professorneedle

I am knackered with a K and a OMFGIRTIRED. The lesson for most of my younger students last week and this week has been "Classroom English." you know, exciting things like "be quiet..." "raise your hand" and other things I like to teach bundled into other lessons because by themselves they can be boring.

I was asked to teach them all together so I created Kathryn's English Bootcamp.

"There is no Kathryn Teacher....goodbye, Kathryn teacher, hello COACH KATHRYN."

Coach Kathryn brought the pain.

Circuit training.
1. "Raise your hand, raise your hand! Punch! Punch! Punch!"
2. "Quiet, ok, LOUD" (squat, crouch, JUMP)
3. "Once more, please" (one hand with one finger up, both hands up, bring hands down to chest while bringing one nee up)
4. "Volunteer? I WILL" (the person saying 'Volunteer' is standing, squating person jumps up to shout 'I will!' and the other person gets into a squat...repeat...repeat...repeat.)
5. "Repeat (x)" (the students repeat the word and action)
6. "Here you are/Thank you"(mime passing low to high)

They learned, practiced, learned, practiced, all like being in an aerobics class with an insane instructor.

Then...and they thought this was a game...I put on music, volunteers rolled the dice and then they joyously did that number as a circuit for 20 seconds.
But...this also meant that last Wednesday I taught that for 8 20 minute classes. I could hear them continue it in the halls at reccess...from my space behind my desk where I lay...unmoving.

This week I've done it for 17 20-minute classes so far. This is my training regime. Yesterday I also joined the kids at recess to climb the giant tire towers. Everyonce in a while they'd be surprised by my head popping over a tire and ambushing them with 'HOW ARE YOU?"

My how are you campaign is going well. Students now ask me the question. NO ONE replies "I'm fine thank you and you." If you've never taught here you might not know what an accomplishment that is.

My frustration with off-the-rack button down shirts is about what it is to be a female in a female body trying to like, or at least be a good friend, my body. It's about feeling like my body shape doesn't conform...just doesn't.

It's also about liking myself and my body. I don't want to be trapped in ill-fitting clothing. I don't want to look down and ask "who am I , what am I doing in this?" It's about not wanting temporary clothing that can't stay in good shape and isn't built for mending.

That's why making my own button-up shirts...even on day 3 of sewing and modifying muslins...still seems like a rational solution.

In retrospect the more rational solution would have been: sew a simple top...because I've only made 3 structured tops for dance (and a bunch of halter tops) and those invoked luck and magic and moments I cannot replicate. I've put sleeves in something once and they scare me and I believe that necromancy is involved in understanding sleeves.

No. I had to go FULL BUTTON DOWN.

Because I believe if I can make this, all other top permutations will be easy-peasy.

I've made my first collar. I know what a placket is now and how absurd it is that Sew U thought a few lines of instruction and an illustration would allow me to insert a continuous placket! House placket, believe not in the existence of other plackets for beginners.

I have only passing familiarity with making button holes...but I will master it.

Last night I set a sleeve. It went in just fine. I then moved my arm and the illusion of a workable shirt was gone.

Prior to last night I thought that sleeve holes just needed to allow your arm out. Hole done, arm free. Ok! I understand, only now, that they must be coddled and perfected.

You have to caress the fabric gently until it is lays down in full submission and then you pin it. Pin that sucker! Is it after midnight? Are you alone? Do you risk pinning your own flesh because you don't have a dress form of your dimensions made? Suck it up! Blood makes it the shirt sew!

I now know that most commercial patterns and off the rack clothing err on the side of arm holes that are cut too deep below the armpits and that this is an aggression that enrages your shirt sleeves into taking your breasts hostage if you dream of lifting your arms.

I'm looking at a lot of armpits and sleeve holes on the train.

In all of this I read many blogs suggesting that arm hole placement can be tricky and that it is easier to copy an existing shirt you have that fits.

I have about 4 non-stretch shirts with sleeves. I put each one on and moved my arms around. I understood now why I only wear them in summer, open, over t-shirts or tank tops. I own no non-stretch shirts with sleeves that actually fit me.

I understood that the journey I am on is a hero's journey.

This morning, with an old futon cover that no lingers fits any futon I own...I made a lovely armhole.




It resembles the original pattern armhole only in the fact that it contains an absence of fabric through which my arm may freely pass.

When I get home I will mark the seams and rip this apart to fashion my latest front/back pattern.



fabric I want to use...but first I must make business stuff.

Greetings from the waiting room of my ObGyn, or as I like to think of it "The Hayakawa Home for Healthy Holes."

The clinic has two entrances and two separate waiting rooms (each one out of sight of the other) with a shared receptionist booth (with two customer windows). This is because my doctor is both an ObGyn and a proctologist. All the holes get help! And he's Bilingual! Because foreign holes need help too!

This never fails to amuse me.

