Yesterday was a glorious glorious inspiring day.

http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/10/quite_a_contrast
This is just...fascinating... I can't wait for the debate.

Someone made a quip here about Palin sounding like a walking game of Mad Libs. It truly is like she has this list of words she wants to get in, and whatever the question, she just plugs the party line's favorite noun or verb into some rambling sentence, and off she goes!

As a woman, I am so incredibly disappointed that the first woman to have this great a chance at getting into such a high level of our government...is this woman. I am embarrassed for her, and at the same time so frustrated with the McCain campaign and all the blind-following-the-blind who are supporting this woman for the Vice Presidency. I am so confused, and more than a little scared, at the thought that she might represent our country in so many important ways. If you thought Bush did a lot of damage with foot-in-mouth disease, be afraid. Be very afraid.

I have really been loving learning more about ATS and really digging into those roots. It's beautiful, it's powerful, and so much of what I have wanted to inject into my dancing but didn't quite know how. As soon as I started exploring it I started feeling it, and I feel it has been a good path to take for me.

In my teacher training this past winter/spring, Carolena stated that she doesn't see why anyone doing tribal improv should want or need to do anything more than what she has already created. She feels the dance style is whole and complete as it stands, and anyone wanting to do it needs to adhere to that. With due respect to this incredible woman I am coming to know and respect even more than I already do, my being rebels against this assertion, and feels counter to what it means *to me* to be an artist.

To me, this is like someone saying "You can paint pictures, but you can only use these paint colors, and these brush strokes. You can only paint the Approved Painting Styles on this specific Approved Canvas and cannot deviate from that. Why would you need to do anything else? This collection of colors and strokes is whole and perfect and needs no changes. Though if you wish to add to our palette, you must first get approval from me on the colors and brushstrokes, then we will test your theories, and if we deem them worthy, we will disseminate these colors and techniques throughout our collective so everyone can continue to paint the same colors in the same way." It's like a room full of Van Gogh's, and never a Kandinsky.

I feel torn at times with how I feel about this approach.

I do *understand* the desire to keep terminology clear. Carolena's seen more than her fair share of what she has created being completely bastardized, yet people claim to be doing what she does. And frankly, if it walks and talks like a duck, it's a duck, and if it walks and talks like a gorilla in a duck costume, it's a gorilla in a duck costume. Sadly, not everyone can tell the difference, and perhaps Carolena is trying to turn back time and change that. I admire her courage to stand up for her art, and her honesty about her motivations.

But it's the interest in buying into that which confounds me as an artist myself. I think that creation and building something from within YOU is part of being an artist. Being told what I can paint, how, and where is fine when I am first starting out--the path of most every artist is emulating those greater than themselves. But eventually, you start working to paint from the inside out, rather than the outside in; and all those lessons you learned along the way are now a part of you, and those different colors and brushstrokes find a home within you and are re-blended with other influences and are expressed through the lens of You-ness.

I completely understand that once one has started to express themselves in a unique way, it should take on another name. It IS something else, it is not that original creation any more. In this case, it has become another expression, style or format, and not ATS any more. But the idea that one could and should only ever want to use those moves, in that format, forever and ever, and deny your personal creative instincts in order to follow someone else's prescribed methods for all time...I personally can't get behind that. I have too many creative ideas of my own!

Now that I have really dug into ATS, and am enjoying its energy and form, it will absolutely influence me greatly going forward. I am already much more thoughtful about what I add to my dance and why (and some things I added before were ditched once my eyes were opened to this different way of looking at movement and format), and I do literally think "What would Carolena say about this kind of movement? Does it meet the basic requirements for ATS aesthetics? Does it flow and jive with those goals?" BUT then my very next question is, "Does it jive with my energy and my troupe and our hybrid version of ATS that we work with. Does it still honor those aesthetics, while being a unique message from within us? Does it flow with who we believe we are and where we think we want to go?"

Now, admittedly, these are questions we can only realistically ask as of about the last 3 years or so. And I bet it is not as easily or clearly answered as it will be in, say, 10 years from now. Because with each passing year we grow deeper and deeper into our Selves. Our troupe gels more and more each year, creating its own energy and aesthetic with our collaborative energies feeding into it. Carolena is at a point in her career where she really Knows who her troupe Is, who she is, and what she wants to express with her dance. I want that to be an inspiration in my dance, but not the sole driving force. As an artist, I can't sit back on someone else's creation and claim it is truly coming from within me. Art doesn't work like that.

Only that which comes from Me can really BE ME. And I want to be Me. And I want my Troupe to be My Troupe. I will honor those who have come before and put me on this path, but I will forever strive to be my own unique interpretation of those lessons and philosophies. I truly have a hard time understanding Art in any other context...

