Whatever Wednesday

Yesterday was supposed to be my first Fuchsia Foxxx belly dancing burlesque class but it seems that the world as I know it must come to a sliding stop because we just got a couple inches of snow 2 days ago. Class was cancelled! Cancelled! Damn it. I went downtown with an idea to spend a nice peaceful time at SAM because picasso is in town and can you believe they closed the museum too. Seriously people. I love Seattle and all but we (read to not actually include me) are a bunch of wimps. So my staycation is now just a little less fun and interesting than before. And you know how much I just love being at home in suburban hell anyway. Is it too late to hop on the first flight outta town? I'm guessing yes because I'm sure the airport has been totally stumped as to how they should go about thawing the runways. Ever considered looking at what others do who get enough snow and ice to justify "severe" weather classification? Um... How about oh I don't know... Maybe Iceland or something. Those inbred Icelandic peeps are actually very smart and resourceful when it cones to dealing with frozen everything. Geothermal. Ok so we might not have the geothermal activity here in Seattle but you get the idea. Think outside the tiny chilly box. Sorry for the rambling. Happy turkey day tomorrow.

Reflection

There's just something about watching it snow that allows you to see into your own soul with a clarity and stillness that is unlike any other. As you know, I've been going through The Artist's Way a second time and giving a little update about how it's been going and what issues I've uncovered but mostly I think I've complained about feeling. Feeling lonely. Feeling lost. Feeling dejected. Feeling feeling feeling. I'm typically not one to be all about the feelings nor am I about expressing the feelings to whoever feels like watching and listening to me.

No, the only feeling I've ever been comfortable expressing before is anger. Somewhere through the years, I learned that anger meant power while expressing vulnerability in any way meant weakness. Lets not consider for a moment that anger itself is actually a vulnerability in disguise. It took me many years of reflection in all its forms to learn that basic insight into myself and the common human condition to misunderstand what part anger actually has in our lives.

I love what The Artist's Way says about anger. It says that anger is a guide to tell us where our boundaries lie. It is something to be acknowledged and treated with care and response but not reaction. The difference? A response is calculated whereas a reaction is not. If I find myself feeling angry for whatever reason I am forced to ask why. What has just happened to me to push my boundary whether clearly defined or not? And because anger is actually a secondary emotion, I have to ask myself what fear I'm being faced with. Having that information then allows me to decide the appropriate response to my triggered anger so I don't find myself doing or saying something I don't actually mean (react).

Recently though, it's not anger that I've struggled with. It's the vulnerabilities that contribute to the woman I am. The true person within me and whatever image I portray to those around me. Am I a little wishy washy because I can't seem to settle down on any one hobby? Do I seem a little schizophrenic with my long list of activities? Am I out of balance with overtasking myself then realizing just how many hours there are in the day? Am I really a sensitive whiner on the inside of this hard angry (less so now) shell?

In sitting in my comfy chair with my favorite patchwork quilt made by my mother-in-law, my laptop warming the legs it rests on and watching the snow fall outside it all just seems so clear. Trivial. I've struggled for one full year with feeling not good enough, not worthy enough, not smart enough, not thin enough, not popular enough that right now, right this moment as I reflect back on the past 365 days, tears gather in my eyes and stream down my cheeks. I'm crying not out of pain or anger or fear as I may have in earlier days or weeks or months. I cry for pride. I cry for joy. My tears are singing my own praises and the feeling is almost as magical as the first snow fall of the year because I have finally done the one thing that had me frozen in my fear for the whole of 2010.

I faced my fears and I conquered them. I WIN! And it feels so good I don't know how else to express it other than to just allow the tears to fall in celebration of the woman who is emerging from the dust.

Today, I reflect on my year long journey from personal weakness to personal power by sipping my tea and watching the snow flutter to the ground. Now that's living active.

