Old thoughts in my head....

Oct 13: next session of Tribal Style Level 1 in Fairbanks Alaska

Altaira — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:44:26 GMT

The next session of Tribal Style Level 1 Level classes starts in just one day and ONE WEEK from today! Register and pay at least a week in advance and get $10 off the registration fee: ALL STUDENTS MUST START AT LEVEL ONE. It is crucial that you learn the posture, fundamental steps and philosophy of Group Improv which is taught at Level 1. MOST students repeat Level 1 at least once before being moved to the next Level, and many students repeat it 3 or 4 times. Next session of Tribal Fundamentals - Level 1: Tribal Steps and Posture will begin October 13, 2009 at our new location, Space for Movement Studio in downtown Fairbanks, AK. TIME: Tuesdays, 8-9:15pm FEE: $80 per 6 week session For more about the class, please visit our website http://tribalwallah.net/

"Space for Movement Studio" opening soon!

Altaira — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 06:24:45 GMT

I am opening studio primarily for belly dance in Fairbanks. More about this in my personal off tribe blog here: http://www.perlgurl.net/blog/?p=57 Finding a name seems to have been the hardest part thus far. We are located in a historic building that was "Tommy's Elbow Room" for a long time, and there is s neon sign with the name "Elbow Room" that will remain outside the building for historic reasons. I tried to come up with something original to name my studio but in the long run, we are incorporating the "Elbow Room" Because what is "elbow room? It is room for movement! So, we are "Space for Movement Studio" That took so long. I am really happy I figured out the name. Now for all the other things to do before September 1! This should be up no later than tomorrow and has a splash page: http://www.SpaceforMovementStudio.com (or .net, or .org, I bought all three).

My new blog, and PC software for slurping tribe posts?

Altaira — Tue, 26 May 2009 22:29:15 GMT

My new blog is at http://www.perlgurl.net/blog/ - first official post "Weekend Update, Sonic Screwdrivers, sunburnt tattoo and skeeter bites" Will be moving all my tribe blogs there....though I am currently trying to find a PC solution for slurping all my tribe posts instead of the manual solution. Any suggestions??

Fun things for the weekend!

Altaira — Fri, 22 May 2009 19:11:55 GMT

Trying to get thru the workday, really just waiting for the weekend to start! Friday night is time with hubby, Sci Fi Saturday with friends, Sonic ScrewDrivers & Dr Who. Then I am taking a Kayaking class on Sunday. And a whole day off from work on on Monday! Should be fun. Oh, and my daughter turns 21 this weekend. How weird is that??

it's all shiny captain, or a few word about my new zills

Altaira — Tue, 19 May 2009 20:18:14 GMT

It’s been more than 4 year since I referred to my zills as the GOD DAMN ZILLS and while I don’t hate them anymore, it is still not 100% natural for me to play and dance to anything other than triplets or beledi. So, I got my very own Jim Boz Signature Zills! Get them for yourself from here: http://www.jimbozsignaturefingercymbals.com/ I bought them from someone on tribe, thinking that 1) I adore Jim Boz for what is in his brain, and for what he does with his body (the way he moves it you naughty people!) and 2) that I need to get better at zilling and though that a pretty new pair of zills might encourage me to practice more…. They arrived last night, and I realized just from the little bit of practice I did that my left hand is LAZY and doesn’t make very pretty zilling noises. Time to practice!!

Tired....

Altaira — Mon, 18 May 2009 20:07:18 GMT

Midnight sun is messing up my circadian rhythms. Can't get to bed before midnight, and as someone who needs her 8 hours of rest, I overslept yet again this morning. It is not even the lack of complete blackout curtains confusing me, the DAYLIGHT in my living room at 11pm has my system all confused!! I do enjoy the daylight and the lovely days of Spring, but it will take some time to get used to this new pattern and I think some Melatonin is in my near future to get me to drift to sleep earlier....

