Here And There

06/20/2006

Another weekend, no big announcements this time.

Apparently I only post about my weekends now. But I had an incredibly busy and fun one. I'm still in the clouds about my engagement. Telling my friends and family was an ordeal, most of them told each other though. It was interesting to see how word spreads.

But I spent this weekend doing bellydance stuff mostly. On friday night we went to a local thing at Gypsies of Jazhan. Originally Gail had suggested we perform since it was small and casual (just a little store party) but we didn't have a lot of time because I went away last weekend and was really busy at work. But I think now we should have thrown something together. It would have been the perfect event to start doing something like that and like Gail said "um, they could have used a little variety too". But there were really great dancers there and it was really fun! Then Sunday we went to the Ansuya, Jill Parker show at Amira. Which was great, Ansuya was best by far but Jill Parker had a really great drum solo too. Ansuya is just so fabulous. She's such a professional performer and is so fun to watch especially in a small little setting like that.

So we've kind of decided to have a costume and little routine together so when something like the party Saturday night comes along we can perform. Because the more performance experience the better. I see people dancing all the time and think "I could probably do that..." so why aren't I? Well, I'm lucky that I have a friend that is also willing and ready to start doing stuff like that.

In other news, work has really been an engagement buzz kill. I'm not happy and thats all I'm gonna say right now because I get paranoid about these kinds of things. Yuk.

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05/22/2006

It Kills Brain Cells, People! Proof.

Okay forget Friday and Saturday. All the eating (lamb! roasted underground!), drinking (yes!), smoking (vanilla cloves! etc! *cough*), dancing (Opa!), and hottubbing (nekkid!) would make a good journal post but I want to write about Sunday.

I spent all of Sunday as an asshat.

Examples of sunday's boneheadedness:
A. Took the freeway in the WRONG DIRECTION on the way to friends house (note: I've driven here many times).
B. Missed my OWN FREEWAY EXIT on the way home from friends house.
C. Took the longassed way to drop my other friend off just because it's usually the way I go and apparently there was some auto-piloting going on.
D. Went to Trader Joes and tried to put some Tasty Bites in someone else's cart and of course laughed coyly "ha ha, silly me" which caused this person to flirt with me the entire rest of the grocery store visit, which considering the lines were stretched all the way down the isle was quite a while.
E. Came out of Trader Joe's and realized I had left my lights on.
F. Also, forgot most of what I went to the grocery store to get.

Then went to dinner at a friends house and could not concentrate on a single thing anyone said! Such an airhead!

I think I might actually be getting sick. Either that or my allergies are getting shitty again (I don't even know what I'm allergic to - I think dust).

But Friday and Saturday were so much fun. I was a little nervous dancing a Roma dance in front of a LOT of Roma people and after some really REALLY good Rom dancers. But we did great I think and I had a lot of fun.

I was so busy I didn't even have time to miss C too much. This week might be a different story, but since I'll be helping one of my dearest friends get ready for her wedding this weekend I think I'll be kept pretty busy. Plus, since I'm alone I took that trip to the grocery store with plans to eat REALLY healthy all week. And I have books from the library, art projects, bellydance, netflix...eh who needs a boyfriend?

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05/19/2006

It's Like Partying Like You Are Single But Not!

Woo-hoo! Man's out of the house doing manly things in mexico. So I'm off to do girly stuff in Sebastapol!

First off pre-party tonight for Herdeljezi Festival performers. Then I'm staying the night at a friend's friend's and in the morning I'll hit Tribal Fest 6 then over to the Herdeljezi Festival to perform. And probably stay there until the after party.

