Ponder this...

How does one's house value plummet, but then one's property taxes go up?

I know Jen-Math is a common term at my workspace, (I don't do it... it's just bad... this is why I was an art major), but this really doesn't compute. Lower value house with property taxes fit for the value from 2 years ago. And apparently, our house WAS reassessed.

Maybe that dress I bought for Smooth rounds is just going to have to do. (Seeing as how I can't pay for ANOTHER dress... well I could... I'd just be carrying a credit card balance for a few months.)

In other news... M needs another new windshield.

Cha-ching!

Current Annoyance: Sunless Tanners

After watching Dancing with the Stars this season, and participating in the spring show at Spotlight, I've been reintroduced the glorious world of sunless tanners. Sunless tanners are fantastic for people, like myself, who burn to a lobster-red crisp every time they go outside. Yet, feel uncomfortably pale during the summer months. Since fake-n-baking is just as bad as walking around in your backyard naked, the spray tan booths and tan-in-a-bottle products are godsends. Relatively foolproof. You get sprayed and you end up with this tropic tan in a matter of hours.

Except there are people like me who can NEVER figure this stuff out.

I bought a brand of tanner that was recommended to me during the show. The bottle said "no streaks" because it's essentially an airbrush (read: spray paint) can that lightly mists the tanner evenly with no rubbing in... no extra layers... nothing. Fine. Easy right?

Wrong.

I had white splotches on my arms and legs because the "all over airbrush tanner" apparently missed a few spots on my first try. So, naturally, I try to spot spray the slightly lighter spots and fail to add more tanner to the developing pale orange shade. The following morning, I have stripes. Yes, folks, I have orange freakin' stripes on my arms.

Hello! Oompa Loompa Zebra! Gah!

Y'know, give me some more rhinestone or glitter or something. I'll fall into that ballroom trend, no problem. Feathers and fringe. Sure! Spray tanning. Ugh! No, thank you. Not only do I fail at this completely, but I smell like a combo of fermented beer and coconuts. Yuck!

Show is a Success!

I survived Spring Show. Never in my life would I think that I'd be on a stage again with just one other person behind me. (Or next to me... or spinning me... or picking me off the ground in a lift.)

Dance wasn't always something that came naturally. I often remember being laughed at, or having someone avoid going on the dance floor with me, or being ignored or passed over in other performances. I'm not really sure what changed or if I was just going about it all wrong.

I am not a jazz or hip hop dancer. I can't flail enough to be contemporary. Definitely can't do cultural dances. Ballroom just sort of comes naturally. I know I can't always straighten my legs all the way, or keep my arms in all the right places quite yet. And I still like to back lead. But it's something I feel confident in performing. And doing. And pursuing.

Never in my life have I had so many people come up to me and tell me what a joy I am to watch. I've always kind of spent my life doing background work. Spent too many performances in the back of the formations. (And behind taller people.) To be in that spotlight, almost on my own, quite literally, is the biggest natural high there is. It's addictive. It's healthy. It's now a huge part of who I am.

I think I can now say that I'm a dancer. And it feels so awesome.

It's MAY, people!

Things I'm looking forward to next month... because April hasn't gone by fast enough.

1) The end of the BSI Regional Meetings and copying items to little orange flash drives, which people will just end up deleting anyway.
2) May Show!
3) No more practicing for the May Show. (Sorry... I love my routine, but variety is the spice of life and the Bee Gees are grating on my last nerve.)
4) Angels and Demons premier! Plus all the really GOOD movies start coming out in summer.
5) SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE returns!!!!!!!
6) We're moving offices! And the wall colors won't be maroon!

What am I not looking forward to?
1) Packing up 2 years+ of crap in my office. That recycle bin is gonna be FULL.
2) Planning Faculty Leadership. My first contract that I put together is finally here to bite me in the ass.
3) The fact that I may not get Memorial Day off.
4) The weather going from mild and cold to HOLY HELL HOT in a matter of one week. Or less.

Happy May!

We say this every single year!

Who's bright idea was it to schedule 3 meetings all on the same day? In 3 different locations? Right in between 2 of the largest events in the spring semester? Seriously, we say this every year: we will learn next time about our Basic Skills Initiative fiascoes. But every single time these meetings come up, we end up with the same clusterfuck that we had the previous series.

I've got attendees more confused that I am. And that's bad. But seriously, a lot of this can be alleviated with a little common sense, which I've come to realize doesn't come very easy for some. I mean, if you are going to be traveling to a meeting and will require a hotel room, why are you waiting until 1 day before the meeting at 4:59 pm if you have a hotel room? C'mon.

Totally frustrated right now.

Mindless musings for April

I'm bored. It's the first of about 4 trips I need to make in the next few weeks. 11 events in 6 weeks. So far, I'm on event #2. (And it's a big one too... I really should head to bed. But my $5 internet hasn't expired yet.)

Anyway - so M and I fostered a litter of kittens. And to be quite honest, I thought this was going to be a strong pack. Turns out - 2 of them got really sick and died. Total downer. One dies on Easter Sunday and I had to take one in today to be put to sleep. It's very surreal to hold an animal that is completely helpless, can't stand up on its own, but is totally lucid. And when you put him down, he'd start crying. Not the typical, "don't lock me back in the bathroom again because I want to play" cry. But the "Oh my gosh, everything hurts and I'm scared" cry. Foster care provider took one look at the poor guy and said "oh no - we need to take care of him." Now it's got me worried. Pan Leukemia isn't something to sneeze at. It's got sudden symptoms and when the occur - it's almost always fatal. I'm hoping the other 2 surviving mates end up okay. Needless to say - Lucy is seeing a vet on Friday and we're not fostering cats any more. Kind of sad, really. I enjoyed fostering immensely. But with my travel schedule, dance schedule, and Lucy, we just can't do it.

And frankly the kittens stopped being cute after they started pooping all over our living room floor. Ugh. Spot Shot - best stuff ever!

In other news, I'm apparently heading for Utah, in addition to Los Angeles, this summer for vacations without M. Which is weird to me. But Hawaii in January is looking more and more like a possibility. I can't wait for a vacation where I don't have to WORK. Disneyworld and Europe were great. But they were WORK. Languages, screaming children, walking, walking, and more walking. BLAH. I just want to sit on an empty beach and sip Mai Tais for once.

Now - if I can keep my spending in control. This includes no more dance shoe purchases and dress shopping for like the next 6 months. Part of me wishes I could return those Capezio shoes. They are too tall and I feel awkward in them. I hate having small feet.

So do we get a stimulus check soon? Really soon? I have a credit card to pay off.

Ice, Ice, Baby

And Motrin... and heat... and physical therapy! Woo!

Gotta love strained muscles in your shoulder.

NO! I didn't injure it dancing, dang it! (Though... it probably made it worse. No more salsa dancing for Jen.)