#epicwin about sums it up. The last month I mean. & not just for MCFC! I've done so many of my favourite things - I'll list them later all later, to be sure. But I begin with a shout out to a fantastic dancer I had the great privilege to work with on friday, one Miss Cat Foley. I link to her blog here as she has just been booked to stage manage for the Herrang dance camp. Swing dancers of the world will instantly know this is a BIG deal. Non Swingsters, take a look at the link if you want the background, but it's basically the biggest Swing camp in the world, occurring in Sweden yearly since 1982 & everyone who is anyone has been or is going.
Well, except for yours truly that is, you'd think that my 'year of dance' would have to include said festival, wouldn't you? But due to other travels, events & work, I simply couldn't fit it in this year. I am often a bit hesitant to do things when I hear 'you must go, everyone else is going'. I'm so not in with the in crowd, & never have been. That's not necessarily always a good thing perhaps, but I am what I am. Cat will fly the flag for @vintagedancers for me I have no fear.
So, on to this month's learnings & the list of my favourite things 'bagged & tagged' this month. That means done, mum! ;)
I laughed, I cried (with laughter & with sadness), I danced to loads of great music. I caught up with old friends & made new ones, I witnessed generosity & kindness from many quarters... I slept!
I ate well, I sampled fine wines & national drinks (60% Slovakian plum liquor to be exact - #notforwimps), I contorted my body in new ways (see below please), I had a spa day, I went to the pictures #avengersassemble.
I made it halfway up my first climbing wall, tried my first off ground assault course (you're tethered on a rope storeys up, & you swing, jump & balance yourself across tightropes, moving logs, rope walls etc. All in the name off fun. Apparently. I literally did cackle my way around most of it, have one actual panic, & get stuck in properly for the rest of it (honestly! ;) )
The night before we had partied til 8am (not a typo) and this video is of an impromptu social dance 'performance' with a lovely guy from Kilkenny. I'll post the video in the comments box below when I get a copy. I'd met him that day as he'd attended the day of workshops I was delivering for JiveInferno. What a crowd! They really embraced the bluesFusion we did.
I loved having the time to stay a few extra days & attend one of their weekly nights. An afterparty til 5.30am with dancing in the front room brought the last night of the weekend to a perfect close. A BIG shout out to my 2 awesome chauffeurs for the weekend - you know who you are!
Learnings? Well, they say you get out out what you put in - I think I'd rephrase & say you get what you think you deserve. Harsh perhaps, but true. This is all at the subconscious level ofcourse. I'm sure when it happens most of us don't consciously believe we deserve to be messed around, ignored or used. Yet we can let that happen if we're not consciously demanding better. I'm speaking both professionally & personally here. As per. You'll know what I mean if I explain it thus...
You know when you go into someone's house & if it's really spic and span you're on your best behaviour to keep it so? Then there are those times when you go somewhere & it's frankly a tip. Some people 'do a Monica' and try and clean up the tip, but most people will be tidier in the tidy house than they will be in the tip - we naturally preserve the status quo, unless our values (or OCD) are stronger!
So, I urge anyone that hasn't already - figure out how you want to be treated & set the standard! And as I often say - always, always seek to upgrade, every time you can darling! Oh and ALWAYS be brave and ask that gorgeous guy or gal to dance!
Monday 30 April 2012
Saturday 7 April 2012
Everything in moderation...
It's my Dad's birthday today. It's also my sister and brother-in-laws wedding anniversary. So I'm taking time to celebrate all 3 of them today.
Here I sit backstage at an international dance event to rival most: Bristol Swing Festival. Instructors have flown in from Canada and around Europe and the UK to impart their wisdom with the 180+ participants. I attended the event as a punter last year and am excited for the people about to launch into this year's event!
So whilst the excitement builds during the first taster class and people begin to mingle I have positioned myself neatly in the staging area (aka the back office) so I can take some time to celebrate the wonder that is My Dad.
As you'll likely have read, this tour has presented me with many wonderful ups and a couple of spectacular downs. Throughout it all, my family have been a constant source of support: financial, emotional, practical, whimsical...
As part of my tour I set myself several goals, most of which have been shared here before. What I may not have shared with you is that for significant dates and birthdays throughout the year, I am creating gifts, rather than buying them. For someone who cannot draw or make things with her hands (to an aesthetically pleasing or functional level in any case), this means the gift of song, the gift of poetry, the gift of film & now, the gift of prose.
So I'm going to wish my father a very happy birthday by sharing with you lots that I love and appreciate about him, & by celebrating the times we have shared as well as the ones he has helped to finance. So this one's for you Dad: :)
... One of my earliest memories is of my dad's bright yellow Corsair (I think this is the right one!). It was followed my a metallic aquamarine Honda Civic 5 door hatchback methinks. I know he had a Vauxhall Viva, but the memory is hazy... If memory serves on one trip in particular we broke down, and in the days before mobiles we had to hot foot it to the closest phone box - the AA callbox we used to #phoneafriend is still situated approximately 1 mile from the BP garage near Knutsford on the A556 & I smile every time I pass it to this day. I had been visiting him for the summer and had literally brought half my bedroom with me, we had a 1 mile trek with Casio keyboard with plastic cover, which I remember blew about in the wind a lot, suitcase(s), brown faux leather 12"record case, which I think possibly broke during the walk....
What I'm impressing on you is not my elephantine memory (which has been remarked upon many times afore), but rather his commitment to just 'get on' with the task at hand. He does this better than anyone I know.
