![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sihayadesignsBack to the real world. Or at least what I will call "the real world" while I work on creating something more suitable; I've gotten great leads on ways to expand the jewelry biz. Really, it's down to making sure I can cover independent health insurance and then it's time to apply for part time "just covering the rent" jobs. One more step in a happier direction.
In terms of real world admin: care package swap assignments have gone out. If you did not get yours, please let me know. This week is gonna be a blur of belated birthday dinners with my parents and Jason's, finishing two commissions, and then steadily working on Halloween stuff for a mini update.
Tribe-O weekend report, bullet-point style:
The Good
-- Lots of hangout time with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
marinatempest, noralita, kazoogrrl, lapinetrose and indigatrix
-- Asheville is beeeeauuuutiful and I would move there in a heartbeat. Live music, good food, culture, nice people, MOUNTAINS. Anyplace where people write "OBAMA!" on your moist towlettes cannot be bad.
-- The whole thing was remarkably well organized. Props to Onca of Baraka Mundi & her staff for a job well done.
-- The food was A-MAZ-ING.
-- As sad as I was to miss the Indigo with the Yard Dogs Road Show, Zafira basically pwned Le Serpent Rouge on Saturday night. Seriously-- the best dancing I have ever seen live. My jaw was on the floor. Troupe of the Year 2007, indeed.
-- Because it bears repeating: ZAFIRA. Like, I wanted to put Christine in my pocket and bring her home with me. On top of that, they were amazing teachers. I took the layering class on Friday and was having a hard time with one of the foot-stamp combos-- Christine personally came up to correct me, which in a workshop that large is unusual. They were clear, concise, and personable teachers who knew their stuff inside and out.
-- I was also pleasantly surprised to really like Natalie Brown's performance, as well. I saw pictures of that crazy feather costume on Tribe and was like, "oh gods, no." Well. It totally fit the performance, which I don't think anyone who didn't have such an extensive ballet background could have pulled off. It was graceful and elegant and very theatric. Plus she was super sweet in person.
-- I didn't balance check at all, let alone drop my sword, during the sword workshop. Feeling pretty solid about the prospect of one day getting pretty good with a sword.
-- Level changes are getting a little bit easier. I still need more flexibility in my hamstrings, but it's a definite improvement over last year.
-- I took a performance class with Mavi of Romka... very fun to focus on stage presence. My partner in that class was a 60something woman from Georgia named Dottie-- and that woman rocked.
-- EPIC sleep at Arthaus hostel when it was over.
-- Scheming withmarinatempest about upcoming performances.
-- Bought a fun skirt from the Zafira girls and nifty accessories. Stayed within my shinies budget. :)
-- I metasim!
-- North Carolina and Tennessee countryside... soooooo gorgeous.
-- Giant buttercream cupcake!
The Not-So-Good
-- Cabin in the mountains with no heat and open windows = very cold and stiff nights. Add a very loud snorer to that mix, and I didn't get much sleep while I was there.
-- Blue Lotus Tribe was very underwhelming. For one, they'd billed their class "ATS, BLT style." I was expecting ITS-- improvisational tribal style-- which is to say improvisational combos based on ATS movements. What they ended up showing was improv combos of an Egyptian cabaret / tribal fusion nature. There was no ATS to be found, either in what was discussed or what was taught, and that was very disappointing to me. On top of that, the instructor seemed ill-prepared, performing her own combos incorrectly several times and failing to explain important weight changes.
-- There is too such a thing as too much accordion. I am Balkan music-ed out.
-- Open dancing should start earlier at least one of the days. After a full day of workshops and being cold, asking me to sit in a chair for two hours before dancing starts just makes me want to sleep. Have pity on us early-workshop-takers!
-- I am sad that Rajastani dance conflicted with another workshop I was taking. I sat in on the last half hour, and the spinning was GORGEOUS.
-- The one person who was not the fun kind of crazy (see: Nina Amaya and her giant bear puppet) and was, in fact, the crazy kind of crazy.
-- My final wisdom toof is being a bear coming in. Owwww.
