Open letter of thanks to Malcolm

I sent this letter to Malcolm & CCed it to our local mailing list, but thought I'd post it here as well. Can I get a second? Is there a 'here here!' in the house?--Hi, Malcolm. Okay I'm here to send you an honest-to-god fan letter. Your site has done wonderful things for me and quite a number of people in my area (Baltimore, MD, USA..45 min north of Washington DC, 3 hrs or so south of New York City by car). I first picked up the poi in September while visiting a friend of mine in Richmond, VA started learning from _her_ friends in New York. I didn't know anyone in my area who was doing it (Richmond is also about 3 hours away, so needless to say I don't see my friend very often). I'd always been mystified by it when I saw the skilled fire dancers at Burning Man and other outdoor events, but never thought I could do it. My Richmond friend referred me to your site for lessons when she couldn't be around to teach me herself and helped me make a set of practice chains and beanbags (made from old socks and lentils). Soon after finding your site, I added my own entry on the 'meet others' database & two weeks later heard from a seasoned spinner from San Francisco, who told me that he was a frequent visitor to the Baltimore area, and suggested we get together. He brought me a set of the beautiful streamer poi, and I got super addicted to them and started practicing an hour or more per day. I've never been much of a performer and I've never called myself an artist. I'm a simple unix administrator with a rather dull government job. When it comes to expressive extracurricular activity I typically have engaged myself behind-the-scenes; helping others build their projects or operating the sound and light boards. The experience of learning and practicing, and more recently, teaching and performing with the poi, has completely changed my life. I've learned nearly every move on the 'poi lessons' page and I so enjoy reading the interactions on the lively discussion board. While I once remarked to fire dancers that they made it look so easy, now other people are saying that to me.Perhaps best of all is the way others have picked up the poi after seeing me do it. Almost every one of my friends is now learning, either with homemade equipment or borrowing mine, and several are eagerly awaiting their own streamers in the mail. The San Francisco fellow is now one of my best friends. And we started up our own regional mailing list a month ago, currently with a membership of 22 and growing! Last night my _second_ poi student lit the wicks (a pair of wicks built by my _first_ student, no less!) for the first time. Five of us got together on a public square in the middle of town to trade tips and show off for the locals a little. A woman approached us and asked if she could join in; I expect to see her subscribe to our list pretty soon too. I've heard stories about other parts of this country where poi spinners jealously guard their secrets from each other, where 'plagarizing' each others' moves is considered a horrific thing to do and they actively discourage newbies from learning the craft. The way I see it, poi is just too good to keep to myself. I can't help but share and am only too happy to help others get the indescribable benefit I've gotten out of this. And I'm so grateful for your site. Suffice it to say that without it, I'd still be spinning by myself in my backyard. Our group (we call ourselves the Baltimore Calefaction Society) will be putting together a large equipment order from your store soon; partially because we need more streamer sets for incoming newbies and some of us (like me!) are ready to be owners of our own fire wicks. We also see it as a way to support you in your endeavor which has been so beneficial to all of us, and to thank you with more than simple words. I hope your site is around for a long time. A thousand thanks for all your great work!Cheers,protie

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