From rh@craycos.com Fri May  1 14:30:21 1992
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Date: Fri, 1 May 92 12:29:51 MDT
From: rh@craycos.com (Robert Herndon)
Message-Id: <9205011829.AA01932@copper.craycos.com>
To: balloon@gawain.cif.rochester.edu
Subject: blowing up balloons
Status: OR

I don't think I'm particularly talented, it's just one of those
things that take practice.  It seems to help an awful lot if I
blow up five or six balloons a day or two before I do a lot of
them.  I also do cheat somewhat -- I usually start a balloon
with one breath (just a bubble) and then inflate it fully with
a second (if I'm really in practice, I can do both with one
breath, but that has been a loooong time).  I'm also fairly big
(6'2", 170#) and that probably helps too.  My standard balloons
are 260Es (double dipped; they last a lot longer), so I can stand
all the help I can get.

A while back, when I took the balloon sculpting workshop at
the IJA convention in Las Vegas, nearly everyone (incl. me) at
the workshop had trouble inflating one balloon on the first day.
A lot were unable without a lot of help.  The next day, a majority
could do it without trouble.  Practice really does seem to make
a big difference.  Exercise those lungs!!  Keep those cheeks in!

Robert