Bloggity Blogs

Feeling Antsy

Hulamonster — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:47:57 GMT

I'm feeling really antsy right now. Like I've been missing out on something significant. Now that everyone is back from Burning Man, I've had the chance to look at recent photos and watch some hooping videos that inspire me (of course) but also make me feel like I should have been there. Life gets in the way of the things that you should be doing at times. I have a "regular" corporate office job. I also bought a house within the past year, and I started my own hooping business. All great things. I'm grateful and fortunate. But the responsibilities (and financial obligations that go along with them) make things difficult. I also have a limited amount of vacation time. I often say that I wish I had a clone so I could accomplish everything that I want to accomplish. And also, if I had a clone, I could be in two places at once. I watched a Burning Man documentary last night called "Burning Man - Beyond Black Rock City." It was insightful and beautiful. Last year, I said that '08 was going to be the year. I was definitley going to Burning Man in '08. It didn't happen. I've never been there, and yet I'm so incredibly drawn to it in a way that I can't articulate. It's the art, the freedom, the hooping community, the challenge of brutal weather conditions, the adventure, the playfulness, the parties, the creativity, the man, the people, the fire, the newness of the experience, the overall vibe and so much more. Next year, I will be celebrating my 30th birthday. I can't think of a better way to do it than to attend my first Burning Man. I would love to get involved in a theme camp (preferably Hoop Heaven, hint hint ;) and start planning as soon as possible. Next year, there will be no excuses as to why I can't make it. I have two weddings to go to - one in NYC and another in Chicago. The Hoop Path Retreat and Burning Man. Those four events will be how I spend my allocated vacation time. For the past four years, I've been going on a Mothers/ Daughters cruise. There are now about 20 moms and daughters that go. I'll have to give the cruise up in order to attend BM. Why is it that we work so hard, and have so little vacation time? It's unfortunate that i have to sacrifice one thing in order to make time for another thing that's just as significant. Such is life... Juggling, juggling.

Monsters in the News!

Hulamonster — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:56:27 GMT

Hello, Friends! It's an exciting time for us, and for the entire hoop dance community in general. It seems as though hooping is gaining popularity by the minute... there are more and more people interested in taking classes, attending hoop jams and learning about the multitude of benefits that hooping has to offer. In addition, more and more news stories are popping up all over the country... from national coverage in publications like Prevention Magazine and The Washington Post, to feature-oriented daytime TV segments, such as Regis & Kelly and The Today Show. At any given moment, you can do a news search for 'hooping' and find something new and interesting. I feel so fortunate to be a part of the revolution! The hoop dance community is filled with open minds and geniune people who inspire me on a daily basis. This year has been a big one so far, filled with opportunities that I would have never imagined possible had I not discovered the power of hoop dance. From HoopGirl Teacher Training to the Hoop Path Retreat, I feel so blessed, after sharing space with some of my biggest hoop dance inspirations of all time. These experiences have been intense, exciting and challenging, and I know there's much more to come for me and the Monsters. We've got two new and talented girls in our troupe, Jess and Sparks. Life is good! So, with that said, I wanted to share some of our recent media coverage with you all and send a sincere thanks to the hoop dance community... http://www.tbo.com/video/xml/MGBIN22KLJF.html (TBO.com Video) http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/aug/08/tr-hooping-it-up/ (Tampa Tribune) http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/18/AR2008071802838.html (The Washington Post, Great Hoop Dance feature with brief Hoola Monster mention) http://www.lcni5.com/cgi-bin/storyviewxarchive.cgi?071+2008728.NewsLocal.2008727-5342-071-071017.archive+NewsLocal (Citrus County Chronicle... Bad Picture, Good Cause)

Going Veg...

Hulamonster — Wed, 21 May 2008 15:16:53 GMT

I've made a decision to become a vegetarian. I was inspired after visiting Dominica recently. I went on a hike through the rainforest and learned about living off of the land. Many people of the islands eat natural foods that come from the Earth - without pesticides, pollution, hormones or additives. They also swim in the natural springs and waterfalls and use herbs to cure illnesses. I was amazed to learn that the oldest woman currently living in Dominica is 137 years old. She doesn't eat meat and she starts each morning with a shot of coconut milk. I think - in America - we've become so accustomed to convenience foods. We have fast food, microwave meals, and packaged snacks, which make it easy to opt for convenience vs. nutrition and purity. I started doing more research on this, and it led me to information on the Rastafarian culture and Ital livity. I was really inspired by their beliefs, as it relates to respecting nature and consuming foods in their natural state. With that said, I don't plan on becoming a Rasta but I definitely learned something valuable by reading up on it. I also discovered that vegetarians are overall healthier people. There are less instances of hypertension, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, gallstones, obesity and food-borne illness among vegetarians vs. meat eaters. Plus, once I started reading up on the slaughter houses, I wanted to cry. I'm not about to join PETA or preach to others on how they should live or what they should eat. But, for me personally, I think vegetarianism is the right move. It's just a healthier way to live. It's only been 2 1/2 weeks so far, but I'm feeling good. I'm discovering new ways to look at food, and I have more energy also. Plus, there are so many great vegetarian recipes available. For instance, I can't wait to try my brie and mango quesidillas for dinner tonight. Eggplant parmesean, vegetable stir fry, lots of different pastas... there's so much good stuff out there and it's enabling me to experiment in the kitchen and become more creative. I've included a picture from my visit to the rainforest. I can't wait to go back.

