It rained last night.

I was at the studio when I heard the tornado sirens. A student who was in the sitting room said the sirens had been going off for over an hour before I noticed. I guess we should consider turning down the volume just a bit. :)

The lightning was scary too.

New Simon's Cat! I think our Luna was a consultant on this one.

Yes, I know I haven't blogged about the trip yet. It was awesome. More later.

George Carlin is dead.

The late, great Edith Piaf performing "Milord" on the Ed Sullivan Show.

Well, that flew by, but then I was on the go every single day. Note to self: try to squeeze in a commitment free day once in a while, will ya?

Sabah is back from tour and is teaching again at Pineapple on Thursdays & Saturdays for 10 weeks. So between taking both her classes and Erika's Level 3 as well as auditing Level 1, I am currently at the studio 4 days a week. That'll be up to 5 days when the GQs come back from summer break. Erika, work on that shower & nap room idea.

On Friday my yoga teacher Fran was out due to attending her daughter's graduation. One of the other instructors subbed for her. Tom teaches the class right before Fran's on Fridays and I'd been curious about his teaching style. He seems to focus more on strength, while Fran concentrates on flexibility. I may try doing their classes back to back this week.

That is if I've recovered from my massage by Friday. On Sunday, I went back to sports therapist Eric C. for a targeted treatment of my neck, shoulders & upper back, as he recommended when I saw him last month. It took about 15 minutes to clear out my right side. He spent the rest of the hour on my left side and it's still not clear. And he worked deep: that massage fucking hurt! Thank goodness for yogic breath control. The ache & stiffness I'm having now is like what I get after doing a weeklong dance workshop, except just on the left side of my neck. Time to pop some more Vitamin I.

I catsat for my friend Lynn who watches our furballs when EEK & I are traveling. She used to live just across the courtyard, but is now a 20-minute walk away. I planned my visits around trips to the studio and health club. On Sunday I watched a gripping production of Peter Grimes from the Met with Lynn's kitties. (Some cats really dig music.)

Yesterday I went to the club for yoga, but even though Fran came to teach and three students showed up the club sent her home because the class wasn't on the holiday schedule. The trip wasn't a total loss though, because I ran into former GQ Cristina and got to soak my aching neck in the hot tub. Also picked up some plants on the way home and did my flowerbox for the back porch.

Oh yeah, I watched a bunch of French movies too. Because the ennui, she is filling me. ( L'ennui du chat noir )

A new FotC video! Filming for Season 2 will continue after the boys are done touring! For yays!

I can't stop listening to this song: Join the League of Lady Conspiracists! (sound warning)

( And this picture is making me giggly )

I need help. Send chocolate.

First of May! First of May!
Outdoor loving starts today!

Celebrate Spring! (NSFW without headphones.)

Also, please send healing vibes, say a prayer, etc. for our old guy Roo who is at the vet's undergoing tests. He has renal disease--for which we have been treating him--and yesterday EEK noticed blood in Roo's urine. UPDATED TO ADD: Roo has a UTI, but we caught it very early. He'll be heading home soon with a bottle of antibiotics. Merci mes amis.

(Yes, I am home from San Francisco, but am buried under preparations for three impending bankruptcy filings. In fact, I am at work on one of my days off. My group figured out yesterday that since January 1, there has been only one weekend that none of us was working. How depressing is that? I needs me some outdoor loving, I tell you what!)

I'm finally on the mend thanks to gargantuan doses of garlic via eeknight's cooking and epic naps with the furballs. Still have a cough and am feeling dizzy, tired & weak. May be home from work another day.

I wish I could say I read stacks of books, but, alas, my illness & meds left me so dull & distracted I could only sleep or stare vacantly at the TV. I watched Logan's Run (part of it anyway), the Colin Firth-Jennifer Ehle Pride & Prejudice, the Sylvestra Le Touzel-Nicholas Farrell Mansfield Park, the Zemeckis Beowulf (with Rifftrax) & Shaun of the Dead.

I started to read EEK's manuscript for Fall With Honor, but set it aside because of trouble concentrating due to aforementioned medicine head. The first four chapters I liked very much. Now that I am feeling better I think I will make myself a pot of tea and get back to Valentine's latest adventure.

One last thing. Here's a whimsical, dreamlike video that made me smile this morning: Forward Through Backwards Time.

I can't seem to find time for LJing. Still working crazy overtime. I have done some non work-related activities lately...all involving dance of course. :)

On February 16, Erika held a charity hafla at Pineapple to benefit newborn triplets whose mother died in childbirth. Gypsy Queen Giselle & I did tribal group improv to "Mama" by Khadja Nin, a beautiful african fusion song thanking mothers for all that they do (Nin's video). My solo was a fusion improvisation with scimitar to a cool tune by Arab jazz ensemble Zaman 8 (mp3). I also did a pharonic piece with the rest of Erika's Level 2 students. Other perfomers included Guitar Circle of Chicago, Gaia Rising, Kimahri, Kate, Nathalie & Erika.

The next day Danielle Meijer taught a workshop on Indonesian temple dancing and Indian court dancing. This was the second such 'shop she'd done at Pineapple. Very different from any other dance form I've done. Some of the movements could probably be adapted to tribal improv. We shall see.