What sometimes fails me is my doctor's habit of reading test results like its a televised awards ceremony and he wants to ramp up the suspense.

Next is....Clamydia!..........negative!
And we couldn't have done it without....syphillis!!! But we did...you don't have it!

Why would I go anywhere else?

(After)

The proctology exam room is similarly out of site when you're in the ObGyn room. I can only wonder at the joys it has. The woman's area has an egg-shaped chair with leg rest/stirrups. It then tilts back, lifts up, and (once you are on your back) the bottom of the chair drops away as the stirrups spread your legs. Wheeee

Nothing like answering English language questions with a speculum in you!

My doctor's English skills have faded over the years (it's been ages since he studies abroad) as my Japanese gets better. We use both languages. Sometimes, like today, we come across a Japanese question I do no grasp and he rephrased to the best of his abilities. Today it was:

"(Term I do not understand)"
"Eh?"
"Any....gynecological complaining?"
"(Laugh) No gynecological complaining! Thank you!"

And may I say that my ovaries....and my vagina...(pause for drum roll) ...Nothing! Nothing bad!

I wrote, on my smartphone, an entry about nearly missing a dance class this morning.

It was about how when my stress starts to overwhelm me, but I'm in denial, my punctuality goes.

It was also about cedar pollen and asthma, which I thought would be my major health issue today. I wrote after my first class, before heading to my second class, and then I accidentally pasted over it and was unable to revert to an earlier version.

I thought I might have another go of it on my way home from Shibuya/class two. I'm on that returning train now.

But my Shibuya class surprised me, by the three "drink breaks" I had to announce in class so that I could go vomit.

I'm now in "get home/shut down" mode. 35 minutes away from my station. I've planned my way home to involve buying bananas, crackers, and ginger ale...in case I'm going to have a hard time holding food down.

Blah.

I think I started this de-cluttering self-challenge almost two years ago.

The good thing about starting two years ago is that I can now look at objects I that was iffy about removing and say that I haven't touched them in two years. and they need to be loved.

I've removed another 20 items from my apartment and have put three of my toy-cameras on freecycle....using the toy cameras was an exciting part of my art for a while but things have shifted.

Since starting this entry I've had three replies to my toy cameras and know that my lovable Holga Woca with a Polaroid back and other odd gems will go to good homes.

Days I see myself in my dance students.

Y has been taking classes from me for about 2 1/2 years ( Roma dance, Zills, and Turkish Oriental... Three classes a week) and has become one of the studio assistants and teaches a few basic classes and one class to kids.

After intermediate Turkish Roma dance on Saturday, Y shared a recent dance joy moment with me an another student.

She'd been at a hafla (an informal party/ gathering where dancers/dance students perform for each other ) held by another teacher. At the end of many events like haflas there was a song for everyone to get up and dance (fun/unstructured/improvisational). The Japanese bellydance term-of-art for this is " disco time." Usually the Disco Time song is a Middle Eastern(ish) pop song with an even time signature and tempo that doesn't change...so it'll be easy for everyone,

The teacher throwing the hafla had a boyfriend help keep the music playing. Somehow he chose "Rompi Rompi", a traditional Turkish Roma song with a 9/8 rhythm for Disco Time.

(Rompi Rompi: if you know only one 9/8 song...it's probably Rompi Rompi).

For the uninitiated, 9/8 rhythms sometimes get the unfortunate reputation of being hard. If you're used even time signatures it can be slightly disorienting...and most other rhythms you're going to encounter early on in BD are even.

So Y explained that her reaction to hearing it was generally, "Awwww, yeah! This is my JAM! I'm gonna tear up the dance floor."and she rushed to Disco Time...and looked around to see befuddled looks in the eyes of other participants...wherein the rush of "Awww, yeah! This is MY JAM!!!!" Doubled.

Yeah.

That's one of my students.

Back in September I wrote that I'd contacted Bellydance Japan magazine suggesting that I might be a suitable subject for "Dancer's Made" a series about dancers who create their own costumes.

LiveJournal http://parasitegirl.livejournal.com/1146189.html

They responded quickly and thanked me, saying that I looked perfect for it and they'd been afraid that they'd run out of subjects

Since then, silence... And I haven't wanted to bother them. It's easy to be a little afraid of their power in the scene and I don't pay for advertising through them.

Ha! Today they got back to me. We're arranging the day this month I can go spend 2-3 hours with them and bring four costumes.

Yes!
Yes!
I'm conflicted about which costumes but TES!

The demons of photoshop lurk in my system. They are of the same evil miasma that haunts old sci-fi movies wherein someone must scream “My God, man! Just because science CAN do it…”and all hell breaks out..and maybe giant ants.

It’s then that I must take a break, save what I have, open a different image and act out.

One of the advantages to having studio shots to promote myself is that the show me in a simple land of nowhere.My desired customer can easily imagine me in the environment, party, location or event that THEY are creating.

