Riddle Me This...

Why do days where we have to film our tv show and really bad hair days always coincide? *sigh*

Wordle

Make your own here.

Loss of a Legend

I've said before that I've always been a sucker for an intelligent man with a good sense of humor and a set of piercing blue eyes. Obviously, that description perfectly sums up Paul Newman. Good grief, you can't miss the intensity of those eyes even in the black & white photo!!

Not only was he a great actor -- from Brick in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof or Cool Hand Luke to Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid or The Sting -- add in the fact that he was such a humanitarian, giving more than $200M to charity via his Newman's Own foods, and there really isn't anything not to like.

Robert Redford, a co-star and long-time friend said of Newman that "this country is better for his being in it". With the legacy that he leaves behind, I'd have to say I agree.

God speed, Paul Newman!

Woo Hoo Part Two!!

I've mentioned a couple of times in my Thankful Thursday posts that I've got a great boss & a job I really like with some interesting projects I've been working on lately. My boss just pulled me aside & told me I'm being recognized as the "Employee of the Month" for October for the work I've been doing on some of those projects.

This comes as a TOTAL surprise to me. I really hadn't ever even thought about it or thought that what I was doing was that spectacular. I do sometimes have to finesse my way through it all since some of my clients can be a bit "prickly" at times & my boss wanted to recognize the efforts it takes to successfully navigate through the potential minefields and the fact that I successfully do so to make everything happen.

It feels really good to be recognized. I've worked at different jobs where things like this NEVER happened. You hoped NOT to be recognized because it was never a good thing: you could never be right, you could only be wrong & anyone who did anything well was considered a threat to the Powers that Be and had to be beaten down. It's great to work for someone who WANTS his people to shine and who realizes that the more we all do, the better we ALL look.

Doesn't hurt any to know that there's a cash award that comes with it!! Gotta love that!

First the Redskins beat Dallas & now this -- I haven't smiled this much on a Monday in a long time!!

The Birk Economic Recovery Plan

NOTE: I don't know if the original author of the following was serious or not, but I have posted the following as a joke. If you do the math, the numbers don't actually add up......

Hi Pals,

I'm against the $85,000,000, 000.00 bailout of AIG. Instead, I'm in favor of giving $85,000,000, 000 to America in a We Deserve It Dividend. To make the math simple, let's assume there are 200,000,000 bonafide U.S. Citizens 18+. Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman and child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up.

So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billion that equals $425,000.00.

My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a We Deserve It Dividend. Of course, it would NOT be tax free. So let's assume a tax rate of 30%. Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes. That sends $25,500,000, 000 right back to Uncle Sam . But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket.

A husband and wife has $595,000.00. What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family?

Pay off your mortgage - housing crisis solved.

Repay college loans - what a great boost to new grads

Put away money for college - it'll be there

Save in a bank - create money to loan to entrepreneurs.

Buy a new car - create jobs

Invest in the market - capital drives growth

Pay for your parent's medical insurance - health care improves

Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean - or else

Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+ including the folks who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces.

If we're going to re-distribute wealth let's really do it...instead of trickling out a puny $1000.00 ( "vote buy" ) economic incentive that is being proposed by one of our candidates for President.

If we're going to do an $85 billion bailout, let's bail out every adult U S Citizen 18+!

As for AIG - liquidate it. Sell off its parts. Let American General go back to being American General. Sell off the real estate. Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up. Here's my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn't. Sure it's a crazy idea that can "never work."

But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party! How do you spell Economic Boom? I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion We Deserve It Dividend more than I do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington DC .

And remember, The Birk plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam . Ahhh...I feel so much better getting that off my chest.

Kindest personal regards,

T. J. Birkenmeier, A Creative Guy & Citizen of the Republic

PS: Feel free to pass this along to your pals as it's either good for a laugh or a tear or a very sobering thought on how to best use $85 Billion!!

Woo Hoo!!

When you grow up in Washington, DC, you root for 2 teams: the Redskins & whoever's playing Dallas. When those 2 are one in the same, it takes on even bigger meaning. "Dallas Week" is always a big deal around these parts -- even if you aren't a Redskins fan or even a football fan, you can't miss the fact that it's Dallas week. Pretty much every local newscast has at least one mention of it, oftentimes not even as part of the sports report. I saw quite a few "man on the street" type of spots this past week w/ the upcoming football game as the focus...For those of you who aren't from around here, it's sort of like the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry on steroids.

