TheBanyanTree: better than botox

[Julie Anna Teague]

I was in Big Box Sporting Goods last weekend, looking for bike parts 
and sweat-wicking clothing, when I happened upon a whole rack of 
sparkly hula hoops. These were the good kind, slightly weighted inside 
with something--I think maybe water rather than the old style beads 
that made the fabulous, circular swooshing sound. I bought a big, 
sparkly, green one.  It is very fun, and I've been hula hooping for a 
few minutes every day.  For me, it's like the wheel-o.  Remember the 
wheel-o, the magnetic wheel sort of thing that you move up and down two 
parallel pieces of wire with a flick of the wrist?--up, over, down, 
over, up, over... the hula hoop is quite addictive in the same way once 
I start the twirling swirling action.  I highly recommend the hula hoop 
for recapturing that "almost out of school for the summer" feeling.  
I'm thinking of working up an act involving my baton twirling and the 
hula hoop, but I haven't tried the two together so I'm not completely 
sure if this is going to fly.  My family was quite amused with my baton 
act in the beginning, but this has become old hat and no longer worth 
the price of admission (attendance is free, and in fact, mandatory).  I 
can just imagine the look on their faces if I can wow them with a 
combination hooping/twirling act.

Julie