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 |   Nothing official here; just come chill! |
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Welcome! ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Welcome to my little Den! Here you'll find all sorts of things- mostly blog challenges, but mixed in, you'll notice:  I'm a bit of a fangirl  My life is very busy I enjoy using emoticons  I don't tend to swear, but stuff happens. |
| I saw it in the mirror first. It didn't look quite right, so while I waited for my turn for progressions across the floor, I tried to get a better look, 'cause something sure is wrong with a 12-year old having a tattoo, no matter how small and innocuous. It wasn't too hard, because Katie was flapping her tank top up and down in attempts to cool herself- and show off her flat midriff. The other tweens flocked around Katie. "You got a tattoo, Katie?!" One of the girls asked. "Yep," she replied proudly. "I faked my mom's signature and the parlor let me get one." "Ooooh!" The girls all leaned in closer. "You did not!" The girl from before squealed, reaching out her arm to touch the tattoo. "That is so cool!" "No touching! The guy said try not to let other people touch it," Katie jumped back, almost knocking over a chair, but tripping over it instead. I stifled an amused laugh, then began my progressions across the floor. "Did it hurt," another girl asked. "Nope! They put me under for the whole thing because 'I'm a minor' and 'it might hurt more'." She rolled her eyes as she air quoted the tattoo artist. She caught me looking through the mirror. "Hey, Anna, you jealous?" She tittered across the room. I mirrored Katie's eye roll, knowing it was about time for Mr. Kenny to chastise the other girls for talking in line, and I did not want to be part of the "trouble" group. Besides, it's illegal in California for a minor to be tattooed- even with parental consent, and it's even more ridiculous that they'd actually put her under if that tattoo was a temporary, iCarly logo. |
| When Good isn't Enough I'm standing in the side wings for my first professional ballet audition, and I couldn't be more nervous. Thankfully, I'm in the 79th group, which gives me some time to calm down before I actually get onstage. It's an open call, which means that I'm "just a face among a million faces," as my mom put it when she signed the release forms. And now that I'm here, I see she's right. I'm watching group 57 and marking through the assigned choreography from the morning. It needs to look refined, yet desperate. Graceful, yet frantic. I'm playing the part of a girl madly in love. The boy doesn't see her passion, and only sees her as a friend. She tries to show him her true feelings, but finds out he's already in love with someone else, and makes a last attempt to show him how she feels, through a dance, which is what we're dancing. This is the moment she's waited for, and she needs to let him know. It seems so cliche, but it's not easy to portray all those different feelings in the span of two minutes, I realized. Especially if you're dancing to an invisible person. I hear them call out group 78. The stage hands call for group 79 to assemble and prepare our entrance onto the stage. The music cues, and I name the steps and counts as the dancers dance. Walk out- toe to heel, and pose, back to the audience, right leg behind left. Step out to the right, pique turn to the front, plie, degage left, down into a chasse, step, chaine to the right. extend left leg back into an arabesque, then an attitude. Tombe back, extend right leg up and out, lean back, using the back right hand to brush against your face. Step down, five, roll the body up, six, and port de bras, seven eight, to prepare for the Russian fouttes. Two Russian fouttes on the left foot, to a pas de bourre. Two and a half chappes, three changements. Glissade, changement, glissade, changement, pique step left into a tight fifth, soutenou, down. It's grueling, and definitely separates the good dancers from the excellent ones. I just hope what I give is enough to be excellent. |
