Belly dancing 101

Yesterday I attended my first belly dancing class.  It took me a bit by surprise that the teacher is one of the least exotic people possible.  40ish, fat, American, with a tight blond bun.  Very good-natured and fun, and I don't doubt that she knows what she's doing.  I guess I must have expected a dark-haired, dark-eyed Middle Easterner.  So much for stereotypes.

One feature of the class was that the large room we met in was cold.  And of course most of the warm up exercises were on the floor.  Not to self: bring a yoga mat!

This class focused on the basics of moving shoulders and hips independently, isolating one movement from the rest of the body.  Fortunately I've done lots of kinds of dancing and many, many types of workouts, so I understand the principle of isolating movement, and am able to do it pretty well, although I am stiffer now than I used to be, so I'm hoping this class will help me become a bit more fluid.  It certainly uses very different sets of muscles than clogging does.

The teacher had spangled, belled scarves for us to tie around our hips, and it was so fun to see them sparkle and hear them tinkle as we moved.  There are five of us in the class, one returnee and four beginners, all women, and all of us did well.  My muscles, especially around my shoulders and chest, are just a bit sore today, which I like because it means I've actually used them.  I think I'm going to enjoy this class, although I don't predict that I'll stay with it with the fervor I give to clogging.

Celebrating the end of the year

As mentioned in my most recent post, one of the highlights of the holiday season was seeing "A Klingon Christmas Carol" with Sweet Hubby.  Except for a few sections between scenes that were spoken in English by a Vulcan narrator, the entire show was spoken in Klingon, with supertitles.

The Klingon language was created by Marc Okrand, who developed it from a few sounds used by Klingon characters as Star Trek shows into a full language with its own vocabulary and syntax.  If you are interested in learning this unique language, check it out on Duolingo.

The play production was both a little cheesy and also terrifically fun.  Grand kudos to the actors for learning this guttural language.  In this particular adaptation of the classic Christmas story, Scrooge isn't despised because he's a miser, but because he lacks honor and courage, both major pillars of the Klingon ethos.  So fun to see something completely different from the dozens of other "Christmas Carol" offerings.

Another treat for the season was going to the zoo with my friend Laurie and walking around the grounds at night enjoying the giant plant and animal figures lit up all everywhere.  We also happened to be just in time to see a group of young Chinese performers putting on a show of juggling and other sorts of circus-y acts.  Their costumes were rather shoddy and not one of them seemed to enjoy what he and she was doing, but they were very talented.  Not quite breathtaking, but fun to watch.

Speaking of a holiday show of which there are many, many versions available, Laurie and I also saw a Nutcracker ballet unlike any I had seen before.  The performers were all students at a dance school, and ranged in age from toddlers to elders.  The skill levels were uneven, as might be imagined, but the costumes were knock-outs, and of course that music is absolutely delicious, no matter how many times I hear it. 

There were also all the usual, not so new holiday treats as well, but the above were the ones I had never experienced before.  And by the way, if you happen to be in the environs of Seattle, I recommend you attend a performance of "A Very Die Hard Christmas", a clever adaptation of the Bruce Willis movie.

Have a swell 2026.  I believe it's going to be a good year.  (Unless our President drags us into a war just so he can feel powerful, but that's a different sort of post.) 

Catching up and coming up

Hey there, friends and fans.  It's been a minute, I know.  Which doesn't mean I haven't been looking for new things to do and experience, but most of those things haven't been worth writing about: trying new foods at a restaurant or cooking from new recipes at home, taking an unfamiliar route to a familiar place, seeing a play I'd never heard of, those sorts of new somethings.

However, I've got some truly juicy events coming up that I'm excited to share.  First, Sweet Hubby and I are going to see "A Klingon Christmas Carol".  That's right, a new adaptation of the classic Christmas story, performed in the Klingon language and incorporating (from what I understand) aspects of the Klingon ethos regarding honor, courage, etc.  Fortunately there will be supertitles.   I'm really delighted at the prospect and promise to write about it after.

Also, I've signed up for belly dancing classes.  I did this in sort of the same spirit which moved me to sign up for clogging classes a year or so ago.  I've continued with clogging and am loving it, even though I still have to work pretty hard at it to keep up even somewhat with those who have been doing it much longer than I.  I practice at home at least a couple of times a week with help from YouTube tutorials as well as the videos one of the students takes and then posts of the class learning a dance.  So fun, and such good exercise.  I want to get to a point where I have enough steps memorized that I can hear them called/cued and know what to do with my feet.  No idea yet if I'll take to belly dancing with the same enthusiasm, but it will be fun to dip my toes into these wavy waters.

