Entertaining stuff

Have been lurking around a bit, and have been selfishly enjoying some "new" sites. And, as I'm trying to be less selfish, here they are (in alphabetical, rather than preferential, order).

Bored Beyond Belief

Hubbhub

Jim's Matrix

La Dolce Vespa

Lincoln Thomas

Your Bird


These next two aren't exactly new, but I thought a formal introduction was in order.

Workman's Waste of Time, for the latest updates on the fascinating events in the Faroe Islands.

Dooce, who although has some off-coloredness (despite being blindingly white), always amuses.


And, lastly. I've added a new sidebar with some links to some spectacular eye candy.

Second laugh at second city

Met up with Socrates for dinner and another show at Second City, where his sister is taking improv/acting classes. Mother Socrates was also there ... being the supportive mother by setting up the tripod and camcorder for Sister Socrates. MS reminds me of my own mother: trim, efficient, dedicated to family with that specifically Japanese mothering that's difficult to explain but easy to recognize.

The show was a lot of fun. SS is in an advanced class, and performed material written by the advanced writing class. I think my favorite person was the short swarthy guy, but maybe that's because he scooted across the stage and eaped at the audience. That, and the Barack Obama parody rap that Sister Socrates (curly locks imprisoned under a wig, and dressed up in a suit) busted out with in a majorly funny way. Hmmm ... and the "Didn't even give the head nod!?!?!" skit. But maybe that's because I have a quite rational hatred of rude drivers who don't acknowledge my own generous civility.

For the love of books, and the sake of readers

Spent the morning making a mock-up of Precious' baby shower invitations. Am so excited to do this. We're doing such a nice and low-key shower that it's an absolute pleasure. No ridiculous shower games ... like melting candy bars in diapers in the microwave, and having people guess which candy bar it is ... what a relief! Anyway, after going through several ideas, I finally came up with the perfect one. Just have to make one reservation, then the invites are ready to go.

Came home and set up my printer. This would seem to be a virtue, if only I didn't mention that it's been a few years in the making. Didn't have the appropriate cable, then lost track of the power cable, then just being lazy. It's the free printer that came with my laptop, so I never felt too guilty. However, when I went up to use Wonder Woman's printer, I was struck by the uncomfortablly cramped space it's in now that the rat cage (yes, pet rats!) is situated in her sitting room. And that, my friends, is what motivated me to finally set up my printer!

After such a productive day. I felt that a reward was in order. So, I printed (on my newly set-up printer) one of the irritatingly limited time offer Borders coupons, and got the book I've had my eye on, Liberty: The Lives and Times of Six Women in Revolutionary France, by Lucy Moore. I'e had my eye on this for a number of weeks, but my coupons kept expiring before I used them, and I was determined not to pay full price.

While looking around, I also was enchanted by The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science, by Natalie Angier. However, as I was out of coupons, I put it on my mental wish list. Then having gotten home and looked it up on Amazon, I decided to order it, along with
Woman: An Intimate Geography, by the same author. I'm hopeful that these will be as good as the writing of Atul Gawande, whose writing I adore, and who was one of the MacArthur Fellow awardees in 2007.

Anyway, it had occurred to me that I do a lot of book pumping via Amazon. And it never really bothered me. Until I read about The Open Library over at Bored Beyond Belief. And really, it doesn't really bother me enough to stop linking to books over at Amazon. But I'm excited about having books catalogued, and maybe even available on-line. Sort of like an imdb.com for books.

Anyway, someday I will have a house. And in that house will be a library. Maybe not as big as the one in Beauty and the Beast (my favorite Disney animated feature ... yes, woo me with books!), but you get the idea.

And, I must send a shoutout to Wry-an, who got me into reading non-fiction, and who generally has good taste in books ... except for his Flannery O'Connor fetish.

Oh, there I am!

So, I spent the whole day feeling really ill. It was my own fault, of course. Having failed to pick up a prescription from the pharmacy on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and most of Tuesday, I doubled up on Tuesday night and again on Wednesday morning to get caught up. Foolish, foolish Dora. Never again do I want to feel that ill again unless I'm actually preggers.

Got myself up out of bed and drove up to the valley to get fitted for my contacts. No, not the colored ones, but the regular ones to make sure the prescription is good enough to go to the next step. They felt, well, thick. It's been about eight years since I've worn contact lenses with any regularity. Not that I wear my glasses any more than I have to. However, after having my idiopathic bilateral cataracts removed, and the concomittant vision correction, I see well enough without lenses to, say go dancing or out to dinner without them.

Bad vision is pretty much hereditary in my family. Bad genes, and a tendency to read, a lot. From the age of seven, when my teacher realized that I was squinting a lot, I wore glasses, making for many geeky school pictures, and ridiculous teasing from insecure bullies. I remember one particularly hideous family picture when we were all wearing glasses ... parents, four children, maternal grandmother and ... Correct that, my paternal grandparents were the only ones not wearing glasses. Anyway, I'm sure the photographer was blinded by the reflections of the flash. Why didn't the jerk suggest that we take them off?

And then, my life suddenly changed. The summer I graduated from elementary school, I blossomed. Contact lenses, permed hair, pierced ears (finally!), frosted blue eyeliner, and babysitting income to buy fun clothes. Funny how there was always money for music lessons and instruments, camping trips, visits to Japan, and sports endeavors, while there was never money for the madras shorts, Izod polo shirts and Members Only jackets I longed for. Entered junior high school with no remnants of my geekiness showing, except for a strong academic drive. However, even that was fashionable at my magnet program.

So, the bliss continued through to college. Where I decided to major in biological sciences, which required year-long courses in both basic and organic chemistry. Where we were terrorized into buying glasses because the vapors from the malevolent creations in the bunsen burners would cause contact lenses to excruciatingly disfigure our eyeballs. Even worse, I had to wear the glasses under lab goggles. It was just too cruel.

After college, I wore my contact full time again. Even dabbled with gas-permeables (hard) contact. But those were decidedly not comfortable. Then, in the late nineties and early 00's, I had both cataracts develop, and had them both removed. And I could see well enough without any aids, the first time in twenty-or-so. Well, at least well enough to do the afore-mentioned dancing and dinners.

Then, due to an abundance of money in my health-care savings account (but, sadly, not in my actual fun-money account), I decided to get contacts again.

So, they felt thick in my eyes. But it was such a revelation to see my face in the many mirrors of the Lens Crafters store. So that's what I look like, without all the haziness. It was like discovering my face all over again. And it put a smile on my face.

That is, until I was making my repeat appointment with the cute optometrist. As he was asking me if I would like lens solution and a case, I felt the nausea well up uncontrollably. I tried to quell it, but it just kept coming ... the feeling, not the actual chunks. Feeling that it would be a bad thing to toss my cookies on carpet, I asked the eye guy where the nearest bathroom was, since I was feeling really sick. At first he didn't get it, and I thought the delay would push me over the edge. I repeated my self, he saw my greenish tinge, and hurriedly pointed me to some distant location out the store and down the hall. Which made me only want to toss my cookies all over his white lab coat. Then, the sympathetic and smart optical tech gave me an empty trashcan in case I didn't make it.

Got myself out of the store, and leaned against the nearest lonely corner and held the trashcan against the wall. Luckily, the nausea, one of the worst feelings in the world, soon faded. I stopped that awful salivating, and the diaphoresis vanished as soon as it had started. I walked back into the store and gave them back the trashcan. It's funny how people shy away from the nauseated. I wanted to explain that I wasn't contagious, only over-medicated. But I just wasn't in the mood. So, I turned to go. Then had to turn around again (ooo, not good), and asked for the lens solution and case again. I almost laughed at the timidity with which the eye guy gave me the package.

Headed for the homestead. No one home. All the better to lie down and sleep it off. Dad came home first. Talked about Bork's offer from the law firm where's he's been interning this summer. Excited to have him, Genie and the Beans close by, at least for the next little bit. Also chatted about how the stake presidency has dropped the ball on the mid-singles magnet ward. I'm disappointed in them, but have decided to take matters into my own hands. My extracurricular, alternative RS is just the beginning.

Mom came home for just a little bit, before going to one of the pre-season tax classes. Updated her on happenings in general. She reiterated her desire for me and JLITH to marry. She couched it in terms of wanting more grandchildren, but I think she just wants to see us happy, and thinks that marriage and children will be a very big part of that. Most of the time I think the same, but it just doesn't seem to mesh with the reality of my current life. And most of the time I'm quite philosophical about it. But today, I was sad that my mother was sad for me. However, it takes two to tango. And to lindy-hop, bal-swing, west coast swing and nightclub two step. Otherwise, it's just tap dancing.