Fitness Fear Friday - So many things, so little time

BELLY DANCING

I'm bored with this place I'm going to. True, it's just the basics but the teacher is a super slow-talker and she slurs a lot. Seriously makes me wonder if there is something not quite right with her. She's really nice and very helpful, don't get me wrong. I just feel numb going into her class and coming out of it. I don't think belly dancing class should have that effect. So, I've decided to call it quits at that school and try my hips at a different one.

Are you ready for this? Oh, I have a really really really good feeling about this new adventure.

Miss Indigo Blue's Academy of Burlesque

Miss Indigo Blue, Head Mistress



Fuchsia Foxxx, Belly Dance


My husband and I had the pleasure of seeing Fuchsia Foxxx in action. We went to a burlesque show at The Pink Door in Seattle and she was one of the performers. Absolutely amazing! We had no idea who was going to be there, nor had we ever heard of her before but let me tell you, she was AWESOME! She does this belly dancing-burlesque fusion kinda thing and it's HOTTIE HOT HOT HOTTTTTT! A few days later, I found myself surfing the net, looking for belly dancing schools in Seattle and stumbled across the Academy of Burlesque. So I checked it out and who did I see on the list of instructors but Fuchsia Foxxx herself in all her HOT pink glory. I had already paid for the other classes though so I felt I should give it an honest try. I tried. I'm done. I'm going with Fuchsia Foxx and the Academy of Burlesque.

She does a 6-8 week session like most of the other schools too and this session has already started but I talked to the school and they said I should be totally fine to just do a drop-in and try it out a couple times. So that's exactly what I'm going to do. My first Fuchsia fusion is this coming Tuesday. Should be interesting.

HOT 100 UPDATE
The OG
The HOT 100 Daddy

1. Last weigh in was 161.8 so still no loss.
1. water - still a struggle but I have not given up
2. workout - this week...not even close. I'm bummed out about it too. :(
3. meal plan - YES
4. track - YES
5. sleep - YES
6. journal - YES
7. food - YES
2. Blog - YES
3. Book - sadly...no. I have vacation this coming week though so I'm planning to catch up. I have faith.

FITNESS FEAR FRIDAY
If you didn't read my Wednesday post, please allow me to announce my HUGE accomplishment again. I have FINALLY conquered my stupid, silly little big fear about Punk Rope.

• I no longer care what people think of my weight as a fitness instructor because Punk Rope is super fun and I know something they don't know. So there!
• I no longer care if people know how much I know and don't know nor do I care if they think I'm doing it all wrong because I know something they don't know. So there!
• I no longer care if I try and fail because I'm doing something that others wouldn't dare to even consider trying themselves. So there!
• I no longer care if people take me seriously because Punk Rope is fun and so am I. So there!
• I no longer believe that I have no right to teach people to exercise. I have all the right in the world because I know stuff that other people don't. So there!

In the past few days I have:

1. Booked a venue for the month of December to start Punk Rope classes. December 4th, 11th, and 18th.
2. I applied for a business license in Seattle.
3. I applied for liability insurance so don't go getting any ideas about suing me.
4. I got the music downloaded for the first class.
5. I contacted a writer lady who offered to send someone to my first class and hopefully get them to write about it in a local Seattle publication.
6. I started creating a flier to hand out this weekend.
7. I put the class curricula together for all three classes. First class is going to be Punk Rope Goes to the Movies. The second class is going to be a little tropical vacation from the freezing temperatures around here. And the third class is going to be in the spirit of the season. Hint? Kids are welcome.




If this is offensive to you....too fucking bad. Suck it up. Christmas exists and it's called "Christmas". If you don't like it, stay home with your 30 cats and tell them all about it because I don't care.


8. I put my list of invitations together so I get to email them all out today as soon as my flier is done.
9. I purchased the http://www.salinalivingactive.com/ domain name. It's still not active yet but it will be shortly and I'll probably be moving my blog over there and I'll post all Seattle Punk Rope classes and events there as well.
10. I have a whole list of people to contact and ideas for marketing Punk Rope properly. The marketing festivities will likely take place tomorrow.

