My Blog

A writing project (of sorts)

Joie — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 02:30:53 GMT

I've decided that for one week I will answer the LiveJournal Writer's Block question. For those not on LJ, when you log in to LJ you are brought to your home screen which has a daily question posted that is meant to give you something to write about if you are drawing a blank. Since the questions are on LJ I am posting my answers there. They will all be public posts so feel free to stop on in all week and see what's there. You can find it here: http://redbeka-rose.livejournal.com/ The first one has been done.

Dark Follies - Performers Wanted

Joie — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:19:35 GMT

Dark Follies will be an hour of outdoor live performance taking place September 5th, the night of Portland's First Friday Artwalk, from 8 - 9 pm in Monument Square sponsored by Gothic Maine. We wanted to create an opportunity to showcase the talents of performers from Maine's goth community and provide an a way to promote some of Gothic Maine's other events. We are looking for dancers, musicians, jugglers, magicians, fire performers and other performance artists. We have 5 minute slots available for performing. Because this is a public and open venue we do ask that performances be 'family friendly'. We will have live drummers providing music for dancers. We hope to make this a regular First Friday Artwalk event beginning in next Spring and running through the Summer. So if you are interested but we are unable to fit you in this time around, there will be future opportunities. Becasue this is a free event, we can't offer $$ but you will get a pass good for one night of free entrance to Plague!!! Send me a message or email me at jgrandbois (at) gwi (dot) net.

Immoratals - Tomorrow night!

Joie — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 15:38:58 GMT

This promises to be a night of wonderfully dark entertainment. I will be performing in two pieces during the first dance set tomorrow evening. The first is a solo as the Vengeful Venus, the second is ghoulish group piece called "3AM"... Selcouth THE IMMORTALS: a night of Dark Devilry and Ritual Dance Friday, November 30th, 2007 9 PM to 1 AM Plague at The Asylum 21 Center Street, Portland, ME featuring: AudioblacK DJ Shivar spins Industrial/Goth/EBM performances by PV-Scene * Naya's Trance * Vivid Motion * Ximon * Sanguine * Whistlebait Burlesque * Lord Byron * Atomic Trash * Goldie Peacock * Selcouth 21+ $8.00 at the door, $6.00 in appropriate attire details at gothicmaine.com and myspace.com/lord_byron2000 Check out the sweet flier art created by Sanguine!! Hope to see you there!!

The Immortals - Nov. 30th @ Asylum

Joie — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 02:55:45 GMT

Selcouth (that's me) will be performing a solo piece and joining in a group piece later in the evening. Join us for a night of dark dancing! If you miss it you will be very sad and full of much regret!! (and yeah, for those that don't recognize me upside down with a demon on my chest...that is me)

my first....

Joie — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 03:27:13 GMT

...sleeve. Those that know me and know my craftiness may be surprised at this but tonight, I just sewed my first sleeve. Yes, that's right, my first sleeve. I was a bit anxious about it but it went pretty well. Let's hope that the second sleeve goes just as nicely. FYI - I am also sewing my first ever choli...

Top too small

Joie — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 11:11:52 GMT

Ack! So I stitched together the beginnings of the new dance top I am making and tried it on for fit (it doesn't have sleeves yet) and it is waaaaaaaaaaay too small. I am going to see if I can talk some one into giving me a ride to Joann's during lunch today so i can pick up some more fabric. I can at least get the pieces recut tonight and then just sew it all together on Saturday.

Bufo 01/1997 - 10/20/2007

Joie — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 18:59:10 GMT

Bufo Named after a toad who ate marshmallows (and bugs). Biddy Bufo... Baby kitten who climbed out of the box. Fit in the pocket of my overalls. Beat up on Orange, then twice your size. You leaped over furniture in a single bound. Purred so loud it could be heard all the way across the apartment. Sat in my lap only until you discovered that other people had hands too (I was so jealous). We knew you would not stop growing until you fit your ears (you finally stopped at 18 pounds). Everything cute we called 'Bufo' Brat-cat... Stealer of the warm spot. Chittered at us when we moved you on the couch. Bed hog and alarm clock. Ate all my herbs tied so neatly to dry (and then promptly threw them up). Chewed your way into a box of oatmeal and rolled it all over the house. There was not a food dish you didn't love if it was full. How you complained when your box was not clean enough and always first in the fresh litter box. Bufarodimus... Knighted in secret by the Queen of Cats. Mighty killer of bugs...no insect survived your wrath, not even the hornet that stung you (you ate it too), Defender of the home, Neighborhood watch cat. Scared off a thug with your feline growl, You growled at thunder when it got too close. You feared nothing, and even watched the fireworks with us. When you saw the birds the last time you still threatened to eat them. Silver tiger, living in a house cat. Bea-u-tee-ful Bufo... Feline flirt. You could sing, and talk. Meeeeeeeeeeeeeooooooooooow....that means “Lap. NOW!” Cat with a smile. You made everyone feel you loved only them. Every lap was the best... Your slow eyes said “I love you” better than any human words. Gentle paw in the morning, a claw caress of my cheek, “Love me?” How you loved to be brushed, you'd be bald if we didn't stop. Bufo... I knew we would lose you when your smile left, when even tuna could not entice you to eat, when you no longer wanted to chase grass, and you didn't complain when I moved you. I am angry that we didn't have more time. but the time we had will have to be enough... I will miss you always my beautiful, baby Bufo, I hope one day we will meet again.

