A friend called, trying to organize a group outing... was I interested? Oh, maybe, what are you planning?" Firebreathing". "Huh?!?!....ummm, not sure, let me think about it".
A couple of weeks pass, the idea comes up again, and I decide, "why not". Without really much thought. Sign up on their website (www.thecrucible.org), and just make sure to enroll in the same class as Erinn. A couple of nights before class, I'm having dinner with another friend, Gary, who asked "what are you doing this weekend?". "Um... taking fire breathing class". He paused, stared at me for a while, and then once he realised I was serious, quietly said "of course you are". In the same tone reserved for talking people in from the window ledge. By the next day, he's also enrolled. So now it was three! Saturday afternoon, we all show up. Its a class of 7 students and one instructor, Kristina. She does this for a living (www.thenekyia.org). Oh, and by the way, its Fire EATING class, not Fire BREATHING class. Erinn was expecting that, so she was ok. But this detail had somehow been missed by Gary and myself, so we were a little taken aback at first. All the careful "what if" planning gone out the window. While still reeling from this change of plan, the instructor did a quick demo for us. First time I've ever seen anyone put a large flaming object in their mouth right in front of me. She put it out with no visible effort, and smiled. Sorta like the moment in my first skydive, when the first person went out the door, and you realised that it was serious, not some large elaborate prank, and people really are going to go out that door. Instructor pointed out that it was safer then fire breathing, because you had to put fuel in your mouth to do that. I joked with Gary, "no problem, after all, what could possibly go wrong?"... but neither of us laughed. We stayed. By the end of the first day, we'd built our own flame torches; Erinn was a natural at it, and got it all first time, but I quickly took the remedial position in the class. All those years where I thought doing knot-classes-in-boyscouts would have been a waste of time. Wrong. Would have been very useful that day. Even had to take home my unfinished work and try it again... and again... and again... Next day, in the car to class, Erinn redid my homework... "thats nice effort, but, really...."
We started gently just standing in a circle waving burning sticks around, running fingers through the flames, and "getting used to it". Hmmm, dunno about that. Progressed to running streak of fuel in a line on your forearm, and touching one end with flame, to run a line of flame down to the unlit stick at the other end of the trail. At one point, Gary singed some hair on his arm, kept the flame there a little too long, and said "Ouch, that hurt" to the instructor standing beside him. She patiently looked him in the eye, and said, "of course, its fire" with a mildly amused didnt you notice tone.
The sticks are made of metal, as wooden sticks burn. But that means that you have to be careful of touching the hot metal stick. My biggest "injury" in this whole thing was a light burn on my tongue from touching the metal stick with it... Maybe slightly worse then a small coffee scald. Oh and a mild embarrassment when I missed my mouth with the flaming stick and poked myself in the cheek. Its harder to aim a long flaming stick in your mouth then you might imagine...
After a while, it became very routine, dunking 2 flamesticks in fuel bucket, ambling back to the fire circle, lighting one up, putting it out in your mouth. Repeat with other stick. Walk back to fuel bucket and start again. Every few minutes, switch roles and stand there on "Fire Safety" duty, holding a damp cloth, ready to put out the other person if something unexpected went up in flames. Then back to walking to the bucket with your sticks...
Progressed to trying to leave the flame stick in your mouth for a few seconds so that a cloud of flamable vapors formed, then remove stick and leave flaming vapors in mouth, then put unlit stick in mouth and light it! I never got this right, but spent the rest of the day trying.
Some of the girls in the class were just naturals at it. Doing all sorts of tricks and getting it right first time. Impressive to watch. And the entire experience in the class was lots and lots and lots of surreal fun.
Great venue, wonderful safe instructor, friendly patient environment... all a little surreal giving the other stuff going on there also, but a great community of people. Highly recommend it to anyone. I left thinking I might attend a different class here sometime, but am otherwise unlikely to meet these nice people again. Little did I know we met again at Burning Man just a couple of weeks later...
as always, take care
John.