That was my deep thought of the day. Off to the aquarium with Celise, Tyler, Claire, Amy, and Simon!

Chris took these particular rockin' photos. Stay tuned for more from Wolf (hopefully! He took then, we just need to get them!). And Bren and Kahla took a stack o' pics as well, which can be seen over on Facebook.



The show was incredibly magical, and the party afterward was a completely amazing time! One of the best after-parties yet! The night was beautiful, my sisters amaze me constantly with their beauty and joyful hearts...I am blessed!

I woke up today in severe back pain. I got up to walk to the bathroom, and my foot stepped slightly on the corner of a soft dog toy, and it was enough to make me cry out in pain and fall into the door jam, grabbing on for balance. I had to admit that I need to go see the chiropractor NOW.

I am sad to report that after troupe on Tuesday night, my back started hurting a little more. Yesterday afternoon it was downright UNCOOL. Had to go teach last night and by bed time I was walking like an old woman. The right side hurts a bit, but this is surprisingly my left lower back that is giving me the most trouble. Slept like hell. Chris' alarm went off 50 BILLION TIMES THIS MORNING. I am sore and tired. And have to leave in about 20 minutes to go look at granite. And we're suppose to shop for paint colors and sand the walls tonight.*sigh*

I will be taking it as easy as I can, I swear! I don't want this. Not now. Not with summer coming and all of its promise. I want to be healthy and have fun this year. Please god!

Called the consulting nurse at my Dr's office yesterday, and checked in and got an assessment of where I was at. She suggested I try a half a turkey sandwich and see how that sat with me, and start drinking Pedialyte instead of Gatorade to cut back on excess sugars. So Chris bought the ingredients, and I had both last night. Pedialyte is ASS. I have to water it down even more than Gatorade. BLECH. The turkey sandwich was heaven. I wanted a whole one--the half made me hungry for more. But I kept it to half, and kept drinking my Crapolyte.

aka
My Trip to the ER in Valejo, CA

For those who read my last post, I apparently am psychic. The weekend was fabulous, save for the end. I will blog about the first part later, but am skipping to the drama for now.

I am going to post Renee's rundown of the events from her perspective, and interject some from mine, of what I can remember.


Sharon's tummy had been feeling a little funky all weekend but shefigured it was travel and/or her pre-trip anxiety and didn't think too much about it. After clearing out of the Villa and going to the festival to take care of some last minute business (getting a partial refund on my new belly ring and picking up fringe from Katherine for the troupe costumes (more on that in another email) we headed off to the roller coaster park, stopping on the way to eat lunch at Togo's (YAY!).

Once we got to the park (about 2:30pm) we wandered around a bit to let lunch settle. We saw dolphins and penguins and seals and sea lions (this park has some animals as well as coasters) which were very cute, and we played a carnival game and each "won" (everyone wins) a superhero cape--WonderWoman and BatGirl!) And then it was time to ride coasters. First was V2 a twisting loop de loop that reverses and repeats 3 times (reverses and repeats is a a particularly apt turn of phrase for what happened later that night, but I digress...). ((S: the V2 was awesome. I wish we could have ridden it more than once! The lines were so short, and the day was so beautiful.))

((S: As we head into this part of the park, before we hit another ride, I started feeling these little twinges and cramps in my upper abdomen. Never felt anything like it, so didn't mention it to Renee at the time)) We then went on to Kong, which was kind of like being thrown into a tumble dryer with a pair of sneakers. We got off that feeling a little beat up, but immediately got on Medusa, the longest, highest, fastest coaster in Northern California (really not saying much, though since all the prime coasters are in Southern CA.) Anyway, it was very loopy and twisty, which is pretty much how we felt when we got off it. I was feeling a bit green and Sharon said she was feeling kind of weird ((S: the cramping got a little worse, and I thought I might need a bathroom soon, so gave her fair warning). We went and sat down and as I sipped a Sprite I started feeling better, but Sharon began to feel worse. She took a trip to the ladies room while I went in search of some Pepto Bismol. Once acquired we walked though the gift shops. Another trip to the ladies' room. After she came out Sharon said, "I'm done with rides, but I don't think I can leave." More Pepto, and kids, she was clearly on a downhill slide, going from looking mildly uncomfortable to *really* sad and unhappy.

Finally she decided it was time to gut it out (pun intended) and tackle the tram ride to the car, which she took with a plastic bag in her lap, just in case (blessedly unneeded.) I noticed that there was a hotel directly across the street from the park and I suggested that instead of going back to Oakland (and forcing her to endure an hour long ride to a hotel there) we just book in across the street, which she gladly agreed to.