Going into the game today, expectations around here weren't so hot. Washington was an 11-point underdog. However, anyone who lives in either of the 2 cities knows that that doesn't mean much. Even in years where one team or the other was downright awful, the one game they'd win all year would be against the other.

Shows you what the so-called "experts" know. Final score: Washington 26 - Dallas 24.

It's gonna be a fun week around the office. All of the 'Skins fans will be in a good mood and the couple of (normally obnoxious) Cowboy fans will do their best to be invisible. Hee hee

Thou Shall Not Covet

Got home from my nephew's bday party & caught "A League of Their Own" showing on tv.....I *want* Geena Davis's wardrobe from that movie!!! They don't make suits like that anymore!!

Thankful Thursday

It's that time again. Wow -- I even got it written & posted on Thursday. That's 2 weeks in a row. It might even be a trend! :-)

This week I'm thankful for:

Veterans -- I meant to include this last week b/c the big dance performance included a salute to the veterans. The association whose annual meeting was the reason for the event invited some of the residents from the Armed Forces Retirement Home here in DC to be their special guests, so we were able to thank the ones who attended personally. For all the rest who weren't in attendance, a heartfelt thanks!

Fall -- It appears to finally be making an appearance around here. The weather has that little tang in the air & the first crop of locally grown apples is appearing. Won't be long before there's color in the trees.

Getting to attend my nephew's 4th birthday party -- Even tho they live nearby, I haven't seen him (or my brother, sister-in-law, and my other nephew) in a little while, so this gives me a good excuse to hang out with him for the day. My nephew was really disappointed that Grandma & Grandpa weren't coming to his birthday party -- he doesn't understand that they live in Florida & it's too far to drive for the party -- but he got over it immediately when he was told that I was coming. That kid sure knows how to get to me!!

Being able to help someone -- I got a plea for help via the dog rescue organization I volunteer with. A woman was having issues with her dog & was thinking about giving him up. None of the issues were surprising given his age (adolescent) nor that difficult to manage if one had the right tools or skill set; since training is one of my specialties, this was right up my alley. Luckily, the woman was very receptive to what I had to offer her/what suggestions I made and has started implementing them. So far, so good, leaving us with one happier (and more hopeful) owner and one happier dog who is that much more likely to stay in his home/not need rescue's help. That's what I call a win-win!!

So, how bout you? What are you thankful for today?

Free Admission to Museums this Saturday

There are lots of great things about living in the Washington DC area. One of those things is the Smithsonian Museums. It's great having an institution of that caliber in my backyard! It's even better that they are FREE!! Growing up here, I had NO idea that most people pay to go to museums.

Well, this Saturday, Sept 27th, you too can go to a museum for free. Thanks to the Smithsonian and some other sponsors, many museums around the country will be celebrating Museum Day. The participating museums are quite varied: from the J. Paul Getty Museum in L.A. -- a favorite of mine when I lived in SoCal & it was still in Malibu. I haven't been since it moved to its new digs in L.A. itself -- to the MN zoo to the Wonderscope Childrens Museum of Kansas City, just to name a few.

To get more information or to download the free admission card, visit the Museum Day website. There's a state-by-state listing of participating museums so you can find something in your neck of the woods that interests you.

Call your friends, round up the kids (if applicable) and spend a day soaking in some 'cul-cha' (as Noo Yawkahs would say) on the house.

Retail Geography Lesson

Dear Target,

You know I love you. You're one of my guilty pleasures. Like a teenage girl who can charm her father into just about anything, you have ways of extracting more money from my wallet than I care to admit sometimes.

However, I'm afraid we need to have a little chat about geography. Ya see, Target, I live in the Washington DC area. Baltimore, MD is roughly an hour's drive north of here. Blacksburg, VA is approximately 4-1/2 or 5 hours southwest of here. New York is about 4-1/2 or 5 hours north of here. None of these is considered part of DC (although a lot of Baltimorons I know try to claim that they are, but notice, they are claiming to be part of DC & not the other way around).

So please explain to me why when I came to visit you the other day looking for a Washington Redskins jersey to give to my nephew for his 4th birthday present, you not only didn't have any, you didn't even have an empty space on the rack telling me that you had had some, but they were sold out. Instead, I found racks & racks of Baltimore Raven jerseys and Virginia Tech jerseys. Thinking perhaps that this was just a "toddler sizes" problem, I even went and looked in the boys & then in the men's sections, just to reassure myself that you really couldn't have NO home team merchandise in the store. Sadly, I got the same results there and then had insult added to injury to also discover a leftover NY Yankees jersey in the boy's section. You carry the Yankees but not our local teams?!?!