Life is short

Altaira — Mon, 18 May 2009 18:59:00 GMT

Hubby emailed me just before the end of the workday on Friday and told me a co-worker had died at her desk. She was still relatively young, he thinks no more than 30, but noted she was morbidly obese and every time he was in her office he could hear her wheezing. Sad :(

Sleeping in the Land of the Midnight Sun

Altaira — Sun, 17 May 2009 06:57:00 GMT

I am really finding out that living in the land of the midnight sun means wearing sleep masks if I want to get to sleep before 2am, because really, it is still bright outside at midnight! Last night we were up until nearly 2am, and it is 11pm and we are still up, putzing around the house and I feel like I should be doing something....besides sleeping that is :) Must figure out how to cover windows in tin foil, or obtain more/better blackout curtains.....

Stupid, or Steampunk-esh?

Altaira — Fri, 15 May 2009 18:05:43 GMT

This is the best I could come up with on such short notice. I love the neckline on the red dress (It is actually a knee length dress that is kind of 50ish is fit through the torso). And while you cannot tell from this photo, this black 25 yard skirt is bustled in the back which makes it look really nice from the sides and the back. Also, looking at this I think the black shiny faux corset thing needs to go. I have a WIDE black belt that I can wear that looks corset-ish that I think would look better. The SHINY is just too much I think! Hubby plans to wear his kilt. Not exactly Steampunk, but ALWAYS SEXY :)

Steampunk help, 3 days to figure out!

Altaira — Wed, 13 May 2009 20:31:06 GMT

So, I have been invited to go to a wedding reception this Friday, and the bride would like Steampunk costumes worn. It sounds like it is very likely she and I might be the only ones wearing them, so I don't need to go all out (something I tend to do too often), but I need some ideas! I don't have any time to sew between now and then, so I need to use what I have. I do have Tribal Style Belly Dance, pirate and ren fair costuming, star trek and star wars, plus random other bits and peices so I am sure I can put something together but I could use any suggestions you might have. I have some simple black boots that tie. So, at least the shoes are covered! Stripey tights/legging, with a big skirt, but what skirt would be best? I don't have any Victorian looking bustle skirts, but I have 25 yard skirts that I can "bustle". I have a black bodice that is a pseudo corset, or a maroon corduroy bodice that is more ren fair like. Pirate ships with flouncy sleeves. Not sure about a hat, I have Rocky Horror Hats for Trannies (glitter dot, either gold or red), but not a top hat. I have snow goggles, but no aviator ones. Suggestions?? And in anticipation of starting to re-watch the new Dr Who from Season 1 this weekend for our Sci Fi Saturday gatherings, I decided this Steampunk Dalek was very appropriate :)

What not to see

Altaira — Wed, 06 May 2009 22:40:21 GMT

I am a fan of zombie movies, and even like bad ones. Shaun of the Dead is one of my top 3 zombie movies, and I was hoping this one (The Signal) would be another in the same vein. It is bad. It has a few moments of ‘could be great’ (fuzzy pink sweater serving drinks), but it was bad. Makes me glad I also DRINK a lot while watching zombie movies. Oh well, at least I have a few new ideas on how to kill zombies after this movie though :)

Happiness.

Altaira — Wed, 06 May 2009 17:49:54 GMT

My daughter called last night. Just to talk, and say she loved me and wish me an early Happy Mother’s Day since she didn’t think she would have access to a phone this weekend. I will bask in this happiness now… And, many many thanks for all your supporting comments my friends :)

Sunday is Mother's Day?

Altaira — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:30:36 GMT

Sunday is Mother's Day, and my daughter is 4700 miles away. AND someone not in my family had to remind me that is was nearly Mother's Day. What kind of MOM am I?? A sad one for sure!

Solace, on Pandora Radio

Altaira — Mon, 04 May 2009 23:23:09 GMT

Forgot my ipod at home today, and my normal web radio wasn't working, so I thought I would try Pandora: http://www.pandora.com/ Pretty happy to find Solace on there, and now I just wonder what other tunes they plan to play for me :)

Find happiness in the small things

Altaira — Mon, 04 May 2009 06:15:10 GMT

Call me odd, but even though we had a great performance on Friday night, Saturday we worked on cleaning up the yard, and Sunday we took a nice 1.5 hour walk that just about made me pass out (too much sun for this girl), I think the highlight of my weekend is my 'new' bike. It was quite the find at the transfer station this weekend, and with a little TLC from hubby, it will be awesome! I love this slower paced life :)

Farewell to Mac-n-cheese

Altaira — Fri, 01 May 2009 00:22:12 GMT

This was the last pan of homemade Mac-n-cheese I made last weekend. I LOVE the taste of my Mac-n-cheese, but after just one serving of this, I have definitely figured that there is such a thing as ‘too much of a good thing’, when that good thing is cheese. One of the few things I know how to cook, it seems I can no longer eat. So, I must now say goodbye to my fabulous homemade Mac-n-cheese. So long old friend. Time to find a new comfort food!!