The Bad
-- On the drive home: Flissy and I frothing at the mouth over an NPR interview with Karin Agness of The Network of Enlightened Women, a conservative womens' college group. She could not seem to grasp the notion that "feminist" and "conservative" are not mutually exclusive terms and basically said that the liberal feminist movement teaches that you have to be androgynous and want to be "treated as a man" to be considered a feminist. Like... no. It's a choice you can make, but not one you HAVE to make to be a feminist. Feminist means wanting to be seen as a PERSON with equal rights, and not wanting to be handicapped just 'cause you have a vagina. She just seemed really murky on what "feminist" meant, and also linked it to the sexual liberation movement in a way that inferred she thought liberal feminists were all morally loose and slutty. Add to that that even though she was adamantly pro-Bush, she could not a) define what being a conservative meant to her or b) name three of the major issues of the last election when asked. She could not name one way that women were "equal through difference" as she so adamantly proclaimed, other than the fact that most of our sex can have babies. Which... for women who choose not to have babies makes no difference whatsoever. She couldn't grasp that even though the equal pay act was passed in 1963, women are still not being paid equally to men and NOW is not being "overly negative" for pointing that out. She completely avoided the words "abortion" and "reproductive rights." She praised Sarah Palin's nomination on the basis of her gender without discussing ANY of her politics (and also called legitimate questions as to her views and experience "attacks").
She came across as SO uninformed it was embarrassing. Like Flissy said... if you're conservative and informed, that's one thing. You can make a case and back it up and maybe even be persuasive. However, if you call yourself conservative and go to the stump with talking points you don't understand, you just come off looking like a jackass. It was frankly embarrassing listening to her fumble through the interview and dodge questions because she didn't have informed answers. If you're gonna call yourself "enlightened" I sure expect you to have more knowledge than your average bobblehead pundit. Failsauce, Karin Agness. Failsauce.
Also. I am TIRED of conservative groups-- be they religious or not-- complaining that they feel hesitant to speak out in such a "liberal environment." UM. Last time I checked, a CONSERVATIVE presidency has been in charge for the last eight years. Making the policy changes and chipping down our civil liberties. Please to be shutting up with the victim card. The ruling party does not get to whine about oppression.
The Hilarious
Seen in a Sheetz restroom in southern Virginia: "Evening Magic" condoms in "exciting colors." I dunno, guys. If a dude comes at me with a neon green wang, I'm gonna start making lightsaber noises.
All in all, it was a good time. A good break from the daily grind. A lot of movement. Next year's goal: to get flexible enough to do some floorwork.
I got in at about 7 last night, tired to the bone. J showed up soon thereafter and curled up to watch some X Files-- he bought me s1 for my birthday, since I'd never seen it. We were both pretty beat, so we only made it through the pilot (wow, that's some special acting right there), and then I had a terrible, Japanese-horror style nightmare. It involved me going out to the TribeO lake to feed the koi at night, and arms reached up through the dock boards to grab my thigh and pull me down. They pulled so hard the boards broke and I started going under. Friends grabbed my arms, but they weren't strong enough and I eventually ended up going under completely. I woke up totally covered in sweat. Eeeggh.
Tonight, we're gonna have dinner with his parents, then cuddle up and have some couple time. I missed his doofy face. I missed his human-heater-at-night bodily warmth. I missed his big hugs. Tomorrow, I open a stack of mail and get back to the biz. And that sounds pretty good to me.
In terms of real world admin: care package swap assignments have gone out. If you did not get yours, please let me know. This week is gonna be a blur of belated birthday dinners with my parents and Jason's, finishing two commissions, and then steadily working on Halloween stuff for a mini update.
Tribe-O weekend report, bullet-point style:
The Good
-- Lots of hangout time with
marinatempest, noralita, kazoogrrl, lapinetrose and indigatrix-- Asheville is beeeeauuuutiful and I would move there in a heartbeat. Live music, good food, culture, nice people, MOUNTAINS. Anyplace where people write "OBAMA!" on your moist towlettes cannot be bad.
-- The whole thing was remarkably well organized. Props to Onca of Baraka Mundi & her staff for a job well done.