This past Saturday I did workshops with Aziza of Montreal. The morning session was drills & conditioning for dancers, which y'all know I LOVE. I was happily surprised to learn that Aziza has studied with Suhaila Salimpour. Yay for belly bootcampers! The afternoon session worked on emoting. Aziza had us improvise and would hold up signs with emotions for us to express while dancing. Besides the obvious ones--sensual, dreamy, longing, ecstatic, amazed, etc--she also includes some odd ones like disgusted, dejected, worried, sly, and angry. Sly was pretty fun (hey, I did that for my fusion solo at Erika's hafla). We did several variations on the exercise, including have some dance while others guessed which emotion was being expressed. There was also a taxim exercise where we improvised to only the drums, or only the melody, or both using different parts of our bodies. She also taught a couple combos, but as usual there were way too many people crammed in to really see or do them. No matter, even had I learned them perfectly I'd have to chats_noirs-ify them for performance.

In the seminar show, Erika, Kate & I performed a theatrical pharonic piece created by Erika. We wore identical blue & white costumes, pharonic-inspired collars & bracelets, and wigs & eye makeup (think Liz Taylor in Cleopatra). I never would have thought the three of us--a short brunette, an average blonde & a tall redhead--could look so alike. None of us remembered to bring a camera. Hopefully some of the photogs in the audience will pass along pictures that I can share. Other performers included Aziza (damn, can she shimmy), hostess Sonya & her student troupe, Gina of Atlanta, Danielle Meijer, Shahina, Kimahri & her student troupe, and Galatea. A troupe who shall remain nameless did a "new & different look at Mohamed Ali Street"-- O RLY? Well as they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

On Friday Gypsy Queen Piper & I will dance to "Mama" at Shimmy for the Cure, a charity hafla to raise money for breast cancer research. We'll be improvising a basket dance this time. Let me tell you, using tribal group improv repertoire while balancing and holding a basket is a great brain exercise. More options than with sword, less than with no props. Fun! At least if a basket falls, no one gets hurt.

I have two sample costumes from Pharonics of Egypt at home and I have to decide by 6:30 which, if either, I'll buy. They both seem too large (the tops are boxy & the hip wraps insist on slipping down as if my hips weren't even there...the bras fit perfectly however). I'm not a seamstress so I have no idea if they could be easily altered. I'm guessing no since they are encrusted with beads, sequins, fringe & other gewgaws. They are very spendy. I wish I could try them on in front of someone who could give me advice and tell me if they are flattering, but Erika is teaching in the city this evening & I have to leave the reject(s) at the studio tonight so she can return to the vendor tomorrow. Don't know what to do! Waaaah!

A video link for all the lovahs out there: Chocolate love (lyrics may be NSFW).

Those naughty heart chocolates? Yeah, my office has been handing them out all week. In fact, it's about time for me to go down to the lobby and pick up a gift bag of them. They better not be doing the nasty on my desk, 'cause I don't want to be cleaning up chocolate wet spots.

The annual review process starts today. I have until next Friday to complete a self review. I hate those things. As if work isn't unpleasant enough as it is.

But my friend Ann sent me this 'tube: blak kitteh iz harbinger of doom. I danced last night. Tonight I get to snuggle with EEK. I dance again tomorrow. So things aren't all bad.

Oh, and it's Mardi Gras. That means the Legal Behemoth will be providing paczki for breakfast and I will indulge my chocolate tooth repeatedly. Laissez les bon temps rouler!

I simply must repost this most excellent Star Trek catfight 'tube found via eeknight: kittehs can haz amok tiem.

I was also reminded of this Meg Cabot vid that the writers on my flist will appreciate: Amy gets what she deserves.

Still working like a dog. Rather be snuggling with my sweetie. C'est la vie.

Had a lovely Thanksgiving in WI with my family. My brother Dan bought my grandparents house from their estate, so it was back to the homestead for dinner & football (Packers! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!). eeknight baked pumpkin & cherry pies and my sister cooked everything else. Traffic was virtually nonexistent. We were back home by 7 pm.

Friday we observed Buy Nothing Day. There is nothing that could possibly entice me to shop on Black Friday. It's much nicer to stay home with EEK & teh kittehs. We invited Lynn B over for pumpkin pie and a movie in the evening.

I danced at Khyber Pass with Karen on Saturday. EEK & Lynn B came to the second show. Former Gypsy Queen Robin was home from college and stopped in to see both sets. For some reason Khyber was the place to be for on- and off-duty law enforcement that night. They're usually good tippers, so fine with me, but it was a bit weird. Is the OP offering discounts so there will always be cops around during the holiday shopping season? Was there a review in Copper Cuisine magazine?

Sunday EEK & I replenished our stock of European chocolates and Indian pantry items. And watched football. Well, EEK watched. I read. My game will be on Thursday. Packers! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

Now my long week begins. I work MTW and all my dance classes are on these same evenings, which makes for some insanely long days. This week will be worse than usual since I will be teaching all of Karen's classes on Wednesday. So two days I will be awake from 4 am to 10 pm. Ugh. This is why I am such a lazy ass on Thursdays.

Also, work bleh.

And in conclusion, a silly vid of a kid jumping an a bed:

Quirky safe sex education from India: NSFW!

I heart this vid so much.

To be really accurate, we'd need to add a cat scratching the side of the bed and dodging tossed pillows. And an elderly cat calmly waiting for the humans to get annoyed enough to get up. Oh, and the wake up crew would be bugging me unmercifully and leaving EEK completely alone.

Brats.

Take a gander at what I found while googling for coverage of the Baladina show.

Willa Cather's The Princess Baladina

"Baladina" by Pascal Machalani:



Wow, I sure am posty today.

Oh Japanese people, how I adore your wackiness.