I got her checked in about 7pm and then went off in search of saltines, ginger ale, Pepto and Gatorade. ((S: while Renee was gone, the pain increased to an alarming level, and I started to feel really nauseous, mostly from the intensity of the pain. I went in the bathroom and decided to make myself vomit to try and make myself feel better, but the chain reaction was surprising. Once I got going, I couldn't stop, and was relieved Renee wasn't around to hear that soundtrack.)) When I got back she was feeling even worse with waves of abdominal cramping high up just beneath her ribs. I went down to reception to inquire about a doctor and to call Chris and let him know what was going on and while I was gone the pain got much worse. ((S: I was fading in and out of some kind of unconsciousness, I was not aware of time passing much at this point, and had my eyes clenched shut most of the time, praying I could fall asleep or check out somehow from the pain)) By the time I looked up directions to the local hospital she was saying "I need to go." It was only 2 miles away but it felt like the longest ride of my life and I'm sure she'd say the same ((S: I was so out of it at this point. I couldn't tell you what time it was or where we were going or how far. I just know I didn't want to puke or...otherwise... in the rental car!)). I have seen Sharon sick and uncomfortable before but *never* like this. ((S: Worst pain of my life, and it hadn't even peaked yet at this point.))

We got to the ER (where they actually let you park --Yay!-- and after some confusion on my part about signing in with security we got her admitted. (This was around 9:15) ((S: I just remember walking in and feeling like no one was paying attention. Walking was now hurting even worse, and the waves of cramps were knocking me over, and I started to cry uncontrollably. I just kept trying to hold it in to not freak out people in the waiting room. This part felt like forever, standing there, bracing myself against the counter, waiting for someone to help us.))

It was hours before she saw the doctor, of course. I helped get most of the paperwork filled out while she lay on a gurney in the hallway (no rooms at the inn) alternately writhing in pain and laying there exhausted. ((S: I HATED being in the hall. I kept moaning and yelling out in pain, sobbing uncontrollably. I just wanted some privacy, and was positively miserable. I couldn't believe that this obviously acute level of pain could be pushed so far down on the priority list!)) A stern (but polite, I swear!) talking to the nurse finally yielded some results in the form of morphine. That helped somewhat ((S: Thank god for that. I think I mostly stopped crying when these drugs kicked in. A little bit into this I finally felt I could call Chris and talk to him. Before then, I could spontaneously go into an uncontrollable spasm, and I didn't want him to hear me in pain and scare him even more. But I knew it would ease his mind to hear my voice, so made an effort to be able to talk to him briefly. And of course I wanted to hear HIS voice, too!)). Finally just before midnight the doc came, got a brief rundown of the symptoms and said it was likely a stomach virus that was going around. "I've got what you've got." [Um, no, sir, since you are standing upright and speaking and functioning instead of contorted and crying, YOU DO NOT. And if you do, then WTF are you doing here??? ((<<<----S. My thoughts EXACTLY!))] He examined her and ordered blood tests, which they had to try twice in order to get someone who could draw blood from our pruney and iron-skinned girl ((S. PRUNEY? I do have small veins. Nurses always have a tough time getting blood outta me, so I am pretty easy going about needles, because the average is getting stuck 3 times or more before they are successful. But not only was I highly sensitized by this time, but the first nurse was a butcher I tell you! I have the bruises to prove it! At least the second nurse was successful, and I have to search for her needle holes they were so small and well done. I also had an IV run with fluids, which was so amazingly uncomfortable, but the fluids were welcome. I couldn't keep warm, though, and kept having to ask for another blanket, and another and another. Me, the girl who is never cold was simply freezing. Yay more discomfort to add to my misery. At least they set up some folding screens near the end there to make for a little privacy.)). Around 1 they declared she could go home and the new shift nurse came over and was completely incomprehensible as she read the discharge instructions which, as it turned out, revealed that the doc had changed his mind and decided it was food poisoning after all.
WHAT EVER.
((S: By this time they had pushed in a second morphine-based pain reliever into my IV, and I was totally konked. I was in and out of consciousness, and not at all aware of the passage of time. Renee was incredibly patient and occasionally giving me reports on what was going on around me where I couldn't see. By the time the next nurse came, I could barely keep my eyes open. She was completely confusing and I kept looking at Renee trying to see if she was catching anything I wasn't, but she looked dazed and confused. The nurse was useless, and at the end of it all, she actually had me SIGN a paper attesting that I heard and UNDERSTOOD everything she said to me. HUH?!))