Watch out Seattle, here comes Punk Rope!!!

Flooded with What-Ifs

Today is a momentous day! A huge thing happened! Not just huge but HUGE. NO.....not even that does the trick. 

Oh YA! Oh YA! That's the stuff.

What's the big deal?

Hints...

I took the Punk Rope instructor training on November 1, 2009.
Then I got my personal trainer certification from the ACSM on March 19, 2010.

Since then...I've done nothing with either accomplishment. Instead, I distracted myself with all the other fun things I did this year all the while feeling disappointed and a little shame for not following through with the original goal. I invested so much time and money and anxiety into the process, it just felt disgraceful to let it go unfinished.

So I finally decided to do something about it. Yesterday! Today! And every Saturday at noon starting in December!

What: Seattle, Meet Punk Rope
When: Noon on Saturday, December 4th, 11th, and 18th
Where: The Queen Anne Community Center 
1901 1st Avenue West, Seattle, WA 98119, (206) 386-4240

If you're in Seattle or know of people in Seattle who would love to come and have a super fun workout, please send them my way (salinalyn@gmail.com). The first class is free to all!

Punk Rope  


I'm so excited (I could jump for joy) and ridiculously proud of myself for finally making good with this personal challenge. Where I stand today, I can't even imagine how I could be happy with myself had I not taken the steps to walk through all the silly and unfounded fears around Punk Rope.

What if you walked through your fears and found yourself waiting on the other side?

In other semi-related news - I am now the proud new owner of the salinalivingactive.com domain name. I don't have any hosting or website ready to go yet but hope to have it up and functional very shortly. Stay tuned...

The Artist's Way Continues

For whatever reason, last week was a rough week for me, emotionally speaking. There isn't much actually happening to warrant the emotional response I was experiencing. I can't even blame the little visitor for my erratic outbursts. Although it's still a bit of a mystery to me, I have ideas about the cause and the treatment.

Week 2 of The Artist's Way was all about recovering a sense of identity. The first two words of the chapter are "GOING SANE" just to give you an idea of what I'm dealing with here if you aren't also reading the book. It talks about "poisonous playmates" and "crazymakers" who are all essentially people who sabotage our efforts at recovering our creativity. Then the other saboteur is me. We all sabotage ourselves through our skepticism and self-doubt.

All last week, I found myself thinking and writing about everyone that sucks me dry. In doing so, I felt empty, lonely, sad, lost, and confused. Perhaps the process allowed me to evaluate my relationships to see which ones are healthy and which aren't. As well-intentioned as that is, I think it also forced me to evaluate my relationship with myself and I wasn't happy with what I discovered: A list of goals and ideas and promises that have not been honored, criticism oozing from every pore.

There is a paragraph in the chapter that reads as follows: success or failure, the truth of a life really has little to do with its quality. The quality of life is in proportion, always, to the capacity for delight. The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention. When I read those words, I realized that somewhere along the way, I stopped paying attention. This time last year, I found myself gazing out my office window at the trees painted with vibrant colors and appreciating the beauty of the season. This year, all I've focused on is how I feel, what I get, why I'm being ignored, how I've been wronged, etc. Instead of just taking a moment to appreciate my surroundings, I'm all about me. No wonder I've been struggling. No wonder I feel so alone. I haven't been here for me.

I was talking to hubby the other day about the art of paying attention and it reminded me of an experience I had recently. A few weeks ago, I was feeling stressed out and overwhelmed (big surprise) so I decided to just take a quiet bath. I put lavender smellies in it and dimmed the lights and everything. A tranquil place to just breathe. I was lying in the tub, belly down, resting on my elbows with my knees bent and my feet playfully sticking out. My gaze fixed on the surface of the purple bath water, I was gently blowing toward the bottom of the tub so the air was making tiny ripples. One breath then I would allow the water to settle before I repeated the process. In doing this, I noticed something. I could see my reflection perfectly while the water was still. Once I forced the ripples with a gentle wind, the image of me was blurred beyond recognition. To see myself clearly, be still.

