During the weeks leading up to piratey's grand return, piratey kept suggesting this task. In fact, she kept suggesting it in conjunction with Left-handed screwdriver, by locking right hands with Spidere for 24 hours. Spidere thought this was a terrible idea and tried to dissuade her. He thought he had succeeded. But he was wrong.


Spidere: Some things this task made me think:

• It made me a lot more aware of all the different parts of my body that could be touching--in the beginning, we were mostly just holding hands or locking arms; eventually we rediscovered the foot-to-foot contact that is so crucial to this task. But realizing that one can transfer contact between different body parts (bringing a leg into contact, putting one's back against your partner, switching contact limbs) makes you think about all the different parts you have. It's almost like developing another sense of proprioception.
  
• It made me more aware of my issues with control--piratey had to keep telling me, "Don't worry--I've got you", and even then, I usually felt like I had to be holding on to her in some way, rather than just relying on her to
  
• Trying to keep hold of someone who is dancing with someone else, particularly if they are spinning, is exhausing. It mainly involves a lot of running around the outside of the two of them. But with enough practice, I think it could become a really interesting artistic experience to watch, as one transfers contact as the partners move.
  
• I definitely wanted to give up at several points. While it was interesting at the beginning, in the middle it was often really frustrating. Everything was harder, because instead of being able to split up, we were often limited to being just one person.
  
• Tn the end, it was actually hard to let go...I really did feel like something was missing, once I no longer had to be in contact with piratey. It's a really nice thing, to have someone with you. Part of that might be that I'm both shy and also a fairly tactile person--that I really like being able to touch and hold people; it's a wonderful way to show connection and affection, but I'm really inhibited about doing so. So having an excuse and an opportunity to do that, not having to worry about the drama that can so often result, was really nice. So thank you, piratey, for making me do this.
  

piratey: I agree completely with what spidere says above. I am a pretty touchyfeely person, and Spidere was such an open friendly person, that i really had very little trouble staying in contact with him. couple of things were tricky: getting in and out of cars, going through Bart ticket turnstiles, using the restroom, and a number of the tasks we attempted were exponentially more difficult as you may read later on, especially since i was one-handed the whole time. But mostly it was a great deal of fun, an excellent challenge, and a fully worthwhile experience. It made me much more aware of everything we did. All physical motions had to be made consciously and with the other person in mind. I was mildly worried about attempting this, seeing as how i had met him only an hour or so earlier, but it all worked out so splendidly in the end! It was also convient being connected to someone more levelheaded than I, as he kept me from getting into all sorts of trouble (although he let me drag him into all sorts of trouble as well!) I too felt a sense of loss at the end. I felt naked and alone when we broke contact, and it took a while for this feeling to go away.