the owner, offered us a cool green drink while we watched his short video on how the tanks work before he led us into our own private rooms with shower and float pod. After a rinsing shower, I put on the provided hair net and ear plugs and climbed into the warm salty water and lowered the pod door.

Like the conditions of the Dead Sea in Israel, the 1,000 pounds of magnesium salt in the 10 inches of water made me very buoyant and also created a slick oil-like texture to my skin if I touched it with my hands. I am 6'2" but I could float without touching the walls on either side unless I drifted into them. I had been worried that I would get bored lying in the darkness for an hour, but time really flies as you float weightless with soothing music piped through the water. Occasionally, I would place my hands behind my head and it provided the sensation of floating vertically in space. In contrast, if I let my head sink further back into the water it felt like I was floating upside down. It was very relaxing after the intense exercise of catching a full trapeze class. I did accidentally get a drip of salt water in one eye. It stung but I was able to use the provided spray bottle in the pod to rinse it out.

Go-Kart Racing and Roller Skating (Plus a little fun with Fire!)

Friday morning, we had Fire Extinguisher training during our company's Health and Safety Meeting. Everyone took turns putting out a contained gasoline fire to familiarize the staff with the fire extinguishers in our building. It was fun and I now feel more confident in pulling one off the wall in an emergency.

After work, I went to K1 Speed in Carlsbad for Jill's Birthday. She won the first race and Kenny the second. Even though I came in 4th and 5th, my passing has improved a lot. I squeezed inside four aggressive drivers with only minimal bumping on the turns and no one could keep up with me from behind. My best lap of the night was 29.41, a big improvement from the 32.41 seconds I put up the first time I raced their indoor track in 2007. I was a bit worried about catching the next day at trapeze since my hands and forearms were super sore from steering the go-karts through the sharp turns at high speed. (They were still stiff in the morning, but they didn't give me any problems. Phew!) Since it was getting late, we skipped our third race and headed to Cap'n Kenos for dinner. I have mixed feelings about this place. Except for their spaghetti special, I swear I will only order breakfast items from now on. The place is extremely cheap so I shouldn't be surprised by the low quality of the food.

Tori's Birthday is Monday so she wanted to go rollerskating in Mission Bay this weekend to celebrate. We met up with Jill and Kenny at Bonita Cove on Sunday afternoon and skated along the Bayside Walk fronting Mariners Basin. It was my first time skating outdoors in a long time so it took me a little while to get used to the uneven concrete paths. (I fell only once!) After we circled Mission Point we headed up the Ocean Front Walk along South Mission Beach. Reaching the rough pavement and heavy crowds at Belmont Park, we crossed back over Mission Boulevard and skated along the bay until we reached the Bahia Resort at Ventura Cove. We were tired but not too exhausted after an hour in skates so we went out for dinner at Barrio Star for their delicious tacos.

p.s. It find it funny that out of all the interesting things we did this weekend, Tori and I catching two trapeze classes on Saturday is barely mentioned in my post.

Balboa Park Centennial - California Tower Tour

For Balboa Parks's 100th anniversary, the California Tower at the Museum of Man opened to visitors in January for the first time in 80 years. Closed to the public after the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition, the 198 foot tower is most famous for representing the Xanadu Mansion in the Oscar-winning film, Citizen Kane. Since I was eager to check it out, Tori and I booked a tour online a few weeks ago for this Sunday. I had hoped for a sunny day, but we had dark clouds and a prediction for rain as we drove down at 11am.

Since our tour was not until 3pm, we decided to walk around the park and visit The Timken Museum of Art since I have never been inside. Opened in 1965, the small museum was celebrating it's 50th anniversary this year. In one of it's six tiny galleries, they were exhibiting Raphael's, The Madonna of the Pinks, on loan from the National Gallery in London. Back in 2011, I saw the famous Renaissance painter's tomb inside the Roman Pantheon. Out of the museum's collection, two of my favorite paintings were Lovers in a Park by François Boucher and An American Ship in Distress by Thomas Birch. The Timken also has a gallery devoted to Russian Icons dating back to the 15th century.

Since our tower ticket included entrance to the Museum of Man, we decided to check out the exhibits before our tour began. After visiting the new BEERology and Monsters! exhibits downstairs, we marveled at the three Mayan Stelae cast on-site from the originals in Guatemala for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. Moving upstairs, we tracked the history of human evolution in their informative Anthropology Exhibit and viewed the mummies in their Ancient Egypt section. My only disappointment was the Indian woman making quesadillas with hand-made tortillas was missing. That was my favorite part of the museum when I was younger.

Fifteen minutes early, we went back downstairs to sign in for our California Tower Tour. We had a full group with 2 guides and 12 visitors. Our first stop as we climbed the tower was the Maas-Rowe Carrillion on the 3rd level. It plays the chimes heard from the top every quarter hour. At noon, a carilloneur plays three songs every day. As we continued up the steep staircases and looked out the narrow windows, our guide explained the history of the tower and it's construction, pointing out the white lines on the ceiling where the builders refurbished the walls with stronger concrete to replace the thicker brick interior. On the seventh floor, we found the original spiral staircase that goes all the way to the top of the tower. Since the 9th and 10th floors are still off-limits, we only climbed it to the viewing deck on the 8th level. Protruding balconies on each side revealed the surrounding park and the nearby dome of the California Building.

Despite the forbidding sky, we had great views of Downtown San Diego to the South and the tree-filled San Diego Zoo to the North before we descended the tower. While rain had been threatening all day, the clouds did not open up until we were halfway across the Cabrillo Bridge. Taking shelter under the eve of a building on the far side, we waited for the shower to stop before walking over to Barrio Star for an early dinner. Tori and I agreed that the tacos had the best corn tortillas we have ever eaten. The Carnitas Taco was my favorite. Very tender and flavorful!