Now, don't get me wrong; each of those teams have their place. Judging from how many were still on the rack, I'm doubtful that that place is here, or at least not in the numbers your buyers seemed to think. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.) C'mon now, is it too much to ask to have the chance to buy Washington teams' merchandise when I'm in the middle of the Washington metropolitan area?

I would have gladly given you more money, but you seriously let me down this time.

Signed,

Disappointed

Thankful Thursday

This week I'm thankful for:

• Getting my Thankful Thursday post actually written and posted on Thursday. :-)
  
  
• The dance team performance going okay and the whole gig in its entirety going off without a hitch. All of my dancers arrived on time, had no problem getting thru security & onto the base, had the appropriate wardrobe with them, and performed their job admirably. Our client was happy and we are likely to get called again the next time they need someone, so really, how much more could I ask for?
  
  
• Sleep. After all the rehearsals & extra stuff, not to mention my usually crazy schedule, to say I was wiped out last night was an understatement. A good night's sleep and I feel soooo much better and more functional today.
  
  
• Salon Pas. This is similar to Ben Gay, but on a transdermal patch which allows you to slap one (or more) right on the aching muscle & get a slow, constant release of the good stuff right where you need it. They also don't have the tell-tale smell that Ben Gay has, so I could wear them under my outfit at the dance event & no one could tell.
  
  
• Random compliments. Being complimented anytime is nice, but when it comes totally out of the blue & from someone you didn't expect to say something, it's really nice!

So how about you? What are you thankful for this week?

Drive By Posting

I'm alive. Tired & sore, not to mention sunburned, but alive. The dance event went well, as did my presentation to my boss's boss this morning. I'll post more details re: the dance stuff once I'm coherent enough to put something together.

Meanwhile, I'm off to catch up on the stuff I need to do here at the office & tonight, I shall crash. I'll catch you on the flip side.

Beware the Ides of September

I swear today was trying to kill me!!

Late Friday afternoon, my boss told me that he, his boss and I would be meeting early on Wed morning. This meeting is about something that my boss & I proposed a couple of months ago, after working on developing a new process for 6-9 months. Unfortunately, at that time, his boss shot it down -- not because he didn't agree with what we wanted to do or even with the need to do it; he just didn't want to fight the people who wouldn't have been too happy about the changes our proposed new way of doing things would create....Fast forward to last week & apparently my boss's boss has realized that there is good reason to implement our plan, or at least make some of the changes we recommended. Thus, the meeting on Wednesday.

My boss asked me to redo the presentation from before, simplifying it compared to the old presentation we'd given, incorporating the changes that had been suggested/discussed when we pitched it to his boss a couple of months ago, etc. Usually, I would have a couple of days to do this, but since I'm off work tomorrow because of the big dance gig, I only had today to get it done. Ack!!

The only thing I had on my schedule when I got into work today was something that should only take an hour or so, so I had hopes that I'd have plenty of time to get the presentation done. Ha! Best laid plans and all that good stuff...like a huge percentage of ppl here in DC, my job is connected to the US Govt. The ppl I work for/with hold a periodic training that they like to make a big deal out of, including taking pictures of the participants selected for the class. Because I've done some photography before/know my way around a camera, I've been named the backup to the person who's usually responsible for taking these photos. (That's why I had a camera with me when I took the photos for this post.)

A couple of weeks ago they let me know that they'd need me to help them out at this training by taking photos this time around. Ok, no problem; I could spare an hour to go do so. My section's camera was already spoken for, so I arranged to borrow one from another group, guessing I'd be able to figure out how to use it enough to make do for what is needed for these events. For the record, I'm a Nikon person & the camera we were borrowing was a Canon, but a camera's a camera, right & they can't be that different, right? Well, luckily, I gave myself some extra time & got there early because someone had turned the timer feature on & the camera was waiting 8 seconds between when I'd press the button and the shutter would release. Ack!! After frantically pushing buttons & going thru every menu I could find, I finally got that to turn off & got the camera working correctly. Because of that, I didn't have much time to play with the various settings or the external flash unit or otherwise learn the camera's bells & whistles, so I turned the setting to "auto" and prayed the camera was decent enough to handle it...oh yeah, it helps to know that the 2nd bombshell they dropped on me when I got there was to tell me that the head of our govt agency was coming to this event today. As in a member of the President's cabinet/one of those people you see on the national news. Oh great! Now they tell me!! So, with only approximately 10 mins to get comfortable/familiar with the camera, I'm taking photos not only of the group like I was expecting, but also individual photos of each participant meeting/shaking hands with the Cabinet Member -- you know, those photos that you see framed & hanging on people's office walls. No, no pressure there!!

