Hey everyone, I just got news that my current roomie is leaving at the end of the month so I'm looking for some one to move in at the beg of April. My gf and I are in the front bedroom. Please contact me here or at courtney_fitch@student.uml.edu if interested.

Some information about us: 

We are relatively clean, not insanely OCD about it or anything, but we do like to keep the dishes in the sink to a minimum and pick up after ourselves. I work retail about 20 hours a week as well as run a small online jewelry business. Stacey sells handmade beads and her artwork online as well. We like to have a few people over on occasion but do not like having huge parties. When I'm not working I'm generally home because I am also a full time online student. I am an avid hooper but I keep my pile of hoops together and out of the way. Stacey is also a musician and her guitars and such are also kept out of the way. We don't smoke tobacco inside and have a back porch for that purpose. I am also a gardener and since it's currently winter my veggie plants line the window sills, but come spring/summer they move outside.

About the apartment:
It's a 2 bed room, 1 bath on the second floor of a triple decker. It's within walking distance of QCC and about a 5-10 minute drive away from most of the other Worcester colleges. It has hardwoods throughout, except for the bathroom (which for some reason is carpeted) and kitchen. We have converted the dining room into a practice area for my hooping/general all purpose room. The kitchen is an eat in kitchen and also has a pantry with the sink and tons of storage. There is also a front load washer and dryer in the kitchen. The apartment is non smoking, but feel free to smoke on the back porch of course. Your room is the "back" bedroom and has a large walk-in closet. No cats/ dogs allowed, but small caged animals are fine. 

Rent:
Your share would be 425 plus utilities. The utilities generally run about $20-40 for electricity, $50 for cable/internet and $15 (in the spring/summer/fall) to $55 (in the winter) for gas. 

The agreement is month to month with 30 days notice before leaving. $850 is due up front for first and last months rent.

I am so ecstatic! I just had my first hooping article published by the Huntsville Times here in Huntsville, AL. It can be read here - http://blog.al.com/living-times/2010/02/hooping_it_up_fitness_revoluti_1.html ! :)

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Do you want to bring your hoop on vacation for the first time and do you want to know the best way?

Here is how-

I am a regular globe trotter, I feel I have perfected the art, if it could be an art, of bringing exactly what I need on a trip and getting through the air ports and customs with the least effort and maximum ease.  The first trip I took after I started hooping I did not bring a hoop with me.  I thought an awkward hoop would be one extra hassle and might disturb my airport maneuvers.  I soon realized when that vacation on the beach was tainted by painful hoop sickness that I had to invest in a travel hoop or figure out some way to take a hoop with me when I travel.

Today when I pick up the travel hoop I bought after that trip, it makes me laugh.  Besides the ripped to bits, pieces of what was once metallic tape and the gashed in the PVC tubing, the hoop is huge and heavy, and seriously made with PVC.  I need not make too much fun of it because it has served me well.  I hooped with it on the beaches of South Beach Miami, Florinaoplis and Itacara Brazil and La Jolla, Carlsbad and Los Angles California.

The definition of a travel hoop is one that breaks down to fit in a suite case or bag. Some have a one joint connector to which you must reapply tape to the joint after every break down.  Some have two joint that pivot at the joints and do not come apart.  The two jointed hoops usually fold first to a figure eight and then down into two circles on top of each other. There are other travel hoops that break down in to many pieces that you screw together. Each has its own advantages and in my experience the important things to watch for are if it will fit easy in my bag and how it hoops when in its natural hoop form.  Some times the precision of the hoop can be lost when it is made to travel.

Since my first travel hoop I have discovered these easy ways to hoop on my vacations.

1) The ultimate travel hoop is made by Cherry Hoops.  They make two jointed travel hoops fold up small, quick and easy.  My favorite part of Cherry Hoop travel hoops is when they unfold they easily go in to a perfect circle so once the hoop is unwound into hooping form it is precises just like all Cherry Hoops are.  If you are unlike me and enjoy making your own hoops here are instructions for making your own travel hoop (how to make a collapsible hoop).

2) Buy or make a hoop bag and check it as luggage separate from your suite case. Hoop Girl sells sweet travel hoop bags which fit around standard hoops.  You wont find them on their web site but they can be order by phone at Hoop Girl 415-331-6633.  This is how I will be traveling with my hoops on my next trip.