I am woman, hear me ....groan???

Altaira — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 19:50:10 GMT

I am tired this morning. Knees hurt, body aches, and overall i am feeling a bit old this morning. Too many nights of dance practice this week to prep for the show tomorrow is starting to wear on me!

Nom Nom, Vanilla Almond Milk!

Altaira — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:04:23 GMT

This is MUCH better than the plain. Over the weekend the last of the dairy products have been cooked into fabulous mac and cheese (sadly based on how I felt all weekend from eating that fabulous dish, it does look like dairy is a problem for Joyce!) and I think that other than butter, we are dairy free at home. It is rather interesting that it took nearly a month to get all the dairy out of the fridge (I hate to waste and couldn't bring myself to just throw away food). So, its been a month since it was recommended that I drop dairy (among other things), and I am just now getting started. I have dropped 5lbs (finally!) without adding anything to my regular routine so I am feeling hopeful. And I don't plan to completely eliminate dairy, yet, but by not having it on hand I am far less likely to eat it :)

Tribal Wallah invites you to Join Us at this Community Student Recital

Altaira — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 03:27:02 GMT

Tundra Caravan invites you to "Cymbal Salaam" Community Middle Eastern Dance Recital on Friday, May 1st @ 7:30pm - Pioneer Park Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts theater (Civic Center theater) Tickets can be purchased in advance at Grassroots Guitar, Hoitt's, from local dance MED teachers or at the door. General $12 Student/Military (with ID) $10 Children 12 & Under $6 Not only will Tundra Caravan and it's student troupe be performing at this recital, but other local dance troupes and classes will be showcased as well. This includes Tundra Caravan & Tundra Caravan student troupe directed by Souzana & Chandani, Cold Fusion directed by Mary Haley, Tribal Wallah students taught by Joyce Young, Alaska Awalim students taught by Lara Lotze, Raks Amaal students taught by Chandani (aka Teresa Ortego), Raks Souzana and UAF students taught by Susan Chapa (Souzana) as well as solos by troupe directors and teachers. It will surely be a mesmerizing evening for all! Hope to see you there!

Pictures from Palmer Weekend Workshop Halfa

Altaira — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 06:37:04 GMT

Pictures posted from the entire trip on my website here: http://www.perlgurl.net/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=122 Feel free to grab pictures you like and post at will!

Raindrops in Alaska?

Altaira — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 01:33:44 GMT

I never considered that we would go from winter to spring with rain in Alaska, but as I walked out of work today to go to dance class, it was raining. Drizzling would be a better description, nonetheless, it really startled me to find it wet outdoors! Guess I always picture Alaska as winter (cold, and snowy) or with the Sacred Summer everyone tells me about and that you see featured in all the tourist pictures. I just moved away from the land of never ending rainstorms so you might think would upset me, but it’s actually a nice little surprise :)