When both parents had gone out for their evening activities, I left as well. Started the drive back to LA (with a short detour to Costco). Got a call from a friend. Asked if I was going to the summer dance series, inasmuch as they were teaching lindy hop tonight and next week. I confessed to a lingering desire to go, not only to condescend to whoever was going to teach the awful savoy-styled lindy that is popular at BYU, but because I haven't danced in almost a week, ever since the nefarious twisting of the ankle. After a few minutes of chatting, I knew that I wanted to go. Got myself home, took some advil, and iced the ankle, and headed over with Girl Friday.

Walked into the cultural hall, very prepared to exude lindy-snottiness. And had to stifle it in my delight ... Brittany and Marshall were teaching. Knew Marshall from years of dancing. He's a great dancer, and does the most amazing splits move. And Brittany? I knew that she was LDS, but it seems like just the other week that she was talking about graduating from high school. Plus I thought she lived rather far away, and hadn't connected her with the Santa Monica crowd at all. Anyway, she's a great lindy dancer, and small enough that most leads feel comfortable doing aerials with her.

So, I swallowed my snottiness (ick, yuck), and jumped in. Was alternatingly a follow or a lead, as the uneven numbers changed. Of course, there were more women, but it wasn't bad. Helped a lot of the girls with key pointers. And taught some of they latecomer guys (those that weren't too stuck-up to take lead advice from a woman) what they had missed. Overall, Brittany and Marshall did well. It's very ambitious to teach a lindy lesson in an hour to mostly non-dancers. Sure, there were several key points that they didn't think to cover ... opening up for a small rock-step when sending the girl out with the underarm turn, etc ... but overall they did a great job, and everyone had fun.

When the lesson broke up, talked a bit with White Boy and Satine. Danced a little lindy with White Boy, reviewed some stuff. Watched B & M cut it up a bit. Then Marshall asked me to dance a song. Fun fun fun! I'm probably a decade older than he is, but those types of distinctions seem to fade when the dancing is good. So great to be dancing after missing out on a week of it.

Got home and watched SYTYCD. I think the final four should be Sabra, Danny, Neil and Lacey. Sabra is so talented, she just lights up when she dances. Danny and Neil have such pretty bodies, and move really well. Danny is better than Neil, that's not in doubt. But Neil has improved by leaps and bounds. If only he wouldn't hunch his shoulders and sink his head and neck down. And Lacey is really good. I think it is a given that she will be in the final four, if only because she has such a large connection of dancing family and friends who are absolutely invested in getting her there. When all is said and dance, it's as much a popularity contest as it is a dancing contest.

And lastly, got some late night chuckles from Workman's take on the sheepish tale. I’m glad that it has been recorded for posterity. Even if it only gets funnier with each retelling. Sort of like FGITW falling in to the canals of Venice.

The other famous Potter

The other week, in post-Curry-and-Catan languid girl-talk, Jbeany recommended Miss Potter, a romantic biopic of H. Beatrix Potter, author and artist of the Peter Rabbit children's books. Maybe it was Jbeany saying that she liked to movie so much that after watching it on dvd, she immediately went out and bought it. Or maybe it was because she recounted a scene that extolled the virtues of a single woman's life. Whichever, I knew that this would be the next film I wanted the girls to get together to watch.

So, there we were. Nine women. One married. One divorced. Most of us unmarried and single. One student. Three with master's degrees. Two and a half women representing minorities. Originally from four different states. Found out a little more about these women that I'm so interested in getting to know. Excited about my alternative Relief Society.

We potlucked it, then moved to the living room to settle in.

I really liked the film. It was ... charming. As much as I am generally indifferent to Renee Zellweger, I forgot her as she became Beatrix. I was smitten with her relationship with her publisher (played by an endearing Ewan McGreggor), and delighted with her friendship with her publisher's sister (engagingly played by Emily Watson). I was dumbfounded when tragedy struck, eventhough I half-way expected it to happen (no one gets to be that happy, not even in the movies). And I was inspired by all the other things that Potter did with the rest of her life ... caretaker, farm owner, conservator, sheep breeder, scientific artist. She did spectacular things during her life, even when it must have seemed like it was over.

In short, I wholeheartedly recommend the film. Watch it. Then watch the special features. Potter was a fascinating woman. And the Lakes District goes down on my list of places to visit ... along with Prince Edwards Island, the Secret Annex in Amsterdam, and the Austen estate in Chawton.

It's tough being the Fearless Leader

Did charge today ... ideal, because I wasn't as hindered by my ridiculous gimped up ankle. Also, it's a Saturday, which means no admissions for scheduled surgeries, and no patients that have to travel for special prcedures, and less physician traffic for consults and follow-ups. And, as a bonus, I had TS as team leader ... or unit slave, as the position is more colloquially called.

Wasn't a bad day. Sent one patient directly home from the unit. Transferred three patients to the floor. Admitted one non-ICU patient to start nightly BIPAP. Got three sick calls, which wasn't ideal. And had to deal with one family crisis.

I've been thinking a lot about our really sick, chronic patients. Partially due to this post on DS and this other post on a child who had an in utero CMV infection. We see a wide variety of chronically sick patients, mostly in the winter time. In the PICU, summer is trauma season, and winter is respiratory season. So, in the winter, we see a lot of chronically ill patients, who suffer from a variety of congenital or chromosomal disorders. We see kids who are very much loved and well-cared for, and those who have been institutionalized because their parents lack the desire or ability to care for them. We see families who rally around a sick child, and those that unravel with chronic illness. We see those who put the best interests of the child above any other consideration, and those who prolong a child's suffering for their own needs. It's thorny, to say the least.

Today, I had one family that was in a lot of pain. An older couple, had been through years of fertility treatments to obtain their hearts' desire. Finally, their wish came true, but with a twist. Their eagerly anticipated baby had a non-hereditary syndrome that encompassed many congenital anomalies, affecting almost every organ system, with the outlook of a life filled with hospitalizations and surgical procedures. Added to this fact that the couple, although settled in the US, is from a first world country with socialized medicine.

I should have known that something was amiss when a consulting attending physician disrupted our unit attending rounds to speak with the attending on-call about this family, and their dissatisfaction with hospital medical staff. They had been presented with alternatingly rosy and gloomy outlooks on their child's prognosis. They had heard second-hand whisperings about physicians who reported not wanting to be involved in the case. They were put off by the brusque manners of specific doctors. The situation concerned me, but got lost in the hectic pace of the day.

(Aside: I might note that the day already had a white-rabbit-I'm-late quality to it. Morning rounds (with the fellows and the residents) hadn't finished until 1130, and the attending rounds had been delayed because of several mini-parent conferences regarding several very sick patients, and one not-sick-at-all child of a very pushy VIP. We didn't start attending rounds (with the attending, fellow, and charge nurse) until 1300.)

When we finally finished attending rounds, Half & Half came up to me and pulled me aside and described the situation ... the family was really upset, and wanted to meet with Nine Yards (the critical care and anesthesiology director). I groaned. I think I might have mentioned in several places how much I hate psych-social issues in nursing. But I knew that this had to be addressed today.

So, I gathered my thoughts and resolve, platered a gentle smile on my face, and knocked on the room and entered. I was unprepared. Instead of the angry and remonstrating parents I expected to meet, I met some lovely people. The parents were warm, clearly well-educated, and extremely reasonable. And as I listened to them, I could see that they needed me to be there.

Yes, they had been receiving very contradictory stories. Generally, the PICU physicians are really good at telling it like it is. Of course, some are more gentle and tactful than others. But they tend to give their expert opinion, based on the most current findings, and offer as many options are a possible. And, just as generally, many other services offer extremely rosy outlooks ... the oncology service comes to mind as one that is generally not realistic enough to benefit parents. The best solution for this mismatch of outlooks is best solved by a genuine parent conference, where the family is able to sit down with all the services involved in the child's care, hear all the opinions of the specialists, and have a chance to get their questions answered in a cohesive and understandable way.

The parents were further confused by the parade of physicians involved in their child's care. Not only are there mutliple services involved, but the attendings roate weeks on call. Then there are also the fellows in each service, and all the residents just in the PICU. The solution for this was to have one person overseeing the patient's care on an on-going basis ... someone the parents could meet with during office hours, who was available on a consistent basis, and not just on a by-the-week basis. The ideal solution would be to have a case manager keeping track of the patient's progress, to coordinate and be a support to the family.

