SCOOP THAT BLOOP

This morning I had another series of finals scheduled, one of which required a performance of one minute of original choreography to include the emphasis of three of the twelve Irmgard Bartinieff Fundamentals (I'll spare you yet again, mostly because I lack the energy and have an online final and two papers to complete tonight). I hobbled downstairs to clear out my livingroom space so that I could get some practice in before trotting off to school. As usual, I pushed back the couches, closed up the bunny ears on the TV, and slid the coffee table out of the way. Start music, begin dancing. Tra la la. All is going well. I jump, turn once or twice, extend a leg into a high balance, mark a few quarky arm movements, and then roll to the floor...

Oh. My. Gosh.

As I rolled to the floor, I ended up bumping the coffee table slightly, which jarred the candle holders in their display on the table. It was only then that I realized that someone had taken one of those little glass candle holders (in the shape and size of a shot glass) and turned it upside down to hold in place a moderately sized cockroach that had apparently been chilling on the coffee table, waiting for the morning news on Channel Five...

The roach and I remained locked in a dead stare for what seemed like hours. Finally, he blinked. I won! Having overcome my disgusting foe, I felt confident enough to shake off the shakes, creep away from the creeps, ignore the fact that the most terrifyingly harmless creature on earth was sitting before me, and continue dancing. I finished my personal rehearsal, replaced the furniture of the room, nodded civily at my creepy, crawly, caged audience, and headed out the door.

Later, I performed my piece for my professor and classmates. The feedback was excellent, even overly-flattering. I thought back to my silent viewer, the cockroach, and felt a slight twinge of insecurity. He hadn't said anything about my piece at all, and he had watched it several times! How rude... No feedback whatsoever.

Then again, We had deprived him of freedom, food, and oxygen. In fact, he is probably dead by now. And the way his little disgusting anteana poked about his glass window did have a pleasant way about it overall... Perhaps he is not so bad. I'm sure he would have given me great reviews, had he paid to see me perform in a formal concert. In fact, I do think I recall something agreeable about our interaction. He probably loved the piece. Yeah. I probably changed his life, or what little there was left. I'll miss you, roachy. Watch me dance from heaven. Tell your friends.

Being Vegan is... Fun! Surprisingly. I am quite enjoying it. I feel good both physically and emotionally, knowing I'm doing something good for myself. I think I was ready for the change. I've tried all sorts of diets and exercise routines, and they never stick long. I typically hate them all the way through. But I'm liking this vegan thing. Ok, so it's only been 4 days... but still...


We hold the Net Jets field contract here at Corporate Aircraft, meaning that any time that company sends a jet to KFAT, they come to our facility and seek our services. It's huge. They are the reason I have met people like Rudy Juliani, Arnold, Hillary, Bill Engvall, Chris Rock, Beyonce, Rascal Flatts, Jamie Lee Curtis, Larry the Cable Guy, The Transiberian Orchestra, etc.

It's always a little kick in the pants for us here. But what I really love about NetJets is the CATERING. mmmmmmm......... NetJets takes GOOD care of their pilots. Wherever they go, they have full access to whatever food they want. They simply email NetJets directly, and NetJets gets the food to them (this means that NetJets emails ME and makes me work frantically until ALL requested food is ready to be presented however the pilots want it, whenever they want it. THIS, I hate!). The glorious bit is that these pilots often over-order food and leave what they don't want with us. Yum!!! One of the difficult aspects of my job is that we waive our rights to breaks. We work a solid 8 hours, end of story. If you don't sign the waiver, you don't work here. So it is just known amongst corporate pilots that you tip line techs in cash and CSR's in food. A wonderful arrangement, if you ask me.

Today, when I arrived at work today, one of my favorite line techs approached me at the front desk sporting a big, clowny frown.

Laura: "What's wrong?"
Mike: (in the saddest, little boy tone he could muster) "You have chocolate cake in the fridge. I want chocolate cake..." (continues to pout).
Laura: "Oh, I do? A pilot must have left it for me. Well, I can't eat it. I'm vegan. Help yourself!" (big smile and a reassuring "yes, I'm serious nod").
Mike: (giant grin) "Really? Allright!"