| The Aftermath There was something in the air that night, and it definitely made everyone a little cuckoo. Especially Katie. Miss Alex freaked out after the class was over- I drove myself to class that day, so I witnessed the panic-worry once everybody else left. "I'm not going to lose my job over this, am I? I mean, technically, I did warn her multiple times she wasn't ready..." I shook my head. "Katie's just a brat." "I think she feels threatened by you. She'd be the oldest in that class if you weren't there." "Ha! Threatened? Me? I'm no good at acro. And I'm not ashamed to say that, either. I wouldn't be in intermediate if I were." Just the thought of me being threatening seemed outrageous. I looked around to make sure there weren't any late-night lurkers waiting for their parents, then whispered, "Actually, Katie's probably the spitting image of perfection when it comes to acro. Long legs, good balance, good technique..." I trailed off. "That's why the younger girls all look up to you two." Miss Alex pointed out. Our class was a huge mixture of ages- from eight years old, up to Katie, at 12, then to me, at 17. "Katie is the perfectionist, the one who wants to get everything right, and you're the down-to-earth one." I laughed. "Down-to-earth? I think 'struggling' is a better description." Miss Alex rolled her eyes, "See? Point proven. Anyways, the girls look up to you because they know you work hard and do your best. And you let them know that not everything can come naturally." That last part, at least, was true. Acro was just not something my body naturally took to, and it's not like that was something you could practice anywhere- without the proper equipment or warm up, you could end up like Katie. And that was something nobody would want to follow, even if they really looked up to the person who lead. |
| Pride Before Fall I know Miss Alex was trying to be helpful, and I'm really grateful for it. But if that wasn't pressure, I don't know what is. We go through the usual warm-ups, stretches, and conditioning exercises before actually starting with the acro. Miss Alex drags out the trampoline mat, and everyone cheers- looks like we're doing aerial work today. "Okay, dancers. Today we're going to work on combining the back hand spring and back tuck." Miss Alex is met with excited "Ooh!"s and scared "uh oh"s from the other girls. Katie, the resident tween show-off, decides she wants to do it without the trampoline. Miss Alex stops her right before the back tuck. "I brought out the trampoline for a reason, Katie. I want all of you," Miss Alex rests her eyes on Katie, "to do it at least twice on the trampoline before you attempt it on the regular mat, okay? This can be a dangerous combination if you're just learning, and I want to make sure nobody gets hurt. Okay?" Everyone nods. "I'll show you what it looks like, twice on the trampoline, and twice on the mat. Once will be fast, so you can see the overall flip, and the second time will be slow, so you can see the technique and how to position your body. Ready?" I scrutinize Miss Alex as she shows us, and try to mark it in my head, so I have a basic idea of what to do when my turn comes. "Okay, now pair up with somebody. Half of you will go out on the trampoline, and half will spot your partner. Make sure her toes are pointed, she's bending back far enough on the handspring, and jumping high enough to finish the back tuck." Miss Alex walks up to me. "I'll spot you, don't worry." When Miss Alex spots you, that means you're partner A and B, which means you're not switching with your partner- you get to drill twice. "Group A, onto the trampoline, please!" Half the class scurries to the jumping mat. "Ready? Go slowly with me, now. Aaand, Back handspring, bounce, jump and tuck, and LAND!" Most of us land on our knees, including me. "Good! You all got the handspring. Let's try doing two bounces in between, instead of one. It'll give you more time to recover from the handspring and prep the tuck. I know it seems hard right now, but trust me, once you get it, it's like the feeling of a thousand butterflies lifting you up, when you get the back tuck after your handspring. You know what? Let's give each other more space. And more time to recover in between. Group B, let's split you in half. I'll do the same for A when you go again." Katie raises her hand, "Miss Alex? Can we do it on the mat, yet? I did it twice, perfectly, on the trampoline the first time." "Do it perfectly another two times during the second round, and I'll let you." "Ugh, fine." "Katie, I'm just making sure you don't get hurt." "Uh huh," she scoffed. "I think you're just making sure I'm not the first one to get it. You want Anna to get it. Because she's the oldest. And she's your favorite" Wait, how did I get dragged into this? "I can do it. Just watch me!" Katie flips back into the handspring, and before anyone can stop her, is in mid-back tuck. Another second later, there's a thud and crack, and a wail of excruciating pain. The other girls surround her, until Miss Alex shoos them away. Miss Alex winces as she examines Katie's foot. "Katie, looks like you're sitting out for the rest of class. I'm going to call your parents to pick you up. Meanwhile, let's get some ice on that foot." |
