Dance

last week’s friday five had a challenge rather than a question:

try to incorporate dancing into your week and tell us how it goes!

let’s see how the five did…and feel free to share any dancing adventures of your own.

lissie

so…i can think of 4 times i got to dance this week.
1. i babysat ethan a little on sat morning to give brent and meredith a small break and we played a kiddie cranium game that involved some dance moves.
2. halloween night at nathan’s turned into a kitchen dance party. it started with couples being goofy and turned into everyone moving around. that was a blast!!
3. chris twirled me around a little at the joe nichols concert on tuesday night.
4. my class got canceled last night so i joined tracy and some friends for some bday dancing downtown. while it was good to hang out with girls, djs refused to give me any 80s, ac/dc, or bon jovi so i went home early. punks. i thought of cory getting his groove on at 80s/ladies (or however that goes) and wished i could teleport to columbus.

kimi

Kinda a lame dance week for me. I was expecting to have more to say. Went to a group lesson at the studio wednesday night. It was a pretty standard lesson, with all stuff that I already know, but I impressed my instructor with the stuff I had been working on. Then he gave me the CD to listen to for the solo I am going to do in December. The song is cell block tango from Chicago and I have to test out the edits he made. We have been planning out the choreography and which parts of the song I would be acting out. We’ll start the actual movement work on that tonight. The best part however, has be designing costuming for that event in the style of the musical. Lots of black fishnets and gothic-y looking clothes. Fun.

Jen

I had a week that I was completely unprepared for. In the midst of unexpected events, I wish I had remembered that our challenge this week was to dance- maybe it would have made it all more fun!

As it was, I danced a few times with my 3 year old (which is pretty normal). My favorite dance time was when she was hooked up to a creathing machine getting an albuterol treatment at her doctor’s office and we were dancing around the exam room together while she sang an impromptu song about medicine smoke coming out her nose. hehe. And I don’t mean sweet dancing like me holding her and swaying. I mean both of us on our feet, boogie-down, rock-out dancing. With breathing tubes and mask and all. =)

Rachel

There was not enough dancing in my week! On Monday we had over a professor and he brought his two-year-old child, and we danced. After dinner we cleaned up the kitchen and put on fun music and shook our booties a little while putting away our mismatched plates. I know Jill Scott songs were involved. That was super fun.

I think the only other times I danced while was preparing cookies or brushing my teeth. That seems OK. You just have to be careful that you don’t hurt yourself with the toothbrush. Hygiene is dangerous!

Cory

about dancing, mine has been irreverence. i didn’t go out dancing or anything this last week, but there were a few times when i was being talked to, and i didn’t really like how the talk was going, so i just started to shake it. dance as protest.

Again

It's Friday again, and I am sad to report that I have no major news yet. Oh well. Patience is a virtue, right? This week's Friday Five 2.0 question comes from yours truly. Enjoy.

The Question:

When was your last slacker day, as in a day you did absolutely nothing on the to-do list? What should you have been doing? How did you justify it? What did you do instead?

Jen:

Unfortunately, I don't have as many slacker days as I would like to have! I would have to say my latest slacker day actually turned into several in a row. Both os my kids (ages 3 and 7) got H1N1 at the same time few weeks ago. Over the course of 9 days, there were 3 trips to the doctor, but other than that we pretty much did nothing. We all 3 stayed in our pajamas for days. We laid around watching tv. I even ordered "on demand" movies for the first time EVER. Aside from them feeling awful, it was actually sort of nice to have a reason to just stay home and not go anywhere. The party ended once they felt good enough to be crabby and get on eachother's nerves, but still sick enough to have to stay home. Argh. Then it got ugly and I turned back into my list-making self.

Cory:

last saturday i was having a slacker day. i needed to do some research for my Arabic midterm, but I really did nothing on my list. i needed a personal day to sort out some personal issues. so i laid in bed all day - literally until 7ish at night. and i figured some stuff out. which brought up more questions, but it was really good. sometimes i need to plum the depths of what's going on after i spend weeks and months not dealing with things.

sorry to be vague. but that's what i've got!

Rachel:

I do not really know. Three weeks ago I went hiking with some friends from school and accomplished absolutely no school work that day. I justified it as personal enrichment, which is necessary to be a sane person. I had books to read, papers to write, rooms to clean, runs to take, and much more. It was worth it!


