Jarkko Lehmus Diary

Pre-Holiday Bumper Issue

So that's the plan. Any questions? Well, since you clearly didn't ask, I'll give it to you anyway: I'm waging war to the polar bears and flying to Stockholm on Sunday, hopping on the train to Söderhamn just missing my cousin's wedding, but seeing all my extended family from Sweden and Norway.

After the obligatory drink or two to take the edge off a couple quiet nights sleeping in the front room of my aunt's sauna are on the cards before I hightail it back down to Stockholm to see some of my old friends from Bounce Streetdance Company. As accommodation goes, the good old Swedes have converted a prison into a hostel so that was the only logical choice.

Rather than hopping over the pond to Finland on a plane, I've decided to rekindle old memories on the very cruise ferry I used to ward off creeping cabin fever with copious amounts of what ever I got my hands on back in the day. I'm sure a few memories will crawl out from the haze of oblivion.

Once my hind paws hit the terra firma of home sweet Finland there's a whole host of old friends and acquintances to see and birthday dos, opera festivals and what-nots to do... Or was it the other way round? I will most likely investigate the matter with help of the perspective-enhancing effect of my trusty beer-goggles.

After what ever goes on in Finland it's time to let the warm winds blow me and my old friend Artzi back to my spiritual home in the Caribbean via a little stop in London. This time our raiding party will hit Barbados for a few days before the joys of the Spice Isle. He'll be doing his diving thing while I might snorkel a bit and possibly indulge in some kitesurfing or just lie in the sun like a beached sperm whale. Grenada's carnival,The Spicemas, should provide some useful distraction too. That should make a couple of weeks slide by like a vodka jelly would down a college girl's cleavage.

Like you well know by now, it's been 12 months since the last summer holiday and I'm bursting in my seams. The whole company is wrecked and I don't even want to write about work. Let's just say that everybody is doing the minimum possible and just saving all their remaining energy for the last performances. The busses back from Dumfries and Oban will be not for the faint hearted...

I guess I can muster up the strength to put together a few lines... We were supposed to be creating some more of Ashley's Pennies this week with Claire, but I managed to aggravate an old shoulder injury with some repeated lifting, so that went down the pan. So no rehearsals, but a bit of gentle swimming and gyro for rehab have still kept me in contention for the Beach Body 2008-award. Just to make this clear: me being in shape has got nothing to do with the fact that I still need to prance about the stage half-naked on Saturday, but is entirely the result of the knowledge that I'll be hitting the Caribbean beaches in a couple of weeks and I want to look shit-hot next to all the leathery Germans.

While we're still meandering on the issue of work, I had an interesting day today. After about 20 minutes, a full day's work that is, of rehearsal I popped into the gyro room to do a bit of work and ended up watching other people doing their stuff as well. I asked to chip in a little and did a little two minute release for young David's right hip just to see what it would do to the rest of the body and sure enough a whole chain of problems unraveled. It was fascinating to see an instant response to the thai work I've been doing for a while now. I'll explore that more during the year ahead. Might even open my own practice at some point... Then again, I don't think I have the mentality to work with normal people. I could take their money and make them feel nice for a while, but the results wouldn't last if the patients wouldn't look after their bodies outside the treatment situation, I'd get pissed off patching a sinking ship and tell them to piss off. Sure enough it would be a good money maker, but it's hardly the idea of healing. Nah... That's a bad idea. I'll just work with the dancers when I've got the time.

And there I go rambling on again...

Time to hit the hay now to be ready to coast through the last couple of days. The suitcase is packed already... Have an excellent summer!!!

Posted by Jarkko at July 11, 2008 12:22 AM