The parents' unhappiness was compounded by the fact that there was a serious trend of miscommunication. When the physicians talked about the child's prognosis, all the parents could hear was that their child's life was intolerable and not worth living. I can emphatically state that this was never implied. Aside from cases of documented brain death or a DNR (do not resusitate) order, we do everything we can to restore and/or improve the health of our patients. Added to this was the fact that the parents had shut down when the physicians broached the subject of a tracheostomy. Apparently they had met a child who had the same syndrome, and who had a trach, and it became their worst fear. Clearly the parents needed someone to support them and facilitate communication with the healthcare team. Sadly, our unit social worker was on vacation, but I got the covering social worker to step in and start working with the parents.

And lastly, the parents wanted to speak with Nine Yards, which I agreed to arrange.

So, what did I do (besides try to keep my nervousness under wraps)? I practiced my reflective listening skills. Heard them out. Tried to reflect/rephrase their statements. Clarified when I could. Offered the above four ideas as a starting place. They were very appreciative, and I felt that I had helped de-fuse a potentially combustible situation.

When I left, I found an empty room and paged my on-call manager. And she listened to me. She took the responsibility to get a case manager involved. She informed me that Nine Yards was still on vacation. And advised me to broach the on-duty attending about what had transpired so that he was aware of the situation. She was a calm port amid the shrieking voices in my head.

Re-entered the unit and was immediately swept back into the business of being The Fearless Leader. Couldn't seem to get the on-duty attending alone for a minute ... demands on both his and my time. However, I finally got a quiet moment with him, and updated him on my conversation with the parents. Afterwhich I had to listen to him and help de-fuse some of his enfensive mechanisms. Afterwhich he calmed down, and was able to talk with the family to arrange for a conference. Afterwhich I approached the parents to follow up. We reviewed the goals of having the parent conference, getting a case manager, and involving the social worker. I told them that Nine Yards was on vacation, but that we would let them know when he returned and arrange a meeting.

My personal opinion? I think these parents will love their child with all their might. I think the child will be very well cared for. My hope is that they always put the best interests of the child ahead of their need to be parents.

With all this, you would think that I would be chomping at the bit to get home. If I wasn't gimping, I would have hightailed it to Pasadena for salsa dancing at Paseo Colorado, then blues dancing at One Colorado Courtyard. However, it wasn't even a possibiility ... and the night shift was short-staffed until 2300. So, I gave myself the smallest patient possible, gave report to the oncoming charge nurse, and stayed four more hours for the overtime pay, and to wind down from a rollercoaster of a day.

Gimping around town

Went out to do a few errands. And yes, still gimping around on crutches.

Over to Third Street in Santa Monica to go to REI. New water bottle, and more shirts. See, when I go dancing, I tend to get sweaty. I'm totally jealous of non-sweaty dancers ... although other sweaty dancers console me with the fact (hmmm, really?) that non-sweaty dancers have no other way to dissipate heat, and are far more likely to collapse of heat strain. I'm not so convinced, but it's one of those glass-half-full story options. Anyway, I get sweaty when I dance, which is why I'm most liable to be found near the fans at the front of Lindy Groove, or the side of Paladino's, or where ever the breeze or A/C is strongest. And, I tend to bring at least one back-up shirt whenever I go dancing.

Even more importantly, I'm always on the prowl for active wear (with quick-dry features) that doesn't actually look too much like active wear. Best results tend to come from yoga or dance wear, which don't generally have too much logo junk scattered all over, or outrageously bold stripes of color in all the wrong places, or ugly necklines.

So, when I trialed out my newest find on Monday, I found that it fit the long-enough-in-the-body test, and the quick-dry (ie: doesn't reveal sweatiness) test, and the comfort test, and had sleeves. Thus it was that I headed back to REI where I bought three more of the same shirt (in three different colors), and was relieved that they were still on sale. I believe in going with what works. Huzzah!

Dropped in at the rental management agency and dropped off the rent check that WW hadn't ever gotten around to before she left on vacation. Found TankGirl there, looking for a new apartment, since hers is now basically a mold perti dish ...due to her awful landlord. Got to talking a bit, and now I have a few more names to add to my list of cool women in LA that I'd like to get to know. Huzzah again!

Made a quick stop over at Best Buy. Got Miss Potter (for Sunday night, just in case Jbeany can't loan me hers), and the soundtrack to Once, which I fell in love with months before I ever saw the movie.

Home for a little rest, then over to my PMD for a look-see at the ankle. I really like my Doc. He's about my age (not too young and inexperienced, but not too old ann entrenched), second generation asian, and really listens to me. Plus, he knows that I know what I'm talking about, and lets me get whatever studies I think are necessary, and is good about suggesting things and explaining why. Since my urgent care appointment was so late in the afternoon, I was worried that I wouldn't have time to get the xrays done. When I left his office, I gimped over to the radiology office as fast as was Dorably possible. The front office was shuttered down, and it was with a little panic that I headed to to back, where I saw only a janitor pushing two large trashcans. I was about to get really frustrated, when he pointed to the clerk exiting a door just behind me. Turns out that I was just in time to get the last films (hmmm, does anyone still use actual xray films now that digital xrays are so prevalent?) of the day.

Took my time crutching back to my car, and got myself home. Not long after, Doc called me with the results of the wet (meaning: read and report on ASAP) read: no fractures! Hurray! Of course it's sore, and stiff and still a bit swollen, but I'm going to do everthing possible to get it back in danceable shape as soon as possible!

And, just to finish off the day on a great note, here's a great clip of Jim Minty and Lacey Schwimmer in a Jack & Jill competition. I'm a Jim fan. I like the way he teaches, and the fact that he lets (or is it that he wants it done?) his students post bits of his lessons on youtube. Because really, dancing is all about spreading the love.

Get Gimpy

Up fairly early this morning, after having spent the wee hours of last night drowning my sorrow in watching every new tivo'd thing ... SYTYCD, Law and Order, Sex and the City (the tamed down version that Perky keeps saying should be renamed Heavy Petting in the City), and My Boys.

... and remembered that I had yet to put up a post over at the Exponent II blog. So, looking at my white board, I decided to put on hold the half-dozen ideas I've been contemplating, and post on how on-line LDS interactions translate into real-world interactions. You can see my ruminations here. Interestingly enough, the photo is actually of LDS women. Initially, I was hoping to get an interesting contemporary picture of multi-racial women. But when I typed "women" into google images, the picture showed up on the second page, as part of the Women's History Initiative, affiliated with the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute. Interesting also to note that 2004 saw the first Mormon Women's history class at BYU, co-taught by Jill Mulvay Derr, who I've heard speak at Miller-Eccles, and liked exceedingly.

So, got my post blogged, then headed over to work for the preceptee graduation. I thought about skipping it, but I wanted to be there to support E, and felt that since I'd already told her I would be there, I should be there. Ended up taking my crutches (that I got when I broke my ankle at my first snow-boarding attempt) along just in case. I ended up not having time to get flowers for E, but I've got a good idea for another gift that will do much better at a slightly later time. Was very glad to have brought the crutches along, as the swelling, soreness and stiffness in the demmed ankle was getting worse.

The graduation was nice. The class this time was small, just twenty preceptees for the whole hospital. In the fall, there will be seventy with six in the PICU! They showed the video set to With Arms Wide Open (good grief, could Scott Stapp be any sexier?). It's the second time I've seen it, and it still gets me a little misty. They show video clips of many patients ... critically ill, hooked up to life-support, in surgery, recovering, at clinic visits, playing in the gardens, interacting with staff doctors and nurses, etc etc.

The Chief Nursing Officer, and CEO spoke a few words.

The pain management nurse (who works hospital wide with a team) was the keynote speaker, and had a great presentation about how the preceptor program has changed and developed in the past decade. Of note, our program is so successful that it's being marketed and used across the nation.

The on-site childcare program kids came and sang for us. Image the "You Are My Sunshine" song. Except the lyrics go like this:

You are my angel, my only angel
You made me better when I get sick
YOu'll never know, nurse, how much I love you
Please don't ever change your career.

Totally brought the house down.

And then, the graduates were presented with certificates, etc. The PICU team got the most enthusiastic responses!

Afterwards, spoke with E for a few minutes, and congratulated her. Then hobbled back to my car. Called my PMD, and got an appointment for tomorrow afternoon, after which I expect to get some xrays done. Gimpy has had it ... and it's not even been 24 hours!

An unfortunate incident

Second day on, in one of the big rooms, with a fairly busy pair. And, I was in the room with E, who came off orientation early because we were so short-staffed. I could tell that she was a little nervous, but I reassured her that she would do fine, that she had all the skills do carry her through the day, and provide excellent care to her patients. I'm so proud that she'd been doing so well.

