"Finally there would be a thingamajig that would bring everyone together, even if it kept them apart spatially."

Ariel's working hard to promote the hooping revolution, and I finally gave in to the allure of her slammin video demonstrations and new hooping website, and sought out Jason's perfect hoop building instructions.

Last night I convinced Marc to come with me to Home Depot, and I bought supplies for at least seven hoops for under 30 bucks. So far I've built one hoop for myself and one for my sister-in-law, who returns tomorrow from a semester in Australia.

Finally, around 10 PM, we went down to the parking lot for a trial run (can't really use my hoop indoors, since it is a bit of a bull at 48" in diameter) and, well, I'm far less coordinated than Ariel. Still, how far can I be from at least a trick or two? We've been at outdoor live music at least once a week for a while now, and I can't wait to take the hoop along next time.

I also can't wait to see the reactions of the stodgy Connecticutians when I drive around with a giant hoop poking out the top of my already, um, attention-gathering (read: LOUD) car.