Dance, politics, schtuff

Today was spent mostly in a haze that I'm blaming on the prescription meds. Fortunately it's a Saturday so no big whoop. My apologies to anyone I'm behind on getting email to. Or something that sounds more grammatical.

You know, I was halfway (this is no segue whatsoever, by the way) I was halfway there on the Republican stance that Kerry crossed a line when he invoked Mary Cheney, in that the way Kerry worded it basically implied that MC would be on his side... which, frankly, if she has half a brain she would be, but still, it does cross a bit of a line to imply that about your opponant's kid (spouse too - or mama). However, I wake up today to find that apparently what's really bugging the Cheneys and their pals is that - gasp! - Kerry called Mary a lesbian!

My head and my desk really have to stop meeting like this. People are starting to suspect something's up.

Dude, she IS a lesbian! An OUT lesbian at that! The only people trying to shove her back into the closet are her parents and their pals in the Republican party! I - I - I'm so out of words for this, I really am. I feel like I'm in that episode of the Twilight Zone where the guy wakes up and discovers that words don't mean what he thinks they mean anymore. It's the only way to explain this obvious language gap.

Speaking of politics (look - segue!), yesterday I got my "here's your polling place" card in the mail. Then this morning I wake up to a newspaper article about how everybody in town was told to go to the wrong polling place.

Now I live in a fairly small town, and in the past this town has proven that it couldn't successfully find its metaphorical ass with an actual compass, map, and a Sherpa guide, so I actually do believe that this was just a computer error. Particularly as the alert about the mistake was front page news with a banner headline and the article indicated that it was the city itself who went screaming to the newspaper to try to get the word out. That being said, I find it interesting that in the article, a local resident is quoted as basically saying she wouldn't be at all surprised to find out that this mix-up was a deliberate ploy to keep people away from the polls. Hmm - think some of the 2000 dirty tricks have left an impression on some of the voters? Yes, I think they did.

Finally, my location is thwarting me in terms of trying to find a belly dance class to take once my current set is finished. As I think I mentioned before, my teacher recommended her teacher, who teaches once a week in a location that's close enough to my apt that I can walk to it. That's good. What's bad is that it's on Saturdays, and I work two Saturdays out of the month.

So I've been trying to see if anybody near me gives classes on weeknights. What's esp frustrating is that deep down I suspect that what I really want to do is American Tribal. Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying caberet and I'll be happy to continue with it. But everything I read about American Tribal seems to suggest that this is the style that would suit me even better, and I can't find any classes in it! (Or, rather, I can find tons of classes, but none where I'm living right now. The especial irony is that if I was living in any of the 3 cities that I've lived in during the past decade, I would have an embarassment of riches as far as AT classes go. Here? Not so much.)

I came this close when after tons of searching on Google I found a listing for a teacher who used to teach in the town that's right next-door to mine, but doesn't anymore. I emailed her and asked if she knew of anything, and she said she was just starting a class in a new location, and one of her students lives in the same town as I do and finds the commute is only 30 min.

Now for me that would be a very doable commute, especially if it meant I could take a class in the style I wanted and could take it once a week, rather than missing out and only getting it two times a month.

The catch? The class is at 6:15pm on Thursdays. I get off work at 6. Phooey!

The teacher was really sweet and said she'd float the idea of having a 7pm class over to her students, as their first class is this Thursday, but I'm not holding my breath. They all signed up because the time worked for them. I can't imagine they're going to change it, esp for somebody who's never even been to the class once.

So, looks like I'm stuck with the twice a month cabaret class. Better than nothing, I suppose, but it's still frustrating. My town normally gets all the ripples from NYC proper in almost everything else culturally, so for this to be the one black hole of nothingness is surprising.

[kicks stupid town and its strange lack of Tribal bellydance]

More from my vegitative brain

Just finished watching Taking Care of Business on TLC, because this is the kind of thing you watch when you're zoned on medication.

It's actually not a bad concept for a show, and it's more Queer Eye than Trading Spaces in that the mission statement seems to actually be about helping people, rather than screwing up their lives because the look of horror on their face makes for good TV.

My only word of advice is they have got to get rid of the designer. She's a prissy prima donna who thinks she's always right, which is a bad thing when you're talking to people who actually know more about the business than you do. You really can't put uncomfortable chairs into a computer cafe, and when the young guy who works at the store who is, essentially, your focus group tells you that the logo is dated and looks like ass, then the logo is dated and looks like ass.

I was, however, amused to see how the same employee later, when asked to make up flyers, graphic designed his own new logo for the store which was much more modern and better looking than hers was.

So that's my rec for people who are looking for shows that fill the sort of couch potato TV vibe that you can get from pretty much any of the "makeover" type shows that are out there. It's actually interesting in terms of the business advice they give out, but boy do they need to get rid of her.

In other news, because I know you were all on tenterhooks about this, I may have discovered a place that does evening Tribal classes. It's also about 30 min away, but it's an easy drive up I-95 (compared to the first place which was more "over the river and through the woods"), and even if their evening Tribal class doesn't work for me, they've got evening cabaret classes as well.

They're doing a student recital next Sunday, so I may swing by to see that and see if I like the place - and the dancing.

Now to go to bed.