circus

Life….as a Gantt chart

Yes, I was totally planning to create and embed a Gantt chart here, but I also thought I had MS Project. Oh well. You’ll just have to imagine it in your head. Start drawing:

  • Once a week (and I’m only looking out to July 2 at the moment), I choreograph about two minutes of a song. This song changes every two weeks, sometimes three if the girls are really feeling it.
  • We have a pole showcase coming up for which there was a song requested. If I can get a commitment from enough girls, there will be that to work on. I have 7 weeks.
  • Remember back when I said a goal for 2012 was to compete? Well, I have to decide if I want to make that happen sooner as opposed to later. I have to decide in 5 days if I want to make that happen sooner as opposed to later. If I wuss out, my calendar isn’t so bad. If I go balls to the wall (because I know no other way), I would have to come up with two pieces (which are oh so likely to be pieces I’ve already performed just prettied up) and make them competition ready. In 8 weeks. EIGHT. WEEKS. There is a possibility that I would be in over my head on that one but the jury is still out.

Now that I write it out, it doesn’t seem so bad. I feel as though I could actually do this. There would be a lot of stretching, training, and (ugh) clean eating on the horizon, but I really think I could do it. I don’t have to win, right? It’s about the experience, right? We’ll see. I still have five days.

****** Don’t you hate when someone says something cryptic that you think could mean a variety of things and you know you should just ignore it because the person that said it will never come clean about the true meaning of the statement but you. Just. CAN’T?!?!?******************* (enter your own hashtag here)

Deep breath.

The weather has been just to the side of gorgeous lately and it’s not a moment too soon. I am certainly getting a circus itch that needs to be scratched. It’s time to once again visualize and then actualize that damned layout and just take it out of lines. I have to find my balls in one of these things that I do and hopefully it’ll transfer to everything else.

Hopefully. Not a word that I’m putting a lot of umph behind. I know that it’s me and me alone who puts hand to pole or fork to mouth. Sometimes, I just find it difficult to find my inspiration. When I watch folks doing the things that I know my body is capable of doing, I think to myself that, yes, I could do that, but I find the actual prepping to do it so difficult. Probably, I don’t want it badly enough, but, unfortunately, I also don’t know how to make myself want it. I need to be surrounded by pole and circus people 24/7. Ha! I need a Club Med vacation!

I’d love to stay and chat a bit, but I just remembered that I have some hula hooping to do. Be good!

Where DOES the time go?!?!

This poor, neglected blog.  I’m surprised it even lets me sign in any more.  It probably wouldn’t were it not for Google Chrome being smart.  At times, I don’t post because I just don’t have anything to say or I’m being lazy.  This time, that is not  the case.  I’ve actually been too busy to breathe.  Even as I type this, I’m counting the minutes until I need to leave the house again.  I think the best way to catch up on what’s happened in August is……..bulletpoints!