Of course, that also meant more work once I got back to my office because those photos will all need to be printed & put into presentation folders. The group photos will get signed by all & distributed and of course, they want them ready to hand out at the end of the training on Friday. So, I had to get them downloaded, sorted, touched up, burned to CD & off to the people who will handle such things as soon as I got back from the office; again, with my being out tomorrow, it couldn't wait til Wednesday or there wouldn't be enough time to make it happen. What I planned on taking about an hour ended up eating a LOT more out of my day. I didn't even get STARTED on that presentation until about 3:00 pm, so I had to stay late to get it done & sent to my boss before I left. He'll look it over tomorrow & let me know how many changes he wants with it. Once he's had a chance to review it, he's going to email me at home to let me know if I need to come in early on Wed (lots of changes) or if there are just some minor tweaks so I can come in at my regular time. I'll find out when I get home from the dance event & check my email.

Oh yeah, then there was the dance gig to manage. Most peple never know the amount of time it takes "behind the scenes" to make something like this come off without a hitch. I have 3 different groups of dancers coming tomorrow. Each group arrives at different times, has their own instructions about what to wear & what their assigned jobs are. Add on to that that the event is being held on a military installation, so there are security protocols to deal with. For example, people arriving before 5:00 pm need to go through a specific gate to get on the base. Anyone arriving after 5:00 pm need to go through a different gate....Given all the different permutations & combinations, I couldn't send a blanket email or other communication out to people and had to make sure everyone got the correct information, answer the inevitable last minute questions, deal with wardrobe issues from 3 different people, etc. Not a big deal/typical of these type of events, but not something I had time to deal with today of all days.

I don't think I need to tell you that I didn't make it to the 2 dance classes I was supposed to help teach tonight or to the final rehearsal for tomorrow's gig. It's about 11:00 pm now & sometime between now & when I leave tomorrow at about 10:00 am, I'll need to do hair & makeup (1940s style), polish my nails, sew 6 buttons on the outfit for the performance, possibly hem the pants I'll be wearing for the team performance, organize a bunch of stuff & be sure I've got not only my own outfits, but also shirts for 3 other dancers. There's probably more things on that list too, but I'm too tired to even think of them at the moment.

As I said, Beware the Ides of September!!

3 Minutes to Dinner

Today has been a long day. I left for the Kennedy Center about 9:30 this morning & didn't get home until 6:30 ish. I had a blast at the KC Open House & it's always an honor to be asked to teach or perform there, but it's a long & tiring day. Thus, I was wiped out, not to mention hungry as I headed home.

A quick stop at the local grocery store for a bag of lettuce (on sale!), some extra fixin's from the salad bar, a multi-grain baguette, a minute or 2 to cube up some cheese and turkey I already had and voila. Dinner's ready. Yay for the 3-minute healthy dinner!!

I'm off to stretch, followed by a (sorely-needed) shower & then I'm taking it easy for the rest of the evening since I've got a 2-hour aerials workshop to teach tomorrow plus 2 rehearsals to run since we're only 72 hrs away from that big performance I've been mentioning.

Bone Marrow Donor Drive

Back in May, I posted about the National Bone Marrow Donor program's waiving their usual registration fee as part of their Mother's Day event. Well, they are doing it again. Now through Sept 22nd, you have another chance to potentially save a life and it won't cost you a dime!!

No one randomly or whimsically decides, "Hey! I want to get a bone marrow transplant." These patients and their loved ones have been through other treatments and procedures with no luck or they wouldn't even be looking. For every person who becomes part of the National Bone Marrow Registry, the chance that those persons who need to can find a match becomes just a little bit more likely to happen.

I'm in the registry. Please consider joining me. Click here to get more information and/or sign up online.