Sunday, I sat in my jammies all day long. I made breakfast for hubby, sipped on espresso, then spent most of the day putting a puzzle together. I took a break to make lunch then another one to make some banana bread but I allowed myself one full day to do nothing but just be. Putting a puzzle together is like a moving meditation. Those who like to knit or crochette or do origami or wood working know what I'm talking about. It's a stillness in your mind and in your soul while engaging your senses in a simple monotonous task that allows freedom to sing in your heart.

Week 3 is all about recovering a sense of power. The beginning of the chapter warns of possible erratic behavior again. Bursts of anger and joy and grief. OH MY! Just what I need. It introduces the concept of synchronicity or if you prefer as I do, serendipity. Happy accidents. Shame is another topic this week.

How was your week 2?
How did you do with going sane?
What do you do to pay attention?

Hot 100 - Week 7/ Feeling

Lonely

Confused

Unsure

Irritated

Lost

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HOT 100


The OG

The Hot 100 Daddy

The Update

1. I haven't weighed in so I don't know. I feel huge.
1. Water - almost
2. Work out - yes
3. Meal plan - yes
4. Tracking - no
5. Sleep - yes
6. Journal - yes
7. Food - yes
2. Blogs - no
3. Book - I started off really good but haven't written much at all this week. I'm just a little behind in the NaNoWriMo thing.

The Artist's Way

Review Week 1
Did you finish chapter 1?
Did you do your morning pages every day?
Did you go on an artist date?
Did you do the time travel tasks?
Did you write the letter to the editor?
Did you write about your imaginary lives?
Did you discover your blurts? Turn them into affirmations?

I've managed to get myself into a good routine of journaling every day but I do it in the evening. I find that it helps me dump the stress of the day so I can sleep better. Plus, I'm not a morning person at all. Asking me to wake up 30 minutes earlier is just unrealistic as I get up at 4:45am as it is.

I did not go on an artist date per say, but I did take good care of my inner artist so I suppose I can call it the same thing. I woke on Saturday morning, made breakfast with hubby, grabbed my espresso and plopped myself in front of my computer where I stayed for four hours. During that time, I wrote and I wrote and I wrote some more. 5,000 words came flowing through my fingertips. It was probably the most enjoyable Saturday morning I remember having in a very long time. Who knew that spending four hours writing would bring me so much joy?

I did not do all the tasks for the week either. No time travel tasks, no imaginary lives, no brisk walk. But I did discover the blurts and turn them into affirmations. It feels like a slow start to the Artist's Way for me. I wrote like a crazy person and as I think back through the week, nothing really stood out to me as an aha moment or anything. I'm really just working on going with the flow of whatever happens and reserving my judgement until later. Not an easy challenge for me but I think it'll be worth the effort.

Looking at Week 2
Week 2 is all about recovering a sense of identity. I like the first words in the chapter, "Going Sane". Going sane talks about discovering the self-doubt and all the sabotaging crap we say to ourselves. I caught myself doing that last night as I wrote my pages. I wrote 5,000 words on Saturday because I allowed myself to get behind by 3 days in the NaNoWriMo stuff and needed to catch up. Then after getting caught up, I told myself that I wouldn't fall behind again. Yesterday, I didn't write so immediately after making the promise, I failed. With an eye-roll and a swift judgement, I emotionally slapped myself in my pages. Although slightly understandable, that's not what I need. Focusing on the negative will only bring me more of the same. No bueno.

Crazymakers and skeptics. Do you have those people in your life? I know a couple crazymakers still but they are mostly removed from my daily life so their crazy doesn't affect me much anymore. The people who I surround myself with now are very supportive of my efforts, no matter what they are.

Week 2 was where my world flipped upside down my first time through the Artist's Way. Strangely enough, I'm a little afraid of what else will happen this week in my life. Only one way to find out.

