(no subject)
Nov. 14th, 2004 07:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alonewiththemoontwo hours and forty-five minutes of dancing + a 45 minute very hot bath with black phoenix alchemy oil + some wine imbibed while soaking in said bath = one extraordinarily relaxed Badriya Z.
I wanted to get even more done than I did while dancing today, but then I looked at the clock and realized how much time had gone by and thought I'd better quit before I hurt myself. Lots of shows coming up... I actually turned down a paying gig today. I don't exactly feel comfortable with that, but I think I did the right thing--it was a gig that Seyyide was offered but isn't available for, dancing for a half hour at a woman's birthday party in Providence. The thing is though that it's a Friday night so getting there on time would be problematic, it is also the night before Amira Jamal's student show so I can't really be out late, and a half hour of dancing in which I am supposed to encourage people to get up and dance and generally be the life of the party is almost definitely more than I really ought to be paid to do right now. I think--though it appears Seyyide didn't think so, which does make me feel awfully darn good. If it were a 15-20 minute show in the Boston area on the same night, I think I would have said yes, but it just seems like too many factors were telling me to say no. But on the other hand, this is the second time I've turned down a paying gig that Seyyide has passed along to me (the other one I would have had to take time off work, so that's more cut and dried), and I feel like a scairdy cat about it.
Blah. hence a resolve, I *will* dance at the Middle East on a Sunday open floor night before the end of this year (i.e., in the next six weeks or so), and I *will* get myself there on a regular basis, so that I have the exposure to restaurant dancing and then won't feel so freaked out by the idea of other gigs. i think I would draw the line at bellygrams, but dancing at parties where people know what a bellydancer is and specifically want one could be a lot of fun and help subsidize costuming items.
ok--now to roast eggplant for tonight's attempt to make a better version of a bertucci melanzana pizza. If i can just get out of this chair...
I wanted to get even more done than I did while dancing today, but then I looked at the clock and realized how much time had gone by and thought I'd better quit before I hurt myself. Lots of shows coming up... I actually turned down a paying gig today. I don't exactly feel comfortable with that, but I think I did the right thing--it was a gig that Seyyide was offered but isn't available for, dancing for a half hour at a woman's birthday party in Providence. The thing is though that it's a Friday night so getting there on time would be problematic, it is also the night before Amira Jamal's student show so I can't really be out late, and a half hour of dancing in which I am supposed to encourage people to get up and dance and generally be the life of the party is almost definitely more than I really ought to be paid to do right now. I think--though it appears Seyyide didn't think so, which does make me feel awfully darn good. If it were a 15-20 minute show in the Boston area on the same night, I think I would have said yes, but it just seems like too many factors were telling me to say no. But on the other hand, this is the second time I've turned down a paying gig that Seyyide has passed along to me (the other one I would have had to take time off work, so that's more cut and dried), and I feel like a scairdy cat about it.
Blah. hence a resolve, I *will* dance at the Middle East on a Sunday open floor night before the end of this year (i.e., in the next six weeks or so), and I *will* get myself there on a regular basis, so that I have the exposure to restaurant dancing and then won't feel so freaked out by the idea of other gigs. i think I would draw the line at bellygrams, but dancing at parties where people know what a bellydancer is and specifically want one could be a lot of fun and help subsidize costuming items.
ok--now to roast eggplant for tonight's attempt to make a better version of a bertucci melanzana pizza. If i can just get out of this chair...
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-11-14 06:18 pm (UTC)Somewhere in Twyla Tharp's The Creative Habit, she quotes someone (among the several people she name-drops, but she's entitled), that if there's 350 reasons to say yes, but one reason to say no, the answer should be no. (This was in the context of picking battles, and that the one still voice that is hammering at you, is probably the one you should listen to. She also turns it around, in saying that if you have a hundred reasons to say no, but there's one voice saying yes, you should give that voice its due, as well--but early in a project, not later.)
I had the most exquisite eggplant last night at Bangkok City. They called it the "Vegetarian Eggplant", although I could not find the Plain Old Eggplant elsewhere on the menu. Deep-fried (I wonder if it was vegetarian lard?), and then sauced in sesame and all kinds of sauteed-to-death veggies. I have not yet mastered eggplant except as imam bayildi, and on skewers. It is my favorite vegetable when other people prepare it.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-15 08:35 am (UTC)The eggplant pizza came out well--roasting eggplant in the oven before you do anything else with it makes it much tastier. I sliced it into slabs a generous 1/4 inch thick, coated them in olive oil with some sage, and baked them on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees for about half an hour or so, til they were browned and the edges were caving in.
Melanzane and doubts...
Date: 2004-11-15 07:28 am (UTC)I've been getting back into playing violin again recently at Karim's Arabic Ensemble course, and it's really bringing my love of violing back to life. When Curse was invited to play onstage with Faith and the Muse though, they actually had invited me to play a couple of songs too with them on violin, but I had to take a rain check. For me, I really didn't think I was ready to do something that would have been so important for me as I really admire the people in that band. In my mind though, it really was a rain check. I remember feeling that it was just not the right time... I needed to get better again first to the point where I'd feel competent and like I was adding something.
One simple bit of advice I've heard and remembered is "doubt means no". You will dance more and more for groups, but it will be when you feel it is a "yes" with all your heart! And I hope to be there when you do :)
Re: Melanzane and doubts...
Date: 2004-11-15 08:38 am (UTC)The eggplant pizza was good. I sauteed garlic and chopped tomatoes and spinach and mushrooms til those things were all cooked, roasted the eggplant slices, put it all on dough and topped it with sliced buffalo mozzarella and oregano. Definitely better than Bertucci's!
Re: Melanzane and doubts...
Date: 2004-11-15 08:47 am (UTC)I'm hoping we can get Karim to let the ensemble class be an opening act for one of the Arabesque Mondays. I've still yet to go to one of those, and that would be a perfect excuse to finally do so.