Thankful Thursday Friday

Yeah, I know. I'm late again. Story of my life lately it seems, but that doesn't make me any less appreciative. This week I'm thankful for:

• My dogs -- work has been crazy, and kinda frustrating this week. Nothing melts away a bad day like being greeted by 3 fuzzy monsters who are so happy to see me. Add in a squeaky toy and some other silly antics and it's an instant attitude adjustment. I've also had a couple of friends who have lost their dogs in the past few weeks, so it makes me realize even more how precious they are.
  
  
• My boss -- as I mentioned, work's been frustrating, but it's not because of my boss. He's had my back all week and I know I've got his support when I run up against the stuff that's going on.
  
  
• Sleep -- it's really a nice thing. And after rehearsals & such, MUCH needed!!
  
  
• The Kennedy Center's Open House -- this annual event is another favorite of mine. A full day of interesting and varied art workshops & performances. Music. Dance. Theatre. We're teaching for some of it, which is always fun, plus before & after, I can go check out other offerings. (If you're in the area tomorrow, you should come down and check it out.)
  
  
• Firefighters, Police, Rescue workers, etc. -- we get reminded every Sept 11th, but these fine men & women are out there doing the same sorts of things every day. Thanks!

So what makes it onto your thankful list this week?

September 11th

It's late & I just got home from dance rehearsal and I'm tired, but I wanted to mark today.

To those who lost their lives and to those who lost loved ones, we have not forgotten. To the firefighters, police officers, and other heros of 9-11 and everyday, thank you.

Guilty Pleasures

Mindi posted about some of her guilty pleasures & invited all of us to share ours. Ok, here goes (categories kept the same as hers to keep it parallel):

Movie: Dance flicks. Any & all. I wouldn't consider Fred & Ginger or Gene Kelly movies or classics like those to be guilty pleasures -- I'm not ashamed or embarrassed to admit that I love those. I'll even own up to Dirty Dancing, Center Stage, and Mad Hot Ballroom. But, there are other teen dance flicks that I don't advertise as much --

Step Up, Save the Last Dance, Honey, Take the Lead come to mind. What can I say? I'm a dancer/dance teacher, so I'm morally compelled, right? (That's my story & I'm sticking to it!)

TV Show: Again the dance shows like So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars come to mind, but as above, I'm not sure they make me feel guilty. So, I'll admit to watching America's Got Delusions Talent. I also got into Lipstick Jungle earlier this year -- a trashy, primetime soap opera-ish show usually isn't my style.

Clothing: I've got a pair of "beach pants" that are loud/brightly colored. They are a really wonderfully soft rayon & they are soooo comfy, but even I have to admit that they're *ahem* an acquired taste. In my defense, I don't wear them out in public (except for after my surgery when they were the only things I could wear or for one dance every year where we encourage everyone to wear tropical prints & beach wear, so I just appear to have gotten into the theme.)

Music: I'll have to confess to occasionally rockin' some Broadway showtunes. I grew up on the old classic musicals & as a dancer, I've spent a fair amount of time performing in them. I can't carry a tune in a bucket, so I was never able to take a lead role, but often had the dance lead so I've got lots of good memories associated with them.

Food: Chocolate is my weakness, but again, I proudly own that. I will admit to snacking on the occasional PopTart (breakfast of champions!!) or finding that Little Debbie Swiss Rolls have somehow found their way into my grocery cart.

Restaurant: I don't really have one. If I eat out, it's often at a local, family-owned mom-and-pop Chinese or Thai restaurant & I'm happy to support small, local businesses.

Store: Target. Hands down, no question. I won't tell you the number of times I ran in expecting to spend $20 or so on specific items and next thing I know, I've got a cart full of stuff!

Celebrity Crush: George Clooney. I've been a fan of his since his days as Dr. Doug Ross on ER & nothing's ever changed my mind.

Oh, and can't forget John Krasinski (aka Jim from The Office) now can we?

So, how bout you? C'mon. We're all friends here. You can tell us!

Hanna is Here

Or, at least the rain-part of Tropical Storm Hanna. The heavy winds have not yet hit (at least not here at my house). It's been raining for a couple of hours already, but I've noticed a marked increase in intensity in the last 20 minutes or so. The weather reporters said to expect the heaviest stuff between 11:00 am and about 2:00 pm, so this fits with that prediction. They are predicting 4-5" of rain today alone; that's usually our total for all of September.

So far, so good here. There are reports of power outages & such, but so far, I'm ok. (Of course, now that I've typed that, it's tempting fate.) As long as the electricity holds, I'll spend the day getting a feew things done around the house and maybe throw a movie or 2 on the tv.

