5.03.2007

I'm Sari

My dance troupe did a "Bollywood" number in Norfolk VA last week and we all wore saris. They are beautiful, but having yards and yards of material wrapped around you while you dance is HOT - and not in a good way.

4.12.2007

Pearls Before Breakfast

The Washington Post conducted an experiment in DC lately - they asked the best violinist in the world to play his Stradivarius at a metro station like any other street performer.

The post wanted to see if people in the midst of their everyday routine would stop and listen to the beautiful music, or ignore it and go on with their busy lives.

The results are interesting.

Read about it here.

4.03.2007

It's the Fuzz!

After being a good girl and not having been pulled over in over 3 years, I have been pulled over twice in two days.

WTF?

My theory is this: with the blossoming of spring, all fuzzy animals are coming out of hibernation, including the fuzz of the blue uniform variety.

3.26.2007

Dancing Queen


I performed at the Taste of Morocco restaurant yesterday with my troupe.

A fellow dancer took this picture of me mid-turn... I look like a helicopter getting ready to take off.

3.21.2007

Things I Love to...

Hate

  • feeling rushed all the time
  • the smell of fresh mulch all over my office park
  • checking on people to make sure they are doing what they say they are going to do
  • feeling like I need to check on people
  • ice and snow
  • how disorganized my dance instructor can be
  • the fine lines that are quickly becoming wrinkles on my forehead
  • enlarged pores
  • my own laziness when it comes to housecleaning
  • my credit rating since I got divorced

Love
  • how affectionate my 5 y/o is
  • that my boss is on a trip, so I can goof off a lot more this week
  • bellydance costumes
  • the fact that I can pick out Middle Eastern rhythms better than anyone else in my class without ever having studied music
  • how smart my 9 y/o is
  • how well R and I get along now and how close I feel to him
  • spring time
  • how close I am to my family

A shout-out to Leta for the post idea.

What do you hate and love?

3.19.2007

The Silence is Deafening

I post that I'm back, but don't write anything in over a week. huh

It's not that I don't WANT to write... I just don't know what to write about at this juncture. I live an active and busy life, but it's mostly mundane things, like kid activities, work, and dance. I don't want to write lists of what I did last weekend and what my plans are for this week, because that is boring to write, much less read.

I want to write about my thoughts and feelings and over-analyze on here, like I do in my head.

But I hesitate.

I hesitate because, even tho this is my blog, other people in my real life read it occasionally and I've had some bad reactions and some 'splainin to do afterwards and I just don't want the drama. On the other hand, I want to write about my personal life with abandon, be it good, bad or otherwise.

Decisions, decisions.

In the meantime, I will pose a spiritual/metaphysical question I have been wondering about: do you believe houses and household items retain positive or negative energy?

I read the Tarot at least once a week (I have several decks, but use this deck -I love the art work- for the most part and use a 10-card, Celtic cross spread) and have been getting a lot of negative readings lately when nothing should be wrong. R is usually in the room (he may have thought tarot was kinda strange at first, but he is a believer now) and I think he influences the cards to a certain extent, as does my mood. But ever since R and I had that falling out at the beginning of February, my readings are mostly about my fears, even if I am in a happy and loving mood. Could my fears be influencing my thoughts so much that it shows up in a reading, even if I don't realize it and don't feel stressed and worried in my daily life? Will these things come to pass and I am in denial? Or could the room and furniture be influencing my reading? The falling-out occurred there.

Has this ever happened to you?

****Update****

Had a half-way decent reading last night. Yay!

3.09.2007

Playing Catch Up

Where should I start on the "my life for the last 3 months" post?

Hmmm...

In a nutshell, all is well. Not perfectly wonderful, but life never is, now is it?

The girls are doing really well. The school year is half-way over and both girls are doing extremely well and are both in gifted and talented classes, which is nice. I didn't even know they had GT for the Kindergarten level, but apparently, they do. One of Lauren's homework assignments in GT was this essay question:

"Explain why ancient civilizations used myths to explain natural occurrences. Use supporting facts from previous assignments. Create your own myth to explain a recent natural occurrence."

Wha?????

*See mommy smack her own forehead and then shake her head in shame when she realizes that the homework her daughter is doing in FOURTH GRADE is similar to homework mommy did in high school and college.* Gah.

Lauren will start seeing an occupational therapist on a weekly basis next week. She was diagnosed with ADHD in first grade, but honestly hasn't had much of a problem since then. She does have this little quirk where she scrunches up her face and rubs her hands together when she's excited. She's always done it, but kids that don't know her well are starting to comment and make fun of her, so I took her to an OT to treat it and found out that she is a little behind (she tests in the age range of a 7 year old instead of a 9 year old) in her neurological development as far as gross and fine motor skills are concerned. So she'll go to therapy until she's where she's supposed to be. Luckily, in visual integration (not eyesight, but processing and comprehending what you see) she tests in the 12-13 year old range - so she's 4 years ahead there. The OT said this is the intelligence indicator. (see above paragraph about mythology - sheez)

In summary, she's smart but klutzy, just like her mom! AND I have ADHD, too. Genetics really got her - poor kid.

