(no subject)

I'm finally emerging from my exhausted stupor... the weekend took a lot out of me, I realized in retrospect.  Not that I wouldn't do any of it again, of course.  Friday I went home and watched Lucy Lawless be a really mean Cylon and conked out early.  Saturday I had a frustrating practice session, not enough time for yoga, and much rushing around until I found myself at a nice dinner party where I could just forget about everything else and relax for a bit.  Sunday, up too early and off to the melaya workshop, which was as previously noted wonderful.  Sunday night my melaya performance went over really well.  I thought people might be kind of put off or just wondering wtf I was doing, but the belly dance people knew what it was, and the other patrons seemed amused.  Tips sucked, but then if the right people aren't there they usually do.  Sometimes it's hard not to take that personally, but I can see/hear that people do like what I'm doing, and I have to remember that not everybody knows to tip or likes to tip or for that matter necessarily has any money on them.  I heard the crowd shouting when I did a series of barrel turns with that sparkly meleya flying around me, and really that matters more than a few dollars.  My drum solo following the meleya was ok, I felt like I was being a little repetitive but that's what I get for not working with the music enough.  Anyway, I will definitely continue to do melaya there once in a while.  Katia noted in the workshop that not many people do meleya (and those that do tend to do the more Alexandrian anything goes hussy sort, rather than Katia's more dignified upper Egypt beledi sort) so it is a dance that will make you stand out during a night of belly dance performers.  I can't imagine when was the last time somebody performed it at the Middle East, as the promoter confessed to me afterwards that when I told her I was doing a meleya she couldn't for the life of her remember what that was until I came out in my wrap ;-)

Found out today that my Thursday class doesn't meet this week, which is very helpful since I need more rehearsal time for Saturday's party gig and because I've been wracking my brains trying to figure out when I'll be able to go food shopping this week.  If I have both Wednesday and Thursday for dancing at home, I can stop by the grocery store on my way home on one of those days...

Fascinating life I lead, huh?  I could share my shopping list with you but I'm afraid the excitement would be too much.

wow

I could get skull and crossbones sweaters for the ferrets with a matching scarf for me.  I could.  (of course, getting the sweaters on the ferrets would be another task entirely.)

Man, the things some people do to their ferrets...

edited to add: I've got to say, this is pretty cute though.