Hope everyone reading thiswho is also in TS Hanna's path fares as well.

Thankful Thursday

It's late, but I'm actually going to get this in on Thursday this week. (Yay!) This week, I'm thankful for:

• Being healthy/able -- I may be sore & tired from a pretty heavy dance rehearsal schedule as we hit the final stretch before this next big performance, but isn't it nice that I *can* dance, not to mention walk. How much harder (and different) life would be if I didn't have the physical ability to do so.
  
• A mild August -- I had to break down and turn on the AC this evening for the first time in nearly a month. (It's getting humid here as the precursor to Tropical Storm/Hurricane Hannah rolls in.) It's been wonderful to have the windows open and get the fresh air, not to mention it's been very helpful on the budget to not have to run the AC!!
  
• A good public transportation system -- Last time I filled my car's gas tank was in late July. I just now dropped to slightly below 1/4 tank and will have to think about filling it again soon.
  
• The political conventions being over -- yes, they are important, and yes, I've been paying attention, but enough already!!! No matter which party one might be supporting, there's really a limit to the partisan speechifying and rhetoric that one can take!!
  
• Puzzles -- sudokus, cricklers, mah jong, crosswords, etc. All of them. I love having a small diversion when things get crazy-busy or I get stressed. By using different parts of my brain, it helps me blow off steam & clear my mind so I'm better able to focus.

So, how about you? What are you thankful for today?

Goodnight Sweet Prince

There are lots of things I really like about being involved in a social dance community. One of those things is that you get opportunities to meet & become friends with people that you might not run into in any other part of your life. Unlike taking say jazz or tap or ballet classes, when you go out to a social dance, there's often a broad cross-section of the general society at large. I love that!!

One way this shows up is across age groups. Especially with swing dancing. Since swing hit its first heyday in the 1930s and 1940s, there are some "originals" out there still cutting the rug. Joe & Delores were 2 such "originals" that we have been lucky enough to meet and become friends with thanks to dancing. Old enough to be my parents & married for 50+ years, when I'd see them dance, it was clear I was seeing a happy relationship and a good marriage at work -- partners in every sense of the word.

Delores and I aren't too different in height and have similar face shapes and the same could be said for Joe & my dance partner. They danced primarily a not-often-seen-nowadays form of swing that was what they learned in their neighborhoods growing up & my partner and I can do that form of dance, too. Given those 2 facts, on more than one occasion, we got cast as the younger version of them -- they'd start dancing & reminiscing and (cue the dream music and sepia tones) and voila, we'd take over from there as them 40 years earlier. It was a good effect & we were always happy to work with them. Even more than that, we just loved to see them show up at one of our dances or a dance we went to -- Delores' smile could light up the room & Joe was ever the gentleman. Who wouldn't like seeing friends and getting the chance to hang out with/catch up with just plain ol' "good people"?

So, it was quite a surprise when Delores called over the weekend to tell us that Joe passed away late last week. He hadn't been sick at all; in fact, they'd gone out dancing just a few days before. Without warning, he collapsed & just like that, he was gone.

Abraham Lincoln once said:

And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.

Joe was blessed enough to have both.

So, in the words of Shakespeare:

Good Night Sweet Prince. A flock of angels sing thee to thy rest.

I Need Halloween Costume Ideas

For Halloween this year, we're running a swing dance. This will be a charity fundraiser & we're hoping for a crowd of 450-600 ish.

As one of the organizers, it's pretty much a given that I need to be in costume. Add to that the fact that my partner and I will be teaching the pre-dance lesson & it becomes even more important. However, I don't have a clue what to go as & am looking for ideas/suggestions!!

There are a couple of things to keep in mind:

• Because this is a dance event, I've got to be able to move/dance in the outfit.


• The ballroom where we will hold this event is neither heated nor air conditioned; in late October, the weather could be a bit nippy, but between the sheer volume of people (if we get the crowd we expect) and the fact that we're all moving around, it should actually be pretty comfortable in the ballroom once things get going.


• I do have some sewing ability, but it's limited as is the amount of time I'll have to put into this endeavour, so it can't be too difficult if I have to make it myself.


• I'd prefer to stay away from "a poodle skirt & saddle shoes" or anything like that that is quintessentially 1940s or 1950s -- since we're running a swing dance, those are just too obvious & as an organizer/instructor, I've got to step it up beyond the obvious.
  

So, there you have it. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, please speak right up as I'm all ears.

Thanks!!