Friday, July 31, 2009

Spinning








This week I had Lazik surgery on my eyes. I have allergies and the dust and pollens outside just seem to make my eyes very uncomfortable. So I'm forced me to stay inside most of the time. Not a bad thing for me since there is so much for me to catch up on in here! Like reading, blogging, and cleaning (oh no! can't do that! too much dust haha!), sewing and spinning! And that brings me to the subject on my mind.

Spinning! If I do nothing else I sit at my spinning wheel and make a little bit of yarn every day. I'm very intrigued by these new "art" yarns that I see on the internet and I want to do more of them, but mostly, on a daily basis I just make plain yarns.

A wonderful and knowledgeable spinner once told me that the spinner should always spin the same way but her wheel should be adjusted differently for different results. I somewhat agree with her, as far as weight of the yarn goes, that should certainly be adjusted by the wheel itself, but not for types of yarns. There are short draws, long draws, there are yarns that need to be manipulated to be thick & thin in one yarn and those all require different handling.

I think the reason I like to make a plain yarn on a daily basis is because the rhythm of spinning it acts as a mantra for me. It is my daily meditation. Sometimes when I'm spinning for something specific or someone specific, I will think of them as I go, when a loose strand of my hair gets into the yarn there is a little essence of me with my prayer or intention or maybe ATTENTION to that person through that skein of yarn.

Here are some shots of the fruits of my recent daily spinning...

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Tales of desire











The DVD is finally out!! Go run out and buy it now! https://www.hollywoodmusiccenter.com/browse.php?userId=I5iM8rT6rN2cR9kH&language=english&categoryId=25

OR wait and buy it off or OUR website as soon as we get it on there. By the end of next week. www.sacredcirclesproductions.com

The show stars Unmata, Arish Lam, Mira Betz, Steven Eggers, Sabrina Fox, She'enedra, Elizabeth Strong, Aubre & Lumina, Damage Control- sorry if I forgot anyone...here is a link to the sample video https://www.hollywoodmusiccenter.com/additionalMedia/1693.mov

this is a collection of pictures from and for the show. Some are done by Lee Corkette of Weathervane studios some are random pictures I found on the web and I don't know who did, the last one is me I don't really like it but WHATEVER!!

Sunday, July 26, 2009

weekend stories and this week's expectations

Friday-had the meeting regarding next year's show from Sacred Circles Productions...NO it will not be called Mythical Creatures again! That was last year's show by Sacred Circles Productions aka, Ayse, Khani & Elizabeth! I shouldn't say anything even about the big name dancers I already know we will have because the ink is not yet on the paper! But the show is going to be so interesting and yes last year was interesting but this will be even better.
Bought the new couch! yay! We really need it! I know Friday is a repeat!
http://www.sacredcirclesproductions.com/



Saturday-left the house super early to go to meet Khani on my way to take a workshop from Frederique David at Oasis Dance Studio. Fred is so awesome, she is nice and warm and talented. Her dance style is subtle and confident, it's really an art! In the class we did some very basic layering drills that I cannot wait to adapt into my classes! These should really get the class going on layering movements.
http://www.bellygroove.com/

After the workshop both Khani & I danced in the evening show, which Politti the owner of Oasis Dance Studio calls Super Saturdays. I wish I had pictures! But Khani did a video of me dancing that I may be able to post or link to later...
http://www.oasisdancestudio.net/




Sunday- got up early again and started right in on sewing some more Not Pants, and kNot Tops and some tie in the front tops in black lace fabric to sell on Etsy. AND I actually finished sewing by 10 am!! That was fun! Afterwards we went to see Cats at the Civic Arts Plaza and the funniest thing happened! We got our picture taken with other families from Riley's school that had been gifted tickets to the show, and Riley was so funny she raised her hand and asked the president of the theater "Are the cats real?" The woman just loved her and brought her inside to get her face painted as a cat, took her backstage to meet the cast and after the lady made her announcements she had Riley walk across the stage and asked her what she had to say at which point Riley said "MEOW!" Then she and Jasmin got to sit in the orchestra section! It was really funny and cute! She's certainly not afraid of getting up on a BIG stage at all! I think we'll be enrolling her in musical theater soon!





Now I am somewhat bored! Robert has been at the comicon ALL weekend!! I want him to come home! Oh well, I just talked to him and he says we are going to be flown to Malaysia so he can be on a panel about the making of War of the Worlds, so I guess it's worth a little suffering and loneliness (I'm a drama queen). Also, Jared (my son) got hired to draw for a comic book company and Nickelodeon asked him to submit storyboard tests! He ought to know how to do that since he spent most of his childhood sitting next to his dad drawing storyboards w/ him. yay!!

To top all this goodness off, tomorrow I'm getting Lazik done on my eyes! I am not afraid at all, I have worn glasses and contacts since I was 12 years old and I will be free! I hope at least mostly. The doctor seems really confident that I will have good results and so am I.

