It was a sad day yesterday. A music legend died young, as music legends tend to do. Too much money, too much fame, a screwed up childhood; all or some may be the cause. Either way, it’s a gloomy day when a person who is iconic and instrumental in the music world dies. Music lovers everywhere will sorely miss Michael Jackson. I will mostly miss what he may have come up with next; his next genius idea in music.

Listening to KCRW’s musical memorial last night and this morning, reminded me of all of the great music Jackson brought to us. And the vast range that music included. He went through each generation with us, creating music that touched each of us at different times in our lives. No one will ever forget this music icon. His music will be passed down from generation to generation.

One song in particular touched me again, and I had almost forgotten all about it in my insistence on moving forward, always looking for the next best thing in music. That song is Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror”. This song will always be relevant and reminds me of whom I should strive to be. A person willing to make a change in the world, even a small one. A person who helps others over helping myself. A person who makes a drop in the pond, and that drop ripples, and if hope prevails, those ripples make waves. Take a listen to the song once again, listen to its lyrics, watch the imagery in the video, and remind yourself of whom you want to be. What drops have you made lately?

Check out the video on Karma Tube, click here.

Tehachapi Wildflowers

Ok, imagine your life is a movie – what songs would be in it? To find out, here’s how it works:
1. Open your library (iTunes, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that’s playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don’t lie and try to pretend you’re cool…

Opening Credits :
“Drive” by Melissa Ferrick with Tori Amos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsG-eN96fVc

Waking Up :
“Headlock” by Imogen Heap
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKZsZkH_MJc

First Day of School :
“Don’t Die In Me” by Mirah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnUi4hAs70g

First Love :
“Constellations” by Jack Johnson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rnCjUZ4mgA

First Heartbreak :
“High and Dry” by Radiohead
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCPDiEz-GcE

Fight Song :
“The Only Moment We Were Alone” by Explosions in the Sky
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzj-ksNOMfU

Prom :
“Sweetest Decline” by Beth Orton
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1XQockmMas

Life :
“Dragonflies” by Devendra Banhart
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jp65-r-3icQ

Mental Breakdown :
“Songbird” by Eva Cassidy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFFo1pu4q7Q

Driving :
“Zoetrope” by Boards of Canada
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO6i9YPtEd8

Flashback :
“Sunset Soon Forgotten” by Iron and Wine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOCioVYwvuc

Getting Back Together :
“Freakshow” by Tiger Lillies
(I can’t find this song on Youtube…)

Losing Your Virginity :
“Shh” by Frou Frou
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EIT_GqoyGE

Wedding :
“Could You Be the One” by Melissa Ferrick
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcPq2vOoL4c&feature=PlayList&p=78E8A993A993DD3B&playnext=1&index=7

Birth of Child :
“All I Want” by Joni Mitchell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoWx8HDdyZ8

Final Battle :
“The Moment I Said It” by Imogen Heap
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nt4uKcdMCjc

Death Scene :
“Kid for Today” by Boards of Canada
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dM2ZIWUJVGs

Funeral Song:
“Hide and Seek” by Imogen Heap
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cpSv2mNhhc

End Credits :
“Wildflowers” by Tom Petty
(could only find covers of this song… and none compare to the original)

This was the coolest one of these by far! It’s funny how many songs really worked out. In fact, I would say the only one that didn’t really go was the Fight Song… which for me ended up being The Only Moment We Were Alone by Explosions in the Sky. It’s not very much of a “fight song”, lol.

I love that my opening credits were “Drive” because it is such a sexy song. And Headlock for waking up is just perfect. First Heartbreak was perfect too, prom, life, driving, flashback, wedding, birth of a child, death scene and funeral song all great! The best is what ended up being end credits… I am Blume, a flower… I have always thought of that song as one of my theme songs, lol. This is so much fun. If you have time, I highly recommend it…

Oh yeah, and I put links under each one to the Youtube versions of the songs in case you’re curious. I listen to some obscure music and some popular music. I’m definitely eclectic.

What do you get when you mix a group of various forms of dance with a themed show called “Disease: 101”? You get Blood Moon Regale hosted by the most awesome troupe , Unmata! Who else could come up with themes that no one would ever think to dance to?