  • As a member of Imperial Flyers, we put on an awesome amateur circus show.  No one got (seriously) injured and that always makes for a good time.  Threw two tricks, caught two tricks.  That’s a win in my book.  Videos can be seen here.
  • We passed our one year in Colorado/one year in our house milestone.  It isn’t “our house” since it’s a rental, but it’s definitely our house. 🙂
  • I went on a work retreat to Estes Park.  It was really great to get to meet our near-shore development team from Mexico and our developers who are right here in the Denver area.  We had a blast hanging around and talking and playing games.  And drinking.  And talking about the most ridiculous stuff ever.  Have you de-wormed yourself lately?
  • We made an appearance at my company’s picnic, for which I made some awesome pound cake cupcakes.  The cupcakes started the weekend baking binge.  The following weekend I made zucchini bread since one of Lovey’s co-workers had way too much zucchini and squash. It was so, so  yummy.  Lovey took a loaf to work and I got a few requests for my recipe.  Yay me!
  • WORK!  If you’ve followed this blog at all in the previous years or if you have the time/energy to go back through the archives, you’ll know that my work situation in Miami was just to the left of awful.  It was a toxic situation wherein, at one point, I was so stressed out that I was having what I called hobo dinner – a scoop of peanut butter and a beer.  Well.  All that has changed.  My current job is the COMPLETE opposite of where I was.  I enjoy my job.  I get up in the mornings and I’m excited to go to work.  I have piles and piles of things to do.  My intelligence and willingness to help are acknowledged and appreciated.  Oh yeah, and then there’s that fast track I’m on to be the manager of my little group and possibly a couple others.  I’m doing some online classes through work to brush up on my management skills.  I’m learning another of our lines of business.  And just the other day, I found out that I’ll be shooting over from App Support to QA full time for the remainder of the year.  We’re looking at quite possibly the beginning of the year for wheels to start not just turning, but peeling out with posi-traction.  Funny also that my boss lives within a 5 minute walk from my house and her boys go to the school down the street from my house.  It is really great to enjoy my job again.  It’s no Don Pablo’s and it’s no Club Med, but it’s probably as close as I’ll get in “corporate America”.  Also, I get to work from home two days a week.  WIN!
  • POLE!  If you came here through Facebook, you’ve seen my profile picture and you know that I do a little pole dancing.  It’s the closest thing to circus without having a trapeze in the house.  I started in Miami with the lovely Michelle Meier, currently of Iron Flower Fitness.  I have infinite thanks for Michelle, because, had it been any other instructor, other than the equally wonderful Marissa Alma Nick, I doubt that my pole journey would have come this far.  Where Michelle gave me my base, Marissa inspired me to move more gracefully.  Both ladies were just so instrumental, if you’re in Miami, living or just visiting, do yourself a favor and go visit them.  Fast forward a few years past Miami and I’ve found a new place to hone my craft – Boulder Spirals.  Sasha and Melanie just couldn’t be any more supportive, warm, and welcoming.  And let’s not forget wildly intelligent, because they did, after all, select me to work through their Apprentice training.  That’s right, I’m currently making my way towards being able (I think I’ve always been able, I’m just receiving the opportunity) to spread my love for pole dancing, fitness, and giving women an opportunity to step out of their usual box and feel strong, sexy, and empowered.
So, you see, I’ve been quite busy.  You should see my iPhone calendar.  August was crazy.  A dot on more than half of the days.  September is currently only holding 11 dots, but hey, it’s only the first!  If you can believe it, I’m still trying to find time to prepare for a student showcase around mid-month which will be my first public pole performance, get to the boxing gym a little more regularly, and write.  I still have a couple of ideas for books that I need to get on paper…or computer.
This is my stolen time.  The time before I absolutely MUST get up and get ready for work (where I can throw on jeans and a t-shirt and flip-flops and be appropriately dressed) but after the alarm has gone off.  The quiet time.  The only time I have for writing.  But again, I say that I will try to find this time more often.  And perhaps I will since fun stuff is actually going on.  Even now, there is more stuff happening, but, dear reader, there’s only so much I’ll bombard you with in one sitting.  We’re already at a thousand words for this post.  So with that, I will leave you, wishing you a happy September, a happy, long, Labor Day weekend, a working air conditioner if you’re here in CO with me (we’ll be breaking a temperature record today…97 in September), and just lots of fun, love, and happiness.  Go forth and caterpillar climb!

