pole

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!

Two Day Recap

It must be nice to be a meteorologist. They’re constantly wrong and yet they never seem to get called on it. Of course I understand that weather isn’t an exact science. That doesn’t change the fact that, when I go to bed expecting to wake up to a dusting of snow and I get up and there are a couple inches and it’s still coming down, I’m not a happy camper. Should be a fun drive in to work.

As suspected, the first day was all orientation. Wow. Long day. Parts of it were cool, like learning about the history of the city, but going over benefits and such, ugh. I had read all of that stuff a zillion times before I ever even got in the building. We did, however, have some good laughs at our table and the guys at the table were all pretty cool. I met a guy that has five Emmy’s. Oh yeah, and the coffee dude hit on me. I asked if they took credit cards. He said nope, only cash. Or jewelry. Or phone numbers. Ha! Nice try. Meh, I still got it. 🙂

Yesterday was a bit more eventful. I got sworn in (yep, seriously, with a judge and everything). I got my magic badge (with a picture that doesn’t suck!) to open up many doors in several buildings. Met a bunch of people, now I just have to attempt to remember their names. Got settled in my new space although I really need to personalize it. Started looking into a new program to use for work. Learned that I might be using a lot of SQL. Found a possible perk that I wasn’t expecting (but that’s for several months down the road yet). All in all, great day. AND I made it home in record time yesterday…or record out of the two days I’ve gone to town.

So far, no complaints. People are nice. Everyone is helpful. The commute doesn’t totally suck (thanks BV-Pittsburgh for numbing the pain well in advance). Haven’t been bored yet, probably won’t ever be. Scheduling is still flexible. Casual Friday, WHAT?!?! Yep, life is good.

A posting isn’t complete if I don’t mention something about pole. The Sweet Emotion choreography went surprisingly well. I think that I may be getting better at choreography on the fly, so maybe I’ll figure out how to freestyle soon. Weeeeee!

Off to brave the snow! Have a fantastic Thursday!

Things on Tuesday – Bringing It Back

Sometimes, I know that I should write even if it’s only a little bit. Luckily, when I thought that today, I remembered Things on Tuesday. A blog – in bulletpoints.

Lowlights

I am really sore. My glutes are screaming in pain and the foam roller is probably just aggravating them. But of course, I won’t stop rolling. I’m running this show, muscles. You’re going to do what I want.
That’s it.

Highlights

I’m into week 2 of the Foundation section of P90X2. I’m feeling good about it. I still hate Plyocide.
My body seems to remember actually being in shape and I’m toning up fairly quickly. I’m getting that wide shoulder, small waist triangle. Didn’t love it before, more okay with it now since the boobs balance it out.
Absolutely LOVED my mixed levels class last night. So many of the fun folks that I see all the time but don’t always get to take class with, let alone teach. Good times!
Crazy busy fun weekend! Brewfest, photo shoot, showcase, afterparty, please don’t do anything but rest your body on Sunday!
Choreography for said showcase is moving right along. Should be since I have a mere five days until performing with many things between now and then.

That’s it.

Short one today. Much to do with little time to do it! Have a kickass day!

Anonymous Letter

Dear Hip:

Our relationship is rapidly deteriorating. I want to like you, but you are making it very difficult. Maybe it isn’t you specifically, but it’s in your house. I stretch you on a very regular basis and how do you repay me? With even more pain?!? You’re a jerk. Sure, I must have done something to make you angry, at some point, some time ago, but why must you hold a grudge? Now everything around you must suffer with the dreaded foam roller to attempt to reach the real issue that’s hiding deep inside of a yucky piriformis and more than likely a bursa that’s getting squished. But, I refuse to give in to you, hip! You will get rolled and adjusted and you’ll get physical therapy because the mind is stronger than you, hip! You cannot win! Surrender!

Kind regards,

The One Who Is In Pain

Anywho, here’s your P90X 2 recap: Wednesday was Total Body and Ab Ripper X. Lots of core and shoulders, which is perfect as far as I’m concerned, for stronger poling. It is just SO MUCH DIFFERENT than P90X. In the first one, Tony just threw you in there and tried to kill you on day one. This time, he’s easing you in. Much better, Tony. It’s giving me the opportunity to get the workout done and feel good about it while still leaving me lots of room to push myself harder, stretch myself deeper. Foam roller, baby.

Today, Friday, is Yoga X. Also scaled back from the first series. A mere 66 minutes, which is much better than the near 90 in the first. I found that it starts off pretty yoga heavy but ends up more stretchy conditioning. Now, I realize that yoga IS stretchy conditioning, but he throws in a lot of things that I’ve not seen in a yoga class, so I don’t really consider them yoga. BUT, I’m no yogi so I don’t know for sure. I know that I like it.

We are coming down to crunch time. The showcase is in a mere 8 days and I really need to get to work. I have a song and I have a few moves that I know that I consistently get into without looking like an elephant with a broken leg. I just need to put them together and find some transitions. I am a lot less stressed about the showcase this time as compared to last time. Perhaps that means that I’m getting (re)accustomed to being “on stage”. Oh, the Club Med years.

So, it looks like a good bit of pole work on Saturday. Teaching/supervising a pole party on Sunday. Fun! Welcome to my addiction, ladies! Teaching a different class rather than my usual Level 2 these days. Switched on over to teaching a mixed level/spin pole class on Monday nights. Aaaaaand, in a few weeks after that, I’ll be teaching a more choreographed, one and a half minute routine type of class. That’s gonna be fun. Grab you glasses and shake your asses!

It’s Friday, tricks! Go out and get some! But be safe. Have a great weekend!

Batting 1000

Been a few minutes since I last posted but it was just one of those weekends.

Steelers. Sad face. But, boy was the game a blast. So, I’m 1-1 on wins for going to see Steelers games but batting 1000 on having fun at games. Met some nice folks from the home area, had a few adult beverages, and got to check out the club section at ~~Invesco~~ Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Really nice area that had a ton of Steelers fans driving Broncos fans crazy. Still a wonderful time since there’s no real rivalry between the teams, there was just good natured ribbing between the fans. I had the most delicious deconstructed salmon wellington. And you know what? At $13, it was a fantastic deal. I would expect to pay more than that in a restaurant for that dish!

In other news, not much else is going on. Still have to work on choreography for the show at the end of the month. Still waiting on answers. Still stretching. Still about 3 inches away from a split on the good side. Still not enough time in the morning to blog. I have to get up earlier.

Have a great day, folks!

pole

Life….as a Gantt chart

Two Day Recap

Things on Tuesday – Bringing It Back

Anonymous Letter

Batting 1000

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