Fitness Fear Friday - Questions

For those of you out there who have things you want to do or unfulfilled dreams keeping you awake at night, yes you, the ones who want to try something new but are too afraid to act...I have some questions for you.

If you could do anything without fear or obstacles (time, money, sitters, talent, etc.) in your way, what would you do?

What's the payoff for continuing to allow your fear or obstacles to determine your actions?

What do you gain by staying in your comfort zone?

What are you missing out on by staying in your comfort zone?

What's the worst that could happen if you chose to just act on what you want?

Is the worst possible scenario bad enough to logically justify selling yourself short?

What's the worst that could happen if you chose to just ignore the little voice in your head that says "but I really want to _________"?

Is it really worth it to you?

If your best friend or child came to you with the same answers you just gave to the questions above, how would you advise them?

What did you do yesterday that made you glow with pride?

What can you do today to give those embers a little oxygen?


Acknowledging and facing our fears is one of those things that is really easy to ignore. It's simple to pretend we are perfectly satisfied with our normal daily routine and we never want or dream of more for ourselves even if more just means taking a class for fun. We don't miss what we never had right? Maybe that's true but is it good enough for you? I've already decided that it's no where near good enough for me. I've been working through my fears one by one for the past few months and I know a couple of you out there have started doing some of that for yourselves as well. Brava! I want more. I want more for you. You've been here to cheer me on and give me a little push when I just wasn't feeling it. I want to return the favor and be here for you. All of you.

Answer the questions above if you feel so inclined.
Comment to let me know what your fear is and what you're going to do to challenge yourself and I'll follow you and do what I can to give you the "atta girl/boy" you need.

If you just don't wanna, fine...be that way. I'm still going to be working through my fears right here for all to see.

Happy Friday

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HOT 100 Update

The OG
The Hot 100 Daddy

The Update

1.  I weighed in on Sunday last week at 160.4, down 1.4lbs from 161.8 the week before. Still not below the 160 mark but at least the TOM gain is gone now.
1. Water - Still a struggle. I'm working on it though.
2. Work out - 4 days so I'm very very close to getting there. Next week will be spot on, I'm determined.
3. Meal plan - Technically I did not meal plan but it's because I had a ton of left overs from last week that I've been finishing.
4. Tracking - I haven't tracked for the past 2 days but plan to update everything today so I'm going with a YES. :)
5. Sleep - YES.
6. Journal - YES.
7. Food - YES. Well, slight side note here...I had some Halloween candy which was not part of the plan but that was the only slip. The rest of the week was fabulous.
2. Blogs - YES.
3. Book - YES. NANOWRIMO baby! Come look me up if you're signed up too. SalinaLyn in Seattle, WA.

What if I was a Belly Dancing Mama

There I was (original right?) parked on the street and walking toward the community center in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Seattle. Do you all know about the Beacon Hill neighborhood? My guess is that your answer would probably be NO for the most part. Beacon Hill is actually a lot nicer today than it was five or ten years ago when it was ghetto central. It's probably not the safest neighborhood as it has been known for gang activity. There are a few other areas that I would personally classify as more seedy but it ranks among the top five in my book.

Strange little fact about me? I love raw city life. My favorite. I lived on Capitol Hill for a few years and loved every second of it. I had a studio apartment on the top floor of an old 4-story walk-up right on Broadway. $525/mo for 525 square feet. That was back in 1999 or close to it. I lived there when the neighborhood was being terrorized by a serial rapist. Did I mention that I worked just a half mile down the road and walked to and from work every day? I walked everywhere. Loved it. Yes, even the homeless people who slept in the dumpster behind my building. There was one drunk homeless dude who would get totally pissed and walk in the middle of the street during the night and yell at the top of his lungs "I DON'T GIVE A FUCK!". *make sure you read that with a very drunk slur so you get the right effect*. One night after he had done this a few times right under my window, my boyfriend at the time (who is now my hubby) leaned out and yelled back "Hey! Can you go not give a fuck somewhere else?". How can you not LOVE raw city life? I mean really!

