This past weekend was wonderful fun. Gen and I head up to Chilliwack, BC to teach a weekend chock full of dancing goodness.
We got stopped for a full search at the border which was scary. I mean, had I brought a ton of stuff to sell at the workshops as I usually do, we would have been in a very awkward position, surely. But we didn't, so the car search didn't implicate us in any way. And the immigration guy was so very nice, and we chatted him up a little bit about bellydance and the workshops we were going to... Puts the fear o' god in ya, lemmie tell ya.
Every single time I visit Canada I am struck by how very very nice they all are (except for the border guards, who seem very rude by contrast, but it's kinda part of their job to be intimidating). I feel like I am coming home to old friends, even in a room of strangers. They are so open, and so giving. We were showered with a small flood of gifts right from our arrival in the form of a gift basket, complete with home-crafted bath salts, scented spray, and lotions; a package of digestives; home-canned peaches; and two mugs and a selection of teas and hot chocolate!
We tried to spend some time assembling our performance set for the following night, but kept getting stuck, so we struck out for dinner. Latitude 47 was down the street, and we got a hearty meal and a bottle of yummy wine. The "I love you man's" started pretty early this trip, and we talked about dance and our troupe and wonderfulness around all that. We chilled back at the room, and chatted late in the dark. The morning came too fast and we were tired, but off we went!
The workshops went well. The group was pretty beginner level across the board, so we didn't get as many concepts covered as I usually get to. I hadn't realized how few of them had any tribal experience, so the movements and stylings felt very foreign to them and were a struggle on some of the rudimentary concepts. When I discovered that many of them were under the impression that a shimmy was pumping your knees, and they didn't know there even was any other kind of shimmy, I had my work cut out for me. But that was good news--I was thrilled to be able to bring some general technique and theory to them, and they were so eager and so wonderful throughout, working hard and laughing along with us. I know I had fun, and they seemed to as well.
Back at the room, we set back to assembling a couple sets for the hafla that evening. We finally settled on a two-song first set featuring the skirtwork they had learned, and a three-song second set showcasing the bhangra they would be learning the next day. The first set was a surprise--we decided last minute to add an additional set, so we weren't on the schedule. We just came slinking up the aisle when they thought the intermission was about to begin, and they erupted into applause. That was fun. :)
I always love dancing with Gen (Hell, which of my sisters don't I love dancing with?!). We definitely have a great rapport onstage, and our comparable height and shape makes us appear even more in-synch. And Gen is great at eye contact and vamping it up with me! LOL SASSSSSSSSY GENEVIEVE!! And it is a rare treat to get to do duets in our group, since we work in trios mostly, and duets tend to be very limited in use. So getting to really connect just the two of us was a treat.
Afterward, we felt like superstars. Folks heaping on praise, taking photos with us, and each of us given a bottle of wine by the beautiful and fun Amy who we became friends with at Kamloops. We felt really good about the performance. Everyone then changed and head out to dinner at a restaurant just a block away, where we stuffed ourselves, drank wine, and then sleepily head back to the room...where we ate cheetos and drank more wine, and again talked way too late.
Morning came too fast, and we had to pack up and load the car to be able to head home right after the workshops were over. We started with some drills, introducing some basics isolation concepts and introducing different shimmies, which had their eyes wide and smiles beaming at something so new and different. I love that! Their enthusiasm feeds me, and I had much fun jamming alongside Gen as my stellar assistant. We finished with Bhangra, which tapered off a bit near the end, as the students lost steam in their 8th hour of workshops in one weekend. It was hard to keep them moving near the end, which was too bad since bhangra is usually such a complete adrenaline kick! But some of them just plain gave up, and I couldn't get them to push through it. :(
We ended with a nice long yoga cool-down, and brought the workshops to a close. I packed up what was left of my vending, which wasn't much, changed into fresh clothes, made our goodbyes with kisses and hugs, and hit the road. The drive is just so easy, especially compared to the Kamloops drive which felt like ages comparatively (well it was over twice as long!). I was welcomed to Seattle by a hailstorm and grey grey pounding rain, and no hubby...puppies, but no hubby. Because he was off in Burbank, CA drinking the Disney Kool-Aid!
