Dirty little secret

I've been sitting on this for awhile, because frankly I was dumbfounded that my little, one-week-old, baby of  blog was getting any sort of following, much less receiving awards. But lo and behold, the lovely lady behind City Girl Chronicles bestowed me with the Stylish Blogger Award. In order to fully accept this award, the stipulations are that you must:

1.) Reveal seven little secrets about yourself.
2.) Pass the award on to seven more bloggers, and
3.) Leave a comment each one of those seven blogs.

Well. The first part I can do.

My Seven Secrets are as follows:

1.) For a long time I was convinced that I didn't like cheese. What. Was. I. Thinking?

2.) In seventh grade I detested my thick, bushy eyebrows but had a deep fear of tweezers and the unbearable pain I imagined they would inflict. The obvious solution was to take a razor to my forehead and basically do away with them. Let me make this clear: I used a RAZOR next to my EYEBALL. It looked really pretty.

Pre-shaved. (I unfortunately don't have a picture of the disastrous brow-mutilation. But look at my butterfly clips!)

3.) I think Zac Efron is dreamy. And before you claim pedophilia let me inform you that he is a full two months older than me. I checked. 

4.) I often embarrass Ricky (and probably other people too. Sorry guys!) by getting really excited about cool dance moves in public places and feeling the need to demonstrate. You're not really my friend unless you've sat awkwardly by yourself at a restaurant table, trying to look casual, while I rolled around on the floor.

5.) I know I'm really white, and that I like flowy dresses paired with a good pair of ballet flats, and that my ipod is primarily a bizarre mix of indie rock and Broadway show-tunes - but I honest-to-God think that I would make a good hip hop dancer. I really do. I got swagger. Seriously. Don't laugh at me. 

6.) This is not so much of a secret as it is a friendly reminder: I hate vomit. I have a phobia. It's legit. Please don't barf around me. 

7.) When my Grandma Sylvia died last year, it was discovered that my sister, my cousin, and I had equally inherited oil and water rights to a large amount of land in New Mexico. (At least I think it was oil and water. Details often elude me.) Originally our family owned all the land, but over the years bits and pieces were sold until these rights were all that remained. And who originally gave us this land, you may ask? Why, THE KING OF SPAIN. Hopefully this will put to rest any questions of legitimacy regarding my 2006 Kentwood High School Hispanic Scholar of the Year Award. I'm looking at you, José. 

As for the second and third stipulations of this Stylish Blogger Award, I think I will continue to sit and think. I've only been blogging for a week, and I just don't feel comfortable bombarding strangers with awards. So, for now I'll percolate on it and when the time is right, I'll strike. 

All this secret talk reminded me of this gem from Post Secret, which I will leave you with now as a parting gift

.

Sayonara!

Let's dance!

On the brink of change. Can't say yet, but am crossing my fingers because I think this could lead to better things, faster.

Attended The A.W.A.R.D. Show last night at On The Boards to see my friend David's company perform. According to the OTB website, The A.W.A.R.D. Show "presents the conversation-starting, controversial dance competition that gives 12 contemporary dance makers the chance to perform their work and win $10,000 by an audience and panel voting process." Unfortunately, David's company, Quark Contemporary Dance Theater didn't win their round, but it was so fun to see them perform as well as see a number of friendly faces in the audience. It also got me all giddy and excited to perform with them at On The Boards in June. 


I just love me some modern dance/experimental theater. 


I have much apartment cleaning and dance rehearsing to do. Here's to happy weekends!

Things I'm loving Right This Second!

One of my biggest obsessions, and has been for probably the last five years, has been exercising. I love the feeling of starting my day moving, sweating, and feeling active. It gives me a jump start, and I love going though the rest of my day knowing I did something productive for me.

Unfortunately, at least for me and my obsession anyways, I hate gyms. Hate them. The smell weird, there's always intimidating super buff people, and nothing about them really screams fun for me. So I'd like to let you in on my little work out secrets. My super fun, crazy effective, and non-weird-smelling work out secrets.

Welcome to Things I'm Loving Right This Second: Work it out Edition!

I've got two big work out loves right now. And the first one is:

Hot Yoga: I lahv lahv lahv Hot Yoga. Ricky says it's because I'm a glutton for punishment, but I disagree. Sure, first time I took a class I literally thought I was dying and I spent the whole time sending evil death vibes to the friend who had suggested I try it in the first place. And yet...I went back the next day. And the next. And the next.