We finally got out of there around 2:15 and headed over to the 24 hour Walgreen's to get her prescriptions filled, only to discover that the all-night pharmacist was on lunch break until 3. GAH! ((S: this drive felt like it took forever. We could have been driving all night for all I knew. I felt so nauseated and exhausted.)) I took Sharon back to the hotel and put her in bed ((S: I collapsed and fell asleep immediately! I didn't even hear Renee leave the room!)) and then went back to the pharmacy only to discover that their entire computer system was down and they could do nothing for me. NOTHING. And that the nearest other 24 hour drugstore was in Oakland. It killed me to drive back without the medicine and I hated the thought of breaking the news to Sharon but fortunately she was completely conked out when I got back to the room at 3:30, so I just went to bed without waking her.
__________

The next morning I woke to Renee likely typing this above report. She had been texting everyone and calling everyone to keep them appraised of my condition all night long. She kept a very brave face the entire time, and kept her freak-outs confined to times she stepped away from my bedside. She was my Rock, no doubt. I owe her so much....

This morning, I felt feverish and worn out, but knew I had to rally to get to the airport. Renee suggested a shower, which I did. I didn't want to get out. I just pressed my forehead against the tile and let the warm water run over me as long as I dared. When we head to the airport, Renee wrangled the luggage any way she could to make it easier on me. Considering I had a bag twice the size of hers, and loaded even more with some shopping I picked up at TF, I felt awfully guilty, but couldn't dare argue, as I really needed the help. I pretty much hovered at the edge of consciousness the entire drive to the airport, and most of the flight, and the same in both car rides home (to Renee's house, and then Chris picked me up to take me the rest of the way). Chris seemed beside himself with a mix of concern and joy at seeing me back home again. I couldn't find the energy to speak to him, and he just kept stroking my leg or tugging at my fingers to try and connect with me. Once home (maybe around 5:30? I lost track of time again.)I went straight to bed and fell asleep. He went to the store to buy me a "wide variety of bland foods" and Gatorade. At about 11:45 he came to bed, too.

I slept until about 4am, and woke up feeling incredibly achey and cramped up. I tried to go back to sleep but couldn't, so I got up, ate some fishy crackers, drank some watered down Gatorade, and took some 222's and took my anti-spaz medication. I took my temperature and was at 100. Blogged, then went back to bed until 11am.

I have still been running a low fever today at about 99, I am dizzy when I stand up or walk around, and my tummy has been crampy and gurgling all day. I finally got something substantial down: a bowl of chicken noodle soup. But am so tired I could have gone back to bed anytime today. Luckily it looks like we will be postponing troupe rehearsal until Thursday, so I won't miss this important Folklife rehearsal and the costuming finalization.

Chris sent me beautiful flowers this afternoon, in honor of spring and my return home. He has sent me flowers about every other month for nearly a year now. Makes me feel so special...so loved. My man. I look forward to him coming home tonight, because I didn't really see him at all yesterday.

I know the awesomest people.
Honest people. Kind people. Generous people.
Open people. Communicative people. Caring people.
Funny people. Discerning people. Passionate people.
Beautiful people. Creative people. Practical people.
Thoughtful people. Inquisitive people. Adventurous people.

They are my people. YOU are my people. And I adore each and every one of you.

Thank you for being in my life. For sharing yourself with me.

Lucky lucky lucky me.


(PS "People" starts to look like a strange word after a short time, don'it?)

Yesterday, we woke up to snow falling. Then it moved to heavy, large (for here) hail. By late afternoon it was bright and sunny, and Chris and I were on the back deck--which was bone dry--in tee shirts, barefoot, soaking up warmth from the sun and joking about whether he should try to mow the lawn before it started snowing again. By bedtime it had snowed again, and hail hard enough to cover the ground in white before midnight.
When I woke up this morning, there was a lot of sunshine coming in the window. Now I am checking mail and bopping about the house, and it is hailing again. Oh wait. It stopped again.

CRAZY WEATHER!!

Yet another "long lost friend" is returning to my life. A BIG SHOUT OUT to the fabulous Jessica, who not only is coming to my dance classes and having a blast (WAHOO!), but came to my hair rescue today and gave me a super cute cut to carry me into the weekend at Breitenbush!

This year is clearly a huge year of change for everyone. It is so amazing to see!

I suppose it is unfair to ask Renee to post about her life when I am not posting much about mine. I am just really mentally preoccupied these days, and feeling a little introverted.

Last weekend was lovely. Friday night was the Raqs al-Hamra gathering at MT's. We drank wine, laughed, danced a little, and had a lovely steak n' salad dinner made by MT herself. While I was out, Chris finally migrated the My Cat Hates You forums over to the external servers. It was amazing to look at the bandwidth report and see the spikes all go away...completely. Flatline. That is how much traffic was going in and out of our home! Woah, dude. People love to be hated by their cats.