| I get to the studio early tonight- I wanted to get some extra stretching in before acro class today. I already know today's session is going to be killer, both in a good and bad way. I'm only seventeen, but I know that deep inside of me, I want to be a dancer. That's why I'm in an intermediate acrobatics class meant for tweens and pre-teens, on a Friday night, instead of hanging out at the mall with my friends. If dance is what I want to do, I need to commit to it. I also know, that, at seventeen, I have a much larger disadvantage compared to other girls my age, because they've been long decided about their dance careers, but me, I decided on this almost a year ago. So, imagine two 60-minute dance classes and a 90-minute dance class every Monday and Wednesday, and two 90-minute dance classes and a 60-minute dance class on Tuesday and Thursday, with another 90-minute acrobatics class on Friday; then the stretching class on Saturdays. All for different styles and levels. Teen Jazz, Ballet IV, and Contemporary V, on Mondays; Modern V, Tap VI, and Teen Contemporary Ballet on Tuesdays; Competition Team, Lyrical, and Ballet Company on Wednesdays; and the list goes on, until Intermediate Acrobatics on Friday, and Pilates on Saturday. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are my "rest" days, where I must still practice, but I don't have classes all day, like the rest of the week. They're meant for me to catch up on school work. I still go to public school; college is my backup plan if dance doesn't work out. It's the deal I struck with my parents. Miss Alex walks in as I'm stretching, and we set up the floor mats- just in case. With acro, I've learned, you can never be too careful. One slip, and you could be done. Floor mats can help reduce the damage. "Thanks for helping, Anna," she smiles. "Yeah, no problem. I mean, I was here anyways." "About that, why so early? I mean, the pose you were in when I got here looked like you'd been established there for a while," Miss Alex laughs. "Oh, I just wanted to stretch out more before class. You know, increase my strength and such so my aerials are more solid," I reply. "What I wouldn't give to be your age again, young and sweet at seventeen." Miss Alex looks me in the eye. "If you work really hard at your craft, I know you will succeed. I was in your position once, and I let it go. I didn't have the commitment and drive you have now. Don't lose the fire. I know it may seem tough at times, but trust me, it will be worth it in the end." |
| I've got the afternoon I've got this suite for me One thing I've left to do Make musubi On this stove One mile to every inch of Your skin like rubber One brick of salty meat between Two layers of rice And if you want love We'll make it Swim in a deep sea Of flavor Take all my big plans And make 'em This is bound to be good Musubi Is a wonderland Eating it is a wonder (I'll use my hands) Musubi Is a wonderland Something 'bout the way seaweed tastes with all this I love the shape you take when squished in my hands You tell me what to add and Though I might leave to find it I'll never let your meat hit the plate Without taking a bite first You want love? We'll make it Swim in a deep sea Of rice Take all your big plans And break 'em This is bound to be eaten Musubi Is a wonderland Eating it is a wonder (I'll use my hands) Musubi Is a wonderland Damn, baby You frustrate me I know you're mine all mine all mine But you look so good it hurts sometimes Musubi Is a wonderland Eating is a wonder (I'll use my hands) Musubi Is a wonderland Musubi is a wonderland Musubi's probably the only thing I know what to do with spam.  Besides put it in pasta.  But that's all besides the point since I'm trying out veganism right now.  |
| Oh oh oh oh oh Yeah You have so many relationships in this life Only one or two will last You go through all the pain and strife Then you turn your back and it's all turned to spam Oh yeah And it's gone so fast, yeah Oh So hold on to your can In the end you'll just be eating spam And when you get old and start losing your taste Can you tell me who will still care Can you tell me who will still care? Oh care Mmmbop, ba duba dop Ba du bop, ba duba dop Ba du bop, ba duba dop Ba du, yeah Mmmbop, ba duba dop Ba du bop, ba du dop Ba du bop, ba du dop Ba du, yeah Said oh yeah In an mmmbop they're gone Yeah yeah Eat the fries, eat a salad, have some spam You can eat anything you can Keep eatting to find out which is grand It's a secret no one knows It's a secret no one knows Oh, no one knows Mmmbop, ba duba dop Ba du bop, ba duba dop Ba du bop, ba duba dop Ba du, yeah Mmmbop, ba duba dop Ba du bop, ba du dop Ba du bop, ba du dop Ba du, yeah In an mmmbop they're gone In an mmmbop they're not there In an mmmbop they're gone In an mmmbop they're not there Until you lose your taste Oh But you don't care, yeah Mmmbop, ba duba dop Ba du bop, ba duba dop Ba du bop, ba duba dop Ba du, yeah Mmmbop, ba duba dop Ba du bop, ba du dop Ba du bop, ba du dop Ba du, yeah