I'm pretty excited. It's an adventure all on my own (although I'll know plenty of people once I get there). I am obviously interested in the Roma Festival, but I'm also really looking forward to Tribal Fest, even though I don't do tribal dance. ATS that is. I'm actually not that into the dance form. To me, it is really repetitive and uncreative (now). And a lot of people do it to wear the costumes and look like Rachel Brice, but can't dance so are just up there bastardizing the whole thing. (harshshshsh) But I like the philosophy a lot, and of course the costume (tribal, not gothic or fusion) kicks ass. I'd take that over a turkish beaded monstrosity any day. And my theory is there has to be a middle ground. There has to be a fusion of dance that is interesting to watch, earthy and beautiful and a costume that is not such a direct copycat of EVERYONE ELSE yet not some horrendous color, covered with tacky stuff like a lot of Egyptian or Turkish costumes. There has to be, and so my search begins.

It will maybe suck to drive an hour each way by myself.. but maybe not, I've got my iPod and when you are rarely alone it can be surprising how pleasurable you find it. I don't know if I'll be able to stop feeling guilty about the gas guzzelage though. And it will be fun to hang with all the Lunatique girls, and I wont be sitting home feeling lonely without C. It's great.

However, packing for such events is not. Packing goes one way in my house:

1. Go to closet, extract bag or suitcase.
2. Set on bag on bed.
3. Turn for one MILLISECOND to get something to pack
4. Turn back and find this:


It never fails. And if you can't tell by the E-VILLE look in her eyes, she is prepared to shred anything that comes within a paws reach of that bag. It's unnerving.



I don't blame her for being pissed I will leave her for a night by herself. She would never do such an awful thing to me.

Anyway, I'm packed (with only a few scratches on my arm to prove it) and am leaving work at noon. Yay!!!

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05/05/2006

Oh My Gods. No more Fishers!

Holy formaldehyde. We watched the last episode of Six Feet Under last night (thank you Netflix). I'm still sniffling. Nothing like a cable television show to get you thinking about your own mortality right? Welcome to the 21st century. Actually more like the mortality of the people I love. Oh my Gods everyone is going to die! I just realized it! Kind of thing. Anyway, I love how Brenda was really pregnant. It was a little more beautifully believable than say, Rachel Green's stick skinny I've-got-a-vollyball-hidden-somewhere kind of TV pregnancy on Friends. Then again, what the hell am I doing comparing Friends to Six Feet Under?

We also finished the first season of 24 AND Lost. So just, oh GODDESS! When is the second season of Deadwood coming out? I have nothing to watch now. Can't they see we are dying over here? And Lost Season 2?? What am I supposed to do until then? As if anyone actually watches shows when they are on anymore.

Speaking of dying. I have to get the new Neko Case CD. I luuuuuuv et. I might be kinda getting a little girl crush on her. I SAID LITTLE!

Anyway, I forgot to post Cafe' Bellie pics. I only have this posed shot of us in our Turkish Rom costumes (bottom right! fake hair!). It was a really fun costume and the dance was awesome. We are actually going to perform this choreography at the Herdeljezi Festival in Sebastapol, a benefit for Kosavo Romani.

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08/31/2005

ONE 234 - FIVE 678.... um... hello?

Can you guess what happens when you don't practice dancing for a week because someone compliments you and your head gets all swollen and big and you think you HAVE THAT BOOTY SHAKIN' THING DOWN and you get all lazy?

Well, you go to class and make a complete idiot out of yourself by forgetting what part is which MULTIPLE TIMES and generally Fucking Up.

Yep thats what happens. Not that I know from experience or anything. Hoo Hoo, not me.

***

Good lord in heaven above, I'm ready for the weekend.

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08/25/2005

Aw Shucks!

Just a note to brag that yesterday at bellydance rehearsal my teacher said

"I'm very impressed with you, Lisa. You are doing really well, thanks for doing the work that got you where you are. I took a chance putting you in the front row and I'm not sorry I did."

Ha! I was so worried about being in the front row and I could tell she was a little worried too (I just started this year). I was so intimidated because most of the people in my troupe had much more experience and some were even professional.

I'm just happy because she noticed all the practice I've put into dancing. I HAVE been working really hard and I'm pleased with how much I have improved. So it made me feel good to hear her say that. And for the longest time I was freaking out that I'd never be good enough.