Betty, the Broken Belly Bus

Altaira — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 21:15:43 GMT

Betty, aka the Belly Bus (and in some circles she is known as the “Imperial Shuttle”), broke down on the way home from Palmer. Bummer way to end an otherwise GREAT weekend! I’ll blog on that later….with pictures too! We had stopped in Nenana, in the ‘home stretch’ just an hour short of being home, with plenty of time to let Liz pick up her car and for us to get to Hindi class at Rachel’s by 7pm, but when we got back in the car, the battery light came on. At first I didn’t think TOO much of it since I drive a FORD (which are known for electrical problems) and since I have owned this van I have had check engine and ABS lights flash on and off at me intermittently without due cause (when these warning lights came on in the ‘early years’ of owning the van, I would have taken the van in to be checked but quickly learned it was just wonky wiring). However, as I continued driving, the needle on the RPM meter started jumping around erratically, and I could feel that my vehicle was driving oddly. By the time we were 15 minutes away from Nenana, I could hear clicking, more lights on the dash started flashing and I could feel that my vehicle was slowing. Then, as I pulled towards the little bit of shoulder there was, it just stopped. Tried to turn it over with no luck. Even the clock light was dead! It was like all the sci fi movies where the vehicle looses power and then a UFO comes down from the sky. I half expected Liz and I to have a close encounter : ) So, sitting on the side of the road, not power enough to let the emergency lights on. Liz and I wonder what to do. Fortunately we were in one of the 3 spots between Nenana and Fairbanks that had cell reception, and even more fortunately Liz had a cell phone so we called my husband first so he could start driving towards us. Then we called my emergency roadside service to get the vehicle towed. Note to you folks in the Lower 48 – it is entirely possible to not be in or anywhere near a town when one is on a ‘highway’ in Alaska. This seems to be a difficult concept for the lady who was trying to get us a tow truck: “Hello, what are your nearest cross streets?” “I am on AK3, aka the Parks Highway, about 15 minutes North of Nenana, and 45 minutes south of Fairbanks” “What town are you in?” “There is not a town. I cannot even see a mile marker. We are on a 2 lane highway called Alaska #3, also referred to as the Parks Highway. “ “Can you walk out on the road to find a mile marker?” “No, I don’t think it is safe to walk out to find a marker. There is barely a shoulder for my vehicle to sit on. And there are cars and trucks driving very fast by my vehicle” “So, what town are you in?? Are you in Fairbanks?” Sigh. Liz notes to me while I am having this frustrating discourse that she can see a mile marker but can’t read it due to the distance. I remember I had binoculars in the gear box in my vehicle so Liz clambers through the van to get them out, in hopes that she will be able to read the sign before I get off the phone. Sadly my binocular are not as nice as Liz’s and she had some trouble getting them focused before the lady got off the phone with me, so we could not tell her that we were located just before mile marker 324. After 15 minutes on the phone with this lady, she tells us a tow truck driver is coming and should be there in 45 minutes. At this point I figure my hubby has been on the road for 15 minutes, so Liz and I have at least 30 more minutes before our help arrives. First thing I do is don my survival gear (boots and a jacket) as I had been wearing very inappropriate clothing for breaking down in Alaska, and Liz preps the cookies and candy bars for immediate snacking. We also take inventory of our food so we can be sure we will survive until help arrives. We calculate we can live at least 3 days between all the stuff I had in my cooler from the workshop, and the treats we have picked up at the gas station before we broke down, after which time we will have to resort to cannibalism. We also agree that of the two of us I am more likely to survive. We phone and text both Mary and Rachel to let them know we would be missing Hindi, then we start to wonder what had happened to the vehicle. My husband mentioned he thought it might be the serpentine belt so we popped the hood and look. Belt is totally fine, and as we stand on the side of the road, we start attracting attention and at least 4 vehicles pull over to offer assistance but we tell them we have help on the way. Fortunately everyone that stopped was a nice person and no psychos looking to murder belly dancers were out on the road yesterday evening, at least not in our location! Hubby shows up around 7:15pm, and as summer is approaching, there was still plenty of light. He promptly assesses the situation, noting that I do not have flares or emergency cones, and gets his cones out to place on the road at an appropriate distance about ½ mile away (unlike me, who would have put a cone on top of my van, and another about 50 feet away). He wants to stay until the tow truck arrives, so we agree to give it 15 minutes. We wait for the time, and still no tow truck, so we agree to yet another 15 minutes. A State Trooper also stops and makes sure we are ok, and that we have a tow coming because he told us they tend to quickly impound vehicles that get abandoned in order to keep the roads clear for the snow plows. At this point we have been stranded on the side of the road for close to 2 hours, I am starting to get hungry for something besides cookies chips and possible “rack of Liz”, and need to get to civilization for a bathroom break. Though not happy, hubby agrees that we can leave, and after a short 40 minute drive we drop off Liz around 8:30, and I finally made it home around 10pm Sunday night after a nice Thai dinner with my hubby. Once we get home I call the tow company that was supposed to pick up my van, and am sadden to hear that the Belly Bus was still parked somewhere on Alaska Highway #3 because the first tow truck driver could seem to find it even though we told them it was about 15 minutes north of Nenana. I call back my road side service, and after a ‘short’ 10 minute long conversation much like the one noted above, another towing service was sent out to get the van. I call this tow dispatcher to ensure she had my phone and had a better idea where the van was, and once I described signs that we saw on the way back into town she said she didn’t think it would be a problem for the tow truck driver to find the vehicle (note, it was a bit odd to say “Yes, my car is south of Skinny Dicks” and be excited about said fact!). She tells me she will call me when the van gets picked up. Thirty minutes later she calls and says her driver has not picked it up, but he probably just has not got cell reception. It is now 11pm, and I tell he to please only call if they cannot find it. After a slightly restless night, I get up earlier than ever to hitch a ride to work, walk in the door before 8am, and my co-worker says the garage has already called about the van. Hooray for Parks Towing! They got the Belly Bus back to Fairbanks, and to the right shop. The sad thing is I took off 3 hours from work on Wednesday prior to the trip to take the Belly Bus in for a checkup. She had a good look-over and an oil change, but I don’t think they could have known this would happen so even preventative maintenance could not and did not save me from this incident! In short, I learned quite a lesson about vehicles breaking down in Alaska yesterday ...not exactly fun but it was an ADVENTURE and at least it was not -40 outside! I will be getting a cell phone before I go anywhere out of town again and will be sure to pay better attention to mile markers, just in case I break down ‘between towns’ again! Oh, and for the important part. It was the alternator which sadly will cost $553 , but the Belly Bus is already fixed and I will be picking her up after work!

