Good-bye, 2013!

Blowing 2013 a good-bye kiss!

Good bye, 2013! You've been a pretty good year for me, and I'm sure I'll look back at you with general fondness. We had some great times together. Sure, there were a few bumps in the road but over all, I think you did right by me. I hope that 2014 takes a page from your book and treats me right.

Some highlights of the year:

-I went to Tribal Fest and the Las Vegas Bellydance Intensive for the first time.

-Vegas was also my first time performing out-of-state!

-This was also the first year for the Beat the Heat Retreat down in Bisbee, which was so much fun.

-Tons of great performances with my troupe and as a soloist.

-Lots of new costumes in my wardrobe!

-New dance friends, and good times with old friends too.

-I took over co-hosting Open Stage.

-I started Beauty Blogging for Bellydancers.

-I wrote some blog posts that got people talking.

-That spiked bracelet in the picture above. I've wanted one for so long!

-Finished my tattoo!

-Added fan veils to my repertoire. I may have started working with them at the end of 2012, but I don't think I performed with them until 2013.

-Started taking ballet classes.

Some good non-dance life stuff, too:

-I attended two great weddings!

-When my cat got sick in September I was super worried but it turned out to be something easy to manage.

-My husband is doing great in school.

-I read so many good books. Tons of books! Geez.

-I did some beadwork that I'm pretty proud of.

But let's face it, it was mostly all about the dance and 2014 is going to be even more of that.

The 100th Day

Remember when I decided to take Gina's 100 days challenge? I set some goals of things to do in the last 100 days of the year, and here we are on the 100th day. Now comes the painful moment of truth when I have to look at my goals and see how I did with them:

1. Practice dance for 1 hour every weekday, ideally from 3-4pm.

I started out so well with this one, but in October I got assailed by some serious gloom and never fully recovered. However, I did learn that I CAN practice for an hour a day, so I need to work this back into my life in the New Year, while also being honest with myself about when I need to take time off.

2. Do one thing every day to improve the state of my home.

Another one that started strong and ended weak. If there is one thing I have learned during this challenge, it's that I'm really bad at doing anything on a daily basis. But I did manage to get rid of a lot of clutter, including a bunch of things that had been in boxes in the coat closet since we moved.

3. Get some advice and set some goals for taking my dance career to the next level.

Ok, I actually succeeded quite a bit on this one! I started out with a great meeting with Jolie where she gave me some advice and had me make a 3-year business plan like a real professional adult person. Then we had another meeting where she looked over my plan and helped me fine-tune it a bit. I am on track with my 1-6 month goals so far.

4. Get a quote on how much my orthodontic work will cost and develop a plan to pay for it.

 

Another success! I saw an orthodontist, got a quote, started the dental work that needs to get done first, and we just switched to a dental insurance carrier that will actually pay for some of my orthodontics. I should be getting braces early in 2013, with scary jaw surgery sometime further down the road (eep!).

5. Maintain at least 100 active listings in my Etsy shop.

 

It's the last day of the year and I have exactly 100 items in my shop! I did get to over 100 a couple of times, but holiday sales were pretty good this year so I had to work hard to keep myself out of the 90s. I hope to maintain a minimum of 100 from now on.

6. Finish at least one currently unfinished beadweaving/bead embroidery project.

 

At the end of October I finished Sunny Seattle Summer, a beadwoven bracelet that I started in August.

7. Make at least one project from one of the numerous beading books on my shelves.

 

At the end of November I made this bracelet. I'm also currently making some beaded leaves from a book which will be made into a necklace of my own designing at some point.

8. Actually photograph and attempt to sell the costume pieces that I've already decided I need to get rid of.

 

I photographed some, but not all, and a couple of pieces sold.

9. Do one nice thing for just myself every week.

 

I lost track of whether I managed to do this every week, but I have been pretty good about giving myself little treats that are not related to dance. For a while there, all I was buying for myself was new costuming and stage makeup. But I bought myself some ridiculous boots, and some makeup to wear day-to-day, and took time to go out and do fun things by myself.

