Dance Break

Hello Beautiful People!

I am surfacing from the whirlwind of life. It has been a busy week for me what with wrapping up the school year, getting ready for summer school (yes, you read that right, summer school) and enjoying some quality time outside with friends.

A department pool party filled with laughter.
Taking a long leisurely lunch on the last day with some friends and colleagues which involved a couple of Coronas! :)
Hanging out with my little man Tristan who fell asleep in my arms.
Unpacking the kitchen for friends who have moved into an amazing house with a HUGE back yard backing into a ravine. Sitting, chatting having some beer in the shade of the trees after working hard.
Sleeping in, reading, going for a walk and later for a burger and ice cream with my neighbor.

I could get used to this lifestyle.

Most importantly. It's Monday, and I don't have to go to work until Thursday! But my cup is half full so I will enjoy the break and recharge for a month of summer school that will pay for my renovations, and converting my garden from a jungle to a manageable oasis! :)

And since it's Monday... The tradition here at Reality Insanity, is to dance, and who better to dance with but the King of Dance and Pop?

May he rest in peace no matter what our opinion of him and his life is. I tend to leave judgement to higher powers, especially when I don't have any idea what the real facts are. So without further ado, in case you forgot how this man has entertained us throughout most of his sad life, and how he has influenced dance and music today... I give you Michael Jackson.

Write Wrecking

Yes. It's week 4 of Jamie Ridler's Blogging Book Club for Wreck This Journal! Mine is looking more battered, as you can see.

This week I focused on writing. Mine. Others'. Random shizz.

One thing that this journey is helping me to unearth, is my camera. I'm starting to use it more. My photos are by no means artistic, but I am beginning to document my life in photos not just in wrecking the journal.

In this week's video, Jamie touches upon the whole comparison issue. Getting hung up on what others are doing in comparison to what we are doing can be a huge stumbling block. I can honestly say that though I am in awe of people's amazing feats of wrecking andtheir wonderful videos, I am plugging away at mine at my own pace and in my own way. There is no right way.

This week, I mostly took the write way. :)

I got my students to draw, or write on the public page.

And it carried onto the lint page... I didn't care! SO be it :)
Their messages are too heartwarming to cover in lint. Well, maybe some strategic lint... ;)

I documented the tearing up and tossing of the page which opened up to the four letter word page. I wrote "glow" "body" "love". Don't judge! :)

This is my half- completed office materials page...

With a little hidden message :)

I wrote my internal monologue while I treated myself to a mani-pedi. :)

And of course, since it was the last week of school that was filled with meetings and "professional development" it provided me with plenty of opportunities to document a boring event. Hahaha!

The bottom line? I'm having fun with it. And that's what it's all about.
Right?
:)

Big Guys Can Dance

This is my fifth day of my mini vacay and I'm slowly returning back to a human state :)
I have been taking time to relax, enjoy the days, congregate with friends and like minded.
Oh, and SLEEP! :)

I would like to take this time to catch up with you all, and to ♥ THANK YOU ♥ for all your amazing support, inspiring comments, and all-around kickassness! :)

In the meantime, it's Monday, and who said BIG guys can't dance? :) Enjoy!



Happy week everyone!

Sweet Wreckage!

It's week three of Jamie Ridler's Next Chapter Book Club of Wreck This Journal, and I can already see we are a whole new group of people!

The fun is permeating this wrecking crew and gleeful, wicked laughter can be heard worldwide. It's not only the sweet sensation of throwing taboo out the window along with the journal, it's incredibly exhilarating to watch what devastation my fellow bloggers are up to!

Here's what my journal is looking like this week.

It can't stay closed. Its cover is bend and the spine barely holding on. Of course it looks pristine compared to others' journals but I'm trying to do the internal wrecking first before I go for the gusto! :)

I marked it though :)

I chewed on it! More chewing will ensue... :)

I poked holes!

I made ugly lines!

I scratched it!







I drew circles...

I burned it!

I spilled coffee all over it! You can see the ashes from the burning stuck to this page!
And the eye peeking out from the burned page :)
The spillage on the right reminds me of a heart! Whoop :)

I drew ugly things in it :)

I stapled white things in it, purposely not making it neat :)

I defied the rules!

And last but not least...

I embellished it! :)

If you haven't joined, what are you waiting for? It's never too late :)

Wanna Play?

1. come play with me, 2. hoola hoops in as stack, 3. play, 4. Ayyy mista DJ., 5. colour chunks ii, 6. Birds on the wall, 7. playing the nine pins, 8. Palace Play Land, 9. Wanna play?

Did you know that Jamie Ridler is psychic? She must be because she did it again! She picked the perfect prompt for Wishcasting Wednesday! She asks:

Who or what do you wish to play with?