So I feel like a really lucky duck right now!

Friday, July 24, 2009

Fun day!


Well we have finally decided on a theme for next year's BIG stage show!! A date and made a list of dream performers!! Yay! It's going to be so fun! I wouldn't have believed that we would be able to make another show that would be a original as Mythical Creatures, but I think we will do it this time!

Oh boy! And after a LOONG meeting w/ Khani & Ayse we went shopping for fabric...going downtown is so very distracting. I still haven't bought fabric for the quilts and curtains for the pop up tent.

I almost forgot! On the way home we stopped and I bought a couch! Finally after sitting on couches everywhere I finally found one I liked...I know that is totally unimportant! There are really important things in the world!

So I know I should write more but I have to mix music for my solo at the Super Saturdays at Oasis-this time it's w/ Frederique! I'm really excited, I love her dancing and I get to take a 3 hour workshop with her!
yay!

I found this funny picture of Ayse & I when we were in Holland.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Oasis of Belly dance award.





So by some random stroke of luck last year I won the Oasis of Belly dance contest and the voting is going on again! I laughed when I saw the catagory I'm nominated in! The others nominated are some of my personal heroes and goddesses, I won't be winning and don't mind ONE bit!!! I wouldn't even vote for myself (but I think my husband should vote for me)! The other nominees in the category are Ariellah, Suhaila, Rachel Brice, Tempest, Eva Chernik, Naimah, Michelle Joyce (I don't know the last two but I'm sure they are lovely ladies)! So anyway, like I said, last year I won and I chose Doctors without Borders for my charity. AND that is the cool thing about this contest, the winners get to choose a charity to donate the prize money to. So I think you should vote!

here is the address
http://geocities.com/navel_y2k?OasisHonors.html

Bill Moyers Show Tonight Reveals Insurance Lobby's Secret Plan to Attack 'Sicko' and Michael Moore

Ok Ok I know I have not really been blogging enough to deserve just cutting and pasting something I've received on email, BUT this is IMPORTANT!! For all of the citizens of this country! It's about how the health insurance companies have tried to quiet Michael Moore and stop his movie Sicko, which I believe was one of the most important movies in recent years. So if you can please watch Bill Moyers tonight! I will be at Labyrinth of Jareth myself, but it will be on the internet as well soon!!! So I'll be watching the show later.

I believe that we as a country need to start thinking outside of just our personal lives and our own needs and realize that the well being of everyone in our country is cardinal. I have the best health insurance possible and wouldn't give it up for the world, my husband worked hard for us to have this, and I am SO very grateful for the Motion Picture Health Plan. BUT my children and many other people are NOT so lucky! And it doesn't mean that people without good insurance don't work hard too! My daughter Jasmin works full time, she has a college degree, and she continues to take classes: But the company she works for is so small that she has no health coverage! It is time for us as a nation to be more compassionate and help individuals! Don't think the rich and the corporations aren't doing the same! Don't be fooled into thinking that they aren't the ones benefitting from all this debauchery, they are trying to trick everyone into thinking that the underprivileged individuals in this country are trying to steal a few pennies for health care or child care or food, while everyone is looking at the poor or middle class they are robbing the till, through government subsidies, tax breaks, and other handouts. They are just bullies! Don't let them fool you! We need to care for each other! Anyway...stopping now...getting off the soap box...

Watch the show when you can! Please!
love, Elizabeth

Bill Moyers Show Tonight Reveals Insurance Lobby's Secret Plan to Attack 'Sicko' and Michael Moore

Friday, July 10th, 2009

ALERT: We've just been informed that Bill Moyers, on his show later tonight, will expose for the first time the health insurance industry's secret campaign against Michael Moore and his film, "Sicko." It contains a stunning revelation and admission by a top health insurance executive -- the former head of publicity for CIGNA, one of the top health insurance companies in the country -- that the disinformation and attacks on Michael and the film were extensive and well-planned. Their job was to stop the movie from reaching a wide audience (and, more importantly, from having the widespread political impact the industry feared "Sicko" would have).

Wendell Potter, former Head of Corporate Communications at CIGNA (which provides health insurance to nearly 70 percent of the Fortune 100 companies) admits that, in fact, "Sicko" "hit the nail on the head" and told the real truth about how much better people in other countries have it when it comes to their health care.

The show airs tonight at 9:00 PM on PBS. (Check your local listings for exact times. Many areas show it on Saturday night, too.)

You can check out the segment about Michael and "Sicko" here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv1FwOCNoZ8

Be sure to tune into Bill Moyers Journal tonight at 9:00 PM for the full program. Check here for local listings (and rebroadcasts):

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/about/airdates.html

If you get this email too late, their website will soon post the full show soon:

http://www.pbs.org/moyers

Finally, the truth comes out. From one of their own. Amazing.

Yours truly, Webmaster
MichaelMoore.com
webguy@michaelmoore.com