Monday night--Lindy dance practice at Sonny Newman's with the Savoy Swing Club starting post bedtime routine

Like I know what the heck I'm doing. I've been dancing East Coast swing for 12 years, and I'm dang good. I've been dancing Lindy for three months, and I'm not. Where the two intersect, I'm a very happy camper, but as soon as we start doing swing outs, I get this Kendra Wilkinson look of terror on my face (Sorry, DWTS reference for my similarly obsessed fans out there.) At first I thought I was going to sit on the side lines and be very sad all night because the dancers were amazing. Then I saw a really bad dancer and thought, if she can do it. . .so, I asked the guy sitting next me, and I didn't sit down until I was ready to leave. It was a mixed age crowd, very friendly, and did not freak out when I told them I was a beginner. It was also excellent exercise--all those Charlestons had my heart rate up.


Tuesday night--Blues Dancing at Waid's starting post bedtime routine

I discovered blues dancing and Waid's over two years ago and have been going almost every week since. I adore blues music, and I adore blues dancing. If you haven't heard of blues dancing that's because it's a new term invented in the 80's for the slow style dancing the Lindy hoppers were doing in the '30's. It's slow and close and all about connection to the music and your partner. I get there at 9:00, leave by 10 and am transformed.

Wednesday night--Free Dance Class Party at Northwest Dance Network, mom babysat

I used to adore these dance parties. Back when I was a beginner, even before John started dancing, Mom and I would go to these parties to dance a little bit and watch our teachers demo the next sessions' classes. Julie, Matt, Jodi--their dancing thrilled me. They exuded such joy.

Then I got on the board and worried about everything. Then I got off the board but still wanted to welcome all the beginners to the community, so I make it my job to ask beginners to dance. I had fun dancing with John. I hope I made some beginners feel welcomed, but mostly I felt tired and grumpy. (Not really a surprise given the schedule I'm keeping.)

Thursday night--Poetry business meeting and attending a reading -- John on duty for bedtime routine

I took a poetry class with David Wagoner several years ago. It was a disaster. (Since this is a public forum, enough said.) But I did meet several nice women who I keep bumping into at the Seattle Arts and Lectures Poetry Series. I've started critiquing back and forth with one of them, so we met at 5:30 to go over her chapbook. It was really fun because looking at her chapbook helped me see new things I could do with mine. Then we had dinner and went to the reading. It was thrilling to see my friend and Highline colleague, Susan Rich, reading on the big stage. But, there were three readers. I had trouble switching gears between three different styles, and one of the poets berated the audience. I didn't respond well to that. So, it wasn't the transcendent experience some of these poetry readings have been.