Partly because of recent online discussions, and partly because of how I'm beginning to feel about dancing, I decided that I want a name. A dance name, that is. It feels a little bit silly to have one when I'm not only not professional, but still far from performing. But then again, I am putting more time into dancing this year, and I like the idea of naming that part of my life, perhaps only as a way of thinking about how to integrate it into my normal life.

I knew it had to be from Persian (the Middle Eastern language which most fascinates me, although I know exactly three words in it), so I looked on an online list of Persian women's names, and found "Atisheh." It means fire (or at least "atish" does), and since the Turkish word from fire is the same, I have a two for one. I like the sound of it, first of all, and I like what it represents -- the kind of passion I would like to bring into every aspect of my life.

So, I'm giving it a try. Let's see how this goes.