Lissie:

here you go guys...sorry for the wordiness again! =/ it's my illness


like rachel, i honestly don't know either! on this roller-coaster of unemployment, my days seem to blur together. any day i don't spend hours job searching or writing cover letters feels like a slacker day. unfortunately, it usually makes me feel guilty or results from having a bad day.
additionally, the element of playing hooky is a big part of the thrill for me and that's not available to me right now...at least not in the sense that i like most.

my favorite slacker days are those in which i prepare lesson plans for a "sick day", call for a sub the night before, sleep in, enjoy a carby breafast and then do whatever. i. want. this still might be something from my list but it's cause i want to, not have to.
and i never feel guilty or worry about my class. i trust that the sub will be able to handle things fine and we can make up anything she doesn't get to. frankly, i don't get the teachers who worry and think that's an issue they need to work on. =P plus, my mama instilled a strong appreciation for mental health days when i was just a youngin' and i think everyone would be happier to embrace the same.

wednesday actually had all the elements except hooky and it was delightful. i had pancakes for breakfast, blogged, did some homework, enjoyed a thai lunch, squatted at b&n to read a text for class (and had time to peruse while i waited for my ride home), scared myself to death by following chris onto his roof, bbq'd and drank wine, watched some tv, and went to the movies spur of the moment to use an expiring gift card.


Me:

The question came to me purely because I was having a slacker day. I hurt my back this week and was told by my boss I didn't have to come to staff meeting this Thursday so I took that opportunity to do a whole lot of nothing. I played on my computer, painted my toes, watched a whole lot of HGTV, took a bath, and laid under a blanket on the couch. I told myself as I looked at the laundry, cleaning, and church work, that I was simply following the orders of my boss to rest and recoup. Then as I was about to start working on dinner, my mother called and invited me out to eat. So I happily put the chicken back in the freezer. All in all a delightful day. My back feels much better and my toes are an awesome shade of purple, just perfect for halloween without being too obviously halloween.


Feel free to answer in the comments!

Enjoy the weekend!

Friday

Time for another Friday 5 2.0. I hope to have some exciting stuff to post in the next couple of weeks, but until then you may have to settle for Friday 5's.

The Question:

When was the last time you stayed up all night or most of the night? How was school or work the next day? What's your stay-coherent technique on days like that?

The Answers:

Jen:

I thought I was going to have to write about a few months ago when both of my kids alternately puked all night, but, alas, I remembered a more recent late-nighter that is much happier and less gross. =)
Our church has an annual girls retreat at Log Country Cove near Marble Falls. 20 or so log homes are rented for the weekend, and there are 10-18 women assigned to each one. There is a "hostess" (who makes contact with each of the women assigned to her cabin before the retreat and generally keeps the weekend moving along) and a "presenter" (who presents the actual teaching sessions planned for the weekend). I have served as a hostess for two years now, but this year held a bit of a surprise. =)
I got my list of ladies in my house a couple of weeks before the retreat, and there were only a couple on the list who I didn't already know. One was "Mary Smith", and her contact info was all the same as my presenter's info. I thought that was a little wierd, but my presenter told me she was a friend from out of town and that she would forward any correspondance from me to her.
Soooo, we all arrive at the retreat on a Friday (this was about 3 weeks ago), and a car full of girls pull up to our cabin, As I walk over to give them a hard time about taking so long to get there, etc, I notice that one of the girls in the car looks eerily like one of my best friends, Jenna Spears. But Jenna lives in Atlanta. As I got closer and realized it actually WAS Jenna, I laughed and cried and exclaimed "shut UP!!" all at the same time.
All that to say, that night was pretty much a school-girl slumber party. We stayed up till the wee hours of the morning chatting and laughing. And then my ridiculous body decided it should still wake up at 6:30am in the spirit of routine.
My coping mechanism the next day was pretty much to just keep the adrenaline going. I SOOOO could have used a nap, but instead rented a boat with a bunch of girls and went skiing for the first time ever. I even did a backflip off the boat (just to prove that I really AM still young and hip.... or something...).
There came a point that night when I hit the wall though. I pretty much knew that if I didn't go to bed right then, I was either going to get really mean or be reduced to tears over nothingness. So, off to bed I went, followed by Jenna, where I feel asleep in the middle of a conversation. =)

Cory:

well, as it happens, i stayed up most of the night last night. sadly, no Ladies/80s, but i helped a friend move some furniture and talked, then i went home stayed up watching movies on AMC with way too many commercial breaks. i just can't not watch Stargate...

my coping techniques are going to be drinking lots of water, and since it's friday, i might put some music on at work. i will probably hit the breakroom coffee machine a few times too.