Frustration

Joie — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 16:31:21 GMT

Well, I have to change my music for my solo, not because I can't work with it, but because it is just too long and there really isn't a way to cut it down without it sounding...um...like crap. So I am looking for a new piece. I think I have found one, a remix from Malcolm Mclaren's Paris. I can work with it. I really wanted to use Club Narcisse but it might not be appropriate for the showcase...anyway, I will keep looking. Need to find some thing by the end of this week so that I can have enough time to feel comfortable with it.

Dance

Joie — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 11:12:31 GMT

The choreography for my solo ran into a wall of frustration the other day. It wasn't a big wall, I climbed over it, but for a bit I felt like I had come to a dead end and it just wasn't going to work. I thought I would have to choose a different piece of music. So I did what I do when a piece of writing hits a bump. I walked away from it. I let it sit for a few days. I didn't listen to it, I tried not to think about it. When I was doing drills at home I used music that was not even close in style or rhythm. Then last night on the way home from work I listened to it again. My ears had changed I think because I heard it differently. Instead of hearing the music, the melody, the beats, I heard the story in it. This has made all the difference.

Choreography

Joie — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 23:22:33 GMT

I have begun work on the choreography for my solo piece in November. The music is being a tease and revealing itself to me slowly. When first heard the piece I knew wanted to dance to it and even then there were certain spots in the music that just said, "Do this!" Other parts are changing each time I play the music and dance to it. Sometimes a new bit falls into place, other times I think of something totally knew and interesting to do. The only obstacle I am running into is space. I am practicing in my tiny dining room and this music, it calls for big moves. I don't want to be in one place, I want to travel about the room. This is not easy in a small dining room, especially since one of my steps takes me nearly a third of the way across the room. I am trying to think of a large enough space that I can practice in. Perhaps one of the conference rooms at work....hmmmm, now that just might work!

Photos and Poems

Joie — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 11:13:48 GMT

Some new photos and poems have been uploaded to my deviantart page: http://joiegrandbois.deviantart.com/

4 minutes 26 seconds

Joie — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 14:13:27 GMT

Today, I just wanted to say, "hello", but you were doing laundry and I am not as interesting as cotton. Folded neatly, stacked, warm from the dryer. Sorry for the interruption.

Dance Video

Joie — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 00:25:54 GMT

Well, my dad gave me a copy of the video he took at MPPD on Saturday. I watched both of the performances and while I am okay with my performance, there is much to improve on the biggest thing being my posture. I really have to pay attention because I have a lifelong habit of slouching to try to hide my height and it showed in my dancing. Overall you could certainly tell I am new at this but I at least have some idea of what I was doing. There is always room to grow right? Anyway, I am going to try to figure out how to post it to YouTube. Might be a bit before I figure that out.

A new creation

Joie — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 21:52:12 GMT

I have posted pictures of the fingerless gloves that I made. They were inspired by the antique glass buttons that I bought at an antique store in Peterborough, NH. They are late 1800's glass buttons. The lace at the cuff I crocheted from a turn of the century pattern book, the rest was freehand crochet (no pattern) I wore them performing for the first time yesterday and they held up very well.

Dancing at Maine Pagan Pride Day 2007

Joie — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 13:08:24 GMT

Yesterday I danced with Aepril Schaile (http://www.aeprilschaile.com/) and Sanguine to two songs played by the local Pagan band Freakwitch (http://www.freakwitch.net/) at Maine Pagan Pride Day. A friend sent me a couple of photos of me dancing. I am pretty sure they were taken during the second song...but can't be positive. I think I was really getting into the music since my eyes are closed. Anyway, I had a lot of fun! I have other friends who took pictures and videos. I will post more soon if I can.

