Interesting hoop trivia: in general, right-handed hoopers spin counter-clockwise, lefties clockwise.

In other hoop news, I had a frightening experience yesterday. A guy ran up to me in the desert and asked if he could play with my hoop. I’d been loaning it out all morning, and was happy to pass it off to him. Then, while I talked to a young woman from San Diego who was sucking on a pacifier, the dude proceeded to dance around with my hoop — but not spinning around his waist. Rather, he just held it tightly in his hands and roughly thrashed it around his waist and head, pressing it into an oval while doing so. Eventually, my only child sensibilities took over and I had to interrupt my conversation with a cry of, “Holy shit! He’s totally warping it!” Then I stormed over and demand that the abuser give me my goddamn toy back before he completely broke it. Is it any wonder I’m selfish when the other kids do bad things to my favorite toy?

After doing a showy “I think this is funny” hoop-dismount, the man handed my hoop back. It was bent into an oval, and the coupler had been loosened. I smiled thank you, then walked away grumbling to find some duct tape, secure the seam, and gently bend the hoop back into a semi-circular shape.

Then, last night, I had a dream that the dude had actually broken my hoop. Obviously, I was deeply disturbed by the experience.