guiltiest pleasure: Rock of Love

OMG. i saw the previews weeks ago, and i just *knew* it was going to be good. the reality show with brett michaels from poison trying to find the girl of his dreams started last sunday, when I sweet-talked dave into watching it with me.

only then did we realize that LACEY - the musician-chick with the purple hair - is that girl from PIGFACE who he knows! i even met her once on the Pigface bus, after they played at the Pound some years ago... i remember i loved her eye glitter, and she told me that she used lipstick on her eyelids to make it stick. i've done that trick since, and it works! so, thanks, Lacey, for the makeup tip. i'm happy to see you've made it to reality tv :-)

so, dave & i were totally into the first show and, since she didn't get cut, we are now required to watch the entire rest of the season. tonight is the second show - dave is out of town camping (i had to stay here to do my anatomy intensive), but i Tivo'd it, so if anything juicy happens, he can watch it tomorrow. aww, isn't that nice of me? yes, it is. meanwhile, I'm waiting until 9:45 so i can watch it on my own, commercial-free.

yo... ga

i'm 100% immersed in my teacher training. i'm sore, tired, exhilarated, inspired, in love and having a blast! it's taking up lots and lots of time, which is why i haven't been posting. but if you're interested in following my journey, i'm chronicling everything here:

http://shapeshifteryoga.blogspot.com/

hope you stop by, if it's anything you're curious about. i'm typically very tired when i write, but i imagine the journey itself might be interesting to some of you to read about...

cheers :-)

... then a miracle occurs

yup, this is just what editing a freakin' novel is like.

oh my... yoga for meaningful change

well, well, well. isn't this fancy timing?

it's five days before i start my yoga teacher training, and i just received my latest issue of the Yoga Journal Newsletter - ALL ABOUT quitting your job and focusing more on the stuff you like to do better. like yoga.

i'd be almost creeped out if i wasn't such a slut for serendipity :-D

everything from "banishing burnout" to my favorite: "what to consider before you quit your day job." ahahahahahahaha! how 'bout, um, burnout?

fab-o. check it out here: http://www.yogajournal.com/newsletter/myj_265.html

what i'm loving etc.

what i'm loving these days:
* Campari & soda, reading Lolita on my deck in a bright yellow bikini
* beautiful, wonderful-smelling new flowering plants! a big pot of lavender & jasmine climbing a trellis, plus an overflowing pot of fuschia bougainvillea
* steaming, home-made cioppino, just perfect for this blustery, gray sunday
* good, pricey chianti classico
* roasted hojicha green tea
* gardenias! and gardenia perfume, ahhhhhh. i found the perfect gardenia perfume at whole foods last week that i promised myself i'd go back this week and buy... i'll probably make it back there on tuesday and i will smell delicious afterwards.
* ultra-helpful literary agents who blog!
* intellectual, creative collaboration with dave
* cheerfulness and joy!
* flowers, flowers, flowers ~ i could drown myself in flowers
* waking up early
* patron tequila
* being purposely ungrammatical and mis-punctuated
* peanut-butter & jelly sandwiches for breakfast
* literary smut audiobooks while driving ;-)
* writers' associations that offer health coverage
* digital SLRs ~ swoon!

what i'm over:
* people who sign up for my classes then don't show up (without even an email or a phone call, jeesh - i can't figure out if it's the lack of manners or the lack of common sense that bothers me most)
* sore muscles - but, ah, it's kind of nice in a sporty way :-)
* painful novel editing - you know, the kind that hurts your brain
* crabby attitudes and sour-pants downers. perk it up, babe!
* hangovers (and getting fucked-up, shitfaced, or totally smashed, for that matter)
* sleeping late
* chilly-ass san francisco summer days! esp. when the rest of the state is blistering heat. bring back the sun!
* uber-expensive yoga/workout clothes
* yoga competitions. ugh.

yikes! back to the lovely. think flowers, think pink and lovely and beautiful! yay, nature!

a short update

like, what the heck have i been up to, aside from posting ads for fire dancing classes on my blog, now that i've quit my job?

• well, teaching fire dancing classes, for one thing :-)
• i've completed the second round of editing my novel, and have been doing tremendous research into writing query letters, hooks, and synopses so i can start sending it out to agents. i've written a hook that i don't love yet, but once it's been edited and i love it to death and want to send out, i may post it here and ask for your oh-so-intuitive and helpful comments.
• and yes, i'm going to try for an agent first, not an editor.
  
• yoga, of course, every day, at least an hour. my teacher training starts in two weeks! yikes! i'm excited and nervous at the same time. i'll post more about this to my yoga blog, though, so stay tuned to that one if you're interested.
• working out, too, on top of yoga, you know - to get the cardio in. i picked up the shape bikini body DVD, which has three 30-min. routines, but i've only tried two so far. it's all right. when it comes to videos, i still like carmen electra's series the best, though! :-)
  
• little jon and i did a performance at a wedding up in tahoe this past weekend - that was awesome. 30 min. on stilts during their cocktail hour, then we headed to the casinos for dinner & play time before returning after dark for a 15-min. fire show. they looooved us, and we loved them! under the full (blue) moon, it was quite spectacular. of all the weddings we've performed at, i liked this one the best. it was small, intimate, and very friendly, and very, very romantic.
• and that, my friends, has been taking up all of my time!
  

plans for the 4th include, well, more of the above, plus a fire show up in suisun, ca, before the fireworks. dave's heading to the playa. should be pretty mellow and nice. lovely weather! things are awesome. life is good :-)

Attention Fire Dancers! Performance Skills Workshop in SF, Saturday 7/7

Let's say...

~ You're learning to spin poi, staff, hoop or other fire toy
~ You want to PERFORM, not just spin for practice, for yourself
~ You want to add some pizazz to your current style
~ You have experience practicing the moves, but you don't have experience performing them for other people
~ Your friend has asked you to spin fire at her backyard BBQ, but you've never actually performed for anyone

How on earth do you transition from "just a fire spinner" to a Performer?

Fire Arts Academy is offering a special Performance Skills workshop to help answer all of your questions! This 3-hour workshop covers the basics of looking good and, most importantly, feeling confident while performing! It's just $89 for the class, and you'll walk away feeling ready to spin in front of a crowd.

The workshop will be held in the Glen Park area of San Francisco, super-close to the Glen Park BART station.

No previous experience necessary! Just bring your wonderful self :-)

Feel free to email with any questions.

>>>To register, please email the instructor: spacegirl@fireartscollective.com

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Warmly,
~Andrea, aka Spacegirl, Fire Arts Collective / Fire Arts Academy
http://www.firearscollective.com/ ~ http://www.fireartsacademy.com/