I've recently started up bellydance classes again, doing two back-to-back on Wednesday nights, and trying to do more at-home practice. I can feel the difference in my overall energy already. And I'm amazed how much of the moves I remember, despite having done absolutely zero exercise in like two and a half years. My endurance and flexibility are crap, and I keep aggravating my right hip, but it still feels like jumping back in the saddle. Our instructor said I'd probably be fine in her advanced choreography class on the weekend... we'll see ;)

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Say hello to one of the two web projects that has engulfed the last six months of our life, now public: http://hub.witness.org/

We're very proud :D Truly a bar-raising achievement in Drupal. A couple of our web team members were at their big birthday bash/launch gala the other night.

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Anyone got any leads on lawyers who have experience with open source/GPL issues?

BELLY DANCER,
by Diane Wakoski, b.1937

Can these movements which move themselves
be the substance of my attraction?
Where does this thin green silk come from that covers my body?
Surely any woman wearing such fabrics
would move her body just to feel them touching every part of her.

Yet most of the women frown, or look away, or laugh stiffly.
They are afraid of these materials and these movements in some way.
The psychologists would say they are afraid of themselves, somehow.
Perhaps awakening too much desire----
that their men could never satisfy?

So they keep themselves laced and buttoned and made up
in hopes that the framework will keep them stiff enough not to feel
the whole register.
In hopes that they will not have to experience that unquenchable
desire
for rhythm and contact.

If a snake glided across this floor
most of them would faint or shrink away.
Yet that movement could be their own.
That smooth movement frightens them---
awakening ancestors and relatives to the tips of the arms and toes.

So my bare feet
and my thin green silks
my bells and finger cymbals
offend them---frighten their old-young bodies.
While the men simper and leer---
glad for the vicarious experience and exercise.
They do not realize how I scorn them:
or how I dance for their frightened,
unawakened, sweet
women.

This is the lovely Aurora from Edmonton at the Hezz Ya Wezz. There were several first time soloists from the pro course, plus some new faces and old favourites! Great evening.

So... my teeth have improved!  My gums... not so much.  I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and get one of those electric toothbrushes.  I know having a gadget will at least make me use it more.  I've developed a strong hatred for the ultrasonic scaler...

I also got a 30 minute massage today.  Did I ever need that.  My shoulders are feeling so much better.  I think that is a new goal in life... get to the point where I can afford a weekly (or so) massage.  I really need to get a prescription for 'em as my school plan covers something like $25 for each of up to 10 treatments in a year.

Then off to dance.  No air conditioning and an Intermediate II class coinciding with the Pro Course happening made for an extremely challenging hour.  I spent so much of my time watching the other amazing dancers in the class as well.  Linda Reed was there, who is known for her ability to move her bellybutton independently in any direction, as well as some rather interesting circles.  Never seen anything quite like it!  Everyone was getting her to perform her talent in the hall before class.  Almost hypnotizing...

Steve's aunt and uncle are staying with us for the next four days, and I'm off for part of it, so that means I'm tour guide for a couple of days.  So, you probably won't be hearing much from me this week.

Well, my beef satay should be here soon, and I should get back to work.

Oh god I'm so thirsty I'm actually nauseous.  Either that or it was all the spinning we were doing at the end of dance class.  Zylls!  We did zylls!  Gah it's even harder than I thought.

~~~

I was walking through a parking lot on the way back to work from dance, and a bit of motion on the wall of a building caught my eye.  It is a solid dark painted brick wall with a bright light above, which gave the wall a strong grid effect.  There was a black power line hanging down a little ways from the wall, and it would mesh in with the horizontal grid lines of the wall.  Because of the curve of the power line, I realized that it was giving a perfect visual representation of my walking stride.  The distance, the little bounce in my step, the height... it was very cool.  It was like I could watch a graph of my stride.  So I started experimenting with varying the way I moved.  Hmm thinking about it now, I probably looked completely nuts.

I'm stuck at work with only a sub, thinking Boy I wish I had something to eat other than this sub right now.  My coworker bought these yummy, no sugar added cookies.  I'm scarfing down and then I notice the warning on the side:  Excess consumption may cause a laxative effect.   Greeeeeat.

Dance went surprisingly well.  Challenging, but not overwhelming.  But the AC wasn't working.  I was drenched.

I'm going to an Intermediate II bellydance class tonight because it fits better with my work schedule.  This is going to be interesting.  Thank god it's not the tough teacher  :)

IMDB and Wikipedia in the same year?  That'd be fuckin' cool.

Guess who didn't check if her router had a removable antenna before purchasing a directional antenna?  Hrmph.

I'm really loving all this bohemian chic stuff in stores right now.  Unfortunately we have to wear collared shirts at work or I'd have picked up some neat new clothes by now.  Maybe before school starts again...

We did Assaya for the first time in class today!  Swinging a big stick around is fun  :D  Balancing it on your head is even more fun.

I want to be at home.  On the couch.  Cuddling.  Dozing.  Relaxing.