FYI

Taking the week off of internets. The WHOLE WEEK. I will not be reading messages, texts, etc. Call if you need me.

~N

Ouch

Just injured toe kicking kitchen cabinet by trying to mix Palestinian Dabke and American Jazz.

Gave up and made PB&J sandwich instead.

That'll teach me to mix genres. Bad Naima!

~N

Now listening: Yoko Kanno (don't worry, I already listened to IAMX today)
Mood: chocolate milk

Bellydance and Romulans: Full Circle

So you might remember me posting about meeting this guy in Tokyo.

Come to find out, Elijah Sound's company A.D.2013 furnished the Romulan costuming for the latest Star Trek movie.

I met a dude from LA, in Tokyo, who danced at a Bellydance function, who dressed the Romulans. How cool is that?

Read about Elijah and Star Trek at Haute Macabre.

Now listening: On my new early bday MP3 player! IAMX
mood: peanut butter and jelly

BGB!

Again, unrelated to BD but this totally made my day.

=)

Bedlah Update

The Angry Owl

I realize my blog has been a little lacking in the bellydance department lately so I figured I would post a pic of how my bedlah is coming. I finished beading the front closure but have not attached it yet. I just laid it on top of the belt for the pic. I've also made some slow progress on the bra. I haven't been working on beading much especially since it has gotten hot. My hands sometime start sweating profusely while beading and I'd like to wait until dancing in it before profuse-ing all over it.

For the time being, it looks like an angry owl with a lazy eye.

~N

Now listening: iamx
mood: pineapple whip

Artist's Way week two review

Fun with stick man on my desk

Week 2 has been a very sentimental week. I've been cleaning, rediscovering old things around the house, memories attached. I visited family I haven't seen in years, relived old times. Saw an old friend from high school. I spent 2 nights away from the Husband Person, which I haven't done in...8 months I think. Dug through boxes from junior high and high school full of letters, drawings, and pictures. I've been slowly reliving those times in my head. The good and bad. So, I've been in a hamster wheel of feeling sentimental and melancholy, sentimental and melancholy, over and over, racing to see where I end up.

Now technically week 3, life has also become a daily fortune cookie. Monday night during the cluster, I was pulling on the plastic tab of the spine of my binder compulsively. I pulled it loose, flipped it over, and on the back in my handwriting was written,

"When choosing between two evils, choose the one you haven't tried yet."

I was like, "Wow, thanks for the random fortune cookie."

I didn't get around to reading chapter 3 until Tuesday night while soaking in the tub. The margins of the Artist's Way book are full of quotes that coincide with the chapter. On page 76 the margin says,

"Whenever I have to choose between two evils, I always like to try the one I haven't tried before." - Mae West

Stuff like this has been happening all week. Chapter 3 calls it "synchronicity." Well, I'm rolling in it. I just hope my next surprise isn't a half naked man jumping out of a cake. Not because that would make me blush but the whole jumping out of hidey-holes freaks me out a little.

~N

now listening: iamx
mood: bing cherries and dino-nuggets

More from the Weekend

Mom, Maw, & Uncle K.

It was also my grandma's 79th bday Sunday. Here are some pics from her house and the drag show me, my older-younger sister, and cousin went to.


Hanging in the computer room.


The real deal. The record I listened to as a child.


Maw and Paw's wedding photo.


Maw's self portrait from a few years back.


These apple pies were a running joke all weekend.


Booty anyone?


I need an orange corset!


With the sunburnt Lady T.


We played dress up with Great Grandma D's hats from the 1940's. This one matched my shirt.


Hey Sailor!


Maggie, the Schnoodle.

Now listening: iamx
mood: dino-nuggets (that would be chicken product in the shape of dinosaurs)

Happy Father's Day

My youngest sister, my dad, and me.

The first ever pic of my dad and his two daughters together. I had not seen my sister in well over 10yrs. I had seen pics of her but she was still a preschooler in my mind. Now she has her own car.

About 2 weeks ago, I while still struggling to put together my notes for the workshop class I'm teaching in August, I wished I had the old textbook we used in high school drama class for ideas on in-class exercises and staging. This weekend, not 30mins. after arriving at my grandma's house, she plopped a book in my lap and said she found it in one of my boxes in the basement. It was my textbook from high school drama class. I had no idea I still had it. I have no idea why I didn't turn it in at the end of the school year. It has been in a box waiting about 12-13yrs all this time for me.



How wild is that?

Now listening: IAMX
mood: Italian bread with galic and olive oil (hint hint Lu!)