We, (Hiplash), were assigned Tuberculosis for our disease du jour. We were so excited to even be included in the show and thrilled that we hadn’t gotten Ghonaria (sp).  So we begin our research and discussing ideas for the show. I found some RAD music from Amon Tobin that was brand new, just out. It’s the kind of song you hear and just start dancing in your chair at the computer because it’s so friggin’ awesome.  Jill had another RAD song that she had danced to a few years ago from Juno Reactor. And with the help of a couple more Amon Tobin songs and an intro from Engelsstaub, we had our set. The set started out with Avery (our newest troupe member) dancing to a hilarious Egyptian song with coughing instead of a drumbeat! Don’t ask where it came from, I have no idea. My belly dance mama played it for us ions ago and still had it. And with coughing being the number one symptom of TB, it was too perfect. Avery was awesome! She stole the show. With her acting prowess and her love to be in the spotlight, she had the audience screaming with delight. She even blew a kiss that ended in a cough at the audience. After she left the stage, the remaining four of us began dancing. We performed a choreography to the edgy Tobin song, followed by being shrouded in death by The Red Death himself (Avery again, Kris was going to do it but his back went out the night before). Then we performed a beautiful and somber death dance while in the shrouds, ending on the floor in a pile of black death.

It was awesome, exciting, nerve racking, and downright incredible! The rest of the show was brilliant. It was so exciting to see what other dancers came up with. And it was so nice to see an eclectic group of performances. Cabaret, modern, tribal, and fusion all came together to put on this spectacular show. Some of the various other diseases represented included Mono by Unmata. Their creative idea for an 80’s house party mixed with brilliant choreography made for a jaw dropping performance. Cera and Damage Control Dance Theater blew my mind with their Cancer set… did anyone else feel creepy when they danced backwards? It was so RAD!! Shelly was the instructor for the personal protection video. Ozume (sp?) had heart disease. They were spectacular!! Ariellah was bipolar. Her piece was so powerful, aggressive, and moving. And Sooz, who could forget Sooz?? The most fantabulous emcee for a themed show. She was amazing, she even sang opera!!
All of this fantasticness could not exist without Unmata. And to them I am truly grateful. I deeply appreciate the opportunity given to us to perform on the stage alongside so many great dancers. The experience is one that I will remember for a lifetime.

A DVD of the show will be coming out sometime soon. Until then, there are a couple of teasers online. Below are some links so that you too might enjoy a small part of this very incredible show. Did you get to see the show? Were you in the show? What was your experience like? If you didn’t get to see the show, please consider making the trek next year. It truly is amazing. And what did you think of the teasers? Are they enticing?

www.unmata.com

www.hiplashbellydance.com

www.blumebauer.com

Dylan Jayde, my brand new niece

I’m an Aunt!!! My brand new baby niece, Dylan Jayde was born last Wednesday. It is the most fabulous thing that has happened in my life to date! Not only is she healthy, beautiful, and so happy… but she’s also a Sagittarius. My sister has already sent me dozens of photos and one video of her sleeping and dreaming “cobra” dreams. My sister and brother-in-law call her dreams cobra dreams, something from the Simpsons. They’re huge fans, I guess I’ll have to watch the episode to get it.

She is so sweet while she is sleeping. She coos and caas and makes this cute frowny face, then a huge smile, then a huge stretch. My sister is elated that she made an actual human! I have always heard people say how incredible having a baby is. I always understood but just never felt it like this. It is such a high!

I’ll be posting pictures of her in the Dylan Jayde album on my Myspace page. Check back to see her grow up!! She’s already 6 days old! I still can’t believe it.
The only sad thing is that my sister lives all the way in Australia and with the economy going the way it has been, I haven’t gotten many freelance jobs for websites lately and definitely can’t afford a ticket to be there. It is just killing me!! I can’t wait to hold her and squish her little cheeks and see her tiny little toes. She is so gorgeous and sweet. I just want to cry every time I see a new picture of her!

Do you have babies and/or children in your family that live out of town? How do you cope with the overwhelming wanting to be with them? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Click here for more photos of baby Dylan: http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=75915326&albumId=2590585

Raqs the Vote!!

Raqs the vote!!

Click here, then pass it on, time is running out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vtHwWReGU0

“It’s not easy being green.”

- Kermit the Frog

Sometimes it’s hard to be me. Every time I think how hard life can be, I remember that line, “it’s hard to be me” and it makes me laugh at myself and get over any smaller issues at hand. Why do I laugh, you might ask?

Years ago, I purchased a Cyndi Lauper DVD of a live concert performance. She tells a hilarious story about Anna Nicole Smith. Lauper was up late at night, couldn’t sleep, instead she was watching court tv. At the time, the Anna Nicole Smith trial was all the talk and they had live coverage. She goes on to say that after the day’s trial, Smith comes out of the courtroom to tons of reporters awaiting a statement. The first reporter asks her how she was holding up. Her reply, “It’s hard to be me”. Because of the absurdity of the statement from a multi-millionaire, Lauper was inspired to write a song called “It’s Hard to Be Me” and the rest is history. She also refers to the song as the “loud song” because her small son likes to sing the song really, really loudly especially all the “me’s” in the song. (I like this too by the way.)

