We're here in my head...

It's typical...I have 2 days off and have some form of a headcold, that's primarily in my sinus and clogging my ears---making for one very fuzzy, stressed brain. I'm trying to figure out who I got it from, and I think my best bet is Mary my co-worker, who looked like she was coming down with something, and has been off and on sick for weeks. Bleh.

But I still got a fair amount of work done. The Temple Gathering: Summer Solace! event stuff is up and running. I updated both of Amara's websites, updated both of my websites, worked on Sedona's website, and some stuff for Tribal Cafe too.

Despite my impending illness, we headed up to Alameda (where the nuclear vessels are) for the Belly Dancer of the Year Pageant --primarily to help out Paloma's, and she let us showcase some goods. I'm glad we didn't go for a space ourselves, because there wasn't much room, and again, we have zip cabaret costuming stock right now. Paloma seemed to do well (have to see how today went for her), and we made some nice extra cash....the upside to the new location was easy access to the auditorium...but that was about it. The stage was narrow, there were no side-stage entrances...just stairs on either side, and there was this orchestra pit lighting---imagine Degas' ballerina paintings, where the dancers are leaning and dancing very close to the edge of the stage, and they have this light from below on them? Well, it works in a painting---it doesn't work on belly dancers...and a good majority of the dancers weren't paying attention to where the lighting was best.

There were about 20 dancers...I saw Shoshanna was on the list and figured she'd the shoe-in---she's got it all, and she did win. The rest of the judging I wasn't so agreeable about. Some of the most graceful and captivating dancers didn't place....and well, I won't get into my personal issues with some of the others....but there was this one girl there....oh my gawd...I still can't believe it, and I saw it with my own eyes....this blonde belly bunny, dressed in orange mirco-mini shorts, with some sort of a flimsy black chiffon barely-a-panel skirt on top of it...and then an orange sports bra under some sort of black bra with randomly sewn on gold thingies...and she was walking around before she went on without a cover, and I just thought---she can't be competing in that! Well, she did, and let's just say, the dancing matched----I lost count of the "belly dance no-no's) in the first minute alone, while trying to resist the urge to run into the ladies room and haul Paloma out to see this, to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. I am not exaggerating, and it actual was much worse than it sounds. *shiver* That girl couldn't have learned from any live person...and if there was a video involved, it had to be the worse. AND then, while I was trying to explain to Dhyanis what she had missed, the current dancer on stage---her music had stopped, and she's standing casually in the middle of the stage (bad music mix!), and she hauls her leg up and picks something off of her foot and flicks it...then she puts it down, and proceeds to adjust her boobs and bra! And to think, this wasn't even a tenth as bad as the other gal. And no, it wasn't done in some sort of fun way.

That aside, I enjoyed Sarraya, Seichimat, and Yosifah Rose the best.

So, that's about it in a handbasket...

Corset Belts Baby!

So, since I finally had some daylight to work with, I took pictures of the belts I have, and finally put up the complete (for now) website for the Corset Belts.

So here it is!

And the grapevine whispered to me that the troupe that won BDUY pageant yesterday was wearing my corset belt designs...which is interesting, because I have no less than 2 troupes wanting them, and this troupe wasn't either...and I know the troupe leader....so I'll have to see for myself what's going on.