Day went well. Even managed to put in a substantial amount of time into getting the first version of the schedule finalized and printed. E did well,and volunteered to stay over until 2300, since nights was going to be a bit short. At some point I asked her if she was working the next day, and she said that she had the preceptor graduation. A good reminder, although I'd had it penned into my Franklin. Anyway, I told her that I would be there.

Finished work, and changed to go out dancing. Had originally taken a change of clothes to go to the Wed night summer series over in Santa Monica. However, after I read through my juno email accounts (I know, they're old, and not as user friendly as gmail, but I still keep those accounts for certain list-serves), I decided to go to Doug Silton's novice/intermediate west coast swing class, at a location not too far from my place. I've just really taken a liking to WCS, and would like to sharpen up my stylings for when I go to SLC in October.

The class was small, only two leads and two follows, which meant for a lot of personal attention, if not a good variety of leads. We worked on basic WCS styling, and a wide variety of pass-bys ... I liked the double turn ones the best, both in front and behind the leaders. Afterwards, we also worked on a move that they Int/Adv lindy class (which met just prior to the WCS lesson) had done the week previous ... which had a side by side forward movement, cross-handed turn, body stop, and an interesting lat-push by the leads that moved into side by side turns and a shoot-her-out-the-back second half of a whip. Take 5 minutes to describe, and 20 seconds to do. Really good class. Unforturnately, it looks like Doug won't be continuing the class, due to low attendnace.

Didn't change my shoes, but picked up my stuff, and was about to leave. Then, I felt bad about not saying goodbye to one of the leads (who I don't really like, but don't really dislike), so I turned around nad bade farewell just as I was walking through the door. Bad move. I should have listened to my first instinct and kept walking. Because, by turning my attention to the guy, I missed the low step down out of the door. My right foot turned under me as I collapsed, and I followed onto the ground. Ugh ... horrible horrible horrible. After laughing off the event, I slowly walked to my car, becoming surer and surer with each step that I'd badly sprained my ankle.

Got home, and RICE'd my ridiculous injury. Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevation. To which I added my customary dose of advil, for a little non-steroidal anti-inflammnatory action. This does not bode well for the rest of the summer.

Spreading the love

So, tonight was the night. White Boy and I have been getting together every Monday night since the end of June (except for that one miserable week I was sick), practicing and refining our nightclub two step. Fell in love with NCTS dancing at the MAC in SLC with Utah Swing Ambassador. Didn't even know what it was then, just that he led it so well, and it just seemed to flow so smoothly.

Anyway, when Minnie asked me about teaching dancing to the mid-singles, I decided that NCTS was the way to go. It's a symmetrical dance, very easy, on the slow side, and perfect for 30-somethings who may not have ever danced a partnered dance in their life except for the dead-boring-high-school-slow-dance-junk that most people never progress beyond.

Looked on-line for a dvd that I could order so that I could get more solid on how to teach the basics. However, most of the easily commercially available stuff looked really cheesy. I did find one dvd by Michael Kiehm that looked promising, but this was much further down the line.

Anyway, after the initial disappointing dvd search, I turned to the next obvious source ... youtube! Again, some older, arthritic looking stuff, and some decidedly country stuff. Then, I found this clip and this other clip of my pal Jeremy with Monica, and I knew that this was definitely what I wanted to teach. Found a couple of other clips of Michael Kiehm and Jim & Katie to review for material, and everything else just followed.

For the class, we had abnout 30-ish people show up. In the end there ended up being about four extra women who were brave enough to stay in the rotation. Of course, some just couldn't stay put, and the rotation got all messed up, but both White Boy and I stepped in as leads, and I think it wasn't too bad. One nice thing is that I was able to get around and look at couples on a personal level, and help out those who were having trouble. Yes, there were at least one guy who was absolutely hopeless, and a couple women who were next to hopeless, but all in all, they weren't bad.

Before we ever got to the actual NCTS, I did a little primer on lead and follow technique. Men: set the direction, pace and moves, also, keep the hands level despite nerves (no chicken wing dancing), and don't squeeze your partner's hands too tightly. Women: follow, and fill the hand, whether it's open or closed position. Really simple tension and compression ideas. All that, and the importance of breath mints! As Steve Garrett says, "Dancing is the one time that a man can tell a woman what to do, and she's expected to do it." To which I like to add, "So don't mess it up."

We taught the basic, an outside turn, travelling crossovers, and the hug-me turns. Ended up leaving out the Miranda Roll with walkabout, and the Spanish Archer. And if you don't recognize the names of all the moves, it's because I didn't know what they were, and just made them up!

After the lesson, there was a lot of standing around and talking. Which isn't unusual, just puzzling. We'd just taught a great lesson, everyone seemed to be excited about what they'd learned, but no one was taking advantage of the large dance space and music. So, White Boy and I took a couple turns around the floor just for kicks. Maybe I should have talked a little about asking other people to dance, but you'd have figured that single people in their 30's would have figured this out for themselves. And White Boy did tremendously, for just having learned the dance a few weeks ago. If he weren't already exclusively dating someone, I'm sure he would have been able to ask out almost any woman at the event, and gotten an enthusiastic yes. If only all the other men were so enlightened about the attractiveness-enhancing properties of a man who knows how to lead and dance well.

Afterwards, Shimai J and Feminist A asked about places to go dancing, and I promised to send some links to some of the fun weekend venues. We also got invited out to dinner with Minnie et al, but I bowed out because of work the next day.

Dancing ... it's all about spreading the love!

Curry and Catan

Reluctantly got up at 0830 to go to church. One hour, I promised myself, then I can come home and collapse.

I've long since decided that being single in a married church isn't bad. In fact, I'm quite happy with my life. I'd like to buy a house, fall in love, get married, and have children, but the first goal is the only one that involves just my own free agency, and I'm hoping to make it happen in the next year or two. However, what I really deplore, is being-single-in-a-married-church-AND-being-harped-at. And although it's bad enough coming from people I actively dislike, it's even worse coming from people I rather like. I really don't need to hear that it will all work, you'll find someone for sure, guys are just stupid, etc etc. Not all men are stupid. It's never a certain thing that I will find someone who wants to marry me AND who I like enough to marry. And don't tell me it's all going to work out, because i think it's working pretty well right now. And that is part of why one hour turned into two. Really, I should have cut the other person off and left, but I genuinely like this person, know that they are trying to help, and didn't want to be rude. It took all of 15 minutes for the pain of my fake smile to fade after I'd made my escape.

Also got to catch up with my visiting teacher. A bit of drama with her twins, who have finally, after a stretch in the NICU, coming home, and emergent CPR and PICU re-admission for one of the twins. Plus, they're moving to be closer to family. She's been so diligent and kind these last few years.

Came home and did indeed collapse into bed for a few hours. Got up and made curry in record time ... two hours from start to finish. I think that's a personal best. Also, I've stopped sauteing everything but the meat ... less oil, and cuts down the cooking time significantly, without loosing any of the flavor.

Smallish group tonight ... just two tables. I taught at the Babes in Toyland table. It's always a bit of a drag; the games are much slower, no one wants to trade, and I miss all the excitement of the the cutthroat games. But's it;s worth it to spread the love of Catan. Of the bunch, I think Feminist A caught on the quickest, although Shimai J seemed to be doing really well. Feminist A won at the beginner table, and Wonder Woman creamed the competition at the cutthroat table.

Who else came? Boss-man ... hardly ever see him, and was very surprised that he came, so it was nice to see him. KY, who's finally feeling better. Lovely Lady.

The best parts of the night were just spent catching up. The Dot and Ballerina came, and B brought the baby, who we all admired. It was interesting to talk with B about how motherhood was treating her, and how her perceptions of motherhood have drastically changed. Talked about movies with The Dot and White Boy. Talked with Feminist A about the exponent retreat. And after most of the people had left, Shimai J, Feminist A, Jbeany and Girl Friday stayed around to chat about all things womanly. I've even gotten an idea for another girl's night in/out, and a couple of more women that I want to start including.

Camp Hollywood: Day Two

Woke up early today. Excited about Day Two, and dancing to the
Jonathan Stout Orchestra. Even got out my steam rollers and did a 40-50’s style coiffure, and got out a vintage outfit to wear in the evening. It’s been a long time since I’ve done the whole vintage thing … it’s time consuming and tiring to do their hair, and dry-cleaning never seems to get the clothes clean enough, but every once in a while, I’ve just got to do it.

Today’s contests: Am and Intermediate Jack and Jill Prelims, Pro lindy finals, and the Showcase division.

