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Jan. 18th, 2005
a loooong weekend
Jan. 18th, 2005 02:07 pmLast week feels like eons ago. Friday was of course the ManRay performance, which went well. There were some aspects of my part of the performance that I was less than pleased with, but it's probably nothing the audience was noticing, for the most part. The important bits all worked, and it was really wonderful to get so much positive feedback afterwards. It was also a great experience to work with the lovely group of ladies and gents who all together put vision into action and created an excellent entertainment for the crowds. Can't wait to see photos! It was also neat to see what goes on backstage at ManRay--it feels like a different place now somehow. It is still a very smelly place though. I was superbuzzing on adrenaline after the performance, three gin and tonics had no impact whatsoever, but when we got home I crashed hard and slept for 11 hours. Best sleep I'd had in weeks!
Saturday I meant to go fabric shopping, but slept too late to make it out to Winmill. Instead I bought window sealing kits and put mortite and plastic film on the living room windows, and in the newly not drafty living room I watched a dvd from Belly Dance Television, basically a video magazine with reports from major events, interviews with various big names, costuming tips, features on newer dancers to keep an eye on, etc. It's a great concept and I enjoyed it a lot, especially the coverage of Tribal Fest 04 and some tips on tucking circle skirts (the fact that this was video rather than print made that segment much more useful). The dvd was rather West Coast-centric, but since I don't know much about the west coast scene, it was fascinating for me, especially seeing the interviews with well-known dancers like Carolina Nericcio and Suhaila explaining what they are all about in their own words. One of these weekends I will have a belly dance video night so I can share all this stuff with people. Then it was off to see Shaun of the Dead with friends. I think I enjoyed the movie more the second time, because I was able to catch the foreshadowing references. The extras were so funny I cried.
Sunday I did go fabric shopping, and bought plummy purply fabric for bedroom curtains. I made the curtains and got them hung up by mid-evening. I will never, ever be mistaken for a good seamstress, but I can manage to make bits of cloth stick together well enough for things like curtains. As long as nobody looks at the undersides. My great-grandmother worked in a lace factory, but clearly that bit of the family legacy did not come my way. I think the curtains need some kind of trim at the bottom because they are a bit too monolithic now, but they make the bedroom look better. Finally we are creating a cozy bedroom space that reflects our personalities.
Monday started well, but devolved into the great sink disaster. It now appears that i did manage to turn the water back on, because the spray attachment at the side of the sink works, both hot and cold (so at least we are able to do dishes in a rather messy fashion). So I guess the problem is just in the handle, which I really don't think I could have broken. Much. I was very grouchy and cranky for hours but M was patient, and the fact that the laundry worked made me feel a bit better. We watched Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which was definitely my favorite of the three movies so far. It looked to me like Alfonso Cuaron, in addition to his own style, kept in mind that Guillermo del Toro was a strong contender for director as well and utilized some of his style as well. It was very beautiful in places. The hippogryph was a stunning piece of design and cgi, but I Did Not Like its choices of food At All. Hmph. By the end of the movie (and a glass or two of sherry) I felt much better, though today I am tired because it was a long movie and so I was up far too late.
I didn't get any actual dancing in this weekend, apart from the performance and final rehearsal, but I did a lot of thinking about dancing and thinking about music, and that's got to count for something. I'll be paying for my slackitude in tonight's class though. Assuming I don't freeze to death while waiting for the bus out on the BU Bridge. Brrrr.
My ear keeps crackling inside. This is a new thing. I keep thinking of Mountains of the Moon. If you've seen it, you know what scene I'm talking about.
Saturday I meant to go fabric shopping, but slept too late to make it out to Winmill. Instead I bought window sealing kits and put mortite and plastic film on the living room windows, and in the newly not drafty living room I watched a dvd from Belly Dance Television, basically a video magazine with reports from major events, interviews with various big names, costuming tips, features on newer dancers to keep an eye on, etc. It's a great concept and I enjoyed it a lot, especially the coverage of Tribal Fest 04 and some tips on tucking circle skirts (the fact that this was video rather than print made that segment much more useful). The dvd was rather West Coast-centric, but since I don't know much about the west coast scene, it was fascinating for me, especially seeing the interviews with well-known dancers like Carolina Nericcio and Suhaila explaining what they are all about in their own words. One of these weekends I will have a belly dance video night so I can share all this stuff with people. Then it was off to see Shaun of the Dead with friends. I think I enjoyed the movie more the second time, because I was able to catch the foreshadowing references. The extras were so funny I cried.
Sunday I did go fabric shopping, and bought plummy purply fabric for bedroom curtains. I made the curtains and got them hung up by mid-evening. I will never, ever be mistaken for a good seamstress, but I can manage to make bits of cloth stick together well enough for things like curtains. As long as nobody looks at the undersides. My great-grandmother worked in a lace factory, but clearly that bit of the family legacy did not come my way. I think the curtains need some kind of trim at the bottom because they are a bit too monolithic now, but they make the bedroom look better. Finally we are creating a cozy bedroom space that reflects our personalities.
Monday started well, but devolved into the great sink disaster. It now appears that i did manage to turn the water back on, because the spray attachment at the side of the sink works, both hot and cold (so at least we are able to do dishes in a rather messy fashion). So I guess the problem is just in the handle, which I really don't think I could have broken. Much. I was very grouchy and cranky for hours but M was patient, and the fact that the laundry worked made me feel a bit better. We watched Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which was definitely my favorite of the three movies so far. It looked to me like Alfonso Cuaron, in addition to his own style, kept in mind that Guillermo del Toro was a strong contender for director as well and utilized some of his style as well. It was very beautiful in places. The hippogryph was a stunning piece of design and cgi, but I Did Not Like its choices of food At All. Hmph. By the end of the movie (and a glass or two of sherry) I felt much better, though today I am tired because it was a long movie and so I was up far too late.
I didn't get any actual dancing in this weekend, apart from the performance and final rehearsal, but I did a lot of thinking about dancing and thinking about music, and that's got to count for something. I'll be paying for my slackitude in tonight's class though. Assuming I don't freeze to death while waiting for the bus out on the BU Bridge. Brrrr.
My ear keeps crackling inside. This is a new thing. I keep thinking of Mountains of the Moon. If you've seen it, you know what scene I'm talking about.
I talked to a couple of people this weekend about ear plugs and said I would post about mine here, so here I am posting. I got mine from H.E.A.R. -- Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockets. Because of frames, I can't link directly (or rather, usefully) to the earplugs I bought, but they can be found under Shop H.E.A.R.--Hearing Protection, and they are the ER-20 hifi plugs, $12.00 per pair. They are infinitely better than foam plugs--not only do they bring down noise volume better, but you can actually hold a conversation while wearing them. They're the best style of ear plugs short of the very expensive custom-fit ones. Plus, if you buy them from HEAR, some percentage goes towards tinnitus research and education, and you get a letter from Pat Benatar with your ear plugs congratulating you on taking care of your hearing.