TwilightCafé

I hope this means I get a job today

While I don't think astrology is the be-all and end-all and don't plan my days around what I read, I do enjoy reading my horoscope. Especially as written by Rob Brezny. He's funny. Here's mine:

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22–Dec. 21): I was watching MTV's reality game show Next. The camera recorded the adventures of a hot blonde as she went on a succession of brief dates with five strangers. The moment any of the suitors bothered or bored her, she barked "Next!" banishing the loser and ushering in a fresh supplicant. In the first part of the show, she rejected three guys, paving the way for the fourth: an affable, goofy Sagittarius. "I've heard Sagittarians are workaholics," she told him just minutes into the date. "You've been misinformed," he replied with a chuckle and went on to tell her that he had no job, really liked doing nothing in particular all day long, and enjoyed walking around naked whenever possible. I bring this to your attention, Sagittarius, because I hope you'll make a liar out of him in the coming weeks. Please work with as much intensity as you can possibly summon. (PS: However, it would be fine for you to follow his example for a while in August.)

Go read yours, maybe it's just as funny :)

another amazing storefront

I spent part of my weekend in San Antonio, which is a story unto itself and not necessarily a particularly gripping one. Anyway, on the way back I saw another retail establishment that gave me pause to wonder if people pay attention to much of anything anymore. It was a furniture and appliance store, apparently owned or at least started by the Lacks family. Yes. The sign said "Lacks Furniture and Appliances."

Just makes you wonder, doesn't it?

in like a lion

Happy Equinox, Happy Spring! Ok, I'm a day late (and a dollar short) but I am thrilled that spring has finally sprung. Yeah, the lawn needs mown regularly now. Yeah, the weather is erratic and the pressure changes leave us all feeling like crap, at least here in Texas. But I can't complain that the temps are in the 70s and 80s  and the breeze blows through in a way that makes the local parks irresistable.

On that note, my creativity levels have increased, woohoo! My little gnomes and wizards are coming along (more photos soon) and I have finally picked the art back up and am creating characters for an online comic strip. I have the first two strips written but need to finish designing the way everything looks. Thank goodness for books on art and drawing since there just aren't any really good places to go learn to polish your drawing style here without being in school. Maybe they'd let me audit, but honestly I don't remember any classes at UNT teaching what I want to know. Oh well!

Thursday last was Harem Night at Stratos and the show was wonderful! My good friend/teacher Jessica Dawn and I are going to dance at the next Harem Night, April 10 at Constatin's. That is, if I can get the choreography memorized and my backbends working right again. I haven't been keeping my flexibility up as much as I should but this is a great reason to get it back, as well as my strength. 20 days and counting! Meanwhile, Little Egypt had another great weekend of classes and dancing and...I do have a copy of my last performance on DVD. For those who asked, your copies will be in the mail soon and I will post one here as soon as I figure out how to do it.

A word about the BellyDance Academy that is hosting the Harem Nights. The place is run by Neenah and she is a legend and a goddess. When I mentioned the woman who could roll quarters on her stomach, up and down, left row, then middle row, then right row, this is the woman. Her muscle isolation is incredible and her show is not to be missed! She is a lot of fun to watch and has great stage presence. Dancers like Neenah inspire me to keep working.

I knew there was a reason!

Well, it's official. Today is the worst day of the year according to a British psychologist. First, I didn't realize there was an equation. That's really cool.

Secondly, I thought that date was last Thursday for most of the population of the world. :)

I must be crazy

I think I want one of these.

my new hobby

Well, my mother did it. She bought me knitting needles and some yarn for Christmas. Then she bought me some more. With a gift certificate from my dad to Barnes & Noble, I got The Idiot's Guide to Knitting and Crocheting and the ever popular Stitch 'N Bitch. I have caught the knitting bug, I love it. I finally understand what all of you are talking about when you can't put down your latest project. I'll just be glad to get through my first scarf or potholder. :)

NTMEDA photo album is up

I have finally uploaded the photos from the NTMEDA dance and dinner here. The highlight of the show was Neenah, and I am sorry to say I didn't get any pictures of her on her back rolling quarters and pouring wine with her belly. I couldn't get close enough to get a clear shot. Mid act, people started coming to sit on the floor at the edge of the stage, right in front of me. I'm not bitter, though. If you ever get a chance to see this lovely lady perform, do so. She is amazing.

an evening of dance

Last night I went to a dinner/fund raiser for NTMEDA, the North Texas Middle Eastern Dance Association. It was forever long, but worth every minute. Dinner was delicious, and there were 4 sets of dancers, including my fabulous teacher, Jessica Dawn of Kismet. Tribal Evolution and Tribal Feat were another couple of my favorite acts, but the cream of the crop was Neena. If you haven't seen Neena, you have missed one of the most incredible dancers I have ever seen.

First, some background. Many of the dancers I have watched have prepared a routine or are tribal so they are improv-ing on the fly (mostly). There is a song or two picked out and a certain formula that is followed, no matter the dancer. Intro, dance, finish and flouncing off stage with varying degrees of flounce. Neena is more of a restaurant/lounge dancer. Her music doesn't tell a story or have any specific swells and changes. She comes out and dances a bit, playing with the audience. Last night she chose one older gentleman to focus her act on, with another one for the last half. She got these two men to interact with her in her act. It was funny and really emphasized her confidence and comfortableness on stage. She played with them, offering them to grab a veil or help her tuck parts in her costume, then playfully moving away when they tried to do what she silently asked them to do. She never spoke, save with her zills and miming. I could describe all the fun but it really would not do justice to the incredible lady and her performance. However....

For the last bit she brought one of the men on stage with her and had him place a quarter on her belly. She rolled it up and down. Then he put four more on there, in a row, and she rolled them all up, then rolled them back down one at a time. It was incredible. Then she took two shot glasses and had us fill one with red wine. Both glasses on her belly, she poured the wine from one into the other one without spilling a drop. I swear the woman has the most articulated abs I have ever seen. I got a couple of pictures of her when she was balancing a sword on her chin and spinning. I also got pictures of some of the other dancers, including Jessica and both tribal troupes. I'll post those soon. For now, I am off to find some quarters to play with.

just had to share

I just got home from a birthday party for a friend of mine. We had drumming and dancing and we did some henna tattoos. These will last from a few days to a few weeks. I decided to get mine done on my back. Here's a pic.

Happy Birthday, Jess!

Evil Friday

Over on Laurel K. Hamilton's blog there is a rally for Evil Fridays, as a response to casual Friday since so many companies these days have a more relaxed dress code than in the past. Here's what I wore today: