So, I've been on strike....

I had a really cool, somewhat frilly, somewhat un-like me theme posted here for awhile. A theme I actually paid for, so that's really saying something.

BUT, with the most recent Wordpress update, it broke the pictures scrolling thing at the top that worked for "featured posts". I had patience for a little while, but, alas, my patience waned, my mood turned as black as this pretty new theme, and here I am, posting again =)

As we approach Jazz Festival (I think this is number 12 for me, without missing any) week, life is going pretty damn good for me. I can't believe that next year, the Jazz Festival will be 50!! Let's hope nothing budget-related and totally messed-up happens to compromise that. Nothing surprises me anymore....but for now, I am keeping the faith! Blessings abound. There's so much to write and think about!

This crazy (that's crazy in a good way, not crazy in a stalker-bad-creepy way) dude that I've admired on Facebook for awhile, his name is Chad Sorg, and I approached him in early December about being the artist to create the "Compression" poster this year. He said yes, to my great satisfaction, and I got the finished product in the not-too-distant past. Here it is:

I REALLY like the design! It's much lighter than I thought it would be, and it just feels good, to me. That photo was taken by Dana Nollsch, a good friend who shot the event last year, and Chad worked magic with it. So, that's the look we have for this year! This is WAY exciting for me! Then, I got to take a turn myself at doing a small bit of graphic design, creating a poster for Unmata's Amy Sigil, who's performing at Compression this year, and also doing workshops on Sunday, which is something my good friends at Asha are sponsoring. Here's that poster:

 

 Both of these things make me very happy. I just saw Amy and crew last weekend. For Papa Ben's birthday, we all took off and drove to Sacramento last weekend on Saturday, to make this happen. The performances were amazing. Many of the Hot Pot groups did a new piece that was breathtaking, and Amy, Shelly and crew did "Fashion", which made me cry when I saw the video, and again when I saw it in person. Here's the video from Tribal Fest this year: Absolutely breathtaking!

There's also exciting stuff coming up for Controlled Burn, as they also suffer some growing pains, but that really should be it's own post. I am very proud of the stuff that I do for them...

Next Friday, we get to spin again at UNR's Night of All Nations! It's been a few years and we are very excited to be welcomed back. I will write more when I can, but for right now, I wanted to break the dry spell, install darkness again upon my words, and now....

I must go and work and do other stuff.

Peace!

going, going gone....

that could be my brain, i'm not sure yet =) the summer has flow, and compression is done. i went in to this compression saying this would be my last one, and then it was the most successful i've done. and then politics got involved, which i don't want to muddy this post with, and things got ugly. as it stands now, i will do compression again. i will be a part of compression until people under 18 are legally allowed to practice the art of fire spinning at the festival. i've said to many people this year that one sure-fire way to make sure i do something until the end of time is to tell me that i can't. and here we are =) here's a slideshow of the festival that represents some favorite pictures of the day:

one of my favorite parts of the day were the amazing volunteers that showed up and gave their all for the festival, working only for food, water, our thanks, and a t-shirt:

so very much has changed. for the first time ever, i almost have empty next syndrome. my kids are gone, on their own, and dan's son, dan, is living with us. it's been a real joy getting to know him. he's a great kid. 

after 22 years, my husband is no longer attached to the army. i thought it was a really good thing and i was looking forward to it, but i had no idea it would create such internal strife for him. i feel for him, i wish there was more i could do, and at the same time, i know this is a path he must walk alone and something he must work through. it hasn't been easy, though. i meditate constantly for patience and fortitude to get through these times. 

my sis, my friend, no longer lives with us. in the end, i think it was a good thing for her. she was in a serious rut. she's on the playa now and i am not, but i think that's amazing and good. i am sometimes lonely right now. 

we also got through our first teaching experience with SEEDS. the very first was a short program we did for dilworth middle school, then we did our two week summer institute. both were amazing and made me feel humbled, jaded but also made me have hope and warmed my heart that i could share the dance i love with others. there are pictures that should be added here, but time is of the essence, so they won't be, yet. 

i am not sure i will get here again before the playa, i shall try. i try to fit everything in, and it's not working so good for me. 

i've also gotten another job, which should cut down a lot on all other activities except work. that should work great for both weight loss and spending/saving money. here's hoping. security guard here i come! 

my son went on his mid-deployment liberty to columbia and survived the experience. he says the time had was grand and one of the best times he remembers. he deserves it after being in the desert for the time he has. it's best not to say more about that =) 

that's all for now, just a quick update. 

peace.

*whew* and so....

The lack of updating continues =) I have, however, been busy, and life is good for me.

We are going to do another Compression! Celebration of Fire and Performance Art,  so much time has been spent in figuring out logistics for that. This year we are closing down Virginia Street, which is one of the major streets in Reno, so there was a much larger meeting for my permit, and there are more logistics to deal with. Not that this is an excuse for not updating here, but it does let one know what's going on...

Above there are my lovely friends the Asha World Dancers at the Festival last year. They are doing super cool stuff this year, too. They are bringing a home town girl, Kami Liddle, who left Reno and became a belly dance superstar, back to Reno for a kick ass show and some workshops. I have kind of been helping with that, too.

I began this post in February, and here it is near the end of April and I am just getting back to it. I need to make it a priority to put more stuff here and catalog all the stuff I am doing. Some day, it will be important, if only to me so I can relive my glory days when I can no longer remember it as easily!

I've had an online journal for over nine years. I began that journal on February 15, 2001. SO much has happened in that amount of time, but I find that I also no longer update there, at least not often. Since I got this domain, it's mine, and it seems if I am going to do any sort of online journal thing, since I have access to making my own, it makes the most sense to do it here. So, I stopped paying for my subscription. I am sort of conflicted about that, but  not really. Time is too short and resources too scarce to spread one's self so thin that they don't have time to update every where they need to. I don't know if the domain name will stay the same, but for the time being, this is my home.

There's tons of stuff happening, as there always is with me. I have decided to not be so involved with my fire group, although I am still completely committed to the festival we produce. There are a lot of reasons, but I still care very much about the group and what happens, I think I just need a break for awhile.

The first part of April because I am a big fat (hey, no fat jokes!) nerd, I helped a bunch of my Burning Man friends celebrate Yuri's Night in Reno. My awesome friend Lauren made me a corset and we decided to be space twins. This is an awesome themed party that we hold each year to commemorate Yuri Gagarin's first manned space flight from 1961. Our local event, though, also raises funds for awesome Burning Man art. I am proud to participate in this event each year!

This is Lauren, our friend Lenae, and myself, sporting our space-wear. here's another one of Lauren and I, so you can sort of see the twin-ness:

In the middle of that one is our friend Kelley, also known as Pinktini. Damn, we had fun that night! It was a good night, and the next day, Lauren and I drove to Vegas to attend the International Lingerie Convention. Lauren owns an awesome store called "Prism Magic" and I got to help her shop for the store.  Boy was that fun....but that adventure should probably have it's own entry =)

I am still dancing, and we just had our Spring public performance, at an event called "Night of All Nations" that is inspired by the University where I work.

Here's our group pic from that performance...

I love dancing more than I can even express and now have gotten in to a tad bit of teaching, and a new endeavor, called the S.E.E.D.S program. It's a mentorship program that teaches young girls to connect positively with their bodies and also helps them learn life skills that will help them be empowered women. Our program is called daDima, which means "pomegranate" in Sanskrit. SEEDS is an acronym for "self-esteem, empowerment and education through dance".

That's just this month so far. See why I say *whew*?!?

In the near future, I am participating in a circus freak show, traveling to Scotland and Ireland in June of next year, continuing to work on the fire festival, do more fun web stuff, and see what other sort of interesting trouble I can get in to....but I will try to update more often. I still have the Paris posts pending. I need to write it all down before I forget. That might just be a project for next week....after the Jazz Festival!

Oh yeah, and my son is in Afghanistan. I will think good and safe thoughts for him each day. He is my baby!

Peace! A girl can hope....