Not a minute later, he calls me on the radio, "Mike to Laura. Would you please step into the line office for a moment?"
I do so. Mike is frowning again, holding the cake in one hand.

Laura: "What?"
Mike: "Read."

I approach and read the label on the small box holding the cake. It's a vegan cake from whole foods. Mike had taken a bite and was still unhappily chewing it in obvious distaste. I started giggling and looked up at him. Completely straight-faced, he said "It needs milk."
I think sudden outburst of laughter almost caused HIM to shoot cake out his nose. hahahahahaaaaaaaaaa............

Jason Black seems to have a nice little family over there in Missouri. Coolest brother ever, I'm telling you. I recently received a call from Jason, inviting me to visit them over my winter break!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't think of how to explain my jubilation at this, so I'll let the exclamation points do the talking for me. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unfortunately, just after agreeing to give me five days off after Christmas on which to make my journey to distant family, my boss promptly decided to make some changes at work (which would sort of be illegal for me to post here just yet - My apologies - That is as clear as I can be for now), which require that I stay very nearby for a good three or four months. My vacation was cancelled, and I will not be allowed to venture more than a day's journey from here until June. Saddness and tears. :(

I hope to see The Missouri Black Company in the summer. :)

It's almost over. The semester has been draaaaaagging on forever. Next Thursday at this time, I will be FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Free to work full time and nothing more. Oh hallelujia.

Bummed as I am that I will not be joining the Missouri Black Company for Christmas break, I am so very excited for this vacation. Next semester I continue my regular coursework, but I also dive in to Kinesiology Master's preliminary work as well. Two more semesters, guys! I'll be a COLLEGE GRADUATE!!!!!!!!! I hope... PLEASE, CSUF! PLEEEEEAAAAASE offer the classes I need next fall!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'll be right over here, holding my breath. Thanks.

Perhaps you have noticed the above picture of a very handsome young man by my side. His name is Daniel. Brilliant. Sweet. Pretty much wonderful. Had a class with him last semester. We are dating now. There. You are officially in on the news. Wave to his photo happily and move on. :)

Just a few more papers, guys! Just a little more!!!!! I can taste the end!!!!!

Oh, also, I'm trying to be a vegan. No meat. No dairy. Wish me luck...

I am going crazy! CRAAAAAAAVING mom's pumpkin pie! I've had all kinds of pumpkin pie shoved at me from every angle this season, and have tasted it all. NASTY! All I want is mom's good old homemade-from-the-can pumpkin pie. I could eat three of her pies in one sitting, but I can harldy stomach the taste of any other. Bleh! Isn't that strange? All she does is double the spices. mmmmm....... spiiiiiiceeeeeeessss..... EAT PIE!

Happy Thanksgiving, family and friends. This is the least Thanksgiving-like Thanksgiving I have ever had. I've been quite sick since Sunday. Not wanting to infect mom, dad, a pregnant sister, or several small children, I decided to stay in Fresno for the holiday. I switched shifts at work because I thought I would rather sleep in and get paid to work through the evening than to wake up at 5 am, work a dull morning, and sit around an empty apartment all evening. I was right. However, I am quite hungry. Poor planning and preparation on my part. Didn't bring food. No food here. No place is open. Laura is therefore having her first foodless thanksgiving. There is a vending machine down the hall. I will probably buy a snicker's bar later.

I haven't been this sick in a long time. I have lost 15 pounds! I don't know if that is due to the illness or my heavy workout week during the performance. Either way, none of my pants fit anymore. I'm sure this will remedy itself in a matter of weeks. Kinda hoping it won't, though. I've been feeling quite thin and loving it! I know I'm still a chunky monkey, but I sure do like consistently feeling like a skinny minnie!

My cousin Wendy posted several great videos on her facebook of her family being interviewed during the holidays last year. They asked a number of questions of each person. Over the last few months, I have developed a strong admiration for Wendy and her family. I so enjoyed the videos that I would like to take part in the interview process. Having yet to successfully post a video on this thing, I will simply type out my responses. Mine, however, will be for this past year.