3) Wrap hoops with packaging paper or cardboard and check them as luggage.  I am in Hawaii right now from San Francisco and on this trip I got a big box, broke it down and folded it around my hoops.  I used packaging tape to seal the box and I checked it as a piece of luggage.  Like the travel bag, I could bring many hoops with me and they did not take up room in my suite case and arrived undamaged.  The box was not as easy as a travel bag because it had no strap for carrying.  If you are going some where exotic make sure you have extra tape for when you return home so you can box them up again.

Having your hoop with you on vacation can make a huge difference in the enjoyment factor of your trip.   If you are visiting family or friends who you are not used to being with for long periods of time going off with a hoop is a great way to regenerate and return with a new positive out look.  When on vacation it is usual to have more free time and if your a Hooper it is logical you might want to spend some of it with the hoop.  Traveling with a hoop makes it possible to hoop in some amazing places, if amazing is your destination which I hope it is.  My favorite places to travel with my hoop is to warm exotic beaches. Try it!

Hoop Condition

How can you be in the best physical condition for hooping?

Physically, hooping makes the body stronger.  Muscles and joints are strengthened by the actions of hoop dancing.  Mentally, hooping helps peripheral vision, balance, focus, and the ability to learn new things.  In my experience, hooping is a great exercise and it is even better when combined with other physical activities such as yoga and cardiovascular training. Setting our bodies up to be in perfect condition for hooping creates an even more euphoric hooping experience and for me a more beautiful hoop dance.

As a long time yoga practitioner and teacher I have noticed my daily yoga practice has evolved to aid my hoop practice.  Many days I will include my hoop in every yoga pose just to stay connected to my hoop instrument. 

Fellow hooper Bunny Hoop Star so eloquently put it… “ hooping and yoga go hand in hand.  It's about anchoring into your core strength, finding balance, powerful and free flowing breath, and that space of peaceful ease that allows you to explore the full realm of the practice.”

Balance, muscle strength, focus, breath control, and flexibility all receive a tune up from yoga practice.  Make it consistent and daily, even just twenty minutes, and receive even more benefits.

If yoga is new to you try a very beginner class to get acquainted with some of the stretches.  When conditioning our bodies and minds with yoga  it is best to listen closely to the body and only stretch to what feel like your edge, never beyond.  I always tell my yoga students to go at their pace and move with their breath. The breath is the most important component in lengthening and strengthening the body.

If you spend a lot of time learning new hoop tricks you might be surprised what 20 minutes a day of stretching will offer to your hoop practice.

How can you be the amazing and talented hoop star you dream of being? 

According to Malcome Gladwells book “Outliers” mastery is achieved after 10,000 hours dedicated to the mastered task. I read the same information in the book “The Talent Code” where the Daniel Coyle says talent is a result of many hours of practice.  If this is true then we must make time in our schedules to practice hooping if we want to be masters.  I asked Hoop Girl Christable Zamora how she put in the hours that have made her the respected expert hooper she is today.  Christable said, “I dedicate time to hooping by making it a priority in my life. It is helpful when I practice to set a timer in the kitchen for 30-60 minutes and just meet that time window without compromise”. That response was good news to me because it is something I can reasonably add to my schedule.  She also made it clear that, "the original and deepest blueprint for her skills came from hooping for 2-4 hours straight at many events such as Moontribe and Burning Man over the last 9 years." Christable, "encourages anyone wanting to deepen their practice to focus on sustained hooping at events such as hoop jams, parties and festivals. Performing has also played a key role for her as well."

 1) According to “The Talent Code” putting hours of practice in to your chosen talent actually strengthens the neuropath ways that allow the electrical impulses that cause the body to execute the given task with agility and precision.

A big aspect when cultivating talent is “love”.

2) Love and inspiration for what one is doing is vital in order to dedicate so many hours towards mastery. Any hooper with more than two ticks up their sleeves would agree.  Bruises, black eyes, bloody noses, sore muscle, breaking physical and mental habits are some challenges the hoop can present in practice. If you don’t love the hoop and if you don’t continue to look for inspiration to keep that love alive than it can be hard to put up with the discomforts and challenges hooping can present. 

3) Watching an expert perform the task on video or live will also help to strengthen these neuropath ways.