Besides the wonderful feeling of accomplishment you get when you finish your 90-minute, sweat drenched torture session is nothing compared to the truly outstanding benefits you receive. I have a lower back injury that left me stiff and in too much pain to dance for months. I saw a doctor, got drugs, and used my heating pad to death, but nothing really seemed to work. Then I discovered Bikram yoga and literally two classes later, my back was back to it's old backy-ness. Nothing short of a miracle, in my humble opinion! But besides the obvious health benefits, you gain flexibility, you gain balance, and you improve strength. Oh, and it also burns about 1,000 calories per class. :)

My mom gave me a Unlimited Yoga for a Month for my birthday, which was wonderful because it can be a little (okay, a lot) bit expensive. I'm taking advantage of all the extra yoga by employing Operation: Get My Center Splits. I still have a little over two weeks to go, so I'll let you know if I do it!

However, when I can't afford to get my fix of Bikram yoga (which, lets be real, is most of the time) my absolute favorite workout secret is...

I LOVE BODYROCK.TV.

Can I say it loud enough? Okay, obviously the first thing I thought when I saw Zuzana after scouring youtube for workout videos was "Who's the chick with the boobs?". But I dare you not to fall in love with her. Dare you.  Zuzana, of Czechoslovakia, left home at the age of 18 and when she quickly accumulated debt and found herself desperate for money she took a job as an erotic model. Abused, alcoholic, and with practically zero self-esteem, Zuzana thought that might be all there would ever be for her, when she happened to meet Freddy, the man who would be her future husband and blogging partner, on his first trip to Europe. And the rest, as they say, is history. Zuzana completely turned her life around and became dedicated to helping others achieve a healthy and happy lifestyle. Also, her accent is adorable. 

What I like most about Zuzana and her workouts is that they are so easy to do at home. Also they're generally pretty short - 12 to 20 minutes tops. Each workout (she posts four to five a week) comes with written instructions as well as a tutorial video complete with step-by-step instructions and modifications for beginners. Her workouts are super intense, which I love, and because she changes things up every day, you don't really get a chance to get bored. And neither does your body. I've seen faster and more dramatic changes in my own body than I've ever seen with anything else I've ever done. 

So check her out at Bodyrock.tv, and let me know what you think!  Also, be sure to read her interview that she recently posted. It's very inspiring!

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild a precious life?"

Lately I've been feeling just a teeny bit in the doldrums. Anyone who knows me well knows that I like to be busy. I thrive when I'm busy: I eat better, I plan better, I exercise more, I stash ideas away for what little free-time I do have and I make that free-time count. I like to be be busy.

However, now that I'm out of school, I'm finding myself with a lot more free time than I've been used to, and I'm also finding it not to my liking. I was going to use this post to elaborate on all the reasons I'm frustrated with my life post graduation (not enough hours at work, not enough money to frivolously spend on my many days off, too many auditions ending with the word "Thanks, we'll let you know"), but when I boil all that away I realize it just comes down to me being bored. And when I realized that, I couldn't stop the words of my mother - said so many times to me as a whining, restless child - from creeping into my head. "Only boring people are boring".

So instead of focusing on what's bumming me out, I'm going to focus on the things that are making me happy right now.

My walk through the park on my way to hot yoga...

... and window shopping on my way home.

Forever finding new cooking projects to do in my tiny kitchen with the single bright blue wall...

... especially when they show up  in the mail in my mysterious free subscription to Shape Magazine.

Finally having hair long enough to make a hair-stach...

... and swinging it around while I rock out to my Mumford & Sons Pandora station.

And finally this poem, the poem that makes me happy and giddy and reverent and grateful to be young right here, right now.

"The Summer Day"

Who made the world?

Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

Thanks, Mary Oliver.

Since I'm new and all...

I thought I'd give you some insight into my little life.

*ahem*

I like hot chocolate more than tea, and tea more than coffee.

I just tried to spell "coffee" with three e's.

I thought I was a size large for a long time because whenever my mom bought me shirts she bought them two sizes two big for me. I now believe it's because I grew up in the late 90's and she just didn't her twelve-year-old to look skanky. Thanks, Mom.

Apparently the word "skanky" is not an actual, dictionary-defined, word, according the little red squiggle appearing underneath it. 

I binge on my favorite foods until I OD on them and can't handle eating them any longer. Currently on my DNR list is turkey burgers with whole grain buns - a lunch staple in my apartment for the last few months. In happier news, enough time has finally lapsed for me to be able to enjoy tuna sandwiches and graham crackers again. Cheers!

Umm, not to brag or anything, but I have achieved my lifelong goal of having a six pack. It's only visible in certain lights (shadow play is important here), but that negligible fact is not going to stop me from proclaiming victory. 

I'm really obsessed with The Biggest Loser. Like really obsessed. I don't have TV, but in lieu of that I invested in both Netflix AND HuluPlus. Did you know that a single episode of TBL is one hour and twenty-three minutes? And did you know it's really hard to watch just one?