Had an interesting conversation with Little Julie about what constitutes Am, Intermediate, or Pro. I don’t like that some dancers are switching their status between competitions. For example, MarkB competed in the Int J&J contest, which was totally appropriate. However, it was unfair that he was competing against the likes of Doug Silton and Debbie Gitt, both of whom compete in Pro divisions at other competitions. I also thought that a lot of the really good competitors in the Am division should have been in the intermediate category. But it was weird, given that the Int division was only available in the J&J category.

The Pro lindy final was, to quote Wade Robson, ridiculous. I was blown away. It’d be worth it to buy whatever dvd that competition is on. The crowd gave a standing ovation at the end. Loved Ben & Carla, Dave & Kim, and Dan & Tiffany.

Showcase was fun. Lots of international dancers … representing Canada, Sweden, France and Italy. Japan was also represented, but not in the showcase competition. The best was probably the couple from Italy … very innovative, comedic, and just fun to watch, incorporating techno and salsa music into their swing routine.

Ended up eating dinner alone at the steak place in the hotel. Could have joined in with some other groups, but I wanted to eat a good meal in a restaurant, not pizza or sandwiches. Had a tasty ahi tuna steak with some scrumptious garlic mashed potatoes. I always try to eat more protein when I know I’m going to dance a lot.

To provide an outlet for the dancers while the ballroom was being set up, Hillary arranged for piano dance jams in the lobby. Glenn Takakjian and friends. And so it was that the rest of the hotel patrons got a good showing of dancers going at it on the slippery main lobby area. Lots of fun.

JSO was good. Lots of great music at variable tempos. It’s a little sad that the Bill Elliot Swing Orchestra didn’t come this year, but the times are a changing. The evening competition was for teams. Really liked Debbie Gitt’s team’s routine. The beginning was great. However, like the Hornets, who are also really fun to watch, sometimes they just didn’t sustain the excitement. I think the best routine of the night was by the 23 Skidoo gang, headed by Dan and Tiffany. Coming out, in corsets and goth make-up, it was an abovious nod to Wade Robson’s zombie routine. They had a bunch of crazy aerials and lifts, that were well choreographed, and the excitement and interest didn’t flag at all during the entire routine.

After the ballroom got really hot, I wandered out and found solace in the remarkably cool blues/westie room. Huzzah! Went and changed my clothes and shoes into what I normally wear, and was ready to go. Had some really good dances, then went to look for MarkB. Took a long time to find him, and he was dancing with someone else. Sat down for a break, and then he was gone. Deciding to just let it go, I returned to the blues room. And not too much later, he came in, and we had a few more dances. There was a little tension between him and his girlfriend. It’s hard when dating dancers are on different levels, and the more beginner dancer isn’t proactive about finding their own dancers. I’ve been on both sides of the fence, and neither side is fun.

When I noticed I was staggering more than dancing, it was time to leave. I never wear a watch when dancing … it just gets in the way and provides an unnecessary snagpoint. Got into my car, and when I turned the ignition, I noticed it was after 0400.

Camp Hollywood: Day One

Headed over to the LAX Marriot for Day One of the Camp Hollywood competitions. See the Camp Hollywood 2006 opener here. On the menu today: Pro and Am Lindy and Balboa prelims, and the Shag prelims

I remember enjoying the lindy competitions. In the Am division, Young Gun was definitely my favorite. Giobfast was good, but his partner was a sub, since Little Flower had disclocated her shoulder the previous week. And those are the only ones that stand out, now that I've finally gotten around to writing this. In the pro divison, Ben & Carla were the obvious standouts, and I remember Dave & Kim, Ben & Sheri, and Marty & His new partner as being particularly good.

Balboa is really a great dance, and I wish more leads would learn to do it … well. Most of what I see these days is really fast bal-swing, but it’s also a fantastic dance to do to easy, moderate tempos. Bal started in Orange County around 1940. Here’s a brief history of bal-swing in Southern California. A gem in the lindy archives is The Beach clip with Hal Takier (in the white Cuban shirt and the dark trousers

More currently, here’s a great clip of aBal-swing teacher’s demo in France. I like Andy & Christelle, and Randy & Kara. My absolute favorite Bal-swing couple was Steve and Denise. They were brilliant when they danced together. They stopped dancing together a few years before youtube started, so I can’t find any clips of them dancing together. However, in this clip of the Bal finals from CH 2005, you can see them dancing separately. Denise is the first girl to dance, and Steve is the 8th guy to dance. Also of note are Ben Riccard (4th), Mikey Pedroza (7th), and Allison Plys (9th).

Really, the shag is my least favorite swing dance, but I’m all admiration for those who do it well, like Sailor Mike and Laura. The best part of the shag competition may have been Ben Yau, who is about 5’7”, dancing with a tall thin woman who was at least a head and neck taller than him. Absolutely fantastic!

But the best part was seeing people I haven’t seen in months to years, catching up, and getting in some dances between the competitions (despite wearing my clogs, and not any type of dancing shoes). Bill and Teresa from Ventura. Little Julie (not JB, but the other one). And MarkB. Oh MarkB … one of my favorite leads to dance with. Not flashy, but really solid, enthusiastic and creative. I never have to worry when I dance with him, it’s all pure enjoyment. Made up for last night’s disappointing dances. Also saw a lot of local dancers. Eli. JoNg and E, who are taking the intermediate track. Manhattan Beach. Claire, Giobfast and Little Flower.

Didn’t stay for the evening dance. I enjoy Mora’s Modern Rhythmists, but there just aren’t enough good and available bal-swing dancers to make the price of the ticket worth it.

There's a first time for everything ...

... even a disappointing night at Lindy Groove.

Work was harried. Unit was busy. I was in a big room, and had a pair. One little thing after another. One patient had a fever and needed to be pan-cultured. The other was pretty agitated, requiring lots of care, and additional pain and sedation meds. Feverish patient also had to get a thoracentesis, and have the fluid sent off for another battery of tests. New batch of residents who need to be broken in. Didn't take breakfast until 1100. Then, thoracentesis-boy had to go down for a hip CT ... since he couldn't fit into the MRI machine yesterday, due to the severe hip contractures that contort his body. Went down for that. When I got back, the resident complained that they hadn't read all of his comments, and we needed to go down for the pelvic CT. Ridiculous, since I think the resident ordered the CT wrong in the first place. Anyway, the fellow SS took a look at the CT on the computer (all of our radiology studies are digital ... I love it!), and said that the hip CT had captured the pelvic info they needed, and cancelled the second CT. Thank goodness!

Spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on thoracentesis boy's quadruple antibiotics (all given via a single lumen PICC line), and was grateful to report off the same nurse I had gotten report from in the morning.

Took a little nap in the staff lounge before heading up to LG. Have to say that it was a disappointing night. Every other year, the Thursday before Camp Hollywood has been fantastic, as all the out-of-towners have been so eager to ge in on the Lindy Groove action. However, I'd forgotten that this was the 10th anniversary of CH, and that they had planned a special event, with an instructor's jack and jill. Needless to say, the crowd at LG was thin. The number of people I wanted to dance with was small. Danced a few numbers with some guys who were eager to impress. Oh, they impressed all right, their thumbs into my forearms so much that the dance was more pain than pleasure! Whatever else it is, dancing should not be painful. I left much earlier than usual, and was glad to escape.

Time with Genie

Went down to Costa Mesa today to have lunch with Genie. We'd planned this several times during the month, but put it off because I was sick.

Got down there, and had a little time to tussle with the nephews. It's been less than three weeks since I've seen them, but Bean 3 is clearly crawling like a champion, and enthralled with all the things there are to discover. Beans 1 and 2 are tanned and fit from hours in the pool. Bean 1 is getting more and more verbal in English, and it's fascinating to hear him talk about through his thoughts and childish desires. Bean 2 is also getting more verbal, but I think he is often frustrated by his inability to keep up with his older brother.

Lunch was at Pinot Provence, reviewed here. Yummy business lunch with three courses each. It was not a lot of food, but it was delicious and filling. Especially liked the duck with fig. Good to have some one on one time with Genie. Find out how the boys are doing, and how she's experiencing motherhood with these rambunctious boys, and how they're learning, growing, and developing their distinct personalities. It's so comforting to see Bork so well-settled in life with such a wonderful wife. Genie helps temper his, well, temper, and smooths life in so many little ways. And they just love each other. We're all keeping our fingers crossed that the summer internships continues to go well, and that the Dragon family will settle down in southern California.

The changing face of marriage in the church

The most interesting thing at church today was the RS lesson ... despite my general narcoleptic tendencies in RS, and notwithstanding White Boy's first lesson as a Gospel Doctrine teacher.