In my interview with Hoop Girl I congratulated her on her book and video and thanked her for making hooping even more accessible to more people in the world. She responded in the kindest way, “which video, I have five”. I was impressed with Hoop Girl and will from now on picture her in her kitchen doing barrel rolls.

I saw a wire post the other day from the UK on hooping.org that said “a hoopers' wet dream, PSI hoop for sale”. I could appreciate this statement because I was in the process of ordering my first PSI hoops and I am very excited to be hooping with it. The process of getting the right glow hoop, called LED hoop, is a slow non-instant gratification process.  It is way more fulfilling taking the time to do a little research before ordering.

With all the online hoop companies out there it can be difficult to know who to buy form.  For me it was easy to make the decision to order my LED from PSI hoops. I hoop with the Bay Area Hoopers, and many of them know Patrick from PSI hoops and have one or more of his hoops that I have gotten to try.

LED hoops are expensive compared to regular hoops. When you consider how much equipment costs for other sports like biking and snow boarding the price of an LED hoop is not expensive with ranges from $100 to $400
depending on how fancy it is.  Still, this is a significant purchase so my guess is you want to get it exactly the way you desire, I know I do. Most LED’s are very durable but is important to tape up the charger hole and the on-switch so you keep dust, sand and wet out.

The three important things to know for ordering your hoop are:
1) Size. Try many different hoops to find the right size hoop and size tubing for your liking. If you are about to invest in a LED hoop Patrick suggest you take a tape measure and measure and record your favorite size hoop. Even though you probably want to hoop with your glowing hoop today, give your self some time to find the right size.  You might even use this hoop for performing so make sure you choose the best size for you.  I got a very thin hoop, Patrick called it ¾ tubing and I got my hoop 35 ½ inch in diameter.   This hoop will be fast and easy for chest hooping.
2) And then there was light! The lights can be daunting, there are so many variations:  dragon
flies, Elfin, and so forth.  It made me laugh when I saw all the names of lights I could get because I had no idea what it all meant. On PSI hoops web site you can see the different lighting effects from You Tube Videos to see what the lights look like as the hoop twirls.  After watching the videos and trying others' hoops I decided I did not want lights that morphed and spread out like a million hoops I
wanted one steady color I got two strands of 12 LED’s with two steady colors (meaning they do not flash or change). 

3) To tape, or not to tape.  For me, no tape because I have marked up the walls of my apartment far too much already.

If you are going to order a PSI hoop like I did, go to the web site and click around; watch the video’s and take some time to educate your self. You may want to email Patrick with a question or two.  Set it up so you will love your LED hoop if you are going to spend the money and time to get it.  If you allow your self this time to research you will get much more enjoyment and satisfaction out of your LED.  This reminds me of the saying by an unknown author; “If something is urgent it is rarely important and if something is important it is rarely urgent.”  

So I had my first official performance at the Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School in Savannah, Georgia.  It was so much fun!  It began with me modeling for the art group and half way through, I performed my hoop dance with my LED hoop.  This all took place in the basement of Moon River Brewing Co which has low ceilings and is supposedly haunted.

Haunted?  I don't know, I didn't feel anything.  But those low ceilings with hanging lights?  I, thankfully, did not smash my hoop in them.  Also, I pulled off the routine without a single mistake and received a huge applause, I was shocked at how loud they were.  You can see pictures here if you're interested, they got some good action shots!

I tend to do a lot of wandering on the internet and I tend to come across some interesting things. One of those things was a site that sold glow sticks, led items, and other party items. I had already made myself a glow stick hoop at the time and was enjoying it on occassion. This site had led necklaces that I thought might work to string inside a hoop to become an inexpensive led hoop. I asked about using them here and through the answers I decided that I would try it and write a blog on my experiences. So, I'll give you the pros and cons and my own insights into this fun expirement.

Pros:

Inexpensive

You can use them disconnected.

Choice of multiple colors and flexibility to interchange colors on one hoop.

Lasts a good ten to twelve hours on the batteries. ( I had one running twelve hours and it still had not dimmed much)

Multiple modes: variety, flashing, and several chase modes

Cons

Not rechargeable

a little bit bulky. I used 3/4 inch pex tubing and the necklaces just fit. It was snug enough that the led would turn off or switch modes. All in all this happened very rarely to me. Bonus to the snugness: no real significant rattle.

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