Saturday was our day with the Dalai Lama. We had two spare tickets, and so went with Sarah and Graeme. The day was...perfect. I mean...PERFECT. It was 85 degrees in the middle of the day. WHAT'S THAT YOU SAY?! Yes. We met at Cafe Umbria and drank coffee and ate some yummy gelato. The place was crawling with older lesbians and young hipsters going to Qwest field that day. Of course that was not the entire demographic, but it seemed a high percentage in the coffee shop that morning.

We strolled over and had the requisite useless pat down, were given our "seed" bracelet and program, and climbed up to the 300's to take our seats. We were very far away, but had a great view of everything. I was disappointed to see so many empty seats, in all parts of the stadium. people who got 100 level seats, right up there, who never showed. I guess when people get free tickets, it's easy to blow them off--I get that. But I had friends who didn't get tickets who would have loved to have been there. Everyone was told there would be NO TICKETS AT THE GATES, and yet there were volunteers with stacks of tickets yelling out that they had them to give away. So people who really wanted to attend were led to believe they couldn't come, and I was bummed for them. :(

The sunny day was just amazing. Sitting there in a tank top and palazzo pants, even wishing I had shorts or capris on like Sarah and Graeme had worn. But the shadiness of the stadium, and being with friends in the presence of one of the greatest spiritual leaders of our time (I would argue THE greatest)...blissful, really. It was hard to understand him, definitely. But not because his accent was so bad--it was strong, but not bad--but because of the echo up in the bleachers there. I went home and watched part of the feed online and could hear him perfectly. When I went to watch the rest of it online yesterday,it was all taken down?! WAH! I want to watch it all the way through! Where is it?!

I didn't expect anything completely groundbreaking. I mean, when you are only talking for less than an hour or something, and are addressing a stadium of people, there is not a lot of deep discourse. But his humor shone through, and I did enjoy his assertion that having more women involved in government would make a difference in the world (because "men are the troublemakers!" he said with a wicked little laugh)--something that surprised me coming from him, actually. But the idea that going to a more matriarchal society is an intriguing idea to me...or at least a more balanced society with the sexes. I also liked his humility (of course he was humble!), and his willingness to say "I don't have an answer for that. It is very complex." People want these pearls of wisdom to just spew forth from a man of his reknown, but I much prefer the gentle honesty of a fellow human, however enlightened he may be.

It did kinda rock my foundations to think about him living with the belief that we should each of us feel responsible for all 6billion humans around us. Of course, he has a more global view, having traveled far more than most of us, and been inserted into so many cultures as a powerful leader of the world. But the idea of taking your heart and expanding it to include compassion, forgiveness, and love for 6 billion people...I am personally not ready, but the thought it worth meditating on for a good long time.

Afterward, we went to Blu Water with Sarah and Graeme, and had the WORST SERVICE. Like, rivaled The Ram Experience. Seriously. Graeme talked to the manager and we got our entire meal comp'd, it was that bad. We were on the deck in the blazing sun, which was at times uncomfortable and yet continually welcome. I got a teeny red, but nothing that wasn't gone by the next day. It felt great to be soaking it up!!

We continued the party at their loft, which we had not had the pleasure to visit yet. It is beautiful! The sun was still beaming loud and proud, and we were on a shady side of the building, so we got lots of light, and a breeze blowing through. We lounged around, drank and talked and laughed. Later we went on the roof and watched a beautiful sunset over the city. I was so glad to get to spend some more time with Sarah and Graeme, who I feel we never see any more socially since we lost Capitol Club. It was a perfect end to a glorious day.

Sunday was the Souk at Bitter Lake. I only spent $10 and moved a lot of crap out of my stash of crap. We raised a good chunk of money for the troupe to subsidize Tribal Fest, and then I spent the rest of the day grocery shopping and then playing WOW with Chris.

Now I am back at the grind, still waiting on home refi's and space deets...*sigh*

Petting a puppy under my desk, cold toes running through warm soft fur...Daydreaming about the "next big step" in my life, and what it will be like (all good in my fantasy, of course)...
Having friends who believe in you and show enthusiasm and support at all the right times...
Being terrified, and having Christopher to hold my hand and rally my spirit...

So just about a week and a half ago, I returned from a trip to San Francisco. I did the FatChanceBellydance General ATS Teacher Training (mouthful!) and I am now officially certified by Carolena herself to teach ATS. That's a subject for another posting...

I don't know why or how, but at the beginning of my trip, I decided to snap photos of the Dogs of San Francisco. Well, I was just snapping pics of dogs, and Quinn (who was there for the same training) said "It's like your tour of the dogs of San Francisco", and the idea was born. So I snapped as many as I could as I walked around.

At first I was trying to stick to just living dogs (not that the alternative is DEAD dogs!!). But I kept walking away from all this dog art and sculpture, I felt I needed to start including it as well.