Spectacular night!

Hulamonster — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 18:14:39 GMT

So, I finally had the chance to hang out with a bunch of amazing people who I only know for one reason... because we are all hoop maniacs. One of them (Alexis) inspired me, after I witness her hoopdance for the first time while out with friends one night. Then, I started watching her You Tube videos and it was all over. She's RAD. Another is a girl who I've only corresponded with a couple of times on Tribe (Taylor). And the remaining three hoopers are Alexis' friends. It was Friday night. I wanted to dress like a crazy woman and hoop my ass off. So, I text messaged everyone I know who owns a hula hoop. What transpired was one badass night. I SO wish I had a video camera to capture the magic. We all met up downtown - hoops galore. The first place we went to wouldn't allow hoops - and they said we didn't make the dress code. No worries. We went to another bar - one with a bartender who hoops. (I forgot to mention - this was my first night out with my new PSI hoop, which is part of the reason I was so pumped up.) She was excited to see us, and we stayed for a couple drinks and she tried out the new hoop. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough room for us to get down. So, on to the third spot. Walking down the street, we passed two men in business suits standing out front of a cigar bar. One of the men said he would pay us to hoop for him. We did, but not before making him hoop for us first. He paid us in chocolate cigars. It was perfect. Then we reach our destination - Tamiami bar... huge, wide open dance floor, stage, DJ. Score! We got there early and had the entire place (including the stage) to ourselves. We taught each other new tricks, laughed, rocked out and then the bar started to get packed. There were people standing around watching us. And THEN it got even better... the breakdancers showed up! There are some incredible breakdancers in this town. I freakin' LOVE watching it. I think it's such an art form. Anyway, the breakdance circle formed, and guys started to battle. Next thing you know, we jumped in and took turns hooping in the middle. Breakdancer. Hooper. Cheering one another one. It was such a cool combination. It was almost sad saying goodbye to all of my new friends at the end of the night. Positve Vibes. Sweaty Dance Monsters. Yay!

Hangover Babble

Hulamonster — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 20:04:03 GMT

So, I’ve decided to write a new blog instead of being productive in the office today. Reason being, I’m tired and hung over because I had a ‘Girls’ Night Out’ with a few of my co-workers yesterday. We went to see Chippendale’s, but that’s another story all together. My cheeks hurt from laughing so hard. If you’ve never been to a Chippendale’s show, I would highly recommend it. It’s funnier than any comedy act I’ve ever seen. I guess the idea is to play up women’s fantasies (we saw bad boys, cowboys, men in uniform, firefighters, singers, etc.). There was a woman who had to be at least 85 on stage getting a lap dance. Rock on, Grandma! There were bachelorettes, birthday girls, Cougars (lots of ‘em), drunk chicks, recent divorcees, teachers, young women and old women… all of us there to see hard-bodied, greasy-chested men in banana hammocks. I thought a couple of the Chippendale’s were hot – but more than anything else, the experience was straight up FUNNY! One of the dudes had a red Speedo-type thing on that was about 10 sizes too big. I couldn’t understand why he was wearing it… if it was supposed to make his “stuff” look bigger, it wasn’t working. In fact, it was doing the opposite. Think of it like putting a bite-sized cocktail wiener into a foot-long frankfurter bun. I’m not trying to be mean. It was just silly. Anyway, I digress. This wasn’t the reason I decided to write… I wanted to write about why I am so glad to have found Tribe. I love the idea of a social networking site where people are truly networking. Unlike MySpace, I’ve been meeting new people on Tribe who share the same interests as I do. Not that I’m knocking MySpace… I’m on there as well. But, the majority of my friends on MySpace are people who I actually know, with the exception of a few that I’ve met through hooping. On Tribe, I think it’s refreshing to make contact with people because you share similar interests. It seems like everyone here is creative, talented, and they have something interesting to say. It really is about establishing new connections, and I think it’s great! I don’t feel like I have to set my page to ‘Private’ on Tribe. (I don’t even think it’s an option, which is cool). There are no douche bags sending messages like, ‘Hey baby. Nice legs. Check out my pictures section. I’m sure you’ll like my sweet ride. Maybe I’ll let you drive it sometime, and then we can hit up the club VIP-style.” Then, you click on the person’s page and find a picture like the one above.