Can you tell me? oh No you can't 'cause you don't know Can you tell me? oh yeah You say you can but you don't know Can you tell me? oh (Which food's the most grand?) No you can't 'cause you don't know Can you tell me? (If it's going to be the potato or the spam?) You say you can but you don't know Can you tell me? oh (Which food's the most grand?) No you can't 'cause you don't know Can you tell me? You say you can but you don't know You say you can but you don't know You don't know You don't know, oh Mmmbop, duba Du bop, du Yeah, yeah Mmmbop, duba Du bop, du Oh yeah Mmmbop, ba duba dop Ba du bop, ba duba dop Ba du bop, ba duba dop Ba du, yeah Mmmbop, ba duba dop Ba du bop, ba du dop Ba du bop, ba du dop Ba du, yeah Mmmbop, ba duba dop Ba du bop, ba duba dop Ba du bop, ba duba dop Ba du, yeah Mmmbop, ba duba dop Ba du bop, ba du dop Ba du bop, ba du dop Ba du, yeah Can u tell me? oh No you can't 'cause you don't know Can you tell me? You say you can but you don't know Say you can but you don't know yeah, ok. It's late, and this was a harder song to spam. So here's what I could make of it. I'm off to bed and sleep. and maybe do my nails, but that may have to wait for tomorrow. We'll see. |
| Baby, why can't you see it's calling A can like that should wear a warning It's dangerous But I'm falling There's no escape I can't wait I need a piece Baby, give me one So versatile I'm loving it Buying again From the store Losin' my head Buyin' more and more Do you feel me now? Oh, The cans on the shelves I'm on a ride Can't decide, I'll just take them all With a taste of a salted paradise I'm addicted to it Don't you marvel at its sight? And I love how it smells Don't you marvel at its sight? It's getting late To let you be So I took a bite From my musubi  Slowly, it's taking over me On sale at the store Losin' my head Buyin' more and more Do you feel me now? Oh, Taste on my lips I'm on a ride It's toxic I'm slippin' under With the taste of a salted paradise I'm addicted to it Don't you marvel at its taste? And I love how it smells Don't you marvel at its sight? (Oh, oh) Taste on my lips I'm on a ride It's toxic I'm slippin' under With a taste of a salted paradise I'm addicted to it Don't you marvel at its sight? With the taste on my lips I'm on a ride It's toxic I'm slippin' under With a taste of the salted paradise I'm addicted to it Don't you marvel at its sight? Intoxicate me now With the jalapenos now I think I'm ready now I think I'm ready now Intoxicate me now With the teriyaki now I think I'm ready now Well, this was a fun interesting odd experience. But now, I really must be getting back to my Chinese. Coincidentally(?) this unit is about food.  |
| I'm trying to accomplish this "31 lists in a month" thing, and I'm at 18... so here's a few more today: Books I'd like to see made into a movie: 1 The Great Zoo of China- Matthew Reilly 2 Hovercar Racer- Matthew Reilly 3 Scarecrow- Matthew Reilly 4 Area 7- Matthew Reilly 5 Hell Island- Matthew Reilly 6 Private: Berlin- James Patterson 7 Private: Los Angeles- James Patterson 8 Private- James Patterson 9 Hider, Seeker, Secret Keeper- Elizabeth Kiem 10 7 ancient wonders- Matthew Reilly 11 6 sacred stones- Matthew Reilly 12 The 5 greatest warriors- Matthew Reilly My favorite book characters: 1. Winnie the Pooh  2. Eeyore 3. Piglet 4. Tigger 5. Rabbit 6. Owl 7. Christopher Robin 8. Kanga 9. Roo 10. Jack Morgan (Private Series) 11. Scarecrow (Scarecrow series) 12. Mother (Scarecrow series) Favorite authors 1. A.A. Milne 2. James Patterson 3. Matthew Reilly 4. Edmond Rostand 5. Annie Bryant (Beacon Street Girls series) 6. Gordon Korman (On the Run series) 7. Laura Dower (Madison Finn series) 8. Melissa J. Morgan (Camp Confidential series) 9. Ludwig Bemelmans (Madeline) 10. Roger Hargreaves (Mr. Men series) 11. Tony Garth (Little Monsters series) Favorite book series 1. Scarecrow- Matthew Reilly 2. 7 Ancient Wonders- Matthew Reilly 3. Hovercar Racer- Matthew Reilly 4. Private- James Patterson 5. On the Run- Gordon Korman (from elementary school) 6. Madeline- Ludwig Bemelmans 7. Mr. Men/Little Miss- Roger Hargreaves 8. Little house on the Prairie- Laura Ingalls Wilder 9. Little Monsters- Tony Garth 10. Camp Confidential- Melissa J. Morgan |
| Just a random list: 10 jobs I'd totally do if I knew there would be no repercussions and had the skills: 1 professional dancer 2 gymnast 3 stunt artist 4 stunt double 5 singer 6 game developer 7 instrumentalist 8 contortionist 9 aerial artist 10 Some sort of computer techie somewhat inspired by Patrece ~  and because I was watching "Dance me if you can" and thinking how cool it'd be to be stuntist in that. [Embed For Use By Upgraded+] |
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I wish you all the best, my friend. May all your dreams come true. 
