Last week was a very draining week. I was still recovering from being sick while also filling in extra at the shop. My boss was released from the hospital on Tuesday (double pneumonia), but came in just to sign checks on Friday. He looks pretty good, all things considered. He's understandably weak, but seems in good spirits and his color looked a lot better than I was expecting. So by the time Friday rolled around and it was time to get in costume for the Vixen Variety show, I was... more run down than pumped. Plus the weather had taken a turn for the narsty, and Friday was cold and rainy to boot.

I didn't have time to grab anything to eat in the hour between getting home and getting on the road, and once we actually got on the road, an accident that looked like it involved an 18-wheeler had caused 695 to move at 5 mph. (Serious props to marinatempest for not having a meltdown-- and were it not for her emergency Larabar, I might have.) To say we didn't make call time was an understatement. Seems many, many people had a similar experience, because we were not the last ones to arrive, and overall the event started on Bellydancer Standard Time. But considering it was a Firefly-themed event with a bar that was serving up its own (totally delicious) version of Mudder's Milk... no one really minded all that much.

marinatempest and I did a Companion-inspired piece. I am pleased to report that my makeup looked awesome-- considering my test/run-through of a new technique on Thursday night left me looking like an extra from Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. I stepped the glitter down a notch, and it worked nicely. I absolutely love how the costuming turned out-- we did deep wine cholis with gold embroidery, then attached matching silk sleeves from Flying Skirts. Very Inara-esque. Flowy sleeves + swords was a definite challenge, as a small bit of our vocabulary and hand balancing tricks were ruled out on account of snag-ability. So we devised an improv vocabulary of flowing swordwork instead, with some head balancing. I think it went really well-- the audience loved it. They went totally nuts when we did the head balancing, and we got some really wonderful praise that made all warm and wibbly inside. When I was dancing, I kept wondering what I was stepping on that was crinkling under my feet, and then I realized that people were throwing money at us. You know, with love. Plus, I grew to totally love our set music-- Knossos's "Al Sahid" (which sounds like a lost track from Serenity's soundtrack, honestly), plus "Dobro" by Kaya Project. Nice languorous pieces that meld Middle Eastern riffs with Old West sensibility.

To give you a sense of how tired I was when I got home (and frankly, two Mudder's Milks on an empty stomach was probably not my best idea): this morning when I got up to get the mail, I found my silk sleeves on the lawn. OOPS.

Props to my fellow perfomers, as well-- other highlights I remember: Nikki Murphy doing dark & twitchy, a stunning veil poi performance (in honor of Wash), a super cute Kaylee burlesque piece, a YoSaffBridge performance that was so beautiful and flowy and spinny and sassy all at once, and of course, Bella and HER sword of awesomeness (a River tribute). When she gets into a flow and starts hitting the music just right, she and her sword are one, and it is so inspiring to watch. She's definitely my sword-y role model.

This morning, I ran a bunch of errands: bank, post office, groceries (loaded up on baby spinach & fruits at Trader Joe's as well as the new cookie spread chocolate bars that are like crack tiny bites of Heaven). Then I was rewarded with a fresh fruit smoothie from Smoothie King (as marinatempest's smoothie tweets have been making me long for a better blender), a stop in Pier 1 to pick up new pillar candles, and of course, Barnes & Noble. I had to pet some books. I did see re-issues of book classics with AMAZING retro covers in faux-leather tooling for $12. I would love to pick some of those up. On a hilarious note, I saw some Jane Austens redone in the modern teen cover style, then put in the "new for teens!" section. It was a definite head-slapping moment. Oh! And I got a Carcasonne set, after enjoying it at reedrover & achaosofkittens's place.

Have to wrap gifts now-- it's baby sister Melissa's 18th birthday party today (MY BABY SISTER IS 18. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?)-- and then I am going to come home and eat the BIGGEST SALAD EVER. All of this sunshine & fresh air is at the least giving me good food cravings.

Tomorrow, it is studio cleaning day. Piles need to be sorted and dealt with, spatters of various this and that need to be cleaned off the desk, little bits of metal need to be vaccumed out of the carpet, and the studio altar needs to be cleaned out of post-Yule winter mode and brightened. I also need to shop for new upright lamps for the living room. We currently have Japanese-inspired lamps, but the light they give off is SO yellow-y. I need something that has more of a natural sunlight tint, as the living room does not get especially good light.

Alright! Stuff to do!