And the other big experience on the horizon is a trip to Ireland!  I'm very excited about this; it's not something I would initiate on my own, but my brother's first wife, who has remained a good friend, suggested it, and I sort of blindly said "yes".   In fact, I almost immediately put down a deposit on the tour and bought my plane tickets without giving it enough thought to give me cold feet.  She and I have traveled together before, so I know we'll get along great, and it's a small tour group, so shouldn't be ungainly.  

I've learned about myself that I'm not really very good at initiating events and experiences, but I'm pretty much a walking "yes" when others offer invitations.  This Ireland trip isn't until May 2026 so plenty of time for me to take care of those details I need to handle, such as turning some money into euros, finding out if my phone service will work over there, and I don't even know what else will need to be done.  Ooh, what a tickle!

Vacay with the sibs

I have just returned from an 8 day vacation with my beloved sister and brother.  They came here to Seattle from their homes in CA and then we took off for some of the more scenic parts of WA.  

Some of what we experienced was not new to me, such as the 20 acre San Juan Island Sculpture Park, which is amazing, and Port Townsend, a charming town Sweet Hubby and I go to every year for their 4 day film festival.  But there were also a lot of firsts: my first sighting of a minke whale, my first visit to Port Angeles, my first time hiking through the knock-out gorgeous Hoh Rainforest.  The whole trip was full of sights and splendors.  And birds, always.  Brother Rob is a hard-core birder and, of course, had brought along his binoculars, so Joan and I were able to see the birds up close and to experience through his eyes how beautiful and interesting they are.

None of that, however, equaled what was new and best about this vacation.  This was the first time Joan and Rob and I have spent extended time together, just the three of us.  And it was great.  Several times our plans had to be hastily reconfigured, and each time we worked well together, everyone flexible and good-natured, while we figured out a new plan.  We talked and talked and laughed and played games and sang and shared meals, and occasionally wept a little as we remembered our parents and Rob's recently deceased wife.  It helps that he now has a new possible love interest, so there was a lot of hope and anticipation mixed in with the grief.

The sibs and I have always loved each other, although we have not always been particularly involved in one another's lives.  Joan and Rob are long-time married with children and used to work full time as teachers, and I've been off doing my artsy thing.  The death of our mother brought us together as we joined forces to take care of Dad his last year, and since COVID we have had a biweekly Zoom get together.  But still, we hadn't ever spent time in each other's company for any sort of extended period.

Since this vacation we are certainly closer than we have been since we were children.  Now we know that we can not just tolerate one another in close quarters, but actually enjoy and delight in one another.  We were able to talk about absolutely everything, share our true and sometimes embarrassing stories and feelings, our thoughts about getting older, our concerns for the young uns in the family, our political opinions (fortunately we are all like-minded in that arena, or a visit of this depth and quality would not have been possible).

We are all back in our separate lives again, back to our homes and routines, but for me there lingers a feeling of being wrapped in loving arms and held tightly and securely by two of the best people I have every known.

Kruckeberg Garden

Yesterday I got to cross something off my Someday list, which is as great a pleasure as crossing an item off a To Do list, but fun.  A friend invited me to explore Kruckeberg Botanic Garden, a park I'd heard of but had never managed to get to.  It's both wild and well-tended, lots of trees, some water features, a plant nursery, a playground, winding paths.  It's a few acres in size, although it didn't seem that big while we were wandering through it.  I was happy to be there at last, and to share it with a friend.

However, that wasn't the best part of the day.  My friend and I went out to lunch after the garden to one of our favorite seafood restaurants.  We got a nice table looking out over the marina and Puget Sound, and the food was delicious.

But that also wasn't the best part of the day.  The best part came when I heard our jovial server talking with diners at a nearby table.  That very day the diners and the server had all closed escrow on the houses they were selling, so they were celebrating.

When the server came to our table, I congratulated her on closing escrow, and asked where she was going to live next.  We learned that she is two years a widow, and finally ready to start her life again.  She will be moving to a smaller house she and her husband had bought on the Olympic Peninsula.  She already has friends there, and is looking forward to this new beginning.  It was incredibly touching to hear her story.  She was not in any way mournful (publicly, at least) and seemed happy with the path she had chosen.

When the bill came, I left her a $40 tip on a $30 meal, with a note "To the future!".  And that was the best part of the day: hearing someone's story and being able to contribute, not in a meaningfully concrete way, but symbolically, out of friendliness and respect; to recognize that she has been through something terrible, awful, and to cheer her on as she moves ahead with her life.  I was sad for her loss, but glad to have met her when she is writing a new chapter for herself.

Illusions! Superman! Art! = Date Day

A couple of days ago Sweet Hubby and I dealt with a topic which required a lot of understanding from both of us.  We came through that discussion just fine, because always do, but somehow the tension from that made the next day all the sweeter.  Because the next day was Date Day.

