Inn of the Wandering Dragon

Last night I had the opportunity to attend a performance of Cirque's new show: AmaLuna. I have written about other Cirque du Soleil performances that I have seen, along with Cavalia (which shares a similar flare). I have gushed in the past about how beautiful the shows are, with the fantastic costumes, music and acrobatics. AmaLuna is no exception and this show contains some truly beautiful and memorable performances - but that is not what I am writing about tonight.

You see, I attended the show with a good friend and her kids. We both agree that this is an experience to be enjoyed and remembered.  Thinking back to attending theatrical productions with my parents as a kid - such as Cats, and a gorgeous puppet production of the Hobbit -  I remember how entranced and amazed I was by it all. The live music, the costumes, the stage elements... I fell in love with all of it - because to me all of it was real.

I am not talking about just a child's vivid imagination here, with which a good production becomes a means of escape into fantastic worlds (although that is pretty amazing in it's own way). As illustrated by the child sitting next to me "Wow! He is really strong to do that" (refering to an acrobat climbing a pole with only his hands - and every single back, chest and core muscle the human body contains). This is not the CGI or animation you see in TV shows and movies. This is real people performing and showing us what kind of amazing and incredible things the human body can do. This is real costumes created, sewn and used to convey characters in colour and flow of movement.  This is live music being played right in front of you with the sheer joy of the musicians who are creating it as you feel the vibrations move through you. Someone - many someones - made all of this!

Just to be clear I am not knocking the film and tv industry here. It takes a lot of people a huge amount of time and work to make what we see on the screen and I think they are a collection of amazing artists. What I am saying is that what they create is still removed from us. It is a projection on the screen.

In comparison live theater is a truly viceral escape into another world - a very real, very magical physical world of which we are all a part. You feel it. You smell it. It is in our face, a  reminder that we can step away from the computer screens and the tvs and that we can create and experience something incredible.

It seems we just blink our eyes and wow! We are already 6 (OK 7) weeks into the new year. A lot has been going on lately and I am glad for that. I found that getting sidelined physically, via the broken ankle, sent me sideways in other areas as well. My creativity was stagnant; my motivation to do anything was low; I felt I had to completely rebuild my credibility with my co-workers; and I basically felt I was just scrambling to catch up on everything for the rest of the year. Not to mention I get to start all over to get myself back to where I was physically before I fell down the stairs. Joy.

This year is going to be better. It will be, simply because I have decided it will be so. And when we truly decide to make something better we then have the means to act on it.

I took an art class in the fall - Introduction to Abstraction. The above image is an abstract figure study in acrylic which I then ran through a fun little app on my phone called Percolator. We worked with drawing and painting, from small little studies to a couple of pieces as large as 3' x 5'. In reality the content of the course was nothing new to me but it was a great place to wake up some of those creative muscles and remember the joy of playing with materials. My studio space has now been reclaimed from clutter and storage and is ready for just about anything.

In the new year I started up belly dance again. I am finding the current choreography with the numerous spins, twirls and hops to be a real challenge with my ankle not yet up to full strength but I am enjoying the class. It has also revealed how limited I had (for a time) allowed myself to become and what I need to do now. Healthy movement is what I need. My instructor has been keeping a sharp eye on me to make sure I don't overdo it and hurt myself as well so that is all to the good.

There are no travel plans this year (aside from the annual trip to BC) - as I have taken the plunge and purchased a condo! They are just starting to build and so in the last quarter of the year I shall be making the move to a place of my own that I can truly make my own. For this year my focus (and my funds) will be on preparing for that transition. I plan on spending a great deal of time sorting through stuff and getting rid of what I do not want to take with me. This new place is going to have a similar square footage to what I am renting now so it is a great excuse to deal with clutter.

I think it is safe to say I am feeling better about life all around. :)

I am getting better at gently tossing stuff to where I need it. Balance and coordination are being worked in new ways although I won't be dancing or running a race anytime soon. Wednesday will mark the third week since I slipped on the stairs at home and landed with a very audible crack as my ankle was broken in three places. I know I had talked about needing a break - but this is so very far from what I had in mind!

Some of my friends have remarked that on the one hand this is good because now I will have so much time to paint! Of course, painting or any creative endeavor requires energy and a certain degree of physical comfort which lately has not been in good supply.  Inspiration has lain quiet as my body focuses on healing and I am only now getting to the point where I feel like I might be able to scribble something - so long as no one calls upon me to make a masterpiece. ;) I just hope that I will heal well enough to still attend the BC Renaissance Festival this summer in Langley. Other henna artists have told me how they worked festivals in a cast so it is do-able so long as I give my body what it needs.

My friends and family have been wonderful with generous offers of help and company and I truly appreciate every bit of it! Even my cat has been quite courteous (for the most part) and patient as I hobble around. I say for the most part because he still seems to think I need to go around him instead of him needing to move out of my way. (Why do cats always park themselves in the absolute middle of whatever path you need to take??) A gentle nudge with the crutch to the tail has so far worked well.

Tomorrow I go into the cast clinic, presumably for x-rays and checking of the cast. The doctors were fairly vague about what to expect, and I was doped up on painkillers at the time so thinking of intelligent questions was shoved somewhere to the back of the brain. My aim is to get the information flowing more freely this time around.

It's hard to say exactly, how I am feeling today. My day has been quiet for certain. Tired yet not tired, a little blue yet I have some contentment in the small things today. A cold seems perched on the edge of my lungs. Perhaps with enough sleep and a break from the stresses it can be convinced to leave. Perhaps I need a good cry.

Yes I have been re-entering the dating scene after being out of it for some years. Mainly I have been perusing the online dating sites because it seems somewhat convenient with a broad base of people to draw from.