10. Take some yoga classes.

 

Argh! I totally forgot this was on my list, I thought it was just in my three-year-plan. I did intend to do yoga at some point in these past few months, but things just kept being too busy.

11. Finish reading Universe in a Nutshell.

 

I never even tried. It may be time to admit that I will just never understand physics.

12. Develop at least one solo that involves a prop.

 

Another success! I now have a very nice veil solo to "Crooked Muse" by Beats Antique, which I performed at the first new Open Stage at Sky Bar.

So all in all, it's not too bad. I only have two total failures, a couple of strong starts with weak finishes, and a bunch of things that I did, sometimes even going beyond my initial goal. What this shows me is that I do much better with finite goals (make a thing) than with open ended (do this every day). It also confirms my belief that I work best with a deadline. I had wanted to start beading things from books for a while, for instance, but once I knew I had to have something done by the end of the year, it encouraged me to go through my books and find a project that I had all the beads for.

 

Tune in tomorrow when it will finally be 2013 and I can start talking about goals for the New Year!

2011 Year in Review

Dilara Sultan posted these Year in Review questions on her blog Dilara's Diary, and I figured I'd indulge in a little introspection to answer them. Also, a random picture. It's so weird to look at pictures of myself from before I hennaed my hair! Who is that brown-haired woman wearing my Assuit panel skirt? Without further ado, questions and answers!

1.  What did you do in 2011 that you’ve never done before?


Well, that's an easy one. I danced every day!


2. Did you keep your belly dance new year’s resolutions, and will you have any this year?


See above about dancing every day! I don't really "do" New Year's resolutions, but we had to set some for Anaya Tribe. Mine is to stretch every day, especially my problem areas, and to be raised to Level 3 in Anaya Tribe.


3. Did you introduce a newbie to belly dance?


I don't think so, not in 2011.


4.  What travels did you take, and did you involve belly dance in them?


As usual I went to NY and NJ to visit my in-laws. I kept up my daily dance practice but otherwise there was not really any dancing involved.


5. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?


Perfect health!


6.  What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?


January 1st and December 31st, as they mark the beginning and end of my year of practice. I'm not really good with dates otherwise.


7. What was your biggest achievement of the year?


Besides the year of practice, getting into Anaya Tribe was big for me!


8. What was your biggest failure?


Not working on back bends at all.


9. Did you suffer illness or injury?


SO MANY COLDS! And that mystery rash in July. But I shouldn't complain, since I didn't have any major health issues.


10. What was the best thing you bought?


Wow. That's a tough one. I buy a lot of stuff, and I'm fond of saying "This is the best $X I ever spent!" I guess for non-physical purchases, definitely the Deb Rubin workshops. As far as actual STUFF goes, I don't think I could choose just one thing.


11. What did you get really excited about?


Veils! I love them so much and I love dancing with them and people love to watch me dance with them.


12. What do you wish you’d done more of?


Stretching. I feel like I am too young to be so tight. Also I wish I'd spent more time learning from my DVD collection.


13. What do you wish you’d done less of?


Being lazy, procrastinating, and making excuses.


14.  What seemed to get in the way of your belly dancing?


Colds and laziness.


15. What was your favorite music from this year?


The new Azam Ali album was pretty good, otherwise I'm not sure I listened to a lot of NEW music. Discovered lots of good older stuff I'd never heard, though. The cover of "Ring of Fire" that I did my veil solo to was definitely my favorite.


16. What did you do on your birthday?


My husband took me out for the nicest steak dinner of my life!


17. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? 


Going to Tribal Fest with all the cool kids!


18. How would you describe your belly dance style in 2011?


Still growing and taking shape.


19. What were the major influences on your belly dance journey in 2011?


Taking the Mira Mania workshops really gave me a kick-start when I was starting to doubt myself. Fonda's classes helped me branch out into more props and get more involved in my local community. Jolie's classes started rounding me out as a dancer.


Dilara left her list at 19 because she likes prime numbers, but I like round numbers so I need to add another one...


20. Best thing about being a dancer in 2011?


Getting the chance to watch so many other dancers, from amateurs to the top-name pros, perform. I saw so many amazing performances this year that totally inspired me!