Done!

Today, I had the second successful recording here. Nothing crashed, nothing smashed. I'm overall very pleased and everything went smoothly. I have worked hard recently, not getting much sleep at all. Maybe I'm not as efficient as I need to be, but life isn't just about work. I need dancing too.

Things should start slowing down tomorrow. Phew... I love hanging out with friends and I haven't had much time for it recently. Will make up for it now.

Top Gear

I've switched on my autopilot. There's so much to do and not enough time or energy. But, as always, I chose to stay on top of it, and just do it - much like a robot really. So I have to prepare for recording tonight, do bills, send a few invoices etc. Then tomorrow is very hectic as well. Oh and those damned taxes need to be done.

*Presses autopilot ON*

Advice from the pros

I had tango class today. Had the luxury of dancing with the teacher for the whole lesson. It was mindblowing. I learned a few new things - one rather suggestive move where the follower rubs the back of her thigh against the man's thigh, then proceeds to do a kick around his leg. Tango is indeed a very passionate affair. The teacher told me to look up more and not down into the floor. Head up. Also, I tend to move my back too much away from him at times. so I'll try to think about those two things.

In lindy hop, I'm working on finding out what maintaining frame feels like. I can't really see what it's supposed to feel like yet.

New Moves

Now attending the Basic 3 Lindyhop course in Malmö with teachers Anton and Jenny, I have started to grasp the advice I've been given about frame etc. I can't do it properly yet, but I think I know what they mean now. On Thursday we learned a few new moves: sugarpush (as seen above at 0:20), the needle (also with variations - outside turn and american spin). Check out the move Debra is doing near the end (these are called "switches"). It's frustrating, because, really, before you have good follow skills, you shouldn't really add "styling". I am somewhere in between right now and those extra bits look so darn sexy!

p.s. Those of you who know me and read this blog sometimes will probably have seen my friend Tom Koerner and his dance partner Debra Sternberg before.

Tidsoptimisten

Idag skriver jag på svenska, i ren protest. Min hjärna behöver slappna av. :)

Undrar hur jag ska hinna följande i helgen: tvätta, städa, spela in bakgrunder till 2 möhippor, deklarera, spela in möhippa på 15 pers, gå på rolig fest i Lund hos folk jag inte känner, fika med en tjej från dansen, tangolektion och info om nytt passeringssystem där jag bor...

Tja, allt går med lite god vilja. Nu kör vi! Wrrrooooom!

Dancing became a passion

I just love dancing so much that I could do it 24/7. I am looking forward to my course with Anton and Jenny tonight, as well as all the social dances and dance camps coming up this summer. I am thinking of attending an event called CopHop in copenhagen in June. Will see if I have enough money.

Right now after having danced on Mondays and Thursdays since January, before I even started the courses, I feel great about everything. I adore the music and I think I have a good feel for it. I am now at the point, however, where I want to start fixing the bugs a little. My dancing friends have helped me there with some useful advice. Will continue to listen to advice now.

Apart from that, I have been asked to help out at the Malmö dances, opening and closing the place, etc. A great way of getting to know people!

Swingin Spring

Poor me. I don't get to go because I didn't sign up in time. Swingin' Spring is a dance camp in Göteborg. All the buddies from the dance are going and I'm not. Life is not fair.

My job is schitzofrenic

My job as a teacher is very schitzofrenic. I have to go in there and play a part, much like one of an actor on stage, performing a play in front of an audience. The best teachers, however, do have the ability to show their more humane sides. Today I had to change parts quickly. I heard someone calling out my name. It was someone at work who was in shock because a close friend of hers had just been diagnosed with cancer. She was crying. I gave her a hug and was a bit in shock too. Imagine if that happened to you? Seconds later I had to run off to a meeting with a student and her parents. Now I switch character, and have to be Lina-the-professional, who encourages, gives feedback and thinks of clever strategies for that person to succeed. In the meantime, your co-worker needs a shoulder to lean on, or someone to talk to in the adjoining room.

Sometimes I think this world spins way too fast. Worth having a think about anyway.

Click!

