World Sword Swallower's Day - Atlantic City, NJ

History of sword swallowing

Sword swallowing has amazed and entertained crowds for hundreds of years.  Normally, one would be able to find a sword swallower at a carnival or a circus.  The performer would usually look straight up with the chin in the air to provide a clear plane for the throat and carefully slide the sharp blade into the mouth and esophagus.  If a performer has shaky hands or misses by the slightest centimeter, it could mean injury at best or death at worst.

Modern-day practice

"Some people think sword swallowing is an illusion.  I'm here to tell you that it's not," said David Peyre-Ferry as he addressed a crowd of about fifty people in front of Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum in Atlantic City, NJ.

David Peyre-Ferry demonstrating one of his blades.

Peyre-Ferry is a sword-swallower who has been honing his craft for years.  On February 22, 2014, the day that commemorates World Sword Swallower's Day, he displayed then ingested swords of varying shapes and lengths, none of which were shorter than 20-inches, to mark the occasion.

"Are you going to die?"

"You're crazy!"

"Why would you do that?"

These were some of the responses from children present in the performance, and Peyre-Ferry, a budding showman, played to the crowd well.

Peyre-Ferry performing one of his feats as his father looks on.

He asked the youngsters "Does anyone want to switch?" as he was about to enter yet another blade into his mouth.  Not likely Mr. Peyre-Ferry, and some of the children were plenty vocal about their opinions, which mostly resounded in an overwhelming, yet adorable "NOOOOOOO!!"  Nicely said kids, nicely said.

What most impressed me about this back-and-forth was the emergence of wonder in the children's eyes, which for so long have been deadened by illuminated screens.  These little people, at that beautiful moment in time, not only knew that sword swallowing was dangerous and best left to the professionals, but were also spectators and inductees to one of the world's oldest (and oddest) skills.  There's nothing better than leaving a lasting impression on a crowd, and what better way to do that than to astound the masses with a reminder of how flexibly freakish the human body could be.

Giverny

Giverny is located on the River Seine in Upper Normandy, France between the towns of Vernon and Gasny.  After Claude Monet, a famous French painter and founder of Impressionism, acquired wealth from the increased sales of his paintings, he purchased land and developed a large area into a floral garden.  This locale is best known as the location where Monet had created paintings mostly based on water lilies resting on a pond near a Japanese-style bridge.

I had a great day.  I went to the National Guard Recruiter in Woodbury, NJ and spoke with a staff sergeant about options, donated blood at the American Red Cross of Camden and Burlington Counties in Camden, NJ where I discovered the refuted term 'Golden Triangle,' and most importantly, met up with a much prettier, more soulful Bruce Leroy at the Philadelphia Museum of Art aka The Rocky Museum.

I don't want to shoot myself in the foot, but the singing birds returned after Cupid's lethal accuracy, and I'm so excited about what's to come!  (Full disclosure:  I'm seeking a better mantra than "Don't screw this up")

Maple Shade to Philly bike ride

http://www.phillyburbs.com/00redesign/news/local/tacony-palmyra-repairs-highlight-lack-of-bike-access/article_49639d30-a6b6-5b8d-b1f2-2185f3e321ea.html

Today's bike ride:  Maple Shade, NJ to Philadelphia via Tacony-Palmyra bridge and back

Objective:  Buy Banjo Brothers Saddlebag Pannier
Destination:  Bicycle Stable
Weather: 39 - 36 degrees Fahrenheit

Total Distance: 29 miles

Total Time: 4.5 hours

It started off nice and easy.  I wanted to go Northwest to the Tacony-Palmyra bridge to catch a view in the sunlight, but I ended up heading West and ultimately through Camden via Federal St.  When I realized I had gone the opposite direction, I decided to take PATCO to Philly from the Walter Rand Transportation Center.  PATCO rail only cost $2.40 for a one-way, and I was in Philadelphia in 5 minutes after waiting another 5.  I got out on 8th St., and I immediately fell in love with all of the bike paths Philly has to offer.  Although south Jersey has some in Camden and other parts of Camden county, it's definitely lacking in a lot of areas in the state.

I take a quick 10-15 ride north to Bicycle Stable in Frankford, and the guys couldn't be nicer.  I was surprised to see that not only did they carry Banjo Brothers, but also the exact rear saddlebag pannier in red that I had wanted.  It cost $65 (8% sales tax?!!  Yabba Dabba Doo!) and took a minute to put onto my bike rack.

It is really spacious, yet I'll reinforce it because it seems like it'll break if I have cans along with other groceries and roll over bumps and whatnot.

The ride from Bicycle Stable to the Tacony-Palmyra bridge was a little longer than expected, mainly because I chose a road with a lot of stop signs.  Even north Philly has a ton of bike paths, and I only had to ride with traffic twice because people were entering/exiting a strip mall and crowding the bike lane.

Walking over the bridge was lovely because I just caught the sunset, and the oranges and purples hovered over Philly like a mother singing sweet lullabies to her newborn in the crib.  I saw a lot of deer prancing around and took chase to see if I could live in their world, but they were too shy.  Instead, I played Air Guitar outside of the NJ State Police HQ in Palmyra.  It just seemed appropriate.

I stopped at a pizzeria, that was open, but not open because of renovation, but was still open...or so the sweet pizzeria mama told me.  I asked if she could heat up a slice, and she said no, so I wished them a happy new year and took off.

Swerving and weaving, I didn't have a care in the world...until the cars behind me started honking...then I straightened out my act.

I found another pizzeria, had two slices, went to the bank, and cruised on home.

Two more weeks...

Two more weeks...

Mixed bag of strange emotions.  One part trepidation, three parts relief.

I was all sorts of anxious recently until today when I started doing research on more jobs teaching abroad.  I'm jazzed about traveling to Costa Rica, and it had been a destination for summer, but if nothing opens up, why not travel and teach in January?

All I've got to do is travel there, find a school while in country, and cross my fingers and toes.  If nothing comes up, I could just fly back.

With coral artsy, I think she'll be interested in coming, but I need to travel on my own.  Clear the head.

I've got two more weeks at my current school, a charter school in Camden, NJ.  I'm beyond excited for the time to come, and I will still teach my scholars faithfully up until 21.12.13.  However, 2014 will be a new year and I can't wait for its shiny adventures!