play poi - nick's life

Emails from (Over?) the Edge available on homeofpoi.com

nick — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 22:04:31 -0800

In the latest round of exciting news, the Awesome George at homeofpoi.com ordered several boxes of my book, and they are available on homeofpoi.com as of now!

I wrote Emails from (Over?) the Edge before I got into poi, so it's not about poi. It's about life, and me, and some very special people and events that were worth writing about. The people who resonate with my sense of humor laugh a lot when they read it.

You can learn more about the book on the Nick's Book Page or on homeofpoi.com, where I'm sure many reviews will come piling in.

You can also read the first few chapters as a PDF

Getting into the flow of things...

nick — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 00:08:00 -0800

Thailand continues to be good. There are little challenges here and there, such as the rash on my leg (the doctor thinks it's an allergic reaction to something), the power and internet going down a lot (more reason to practice!), language barriers, etc. Makes life interesting, I say!

The Thailand (un)Plan

nick — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 07:48:14 -0700

(New: For those coming, we've just added a THINGS NEEDED PAGE. Also, we may be heading south for a while, so make sure you get in touch before coming to where you think we are.)

So why am I here, you ask? Good question. The answer is a long story.

2.5 years ago I came back from Thailand to land in debt and homelessness, partly because the popularity of Dervishly Yers cost me over $1000 in unexpected hosting fees (a lot of money for a struggling artist). I managed to keep my life complicated, expensive, and stressful right up until I arrived back in Pai on October 9th. In that time I've put myself thousands of dollars in debt to the bank, and bailed myself out via heavy manual labour and teaching poi workshops, a total of three times. I've also been on five big poi tours, three of which I was simultaneously trying to deal with DVD production/distribution and website development... and all the while trying very hard to keep up poi practice.

Who knew that poi artists had to spend this much time at the computer?

nick — Wed, 17 May 2006 14:42:43 -0700

Too much time, that's what I say. Oh, but we're so close. So close to my not having to spend this much time at the computer.

Definitely working hard now that I'm back in Vancouver. When I'm not on the computer or practicing, I've been doing heavy renovations over at my Uncle Noulan's house, in Deep Cove, with the help of my little brother, Ben...

DVD finished at last?

nick — Sat, 04 Mar 2006 00:00:00 -0800

The DVD is finally being produced, and we should have 1,000 copies as of Wednesday. I have to say: this has been the hardest project I've ever worked on. I don't get why everything had to keep going wrong. We finally, after so many delays, got a DVD off to the print shop, and were told that they would be finished on March 1st. Hurray! Right?

Wrong...

Getting a little poispective...

nick — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 00:00:00 -0800

My littel brother Ben and I took a hike yesterday to clear our heads. We're both flinging ourselves into the Internet's latest technologies, and our heads are spinning. Not a bad place to spin, and a great place to have a poi retreat. :)

I spent the rest of the day trying to learn Drupal, the Content Management System that's going to help me roll out the new playpoi.com.

Final Poi DVD Draft Finished!

nick — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 00:00:00 -0800

We're so close to being done!

Marc left for Mexico on Tuesday morning. We made the big push to finish the DVD and test it and make final changes... but it just didn't happen. Just as well, as it's best if I don't rush things...

First Poi Retreat at Flying Dreams Went well...

nick — Thu, 22 Dec 2005 00:00:00 -0800

The first retreat at Flying Dreams Studio on Salt Spring Island has come and gone. It was pretty small: Three people showed up on Friday, and four more on Saturday. That was a good size for figuring out the logistics of doing retreats on the island. Everybody had fun, and the studio certainly proved an incredible space for poi research.

What poi artists do for their day jobs

nick — Thu, 22 Dec 2005 00:00:00 -0800

Yes, it's true. Poi spinners aren't rich, expecially not ones who lack certain business instincts. I'm learning, I really am, but I really do need to figure out a way to get some dependable money coming in...

Tai Chi, Cat attacks

nick — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 00:00:00 -0800

Tai Chi: So, here's my Tai Chi Studio. This is also where I'm teaching poi classes in Vancouver. Zang Zi Bin didn't want his photo taken so I took a picture of some of the other students practicing. I hope to get Zang Zi Bin to come teach Tai Chi at a poi retreat some day...