-- The food was A-MAZ-ING.
-- As sad as I was to miss the Indigo with the Yard Dogs Road Show, Zafira basically pwned Le Serpent Rouge on Saturday night. Seriously-- the best dancing I have ever seen live. My jaw was on the floor. Troupe of the Year 2007, indeed.
-- Because it bears repeating: ZAFIRA. Like, I wanted to put Christine in my pocket and bring her home with me. On top of that, they were amazing teachers. I took the layering class on Friday and was having a hard time with one of the foot-stamp combos-- Christine personally came up to correct me, which in a workshop that large is unusual. They were clear, concise, and personable teachers who knew their stuff inside and out.
-- I was also pleasantly surprised to really like Natalie Brown's performance, as well. I saw pictures of that crazy feather costume on Tribe and was like, "oh gods, no." Well. It totally fit the performance, which I don't think anyone who didn't have such an extensive ballet background could have pulled off. It was graceful and elegant and very theatric. Plus she was super sweet in person.
-- I didn't balance check at all, let alone drop my sword, during the sword workshop. Feeling pretty solid about the prospect of one day getting pretty good with a sword.
-- Level changes are getting a little bit easier. I still need more flexibility in my hamstrings, but it's a definite improvement over last year.
-- I took a performance class with Mavi of Romka... very fun to focus on stage presence. My partner in that class was a 60something woman from Georgia named Dottie-- and that woman rocked.
-- EPIC sleep at Arthaus hostel when it was over.
-- Scheming with
marinatempest about upcoming performances.-- Bought a fun skirt from the Zafira girls and nifty accessories. Stayed within my shinies budget. :)
-- I met
asim!-- North Carolina and Tennessee countryside... soooooo gorgeous.
-- Giant buttercream cupcake!
The Not-So-Good
-- Cabin in the mountains with no heat and open windows = very cold and stiff nights. Add a very loud snorer to that mix, and I didn't get much sleep while I was there.
-- Blue Lotus Tribe was very underwhelming. For one, they'd billed their class "ATS, BLT style." I was expecting ITS-- improvisational tribal style-- which is to say improvisational combos based on ATS movements. What they ended up showing was improv combos of an Egyptian cabaret / tribal fusion nature. There was no ATS to be found, either in what was discussed or what was taught, and that was very disappointing to me. On top of that, the instructor seemed ill-prepared, performing her own combos incorrectly several times and failing to explain important weight changes.
-- There is too such a thing as too much accordion. I am Balkan music-ed out.
-- Open dancing should start earlier at least one of the days. After a full day of workshops and being cold, asking me to sit in a chair for two hours before dancing starts just makes me want to sleep. Have pity on us early-workshop-takers!
-- I am sad that Rajastani dance conflicted with another workshop I was taking. I sat in on the last half hour, and the spinning was GORGEOUS.
-- The one person who was not the fun kind of crazy (see: Nina Amaya and her giant bear puppet) and was, in fact, the crazy kind of crazy.
-- My final wisdom toof is being a bear coming in. Owwww.
The Bad
-- On the drive home: Flissy and I frothing at the mouth over an NPR interview with Karin Agness of The Network of Enlightened Women, a conservative womens' college group. She could not seem to grasp the notion that "feminist" and "conservative" are not mutually exclusive terms and basically said that the liberal feminist movement teaches that you have to be androgynous and want to be "treated as a man" to be considered a feminist. Like... no. It's a choice you can make, but not one you HAVE to make to be a feminist. Feminist means wanting to be seen as a PERSON with equal rights, and not wanting to be handicapped just 'cause you have a vagina. She just seemed really murky on what "feminist" meant, and also linked it to the sexual liberation movement in a way that inferred she thought liberal feminists were all morally loose and slutty. Add to that that even though she was adamantly pro-Bush, she could not a) define what being a conservative meant to her or b) name three of the major issues of the last election when asked. She could not name one way that women were "equal through difference" as she so adamantly proclaimed, other than the fact that most of our sex can have babies. Which... for women who choose not to have babies makes no difference whatsoever. She couldn't grasp that even though the equal pay act was passed in 1963, women are still not being paid equally to men and NOW is not being "overly negative" for pointing that out. She completely avoided the words "abortion" and "reproductive rights." She praised Sarah Palin's nomination on the basis of her gender without discussing ANY of her politics (and also called legitimate questions as to her views and experience "attacks").
