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Archive for October, 2009

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nanowrimo

Anybody else?
I’ve participated a few times but never won; last year I didn’t bother at all. I think one year I actually got pretty far, maybe late 30s? I don’t know why I quit. Anyway, I think I’ll give it a shot this year. Characters? Plot? Those are for sissies.

I’ve been so busy lately but I’m not sure what I’ve actually been doing. It’s weird. There’s this:

Ya-Salaam-09-websized

Yesterday I worked on my improvising to drum solos thing…Oh, did I mention I’m doing a drum solo for this show? Because I’m CRAZY? My classmates have all picked recognizable songs – obviously the band will play them slightly differently, but they do have something to prepare to. But nooo I just get to jam with the drummer. We’ll see how well I think on the spot. I seemed to do OK with random recorded drum solos and I assume working with a live drummer will be better since he can (hopefully!) slow down or throw me a bone if I’m struggling. Or maybe he’ll be totally mean and make it harder. Nooo now I’m psyching myself out.

I originally turned down the drum solo suggestion but then changed my mind because I realize I’ve been really safe lately. Just kind of doing my thing, not really pushing – incidentally, things have stagnated a little. What better way to shake things up than to do something totally terrifying? Hooray?

Anyway that’s my excuse for not having more journal/book stuff – although I am binding a few blank ones right now. They’re lookin’ pretty good, actually.

Thursday, October 29th, 2009 | No Comments »

homemade granola bars!

homemade granola bars

(a little uneven because I didn’t have a deep enough baking dish and had to shape them with my hands :P )

I love me some granola bars – they are my afternoon snack of choice. Unless I get hungry before lunch, in which case they are my morning snack of choice. I’ve just been getting Kellogg ones which are good but have an ingredient list 1000 miles long. Apparently I’m too picky for the “natural” bars (am I the only person on the planet who doesn’t like raisins?) and they’re a little expensive for what you get (imo). SO, I’ve been meaning to make my own and finally did! I used a recipe from Joyful Abode, although I changed around most of the add-ins to suit my preferences; I liked this recipe over the others I found because it’s so simple and flexible.

I left out the wheat germ, put in a tiny extra bit of vanilla and some cinnamon into the honey mix; I used dried cherries and cranberries, walnuts and sunflower seeds. They were surprisingly easy to make – I don’t know why I thought it would be difficult. You’re stuck in the kitchen because you have to mind the grains/nuts while they’re toasting and stir the honey mixture, but it’s not hard.

Diagnosis: DELICIOUS. The dried cherries are sweet so if I use them in the future I’ll scale back on the sugar but it’s not too overwhelming. I’m also going to throw way more sunflower seeds in there next time because that little burst of nuttiness is so nice against the honey. Yay!

Monday, October 26th, 2009 | 3 Comments »

storm coming

storm coming

ominous!

I’m going through this phase now where I just smear colors around and drip paint all over the place.

Oh, Belly Horror was great – better than last year, even. Even the not-as-great performances were still pretty good. Shakra was my favorite (this clip isn’t from Belly Horror but it’s the same piece):

Sunday, October 25th, 2009 | 1 Comment »

my plans for the evening…

I have a love/hate relationship with experimental/theatrical bellydance because most of it sucks ass and is boring, but there is so much potential there. Most of the performers I’ve seen rely on just being weird or having a freaky costume, but their dancing is poor and/or they fail to present a unified character or idea. Characters/ideas aren’t always necessary for “normal” bellydance, but when you start getting into the theatrical arena that’s kind of the entire point (imo). Fortunately, Belly Horror is a very good event – I went last year and was blown away by a couple of the performances. Chris has been talking about it since last year and is probably more excited than I am to go again tonight. :) (sadly his favorite performer from last year is not here this time!)

I believe Desert Sin are performing which I’m really excited about – they are a pretty popular/respected theatrical dance company. They are offering a workshop tomorrow called “Dance with Character” that makes me wish my vacation hadn’t wiped out my savings (I’m in conservation mode). Of course, who knows when I will be able to learn from them again… hmm…

I loooove this (longer clip here; embedding disabled). Of course now we’re in the “when is it not bellydance anymore” arena but I am going to ignore that for now and just enjoy.

Friday, October 23rd, 2009 | No Comments »

cooookies

halloween cookies!

I like baking/cooking because – besides the obvious delicious part – I can make something that doesn’t have any baggage attached to it. A lot of times when I’m doing other crafts I think too much about it or attach too much to it and worry too much about the outcome. But cookies are cookies and it’s hard to go wrong! And none of the skills used in baking (except maybe some abstract ones) can really be directly applied to journaling etc, so it kind of keeps my brain out of it; it’s nice to turn off.

Although…

edible journal page

No, I don’t think edible journal pages are a great idea.

Unrelated: although I resent the fact that the sun is just coming up as I leave the house, it is nice to catch this in the morning:

sunrise

Oh, ha ha, I was just looking through my flickr stream and this photo is from October 6, 2008:

halloween cookies

Sure the shapes are the same because I used the same cutters, but I think it’s funny that I went for all the same colors! I am so predictable.

Speaking of Halloween (cookies), the stuff at Michael’s is already on sale and the Christmas stuff has been moved in!! I can’t even enjoy holidays anymore.

Monday, October 19th, 2009 | 3 Comments »

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