Addicted

I have nothing to really say. Going out of town this weekend. I'll take my camera and bring back pictures. I seriously have the attention span (and bladder) of a fly this week. All except for the music. I keep the 2 albums I have on repeat. I listen to them all day. I go to sleep with them. I wake up with the songs in my head. I hum them while cooking and cleaning. I sing along under my breath because I can't carry a tune. I feel like an addict. I logged into youtube today and found this gem.

Doesn't it sound beautiful?

~N

Artist's Way week one review

Naima standing Here. pic by Jman

Hyper
Starry-eyed
All ideas intensified
All projects moved forward
Discovering new music and old happiness-es
Not noticing I haven't eaten in hours
and DA....MN, I'm fabulous!

I haven't finished reading chapter 2 but I predict over-coming hurdles, fighting monsters, planting flowers on a dead past.

For
the
Win

~N

Now listening:

"Oh, the pheonix says
Burn for me
The Devil says
Lie for me
The serpent says
Beg for me
The siren says
Die for me"
~ IAMX - Song of Imaginary Beings (omg! thx to Jolie. Just what I needed!)

Mood: chicken salad and sweet tea

Blast from the Past

Aicha, Asieh, and Naima @ Dickerson Park Zoo (3-4yrs ago?)

Nothing too terribly awesome to report. I am in an Artist's Way Creative Cluster with some lady friends. We started this week. We will be at it for 12 wks. I am curious and optimistic to see what comes about at the end of August.

~N

now listening: j-pop
mood: hashbrowns with salt and ketchup...ok fine, I mean french fries.

22nd Annual BD Bazaar & Workshop Flyer

click images for larger view, save, and print

Ashiya and I will be teaching Aug. 15th, 2009 at the 22nd Annual Bellydance Bazaar & Hafla, in Buffalo, MO.

Two classes and vending space for your new and gently used BD items.
$25 pre-reg/$30 at the door 10am-7pm

I did ghetto style scan of the Bazaar flyer and uploaded them as jpeg files (not pdf) but you can still print and/or get the info you need.

*UPDATE* 06/10/09
The actual mail flyer that is coming out has some additions not shown here.

• You can get a professional troupe or individual photo on CD for $20 (copyright free).
• There is an after party following the Hafla at Rack-It Billiards & Pub 212 S. Maple, special Menu items + Dancing
  

Adventures in Bellydance: Behind the scenes

Here is the rest of the video I took during GN. It is mostly random shots and lots of me talking in the car on the way home.

As usual, it was good to see B, J, A, and the rest. I always enjoy friendly BD faces in the crowd. They can sympathize and support all at the same time =)

This week-

• I've taken a nap every day after work
• Done zero beading/sewing
• Done zero reading
• Zero laundry
• Zero dishes
• Spent way too much time on the internet... way.
  

I have however done some honest to goodness zill practice (for about 3 weeks now). I'm still le suck but I am improving.

I also made an order for a new labret post. I need an even shorter one! This will be my 3rd size change in 5 months. In the meantime, I've been wearing a captive bead ring on my lip, (which The Husband Person prefers), and it's finally becoming comfortable to wear. Nevermind that I dribble milk down my chin when I eat cereal.

~N

Now listening: Tori Amos - Abnormally Attracted to Sin
mood: a Ren Faire size turkey drumstick and a pair of sexy shoes

Weekend in Review

I took my video camera Saturday night. This is what makes Greek Night awesome!


A. and B. came to the Oneness Center Friday for the Naima Exchange. We worked on hip twist variations and twisting shimmies. We also had a fun discussion on the communication that happens between a BD'er and the audience, *very philosophical*. Then A and I sat and chatted about all of the crazy local politics of BD in the past few years, starting from way back in the day when I danced with Sarrab and she danced with Oasis up through the Beledi years to now, (Craziness!)

A. also gave me a chunk of cool purple and black snake skin fabric and a few yards of string pearls she found on clearance. But best of all, she gave me a disc of BD pics including the time we danced at Dickerson Park Zoo while people sat at tables eating barbecue and looking at us confused, (which I completely forgot about).

GN went well. I started out kind of bummed about dancing to having a great time. I have more GN video from "behind the scenes" to post later.

~N

Now playing: The Last Samurai
mood: yaki soba

Workshop Lincoln, NE June 27

Click here for info on Bellydance Workshop in Lincoln, NE. on June 27th.

Coming soon, blast from the past pics and video from Greek Night!

~N

mood: sleepsen (that is how we say sleep at our house)