Hi there. The intro message suggested I introduce myself, so I am introducing myself.
I just started yoyo’ing earlier in May 2011. I just decided I needed some sort of activity to distract myself, wouldn’t take up a lot of space, and as I wrongly thought, wouldn’t cost me a lot of money. Starting later in life(I’m almost 40), I figure no time like the present to learn! Seeing really nothing near where I live, I went to the local Toys R Us and got a Duncan Reflex, while one of my kids got a Yomega Brain. I also picked up an Duncan Imperial, as I had one of those when I was a kid and was just unable to use it since nobody showed me how to use it. Very frustrating back then. Thanks to the internet, that’s all changed.
After building some confidence with the Reflex, I would see if I could also use the Imperial, and thank goodness I could. Watching the training videos here and seeing other videos elsewhere, I single-looped the string on my Reflex(which came double looped) to make it less responsive. This also effectively negated the clutch mechanism, which is fine as well. I could now sleep and start working on some beginner stuff.
Seeing so many YouTube and other videos, I saw stuff that was far beyond what I hope to get to. But I obviously found out that yoyos changed a lot since I was a little kid. I’ve been learning about shapes, bearings, responsive vs non-responsive and different play styles. I mean, sheesh. We certainly took a simple toy and went about making it one heck of a complex machine. But, I could see in what little time I’ve spent, I’m improving I feel at a decent pace. I also felt it was time to upgrade already. That’s why I ended up here.
I started looking at reviews for cost-effective yoyos that would be great for beginners and can move to advanced. This just made sense than being limited to what the offerings are at the local toy stores. It was obvious it was time to jump to mail order rather than waste money on inexpensive yoyos that I could get locally. So, I ordered on May 23rd a blue Dark Magic II and bulk strings and YYJ lubes from here and it arrived on the 27th. Wow, what a difference! I also don’ see myself needing to upgrade for quite some time now either!
I try to practice an half hour a day, but with all the other stuff I have going on, I’m lucky to get that. I mostly do my practice while one of my kid does their piano practice, so I throw while sthat one practices and I help correct those piano errors. I will say that multi-tasking while throwing can be dangerous because I’ve smacked myself a few times! Right now I’m having some mechanical errors on my part trying to learn Around The World. I think I’ll get through that in a day or two. It did take me 3 days to get Forward Pass repeatable and reliable for me to perform. It’s hard to throw when a kid wants to keep running right in front of you! My hand is also getting sore in a few spots from where the yoyo is popping me. Doesn’t make me stop, but sometimes I gotta take a break to let the sting die down a little.
When I’m not using a yoyo, I’m a full time professional audio engineer that specializes in live sound reinforcement(sound for concerts and events). I also do lighting and video work as well. If that wasn’t enough, I also do computer networking and engineering, from small(1 computer) to large(5000+ nodes, including Fortune 500 clients, State, National and International clients and networks), ranging from LAN/WAN, to dial-switched, remote access and digital circuits including PVC’s like Frame Relay networks and dedicated such as T1’s, as well as channelized T1 circuits and PRIs for dial-switched applications. I also do desktop support for Mac and PC’s, as well as repairs for most laptops and desktops including Macs. I took my 17" Early 2008 MacBook Pro(ordered with the upgraded CPU and matt screen) and upgraded the memory to max and to a 500GB 7200RPM drive(it came with a 5400 RPM 250GB drive), so I’m not afraid to crack into expensive gear. A lot of the recent work I do is WIFI integration and helping newbies, SOHO and home users/networks safely get onto the internet in a manner that saves them money and protects their machines.
A couple of my higher profile projects these days is that I’m the sound and lighting company that handles SacAnime and the Sac Horror/Sci-Fi convention. I also work with the Sacramento Horror Film Festival for their annual 4 day film and art festival, as well as working with a group called Sacramento Sweets(formerly Amber’s Sweets) for performance-cast performances of Repo: The Genetic Opera. I’ve also created original content that we use in the pre-show for that show, as well as our original edit that re-integrates the cut scenes and stretching one scene to add an alternate song ending. We’re considered to be the best cast doing this sort of thing.
There’s a big yoyo competition fairly local to me, so I’m going to see about providing them with better sound production services to help enhance their event, including providing foldback/monitors for the stage for the performers so they can hear their tracks better.
Another hobby is video games, but I’m not a mega gamer. Nintendo DS and Nintendo GameCube are my main platforms of choice. I’m not playing enough to justify upgrading these days. I have a decent collection of portable gaming systems going all the way back to the original Game Boy and Atari Lynx and Game Gear. I also authored the Unofficial Sega Genesis Nomad FAQ, which I still host and maintain.
The odds are that I’ll be lurking for a while, reading mostly, posting rarely. You can hit me up on Yahoo Messenger, because I don’t use AIM as often. I’m interested in meeting up with other folks near me just so I can learn more and enjoy this activity more. However, my availability to meet up with others can be difficult as I’m busy with so many other things. Just check out my web site.
So that pretty much wraps it up. If you want to learn more, hit my web site.
First time I played about 15years ago on Profire and TBB, but quickly left yoyoing for a couple of years, but now it’s quite serious