Blog of Josh Hall

if resolution can’t be met over 3 emails, it’s time to escalate to the phone.  Don’t forget rules 161 and 162.

A Mother’s Loss

As my son bends his knees
Under his blanket, enjoying his dreams
I place my head on the doorway
Wanting to tell him that I don’t have the words to say.

Every morning he grabs his bag, and darts for that yellow bus
As I wave farewell, and thank God for how He’s blessed us
With a house, with love, with each other, and so much more.
And a smile smacks me in the face as I step back from the front door.

My day goes on, with images of him at school on my mind
I see him opening the door for ladies, being generous and kind
My son makes me proud, prouder than anything I have done on my own
and before I know it, it’s time to meet him back at our home.

He does his work, has a snack, and tells me about his day
Then it’s right out the door to go out to play
Every day, we do the same routine
And every night, my son comes back to me.

Night brings sheets of black cloth over your eyes
And the silence is broken with bullets and cries
Bullets of blame, hatred, and shame
Cries of mercy, confusion, and pain.

His bed stayed empty that night.
As empty as the gun, that took his life.
As empty as my mouth without the words to say
I love you, I miss you, and I think about you every day.

Don’t make anyone wait for you.  This can be applied to so many things, but it can be summed up as “don’t be the weakest link.”  If you’re meeting people, make it clear that you’re going to be late, or make sure they’re not depending on you to bring something to start.

First off, if you have never seen a Cirque De Soleil show, right off the bat you’re obligated.  It will be the most amazing thing you’ve ever seen.

If you’re in Pittsburgh, you have until June 5th to see Totem.  http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/shows/totem/default.aspx

I saw Quidam twice, O in vegas, Alegria, and now Totem.  Each time I’m left awestruck by what the performers just did.  I think the general public has an impression that Cirque Du Soleil is just some acrobatics and flexible people.  As if you’ve seen it once, you’ve seen it all.  Cirque is not that show. What any Cirque Show is though:

1. Absolutely beautiful – from the costumes, to the tent, to the dance, to the interaction between the performers.  No detail is left untouched and no corners are cut.  Everything is exact and precise, and it shows.
2. Engaging – from the all live music, to changing stage and scenery, to all the movement on the stage that is supplementary to the actual performers.  You simply can’t look away.
3. Entertaining for everyone – There are clowns, love stories, danger, skill, feats of strength, and examples of dedication to their talents.

One of the other things I love about Cirque is that it’s not some big greedy corporation trying to make a bottom line.  They are  environmentally aware and raise money for clean drinking water around the world.

If you do go see them, don’t feel the need to buy the most expensive tickets for right up front.  It’s actually worse in my opinion.  You want to sit back a little higher than the stage so you can see everything going on, because believe me, there’s a lot going on.

You might be asking why I went to see Quidam twice.  The answer to that is that a performance includes about 10 acts, but there are more like 15 acts for each show.  Sometimes it’s just in case they need to make changes to the lineup, but they do keep rotating performers and acts, so what you saw one night could be different by a couple acts from the next night.  Basically, never think you’ve seen it all.  After my 4th Cirque show, I’m still wanting to see more.

As for highlights specifically in Totem, the stage is a lot more “active” than previous traveling shows I’ve seen.  When I saw O, I actually said that the stage itself is one of the main acts.  That was true for Totem too.  To pick out one act seems unfair, but the most mind blowing for me were the two twirling girls.  I want to see you lay on your couch, stick your foot in the air, throw a dish towel on it, then start spinning it.  Then do the same thing on the other foot at the same time.  RIDICULOUS.  The things done with hula hoops is amazing as well.

Go.  See it.

The folks at Festo have created a mechanical bird that is as graceful as the real thing. Our technology is not just getting smaller and cheaper, but it’s getting smoother.
Soon, we won’t be able to tell the robots from living creatures.

I’m not sure there’s a global norm or scientist/hygiene recommended expiration date on sheets.  There especially confusion (for me, at least) around sheets in the guest room.  Do you only put on the sheets when they arrive?  How long can you leave the sheets on there before someone uses them or they need to be washed again?  Do you just wash the sheets or do you wash the blankets at the same time intervals?  Does it really just depend on who you are?

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