I live with my boyfriend Ricky in the middle of the city, and while we do not have any children or pets, we do have an upstairs neighbor named Space Keyboard Man who causes probably the same amount of pain and frustration (minus all the happy good parts about having kids and/or pets). Space Keyboard Man enjoys playing melody-less "music" (think Star Trek sound effects circa 1973, now with more pumping bass!) between the hours of 10:00 pm and 3:00 am, peeing off his balcony and letting it dribble onto our window, and avoiding the time-consuming task of using the front door by scooting the garbage can in front of our apartment and scaling the fire escape to get into his place. Also, his friends have seemingly elected to forgo modern technology (cell phones), and prefer to communicate the old fashioned way - standing on the sidewalk and yelling for him to come out and play. We just love him.

That's it for now. If you have any more questions about my life, by all means, ask away!

Ah ha!

I figured out how to post the video on my site, and not just a link. I'm getting the hang of this, you guys.

Czech is out!

As mentioned in my previous post, I had a really great rehearsal yesterday for Redd Legg. The piece I'm currently rehearsing is being created by I guest choreographer Marlo Martin, and I just love it. I got sent a link today of some rehearsal footage, and I really want to share it here. The footage is generally used for us dancers to practice the piece and see what we need to work on, I think it'd be okay to give you all a sneak peek!

Keep in mind the piece is very new to us, with a good chunk just having been learned yesterday, so it's definitely not performance ready yet. But still looks pretty good, dontcha think?

I'm in the middle chair, with shorts and a pony tail!
Marlo Martin's work in progress

Epic auditions and awesome rehearsals...

result in really gnarly knee bruises.

I think this picture makes them seem less intense than they look in real life, but believe me they are definitely some serious battle wounds. 

Something about Sundays make me deliriously happy. I know that a lot of people dislike Sundays because of the looming dread of Monday morning, but I don't think there is a day of the week I enjoy more. Today I'm going to go to voice lessons, make a stop at Fred Meyers to purchase some new sweatpants, do some hot yoga, plan meals for the week, and generally bask in one day of the week that no expects you to go out and party, but is generally meant for resting, recuperating, and deciding upon a plan of action for the week ahead. 

Happy Sunday!

2010 Recap

I originally posted this on my tumblr, but I think it's an appropriate post for this new blog. I realize it's now nearing the end of January so it's a little late in the game for a New Years post, so let's just think of it as a reminder that some awesome things happened recently, and more awesome things are surely on their way. 

~

In all honesty, 2010 was great year. A lot happened both professionally and personally that made this past year one for the record books. Let’s see a month-by-month recap, shall we?

January

Turned 22. Opened the show Pamelot: A Musical Celebration which was without a doubt the most insane, ludicrous, deranged (yet unintentionally hilarious) show I have ever choreographed, but for the best cause. It celebrated the works of high school drama teacher, Pamela Cressey, who was suffering from pancreatic cancer at the time and has since beaten it. While I wouldn’t want to repeat the experience due to the extreme disorganization on the part of everyone, the kids were wonderful and I got lots of chances to be outraged, which one of my favorite pastimes. 

February 

Ricky and I celebrated four super-duper years together. I made my burlesque debut accompanying the gorgeous singer Black Cherry as a Cherry Bomb, and got to dance with some sexy ladies including the wonderful Ginger Lou and Lady Hendrix (aka Ricky’s sister, Kristine). I also unwittingly took part in The Worst 24 Hours of My Life in which one half of my front bumper fell off my car during a fight with a bush, I ripped the rest of said bumper off with my bare hands in the pouring rain, I almost broke my knee and DID break an industrial elevator with one epic leap, totaled my car pulling out of a parallel parking spot, shaved on inch-and-a-half of skin off my ankle which resulted in a wicked staph infection, and inadvertently broke my ipod. Good day.

March

Dance Major’s Concert 2010 opened, marking the last time I would choreograph for the UW dance program (at least as a student). I loved my piece, A Little Displacement, so much more than I ever thought I would when I began the process back in September of 2009. I apparently don’t have any pictures of the dance, but the photo above is from the DMC cast party, which was also a good time.

April

Took a family vacation to sunny Colorado for Easter to see my extended family, specifically my Grandma Sylvia who was very sick (and passed away soon after). Although the trip’s reason was sad, it was really nice to see family members, most of whom I hadn’t seen since Ansley passed (wow is my family depressing.) I especially loved seeing my young cousins, who grow leaps and bounds between every visit. Also, Maggie and I got to take some sweet pictures in the mountains. 

May

Opened Bat Boy, which was I think my favorite musical I ever choreographed. Amazing cast, great director, original scenic design, but most importantly I was really, really proud of my work. Scott Hafso, the director, gave me pretty much free reign to do whatever I wanted and had a great eye for what worked and what didn’t. Also, I got to choreograph a giant animal orgy, and if you’ve never gotten to do that, well you just haven’t lived.