*grin*

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08/16/2005

Weekend of Bellydancing, Parties, and Mom

Cafe Bellie' was a success! It was WAY more fun than I had envisioned (I was envisioning something like hell). I was so nervous. But I had two glasses of wine (which I will relegate to ONE next time) practiced the choreography a million times and I really felt like, while my technique was not perfect, I really knew the choreography and could have fun with it and do my best. And once I got up there, the adrenalin and urge to show off were so powerful it was great. It was such a rush and I think I LOVE performing. It didn't hurt that the crowd was awesome and supportive, and my mom were there and some of my friends. Very fun night. I blabbered like an idiot for about an hour afterwards I was still so amped from the adrenaline.

Renee and Nathan came, as did Christa, Joel and Ellen. And of course Cyrus and my mom. It was so sweet of them especially considering it was $10!

Anyway, I had a great weekend with my mom. After C's first electric/improv/side project show (which went really really well. I was so proud of him) I picked her up from the airport on Friday night. Saturday morning we went out to breakfast, then to Grand ave. to get our nails done and go to the farmers market. Then we came home, picked up C and went shopping at Juniper Tree and Kiss My Ring. We got a present for C's mom and some stuff for ourselves. C picked out the stuff for his mom (it was her birthday). It surprises me sometimes even though I know it, how sweet and thoughtful he is. Then we went to lunch at and awesome restaurant and were off to look for a new kitten and the Berkeley and Oakland shelters. Then went home to make dinner. My mom and I chatted over wine for most of the evening while C sculpted on his new project. It was so nice to spend time with her.

Sunday, we went to Joel's 30th birthday party in South SF. And barely made it home with a harrowing car ride through ridiculous traffic in time for me to get ready for Cafe Bellie.

Monday my mom and I made strawberry shortcake for breakfast and stayed in our pajamas until 1 when I had to take her to the airport.

Good weekend.

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07/12/2005

Edible cuteness

I had a garden'n post all ready and stuff but blogspirit was majorly funking it up.

I also have pictures of my first SUCCESSFUL chocolate cake made from scratch complete with recipe link. But that is at home and I am at hell - I MEAN WORK. Soon to be at the gym during my lunch break doing one legged squats. My goal right now is fast forward some of the muscle control necessary to NOT look like a string puppet while belly dancing in front of hundreds of people in china exactly 9 weeks from today. Ha! Because rehearsal twice a week and practice damn near every day isn't doing the trick in this time frame.

Oh! We finally ended up going to the Moroccan restaurant THIS last Friday. It was fabulous. And watching the dancer I was trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong. And I don't really know but I think I'm trying to be too big in my movements too soon - in sacrifice of proper form and isolation and that is partly what is making me look kind of jerky and out of control. When doing a movement slowly I do have nice range and can make it big but when in a choreography and with fast music it gets a little wild looking. Obviously this is due to lack of experience which I cannot help. But I do have a game plan that is making me feel a little better. It is:

1. When doing the choreography focus on grace and isolation and also feeling the music.
2. When practicing, do and exercise of all the movements in the choreography slowly and perfectly
3. Keep doing yoga and my fantabulous Rachel Brice's Tribal Fusion - Yoga Isolations and Drills for Bellydance the bestest belly dance video ever
4. Get my ass to the gym twice a week to lift weights during lunch.

2, 3, are for building muscle memory which will, in theory, carry over when I perform the choreography and 4 is just to get stronger. Wish me luck. Its kind of hard to fake or force grace and experience but that is exactly what I hope to attempt or at least fool people into believing.

Anyway, I am fond of blogs with lots of pictures and this one has been sadly devoid of this. (I don't have my own dig. camera yet but I'm saving up!!!) Speaking of, the fabulous Crazy Aunt Purl posted an awesome, awesome little Excel file budget dealie that I love and making good use of. But BACK ON TOPIC: In apology for the lack of visual stimulation on this blog a bring you a bit of my favorite internet cuteness:

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