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Yesterday I dropped by the los angeles office of Rockreation, near where I work. It was early afternoon, so the after-work crush of climbers and yoga-istas hadn't packed the foam-covered floor, not to mention the handhold-covered walls and ceilings.

Looking off into the distance (yes, this place is big enough inside to have a part of it that's 'in the distance', I noticed a young climber making her way up a handhold-covered concrete wall. A VERY young climber, like maybe about two years old. Tied into a rope harness and belayed by her rope-holding dad, she was about six feet off the ground on a near-vertical pitch, exploring her next step with bare foot. Not really climbing, just hangin'.

It turned out her father was a representative of one of the climbing-shoe manufacturers.

Rats! I missed the monthly meeting of Adobe southern California Technical exchange, and it was a good one too. Next month I'll see you all there, it's about scanning thousands of slides and negs, maybe this will be my salvation!

After several years as a didgeridou guy, I got my first didge lesson. The key? Don't use your brain, according to Dennis, the didge maker and teacher who led the workshop. The didgeridou workshop was held at McCabes Guitar Shop, a local Los Angeles Guitar emporium and destination resort for music makers on the Los Angeles' westside.

There are several aspects to playing the didge. First and foremost? The Drone. Second, you need circular breathing. This is the skill of continuing to play by puffing your cheeks out and blowing, while sucking in air quickly through your nose. Sounds hard, but it just takes practice.

Dennis was amazingly skilled at this and, while he averred that playing the didgeridou doesn't require that much air ("almost none"), still he seemed to go quite crosseyed while playing energetically. His guarantee? No one who stays for the entire two hours of the workshop will leave without mastering the drone. Since everyone there came into the workshop with this ability, the drone guarantee was safe indeed!

A good time was had by all.