I think we as women need to refocus.

I am happily busy but know many unhappy women who worry about their dating lives. Why is it that women can't find joy in the things that they do, the hobbies that they have, instead of being so miserable about relationships? It makes me sad that our brains are wired to put that much of an emphasis on our relationships and not so much on ourselves. Have you noticed that as soon as a gaggle of women get together, regardless of the fact that they're strangers, the first and foremost thing that they have in common is the relationship trouble that they're experiencing. I'm afraid that we'll dedicate our entire lives to other people and not realize it until it's too late.

I think, even by writing about it perpetuates the obsession. I'll stop now. Let's go out, have fun, and do the things that we enjoy. The men can have their sports and electronics.

Actually, I'll take the electronics and the sports cars, thanks!

For those of you who missed it, my instructor Phil was on the premier of Fox's "So You Can Think You Can Dance (and We Should Have Stuck with the Shorter Working Title of Rhythm Nation *breathe*)" reality show. He flashed by in a grand total of 3 seconds, but his trademark grey Kangol cap gave him away.

The show is craptastic like most reality shows, from its American Idol style opening credits, super cheesy I-have-raven-hair-but-would-prefer-to-act-blond hostess Lauren Sanchez (oh, and could you stop shoving your breasts into the camera?), to the contestants that Nigel allows to advance (whom he ADMITS lack technical skill but know how to shake their ASSets just so). However, if it's a way to open peoples' minds to all the different (ethnic) styles of dancing there are out there and maybe even get some of them to participate, then I'm all for it.

Affluenza, I have it.

"It" being that everpresent and maddening sensation of being chased by the distorted sense of our "poverty", materialism, and desire for success. It costs money to make money, your neighbor's house will always be bigger, and the next big fashion trend is always on the horizon.

A production team in Seattle created the term. The irony is, the cure is to plop myself down on my overpriced Danish furniture, turn on my Godzilla sized Wega TV, and zone out to PBS. Retail therapy might be easier...ha ha ha.

There's a crazy cat lady in my neighborhood. I hope whatever drove her to own 402 many cats isn't contagious. I'm sticking to one.

Chiquita!

My coworker and fellow Flickr'ite Puckles sent me a nifty link for growing pineapples! I'm dying to try it out. The novelty of having my own pineapple plant is just too cool. She has one herself, but as you can see, she's really talented at getting plants to grow. I'm just good at killing them (with the assistance of my accomplice cat).

A banana plant would be fun too!

SWINGTASTIC!

On the way to work the other day 98 Rock played a super SWINGTASTIC version of Alanis Morisette's "You Oughta Know". I've finally found the CD, it's by Richard Chese, titled Apertif for Destruction. He even includes a cute little montage on his website.

It's a cool CD, go check it out.

I called all of my out of town girlfriends last night. I noticed that all of their names started with J: Jenna, Jeannette, Jenna, Julie, Joan. No, I'm not kidding. 80% Californian, 20% Minnesotoan.

Missing CA and too much humidity!

The sickly humid haze hovering over the road this morning reminded me of L.A. The grand city of Los Angeles has an orange blanket of smog that your airplane cuts through as you descend into the city and surrounding burbs. It always made me wonder whether the citizens of L.A. and Orange County understood what kind of priceless health concerns they were taking on in exchange for year round 75 degree weather and endless beaches. Not to mention earthquakes, mudslides, and brush fires. Luckily, here in VA, we have more trees to recycle our air with and anchor our dirt with.

Gas prices on the East coast are in neck and neck competition with the West coast, $2.549 for a gallon of premium at the cheapy Crown. Just this past weekend, it had been $2.449, and the week before that, $2.349. For someone who doesn't drink Snapple or soda or any of those other liquids used to make comparisons against the "minimal" costs of gasoline, I think I'm entitled to SOME whining.

The heat shimmered off of the asphalt and turned cars into wavy reflections like those in a carnival fun house. On a day like today, I still drove to work with all the windows down and the sunroof open. All I needed were some palm trees to complete the illusion.

I had cottage cheese for the first time last night.

That cheese shouldn't even exist and I have no idea how people eat it as diet food. I was in the dairy section picking up some sour cream and saw the stacks of cute little containers of Breakstone's cottage cheese and peach topping. Feeling adventurous, I tossed one in the cart. I tried it when I got home, and it didn't help that there's about 1/4 as much peach topping as one would need to choke down the cheese. Are you sure it's legal to call that cheese? Little rubbery lumps swimming in sour milk juice. How could anything so similar to the Indian dessert Ras Malai be so awful?

I'm adding cottage cheese to Ethiopian food on my "Do Not Try Again" list. This just asserts that cheese is the anti-Asian food.

The girl who isn't afraid of eating 1000 year old duck eggs is afraid of cheese.

Right now, I want some key lime truffles!

Smile, and be happy.

According to blink author, Malcolm Gladwell, studies have shown that the simple muscle movements involved with smiling are enough to make someone feel happier inside. These facial movements are as equally important in ensuring our mental health as the events which cause us to feel happy inside, and thus causing us to smile. These events are not isolated and unrelated, but in fact feed off of each other.

So raise the corners of your mouth, be happy, and watch those around you smile too :-). Or if you need a little help, buy yourself a pair of new dancing shoes.

My parents watch Average Joe.

Go figure, right? Seems my Mom has picked up the reality show bug like the rest of the nation. What to do when your parents watch trashier tv than you do?

So, I watched Average Joe with them (and WHAT was Anna thinking kicking Aaron C the adorable PhD off the show?)

My ex-fiance is now a Husband, owns a Ring, and is married to a Wife. Till Death Do You Part.

I never thought that I would be second to marry out of the two of us, nor that I would become queen of the "being single" game. It's like a brand that's burned beneath your skin that married people can sense a mile away so they can treat you like the exotic oddity that you are.

Do you not remember that you were single also just a short while ago?

I haven't quite wrapped my brain around this whole MARRIED thing yet. Maybe when the right prince comes along.

Had my second Lindy Hop class last night. There's just something about moving to music, it awakens the senses, I'm alert, happy, engaged. Alot of the leads try to throw in Prep Step style moves upon which, I instantly become a tangled mess of 2 left feet. Oh well, one thing at a time right?

Nathalie and Yuval were the guest lindy instructors at this year's UVA Blue Ridge Boogie. For some SICK SICK aerials, check this out. I'll just add that to my list of to-do's....

Finally! I've also found a local troupe that teaches Bhangra also! Can't wait to start that in the Fall/Winter!

Also found this AMAZING clip of a Chinese troupe performing the Thousand Hand Bodhisattva dance. All of the talented boys and girls in the group are hearing and speech impaired.