1) What are you thankful for this year?
So many things... I am thankful for my healthy body and mind. I am able to dance and work and learn and make a life for myself. I am so thankful for my chance to be in school DEBT FREE!!!! At least thus far. I am attending an excellent school and learning so much every day. There are so many obstacles for me to struggle past, but they only make me stronger. I am thankful for my professors, for the opportunities I encounter at school, for my many many friends and good associates, and for the energy the Lord allows me to get through each long day! I am thankful for Scott and for the lessons I learned alongside him. I am thankful for this perpetually confusing time in my life, because I know that in future years I will look back and see that the only consistent force in my life was love from a wonderful family both on earth and in heaven. I am thankful for my parents who are ever present in my heart. At the moment, I am especially thankful for a mother who has overcome everything the world has ever tossed at her, and continues to have a grateful heart. I am thankful that I will be able to tell my children stories about my mother's "gratitude journal" and how she influenced my life every day with her powerful love and positive attitude. I'm thankful for my fantastic roommates and wonderful home. And more than anything right now, I am thankful for my new boss!!!!! She is a good person!!!!!

2) What has changed since last year?
Um.... Scott and I broke up. That kinda stinks still. But I'm a senior at CSUF. About to do my preliminary work to get into grad school... YAY! I love to run, for some reason. Never thought I would say that. But I LOVE running. Many of my Indian friends have come and gone. SO much has changed at work, but that's aviation for you. My evil boss was fired and a wonderful woman has taken her place. Glory, hallelujia! I bought my very own new laptop, which has been a lifesaver! I'm finding more and more that my degree is doing everything in its power to make it impossible for me to graduate. But I will succeed yet! My ballet technique has substantially improved. My five year plan has fallen apart, but I am working on creating a new one. I got into rock climbing this summer, and have all my own gear! Never thought I would do that! I live in another condo with new roommates, but that is always changing in my life. :) Aunt Jeanne passed away recently. I had not seen her in a few years, but I miss her greatly. She is a very dear friend and family member, and I don't recall a single day when I did not hear my mom chatting happily with her on the phone in the next room. We love and miss you, Jeanne.

3) What do you predict will change next year?
I predict that I will GRADUATE!!!!! WAHOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And be accepted into the MA Kinesiology program at CSUF. I predict that I will remain single another year, if not much, much longer. I predict that many things will change for good and bad. There will be tears and laughter and I will maintain my love for this funny little life I lead. Oh, and I will buy a new car!!!!! I'm a big kid now!

4) What is your greatest concern?
My greatest concern is that I will fail.

5) Do you think your ass looks big?
Y'know, it did this past year, but now I think it is becoming quite appropriately sized. :)
Yay for a$$ shrinkage.

6) What else you got?
Really? You should never ask me this question. I can go on at great length....

The only aircraft we have had through here today came around 2pm as I arrived. My Thanksgiving day was made when three small children came running through ahead of their parents and grandparents. The father, close behind, was heavy laden with three disassembled bicycles. The grandfather had his arms full with three large cases of wine. The mother stayed behind to assist the grandmother through the facility. As the women walked, the sweet little grandmother chuckled to herself, smiling after her posterity. She caught me watching her, winked, and said to me "Bicycles and wine, darlin'! That's all we need to make our holidays merry!". With that comment, I felt completely connected to a family and was filled with a little holiday cheer myself. The loneliness faded for a while.

I am especially missing you all this strange, lonely, hungry, quiet, sickly thanksgiving. Here's hoping that I can be with you all soon. Thank you for being my wonderful family. I love you. Namaste.

Water Pipes in Cooma

It’s much different now, the world.
All around me are things I remember:
the textbooks I bought and never really
read, photographs of places I had hopes
of visiting, and even the computer’s obnoxious
fan that seems to never
stop making that rattling noise like the
water pipes in one of the flats I rented
when I lived in Cooma. There was a
sleepless night I spent in that flat, listening to
those pipes crying for the help of someone
who could fix them and I thought of
Jacob, a man I had come to know who was
homeless and hungry, crying for the help
of a God who he thought had abandoned
them, a God who he had once called
Father, Abba*. When I think of him, my
abandoned books offer little solace or
explanation. The photos of distant corners
of the world seem startlingly more real.
It’s much different now.



The Death of the Three Muses
(The Three Graces—Clement Renzi)

Beauty, charm and creativity
were the gifts given to these
three to aid, inspire and uplift
the minds of feeble men.

