InDependentThinking

Music to listen to this week, check out Barcelona by Ezra-I found it inspiring Sep. 21-27 Flying Minion This past week has gone really well. We are camped in the beautiful Dartmouth Park, and the weather has been very pleasant for England’s standards, so I have had an opportunity to get my camera out and take in the scenery. I have gotten to train a lot more this week, including getting to fly again, since we have level ground. I even round-tripped off of Alistair (it looked like a flying ninja kick hot mess), which though satisfying, needs a lot of cleaning up.   We had some good team bonding as well this week and actually got to get out of the grounds for a while, which is great since I can’t drive and usually have to stay within walking distance. I also acquired a minion onesie! Endless joy to follow… Ivy House Reflections I have been doing a lot of thinking lately, and have been working on finding direction for myself.   I am starting to...

Stretching & Wine Short entry this week since it was uneventful.  O ur site is pretty crazy.  It is on a MASSIVE hill so the tent is extremely crooked and they had to build up the stage so much that my elbows can touch the trapeze net, in other words, super dangerous for big tricks (the largest guys have about 6” of clearance) so the team decided not to train trapeze this week and the show is pretty ridiculous since they can’t do any higher tricks or one that might not get caught-aka shoot, layout, splits, planche.  On the bright side we found a gymnasium where we could train trampoline this week and I got to work on some twisting for the first time in ages.  It has been really hard going back to basics, but I think it is finally starting to pay off.  In acrobatics coaches just kind of threw you into things without much form training which I think has given me bad habits mentally when it comes to doing tricks, so now I am trying to focus much more on fo...

The week: My melancholiness & life choices Looking back over this week, it’s hard to tell whether it’s had more ups or downs.   At times it feels like negatives outweigh the positives, I miss home, I miss my family and I often feel like I'm wasting my time. But at other times I look around and am incredibly grateful to be here.   I'm getting a unique experience. I get to pr actice my Spanish. I get to train and learn from people. I get to see England pretty cheaply, and I get to spend time with people I like in a space that is my own. On the positive side, this was the first week since I have been here that I actually caught a slight glimpse of summer.   It was amazing! One day it was actually warm enough to sit outside in shorts. Another huge positive about this location is that we are right next to a gym/rec center, to which I got a week free trial and can go work out whenever I want! I also got to try swinging from a top catcher this week-one of the most a...

Being an Egg Donor A few years ago I began considering becoming an egg donor.  My roommate had always wanted to be one but couldn’t because she had a history of cancer in her family.   She told me I should think about it.  I had never really considered donating before and really had no idea what the process was or how many women actually struggled with being able to conceive.  As women I think most of us just assume we will be able to have a baby without any problems, but a shocking number of women have an extremely hard time getting pregnant, even if they are in good health.  Lots of them go through years of treatments that may never work.  I understand why people think that couples should just adopt, but there is something to be said for the experience of carrying a child and getting to bring life into the world, which I believe is priceless, and for some people that is all they have ever wanted.  Also, adoption carries several risks with i...

Sep. 3 We just made our second move, although this time I actually helped take down the rigging and pack up gear.   It’s actually kind of fascinating being part of this moving village; new neighbors every week (we don’t park in the same arrangement ever), and a new town to see. This week it’s Barnard Castle, which, I have resolved to actually explore.   Also, this week it seems that the ground is slanted and therefore so is home-the joys of circus.   Since the town is so beautiful, I decided pictures would be better than words in describing my current surroundings. Enjoy. Secret Garden?? Sep. 4 Today is our first day in Barnard Castle.   I went for a walk this morning and found the town to be exactly what one would would picture an ideal small town in England to be.   There is something to be said for places that maintain the authenticity of their origin.   So many larg cities around the world all look the same.   I rec...

Sep. 1 The past   week has had its ups and downs.   I am getting to fly almost every day, which is great and the other trapeze people are awesome.   Our caravan is now finally fully functioning (as in, I can shower, cook, and use the toilet) pretty great.   I have taken on a temporary job working concessions during the show, which I at first found incredibly depressing as I thought of my college degree hanging on a wall back home, not to mention all of the other jobs I have had which rank higher in pay and interest. But now I actually don’t mind it so much.   I have decided to take on new perspectives when thinking about it.   Concessions The first is that of Christianity-as I worked my first day I realized that what was making me upset more than anything was my own pride and ego.   The work I was doing wasn’t hard and the people I worked with were nice, but I had this idea in my head that I deserved better, that I was smarter, that I...