I entered the community center and made my way up the old linoleum stairwell to the top floor where the hallway was plastered with art, clothes, food, collages. It looked like they were having an art fair or cultural celebration or something. I didn't take time to appreciate all that was on display though because I was on a mission and needed to make sure I found my destination without fail this time around. It was a matter of moral importance and I could not be distracted by bright colors and pretty pictures.

I found the room all the way at the end of the long corridor. As I walked in, just past the sign gently requesting shoe removal, there was a clothing rack loosely filled with hip scarves, skirts, pants, and a lone black jeweled bra for sale. Belly dancing swag. Sweet! Focus, do not get distracted by the pretty sparkly things. At the end of the clothing rack was a small table where I was greeted by a rather large woman in purple flowing fabric and a lacy lavender bra. "Hello" she said, "I know I've completely forgotten your name". I replied with a puzzled eyebrow lift and said something about how that's interesting because I've never been there before. She smiled, as did I.

After I got all signed in, removed my shoes and placed them in my very own personal cubby along the wall, I made my way right back to the pretty sparkly things. I found the perfect belly dancing outfit for me. Too bad it would have cost me $125 for a bra, $59 for a mesh skirt, $39 for a hip scarf, and $29 for the zills. Ya...um...a little more than I'd like to spend on a slutty outfit to dance a dance I don't even know how to do yet, not to mention that I am um...a little shy about wiggling my jiggly bits while exposing as much skin as possible to anyone.

One of my goals for these belly dancing adventures is to become a little more comfortable with my jiggly bits while simultaneously reducing the density of said parts.

After meeting and chatting with a few of the women in the class and the instructor, I realized that I was walking into the second class of the repeating 6-week series. I had no idea it was a series there too. Their website should really explain their programs a little better because I wasn't sure that I was even showing up to the right beginner's class. The title of the class was Belly Dancing Phase 1. Then they had a Belly Dancing Beginner's Fitness and a Belly Dancing Beginner's 2 as well. Luckily, I chose right and was in the beginner's class for dummies. Katrina (the instructor) informed me that they did an overview of belly dancing basics in the first class last week and she would start breaking them down as we move forward so I should be good to start now. Phew!

The class began with a ridiculous amount of stretching. I'm all for stretching and getting the body warmed up but 15mins of it for a class that doesn't require much of the body in the first place just seems like overkill. It's not like we were doing gymnastics or anything. Just a little wiggle and a bit'o jiggle. But whatever. She started walking us through a little warm up with the arms and pretty wrist and hand stuff then we moved on to learn "the wave" which is technically called undulations in belly dance terms, the Egyptian walk, and then we played with the zills a bit before doing a cool down and calling it quits for the day.

Here are a few videos for you to watch and learn or just be entertained.

Pretty Wrist Stuff




Undulations or "The Wave"



The Egyptian Walk alla Sahira


Fun with Zills



There you have it! My first belly dancing class EVER. And what do I have to show for it?

MY VERY OWN FINGER CYMBALS!

I think I'll leave you with that for now. Stay tuned though because I'm a belly dancing mama for the rest of the year and I have a plan. Oh YA! A plan. I have some fun stuff coming for this belly dancing extravaganza.

Skin Deep Dance Studio

And I may or may not be willing to get all dressed up and do a little dance for you all as a year end present from me to you. Of course, you'll have to convince me though because...as you know...I'm a little shy with the jiggly bits. The best way to convince me? COMMENTS. Lots of comments. I'm gonna need some serious convincing.

What if I got all dressed up at the end of the year and did a little dance for you?

On the Horizon

First order of business this fine rainy Seattle morning is to answer a question I got on my last post.

Recognition is good. Now I want to ask, are you going to DO something about it, or TALK about doing something about it? That is the key here.

The answer? I AM doing lots of somethings about it. Oh I love that answer. The answer alone brings me joy.