Fast forward a good few years & we find ourselves in Hong Kong to celebrate the union of my sister and her long time love & now father to my gorgeous nephews. We stayed in a Philip Stark designed hotel don't cha know! The wedding took the day and my dad and I, with beer, banter and monkey nuts took the night. A wonderfully vibrant city, offering amongst many things a stunning skyline, welcoming atmosphere & rather fabulous afternoon teas. A hangover from colonial times which we can debate another time, suffice to say several emporiums were sampled & provided an elegant sufficiency. Sufficiency of the afternoon tea or the beer you ask? Why, both of course!
Time in mainland China was spent with a host family (my brother in law grew up with a their son and they had not long migrated back to their native land). We marvelled that each table in the restaurant had it's own grill in the middle. You selected your choices from a fantastic array of meat, fish & vegetables at the very large buffet style counter, and then grilled your food at table to your own personal liking. This is a win-win (my favourite thing!) for us as I like chicken and red meat 'just safe', my dad and sister enjoy them 'well done' enough to be what can best be termed 'nuked'! I approve of this approach in a restaurant and wish there were (more?) eateries like this in the UK...
But I digress, again... Birthdays are funny things - we celebrate the passing of time since our mums 'got on with it'. My Dad's mum was surely the most warm-hearted of women. For me she literally defined the word 'lovely' & despite over 15 years passing since she departed this earth I know we all think of her & celebrate her beautiful spirit often.
So this post is about taking the time to say thanks to our blood, in laws & loved ones. Those that make time when they have none. Those that smile, make a brew & listen to my tales from the road when their day has been long and their activities often strenuous.
In short: I say thanks to My Dad. I wish my sister & brother in law every happiness always & salute their daily investment to be amazing parents.
A toast, dear reader: To My Dad (& of course yours should you wish to join in). May he remain a source of quiet strength & inspiration, may he 'live long & prosper', may he enjoy a steady 'few scoops' this evening (& beyond) &... may he have enjoyed these words!
Here I sit backstage at an international dance event to rival most: Bristol Swing Festival. Instructors have flown in from Canada and around Europe and the UK to impart their wisdom with the 180+ participants. I attended the event as a punter last year and am excited for the people about to launch into this year's event!
As you'll likely have read, this tour has presented me with many wonderful ups and a couple of spectacular downs. Throughout it all, my family have been a constant source of support: financial, emotional, practical, whimsical...
As part of my tour I set myself several goals, most of which have been shared here before. What I may not have shared with you is that for significant dates and birthdays throughout the year, I am creating gifts, rather than buying them. For someone who cannot draw or make things with her hands (to an aesthetically pleasing or functional level in any case), this means the gift of song, the gift of poetry, the gift of film & now, the gift of prose.
So I'm going to wish my father a very happy birthday by sharing with you lots that I love and appreciate about him, & by celebrating the times we have shared as well as the ones he has helped to finance. So this one's for you Dad: :)
... One of my earliest memories is of my dad's bright yellow Corsair (I think this is the right one!). It was followed my a metallic aquamarine Honda Civic 5 door hatchback methinks. I know he had a Vauxhall Viva, but the memory is hazy... If memory serves on one trip in particular we broke down, and in the days before mobiles we had to hot foot it to the closest phone box - the AA callbox we used to #phoneafriend is still situated approximately 1 mile from the BP garage near Knutsford on the A556 & I smile every time I pass it to this day. I had been visiting him for the summer and had literally brought half my bedroom with me, we had a 1 mile trek with Casio keyboard with plastic cover, which I remember blew about in the wind a lot, suitcase(s), brown faux leather 12"record case, which I think possibly broke during the walk....
What I'm impressing on you is not my elephantine memory (which has been remarked upon many times afore), but rather his commitment to just 'get on' with the task at hand. He does this better than anyone I know.
Fast forward a good few years & we find ourselves in Hong Kong to celebrate the union of my sister and her long time love & now father to my gorgeous nephews. We stayed in a Philip Stark designed hotel don't cha know! The wedding took the day and my dad and I, with beer, banter and monkey nuts took the night. A wonderfully vibrant city, offering amongst many things a stunning skyline, welcoming atmosphere & rather fabulous afternoon teas. A hangover from colonial times which we can debate another time, suffice to say several emporiums were sampled & provided an elegant sufficiency. Sufficiency of the afternoon tea or the beer you ask? Why, both of course!Time in mainland China was spent with a host family (my brother in law grew up with a their son and they had not long migrated back to their native land). We marvelled that each table in the restaurant had it's own grill in the middle. You selected your choices from a fantastic array of meat, fish & vegetables at the very large buffet style counter, and then grilled your food at table to your own personal liking. This is a win-win (my favourite thing!) for us as I like chicken and red meat 'just safe', my dad and sister enjoy them 'well done' enough to be what can best be termed 'nuked'! I approve of this approach in a restaurant and wish there were (more?) eateries like this in the UK...
But I digress, again... Birthdays are funny things - we celebrate the passing of time since our mums 'got on with it'. My Dad's mum was surely the most warm-hearted of women. For me she literally defined the word 'lovely' & despite over 15 years passing since she departed this earth I know we all think of her & celebrate her beautiful spirit often.
So this post is about taking the time to say thanks to our blood, in laws & loved ones. Those that make time when they have none. Those that smile, make a brew & listen to my tales from the road when their day has been long and their activities often strenuous.
In short: I say thanks to My Dad. I wish my sister & brother in law every happiness always & salute their daily investment to be amazing parents.
A toast, dear reader: To My Dad (& of course yours should you wish to join in). May he remain a source of quiet strength & inspiration, may he 'live long & prosper', may he enjoy a steady 'few scoops' this evening (& beyond) &... may he have enjoyed these words!
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