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Feb. 15th, 2005 02:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alonewiththemoonI keep thinking it's Wednesday, because I don't have my regular class tonight and hence do not have my gear bag and cane with me. To make things more confusing, yesterday I did have my cane with me, but since I usually only have it with me on Tuesdays, I kept thinking yesterday was Tuesday so that makes today feel even more like Wednesday. Time is so complicated...
The weekend went by in a blur. I spent most of the day Saturday getting ready for the Kabarett 16-Bit show at the Zeitgeist (my new love is MAC copper sparkle pigment, love it love it love it!). It was cool to be getting ready for a show with M, but be performing independently of each other. Working together but not too much together is fun. M's band, Seven Sunless Days, rocked the crowd. I was sitting with the singer's boyfriend and we were both beaming with pride. Obviously I'm utterly biased, but I think they are doing something pretty special. I was on later in the night so I got to fidget and fret for hours while waiting to go on. I'd be lying if I said I weren't a bit disappointed that most of my friends had to leave before my performance, but there will be other times. And it might have been just as well anyway, because partway through my first piece of music, I realized that a bunch of the sound was missing--all the bass and a lot of the clarinet. Given that the song is a clarinet solo laid over a funky bass line, this was kind of a problem. Luckily there was still enough clarinet left and loads of drums, so I could salvage the performance. Afterwards I came closer to throwing a full-blown diva fit than I have ever come in my life, but I held it together and took the chance on my next piece of music playing correctly--and it did, phew. The sound levels were all out of whack so it was a bit distorted, but it was Collide so the distortion wasn't that noticable. Loads of people came up to me after each performance with nice things to say. One of my favorite things about doing these non-belly dance shows is that people who have never seen a belly dancer get a chance to learn what it's about. I was told that I had great stage presence as well, which I will take as a testiment to my hitherto unknown ability to hold it together when the music starts behaving unpredictably.
As a result of the sound fiasco, though, I am browsing around for a boombox that can project through a good-sized room with reasonable sound quality. I checked out the Bose Wave systems already--they're a lot more than I'd like to spend, and various review boards seemed to think they weren't worth the extra cost anyway. So if anybody has any advice about boomboxes (or alternately speaker systems for a walkman, like this one at Cambridge SOundworks), I am all ears...
Sunday I danced at home for a while but stupidly did not warm up properly before working on my zar. Then I had a three hour rehearsal with Sarab, followed by watching a dancer audition for the troupe (she did great, she's another goth girl so that makes me happy), then home to sleep restlessly due to the pain in my neck from loads of zar. Luckily last night's dance class really helped loosen me up; we did lots of veilwork, so that probably helped stretch my neck/shoulders out gently. I told Amira Jamal that I did improv veilwork over the weekend at a show and that I wouldn't have been able to do that without her class and made her very happy. Then home around 11, to find that M had bought me some nice dinner and wine and dessert to share, and some pretty earrings. Life has been so busy Valentine's Day didn't seem like a real thing, but I was glad that he found a way to make it special.
Seti slept in the bed with us I think the whole night through. When I left this morning, he was curled up next to M. I wanted to get right back into the warm cozy bed with everyone else! But instead, off to work, where I have now procrastinated enough and should get back to it.
The weekend went by in a blur. I spent most of the day Saturday getting ready for the Kabarett 16-Bit show at the Zeitgeist (my new love is MAC copper sparkle pigment, love it love it love it!). It was cool to be getting ready for a show with M, but be performing independently of each other. Working together but not too much together is fun. M's band, Seven Sunless Days, rocked the crowd. I was sitting with the singer's boyfriend and we were both beaming with pride. Obviously I'm utterly biased, but I think they are doing something pretty special. I was on later in the night so I got to fidget and fret for hours while waiting to go on. I'd be lying if I said I weren't a bit disappointed that most of my friends had to leave before my performance, but there will be other times. And it might have been just as well anyway, because partway through my first piece of music, I realized that a bunch of the sound was missing--all the bass and a lot of the clarinet. Given that the song is a clarinet solo laid over a funky bass line, this was kind of a problem. Luckily there was still enough clarinet left and loads of drums, so I could salvage the performance. Afterwards I came closer to throwing a full-blown diva fit than I have ever come in my life, but I held it together and took the chance on my next piece of music playing correctly--and it did, phew. The sound levels were all out of whack so it was a bit distorted, but it was Collide so the distortion wasn't that noticable. Loads of people came up to me after each performance with nice things to say. One of my favorite things about doing these non-belly dance shows is that people who have never seen a belly dancer get a chance to learn what it's about. I was told that I had great stage presence as well, which I will take as a testiment to my hitherto unknown ability to hold it together when the music starts behaving unpredictably.
As a result of the sound fiasco, though, I am browsing around for a boombox that can project through a good-sized room with reasonable sound quality. I checked out the Bose Wave systems already--they're a lot more than I'd like to spend, and various review boards seemed to think they weren't worth the extra cost anyway. So if anybody has any advice about boomboxes (or alternately speaker systems for a walkman, like this one at Cambridge SOundworks), I am all ears...
Sunday I danced at home for a while but stupidly did not warm up properly before working on my zar. Then I had a three hour rehearsal with Sarab, followed by watching a dancer audition for the troupe (she did great, she's another goth girl so that makes me happy), then home to sleep restlessly due to the pain in my neck from loads of zar. Luckily last night's dance class really helped loosen me up; we did lots of veilwork, so that probably helped stretch my neck/shoulders out gently. I told Amira Jamal that I did improv veilwork over the weekend at a show and that I wouldn't have been able to do that without her class and made her very happy. Then home around 11, to find that M had bought me some nice dinner and wine and dessert to share, and some pretty earrings. Life has been so busy Valentine's Day didn't seem like a real thing, but I was glad that he found a way to make it special.
Seti slept in the bed with us I think the whole night through. When I left this morning, he was curled up next to M. I wanted to get right back into the warm cozy bed with everyone else! But instead, off to work, where I have now procrastinated enough and should get back to it.
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no subject
Date: 2005-02-15 11:30 am (UTC)I think that's the same one I'm running for the computer/CD deck downstairs. I haven't tried it out on a full room, but I can attest that a) the system is very light, if a bit bulky, b) the little speakers are VERY focused (so, when you're in the sweet spot, it sounds very, very good, but if you're behind the speakers, it's hard to hear anything) and c) the subwoofer is awesome, and the sound overall is very good.
I'd be happy to lend the set-up to you if you want to try it out for a week or a show or both or whatever.
no subject
Date: 2005-02-16 08:59 am (UTC)Another option I've read about would be a small but quality guitar amp.
no subject
Date: 2005-02-16 09:11 am (UTC)I'd guess that the difference is in the subwoofer; I believe that the side speakers are identical on all models.
Another option I've read about would be a small but quality guitar amp
Well, should you come by, you can test my Peavey Bandit, too (although it may be larger than you're thinking of); but one of us would need to scout out a stereo mini jack -> 1/4 inch adaptor.
no subject
Date: 2005-02-16 12:57 pm (UTC)