iPods are monogamous??

Altaira — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:18:09 GMT

My iTunes has been asking me if I wanted to upgrade t the latest version for quite some time. I finally got tired of saying no, so I let it upgrade itself last weekend. Then, without thinking, I started importing my new music and added 5 new albums. When I went to go add these new albums to my various playlist, I noted that ALL my playlists and other music was GONE from iTunes!! Ack, ack, ack!! And of course this happen just before I am about to head out of town to go teach workshop where I need my iPod! I look on my PC, and the files are all still there, so I just have to tell iTunes to import all this music again. Then, I had to recreate all my playlists so that I would have them ready for classes this week. And everytime I would try to sync my iPod, it said it wanted to delete all the files currently on the iPod, and resync due to the fact that an IPod can only have a relationship with one iTunes (or visa versa) Who knew an IPod was so monogamous? Finally last night I finish the import of all my music into iTunes, and decided to be brave and go ahead an resync the iPod, hoping that it would work, and nothing would go wrong during the resync since I am heading out of town for a trip and need the iPod to provided music for the journey, and for teaching. Fortunately, it worked without any hiccups so it looks like the rest of the weekend will be a breeze. Too bad my packing for the trip ending up not getting done until about 9:30 this morning….and I was supposed to be to work at 9!

First Bellydance Field Trip in Alaska!

Altaira — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:51:35 GMT

The Belly Bus leaves tomorrow! I am heading down to Palmer AK, just outside of Anchorage this weekend for my first dancer field trip. Mary is already on her way down, and Liz and I are heading down to Palmer AK, just outside of Anchorage tomorrow after lunch. I am so excited to go on my first Field Trip in Alaska and am looking forward to meeting new dancers! I am co-teaching a workshop on Saturday and then Tribal Wallah is performing at the Hafla that night! Come see us! Workshop details: When: April 18 from 12:00 til 5:00 Where: Peak Fitness on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway in Palmer (behind Pizza Delphi) Why: To learn, brush up, or just embrace Improv Belly Dance Cost: $40.00 Hafla to follow at Turkey Red from 7:00 til 10:00 Please contact Amy Tucker at tribalkids@earthlink.net with questions on the workshop. See you Saturday :)

Slowly changing the things I eat

Altaira — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:38:42 GMT

At the recommendation of a new nutritionist, I am going to try to eliminate most dairy (not all, sorry Doctor, I love cheese way too much) , as well as my soy replacement. I have slowly been eliminating all the dairy in my fridge, and most recently ran out of Soymilk, so I tried Almond Breeze Original almond milk today with my cereal. I don’t hate it, but I don’t love it. Hopefully the vanilla is better!