She came across as SO uninformed it was embarrassing. Like Flissy said... if you're conservative and informed, that's one thing. You can make a case and back it up and maybe even be persuasive. However, if you call yourself conservative and go to the stump with talking points you don't understand, you just come off looking like a jackass. It was frankly embarrassing listening to her fumble through the interview and dodge questions because she didn't have informed answers. If you're gonna call yourself "enlightened" I sure expect you to have more knowledge than your average bobblehead pundit. Failsauce, Karin Agness. Failsauce.
Also. I am TIRED of conservative groups-- be they religious or not-- complaining that they feel hesitant to speak out in such a "liberal environment." UM. Last time I checked, a CONSERVATIVE presidency has been in charge for the last eight years. Making the policy changes and chipping down our civil liberties. Please to be shutting up with the victim card. The ruling party does not get to whine about oppression.
The Hilarious
Seen in a Sheetz restroom in southern Virginia: "Evening Magic" condoms in "exciting colors." I dunno, guys. If a dude comes at me with a neon green wang, I'm gonna start making lightsaber noises.
All in all, it was a good time. A good break from the daily grind. A lot of movement. Next year's goal: to get flexible enough to do some floorwork.
I got in at about 7 last night, tired to the bone. J showed up soon thereafter and curled up to watch some X Files-- he bought me s1 for my birthday, since I'd never seen it. We were both pretty beat, so we only made it through the pilot (wow, that's some special acting right there), and then I had a terrible, Japanese-horror style nightmare. It involved me going out to the TribeO lake to feed the koi at night, and arms reached up through the dock boards to grab my thigh and pull me down. They pulled so hard the boards broke and I started going under. Friends grabbed my arms, but they weren't strong enough and I eventually ended up going under completely. I woke up totally covered in sweat. Eeeggh.
Tonight, we're gonna have dinner with his parents, then cuddle up and have some couple time. I missed his doofy face. I missed his human-heater-at-night bodily warmth. I missed his big hugs. Tomorrow, I open a stack of mail and get back to the biz. And that sounds pretty good to me.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-09-23 06:52 pm (UTC)I just thought this an appropriate time to use this icon.
(And make with the picture taking!!) ;D
no subject
Date: 2008-09-23 08:25 pm (UTC)You made me laugh out loud at work, and I'm refusing to explain because it's "inappropriate for work" and I'm specifically trying to set a good example for a specific someone.
no subject
Date: 2008-09-23 06:53 pm (UTC)Re: your dream. Friday walking down the hill we met Sam walking up the hill. She pointed to the pond and said something along the lines of, "I keep expecting Jason or something else to pop up out of the water." Indeed.
no subject
Date: 2008-09-23 06:59 pm (UTC)Ouch. It was that awkward? Which teacher seemed ill-prepared? (I should say that one of my teachers was one of the BLT teachers there, but I do promise that this won't get back to one of them. I'm curious on my part, that's all.)
no subject
Date: 2008-09-23 07:34 pm (UTC)The ATS workshop was led by the taller, long brownhaired lady, and it was frustrating to get through. The combos were very cabaret inspired and poorly taught (she messed up the counting on the "Betty Boop" combo several times). So yeah, while they might be good weekly class instructors, they seemed ill prepared for a larger workshop.
The performance wasn't bad, though.
no subject
Date: 2008-09-23 07:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-23 07:17 pm (UTC)See you at FC, right?
no subject
Date: 2008-09-23 08:39 pm (UTC)Good to have you back. :)
no subject
Date: 2008-09-23 10:20 pm (UTC)So.... yeah. Glad to hear you didn't think it sucked. :)
Dammit. One day I will remember to log in.
Date: 2008-09-25 02:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-24 05:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-25 02:58 am (UTC)