Thankfully, lost 2 lbs. this week, to make up for past sins. I had gained weight for the first time last week after 7 mos. of steady, consistent weight loss. I attribute it to excessive stress, booze, pizza, and birthday cake. It was a rough week, but I'm back on the plan...Khafif is performing this Saturday at Arts on the River; Hazel Ruby McQuain Amphitheater down in West Virginia...and the Pennsic garb sewing crunch is still on. Just 9 more days until land grab...

DONE! Done wallowing in self pity...I can only indulge in that for so long. I haven't been very verbose about it in my blog but I have been quite miserable with myself lately. However, worked some things out this weekend and feel a bit better. Went to Lollapalooza this evening. I got there early enough to see the Distillers on the second stage, and Queens of the Stone Age, Incubus, Audioslave, and Janes Addiction on the main stage. All were fab. I especially liked QotSA. I wish I had seen more of the bands on the second stage. I hadn't heard of any of them before. But, I really don't like going to festivals like that anymore. Too many people, too many drunk people, too much standing around in the sun, sitting on wet grass, waiting in lines for food or for the restroom, etc. Maybe I'm too old for that sort of thing.

The Bellydance Superstars/Desert Roses

As part of the show, I got to see the Bellydance Superstars/Desert Roses. They performed during the interlude between Incubus and Audioslave. Even with the
projection screens, and my glasses on, it was difficult to see what they were doing clearly from the lawn. Evenso, the impression I got was that it looked very "chorus line," watered down, beginner dance class, stiffly choreographed, packaged for the masses, but polished and well-executed (maybe too polished). They used a medley of music
that sounded like a mix of Arabic pop and electronic stuff from Oojami. One song was clearly Hakim--I like him. At one point, a live drummer came out onto the set and played accompaniment for the "drum solo" choreography. The reaction of the audience seemed indifferent. I could probably recreate every move for you because it seems they only knew 5 or 6...but I can see the challenge in putting on such a production. They probably spent most of their time on moving around on the stage and keeping synchronized, because that's what you see from the audience. You can't see small
moves and isolation at all. They also did some flashy moves that exploited their costumes--some of the ladies had those long gossamer capes with wings...don't get me wrong--I was totally thrilled to see bellydancing on a big stage and glad to see these dancers getting this level of exposure.

All is right with the world after a few drinks with your 'mates...

Needless to say, I had a good time at my little house party last night, thanks to everyone who showed up!

Happy birthday to me...one step closer to the grave. So, for some reason, I felt like just crawling into a hole and not coming out yesterday. Went to work. Did some work. Left work. It rained. Umbrella no use--got soaked. Got home. Crawled into bed. Then, the SO insisted on dragging me out to do something because it was my b-day. Went to see Pirates of the Carribean--fancy that, a movie based on a ride. I was looking forward to it actually, but it became tiresome. Johnny Depp was very funny in it, though.

Omphalo-status: It is healing, but I still feel like the bait on a hook. Not much else interesting to say today, just felt like typing. Last night, I watched Bollywood Hollywood--what a hoot! I loved the Shakespeare-quoting grandma-ji, and the clearly recognizable Toronto backdrop...I'm having a little b-day cookout this Saturday to celebrate the fact that I'm getting older, and Pennsic is looming upon us--25 days to land grab. I still have to take in all of my garb. Luckily I do mostly the Indo-Turko-Persian thing so my garb isn't that fitted. Still, the task is on my mind as I sit here at work where I must turn my attention to other things...

I just had the most wonderful evening and I wasn't even expecting it. I had a typical Saturday, went to dance class, wandered around the South Side, then worked on some music with Melissa through the afternoon. Happened to check my email and noticed a post on the Beehiver's list about a friend's band playing at the Quiet Storm Cafe this evening, which BTW, is one of THE coolest venues in Pittsburgh. So, we went to check it out. I had no idea what to expect. I had heard about Trish's band but I didn't know what kind of music they played or anything. I was amazed, impressed, and completely enchanted. They played exactly the kind of music that I would listen to all the time, if they had a CD! They are working on one, and Trish was nice enough to give me a demo after I told her how much I loved the set. If you would like a listen, they have some audio samples on their Web site here: Between the Waters.

What a Fourth! It rained and rained and rained. Good thing that I planned on NOT going out today. Spent most of the day in the workshop, and had some friends over for a cookout and movie night. We watched Lost in La Mancha--the story of Terry Gilliam's failed attempt at directing The Man of La Mancha. It's quite fascinating and touching. I like films about making films and this one really made me wish that I could see the finished product, but it was not meant to be. Okay, so it's a slow news day...here's something I've been saving up for such an occasion...Lately the city has erupted in a plague of dinosaurs. Here is my favorite one so far, on E. Carson St. on the South Side:

The photo doesn't do it justice...it is a clever city street scene of a garbage collector, early morning with a striking moon painted on one of the fins. The trash can is ingeniously incorporated into the piece.