Date Day is a rare event when both of us take a break from errands, chores, projects, gatherings, etc. and spend time together all day.  We are independently busy people and our orbits seldom intersect except at the end of the day. To have a whole day together is sweet and lovely, no matter what we choose to do.

Since I am the one who usually initiates Date Days, SH always lets me choose.  I didn't want to cram the day too tightly, so we made some tentative plans and set off.  First savory crepes for breakfast and then the train downtown to visit the Museum of Illusions, which both of us knew about but had never been to.  https://moiseattle.com/ 

This is a fun place, full of optical illusions, opportunities for trick photos, games and puzzles, and - my most favorite and SH's least - a path through a tunnel, the walls of which constantly rotate around the path such that it is absolutely impossible not to stagger and bounce off the walls.  A large gaggle of girls in pink t-shirts, clearly from a summer camp, arrived just after we had, which filled the place with noise and bodies, so we didn't always spend as much time at each station as we might have otherwise.  But it was fun and interesting and challenging and we both enjoyed our time there.

Then off to see the new Superman movie.  It was all right, but I have to admit that even though I am a big Avengers fan, I'm pretty well tired of CG superhero violence and magic and powers and aliens and a main villain who wants to destroy the Earth.  But this is certainly a movie which deserves to be seen on a big screen, so I'm glad enough that we made it part of the day.

I had somehow earned free tickets to a preview opening of the Seattle Arts Fair.  https://seattleartfair.com/  The train dropped us off within walking distance of the large  hall where the fair is being held.  We split up and wandered each at his/her own  pace, just taking in the rows and rows and aisles and aisles of art works.  So much to see and admire and wonder at, so many different  techniques and materials.  It was rather staggering.  We spent more than an hour and neither of us saw even half of what is on display.

I ended up buying a painting from a Korean artist.  I loved it as soon as I saw it and it stayed on my mind when I left it, so once SH and I reconnected, I took him to look at it, and he agreed that it is well suited to our tastes and our home, although we're going to have to do some rearranging in order to find  the right place for it amidst our other art works.  It was expensive, but I just couldn't leave without it.

The day ended with dinner out and then some animation before we trundled off to bed, both of us with more than 10Kstepson our Fitbits.  All in all, a most splendid day, and together, which was the best part.

Sushi Burrito and Bingsu , baby!

I have wanted to go to a Sushi Burrito restaurant ever since I first knew such a thing existed.  The two words together didn't seem like a match at all.  I'm actually not a big sushi fan.  I can enjoy the cooked fish dishes, but sashimi does not appeal.  Still, I was so curious about what a sushi burrito might be.  The concept is what hooked me.

A couple of days ago, Sweet Hubby and I were downtown looking to get a quick bite before seeing a movie (the Indian movie "RRR", by the way, which I highly recommend).  SH noticed a Sushi Burrito counter at a food court, so I finally had my maiden experience.

It turns out a sushi burrito is pretty much any typical sushi roll but wrapped up like a burrito with a square of nori and a hunk of rice inside a rice tortilla/pancake/wrapper.  Ours had tempura shrimp, avocado, cucumbers, and some other things I can't remember.  It was good, very filling, as rice dishes tend to be.  And now my curiosity is satisfied and I can get on with my life.

Yesterday, SH and I went tunnel flying (aka indoor skydiving) with a friend.  After a good workout in the air, we went to a nearby Japanese restaurant for lunch (teriyaki chicken and tempura veggies for me).  After that, SH wanted to pop into a Value Village, so I went into a nearby Japanese dessert café I'd noticed before and was curious about.  (There's that pesky curiosity again; good thing I'm not a cat.)  I had no idea what to expect, since most Japanese, and, for that matter, most Asian restaurants, don't particularly feature desserts.

In this place, called Kakigori, there were several difference cheesecakes in a display case, but I was mostly interested in the unfamiliar, and there was plenty of that, too.  A large board had all the choices posted, and I can't even really describe it all.  Most of the offerings come in cups to be ingested with spoon or straw, with a lot of different textures and flavorings, both familiar and exotic, such as taro, matcha, and others I can't remember or didn't recognize.  I ended up getting a Bingsu with taro flavoring.  Bingsu was described to me as shaved ice, but the texture wasn't like a snow cone, but almost dry, like flaked coconut, although it did gradually melt.  The taro flavoring, which is purple, my favorite color, was really good, sweet but not too sweet.  Given that I had no idea what to expect, I'm really glad I gave it a try, and am looking forward to experimenting with more of the strange desserts after the next time we go tunnel flying.