The lesson in RS this week focused on Elder Dallin H. Oaks' remarks on divorce at spring general conference. It was a startling topic for a GC address, and I confess that I was excited that it was being discussed in such a public, church-wide forum. Having reread the address, there are certain things I agree with ... like preventing ill-advised marriages as the medicine against divorce, and that divorce should be the last option and not the first. I don't know that I agree with all the statistics he presented ... some of the sources seem to come from a conservative bias. Then again, I haven't reread all hiss source material, and am unlikely to do so either.

The fact is, the mormon marriage has undergone a bit of aging and face lifts just in my lifetime. When I look at LDS women, I no longer get a picture of a barefoot, perpetually pregnant woman with a surburban and a horde of children. More and more, I see lots of marriages with fewer children. Or divorced couples ... mostly single mothers. Or single women. Or second marriages. Or people waiting to get older before getting married. Or part-member families. That isn't to say that the first image of mormon marriage won't always be a golden haired, attractive couple surrounded by 4-6 children dressed in matching clothes prettily arranged in some pastoral setting. It won't. However, that image is now closely followed by other images that help round out the picture of what latter-day saint lives actually look like.

Making it happen

So, in the spirit of not relying on church leaders, I organized a little girls' afternoon out. Lunch and a matinee movie with some women that I'm interested in getting to know more. Not that I don't like including the guys. Just that time with just girls is rare these days. So, we lunched at Jack Spratt's before going to the new Landmark theatre at Westwood and Pico to see Once, a movie Mr. Giggles had recommended eons ago. I've been listening to the soundtrack on-line, and wanted to see it before it left theatres.

The movie was so lovely. Not a lot of tricks or special effects. Just intimate footage of the two main characters as their story unfolded, and music that seemed to fit right in. On film, some of Glen Hansard's vocals came off a bit harsh, but I still loved it. Marketa Irglova was so charming. The music throughout was tender and touching. The kind of music that makes falling in love easy. Little things, like draggin around a hoover, or nipping hanky-panky in the bud, snagged my attention and made me want the movie to last beyond the standard one and a half hours. Not a standard Hollywood ending, but it brought a tear (or maybe even two) to my eye.

How often do you find the right person? I'll have to get back to you on that ...

In the meantime, I've finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows. Loaned my copy to Wonder Woman, whose guaranteed-delivered-on-7/21-bought-on-Amazon.com-copy never came!!!

A nurse's thoughts on being sick

Day 1: Not feeling great today. Good thing I'm precepting, and that E is pretty much ready to go on her own. I can hang on until the end of the shift. Good thing I already told the charge nurse that I'm calling in sick for tomorrow. Hopefully I can go home and just crash. Oops, stop by the store first to stock up on cold meds and stuff for ramen (the cheapy packages and eggs to whip and mix in), which always make me feel better.

Day 2: Bad cold. Didn't sleep. Drip. Drip. Drip. Waiting for the virus to peak and clear. Feeling the fever rage throughout my body. Sometimes it feels good, other times it just feels awful. Advil is my friend. So is Zicam. Hmmmm. Remember to drink lots of fluids.

Day 3: Coughed all night. Not a good sign. Call Genie in the morning and tell her that lunch is impossible; hate to spread the cold to her, Bork or the Beans. Oooh, Bork and Beans. Ha! Definitely not a good night.

Day 4: Awful day. Drugs are not doing the job. Emailed a friend for a blessing. Can come by later tonight. Yay. Grumpy from lack of sleep. Nose still dripping despite constant blowing, feeling chapped. Cool pack on forehead keeps eyelids from getting too hard. No fever, but still having hot periods and chills. Mean to my roommates. Boo on me. Relieved to get blessing. Friend got my HT to come. HT brought his wife, who brought me some Vit C. Feel emotionally better after the blessing.

Day 5: Make appointment to see PMD in urgent care. This has gone on long enough. Ditched the Zicam, holding advil until after PMD visit, drinking fluids and taking Vit C. Actual PMD not in, but saw his partner. Explained and was examined. Does he know I'm a nurse? Bronchitis. Fluid behind the eardrum. Recommend antibiotics. Yes, please. Want some phenergan with codeine? Ooo, yes please! Hurray hurray! I can see long bouts of sleeping in my immediate future! Pharmacy to fill Rx's. Take first doses in parking lot. Good thing it's only twice a day. Need to make a chart to remember when I've taken doses. Sad that a nurse so gifted at giving multiple antibiotics is so awful at taking even one. ...... zzz ... zzz ... zzz ...

Day 6: 0100. Feeling good after many hours of sleep. Should I try to go get the Harry Potter book? Well .... YES! ~~~ Wow, line down the block and around the corner. Doesn't appear to be moving. Maybe I'll wait in my car a little. Or maybe I'll go ask how late they're open. Oops, now the line is moving. Yes, I'm here to get the book. The last you'll let in? Ooo, thanks. Line extends around the whole store. Ho hum. Let's rifle through this book. Charles Lindbergh ... no mention of lindy hop? Outrageous. Let's try this book. Nope ... boring. Anyway, don't buy any books until you can get more coupons off the internet. Mmmm, he's cute. Cough syrup wearing off! And now I'm at the register. Hurray! Book. Free poster. Head home for more quality time in bed and more drugs.

Great Expectations

Posted this over at exponent blog. Some really interesting responses. Am glad to know that many don't mind a bit of disconnect from their marriage partners in terms of interests. As yet I'm unconvinced that it will be something that I have to deal with. Not that I'm unconcerned. It's just that I may never find someone that I care deeply enough about, who reciprocates, to worry about it over.

One thing many of the interest-disconnected people seem to have in common is a really similar (or at least compatible) mode of communication. And therein, I think, lies my problem. I'm a good listener. Or at least when I'm not totally self-absorbed. And it's rare that I feel comfortable enough in a relationship to divulge lots of myself. Parts of myself ... well, okay. But the most important stuff only gets heard by the most important people ... which don't tend to be the people I date. I'm a good keeper, not giver, of secrets.

The talk brought on the tickle?

Woke up with a little tickle in my throat.

Went to church.

Came home and took a nap.

Woke up in a panic around 1600, remembering that Wry-an was going to call. Sure enough, there was a message. Called, updated, planned. Haven't talked on the phone like this in ages. Hung up, tickle slightly aggravated. But excited about going to visit him and Georgia Peach in September.

(Also of note: Stake Counsellor #2 was in our ward today. A day which was like a three hour long eulogy to a former stake president and his family who were moving away. Almost felt like those orchestrated missionary farewells that we aren't supposed to have anymore. Anyway, saw Stake Counsellor #2 in the hallway between meetings. And on the fly, I sweetly stated that he had never called me back a few months ago when he had again requested my phone number, in order to talk about a mid-singles magnet ward. He seemed a little embarrassed, and muttered something inconsequential. To which I (sweetly) replied that I'm learning to be patient. Later on, I found out that Improv-er (one of those "key" mid-singles that they were trying to convince about the magnet ward) had been called to be a counsellor in his ward bishopric. I don't know whether to be happy or dismal. Either they're grooming him to be a bishopric member in a (far-off) future magnet ward, or they've ditched the idea completely. Deciding now that I'm just going to make my own events to meet and make friends, and not rely on church leaders. Being patient in this area is serving no one's needs.)

+ For Theory, - For Execution

Went over to the Geffen Contemporary Museum with the OC LDS feminist contingent to see the Wack! Art and the Feminist Revolution exhibit. Lots of different types of artwork were included ... paintings, drawings, photography, art-installations, etc etc. And yet, the focus of the exhibition was very specific, taking art only produced between 1965-80, and only by female artists.

On the whole I was "underwhelmed." Maybe it's that I'm not generally a fan of contemporary art. While I liked a lot of the theory behind some of the pieces, the execution often seemed shoddy, crude or vulgar. One particularly theoretically interesting piece (a woman charted parallel emotional oscillograms of conversations she had with her mother ... what is so basic as a woman's relationship to her birth mother or motherly figure) was scribbled on 8x11 sheets of paper with pen in handwriting that was barely discernible, much less pleasing to the eye. Very interesting theory, very poor exeecution. Another large painting showed a vanity table with a picture of Marilyn Monroe, cosmetics, fresh fruit and jewelry, with some type in the middle about the first time Norma Jean had someone comment on her looks. The painting was skillfully rendered, and it was apparent that the artist was trying to focus on the temporality of physical beauty, but the whole image looked like a cut and paste collage ... like one would see in a glossy advertisement for CVS cosmetics.

Even less did I enjoy the nude parading of women, either as subjects or self-portraits. And not because I don't like nude art. I have several friends who do wonderful live model sketches, and there are several artists who are able to render the human form as very divine. However, I do have a personal convictions that some things (like pubic hairs, for example) are not ever pretty, and cheapen (rather than alleviate) art.