So, my back went out a couple of weeks ago. I’ve been to the doctor and he says it’s a repetitive stress injury, most likely from all the work I do on the computer. Easy enough to fix though, he said I just need to get up once every hour and walk around or something. Which, for a belly dancer, is perfect. I can rehearse for about 15 minutes every hour. The disappointing part comes next. I can’t dance right now, not until my back has healed. As a dancer, you probably understand the devastating condition of not being able to dance for different reasons and the feeling of being crushed until you can return to dancing. I am crushed. I can dance a tiny little bit on occasion but I really have to be careful. In addition to the lovely fact that I cannot dance right now, I am currently crammed into my small office with three big dogs all day while the contractor remodels our kitchen. All of the rooms have been taken over by boxes of dishes, silverware, glasses, the refrigerator, dishwasher… well, you get the idea. This all means that I can’t even get up and walk around every hour like I am supposed to. So, I’ve got to just laugh and say “It’s hard to be me”.

The cure for all that ails me this week? I will be heading off to our local showcase this evening at the new Casa Blanca Restaurant in Lancaster to be with friends and dancers.

What is discouraging you this week? And what will be your cure for the blues?

Elizbeth Mahina

So, I got a message from my friend, Elizabeth Mahina, this evening. She is up for an award on the Oasis 4 Charity competition. It’s exciting because she’s up there with a lot of other “big” names!

Check it out at http://hometown.aol.com/homeskillety2k/page1.html

Not a great website, but it works for what it is. Vote for your favorite in each “ballot” category (there are 4 per competition). Here are my favorites that I just HAD TO vote for:

Unmata
Mira Betz
Alicia
Sadie
Elizabeth Mahina (of course)
Monica Fernandez
Bellyqueen
Urban Tribal (that was a super hard decision as they are up against FCBD)
and last but not least, Zafirah Dance Co. (with Olivia!!)

Send in your votes to the following email: navel_y2k@yahoo.com

So, I was reading this list in Glamour magazine about 14 ways to make a woman happy. I thought, let’s see how right on they are…

Boy are they way off in my book. There are so many things (even simpler things) that make me happy every day. No wonder men think women are so presumptuous. With a list like this, men could stop dating women all together! lol!

Well, here’s the list. See what you think and post the 14 ways to make *you* happy. (my 14 are listed underneath the ones from the article.)

1. Giver her a great stock tip.

2. Make friends with her vibrator.

3. Agree that $200 is a reasonable price for such a fabulous pair of shoes.

4. Tell her she looks better in her glasses.

5. Tell her she looks like Halle Berry.

6. Plant a yellow rosebush – Graham Thomas is a good one – underneath her bedroom window.

7. Ask her to drive, because she’s better than you.

8. Of your own volition, rent an obscure but highly romantic film such as Angels & Insects or Jane Eyre. Watch it, act like you are enjoying it.

9. Let her little brother teach you how to play magic.

10. Say you’d love to have a daughter exactly like her.

11. Write her a poem. Failing that, read her one. Failing that, buy her a copy of The Collected Poems of WB Yeats.

12. Cook her a divine risotto. Laugh when she expresses concern over its fat content.

13. When she confesses she’s got a big crush on Jakob Dylan, buy her one of his Cd’s and don’t wince when she plays it while you’re making love.

14. Ask her if she wouldn’t mind just holding you for awhile.

My response…

1. Buy me stock, don’t just give me the tip.

2. Be better at sex than my vibrator.

3. Forget the shoes, take me on vacation!

4. I *do* look better in my glasses.

5. If you are going to tell me I look like someone famous, at least pick someone that might look something like me at all.

6. What’s with the yellow rosebush? Thorns outside the bedroom window so that other men can’t sneak in? Sounds insecure to me, and odd that they chose yellow. Yellow roses often stand for friendship, not love. Plant gardenias, I love those and they smell so good!

7. Always drive, and let me sleep on the way home.

8. Don’t rent movies and pretend that you like them for my benefit, I’d rather watch it with a girlfriend than have you ruin it for me. Buy me 2 tickets to the romantic movie for me and a friend.

9. Woah! Wait a minute here, how many grown women have little brothers that still like magic?? (I know that there are exceptions to the rule, but come on.) Learn magic and show me a fun trick.

10. I first just have to say how creepy this one is. I can’t even think of something to replace it.

11. Sing me a song. Failing that, play a song really, really loudly from outside my bedroom window on a boombox held up high over your head. Failing that, don’t bother.

12. I love a man that can cook, but can be just as happy to go out to a nice meal. (and seriously what’s with the constant calorie counting?)

13. When I tell you I have a crush on someone famous, allow me to add them to my “Movie Star Sex” list. You know… the list of movie stars I’m allowed to have sex with given the opportunity, without any repercussions… of course this goes both ways, you’ve got to let him have a list too. (BTW, who’s Jakob Dylan? Couldn’t they have picked someone like Harry Connick Jr.?)
14. Hold me as often as you can.