• I started the Artist's Way process over from the beginning and going through it a second time. That's just how powerful it was for me the first time. I want to do it again because it really opened my eyes to the fears and self-doubts I've carried around with me.
• I journal every single day without fail. Journaling is like a moving meditation for me. My brain is always going going going, sometimes spinning off into oblivion so putting my random thoughts on the page really allows me to see the underlying themes in my head and address what I want to fix and work on while also adequately acknowledging and celebrating the great successes I have.
• I was terrified for the longest time about Punk Rope and the judgements in my head surrounding the entire thing. It kept me frozen for almost a year. Today is the 1 year mark from when I originally took the instructor training. I wasn't frozen the entire time though. Don't forget about the months of studying to get my Personal Trainer Certification through the ACSM. Don't forget all the emails I've sent out, the phone calls I've made, the research I've done to try to set it up. The freeze came when it was time to actually DO the damn thing. I'm no longer frozen though. I'm actively pursuing it. I've offered to do it on a volunteer basis with a couple organizations recently and am just waiting for a response. I'm following up on the phone calls I've had and emails I've exchanged as well. And I'm looking in to getting my own trainer insurance so I can just rent out a community center and put the damn class on myself. One way or another, PUNK ROPE will happen in my life. I guarantee it.
• I signed up for NANOWRIMO. Don't know what that is? Get learned. If you're also signed up for it, please look me up. SalinaLyn in the Seattle, WA region. 50,000 words by November 30th. I'm in.
• Yesterday, I looked at apartments and condos in the city. Check me out, I'm already planning my move and my house isn't going up for sale until after the new year. Oh YA!
• I put my skates in my car so I can drop by the rink whenever I feel like getting back up and rolling again. I also have all the open skate times on my calendar on my phone so no matter what day it is, or what time of day, I know if/when/where I can go skating. I was in a hurry to make derby a reality but I'm no longer in a hurry. I just want to have fun with it for now. Casually get better while I'm facing all these other fears and crossing things off my to-do list. Then, I'll dedicate some serious time and attention to derby again.
• The guitar is still the only thing I haven't actively pursued. It's still sitting in it's case in my music room. I go in there every day. I pass by it every day. I look at it every day. I cut my fingernails short anticipating that I will pick it up. I just haven't PICKED it up yet.

I don't know how much more I can DO all at once about everything but I think I'm DOING pretty damn good if I do say so myself. There's definitely more to come from me. Thanks so much for the question Shane, love it.

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Next order of business is The Artist's Way.

Did you get the book?
Did you read the introduction, the basic principles, and the first week?
Did you do your morning pages?

I wasn't going to read the basic principles again but now I'm glad I did. What stuck out most to me was the What to Expect section on page 5,6. I experienced all of it. Everything she warns will happen, happened to me. I was honestly feeling a bit manic after a while, thinking I've lost my damn mind but having made it through the entire 12 weeks, I wouldn't change it for the world. Stick with it and we'll grow together.

Week 1 is all about Recovering a Sense of Safety. We get to discover and nurture our artist child within. I know it might sound totally cheesy but I really do enjoy this perception. Looking at the little Salina inside me that dreamed of being a big time journalist or novelist when I was growing up, I realize that she is still in there. Bright eyes, open heart, thirsty for knowledge little Salina sees a world of unlimited possibilities. My favorite place is on the beach where nothing obstructs my view of the horizon which speaks to me. It sings to my soul a song of hope and opportunity abound. The sound of the sea breeze whistling, the sand dancing across the surface, it's pure beauty. PEACE!

What spark did the reading excite in you?
What are you looking forward to in Week 1?

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Finally, It's November. Normally, that would mean it's time for a new activity but I decided that belly dancing didn't get it's due time in the spotlight so I'm going to dedicate the rest of the year just to belly dancing. Here's the schedule.

Notice belly dancing on Tuesdays and Saturdays and skating on Sundays.

Who's Actively Living? Who's Living Active?
Oooo-Oooo-Oooo I know, I know. ME!