It seems I may finally have achieved global fame, well sort of.
We were putting together the pages for Eyethu and our Scottburgh paper on Tuesday this week when I heard something on production’s radio about a Guinness World Record being set.
From what I could hear, it sounded like a man somewhere had set a record for being able to get 35 grapes into his mouth and juggle three balls at the same time.
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My immediate reaction, which I expressed out loud, too loud, was what kind of clown does something like this?
Then I heard the deejay say, “his name is David Rush and he’s from Idaho in the US.”
What!?
Needless to say, my colleagues, or at least those who had been listening, burst out laughing. For quite some time.
So did I. What are the chances? Seriously. It’s not like I have a common surname.
I’ve never met someone with the same surname as mine. My late ol’ man was an only child and his Rush cousins are all around the world.
When I started at the Herald all those years ago I was often called Ian, a combination of Ian Rush the former Liverpool footballer and my late colleague Iain Hush.
There was major confusion at the time, and some folk still occasionally refer to me as Ian. Oh well.
A quick Google search on our Guinness World Record setter revealed that he and his thrower friend, Jonathan Hannon, nicknamed ‘Hollywood’, have set more than 200 world records together, all to promote STEM education.
This is not stem cell promotion, like I initially thought, but as David says on his website, a need for more boys and girls to grow up with a passion for science, technology, engineering, and math.
It turns out that ‘Hollywood’ lobbed the grapes at Rushie (I wonder if he’s also called that?) from a short distance and he caught them in his mouth – sort of like when you throw a biscuit at a dog – all while juggling the three balls.
All this in the space of a minute. It’s impressive.
There’s a video of it on the Internet; if you’re in need of a bit of a laugh, it’s worth a watch.
Warning though, it’s a bit gross at the end if you are somewhat queasy.
Overall though, what David Rush the Idahoan is doing is definitely inspiring and a reminder to all of us, including David Rush the Port Shepstonite, that, in our troubled times, we absolutely need to focus on education and ensuring our children get the best one possible for the long-term benefit of all.
So, I had to apologise and take back the clown comment.
After all, it has been pointed out that I irritate my colleagues to no end by trying to land crumpled up bits of paper in waste paper bins, basketball style, from across the office, often looking like a clown in the process.
However, what I do know is that I won’t be able to look at grapes in the same way for a little while!
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