Yes, Chris is now officially an employee at Disney! Sadly, it entailed an orientation down in Burbank, CA, which had him leaving about five hours before I got home from Chilliwack. Almost six days apart from one another altogether. *sigh* But at least puppies were tended to on each during our trips since there was little enough overlap in our absences. But it did suck to come home to no Chris. His presence is so grounding for me, and when I come home he hugs and kisses me, unpacks my car, hands me a glass of wine, and fends off nutty dogs until I am ready to have them barking and jumping all over me as they are wont to do. So the relatively quiet house the followed was lonely.
But Chris' trip sounded fabulous despite the dry HR presentations (replete with cheesy sexual harassment films!). He called me every day bubbling with info and trivia about Disney Studios (where the animators work, and the movies are filmed--it's where everything from Mary Poppins and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea to *cough* Meet the Robinson's is created). He got "inside scoops" on lots of ongoing projects, and even got to eat Walt's favorite meal (chili) right on the property where Walt himself enjoyed it (which he informed me with a tone of pride). He bought me several pins, and were given a handful of others in various ways, which gets me a load of traders for our trip to WDW in Sept.
Sadly, his camera mysteriously went kaput right on arrival! It worked to make calls, but the screen was entirely blank. So he couldn't take any pics!! WAH! He tried to relay as much as he could, and I looked up maps and pictures I could find online to supplement, but I so wish he could have taken pics of the moments he personally experienced. But the cool news is that as an employee he can bring me to tour the facility anytime! Yes! He can take me onsite and take me into ANY part of the property save for the studios (which are working studios and they can't have people just walking around). But, for instance, we could walk right into the animation building and see where they work and maybe even see some live concept art or projects in the works! There is also a Disney Studios Archive, which is part mini-museum, part full archive of all videos, photos, and writings in the Disney collection. All the scripts. All the concept art. Every thought from Walt's first scribblings up to current projects gets archived there. Some is on display, some is on microfiche...sounds coooool. So hopefully we will get to do that next time we are down there. It's a bit of a drive from DLR, but would be worth a car rental to me to be able to go and see it. And Chris sounded sooo proud that he would get to be the one to open that door to me. My Chritter...*beam*
Looks like Chris will have a lot of great inside info on future projects and pending concepts, which he will be allowed to share with me, but I cannot share out at all (of course). I always chuckled at the people (assholes?) on the Disney forums I belong to who, in the middle of a discussion speculating about some rumored change or addition, would seem to so smugly pop up just to say, "Well, I know *something* (insert sidelong look here), but I am not allowed to say! Just know you will be pleased/displeased/surprised/shocked/whatever when the info is released to the (mere mortals) public!"
I could be that smug asshole! LOL
I finally got my hugs last night when I got home from troupe, which was fabulous. Sadly, we had to eat dinner and head right to bed, since today was his first day in the office. I am so sad that our free days together are over, and it's back to ships passing in the night. :( And for a while it may be worse than it was at his last job, since he will be spending extra time learning the new job and may be staying late here and there. *sigh* Why can't we be independently wealthy? But I am glad Chris is back at a job where we have benefits again--and some groovy perks. In fact, we found out that if a cruise isn't sold out...we can get 75% discounts!!! HOLY COW! We will be cruising soon for sure!
In other news, I hadn't reported on the kitchen in a while. We opted to tear out half of the wall, and the work is done. Now we need to try and match the texture of the patched wall with the old plaster which has a sand-texture surface...blunted by layers upon layers of paint. From everything I have read, it is near impossible to match these textures, but that is our next challenge. We also are eager to get a new fridge in there, since the one we have came with the house, and in addition to being pretty inefficient, is ugly. And it is now the first thing you see when you walk toward the dining room, since it is right there framed in the new opening. *sigh* We have something picked out, but it is going to be a couple grand plus, and we can't do that right now. We are also looking at doing the cabinets this summer, which will rule. :) I can't wait. I have been hitting up ikeafans.com again lately to prepare myself for that day.
So that is the latest updates from me. Sorry I have been such a lame LJer, but I haven't been very chatty online in general lately. I am all about refocusing my energies in 2007, and am looking hard at where I want to spend my time and energy. I guess blogging hasn't been high on that list, though keeping in touch with all of ym friends IS. So do keep in touch, dear friends. You guys rule.
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