Viennese

I have been practicing Viennese Waltz for a few weeks. I got to dance it for the first time tonight. Amazing! I love this dance!

Mesh

So I will likely be late for work for writing this, but I just had to.

Last night I am learning a bolero move with Tim. Bolero is a very smooth fluid romantic dance. He has me doing this sort of body wave move that I cannot figure out. Then he stands up straight, looks me in the eye and says, "Have you seen legally blond?" I give him a clueless look as I respond with yes. I can't figure out what ballroom and legally blond have to do with one another. Then he says, "Do you remember that move they do in the salon?" Realization comes, and I start laughing. I say, "Are you kidding? The Bend and Snap?" He confirms it and says same principle in this move. So we do it again, and I got it. But I can't do the move now without thinking of legally blond. Who would have thought, legally blond would help me in my dancing?

The Bend and Snap

Tim

Tim... What can I say about Tim?

I had a crappy day at work on Monday. I was supposed to be there an hour earlier than I thought so I was called and told I was late. Poop. But within the first hour of me being at work, who should show up and ram into me with a stroller? Tim.

Yeah, seeing him was enough to save my day. That made me wonder. Why is it that seeing him has that effect on me?

Well, I associate Tim with all things fun. Our senses of humor are almost identical, so we spend a lot of the time together laughing. We actually spend a lot of time sparring with quick comebacks. He represents all the fun parts of dance to me. He is really picky and thorough and is specific on technique. I love that. He is a tremendous lead and can make me do moves I would otherwise assume impossible. He is smooth and fluid and serious about how he dances and yet is an extreme diva.

Picture me today in a horrible, horrible mood. The worst I have felt in a long time. The funk is only growing deeper as I head toward dance. Somewhere in the midst of the last of the three, one hour classes, I realize I have not stopped laughing for the last thirty minutes. I am in a wonderful mood.

I received an amazing complement from Tim. He does not hand them out easily. In fact, he usually softens every success of mine with a, "yeah, but don't forget _____." Which is good. I like that he pushes me and won't let me accept where I am. But tonight a guy in the class who "loves to dance" with me came up to Tim and I to tell Tim how great I am. Tim smiles and says, "yeah, pretty soon I won't be able to keep up with her." That elicits a look from me for Tim, because he is just so far beyond me, that I can only wish one day I could dance like him. After my look, he walks up to me, puts his hand on my shoulder and says, "seriously, she remembers every thing I tell her, and writes it down, and practices." And while this doesn't seem like much of a complement, the best dancer I know was discussing my progress and my ability positively with another student. Incredible.

He also depends on me quite a bit during these classes, which is also quite a complement. He asks my opinion about the moves he will teach. He trusts me to tell him when any of the men are having difficulty. He looks to me to see if his counting or footwork was correct as he is explaining the ladies part. He dances with me in order to figure out new moves or counting, which means that he trusts me enough to follow whatever he leads whether I know it or not. And he listens to me when I tell him what other men are doing wrong and then addresses it for the whole class. He uses me to demonstrate during the classes, both to do the "wrong" and the "right". The "wrong" is not so fun, it usually involves dancing way too close or whipping me around or tying me up with our arms, but shows that he is comfortable with me and again that I am able to follow him, even when he is leading poorly.

Here I am toot-tooting my own horn, but I love dancing, I love the way it makes me feel, and I love getting better at it.

And I get to dance again tomorrow! What could be better?

Music

I heard this song the way to work this morning. I loved it. I remember thinking you can truly hear the sorrow in this guys voice. Little did I know how much differently I would hear it tonight.

Jake Coco, Broken Hearts and Fairytales

Life is so frustrating, and it's getting over rated.
A broken heart, a fairytale it's all the same to me.
But I don't wanna be just waiting patiently
For life to come and take me away.

So I'm sitting here in silence, and I'm pretty sure that violence
Is the only form of love I'll ever know.
But I guess that goes to show that even those filled up with hope
have less than you can tell meets the eye.

And you lead me on and on and on again, you do.
You lead me on and on and on again;
I hope to God this hurts you too.
I wish I never loved you; I wish I didn't care.

Life is so degrading, and I'm pretty sure I hate it.
I gotta get myself out of this town.
Before I'm broken down, lying shattered on the ground,
For all the world to see who I am.

And you lead me on and on and on again, you do.
You lead me on and on and on again;
I hope to God this hurts you too.
I wish I never loved you; I wish I didn't care.



Jake Coco, Old T-Shirt

It's been three weeks since I've heard from you,
and my bed sheets are screaming cuz they miss you too.
It's looking like I'm sleeping alone again tonight.

