Where in the world am I today?: North Vancouver, BC, Canada
I’m the first to admit that I travel with too much crap. It’s part of the curse of being a juggler I think. Especially one that rides a unicycle, climbs up a free standing ladder and has a pretty diverse collection props I choose to travel with… Do I need everything that I carry with me? I’ve asked myself this question repeatedly over the years and I’m convinced that if I really set my mind to it I could craft a very successful show that could fit into a small carry-on suitcase. That being said, I’m heading to China for a three-city ten-day contract for the Canadian Tourism Commission and I’m not entirely sure what the job description is going to require, so I need to be ready for just about anything.
I semi-feels like some sort of test that the client is putting me through…
“If we put you in this situation and ask for funny are you going to be able to pull it off?”
Something like that. Thankfully in these situations having a bit of a selection of props to choose from really is a boon as chances are even if one props isn’t quite the right fit for a given situation, another will be.
So I currently find myself collecting things that I think will be useful to have when I get to China. I’ve started laying everything out in a corner of my basement and continue to make mental notes about stuff I should include as I continue to pack. When I fly off to perform on cruise ships I’ve got the packing system down to a fine art and only take the stuff I know I’m going to use, but this one’s a bit of a different kettle of fish. I’m finding there’s a mild amount of pressure on me to bring copious amounts of fun and am quite looking forward to seeing what things work best and which things I could have left at home. Even after so many years of doing this schtick it’s still fun when a gig like this comes along that keeps me on my toes and has me hopping a bit.
And so… Back to the staging area in the basement to make sure I don’t leave anything really important behind.