How did she know that today marks the end of three weeks of intense work hours for me? How did she know that after today, and for the next couple of weeks, I will be ready and willing to PLAY?

And what do I want to play?

I want to be a kid again and play games on a whim.
Tiddly winks and hoola hoops and rides!
I want to get my hands messy with art supplies and run with abandon in the field.
I want to learn how to hoop and hoop til I drop with exhilaration!

I want to make necklaces again like I used to and play with beads and stones and shells.

I want to get my fingers sticky with glue from making collages.

I want to make one huge playful MESS!

I want to get back to djing and play music to get people out of their seats and dance.

I want to play with color and fill my days with PLAYFUL JOY!

I want to play with everyone! My little friends and my big friends.
I want to fill the air with laughter of play.

I wish that every day is filled with the joy of pLaY!

When in Doubt. Dance!

Hi! My name is Genie, and work has kicked me in the butt! On Saturday, was I out partying with friends, enjoying the lovely patio weather? No. I was home, grading papers until 2 am. Yes, teachers have it easy. You don't know how often I have heard that.

Exams start today, so this week's schedule is a little off kilter, but I have exams to mark, grades to calculate and upload, department meetings to plan, and end-of-the-year wrap-up procedures. Not to mention a summer school course to plan, and another textbook to research and write.

I also have an appointment with my banking institution to consolidate my line of credit and mortgage and possibly negotiate at a lower interest. I have a cell phone company's ass to kick. A visa to cancel for a lower interest one. Pricing on handy men, doors and light fixtures. And other such engaging and highly amusing activities.

Ain't life grand? For a grand?

But no matter! Today is Monday and you know what that means?

Time to Dance!



Some of you may have seen this, but it's great viewing every single time! It would make a great workout routine! :)

Happy week everyone!

Let the Wrecking Begin!

Yes! I might have started modestly, but I have started! I drew a heart on the cover because I am loving this process already. Its setting is my handbag where it resides for more inspired wrecking! :)

The night before, I slept with it under my pillow. I thought that would be a fitting beginning. That night, I had an adventure dream that involved rescuing some people from a mountainous region that was near the ocean, yet in the city. Go figure :)

Then I cracked open the spine (literally) and began writing on pages without direction. These scribblings will be augmented over time.


It doesn't look like much, but I am sure I don't have to explain to a lot of you what it took for me to even do that!

Yet, that released the fear of defacing a book, and so my journey began with little steps, yet huge ones.









On my way out the door, I saw these wonderful chives growing in my garden, so I decided to grab one and take it on the Wrecking journey.


It makes the book smell like baked potato with chives. I might even smush in some sour cream to complete the effect!

This beauty isn't going to be lonely much longer. I am definitely adding some more found friends for Ms. Chive :)



















And more wrecking! The colorful page was done by my friend Ellie. I gave it to her along with a box of markers and looked away. Now, that's trust! And look at the awesome result :) You can see the page underneath as she cut strips out to make this colorful flower. It's the prettiest page so far :) Sweet destruction!

And last but not least....





This is my guerrilla sticker page! I call it that because I did some surreptitious sticker stealing at the grocery while I was shopping! I felt like a total criminal taking stickers and then placing them in my book, but it enhanced the delicious rebellion of the whole act.

When I have some time, I will be enhancing these pages with more wrecking. I can't wait to drop the book and hang it in a public place for defacing. Those two activities make my spine tingle with fear and excitement!

I hope everyone is having great fun with this and I can't wait to see what tasty destruction they have been up to here!

Wish the Wish

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

We made it to the half way point in the work week, for most of us! Some people call it hump day. I call it Wishcasting Day!
The incomparable Jamie asks us today,

What do you wish for your body?

That's easy!

I wish to lose weight, get back the svelte, healthy body I had before I started ballooning.

And it's not just a matter of wishing. It's a matter of finding the right foods in the right balance, the right herbs, and the right activity schedule.

I have been battling this most of my life. I have tried every diet available. Every exercise program imaginable. The one time I was successful, I tried nothing. I just walked to and from work, and ate what I wanted in smaller portions. I went to acupuncture weekly.
I lost 100 pounds.

I am trying to reproduce that, hoping it will work again.

But the most important thing is attitude.
An attitude of success.
An attitude of acceptance and love of self.
An attitude of release.

Today, I release the burden. I release all the negative vibes that smother being big, and all the negative reinforcement out there. I release the idea that I am somehow less beautiful, less worthy, less attractive. And with that release, I let go of the weight that has been a barrier and a haven from having to put myself out there, into the world. Vulnerable.

So I have said, so shall it be. :)

Hoops & Barbeques & Dreamboards, oh MY!

(click to enlarge)

Et Voila! My dreamboard for the Honey or Strawberry or Lovers Full Moon!