Everything was perfect at the dance tonight. Everything. I loved every millisecond of it. I was really brave and asked alot of guys to dance, and I danced quite well I thought. It was just so fun too, and I got to try some adventurous stuff with some of them. I was asked if I wanted to help out with stuff at the Malmö dances, which was great. Pub afterwards also great. Everything great tonight. Ohhh yeaaah.

Have I joined a cult?

Something I read online yesterday made me laugh. Some guy in America said all his friends thought it seemed as if he had joined some sort of cult when he got addicted to swing dancing. If it's a cult, it's damned fine one, I say. The pic shows the famous GAP ad from 1997, around the time when Tom & Deb started teaching in DC, I think.

On that note, I'm off cult-i-vating.

I deserve it!

I deserve a)to be exhausted from procrestining for way too long (I have myself to blame), and b)a fucking awesome night of dancing tomorrow, just because I rule, after all.

OK back to grading papers. Was this really what I was destined to do?

the "outght-to's" and the ´"musts"

Who knows if I'll manage to get through most things at work today or if time will run out. I have a deadline today really. Must deal with things that I put off before. Bad bad me.

Some tango in between might actually do the trick, however.

The perfect relationship, or at least a really good one

Does it really exist?
Yesterday I started to doubt it. Everyone seems to split up nowadays. This is partly a healthy sign, that you have self-respect and want things to go well for you in your life. But also sad. Is it really possible to get through periods when things go downhill or get bumpy? Just talking about stuff doesn't really seem to help. I truly believe both parties need to have the willpower to make things work, i.e. put in alot of effort when things turn sour, and put a serious effort in to improve things. If we just keep blaming each other, it's bound to fail. I just feel dubious today as to whether it's possible to mend the seams or not.
Or, maybe, we just keep finding the wrong partners. I really don't know. Maybe there are very fortunate few in this world who were really truly meant to be together. Until death do us part, etc...

Dancing downs

I've been extremely tired for the past weeks, to the extent that I almost fall asleep at work and have to take a nap when I come home. I went to my lindy course yesterday. It was great. I practised swingouts, and did some new things like Texas Tommy and Sushi Roll (although I've tried them many times on the floor before). Anyway, social dancing started and I danced quite a bit but nowhere near as much as I would have liked. I asked 3 guys to dance, should ask more maybe, especially when there are more followers than leaders there.

The discoveries

You learn alot when you become single again. From living in a big nice house, watching Gordon Ramsay on telly, cooking the most fancy dishes you can think of almost daily, I've come to appreciate the little things in life. Such as "wow, I have some eggs!"

Being single in a small apartment again is also great because you learn so many new things! Like, for example, how many days it takes for your cheese to go moldy in the fridge. It took 13 days in a plastic bag for mine.

Catbay Invasion

Since the move, I have now got three bookings for the studio. Very exciting and fun!

My scatcats

Never mind my singing cats who get overexcited and jump on the table singing.

The importance of jams

On Saturday there was a birthday jam for 2 people at tangopalatset. It's great to watch. I don't feel like I'm good enough yet to jump in there, but it's great to see what the others are doing. I think it would be great to have jams more regularly because it would be a place for more experienced dancers to try some more daring moves and aerials, and it would also serve to promote the club and the dancing to beginners. A weekly jam, like in DC. Wouldn't that be sumptin?

Boogie Woogie on a Saturday Night

I just bought a kick-ass book on how to play boogie woogie piano. It rocks! I have been inspired by my friend Tom Koerner, and the selection of music I've seen him dance to. Also Ingrid, another friend, teaches boogie woogie and that's also very inspiring. Apart from those two people, there's of course the music. I have listened to the late great Charlie Norman today. Bless him, he was fantastic. Speaking of which.... I must jump up and dance. Gosh, getting home at 3 am doesn't stop me!
Boogie on a Saturday night...

Yes, I guess my job is important

I realize I've been high on drugs today, but I understand now more than ever how important my job as a teacher of music and English really is.

Was today just a dream?

Sara and I were once again at the dinner party the other night. This time, it was Dimman's turn. He just loves us. We just love him. My turn next - must think of something nice to cook. Maybe something more exciting than noodles would be in order.

