Tag: juggling

Attack of the Demonic Shrilling Chicken!

Remember that rubber chicken Sena ordered as a joke for what looks like my transformation into a Svengoolie fan? Svengoolie is the longstanding host on the MeTV channel which shows old, cheesy TV horror movies every Saturday.

Svengoolie always gets a lot of rubber chickens tossed at him after he tells a few jokes. Well, the rubber chicken arrived. Actually, I think it’s plastic, about which I’ll have a lot more to say. It’s called Shrilling Chicken. Sena ordered it from Wal-Mart. We’re still waiting for the Svengoolie glow-in-the-dark T-shirt, which she ordered through the Svengoolie web site.

The chicken is about a foot long and squeals when you squeeze it. It’s sold as a dog toy. It’s red and yellow and the first thing I did was to try to juggle with it along with two juggling balls. I thought it would be cool to get a YouTube video of it, especially while wearing the Svengoolie T-shirt.

I was trying to get the hang of juggling a linear chicken with juggling balls and was just getting to where I could do 3 or 4 throws while also squeezing it to make it squeal. And then it happened: the demonic chicken bit me (or is “pecked me” a better way to put it?)! That’s pretty spooky given the connection to Svengoolie, the horror show host.

OK, so it didn’t actually peck me in a satanic manner, but I caught it awkwardly in my right hand. My right index finger swelled up and it got a little sore. It’s healing quickly although it did leave a faint bruise.

Then I looked up Shrilling Chicken on the web. What a rabbit hole! I found warnings seemingly all over the web against getting within 100 yards of the thing because of allegations it contains toxic chemicals. In fact, pretty much all the warnings came from a group called Ecowaste Coalition, with the chief spokesperson being someone named Thony Dizon, Chemical Safety Campaigner.

Thony’s main message is that Shrilling Chicken contains unacceptable levels of “toxic plastic additives.” He cites a long list of European countries that have banned Shrilling Chicken, despite the labels on the package, one of which is “CE” which means that it meets European Union standards.

The warnings go on to say that children should not be allowed to even touch it, although there are dozens of ads on the web showing where you can buy it for kids, with one image of a child hugging a Shrilling Chicken as tall as he is. I didn’t know they made them that big.

Thony also goes on to cite an “FDA Advisory No. 2020-042” which clearly is opposed to Shrilling Chicken being on this planet. I spent quite a while looking for that FDA Advisory in the U.S. FDA website. I couldn’t find it.

If you don’t look closely, you’ll miss the part at the bottom of the page indicating that the “FDA” referred to is the one in the Philippines.

The Shrilling Chicken label also indicates that the toy is approved for kids 6 years and older. It also has the Green Dot symbol on it. Wikipedia says it’s “…to indicate to consumers who see the logo that the manufacturer of the product contributes to the cost of recovery and recycling.” The Shrilling Chicken is made in China.

On the whole, I would say Shrilling Chicken is less than demonic in any sense of the word. However, given what happened to me, I probably would not toss it at Svengoolie.

Also, I would suggest you not try to juggle with it. I had to lay off juggling practice briefly so I can heal up.

Winter Storm Finn and the One-Eyed Snowball Juggler!

Holy horizontal, heavy, wet, driving snow. At least you could make great snowballs for juggling! I got up around 4 in the morning to shovel. Sena came out a little later and we took shifts a couple of times. I still had to run back out again in the mid-afternoon to clear away what’s probably going to turn out to be better than a foot of snow.

The plows plugged our driveways whenever they felt like it. But we took a break so I could make the best snowballs ever and juggled them. I wore a balaclava which got all twisted on my head so that I ended up able to see out of just my right eye—the one I had surgery on for a torn retina.

I don’t know how I saw well enough to juggle.

Snow Removal in Iowa City

Iowa City has web pages for the rules on snow removal by the city plows and by residents.

You can see the pdf of the map for residential street priorities for snow removal.

Shoveling snow or using a heavy snow blower can be hazardous to your health. There is guidance from the National Safety Council about how to remove snow. On the other hand, there are definite rules about clearing snow from your sidewalk.

There are no rules against juggling snowballs that I know of.

Partners in Juggling Crime Breaking the Internet Again!

We are breaking the internet again as partners in juggling crime. It turns out the 2-person 6 ball juggling pattern has 3 variations:

The 1, 2 Pass: Both partners make two right hand throws, then pass to the partner on the third throw. Always throw from the right side to your partner’s left.

