Day 3: Good friends with special skills

Was contacted by Erick “flying is my day job, but the other stuff I do is even cooler” Methot. Friends in Ixtapa need a flying trapeze catcher for the week. Alas, being “on call” for work means no leaving the country for me. Maybe next time. Erick does a brilliant Austin Powers impression, baby.

Science: Mom and Dad had joined forces to write for three different biotech training grants, and today they were awarded all three. That’ll create a lot of future scientists. That’s something my folks do well.

This post is going to be a little too long (I swear tomorrow will be short), but there are things you need to know about.

Today I went back to the place I met my muse. I go there to get my ass kicked about once a week. For almost fifteen years, here’s where I’ve been going after work for acrobat training:

The location’s not secret (755 Frederick St.) but most people never notice the building. It’s one of those places you just don’t see unless you know to look for it.

Here’s what it looks like on the inside:

Dominic is hanging by his feet, almost 30 feet in the air. He’ll zip toward the ground head first, stopping suddenly just above it.

. .

On his first attempt today, the strap burned right through his glove. Tomorrow he’s going to try another material for the gloves. Where would you use this move? It’s a tall city. Where wouldn’t you use it?

Master Lu Yi and Sam Payne

Sam is a smooth one. I’ve seen him use tango to captivate a lovely woman, without either of them touching the floor. That doesn’t work for everyone.

Master trainer Lu Yi is respected worldwide, and very charming. If you train under him, he will find your weaknesses, and then he’ll pound on them until they are your strengths. Need to learn levitation, vanishing, or telekinesis? Lu Yi can teach you this and more, if you’re dedicated and unafraid. Over the years I’ve watched kids who train with him grow up to be young adults with startling superpowers, each unique.

Master Lu Yi with a student

After acro, I got punched by a standup comedian I work with. (adult content warning for this link) In the evening, I was planning to go to Berkeley for some special skills training, but had to postpone so went to see Goldfinger at the Castro instead.

Random assertion: If you think you don’t know any serious acrobats, you’re probably wrong. They don’t always talk about it.

Lesson taught: These things are going on around us every day, but you won’t see them unless you’re looking.

Steganographic data: 1890/7.0