Dusting off the Cobwebs

Wow, look! I found a blog! I remember when I used to write a blog... oh, wait... this IS my blog, isn't it?

Much has happened between then and now, and I've got some new stuff bouncing around in my head... stay tuned!

Level 3 in Puerto Vallarta

Well, here we are.  

We arrived yesterday, breezed through the entropy of customs, dodged the numerous questionable offers of a ride to our resort to find the right people, managed to navigate the check-in process, and ultimately found our rooms.   

And let me just say that this is not the Downtown Calgary Hostel (where Majida and I stayed while taking Level 2)!

Majida, Mr. Majida, and I are sharing a spacious 2-bedroom suite.  Each of us has a private bath, and we share a deck that has a lovely little soaking pool right on it.  The resort here at the Grand Mayan is massive -- I wonder if it says something that the golf course is in the front yard?  There are acres of pools in the back, and it's quite the labrynth.  We ventured forth in search of sustenance after getting somewhat settled in our rooms, and ended up eating some wonderful ceviche followed by truly amazing fajitas and shrimp tacos at a little open-air spot on the edge of the beach.  After dinner, of course, we had to walk down to the water and let the surf bathe our feet.

This fails to suck.

The air is so humid it feels like we've just stepped out of the shower all the time, but we're coping.  Given the sheer volume of water out back, we're certain we'll manage this just fine.

Hadia and Despina came by a little after we got back and later this morning we're getting together in Hadia's room for breakfast and to begin our Level 3 training.  Exciting stuff.  It's going to be good to have this certification finished, but we have to wonder... what's next?

Doh -- Turkey, of course. :)

Fat Burlesque

Majida turned me on to this awesome video:




And what a beautiful thing it is.

Belly dance and burlesque both are all about celebrating the body you have, so it's more than a little ironic how stigmatized they both are in our culture. With either art, the moment you disclose to someone who didn't know, their imaginations run wild. I know I am often met initially with that once-over full-body I'm-not-really-looking scan, and a "Really?!"

I can always tell when the disbelief comes because I'm fat. There's that look that crosses their face, and their body language screams at what their inner eye envisions. It makes me giggle, thinking about it.

But my experience performing is the same as those ladies in the video -- I have never had anyone come up to me afterwards and express anything but WOW. I've never had an audience go silent in horror as I stepped onto stage showing my big ol' naked white belly in all its glory. And that time when I popped out of my bra during a private show, the view was openly appreciated, not denigrated.

So hey, embrace it, love it, and shake it if ya got it, because I guarantee those who matter are going to love it... and so should you.

Election Day

So what chocolate is best on Election Day?

Given the two top candidates, you have your pick of Hershey's or Nestle's. Neither one is particularly any good, but most people appear to be willing to settle for one or the other, happily glutting themselves on the stuff (because a little definitely does not go a long way, as demonstrated by the apparent need for months of media saturation), then going to the polls all giddy and ecstatic in the throes of sugar rush.

Later will come the crash, the "oh god what have we done?" More so once they step on the scale to find the government's hips have grown yet again, and now we have to tighten our belts so the government can maintain its muffin top.

Yet people buy it because it's there, it's what they know, it's what they've always eaten, and if they don't buy a bar of Hershey's, then Nestle's might gain the upper hand. Dove chocolates? Well, sure they taste better than the others, but voting for the Mars candidate is going to pull from the Hershey's market share, Naderizing them so Nestle wins. Ghirardelli? Sounds like the Mafia. Better stay away from that.

It's just too much work for most people to sort through the other options. You know -- the ones that might actually require them to spend some time considering what they really want from their chocolate, to actually (gasp!) think. To consider something new. To discover subtlety of taste and texture. To enjoy smaller doses of quality rather than crap in quantity.

Ah well.

For myself, I'm going to go flying and eat Dagoba bars and dream of a world where everyone knows what it is to have good chocolate, and isn't afraid to buy it.

The Omnivore 100

Been meaning to get around to this, as it hit my email box a couple dozen times 2-3 months ago. This is supposedly the "life list" for the accomplished omnivore, or at least the open minded one. The rules are to bold all items on the list you’ve eaten, and cross out any you would never consider eating. Here are my results:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill (unless you count moose shot from the road)
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate (duh!)
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Hm. Not bad for an Alaskan who has barely been anywhere. I'm disappointed to find so many traditional Alaskan foods missing, though. Like geoduck, muktuk, Akutaq, and oogruk. Heck, even wild Alaska salmon, halibut, and ptarmigan are missing from the list! I may have to compile my own one of these days...

Showing the Underbelly

Majida and I were so impressed by (in particular) the body image messages presented in Steve Balderson's Underbelly that we decided it needed to become part of our University (and other) M.E. dance classes. To that end, we ordered up an extracurricular potluck and movie party last night, popped in the DVD, and watched what happened.

And we saw good things happen. Really good things.

We saw horizons get broadened, and I like to think everyone was standing a little taller at the end of the evening, despite having just indulged in some fabulous stews, hummus and pita chips, some divine chocolate baklava, and those amazing fig-chocolate and pomegranite-honey ice creams.

Plez really was the perfect subject for this film because she's is all at once larger-than-life (no, not her hips!) and incredibly REAL. She's gorgeous (everyone agrees she's got the most amazing legs!), she calls herself "Princess," but there she is laughing about being a failed anorexic (you'll have to see the film to understand, and it's not what you might assume!) and trying not to puke on the plane after a night of food poisoning, and not a hint of false modesty to be seen. She just is who she is, in a way that tends to make the rest of us believe maybe we can be fabulous too... even without make-up! :D

And of course we can be fabulous. And we are!

There was lots of laughter, and were lots of of comments about the various dancers and how beautiful they were. It really seemed to me that people came away feeling a little lighter, more comfortable with their own bodies. One gal watched Plez doing her striptease and announced she wants to do burlesque... in part because her dad is a politician! Everyone is excited at the prospect of having Plez up for some workshops, too. Hopefully we can make that happen.

My only regret is that not everyone could be there. But I think this ritual is going to become one of my favorite parts of every class from now on.

The Work of the Fabulous Mr. Majida

Mr. Majida (aka Pete) created this fabulous poster for our upcoming Hadia workshop.

He is so amazingly, mind-blowingly talented.

After seeing this, other dancers might just start paying us to come give workshops and shows so they can have a poster too!