Whew! That all being said, there were a couple of things that I did like about the exhibit. I liked the enormous red weaving that hung in the antechamber of the museum. It really is massive. And intricately woven with many different threads and yarns and weaves throughout. I imagined it as the collective feminine heart, knit together despite color, race, time or belief. I also liked the room with the crocheted, intertwined pieces. And, I liked some of the really sharp black and white photography.

I want art to be beautiful, and inspire me to live more beautifully. I want to find that touch of the divine. I like portraits better than landscapes. I especially like portraits that tell a story about the subjects. Rembrandt. Sargent. Cassatt. Even Rockwell, and Say. I think that finding the humanity in a portrait makes it easier to find humanity in those I meet.

After the exhibit, a few of us ventured into J-town (Japanese-town, aka Little Tokyo) for some ramen. It was a dead and lifelessly hot day, but who can resist good ramen? Luckily, there was a dish (can't even remember the name) that came with hot broth, but cold everything else on the side ... which was just perfect. Yummy yummy oishi! We then went in search for some mochi. My very favorite type of mochi is green, very soft, no bean paste inside, and served with kinako powder. I believe the name of it is yomogi mochi, but I could be wrong. I last had it years ago in Kyoto. Desperately wanted to bring some home to the US, but was told that it wouldn't last the trip. Since then, I've had green types of mochi, but it's never right. Truly, yomogi mochi needs to be fresh (not refridgerated) to maintain the right texture. I've learned to go without when I can't find the right stuff, which also proved to be today's case.

Came home and napped, then got ready for a night of salsa dancing in the OC. I've never been to Club Promenade, but had heard about it from an acquaintance. Drove down, found the place, and it was totally dark. Again with the poor execution. As I later found out, I'd misinterpretted the week. What a waste of time and gas!

So, to console myself, I wheedled Wonder Woman into coming with me to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. And for once, there was no lack of execution. And I was in a satisfactorily air-conditioned room!

The Endless Summer continues ... 4th night this week

Over to Paseo Colorado for the Hollywood Combo, featuring Big Jay McNeely. Not as many experienced dancers as last week, but just a lot of fun. Best dance of the night was with Joshing. Really, the floor is too small and sticky, and the beginning dancers just don't know enough (or don't care enough) to not bump into other people. But when I danced with Joshing, I didn't touch another person. And he's such a superb leader that I found myself doing double spins with no difficulty. I echo Gene Kelly by shouting, "Gotta dance!" ... except without the hayseed suitcase and hack-glasses.

Why didn't I see it coming?

Funny ...

Got an on-line message from an old acquaintance. Clicked back to see his profile. Hmmm ... new job as a reporter.

Remembered an old friend from way back, who left LA years ago to take a reporting job.

Got curious. Did the most obvious thing ... googled him.

And found this. Matthew "Bad" (as opposed to Goode, who was also in the ward way back when). Why didn't I see it coming? Handsome man with an acerbic wit, driven to perform on camera and paper. Someday, when he becomes famous, I'll be able to say that I knew him back in the day when he ate only Cheetos (or was it Fritos?) and Pepsi, and ran from sheep. That, and my director's cut of The Shopping Cart video ...

Endless Summer: in search of the perfect dance

Drove out to Burbank for the second time in a week. Stompy Jones playing at Downtown Burbank. Parking was a tangles mess of non-available spots. Finally found one down the street, AND it was free. I almost went into a dead faint ... or was it the heat in the oppressive parking structure.

Walking down the street, I skipped the last block, since I could head the band playing. Excitement!

Stompy Jones, aka Swing Session. A favorite band here in LA. However, JoNG delivered the bad news the other day that Pops (lead singer) had retired due to health reasons. It's tragic, since Pops ... well, he's unreplaceable. The new singer is young-ish, but he can't quite shake his Vegas lounge-y roots. Love the fact tha Burbank has outdoor dancing, eventhough I can't make it most Thursdays, and the floor in on an incline! It would seem as if outdoor venues are capitolizing on the uber-popular dancing dhows Dancing With The Stars and (my personal favorite) So You Think You Can Dance to get consumers out and about and ready to spend. Of course there weren't enough leads to satisfy all the follows, so I was more forward about getting dances ...

Which continued over at Lindy Groove later that night. I danced so much that I left before the evening ended! Good dances with StretchJ, Evincerator, Terminator and His Vickness. The up-and-coming crowd was also there. JoNg, E, N and Socrates. They've all become enthralled with dancing, and have really thrown themselves into it.

(And, I might have spent the morning watching all the special features on Tokyo Drift. Lots of deleted scenes that would have moved the understanding of the story along better. But, hey ... it was an action film. I'm just jealous of all the actors who got to practice drifting on a real driving course.)

I wanna drift with you

Over to HSAAL's to watch Tokyo Drift on his projector screen. Note: This was one of the movies I threw out as fun to watch at Arrowhead. HSAAL brought it, and even gave it to me (which made me wonder if it was really that bad, or if HSAAL is just that nice). However, with all the fun we were having, nary a movie was watched at Arrowhead, which I take as a point of pride.

Anyway, woke up this morning and put the dvd in my purse so that I wouldn't forget to bring it!

We all squished into HSAAL's apartment, which was surprisingly put together for a guy's place, and got to know each other. Of note: I met the writer who did the last musical episode of Scrubs, which was just fantastic. I am so feeling the jealousy vibes from Perky right now! Also met Mr. Giggles' writing partner J, who I've heard also plays Catan ...

So, TD was fabulous! Of course the dialogue was pure drivel. Of course we all laughed when the girl said, "... and everything else just disappears" as she's screeching her car down a moonlit mountainside. Of course the bad Japanese accents drove me bonkers. And of course we all hollered when we saw the surprise guest at the end. But the driving scenes were so fantastic that none of the other stuff really mattered.

It was really fun to see the shots of Shibuya. And the houseparty in the garage reminded me of the wackiness in Harajuku and Yoyogi Park.

One down side is that almost none of the principle Japanese characters were Japanese ... Sung Kang is Korean (and paradoxically reminds me of an asian Andrew McCarthy), and Brian Tee is either Korean or Chinese (I think he played the masochist on Grey's Anatomy a while back). And I love that Sonny Chiba, who used to play Hattori Hanzo in Kage no Gundan (Shadow Warriors), the ninja show that kept m family enthralled for years, was the gangster uncle Kamata!

So, if you're looking for some brainless fun and visual stim, I'd absolutely recommend this movie.

Also watched the opening sequence to Casino Royale, which I haven't seen yet. Loved the animation. And loved the X-men-ish chase. Everyone says that it was done without wires (except maybe the high rise stuff), which I find totally unbelievable.

Forth of four

At last! Finally doing my forth shift of four. It's rare that I do more than two in a row ... it just takes a large toll on the body. However, with trying to squeeze in babysitting, et had to be done. Anyway, after today, I'm off work until Monday!!! Sometimes I feel very lucky to have a rather bohemian work schedule. Then again, when I have to work on a weekend on a holiday, there is occassional grumbling. Good thing I'm getting higher on the seniority list, and getting bargained off weekends and holidays.

Went across the street to tour the new mockup rooms. Hospital has been undergoing lots of rennovations and rebuilding ... as is every hospital that's getting retrofitted for the latest earthquake safety codes. New area looks impressive. We'll have one nurses station for every 4 beds, a procedure light at every bedside, suspended rods for monitors, ventlators and IV pumps, and a family space at each bedside. New building is supposed to be finished by 2010, but I'm inclined to be skeptical.

After work, headed up to Paladino's for the first time in years. Paladino's is a dive bar up in Reseda ... famous for being the LA city that the Karate Kid moved to decades ago. Actually, since the remodel, it's not so dive-ey. However, the floor is still sticky and less than desirable. Why go, then? Well, it's where most of the good Hollywood dancers hang out. Dave and Kim still run a fun place ... good music, lessons before-hand, lots of special parties and treats, and good dancers. When I first started going to Paladino's, I was wearing all kinds of vintage and styling my hair in 40's rolls. Nowadays I'm more likely to be wearing pants and a t-shirt, with my hair pulled back and coiled, and it's just as good ... without the drycleaning bills.

Channeling Maria

Lately, I’ve been feeling beautiful. It’s quite a nice feeling, and I’m enjoying it immensely.

Now, I don’t think I’m unpleasant looking. I know that with a blowdrier, makeup and a pulled-together wardrobe, I can make myself look quite good. But I also know that I look just fine on my own. So, because it’s such a hassle for the day to day, I generally go clean-faced, and with functional rather than cute outfits.