But studio shots are also just so EASY to manipulate. When the demons grab me I can crop my image out and drop it into wonderland...or shove a mermaid tail on it...there are a lot of photoshopped flyers with bellydancers who have mermaid tails. It seems to be more of an American thing but it also happens here.

In updating my skills, slooowly, I've also been checking out everyone else's flyers for events, studios, instructors. THAR BE PHOTOSHOP DEMONS!

To avoid being publicly snarky may I simply suggest that you google image search
ベリーダンス　フライヤー and see for yourselves.

Although I feel I must post Asi Haskal's Japan flyer...( Dove! )
Because...it has everything and yet it's not too over the top for him because... that's just who he is.

So, before I go back to studying may I present my predictions for 2015 flyer trends.

Lens flare is out. Random bursts of flame are in.
Chickens replace peacocks.
Springbok horns are the next mermaid tails.
Papayrus is still the comic sans of dance.

And thus I present my newest promotional images!

( Too Hot! )

Now, back to my studies

I've spent another small chunk of my weekend in the Turkish restaurant "Ofis/closet".

I am not sure if ofis is the Turkish word for office or if the label on the light switch is the owner's odd spelling. He's been in Japan for 20 years, his speaking ability is strong, but he doesn't read or write Katakana/Hiragana/Kanji. This makes for odd texts as his romanji spelling isn't standard and reflects Japanese through a Turkish sound/spelling filter.

The crowd, while thin, was solid. There was one table of two women, probably my age, who were absolutely GOBSMACKED that there was a bellydance. They got pictures with me afterwards even though I'd changed into my street-wear.

It reminded me that one task for tomorrow, before and after my Shibuya class, will be to design my latest flyer. The restaurant is also in Shibuya and the Sunday studio is mostly a mix of Burlesque/Bellydance for women 20-40, beginners, who want to have fun...so I need more personal flyers for the classes I do in the Tokyo area.

Lil' Ninja training, self-promotion, etc is requiring that I update from (mumble) the ancient Photoshop Elements 6 I've been using to barebones things...so I think I need to figure out the new Adobe Creative Cloud Packages...pfft. I'm not a design genius but my two "bosses" (Lil Ninjas and H at the studio) are design-deaf...and dating. Did I ever mention that my bosses are dating? That's a whole 'nother post.

The flyer is going to be PINK... Well, Sangria Pantone 19-2047...it's the only way it'll be seen in the mess that is the stuff near the cash register.

I think I mentioned that the restaurant owner is part squirrel. Squirrels aren't known for elegant design aethetics. The owner likes to think of himself as a DIY kinda guy...but he's not. He does it himself but he shouldn't. I've seen him proudly point to the extended reachy-hook he uses for taking things off the too-high coat-hanger-knobs (It appeared to be an old can-opener,those ones that would poke triangles into the sides of cans, that had been flattened with a hammer, bent into a hook, and lashed with wire onto a broomstick) and proud say "I made it myself!"

He owns two restaurants. I dance at both. The one you haven't seen pictures of yet has a new "changing room"...which he made himself and it folds away. He had to make a fold-away one because his last constructed changing room/storage space/ employee cloak room had to eventually be dismantled because the other tenants in the building kept unkindly reporting it as a fire hazard. I had to act surprised when he told me this.

But the number one thing he seems to generally get wrong in building is shelves. Many of the shelves I've seen are partly collapsed and propped up by the objects on the shelf below them. I know what you're thinking, but I think I know the answer: It's elephants all the way down.

I don't get the urge to fix the ones in the ofis but those near the register drive me insane, one or more is partly collapsed and held up by wine bottles and luck. They are all are filled to the brim with Turkish trinkets. I am a sucker for Turkish evil eye and lapis jewelry and have never been temped by these shelves intended for impulse.  They are too full. There are piles. The number of items betray their value. No one is ever going to think "this is cute...and who knows where else I could get one...heck....It's so reasonably priced!' Nope. People probably think "Um...which price is for what?" and 'If I touch one will the whole thing attack me?"

This is what I want to just point at and scream, "Throw some money at me and leave me alone in this corner for a while...you'll thank me later!" and spend a few hours cludging together a better, safer, display. 80% of the offerings need to be in clear containers in the ofis and only touched when restocking after a sale.*

And...the whole mess is earth tones with a few dark blue accents.

So updating the info and playing around with the old flyer isn't going to cut it.



Besides, that flyer is more for those already into dance who might be interested in my specialties....so I could save the blinged-out costumes for the back. I need something that says "I am the exciting dancer you saw. Did you like getting for a mini lesson? YOU COULD DO THAT REGULARLY!" in my more showy bellydance outfits...with shots of classes in action and additional info on the back

So. Flyer time it is.

*I could never actually do this. The owner would see this and tuck it into his mental nest of reasons I would make a lovely dating companion and future wife who would nourish the business. I don't need another round of those texts and phonecalls ever again.