Life – in bullets

  • It has once again (actually twice again) been proved that I no longer have an core strength.  I suck.
  • I am happy that the debates are over.  I will be happier when the election is over.  I will be happiest if whomever is elected actually produces something other than hot air regarding everything he has promised.
  • Lovey and I are not Joe or Joella six pack.
  • I find it amusing that people are all up in arms about Representative Murtha out of western PA saying that the area is racist, but Obama will probably still win. (Newsweek)  Oh, he shouldn't say stuff like that.  Um, whatever.  It's not the race card, it's the truth.
  • I feel like I live in some sort of bubble.  I know that the economy is bad, but I have been fortunate enough to not be affected by it (KNOCKING ON ALL THE WOOD I CAN FIND).  I often feel bad because I know that others are struggling while our family plans a vacation.  I am not sure how to reconcile this with myself outside of reminding myself that I saved for an entire year to take it.
  • Lovey makes me laugh.  When we go out to eat, he says it's okay to have an appetizer too, and a drink, because we're boosting the economy.
  • MommaShyner sent me a top in the mail yesterday.  She said that she thought it would look cute after the procedure.  Lovey liked it.  I'm still deciding.  It's kinda slutty.  Thanks mom!
  • I have bruises on my leg and they look like finger marks.  They aren't, but it took me a while to figure out what they were from.  Oh circus, I love you and your injuries.
  • I have had a knot in my neck for nearly 2 weeks and no matter what I try, it won't go away.  May I please have a new neck now?
  • Joe the plumber, Joe the plumber, Joe the plumber, Joe the plumber.  I wonder if he'll get a plumber's license before he decides to buy the business he's been working for for so long.  I know nothing about plumbing.  I wonder if he needs one?
  • Here comes NaNoWriMo.  I wonder if I'll be able to do it this year.  I've got a story rattling around in my head, but I think it would take way longer than a month to get it out.  I might be able to outline it in a month.
  • I'm getting stretchy.  Closer to getting into a split than I have ever been.  I also learned that I am trying to stretch the wrong part of my back.  Go figure.
  • I love sushi.  Just sayin'.
  • Btw, hi, where did this whole year go already? I mean, I guess I'm not complaining because it's that much closer to a lot of things, but DAYUMN!
  • I had a crazy dream last night about heckling some hot dude celeb and running away and him tracking me down.  And for this, I slept the whole night through which I have not been able to do for the last 3 or 4 nights.
  • Newsflash: Wendy Testaburger kicked Eric Cartman's ass last night because he's an asshole. (it might say not available, but it is)

 

  • I've only seen a little clip (since I can't stay up until 11) of David Alan Greer's new show, Chocolate News, but I think it'll be pretty good.
  • And I'm spent.

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Happy Happy Joy Joooooy

Since I've been living here in Miami, my life has been severely lacking in two areas:

  • Circus activities
  • Bartending activities

I miss bartending but I've kinda just let that one go because I know that the hours really conflict with family life no matter how much happier I'd be behind a bar than behind a desk.  I'm still adjusting to dealing with it no matter how much I say I'm gonna let it go.  It's in my blood!  It's one of very few things that I'm really good at.  Behind the bar, I'm in the ZONE baby!  Gimme a bar 5 folks deep and I'm in heaven.  Oh yeah, but please don't double sit me if I'm waiting tables because I'll be in the weeds faster than you can 86 your special menu item, IHOP.

Now circus, on the other hand, once that gets in your blood, you're never getting rid of it.  Not that I want to.  The circus community in south Florida is really taking hold and growing by leaps and bounds.  Let's see, we've got:

  • The Flying Trapeze School - a bunch of really cool folks that I've had the pleasure of flying with once.  Only once because, well, it's not cheap and no matter how much I love it, there are other things that I have to put ahead of it.
  • FlySpace at Animate Objects - I haven't been to visit them (yet) because they're so far SOUTH!  But, on the up side, they are moving their space further north so I hope to have the time (and money) to start visiting them soon too.  They do a lot of performing around the area.  Good stuff.
  • Circ X – Circ X does TONS of stuff and not just circus.  They've got performances weekly.  I can only wish to have that much talent.  I'm too shy to even talk to her on Myspace since she's got about 10,000 times the experience I do.
  • Tony's Circus – Wow!  I didn't know about this one until I googled circus stuff.  Holy Hand Balancing Batman!  They inspire me to stretch. 🙂
  • Florida Circus School – So, apparently, they've been here for about a year and a half, but I just found out about them through a newspaper article.  Gave them a call recently to find out that they too are awesome and in my price range AND offer up a first lesson for free.  And there's a teeny tiny possibility that if I can get my lazy ass back into circus shape that I might be able to perform with them or give them a hand teaching.