But, lately I’ve been feeling beautiful. Almost like I should be dancing in the back room of a dress shop with my best friends, singing, “I feel pretty! Oh so pretty! I feel pretty and witty and gay!” And really, it’s more than just feeling pretty. I feel strong and confident and capable.

It’s rather a mystery to me why the sudden surge of well-being surrounding my 35th birthday. Because I rather expected to feel disappointed and depressed. As a single, LDS woman, who’s not currently dating, and who can sense the ticking of the ubiquitous biological clock, it wouldn’t be surprising to feel a bit blue. But I’m not.

This almost reminds me of that dream I had long ago … when I felt absolutely reassured that I would experience a passionate and all-encompassing love in my lifetime. Except that this current state of well-being is based solely on myself. And, for whatever the cause, I’m immensely grateful. Like Robert Benigni's movie, I feel that, "La vita e’ bella!”

Chasing Beans, Avoiding eyecontact, and Dancing in a skirt

After Lindy Groove last night, I went directly to the homestead. This weekend Bork and Genie are away on a social interview to see if they fit in with the firm that Bork is interning at this summer. So, all three Beans were going to be boy-handled by the rest of the family.

Dad, who was sleeping on the couch downstairs, was very happy to see me. He pointed to a bottle of formula, then the portable crib with Bean 3 in it, then went upstairs to bed. After a short shower, and checking on the other two Beans, I settled down on the couch.

Bean 3 started acting up around 0200. When it became decidedly apparent that he wasn’t going to go back to sleep, I got him his bottle, changed his diappy, and patted his bum until he rejoined Winkum, Blinkum and Nod. Fortunately, he didn’t wake the other two Beans.

In the morning, it was a little chaotic. Beans 1 and 2 up and hungry, and just a tad ornery. Bean 3 having a very different type of stinky diappy this morning. The bigger beans wanting to eat the chips and seven layer dip that I was snacking on, but not quite getting the hang of the layering, and swiping most of the cheese and sour cream off the top. Mom leaving for work. I tried to run out to Fry’s to get some cool stuff on sale, but Bean 3 suddenly got very attached to me, and started wailing whenever I walked away from him. So it was that we all piled into Dad’s car (which had all three car seats) and going over to Fry’s.

I love wandering around Fry’s. All kinds of cool, techie electronics. I positively drooled over the cameras, computers and gadgets, but only ended up getting some cd/dvd sleeves, an organizer, and an 8Gig (!) USB flash drive that I seem to have misplaced as soon as I got back to my apartment.

Rest of the day was uneventful. Back at home there was more of the same. Bigger Beans running around, always wanting something to snack on. Bean 3 wanting to be fed, changed, and held/watched all the time. I did break out the Planet Earth dvd’s for us all to watch, and that held the boys until about lunch time … at which point dad took the big boys over to McDonald’s for lunch and playtime in the kiddie jungle gym room. I stayed home with Bean 3 and tried to keep my cool in the heat.

In the late afternoon, while Bean 3 was sleeping, I slipped away to Lens Crafters to pick up my glasses. The optician who helped me was (to use a completely tired work) cute. Kind brown eyes, curly brown hair, a disarming smile, and a shy and helpful manner. It’s strange … I spend so much of my time avoiding eye contact (An asian thing? An I-don’t-want-to-dance-with-you thing? An I-really-like-you-so-I’ll completely-ignore-you thing?), but feel completely comfortable looking into the eyes of whichever optician is helping me at the moment. Maybe it’s because I know they’re not trying to plumb the depths of my mind, and I can just enjoy looking into theirs. The eyes seem to tell so much. I like looking into others’ eyes when we’re having really deep talks. And I have trouble meeting someone’s eyes when I’m talking about my innermost thoughts and feelings. Indeed, when I’m having a real heart-to-heart (as opposed to being a confidant or trouble shooter), I prefer to be where the light is very, very dim.

Anyway, the guy was cute. And my new glasses look good. He cute optician guy told me so. But even more important, I felt it was so. However, the contacts won’t be ready for a couple weeks.

Back at the homestead, I got ready for dancing. Quick shower and change, all the while praying that it would cool down before the dancing got too far along, then I was off to Paseo Colorado.

If I had to compose a personal, “My Favorite Things,” it would include summer outdoor dancing to live music. In years previous, I was always a little suspicious of outdoor venues … lindy is danced into the ground, and it’s just too hard to do on most concrete surfaces. However, the last week of the series last summer, I went, and had a marvelous time. So, I was ready to start on day one this year. The band was hopping, and the floor was full when I arrived. Luckily, I bumped into Mini-Hulk, and got in two dances right away. Lots of other people around, and I danced almost as much as I wanted to.

Must confess that nowadays I am mostly a groove dancer. I tend to be more partial to the intermediate tempos, and to dance with leads who allow me a lot of flexibility. However, there is something special about dancing in a skirt … I always revert back to how I danced when I was taking semi-private lessons with Erik and Sylvia: a little bouncier, a little more Hollywood, a little more feminine, and a lot flirtier. Plus, as LitheOne articulated the other week, it’s just so much cooler to have the legs exposed when dancing.

Royal Crown Revue was kickstarting the Paseo Colorado summer series. They are such a dynamic band. Eddie Nichols, the lead singer, has a bit of the old-time gangster/pugilist air about him, and all the other band members are young, handsome and vibrant. Think Peter Lawford in the original Ocean’s Eleven. When I first started dancing, they played every week at the Derby, and I went at least once a week. That was where I met Wataboi, Little Flower and GioBfast, and 8-On. Good times, those were. Tonight, RCR played a wide variety of music, a lot of it rather fast. The floor was so packed that people started dancing on the concrete, which was smooth and not half-bad. At one point, it was just the drummer and the basist on the stage. Drummer started beating out a complex rhythm just with his sticks, then moved to drumming on the base, while the basist fingered the strings on the handle. It was amazing.

Anyway, I love it. There’s so much amazing dancing going on this summer … most of it free! Here’s just a taste:

Paseo Colorado ~ Free dancing from 830-2130 in the courtyard. Fridays are swing, Saturdays are salsa. Free lesson by PBDA owners Erin and Tami Stevens. I’m not big on the style they teach, but they are good dancers, and PBDA does feature live music.

I’ve also heard tell that there is swing dancing at One Colorado Courtyard on Fridays from 2100 on. Haven’t been able to find any info, but next time I’ll head over after Paseo Colorado and check it out.

Through July, there is also outdoor dancing to live music in Burbank on Thursdays . Lessons at 1800 by Francisco and Stacey. Music goes on at 1900 and goes through about 2100.

Also on Thursdays is
Lindy Groove for more dancing! $7 admission. Casual. Everyone from high schoolers through retirees.

And, Paladino’s is open every Tuesday in the summer. This is where the cool Hollwood dancers hand out. DJ music in a bar (with pool tables on the side). The floor isn’t great, but the music and dancers are. $7 admission, 21 and over.

Review: Three Cups of Tea

Posted my write-up of Three Cups of Tea over on Exponent Blog. Highly recommend this book. In fact, I've already loaned it to Shimai J. Anyone else interested?

Bearing one another's burdens

Busy day at work. Almost went to Paladino's for dancing, but decided against it because of the ankle. Was settling in for a boring night at home when my phone rang.

Item 1: I rarely have my phone on.
Item 2: I generally check to see who's calling me before I pick up, since I don't really like talking on the phone.
Item 3: Couldn't tell who was calling, but I picked up anyway.

Sure enough, it was Mr. Man. I had a sneaking suspicion it would be. Anyway, he needed help with a problem that I am specifically able to assist in. It's one of the few situations in which I am able to use a very specific skill set to help out a friend, and I'm always glad to do it. So I drove over and took care of it. And since it'd been a while since we'd had more than casual conversation, we settled in for a long chat.

Turns out that there had been gossip about me and a specific someone. Which made me laugh. I sometimes think LDS's are so eager to see people married off that spending time with anyone is an ecclesiastical/dating hazzard. Anyway, I quickly disabused Mr. Man of the rumors. At which point he started giving me tips on flirting with one or two of the gentlemen I am actually interested in getting to know better. It's always interesting to hear the male perspective on this, especially since there is no pressure with Mr. Man.

Talked about a lot of things. And it was getting late. But we kept on talking. Maybe it was the lateness of the hour. Maybe it was having a sympathetic audience. Maybe I just needed to let some stuff out that I'd been holding in for a while. Anyway, it was a very long chat. A lot of confidences and comfort given and returned. And it was good. And I really needed it. With Perky and Wry-an so far away, it was good to unload.

Left around 0200. Friendship is priceless.