I came across a fun set of short videos by one Rick Mereki, you can find them here. He has put together these little montages of shots from around the world focusing on 3 different themes: Move, Eat and Learn. I am still smiling from watching them and it's no wonder why. They show not only a diverse array of cultures and places, but they also show the joy that comes from taking part in these activities. We move, exploring new places near and far. We learn, trying out new activities and ideas. We eat, and enjoy the community connecting over mealtime traditions. They are simple concepts yet if explored they enrich us as individuals.

Changes are coming, and I can honestly say I am not surprised. I have noticed the tension lately. I have been aware of the stresses and frustrations as the upstairs people have come to the conclusion that they are running out of options. So when I found a voicemail asking for me to call right away I knew that whatever has been building over the past while has finally taken form so to speak. I received my notice to move out by the end of August.

Change can be a scary thing, be it large or small. In the case of some friends of mine, this change is going to be huge.

Or at least that is the idea. After some careful examination I have once again embarked on another detox. The reason is simple - my eating habits had taken a real tailspin so this is my kick in the tush to get myself back into the habit of preparing better meals. It is comprised of the usual elements: no processed foods (dairy, flour, refined sugars), lots of fresh veggies, whole grains, lentils and lean meats like poultry and fish. So far I have been on this for a week and aside from the odd chocolate craving (what girl doesn't?) I have been doing really well. I have not been having the difficulty this time around that I sometimes had in the past.

I now have a full time job. In theory the work is similar to what I have done before but as everyone knows the different people, processes and set up will all pose their own unique challenges. I'm looking forward to it in truth, and after my first week I'm thinking I really shouldn't have any difficulty with this - aside from figuring out mystery people's shorthand!

Yes, the cat is bouncing off the walls, the sun is out, the snow is gone (temporarily) and I have been attacking the pile of spring cleaning. Thanks to this my allergies have also gone through the roof! Oh joy, oh bliss...

Sign up has already begun for the next dance session. It looks like our student recital will be around the end of May or begining of June if they can settle on a date. So we have two months left to master our choreography and I could not be more happy about that. At this point, I need the two months!

It would appear that this time of new beginings has other offerings in store as well. I have had one interview and was notified today that I will be moving to round two of the interview process which has me feeling a bit better about things job related. I will admit that I am not resoundingly passionate about the product I will be looking after but I know I can do the job well and at this point a steady income is more than welcome. We shall see how things turns out.

I have also decided to get out and sell some henna. I will be setting up a table at a floating weekend market and with luck this will provide me with some good opportunities. At worst I get some practice selling, at best I do well and have a little extra cash. (maybe enough to pay for the next henna conference?) This is win-win in my books. I am also trying to co-ordinate a monthly henna practice / meet up for henna enthusiasts. So far I have a few people interested and I think if it does become regular then we might snag a few more participants. Meeting new people with common interests is always a good thing!

And now, I think I will get back to my henna play...

Back in November / December I re-arranged most of my art supplies in anticipation of my friends arrival for the holidays. The idea was to keep stuff out of sight and out of reach for a certain busy toddler and the plan worked well. In fact it is still working a little too well since I am having issues finding materials and items!
So tonight the plan is to re-arrange things back to some semblance of usability...
Maybe then I can get some printing done.

I am slowly trying to shake this cold that has nested in me for the past week. The weekend was too busy to really help in this but I have tomorrow off so with luck a quiet day (of sorts) will be just the thing for me.

I say (of sorts) because there is always the housework which our busy lives has put off until now, plus I will be stepping out to grab the last few things for my costume. The other half will be working late so we probably will not work out his costume until Saturday (sigh...). But regardless, I will have some quiet time to relax and revitalize myself for the comming week.


Chalk was definately happy to have me home again. When he wasn't chasing the string he was getting into everything I was doing, which included trying to "hide" in my drawers when I was trying to put stuff away! I admit, he's so cute that I just have to play along...

I'm just itching to carve my pumpkin but that will probably have to wait until friday. I really don't have much else in the way of Halloween decorations other than a few candles. We shall see if I find myself with the time and energy to create something.

After waiting for close to 2 hours I was called in to see the Crown Representative about the speeding ticket I received. He was suprised by my statement but it took him all of five minutes to look up the facts in his computer. Indeed, that was not my car. The whole issue has been cleared up and I can get on with life sans demerits and fines.

And after much debate, testing, fiddling and searching my landlord has found the problem with my car and with the replacement of one little sensor it runs just fine now. At least, it ran fine in the garage. My registration has lapsed so he hasn't taken it for a test drive. I'm going to renew the registration today so hopefully by the end of the week my car will have a clean bill of health so to speak.

Some things are finally looking up.

I received a rather interesting article from the local police service this week, namely a speeding ticket!

It would seem that one of the many traffic cameras took a picture of this car traveling about 72 Km per hour in a 50 zone. The photo of the licence plate is clear - except for the very last digit. It is just blurry enough that it could be a six, or maybe an eight?

I honestly wonder if the cops just cover their bases and send out tickets to all the possible culprits?

But once I got over the shock of receiving a rather hefty ticket I looked more closely at the information. Naturally I am going to fight this.

1) I was at work in a different quadrant of the city during that time and I have a signed time sheet to prove it.

2) This is not my car. I do not own a Saturn, rather my licence plate is registered to a Nissan - and yes I still have my plate firmly attached to my car.

3) I can get a licenced mechanic to put forth a statement that my little car can't even reach the posted speed limit let alone go beyond that by 20 some clicks. As a bonus, it hasn't been able to that for over two months!

I'm laughing about it because really, what else can I do? I'm going to phone around and see if I can get this tossed without having to waste my time in court (and loose wages in the process). Wish me luck, I think I am going to need it!