June

After an insane and beautiful spring quarter in which I took 26 credits (yes you read that right), I graduated from UW on time and in one piece, much to the happiness of my parents and their bank account. The above picture features the graduating undergraduate and graduate students of the dance department. Much thanks to Tonya Lockyer (far right) and her class on Performance Art from the 1960’s to the Present, which was the most interesting, informative, and inspiring class I have ever had the privilege of taking. 

July

Moved out of apartment I shared with my best friend Alli for two years, and moved into a sweet new pad on Capitol Hill with Ricky. Started working at Gordon Biersch Brewing Company as a host, where they gave me barely any hours and made me wear outfits like this. 

August

Spent the dog days of summer dancing with Aeon Contemporary Dance, taking ass-kicking classes and doing fun photo shoots. Also I cooked a lot, went on lots of runs in Cal Anderson Park, did some hot yoga, and stayed out late. Man, I miss summer.

September

Although I was aware graduation happened, summer felt like it always did so it didn’t hit me until September came and Ricky went back to school that I was officially an adult. I spent most of September working at Gordon Biersch for no money and being nostalgic for textbooks and first-day-of-school jitters. (I apparently didn’t take a single picture in September, so please to enjoy this picture taken in November of when a leaky pipe caused a huge hole in our ceiling. Note Ricky’s angry face.)

October

 I spent most of the month commiserating over the fact that I was doing nothing with my life except for working at a brewery as a host, until the fateful day when I got a call from one Megan Campbell, a former UW drama major, offering me the chance at a part in Book-It Repertory’s production of Red Ranger Came Calling. Their dance captain had quit the first day of rehearsals and they were in a panic. I had to do a small audition as they were considering a few other people for the newly-opened role, but by that afternoon I got the call officially offering me the gig. Also, Ricky’s family got a puppy.

November

Performed my first concert with Redd Legg Dance, the modern dance company I’m in (which, uh, I auditioned for and was accepted into in September. Surprise!) This picture is from a previous performance that I wasn’t in, but gives you an idea of what their work looks like. Continued to rehearse Red Ranger. Ricky turned 22. Thanksgiving happened. Quit Gordon Biersch and began working at Panera Bread on Broadway. Pros: minutes walk from our apartment. Works better with my performance schedule. Way more hours. Cons: I have to get up at four in the morning. 

December

Red Ranger Came Calling opened and there aren’t enough words to express how wonderful this show was and how grateful I am that it was my first professional musical theater experience. I learned that I can totally handle a month long, six-shows-a-week performance schedule and still love every minute of it. I’m super stoked that I was able to work with Book-It Rep, whom I’ve long admired, and I am hopeful that this won’t be the last time I’m privileged enough to do so. The cast was beyond wonderful, and truly made this holiday season one I won’t soon forget.

So that’s it. 2010 was a whirlwind and I’m so excited to see what happens next. Bring it 2011.

The Beginning: Originally posted on Tumblr

* This post is supremely embarrassing because I spend the whole time waxing poetic about how I'm really going to do it this time, and how I'm not going to let another blog fall by the wayside. And yet, it kind of happened almost immediately. However, it was a conscious decision as after the initial giddiness subsided I realized that tumblr is a platform for micro-blogging and my style is more, well, macro. So, I made the decision to jump over to blogger. It's taken a bit to get things situated (shout out to Lindsay from Scenic Glory for the fabulous design) but I think we're finally up and running. So although I kind of had a bumpy start, I think these sentiments still ring true. Enjoy!

~

So, it’s come down to this. A new blog. I have this thing where I start a blog, post once or twice, and then leave it’s mangled, half-forgotten corpse to wither away in the unfathomably large vacuum of internet wasteland.

But not this time.

I realized the reason my last venture (a cooking blog) was a failure was because although I like to cook, and cook often, most of the recipes I make come from…other people’s cooking blogs. Whoops. Needless to say, I would be really excited about making something, and then halfway through cooking it I would realize that posting about it probably would constitute as sort of plagiarism. And apparently acquiring and cooking out of cookbooks was far too much effort for a quasi-committed blogger and that’s is just about the time the withering and decaying began.

But that was then and this is now. 2011. It’s gonna be a banner year, folks. I’ve decided that because my previous failures were caused by the limitations I put on myself (ONLY cooking?! What is this I don’t even…) that this here tumblr account will have absolutely no restrictions. As countless choreographers and dance professors advised me during my years spent earning my degree in writhing-around-on-the-floor, the best way to create something creative is to “let it develop organically”. So, no limitations, no “I only post about things I cook” or “I will post every single day at 10:42am WITHOUT FAIL.” I’m just going to let it go and see what happens. 

So, without further adieu, let us let the organic developing begin.