It's funny how happy people get when you ask to photograph their dog. Actually, their first reaction is bewilderment, and then they beam at you and try to get their dog to stand still and be good and look pretty. Which of course they won't because dogs are camera WHORES and when they see you pull that camera out, they are SO excited to be photographed, they can't stop wiggling and sniffing and letting you know how very happy they are that you have taken an interest in them.

I lamented later that I did not take down the names of all the dogs as I met them. Because there were some freakin' cute names. Like Mitzi. And Kiko. But I am afraid you will have to be happy with imagining names of them for yourself.



The dog that started it all. One morning at Boogaloos having breakfast, I saw this punim outside the joint and had to capture him!


This little cutie was tied up outside a restaurant in The Haight, and was clearly waiting not-too-patiently for its human.


The Most Terrified Dog in the Universe. And you would be, too, if you were only a couple month old, a few inches tall, and your owner thought it would be "great training" to bring you for a walk on a busy day in Chinatown. How this dog did not get trampled immediately, I don't know. I guess it got good at dodging. I have many blurry pictures of this dog trying to make itself even smaller, pulling its tail so far between its legs and shrinking from everyone. Great socializing technique!


This little princess (or prince?) was the mascot at one of the many large import shops in Chinatown (where I bought the most beautiful set of Oriental flower magnets!). She/He/It was very pompous and not the least interested in being coaxed out from behind the counter. But funny enough, the mailman walks in, and the dog goes NUTS! What is it with dogs and the mailman?!


Here is where my resolve to only photography actual organic tissue-based dogs was lifted. When I saw these Bling Pups in the window, I had to snap them. And check out the frog prince, too! WHO BUYS THIS SHIT?!


*snort*


I snapped this guy while Nadia and Quinn and I were waiting for our seat in a sushi joint, somewhere in a mall in Japantown. Why dogs were allowed in the mall, I am unclear.


I was remiss! Quinn had a Dog of San Francisco right in her purse the entire time! Yes, this is Quinn's cell phone coozy. He's riding the waves as Isobune, San Francisco's FIRST boat delivered sushi restaurant (yes, there are many now, apparently).


And this is the good captain of the Isobune: Dog. He leads all the other year mascots. Check out Monkey. He will never make it as a seafarer if he doesn't behave...


I think this is the ONE dog who actually sat and let me snap his mug. Good boy!



A CAT?! Well, I was visiting my brother, and we stopped by his place. He had been out of town a while (as he usually is), and was snuggling one of his kitties hello, so I had to snap it. But don't worry, the trip to the apartment was not in vain...


He also has a dog! Who had been in puppy lockdown for a week and was sooo thrilled to be back in her bed!


This guy was staying at our hotel. We caught him and his humans in the parking lot one afternoon. He was a particularly antsy one, but I got one non-blurry shot!


Check out these guys! They have such earnest little faces! Their human was an elderly woman, and they walked so respectfully beside her. Awww....


I actually ran out of a restaurant and stopped a man from crossing the street to get a pic of this guy. That was when I decided the addiction was too strong, and I had to chill out on this dog thing!


PSYCH! Even if I had decided to stop taking pictures of dogs, this guy would have broken my resolve!! Sitting at an outdoor table at a cafe on Valencia with her human. I took a ton of pics of this little puffball! All were equal in adorableness.


This little guy belongs to the tattoo artist here at Five and Diamond on Valencia. He was barking and running around, and would NOT sit still. Even when his Momma came in and held him for me, all I got was blur after blur. I didn't want to get too in their business just to photograph their dog, especially since the guy WAS permanently scarring someone at the time. So the little legs under the chair will have to do!


And my final dog, also on Valencia, in the window of a kitchy home decor shop. What this picture fails to convey is that this picture is **3D!!** I so wanted to buy it for Queenie! Even if I could have afforded it, and could have found a way to fly it home...the shop was still closed. Geez, it was ONLY noon on a weekday. How can you expect stuff to be OPEN?!



So there you have it. My Dogs of San Francisco. Hope you enjoyed it!

I am in San Francisco as I write this. Quinn wanted to get an early start on Friday, and is someone who can wake at 3am, fly for hours, and land at 9am and then go all day long. I am not that person. So I opted to fly in a day early and stay at a hotel near the airport to meet her in the morning. So I am all alone at an airport hotel with nothing nearby (okay, there is a McDonald's across the street, and some other hotels nearby, but noplace to go on this lovely sunny day). Free Wi-Fi and some television...I think I might take a bath later and just relax and knit and get in some meditation time. There is a restaurant and lounge in the hotel, and I am undecided if I am going down to eat dinner and have a drink or order room service. I am so not an eat-alone person, but maybe that's why I am considering going down and giving it a go...
It occurred to me on the flight down that I have not really been to "San Francisco" in about 10 years. Which is to say, I have flown here many many many times. But was always going straight to something dance related, and back home. Never saw the city. I was last here to see The City back when I was dating Rob and we came down on Halloween to see Switchblade Sister. Another lifetime ago! DAYUM! So I am excited to get to see some of the city, and have my own personal guide too.