The 1 Pass: You pass after every other throw.

Pass: You pass on every right-hand throw. You could call it pass, pass, fast!

The Pass variation is really difficult, although some jugglers make it look easy. We mainly look funny, but we’re just getting started!

We include a slow-motion clip for each variation.

Still Practicing the Shower Juggle!

I’m still practicing the shower juggle pattern. I’m comparing how I did in April with how I’m doing now. No doubt, my form is wonky and I still can do only 3-5 throws.

But I think juggling with the big plastic balls is easier when it comes to the shower. I can’t figure why, unless it’s the more uniform spherical shape and evenly distributed weight.

It’s definitely not my form.

The Santa Hat Juggling Duo Breaks the Internet!

Are we having any fun? You bet! We donned our Santa hats and did the 2-person 6 ball juggling until we fell over.

This is a fun pattern because, even when you mess up, it’s hilarious. When we count out loud, it sort of helps keep us in sync—but not always.

The last part of the video, we did the count sort of sotto voce as we moved from the toss and pass phase to finish with a cascade. This is in stark contrast to what we usually do, which is to keep tossing and passing until the inevitable drops happen.

As always, after the second right hand toss in the cascade, we pass from our right hand to the left hand of the partner. The count is “One, Two, Pass!”

As least that’s the plan. Often, we get line drives to the head, chest or the wrong hand. This is why safety goggles are handy. Ball collisions are frequent, which crack us up.

You know, juggling is often a one-person hobby or show. When you get two persons in the act, it’s ordinary juggling for two, which is a blast.

Then you’re having fun!

Juggling Update!

Well, we’re using our new safety glasses retainers and they work out fine. We’re a little off the beam on the 2-person 6 ball pass juggle for some reason. Some days are diamonds, some days are stones, I guess.

Our mistakes are funny. We just make too many.

I’m still working on the shower juggle pattern. I might be making slow progress. It feels easier to do if I use the large plastic balls or the new smaller balls with a tough leather shell. They’re decorated with stars to give you confidence.

I think if they’re round and hold their shape better if they’re made of harder material, they might fly better.

I think it would also help if I threw them more accurately.

New Safety Goggle Retainers!

We’re big on safety goggles whenever we juggle nowadays. The only problem is that they fit loosely around our ears. We’re always pushing them back up on our noses.

So, Sena got a couple of eyewear retainers for our safety goggles. They were only a dollar a piece. I was a doubtful at first that they’d work, mainly because they don’t fit snug on the back of the head. It turns out they work best by snugging up around your ears.

You have to push pretty hard to get them on the goggle frame. The stitching holds up well, though.

They’re called “floating” eyewear retainers, I think because they’re made of neoprene foam and will float on water—great for boaters and water sports.

They’ll probably mostly eliminate the chance of the goggles falling off our heads when we drop the balls—which is often.

Another 2 Person Glow Ball Juggling Adventure!

Sena and I are still practicing the 2-person 6 ball pass juggling trick. We adjusted the colors on the glow balls so they all change color.

We count so we can stay in synch on the pass (1, 2, pass). We have to count the first two throws from the right hand only—which is sometimes still confusing since we’re used to counting both the left- and right-hand throws.

We have to pass a ball straight across from the right hand to the left hand of the partner. We’re slowly increasing the number of passes we’re able to make accurately while juggling the 3-ball cascade in between passes.

The balls are plastic, heavier than the smaller bean bags, and could hurt you if they fall on the wrong place—like your toe or your head. That’s why we both wear safety goggles.

We probably need steel toe boots, too.

We Juggled on Our Anniversary!

Guess what we did on our anniversary yesterday? We juggled! We got another set of 3 glow balls so we could try the 2-person 6 ball pass juggling trick.

The glow balls are plastic and filled with plastic pellets. They are uniform in size and weight and have 20 different colored light modes and patterns. They are USB rechargeable. The manufacturer says they are “made to take a beating—without being too hard.”

That said, we still suggest you consider wearing safety goggles.

This is a challenging juggling trick because you have to be almost perfectly synchronized with your partner. We drop the balls a lot, but we’ve improved even since the first time we practiced. We still jitterbug around a lot and we work hard at keeping up the “1, 2, Pass” count.

You have to be pretty solid juggling the 3-ball cascade. We get a lot of practice because it’s hilarious.