Today has been the most peculiar day. I hated it, start to finish, and I wish it never happened. I had to go to hospital this morning, and put syringes in funny places, and afterwards, the nurse gave me four strong pills (antibiotics). As a result, I was groggy all day, and could really not understand whether things during the day really happened or if they were part of some vivid dream. I've been completely drained today, but I just had to go dancing yesterday.

And I just *have* to go dancing tomorrow. It's Gunhild for Chrissakes!

Met the ex today. He was really nice and helped me with the computer for the studio. I'm quite happy to sit here on my own now, however.

Empty

I had to do a bunch of things today in a short period of time which made me feel empty. I guess, from here, the only way is up.

The significance of being insignificant

... is underrated. Turn the trend around before you're stuck in a rut.
1.Turn up the volume to max.
2.Rock harder!

Oops!

Went dancing today in Mejeriet. I was excited about it and I danced loads. After awhile, however, I started feeling exhausted. I knew this could be a problem after having had the flu. Anyway, a few fast-tempo songs, and it quickly got worse. By the second song with Erik, I could barely see properly, and things started turning black. I still kept going but couldn't keep up the pace. I felt so ill it was unreal. I had to stop afterwards.

Now I know when I have reached my limit.

Waking up

It's great. Having been on a journey for the past 10 or so months, I wouldn't dream of letting anybody push me around anymore. I say what I want, to whom I want and how I want. It's a human right. I seriously plan on reclaiming territory this year.

This doesn't mean I'm an asshole.

Well, only sometimes.

For those who don't know who Sammy Davis Jr was

Maybe I sound like a wise ass, but I was surprised the other day to find out that there are alot of people in the dancing community who have never heard of the late Sammy Davis Jr. This shocked me a bit so I decided to blog about the wonderful enertainer today. He was one of my favourites. He died while I was living in New York. I remember the headlines. It was a sad day for me. I bought a CD and his autobiography that day. You want the background? Read about it here.

Personally, I'd the music speak for itself. It's a very clear language.





R.I.P.

First dancing shot

Here is a photo of me and Anton, one of the teachers. He will be teaching course 3, starting next week. I can't wait for that. He is a very generous and nice guy, and I've learned alot from him, just dancing socially.

The constant problem on the floor is the sweating. I understand now why the girls have long hair. I guess we're all in the same boat.

A fine romance

...sure would be nice right now.

Where do you begin when there's too much to do?

Today my colleague Maria was supposed to come home from Thailand. She didn't, there were delays. On top of that I have a fever and a cold. Will deal with the work situation the best we can, probably not a problem. What becomes tricky is all the other things besides that, that need doing. I don't even know where to start, and I feel tired and knackered...

You only live once, so WILL YOU GO TO LUNCH!

I've always taken chances and done crazy wacky stuff just to live a little. I sang with Neil Finn for four songs in Copenhagen, whereby he commented, in shock, on how brave I was. I was brave! I went to work on MTVs Most Wanted for a few weeks to learn the ropes. Just crazy stuff that people just don't do. But some people don't know how to live. I love myself! (for all you who think I'm an ego - hell yeah!)

Dig this: One of Kevin Spacey's most famous scenes:

... and here, on "Inside the actors studio" is a very brave young acting student, asking Kevin, live, to do the scene with him. It doesn't get much cooler than this I'd say!

To Tom Hunt, wherever you are.

I realize cyberspace is not endless. Neither do I know what happens when you die. I do know that I had thousands of interesting conversations with a man who taught me everything I know about maori culture. He was a fascinating man. We got to know each other very well online, through chats on irc and emails. Even on the phone. This went on for years. I then went to New Zealand, sponsored by my Uni to write a thesis on Maori music and culture. I then stayed with Tom's brother Shane because at that point, Tom lived in Australia. He had worked in the military, in the SAS and I got to hear fascinating stories from there. I was about 25 years old. He was 50. I learned alot from him, and I think he learned alot from me. Sadly, I never got to meet Tom, with whom I'd kept in touch for years. He died, way too young, leaving his girlfriend and children behind.

So wherever you are - thanks for everything.