Tomorrow is city time, then some dance time at the studio--2 hours of classes, Level 1 and 2. Unfortunately, Rakassah spoiled our plans to rock through 5 hours of classes on Saturday--all cancelled. But it means we have a day free. So we are planning to do some more city time, then see if we can get in some Ultra Gypsy class time --beginner tomorrow, and possibly a workshop after if Jill allows us to stay.

So a busy weekend, then the training on Monday and Tuesday. Whew!

So this past Sunday was a glorious Seattle day, and a delightful opportunity to gather with other Steampunks at the EMP Sci-FI Museum at the Seattle Center! At High Noon we met up at the monstrous building, and spent a couple hours perusing the museum, chock full of props and books and fact-revealing plaquards. Then we (marched? paraded?) head off to the local pub for lunch and pints to get to know each other better.
It was a real pleasure to meet everyone! Everyone looked simply smashing and were so kind and fun! Many laughs were had, and yes, we snapped pics:
( Photo goodness! )

All told, we had 21 (23?) people show up for the museum, and 19 of us continued on to take over McMennamin's! Yummy food and good company. I had a little headache when we left...from laughing so much! Afterward, Lauren, Celise, Befu, and new friends Brett and Jason, joined us back for some Rock Band time (Amy and Erik and Simon had to call it a day, sadly, and Anna and Krystal...what was your excuse?!). We ended up playing for HOURS...so long and with such mirth we went well into dinnertime at which time we ordered pizza, drank beers, and played a little more. We called it a night about 9:30pm--what a day!

It was unanimous: we must do it again soon! Even skeptical Krystal is a convert!

So...a crafty costuming day together soon?

Okay, so I have to start this off with a: YOU MUST COME TO THE FESTIVAL THIS WEEKEND! Cues & Tattoos is DA BOMB!

And for my friends out there who haven't yet done it: GET YER TICKETS FOR BELLYBOWLING! It is NOT a requirement that you bellydance to come and bowl with us, and I would love to see you. :) It's a screamin' deal for a night of all-you-can-bowl-pool-and-shuffleboard in our own private room!!


*****************************
It's finally here, the first ever event focusing on the use of improv
choreography within Tribal Belly Dance. Don't miss all of the fun this
weekend!:

Kick Off Party hosted by inFusion Tribal-Friday February 22

Kick off the weekend with an awesome opportunity to hang out with your
fellow dancers and workshop participants. You never know who might be
throwing a strike the next lane over! $15 gets you unlimited bowling, pool
and shuffleboard in The Spare Room, our own private party space. There will
be fun dancer- door-prizes drawn throughout the evening. And come hungry
and thirsty! The Garage has a delicious menu that includes vegetarian
options, serving food until 1am.

There are limited tickets available, so get yours now to get in on the fun!
You can buy your tickets online (see link below) at the pre-sale cost of $15
until Wednesday, February 20th. After the pre-sale cutoff, the cost will be
$20 at the door. Please note that bowling shoe rentals are $3 extra.

Any proceeds from the ticket sales will be lovingly donated to New
Beginnings, an organization devoted to ending domestic violence, in the name
of the tribal community at large.

http://www.infusiontribal.com

Garage Billiards
1130 Broadway Ave
Seattle, WA 98122

Workshops Saturday Feb 23 & Sunday Feb 24:

There are still opportunities to study with the pioneers of Tribal Improv:

FatChanceBellyDance of San Francisco, CA.
Gypsy Caravan of Portland, OR
Unmata of Sacramento, CA
Troupe Hipnotica of Seattle, WA
Read My Hips of Chicaog, IL.
inFusion Tribal of Seattle, WA.
Troupe Salamat of Bend, OR.

Visit http://www.troupehipnotica.com/cues/workshop_registration.html to
register on line.

Northgate Community Center
10510 5th Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98125


Saturday Night Showcase, Feb 23rd

Enjoy 4 hours of Tribal Improv performances featuring instructors along with
the dancers who came to study in a festival atmosphere with lots of
shopping. Be awed and inspired, mingle with dancers and enjoy a few global
treats. The $10 entrance can be pre-paid on line at
http://www.troupehipnotica.com/cues/workshop_registration.html or just pay
at the door.

Northgate Community Center
10510 5th Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98125


See you there!!

There are many fun things coming up for me, that I am staying focused on to combat stress and winter blah-dom!