All in all, these things make me sooo happy.  Now if I could just hit the lottery to have enough time and money to do all this circus stuff…just imagine! 

With all of this great stuff in mind, I tried to do some stretching last night.  Imagine my surprise when I was closer to the split that I've never been able to do than I've ever been before.  The awesomeness abounds.  I'm working more stretching into the daily routine so I can be at my circus best.  Poor Lovey knew he was getting involved with an ex-circus freak, I hope he can handle the current one.  HEP!

So, then, mark my words.  Come December, one of two things will be going on for me.  I will have either, ahem, enhanced my cleavage as a 35th b-day present to myself, or I will be performing.  Ask me then which one, lol.

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Friday the 13th….I’m baaaaaack

But there will be no ROCO because I'm just not feeling it.  You may want to just skip over this post altogether because it will be full of things that I just need to get out there.

  • I believe that 3 years is a decent amount of time to give something a try.  That said, Miami sucks.  No matter what you've seen on television, that's television, and living here, well, as PittGirl would say, is church. (Thanks for the shout.)
  • Getting this piece of paper has become ridiculously important.  It signifies more knowledge, more money, and more distance between me and south Florida.
  • <sarcasm> There is nothing more encouraging than a supervisor questioning your clothing choice of the day (that has been worn on many occasion previously) and stating, with an air of hopefulness in his/her voice, that you look as though you may have an interview today.  </sarcasm>
  • I am dieting and it sucks.  Why am I dieting?  Because it is incorrect for a woman of 5 feet and 1.5 inches to weigh 140 pounds.  Three weeks in and I have lost almost 9 pounds.  That does not suck.
  • Possibly because of dieting, I have recently started forgetting things and have lost my ability to focus, even on things that I enjoy.  This is bad.
  • I now have two gray hairs.  At least they aren't visible.
  • Steve Jobs is the devil and on July 11, I will become one of his minions.
  • In four weeks and one day, I will be toasting the beginning of vacation.  Parrot Bay and mango/pineapples all around.
  • I have a book rolling around in my head and I hope to push it out soon.  It is taking up too much space.  I think it's a good I'm-on-vacation-sitting-at-the-beach/pool-and-I-want-to-read-but-not-think kind of book.
  • Is it football season yet?!?!  No?  Well, in the meantime, go Marlins, I guess.
  • Does ANYONE think that I am coherent when I write?
  • The weekend is nearly upon us and guess what fun I have in store!  Nothing like cleaning the house, eh?
  • Oh, by the way, how does one tell if one is depressed?
  • I am a crappy friend because I neglected to call one of my very best friends on his 30th birthday.  My bad, Ant.  Here's a shout out for your biz.  If you live in the New Jersey or five boroughs, you should stop by and give that a shot.  If you are female, even more so because the boys are eye candy.
  • I miss my friends who "get me" and let me be me.  True friends are still your friends the day after you DDT them onto a concrete floor in a bar in Mexico.
  • Ohhhhh, almost forgot this gem.  Kiddo's father, possibly one of THE biggest asshats moving around on two feet, had the nerve audacity balls non-functioning brain notion that I would add him as a friend on Facebook.  HAHAHAHA.  Just for kicks, I looked at his friends list.  Know what it said?  Dxxxx Kxxxxx has no friends.  Well, DUH!
  • Mmm, right.  Celebrity Circus on NBC.  I have yet to watch the full episode but from the first three acts, well, not so much.  I've seen (and taught) children to do more in a week.
  • I MISS MY CIRCUS STUFF!

You know, I've rambled on long enough regarding things that you, dear reader, aren't so interested in.  I leave you with wishes for a happy weekend.  Shyne on.

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