Rachel:

I got 2.5 hours of sleep on Monday morning after getting home from Manhattan at 2 a.m. My pals and I went to see David Bazan at the Bowery Ballroom. He didn't start until 11 p.m.! That's late for us old people! The show was super awesome, and it was totally worth exhaustion throughout the next day. We drank coffee on the car ride home and so I didn't get to sleep until 3:30. I was up by 6 to write more on my paper and to get to an 8:30 a.m. class. Woooo!

My stay-awake plan: drink lots of water, drink lots of green tea, don't rely on coffee, eat very little sugar and eat light meals. Sugar makes me get really tired. Oh - stretch a lot, too.

Lissie:

the last time i stayed up all night, or practically all night, was two thursdays ago for my cousin's bachelorette party. we got in and slept for about 3 hours before we were up and running for day-before-wedding festivities and prep.
the next day wasn't awful like going in to teach kindergarteners has been after an all nighter. i had enough shots of espresso and family drama to get me through the day. it was saturday that i paid the price. word to the wise: don't spend 8 hours walking around and dancing in 3 inch heels if you have to wear heels at all in the following week. your feet will hate you!


Kimi:

The last time I stayed up all night was last March. I had gone to see Dirty Dancing on stage in Chicago that day and then ended up talking in my friend's (now boyfriend's) apartment until about 6:30. This was a Saturday night. I do unfortunately work on Sunday mornings because I work at a church. So I drove straight from his apartment to my church which took about 1 hr due to the nasty road conditions. It was one of my busier days at work so I was running the entire time, but I remember very little of that day, except several kids telling me that I looked really really bad and asking me if I was sick. I got home from church around noon and then slept until 5:00PM, when I headed out with him again to see another movie.

Almost

Friday Five... a tad bit gimpy... 3 out of 5....

The Question:

tell me both of the things you don't want to put on your blog because 1) was too embarrassing and 2) was too awesome, but awesome only to you and you're afraid other people wouldn't get the significance.


The Answers:

Cory:
1. embarrassing: I wore a full suit last week because i had an interview. i got this suit when i was a senior in high school. that's been 10 years ago. the pants are extremely tight now. all day i would have to take bathroom breaks every 20 minutes because there wasn't enough room for me and my breakfast/lunch in my pants. ugh.
2. awesome: at the ladies/80s last night, i was dancing up on the stage, and girls came up to dance with me (and others). it was really cool, but i didn't really know what to do after that because i really wasn't after the girls, i was just there to have fun. ha.

Lissie:
1. embarrassing: this one is a little tricky. i usually block embarrassing things out. but after sitting here and mulling it over for a bit, i guess i'll just come out with it: i might as well face it, i'm addicted to love. bwahahah. no, that's not it. but once i typed "i'm addicted" it just had to follow. i'm addicted to sex and the city! some of you are likely shocked...understandably. at one time, i would have said this would never happen and because of that i'm slightly embarrassed. however, i accidentally ended up with all 5 seasons on my computer and after catching an episode on tbs, my interest was piqued.
while my feelings on some of the things going on are firmly "NO!" and i find myself constantly pausing to ask chris if he thinks people really live like this, i am delighted by the friendship the girls share (reminding me of some of my closest girls), find myself constantly laughing at the accurate portrayal of female neurosis and am touched by carrie's genuineness. she's a real girl, struggling with choices and issues, who usually wraps up the episode with a true sentiment that gives me hope about life and people.
2. awesome: this too was tricky but that's cause i kept thinking of awesome things that i meant to blog about but didn't. that i would have blogged ixnays them from the category.
i guess the most awesome thing that people might not get is that chris and i have been openly annoying/frustrating each other a little. it's awesome because it represents depth and familiarity that comes with time in a relationship. we're learning how to talk through things (me saying "you're BOTHERING me!!" or him just saying "this makes me mad") without letting it fester. and, best of all, we've never said goodbye without ultimate sighs of contentment and reassurances of feelings. i never knew that i'd think of issues in a relationship as awesome but i do.