Adelaide

Joie — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 11:27:01 GMT

It is now out there for all to see... http://joiegrandbois.deviantart.com/art/Adelaide-62452250

Hair

Joie — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 11:44:56 GMT

I am hoping to get my hair cut tonight...it has been two years and I am ready for a change. If I can't get an appointment at about 6:00 I should be able to swing it...

Solo Piece

Joie — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 15:50:59 GMT

I looked through the online catalogue at the PPL and found about ten selections that might have music I would use for my dance piece. It has to have a lonely, small town, mourning kind of feel. Most what looks promising are collections of funeral music or mourning songs from various periods. I want it to have a quietness to it. No funeral marches or the like.

Dance

Joie — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 10:58:57 GMT

One of my personal goals for the year is to choreograph and perform my own solo dance piece. I had been looking for a piece of music to work with but, though there were several that interested me, I was having trouble finding one. I was getting frustrated. While laying in bed the other night, stubbornly fighting insomnia, I had a moment of inspiration. I found an idea that I wanted to work with, something that interests and inspires me. An idea that I want to convey through dance. I am not ready to reveal what that is yet, and I still need to find a piece of music that fits, but I at least feel like I have more direction.

Zombies

Joie — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 11:35:42 GMT

I am thinking how cool it would be to have a contingent of Zombies at the August 25th Kennebunkport protest. http://www.kportprotest.org/ I have no idea how I would organize this but it would be fun. A zombie walk within a march would be a lot of fun.

Computer totally dead

Joie — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 13:33:14 GMT

This weekend our computer officially passed on. The motherboard is fried and it would cost about as much as a new computer to replace it. Sigh. Thankfully our hard drive is okay. I am computerless for at least several weeks while we save the funds to purchase a new one. So don't expect much posting here. While I can access from work it won't be nearly as often.

Rain

Joie — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 11:33:08 GMT

A weeks of showers and rain! I love summer rain, the air is breathable and everything feels so cozy.

Stuff

Joie — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 20:59:10 GMT

I had the best night out in a long time on Friday night. I went to Plague at the Asylum with a new friend and I had a blast. I met a ton of cool people and I danced, danced, danced. I got so into the music, which was all good too (well, for the most part). I can't believe I waited so long to go out. I plan to again this Friday and it will likely be a regular event for me, though not every week. I wish I had taken pictures of what I wore because I rather liked my outfit. Oh well, maybe next week. The computer is working much better now and I was able to recover the desktop files and my emails that were lost. Though I am still having trouble locating the address book files. It was rather easy actually once I found the instructions on how to locate the files. HB said I was the Jesus of PC recovery, I said, "I just know how to Google well". Today I am going to sort through some clothes and get my winter items stored away. I have a bunch of clothes I don't wear anymore as well. Most will likely be donated somewhere. Some writing is in order too. This rainy day has me inspired.

The weekend

Joie — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 11:05:16 GMT

The weekend was great. It began with my train ride to Boston. I didn't get any crochet done as I was too busy looking out the window. I had a wonderful visit with my friend S on Saturday afternoon and evening. We went to see 1048 (which was good) and we stayed up very late chatting about Lost, life and tarot. She was gracious enough on Sunday to accompany me on the bus to the theatre where the workshop was so I would not get lost. Shimmy in the Shadows was great. The workshop was great though I had picked not so great material for my veil. It was heavier than silk and so was more difficult to work with. I hope to get a silk veil sometime soon. Bills first though! I met Roxanne, who would be giving me a ride home after the hafli, at the workshop. The dancing at the hafli was very good, some was incredible. There is so much talent here in New England. There were wonderful vendors and of course I did some shopping. I spent more than I intended but it was worth it. I met up with my ride home and we ate at a Chinese restaurant where met some more wonderful people before heading back to Maine. The trip back was an adventure. I am an awful co-pilot and we got totally lost and ended up all the way back in Cambridge. We finally found 93 and then we were chatting so intently that we completely missed the turn off for 95 and ended up in Manchester so we took 101 back rather than turn around. I got home around 10:00 but it was worth it as I made a new friend. I was still very tired Monday and Tuesday but I slept in yesterday and took a nap and managed to get myself to bed by 11:00 so I feel pretty good today. I am trying to quite caffeine again so that likely also added to my fatigue. I am finally going to attend Plague this Friday. I have been wanting to go but my inner shy-girl always got the better of me. Now I don't have to go alone. Should be fun.

Some days...

Joie — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 01:13:28 GMT

...when I am in my bellydance class, I feel very, very, very, tall. I think it's the mirror...if I couldn't see myself towering over everyone, I wouldn't be so self conscious about it.