Ashlyn has been doing well. She's been sick here and there - once with food poisoning and once with a high fever of unknown origin, but that is to be expected in a 5 year old. It took 4 adults to hold her down to get a throat culture (which turned out to be negative) when she had the fever. THAT was fun. I can't wait until her immune system is better developed - that kid gets the sniffles at least once a month in the cold weather. And she is NOT a good taker-of-medicine. She's gotten better as she's gotten older, but she used to projectile-vomit anything I put in her mouth if she didn't want it there. Threats just end in tears and vomiting, so now I just resort to cajoling and bribery. She may not have any teeth left after all the candy and cookies I bribe her with, but she won't be sick!

I'm such a great mother.

Lauren's birthday is next Tuesday. My first baby will be 10 years old. (Are those new lines on my forehead and gray hairs on my head, of which there are already a-plenty? Why yes, yes they are.)

I am so excited about her party this year! Her theme is Ancient Egypt and we're having a scavenger hunt and "archeological dig" (aka big rubbermaid container filled with play sand with buried artifacts and crystals scattered thru-out) and her cake is going to be a scaled-down landscape of Giza made out of a flat sheet cake and pyramids made out of rice crispy treats with plenty of frosting and crushed 'Nilla wafers for sand. I might even try to make a sphinx out of marzipan. I can't wait!

And yes, I know I'm a total dork. Shut up.

The bellydancing is still going strong. I have EIGHT gigs in the coming months, and we're performing with live drummers now, so it's cool and challenging. I even have a couple of pictures that I might post. But I have to get very very drunk first. So if you want to see those pictures, show up with a case of white wine and we'll discuss it.

R and I went thru a VERY rough patch about a month ago. We actually broke up for a while and started making plans on moving out, etc., but then got to talking and decided that, all bullshit aside, we are good together and are happy with the relationship so we decided to stay together and see what happens. Currently we're working on things and he is going to counseling every week to sort shit out that happened earlier in his life that he unintentionally plays out in our relationship. I'm far from perfect, but I think most of the "work" needs to be done in his head at this point, so I'm here for love and support and nooky 24 hours a day. We're also working on communication and being together as a family and a couple as much as possible, despite working opposite shifts. Truth be told, I feel closer to him and feel like I know him better now than I ever have before. So far so good. We'll just have to see what the future holds.

In retrospect, I realize now that I (and R, too, for different reasons) have been living in "survival mode" for the last three years - ever since I got seperated and subsequently divorced. I've been living my life on "what ifs" and just kinda making do and not willing to settle down on anything. I've been thru 4 different companies job-wise... I've furnished my rented townhouse with hand-me-downs and slipcovers... I don't like the car I bought after I totalled my last one... I don't even own a pet when I've always had at least one cat, if not a dog and various fish/hamsters/turtles etc. I've basically been living my life like I could pack up my kids and clothes and run at a moment's notice and not give a rat's ass about what I left behind. Really for no good reason at this point three years down the road. I have a nice salary and so does R, combined we make plenty of money. Therefore, R and I have decided that we're going to move to a new place when our lease is up this summer and start fresh. Build something comforting and beautiful and a real home together instead of trying to mend broken little pieces of our lives into a presentable facade but we're really making Frankenstein's monster. A new place and new furniture will be a good start.

I am tired of living like a refugee.

3.06.2007

11.21.2006

Blogging Blah Blah Blah

Sorry for the infrequent posting, folks. It's ironic that when all is going well and I am very happy with the way my life is going, that I have very little to say. I post on holidays and about the kids and an occasional news story, but otherwise I'm not posting at all . Therefore, I'm taking a break from blogging again. I still read blogs every day (see my links on the left), but I'm too involved in real-life activities and no longer feel the need to sort my emotions online.

I'll even give you a general update in all areas of my life, one last time.

R and I are doing very, very well. I know I posted about thinking about breaking up with him a few weeks ago, but things have been sorted out for the better since then. Plus I was also finally able to let go of some negative emotions toward him that I had harbored for a long time. That's definitely a good thing and very freeing for me.

The girls are doing very well in school and in their after-school activities. They seem happy, healthy and well adjusted. I am very lucky. Girl Socuts is going well for both of them and Lauren is playing basketball now.

I've slowed down on the bellydancing for the past few weeks - I've been busy with other things, plus I broke one of my smaller toes, so dancing on it has been out of the question for a while. But I'll get back into it after the holidays.

Work is going very well - I've been given more responsibilites and was a stand-in supervisor while my boss was on vacation last week (more by default than anything else), but I got a personal email from the president of the company thanking my for a my diligence on some stuff, so that's good .