Kimi:
1. embarrassing: I have been experimenting with fiber intake lately so as to help in weight loss and possibly regulate myself even more. I have now had two attempts with major fiber dosages. As it turns out, fiber apparently has the opposite effect on me as it does on most people. Not pleasant. Apparently, my body is just too used to the intake of junk to handle "good" stuff.
2.awesome: my instructor talked with me last night after my shared lesson with my partner with Ray Rivers, and said that he had heard that most of the lesson was focused on my partner. He asked how it felt to have passed up my partner's skill level in so little time. Potentially dangerous information, but nice to have the complement.

Friday

what sort of office pranks are viable where you work?

• I am not sure yet. I am still too new. But here is an odd and interesting factoid: I was given a project today to choreograph a routine for a lawn mower precision drill team. Weird.

do you feel like sand sculptures are a waste of time? why or why not?

• A waste of my time, certainly. I don't have the patience or the desire to craft one, but I do enjoy them when I see them.

seen any good movies lately?

• I enjoyed most of August Rush and since that is the only movie I have watched in about six months, we'll go with that one.

what's something you've learned recently that contradicts what you've always believed?

• I am not in any hurry to have children of my own. Odd, I know.

name three items of food you would definitely not like to be:

• Water Chestnut. Too Bland.
• Jalapeno. The only people I know who like Jalapenos are annoying. I don't want to attract those kind of people.
• String Beans. They are limp and I don't think I look very good in green.

what's the oddest animal you've ever had in your mouth?

• Squid. Sorry not too adventurous.

Five

brought to you by cory...

are you sweet on Tim?

• How many times have I told you no? He is married, has two children, and is much older than I am. I talk about him a lot because he is associated closely with the thing that makes me happiest. He is an amazing dancer and makes me laugh. I learn a great deal from him. The closest comparison I have for you is like being star struck with a celebrity.
• Cory, I have told you about another interest, maybe you and I could talk about that sometime.

what's something people don't know about you, but they should?

• I am absolutely terrified of walking alone at night, anywhere. If it is to my car in a parking lot, or to my dorm room, whatever. I avoid it at all costs.

"would you, could you in a box? would you, could you with a fox?" what do you think Dr. Seuss was trying to say with this line?

• I am pretty sure Dr. Seuss was making a comment about conservation with this particular line in "Green Eggs in Ham". As Sam is trying to convince the main character to experience something new and wonderful (substitute with some type of technology) Dr. Seuss is trying to remind the reader to find a way to help conservation and progress coexist.

rank in order of best stress relief: dancing, hitting a pillow, punching the heavy bag, driving whilst singing, going for a walk

1. Dancing (Imagine that)
2. Driving Whilst Singing
3. Going for a walk
4. Hitting a pillow
5. Punching the heavy bag

what's do you think God's been teaching you this week?

• I have been way beyond stressed this past week because of money issues and time issues and just being afraid that I wouldn't be able to do my job. God has been proving his presence in small ways this week. I got a break at the gas pump when I needed it. I have had lots of positive feedback already about my ideas at the church. I have had some great dance classes this week which have helped to majorly de-stress. The best one was on Wednesday. Silver Swing with John. He is so funny and makes me laugh. I also danced really well and got a compliment from another great dancer. God is helping me to remember that He is there and will not leave me despite the stress.

Stress

oddest at work conversation:

• Bonnie: So who do you dance with?
• Me: My instructor, Tim Dustin. He is incredible. He has more cuban motion than any woman.
• Bonnie (to others entering the office): Kim's partner is a little light in the loafers.
• Me: He is not gay.
• Bonnie: Sure.
• Me: He's married and has two children.
• Bonnie: So was I.

Yeee-ikes.

do people ever put their hands on your thighs while they are talking to you to emphasize a point? how weird does that make you feel on a scale of 1 - freak out?

• depends on the person.... i know scandalous. The average joe, not so much = 2. Old people. Yes. Always = Freak Out.

does Rachel Ray's scarf make you hungry for duncan donuts? it sure does for me!

• Um, no. My first thought without reading the attached article was that it reminded me of a dead animal. So. yeah.

who wants to get together and have a sibling swim-fest sometime soon?

• Swim fest? No thanks. I am going to do my best to steer clear of a swim suit this summer. Anything else though, I am game.

best-worst idea ever:
a) rocket chair
b) shotgun weddings
c) vaporizer (did you all get shocked as many times as i did when you were kids?)
d) spandex - I am a dancer. I love spandex, even though it looks horrible on everyone.