Friday: Raqs Reunion at Mona's. Yep, the whole Raqs al-Hamra gang together, at my favorite restaurant in Seattle, schmoozin' and catchin' up. I am particularly excited to see Michelle Taul after a long time, and see what she has been up to!

Cues & Tattoos! A big festival right here in Seattle. I am all signed up for my workshops, am teaching two, am performing in the showcase, and my troupe is hosting the kick-off party on Friday night. Gonna be a blast! Nervous about teaching the bhangra, with my back and the fact we will be in a community center room without sprung floors. But Renee and I will tackle it together, and I will take breaks as I have to.

ATS Teacher Training at FC studios! I am thrilled they have opened this up to non-ATS specific instructors. I benefit so much from taking the GS training, and am excited to get to continue that. I will be arriving the Thursday prior, and staying nearly a week in SF to take classes and the intensive. And it is confirmed that Quinn will be taking it, too, so we're rooming together and she is going to show me around San Fran (she used to live there). I am excited for some time hanging with Quinn, and having my own tour guide. And we are going to hit Rakassah on Saturday afternoon to see FatChance perform. I may get to see my brother that weekend, too, while Quinn spends a day with a local friend of hers. Can't wait! So nervous, too! Finally got enough money scraped together for the airfare, and have to pay the $500 balance for the training in 4 days. *tummy turning*

Breitenbush is coming up fairly soon, too! An annual getaway for me and my sistahs. And even more students are coming this year, some for the first time, which will rule.


OH! GOGGLEMAS! I keep forgetting to post it!

So Befu and I concocted a Gogglemas plan! Gogglemas is the Steampunk Christmas, if you will. And it is the last two days of February. But those are a Thursday and Friday, and Befu works on Saturday. So Sunday, March 2nd we are planning a get-together to visit the Sci-Fi Museum at the EMP. You interested? A chance to dress in costume? WHY NOT! YEEHA! So get yer goggles in order, and let me know if you plan to attend, so we can finalize some deets.

Finally got my sewing machine back. It was in the shop since November. It wasn't until I made an angry phone call that is somehow magically appeared, repaired, within 48 hours. Growl. Okay, Amy, I am taking your advice and will try the Bernina shop next time I need repairs. It cost nearly $300, too. Thanks, Chris, for bailing my sewing machine out of "jail" while I am too poor to spring for the bond. You are my hero.

So we have our HDTV picked out. Heaven knows when we will be able to afford it, but it is a really good price in any case. Mainly because it's a Sony, and Sony is getting out of the rear projection market, so places have it on clearance. So we need to find a way to afford it fairly soon or there won't be any. It is PERFECT, though. I mean, my lingering concerns about the model Chris had picked out before were completely obliterated in this one, and it is cheaper. So a 50 inch 1080p DLP will be gracing our home in the next couple months. *fingers crossed* Rock band on that will be sweet indeed!

I put together some elements from my recent thrift store run and Chris approved heartily. Whee!

Now, I need to do some knitting and cleaning. Yay and boo, respectively.

And finally, from the Chris files. Must be seen to be believed. WTF indeed...
Acid Trip or Bollywood Genius?
http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored_link.cfm?link_id=27395

My Instructables has made the rounds, and is now in the top 2-10 hits of various Google searches for "steampunk guns" "pirate guns", "steampunk pirate" and so on.
And two more crafty blogs picked it up, including Gizmo watch:
http://www.gizmowatch.com/entry/gun-modding-steampunk-style/

Stay tuned for my next Instructable: turning a jacket into a cincher corset and crop jacket combo. Been working on it today.

In other news, we had our painting party yesterday, and we proved that the wood grain I did last week was not a fluke. And now Lauren and Befu have identical guns they completed for themselves. It was such fun, chatting and giggling and painting. YAY CRAFTY DAY! Chris finished his Maverick mod. And I am nearly done with my goggles, and made a spyglass for my Lady's Adventurer Kit

Original Maverick

Chris' handiwork


Cool accidental finish looks like rusted steel. It is great!!



Four different colors created this metallic finish on the barrel


My goggles, with the head-strap attached


The rivets are googly eyes!


The nose strap is held on by brads that are hammered to look like flathead screws


Original PotC spyglass from costume shop


With wood and brassy finish



In other news, I went to the Goodwill today, and got some cute, comfy boots for $8 and $4. I need to wear shoes more often, my doctor says. Might as well be cute ones, right?

So last night I decided to write up an Instructables for the gun mods I have done. Specifically, outlining how to do the worn metal and wood finishes. And today, not only was it published, but it was picked as a featured Instructable--on the front page today!!http://www.instructables.com/

And my Instructable is at http://www.instructables.com/id/Steampunk-Pirate-Gun-Mod/

How fun is that?!