I've been more involved in practicing Wicca recently. Wicca has been my belief system for the past 19 years, but I haven't been very diligent in meditating, learning herbology and geology and performing rituals and such. I've studied and gathered knowledge here and there over the years and have found great local resources for various things. I've also gotten over a few fears in this area - ten years ago, when my mother called herself a "witch," it used to make me cringe, just because of the negative connotations associated with it. But now I call myself a witch with no shadows of negative feelings at all. I also think that Wicca and paganism are much more accepted in general now, in no small part due to shows like Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Charmed, Harry Potter, and the various cartoons and such that feature pagan characters and ideas. I'm still not "out of the broom closet" in a few areas - at work and in Scouts - but that's not out of embarassment on my part, but fear that other people's ignorance will lead to negative judgements of me and impact my life in ways that would be unwelcomed. Overall, I am looking forward to delving further into my spiritual path and seeing what new revelations it brings.

That has been my life in a nutshell for the past few weeks. Hopefully, all aspects will continue as they have been.

Happy holidays to you and yours!

11.17.2006

I've Been Everywhere, Man...

Well, mostly in the South, Southwest and the coasts.



create your own visited states map

And honestly, I have no interest in visiting the mid-west, except Montana and South Dakota.

Here are the countries I've visited - doesn't look like too much like this, does it?



create your own visited countries map

I once asked my dad where all he had been with PsyOps and Special Forces while serving in the Army and presented a map. He looked at me and grinned but wouldn't tell me anything (it was classified). Then I asked him to point to a continent he HADN'T been to. He looked at me and grinned again. I looked at him incredulously and said, "You've been to Antartica?!?!" He smiled again and said, "We refeuled there once." And walked away.

My dad is Joe Cool.

11.13.2006

Happy Veteran's Day


Thank you, James (my grandfather, above), Dad, R, and all the veterans out there (including me! :)

You all make this world a better place.

11.01.2006

The Day After

Blogger died when I tried to post the rest of this so I'll try this again... (I have no idea why this is showing up as a hyperlink either)
Lauren has been studying Ancient Civilizations in her Gifted and Talented Language Arts class, so she wanted to be Cleopatra for Halloween (this is after deciding against a goth teen and Princess Leia), so we did some research and I made this costume for her. The cartouche on her belt even says in "Lauren" in hieroglyphics.

Thank Isis for sewing machines and hot glue guns.

Since I am a big dork and like to do themed Halloween stuff, I was a Cleopatra's Mummy. (get it? har har har)
Ashyn, on the other hand, always bucks the trend. Last year we were vampires and she was a witch. This year, we were Egyptian and she was Elizabethan (and rather rumpled after running around on the playground at school).

But I was still her Mummy.

We went traipsing around the neighborhood with my close friend and her three boys and they got lots of loot and were very happy. One enterprising dance instructor even dropped her business card into their bags along with some candy.

It was fun, but... ugh, my feet hurt.

10.31.2006

Happy Samhain!


Bright Blessings in the new year!

10.24.2006

Sunday Funnies

Regardless of your political leanings, this article about Doonesbury is well worth the read.

Wow.

10.17.2006

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Ah, Fall. The time of year when we rake leaves, eat pumpkin pie, make scarecrows and dress like hookers on Halloween. It's my favorite time of year. At least until the first snow fall turns everything into a dazzling crystalline world of beauty. THAT is my favorite time of year. For about 8 hours. Until it gets really cold, and I am miserable until March. Until the first daffodils peak out of the snow. Then Spring is my favorite time of year. Until it gets really hot and I get to relax on the beach. Then Summer is my favorite time of year.

So instead of diagnosing myself with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), I am hereby diagnosing myself with SID (Seasonal Infidelity Disorder) - I'm just not loyal to any one season.

10.11.2006

Goofing Off

Thanks for the private sentiments, folks.

All is well - just had a bad weekend, but I'm having a great week.

And thanks to Wombat, I've been keeping myself entertained at work with this today.

I may be a simpleton, but gawd, that's funny.

10.10.2006

Little Bit o' This... a Little Bit o' That

My weekend was... interesting.

Here it is in a nutshell:

Friday - Seriously considered dumping boyfriend.
Saturday - Performed at Fells Point Fun Festival in a Nor'easter (cold and pouring rain - which is not so fun after all).
Sunday - Semi-reconciled with boyfriend, but he is skating on thin ice.

As you can see, my weekend was so-so.

The last couple days have been better - no kiddos this week (joint custody rocks!) , bosses are at a convention, and no frantic rehearsal schedule. So I can screw off at work AND at home with no repercussions. Word.

Plus the Starbucks by my house just opened AND has drive-thru, which I hit up making my leisurely way to work at 9:30 this morning.

That makes Misha a happy girl.

10.02.2006

No Applause, Just Throw Money

I have been up since waaaaaaaaaaay before the asscrack of dawn. Three AM to be exact.

Why?

Because I was on TV this morning.

Shaking my shit. (mouse over and click the link, then go to the right frame and click on the video dated 10/02/06. I'm the tall one on the right in red with gold coins.)

In 50 degree weather.

Brrr

Show time was 5am, but we didn't actually shoot until 7. Then another station shot us at 7:30, then the first station shot us again at 8.

Then I got to go home, scrub my face, get my children dressed and take them to daycare (schools are closed because of Yom Kippur) and drag my tired, non-jingly ass into work.

*yaaaaaawn*