Yup, tomorrow at 2:00 PM. I will be dancing in public for the first time ever. Scary. Trying hard not to panic.

Questions

now that you're in the "real world" what is something you don't want to lose sight of? what did you want to put before you caved to what you should put?

• I feel an enormous burden has been lifted. I have more time and more money, so it is difficult for me to think about what I might lose sight of right now. The should answer is probably making sure I make time for reading my bible everyday. The real answer is making sure I take as much time as possible to dance. I have not gone as much lately as I did when I was working at Borders. Ironic, I know.

long weekend, eh? got any plans?

• I am off today, tomorrow, Sunday evening, and Monday. Today I am visiting Jerry Ross because I promised the kids I would. Tomorrow I am watching all five Harry Potter movies. Sunday, I am working in the morning and taking a post-church nap, like we always used to. Monday I am beginning my goal of watching all of my movies alphabetically.

what's something you thought you would hate, but grew to love? what's something you thought you would love, but grew to hate?

• I thought I would hate Spinach, but I love Carrie's Spinach salads. I thought I would hate Purdue, but I grew to love it.
• I thought I would love tanning again, but I hate it. I used to love it. It was warm and quiet and the perfect place to think, and the burn was worth it. Now, the fan makes it cold, I don't like having twenty minutes of thinking time, and the burn is soo not worth it.

think fast: mascot uniform or sandwich board?

• Sandwich board. Do you remember my adventure in a mascot uniform? (Buddy) Yikes.

do you think you're better than me?

• Only in ballroom dancing. I go that specific, because I think you are better at all other types of dancing.

More

finish this sentence: with all the people talking about what they would change about their bodies, or the world or whatever, one thing i would absolutely not like to be changed is...

I sure do like the color of my hair and the expression in my eyes.



coolest country you're never going to go to:

a. Lichtenstein - i just like to say it.



what would you do for a klondike bar? EC. what does klondike even mean?

this makes me think of jeff dunham. "I'd kill you for a klondike bar." In all honesty, I wouldn't do much. Maybe open the freezer if there was already one in there. Mmm. I love those snickers things.




what do you think about most of the time?

sadly, 90% of the time I am thinking about dance. Either the people, the moves, the technique, the shoes, the dresses, whatever.



do you feel like you would ever be able to head-bang without the risk of serious injury?

Nope, headbanging=head injury




BONUS: where/who/what do you want to be in 3/7 years?

In three-sevenths of a year. I would like to be in Michigan on the beach.

Five

what are you new job duties going to be?

• Essentially, I will facilitate Sunday school for all ages and lead the children's ministry. There is a lot more involved, but that's the short version.

is there anything you will miss about Borders?

• I will miss the randomness. I liked seeing people all the time that I didn't expect to see and odd experiences.

when you get your own health insurance, do you think you'll go to the doctor a lot? i know i do!

• Go to the doctor sure, but I will likely not follow through on their orders for more work, cause that cost money, that I don't have.

did you jump up and down at all when you heard about the news?

• I did not jump. I was still bummed at the idea of not having insurance. I am only now beginning the jumping up and down process.

do you think we could have some hang out time this weekend? (read: are you dancing saturday night?)

• We could so have some hang-out time with Saturday night if you would coming back.

Five

Thanks Cory

what needs to be done sooner rather than later?

• I need to put my clean clothes into my closet, before they get dirty from being on the floor.

have you ever felt like if something didn't happen, you were going to lose it? tell me a short story, please.

• Very much how I felt as I was finishing student teaching, waiting for my grades. If I didn't pass, I was definitely going to lose it.

you have to go someplace outside of the states for 2 months. where are you going?

• Japan? I like the images I have seen in the big cities. Looks fun and energetic.
• Florence? Sappy romantic reasons.
• Morocco! To see what Cory saw.

remember when we drew landscapes on notebooks and then had an animal cracker safari in Jacki's class? wanna do that again sometime?

• Yes, I do. Badly. Though it would lack something without the dirty looks from Eric.

talk to me about what you're learning about yourself. 2 things, one funny, one serious, please.

• Serious - It matters too much to me to be good at something. I was starting to stress about dancing because I didn't feel like I was getting good enough, fast enough. I am much better now about that. I am also drastically much more of a girly-girl than I ever assumed.
• Funny - I am mildly obsessed with celebrity gossip now, due to my job at borders and the constant supply of trash magazines on the break table.