This weekend was awesome!

Friday was a beautiful, sunny spring day in Portland - the singlemost important reason why I live in this city at all.  Days like sunny spring Fridays with acupuncture that immediately heals the ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE PAIN you've been feeling in your quads all week after the stupid idea of jogging (which was beautiful and sunny and worth it....in the moment).  Then a trip to Fabric Depot with Jasmine to pick up shiny objects and sparkly bits!  Heaven!  (I was disappointed to miss out on a ladies' night of Moroccan nibbles but alas, the 'depot trip was necessary for next week's photoshoot)

Saturday: wake up early.  Pick up Michelle.  Spend the rest of the day obtaining free stuff like: banana, bagel, information, ice cream, goodiebag-o-awesome, iced coffee, inspiration, coconut water, coffee table book, motivation, crudites, and a whiskey ginger.  I also got a 90-minute lunch break in which I walked back to my office and worked out at my gym (also for free).

When I arrived home, my new hair had arrived.  (Be sure to see the full effect next Saturday at Down the Rabbit Hole!)

Saturday also included dancing up a goddamn sweat for the first time in quite a while, and horribly bruising my tailbone in a really stupid attempt to get my crunches in with no mat and a poorly-placed hemline.

Sunday: ecstatic dance, fire conclave practice, naps in the sunshine of our backyard, bike riding, BBQ'in, and going to bed early.  Early!

So, no sooner do a write a blog post entitled "...kicking this day's ass" but I end up with a Thursday that began with running so late I had to park in the parking garage, realizing I don't have my wallet as I stand in line for coffee (they gave it to me on the house <3) and that I wouldn't be able to leave said garage without money, having my partner drive all the way to work to deliver it, and realizing at that point that I don't have my ID card with which to use the gym or ride the bus after moving my car to skip the ridiculous fees.  

I tried to go jog, but had completely ruined my knee on the jog the day before.  

The need to expend my nervous, agitated energy was overwhelming and distracting.

Yesterday I learned that any amount of time over 4 hours in a SmartPark garage is $15.  Four hours ten minutes, ten hours four minutes, doesn't matter.

It was still worth leaving to drive all the way home, get my ID card, park and ride the bus, work out, and finally be able to focus on my work duties.  ...at which I kicked ass.

Personal Leave: 1; Endi: 0

Woooo!  Today we release the final details for the next edition of Bellydance/Burlesque showcase: FLORA V. FAUNA!  Each performer will do two sets: one bellydance, one burlesque, and each set will feature a "flora" character and a "fauna" character.  

Two shows - 7:30pm and 11pm both on April 26th, so come early and eat some delicious food, or come late and already sauced, because hell, everything is better that way.

I'm super excited to announce that we'll have John-Nuriel, one of our favorite Cloud City performers, joining us this time!

Thanks for reading, and here's a bonus video from my performance at Offbeat Bellydance in Feb!

Last night I drove home from work in the bright afternoon sun and saw a bazillion folks out in my old front yard, Col. Summers Park.  Tons of people playing on slack lines and spinning flow toys...

I didn't join, but only because I had to get home to open all the windows and clean up before Kim came over so we could bellydance, I could show her some stuff with fan veils, and so that she could make my leg muscles scream in agony.  Thanks, Kim!

Just on the bus to work this morning, I looked down at my arm to notice the sunlight glinting from my tiny blonde armhairs.... armhairs that, toward my wrist, are decidedly shorter than I remember them being.  They are also a little bit singed-looking.  Hello, fire dancing!  

I've also signed up for Isaiah Tillman's "Pop it in Pumps" 12-Hour-Dancer course, which I'll be taking online due to my schedule.  I can't wait to do the first one next week!  I'll tell you all about it.

....the kind of Monday where you have to retype the word "espresso" five times before you get it right.

Thursday night:  Joe DJ's a going-away house party.  Biggest sausage fest ever.  Great dancing.

Friday night: Pre-funk, Polish Ambassador, and Afterparty in Eugene.  Little sleep was had.  Much much fire dancing and LED spinning was had.

Saturday night:  Performing with Bridgetown Revue/Cloud City Circus at Halfway Home with Oakland DJ Tigerfresh.  

Sunday night: Work out with boyfriend (I'm enjoying showing him stuff on The Ball!) and... Fire Conclave rehearsal.  Our first time running through our pod's choreography while burning!  Got home sooty and exhausted at 11:30.

...it took me three tries to get the right punctuation on the end of that sentence.

coffee!  coffee come to my lipz!  glugluglug...

When your TRX class is cancelled last-minute but you and your best friend still want to get some blood pumping while also having a chance to catch up, yet it's too rainy to be active outside...

don't go mall-walking.  

We got a solid three miles of walking in... but it was definitely the most expensive gym I've ever dropped into.

So, when I got home I played with my favorite toy and then went to a dance party.

You can bet I've been keeping it up even since the challenge officially ended!  Last night was my first private bellydance/personal fitness trade with Kim in weeks!  WEEKS!  There's always a tiny bit of me that dreads it...same as there's still a part of me that dreads dance class... the insecure part of me that doesn't like to be challenged, or specifically, doesn't like to not be perfect and strong and graceful and able to memorize stuff.  

Not being able to memorize isn't such a big deal with the personal fitness training, but it sure can make a huge impact on one's dance career.  I've never been able to memorize, since I first started dancing tap and jazz in preschool.  I couldn't remember lines as Wilbur in our grade school production of "Charlotte's Web."  I couldn't remember the preamble to the Constitution in middle school.  The fact that I've memorized my credit card number speaks more to the amount of online shopping I do than my brain. Hell, I still have to write notes to myself on my hand.  Really, look, there's blue ink smeared all over it at this very moment.

So, I think it's the smart approach to movement practice to drill drill drill.  I drill minute movements, maybe a combination of three or four of them, over and over and over and over until they become rote.  Once its in my muscle memory it's merely a factor of practicing: continuing to find joy and inspiration in the movements in whatever shape, form, day, environment, so that I keep the muscle memory and blend in the musicality.  Improv -- it has its perks even if I get down on myself for not being able to memorize. 

Now that I've discovered the technique that works for me, it's time to give my muscles some credit for having some good memory even if my brain isn't so easy to work with. 

April Fools!  There's no end to being healthy, active, determined, and disciplined... so although the March Movement Challenge has now concluded, I'm excited to continue on in this new habit of intentional, productive movement.  I don't have any reasons to get down on myself any more - I am trying, really hard, very often!  I am doing my best!  

Last night the Man and I decided would be our first night in our New Routine: eating dinner at 8pm and working out together at 10pm.  I wasn't so sure about this idea because I usually do something closer to the reverse... work out around 9 and eat around 10:30, at which point I fall asleep on the couch watching TV.  It's not the healthiest habit and I usually wake up in the morning feeling slightly nauseated.  

Unfortunately, eating dinner at 9pm last night resulted in falling asleep on the couch at 10:30pm.

And that's why I worked out at 12:30 am this morning before trying to wind down to go to bed at 1am.  Must re-think New Routine.

Thanks for spurring me on in this journey!