Friday, March 28, 2008

It's nice to have famous friends!

Victoria is a very good friend of mine. She was here to visit me this past fall, so we, of course, had a house party. She was kind enough to first read tarot cards for us, then led an impromptu belly dancing class. I still hear about it from the people that attended; "You throw the BEST parties!"
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In Marietta, Turkish dance taught with Southern flavor
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The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/20/08
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The aroma of Mediterranean and Turkish cuisine wafting upstairs from Efe's restaurant on Marietta Square is a temptation hard to ignore.
But these women aren't here to eat.
They're here to belly dance.
Bodies undulate to the beat of the music as hundreds of coins jingle on hip scarves.
"It's very liberating," said Victoria Logan, the instructor whose "dance name" is Inara.
Her students have explored more than freedom of expression since she opened the studio, Belly Dance Oasis, late last year.
One is learning how to move a body that's free of disease, but feels different. Others are pursuing independence. And others simply wanted a release from the gym.
Sharon Shillinger had reconstructive surgery in July 2006 following breast cancer.
Her body, she said, was rearranged.
"Instead of having the muscle down here, it's moved over here," said Shillinger, 52, of Marietta.
She found it difficult to exercise, but belly dancing eases her stiffness. Her daughter, Abigail House, 21, often takes classes with her and they've set up a mirror in their basement.
"I don't look so good doing it, but it feels good stretching," Shillinger said. "After you've been chopped up, you don't feel sexy. This is bringing that back again."
She's even belly dancing with a new belly button.
"The old one was better," Shillinger said, "but this one I'm getting used to."
Felicia Head, 35, Katie Lax, 27, and Maria Marrotta, 19, are residents of Just People, an independent living program in Roswell for adults with developmental disabilities.
Taking classes is part of their community integration program.
Head, who insists on being called "Amirah Princess, belly dancer," practices all the time and takes private lessons with Stacy Abston.
"I like snake arms," Head said, referring to a specific move.
How does belly dancing make her feel?
"I feel perfect," she said.
Leigh Hale, her case manager with Just People, said the dancing has boosted Head's self-esteem.
"It gives her more of a purpose," Hale said.
Elizabeth Trask's doctors made her take up belly dancing. Well, sort of.
"I was told by at least three doctors that I should exercise —not just more, but in general," said Trask, 29, of Austell. "This is as close as it gets."
Belly dancing isn't the only exercise Isabel Green does, but she said, "it sure beats doing sit-ups."
Belly dancing also has helped her get over some insecurities.
"It's changed my entire self-image," said Green, 30, of Kennesaw. "I'm very klutzy outside, and it's helped with my grace and coordination.
"It makes me feel kind of sexy," she said. "My husband likes it."
Trask hasn't bought into the seductive aspects of belly dancing.
"I don't know what I'm seducing since I have cats and a dog and no man," she said, "so I just find it fun."
Does she dance for her pets? "Absolutely," Trask said.
"And they think I'm nuts, and the dogs jump all over me while I'm doing it because they think I'm playing. And I qualify that as exercise of the week."
Susan Coward has performed in a couple of recitals since she began taking lessons a couple of years ago.
"I thought I would never do that," said Coward, 45, of Marietta. "I thought, 'There is no way I'm wearing essentially a bra and going out there with my stomach hanging out.'
"But it was so much fun, and all of us were thrilled."
Now Coward would like to solo.
"I'd like to feel good enough to not even have a routine," she said, "but just have the music come on and be able to dance."
Inara, who performs in shows at Efe's restaurant on Friday and Saturday nights, teaches a style that mimics Turkish dance, but with American fusion and a Southern flavor.
When she tells her students to "scootch," they know how to move across the floor.
Although belly dancing has become part of a new workout trend, Inara said there's still a bit of a stigma attached.
The 39-year-old mother of two said she has fielded phone calls from drunk men asking for a private dance. Some have even gotten her husband on the phone — and still asked for her.
"People automatically assume that it's about sex and stripping," Inara said. "Part of it is just a celebratory dance."
"Women are so self-conscious about their bodies," she added. "They're scared they'll get laughed at, or they won't do it right. I get all shapes, sizes, ages and levels of experience. Belly dancing is very accommodating."
Inara said older dancers have had more life experiences, which helps them portray the music.
"You know true happiness," she said, "because you've known true sadness."

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Amigos

This picture just makes me giggle.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Red Light Shopping

Things I have spent pesos on at traffic lights:
newspapers
tacos
chiclets
entertainment (jugglers, firedancers, etc.)
fruit (strawberries, mangos, watermelons, etc)
little wooden, colorful animals with the bobbing heads (I like putting them on my printer)
fruit juice (mango, orange, limeade.........)
tamales
windshield washing (some better than others)
cheese
fireworks including VERY large sparklers
peanuts (raw and roasted)
beach bag
Mexican flag
caramel popcorn balls
candied apples
shrimp/scallops
free pass to heaven (maybe not quite that, but I always have change for various charities in the cupholder)

Monday, March 10, 2008

Happy Monday!

To ease back into Monday, give these two blogs a look-see. They both tend to make me blow whatever beverage I am drinking out of my nose!

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Housecalls are cool!

So one morning last week I woke up about 3 am to a very active bowel area. David found me 3 hours later on the toilet with the trashcan between my knees - everything in my lower torso was cramping up and spewing like a geyser. David was trying to find out what was going on (other than the obvious) and all I could do was moan, grunt and occasionally point. He went downstairs, made a couple of phone calls to work, then came back upstairs to tell me he was taking me to the doctor. Our doctor does not get in to his office until 10-ish and his office is in El Centro, where parking the USS Ford is a large pain in the rear, so I informed David that unless he commandeered a porta-potty and strapped it down in the back of the truck for me to ride in, there was no way I could make it. Truth be known, I think I actually only managed to blurt out the word "can't", but he managed to translate. Luckily, we have Dr Torres' cell phone number and as it turns out he lives very near us, so he popped in here at the house on his way to the clinic. He gave me an exam, wrote out some prescriptions and informed me he was going to give me a shot. Now, I was raised around the farming/ranching business and worked as a veterinary technician for 15 years, so I have utilized countless needles, both with animals and people. The problem is, when one is pointed in my direction, I become a quivering mass that can only blurt out "no, no, no, no, no, no". I'll blame that on my brother, he ruined Santa for me at an early age, used to put a beanbag on top of me, sit on it and make me listen to KISS for hours, so I am sure he probably made me watch some torture movie that involved needles and dentist drills at an impressionable age. Anyways, to David's complete shock, Dr Torres had barely finished the sentence and I was already flopped over with a buttock exposed. I just wanted everything to STOP! Within a couple of hours of his visit, the cramping had ceased, but I was still throwing up every 15-20 minutes and that continued all day. Dr Torres had called to check on me early afternoon, and said he would be by on his way home around 6 or so. It turned out, he had an emergency surgery so he called David with an electrolyte solution (1 liter of water, 1/2 tsp of salt, 8 tablespoons of sugar) for me to sip on and he would call after he got out of surgery. As it turned out, during that time period, everything calmed and there was no need for a return visit or more shots. Dr Torres coming to the house to treat me was the best 400 pesos I think I have ever spent! It really took me about a week to get straight, but I am back in the saddle now! Thanks Dr Torres!!!