Beauty is much loved gift of women
throughout time. But, its sweet taste
leaves a canker in old age this
goddess did not design.

Charm is highly esteemed among
the noble in history’s pages. But
who wants to be charming when
talking with an ass or a
snake in these ages?

Yet Creativity could not live
without her sisters’ grace and so
the three sisters danced until
at some point stood bronze
and still in their place.

(Inspired by the statue of the Three Muses outside my dance studio at Frenso state).

I think I'd like to curl up under something very dark and read a great book with a flashlight. Probably something like The History of Love or Martha Graham's "Blood Memory". Over the past few months I have been seeking to be extremely social in LDS crowds every chance I get, thinking it would help me in many ways. I'm a little worn out from it all. Maybe it's time to just chill out and enjoy the company of myself and no others. Until further notice, I am an introvert. I'd like to play my violin more now that I have a little time. 'Tis the season.

In our show, "PULSE" by University Dance Theatre, there is a piece by the Maddox sisters called "They Weren't There". What a cute little lyrical modern/jazz number this is. The sisters, Jessica, Lindsey, and Malorie Maddox, all look so much alike and have all been dancing for Fresno State through their entire college careers. I love to watch them negotiating costumes, makeup, and movement specifications backstage prior to their number. They follow my solo in the first half of the show, so I get to spend preparation time with them in the wings before we go on. The girls get along so well in public. But catch them in a private moment like that - swapping bras, tights, or clarifying movement at the last second - and you get an entirely different picture.

Suddenly it becomes a tiny, silent cat fight (can't have noisey cats in the wings during a performance!). Upon interviewing the girls about their relationships and how it has affected their dancing together, they made it clear that it has been much easier with all three sisters present (the eldest girl was a guest artist, as she graduated last year. Usually there are only two Maddox girls in the program at a time) because if they have a disagreement, it is easily solved by a majority vote. As I watched, I saw lots of bossing the youngest around. Maybe I'm biased ;P
The relationships reminded me greatly of mine with my wonderful sisters. The Maddox girls had their little bickery moments, but the two older girls were obviously very close friends, and the youngest was eager to please the other two. Each is so different, but all agreed on fundamental movement style and timing. Watching them made me miss my sisters so much.

After watching their piece a few times, I began to daydream about choreographing a funny little dance show with Roo and putting it on for the fam at Christmas. Then I began to miss Roo, too! And Emma and Kaitlyn and Chance and Brandon and Kelli's Jason-belly, and... well I don't know how one goes about missing nephews she doesn't really know, but believe me, I miss the next generation of Blacks too! I miss my whole family! I always get a little blue at the holidays. Probably ever since the magic was lost for me a few years back. I enjoy it much more now with Karly Roo and Emma around, but it's not like it used to be. I feel so lonely, and guilty for feeling so, what with my family all around.

These feelings are exacerbated by my roommate's constant playing of Christmas music.... for the last month.... it's not even thanksgiving yet....

It's like my old boss used to say at Office Depot every November: "Christmas?! It's almost EASTER!"

Miss you guys. Can't wait to see everyone next week!

Oh, I saw Scott today. A group of people went out for sushi the other night, and I saw him there, too. We don't talk much anymore. If our conversations were becoming dry before we broke up, they are downright parched now. "Hi. How are you?" "ok. You?" "good."
Enthralling. Makes me sad. but...
I needed a massage today. Hurt my neck halfway through my show last night. Strained a muscle somehow. Couldn't even move my head when I woke up. So I asked Scott to go with me. We both got 60 minute full-body massages and then went shopping for a while. We had a nice time. Mom, he thanks you for the invitation for Thanksgiving, but he will be going to Arizona to see his parents, since he will probably be going to Portugal sometime around Christmas for work. Besides, he doesn't even ask me to cut his hair anymore. Somehow I think a Thanksgiving with out family would be a little awkward. It's really difficult to be around him sometimes. As we shopped, I found myself reaching for his hand every few minutes without thinking. After a while, we laughed about it and I just linked elbows with him while we walked. It has been two months - seems like much longer - but everything feels the same when he's around. Oh well.

I've got to get ready to dance again. Wish me luck and please say a little prayer that I don't sustain any serious injury to my neck. See some of you tomorrow!!!!!!! :) Jubilation will ensue!