I made it at the effervescent and ever-inspiring Jamie Ridler's first Full Moon Dreamboard Circle yesterday! To say it was fun and deeply enlightening is an understatement! I got to meet, for the first time, some of my blogging friends and I was thrilled to see how absolutely wonderful they are in person, as they are online! I will write more on this when I have more time (?) this week.

I am in the process of studying my dream board, as I put it together intuitively. I grabbed images that I was drawn to, then put it together. I added the card I drew from the deck Jamie provided and kindly allowed us to keep. GOALS. How fortuitous is that? I added the advice on the back which I thought was particularly potent for me. Set a goal... and release the outcome. The second part is particularly important for me. Releasing expectation and worry. Just letting the wish and goal float up into the Universe. This dream board has a lot in it that makes my heart sing.

I welcome your thoughts. What do you see?

If you want to participate in the full moon dreamboard experience just go here!

This weekend, I was a bad girl! I finally sat down to do some of the work that has been piling up like Mount Kilimanjaro on Sunday night, after a nice dinner of (you guessed it!) sushi with my goddess daughter and my friend who also participated in the dream board circle.

On Saturday, I popped in to visit the ever talented and light-generating Danette who was hosting a hoop sale for the amazing and hoopalicious Allison. We hooped. Well they did. I managed to keep the hoop up for 15 seconds! We hung and chatted on Danette's porch and took in the beautiful spring morning.

Then I went to a barbecue, and dragged myself home late that night with enough energy to shower and plunge into bed.

Oh well! Life is meant to be lived, not graded. :)

And since it's Monday, you know what that means?

TIME TO DANCE!



YEAH BABY! :)

Rocking the Wrecking

This could not come at a better time for me.
Today marks the beginning of Jamie Ridler's Next Chapter series of Wreck This Journal!

I am in the midst of the most stressful time of year, which is accompanied by a lot of work, a lot of pressure, a myriad commitments and responsibilities. This year is worse because I am also the head of the department which brings with it a whole other set of headaches. :)

What could be the most perfect antidote to all this but scribbling, crumpling, painting outside the lines? What could be more liberating than working outside the rules of how I have been raised, to be methodical, consistent, organized, conscientious, and neat?

That will go out the window with Wreck This Journal! And I for one cannot wait! Here will be one place where perfect does not exist. Where right is everything. And where fun is the objective!

And the even most delicious part?

I get to share this journey with a community of the the most amazing women (are there any men on this journey?) from all over the world. A warmer, more understanding, supportive, encouraging group of people than one can ever hope for. I get to share this liberating experience with them. How awesome is that?

How awesome is that?

Pass the Freedom, Please :)

1. Follow the red line, 2. 4 días libre / 4 days of freedom, 3. Eid Mubarak, 4. they fly low supreme!, 5. zero gravity, 6. Freedom, 7. RED SHOES, 8. "I Have A Dream...", 9. She's like the wind...

As Wednesday rolls around, I happily leave my haze to play along with Jamie Ridler's Wishcasting! Today, Jamie asks us,

What is your wish for June?

I meditated on the question, and several variations of the same answer came flooding in.

I wish for freedom.

Freedom from mind-numbing routine.
Freedom from financial restrictions.
Freedom from tedious paperwork.
Freedom to do as I please.
Freedom to explore.
Freedom to create.

I want the wind to freely play with my hair as I walk on the beach, free from worry.
I want to be liberated from the drudgery that has taken hold of my life.
I want free-flowing passionate and lasting love to fill my heart with that of another.
I want to be free like I was when I was a little girl.

Free from crippling judgement.
Free from ceaseless responsibility.
Free from debilitating expectation.
Free from other people's time tables.
Free from P.A. systems and meetings.
Free from duties that are meant to enslave the mind and soul.
Free from cloying and endless stupidity.

Free to be with people who love to create.
Free to sit for hours on end in reverie;
and then go do what I have been dreaming.
Free to shape my time into pockets of my own making.
Free to make a difference in my own way.
Free to be unique, not a cog in the wheel.
Free to revel in silence, or pump up the volume and dance.

I wish to be FREE! :)

Happy Dance Monday

I emerge from the pile of work long enough to dance.
Music and dancing keep me sane.

I share them with you! :)



Aren't these kids fantastic? Dancing in an empty subway station! So happy :)
Did you dance when you watched the video like I did?

Thank you so much for your concern and support, advice and caring.
It means a lot to me :)
Reading your comments makes me happy.

I am taking things one step at a time. I am trying to steadily go through all the things that need to get done. And I have learned not to stress over things that don't. I am only human after all :)

I took some time this weekend to cuddle my new favorite person, Tristan. Holding his tiny, warm, sleeping body rejuvenates my own. Filling my nose with his lovely baby scent is better than any vitamin shot! :) Thank goodness for babies :)

Hope your Monday is wonderful and sets a fantastic tone to your week :)

See you on the other side :)