I've got a clean slate waiting with your name on the chalk,
come over now baby get me outta the dark.
I'm laying here playing solitaire hoping I see you.

And I'm hoping that your coming back tomorrow,
because I'm too in love with you to ever let this go.

I've got your old T-shirt and your mini skirt waiting for you to come back home.
I need you here, oh yes my dear, so come on home.

I wrote ten love songs with your name in the title;
prayed to Jesus, Mary, Joseph every man in the Bible;
I'm wishing on a star even though it's only noon.

I'm watching reruns of our favorites shows,
my stomach's been hurting like nobody knows,
I'm jumping up every time I hear my phone ring.

And I'm hoping that your coming back tomorrow,
because I'm too in love with you to ever let this go.
I've got your old T-shirt and your mini skirt waiting for you to come back home.
I need you here, oh yes my dear, so come on home.

When you're in love, like I'm in love,
then everything is not enough.

And I'm hoping that your coming back tomorrow,
cuz I'm too in love with you to ever let this go.
I've got your old T-shirt and your mini skirt waiting for you to come back home.
I need you here, oh yes my dear, so come on home.

Jake Coco, If I were an Artist

I could paint you red, like the passion you feel

It might not be colorful, but at least it’d be real

And I could paint you green,

like the envy you know,

when you’re all alone at night

With nowhere to go

And I could paint you grey,

to show how you’re empty

To show how you don’t care

So the world can all see

And I could paint you clear,

I'd make you graceful

I'd make you beautiful

Cuz that’s what you are

And I could paint you taupe

Because they say that it’s soothing

But you’re like a drug to me

That could use some abusing

And I could paint you gold

To show you’re immortal

Would that make you honest?

Would it make you sincere?

Scarlet and Clover, all the things we talked about

Violet and green and the world in between

The grey skies in your blue eyes,

broken hearts are all that you know

I could be clear

Yeah you could see through me

And I could be beautiful

Just to be yours

Just to be….I could paint you clear,

Id make you graceful

Id make you beautiful

Cuz that’s what you are

And I could be clear, and I could be graceful

I swear Id be colorful just to be yours

If I were an artist, then I could be yours

If I were an artist, then I could be yours

Gag

Things that make me gag.

Creepy John - "Hey girl, I really like your dance pants."
Yeah, not sure I have ever felt more naked in my life. Yucky. Why will this man not take a hint? Maybe I should just knee him during a tango....

Excited

So, this does not mean anything to anybody else but me, but I got permission from my instructor tonight to go to full bronze and silver lessons at Premiere. He thinks I am good enough! YES!

If you want a glimpse into what I am talking about, here is an interesting blog I found.

Work

Moments in retail.

I chased someone down two days ago who I believed to be stealing two box sets. Fortunately the theft did not occur and the customer left unaware that he was a suspect. It's all good. He walked in the store commenting about the amount of theft we must have in the store. He asks to be let into the box sets. I become his personal shopper for the next ten minutes, I hate this especially when i was supposed to be off work ten minutes before. He takes to box sets and excuses me. I head back towards the back but see him leaving right after me. I then follow him as he makes a quick exit, praying for our system to beep as he walks out. No beep, I rush back to the area with a co-worker in search of the box sets. We found them. No harm, no foul.

I got caught practicing some dance drills yesterday. The customer gave me a funny look, I didn't realize I had been caught. I wasn't doing anything overly obvious. Then he walks up to my boss and says, "It must be something about the music, you are bopping over here and she is dancing over there behind the counter." Busted. Oh well.

I really love nice customers. I wrapped some presents for a guy a few days ago. He was astounded at the fact that I would not take a tip and didn't want him to talk to my manager at what a good employee I was. I love nice customers. I helped an older couple find some books and cds and talked the to older gentleman about his movie collection. He then proceeded to come back to me and offer me some candy he was carrying. I love it when old men do this. I never eat it, its always wrapped, but it is just such a nice, old man gesture.

After selling at least twenty adult magazine's yesterday, I have figured out the proper etiquette for buying a magazine. If buying only one, fold it in half so as not to make it obvious. If willing to buy more than one magazine, sandwich it between a sports and a car magazine. A guy brought a magazine up to me to buy using the sandwich method, I always do my best to put the magazine on top to create a certain amount of shame. A 70ish woman was standing off to my left. Saw the magazine and said, "nice" in a wonderfully flat, judgemental, sarcastic tone and walked away. I started laughing and the guy felt more shame than I could have ever created for him.