can I just say...

...that it is 1am and it is still over 90 in my bedroom upstairs and over 80 down here in the lviing room.

And I am still recovering from almost passing out from lighter fluid fumes earlier this evening (well, 11pm). Some idiot was playing with a barbeque and used way too much fluid and the wind blew and it blew all the fumes into our house. Grrr.

My nausea has morphed into intense cramps. Fun.

I still haven't eaten dinner.

I'm hungry.

It's too hot to cook. Or sleep.

catzen and I took another good walk tonight, as we did last night. I am attemping to loosen up my knees before I start dance again of Thursday. I need to ice my knees after I finish this post. I like walking with catzen.

OK, really hungry now. Must go eat some peanut butter.

yet another weather post

It was already uncomfortably warm by 10 this morning. I am ever so grateful that I work in an air conditioned building. My sister does manual labor outside all day, and her job is extra-miserable in heat like this.

It is predicted to get up to 109 today where my parents live (in the Central Valley), 99 here in San Jose. Apparently it got to 101 yesterday.

And to add to the fun, we are supposed to go to Stage 2 power alert today.

I ate peanut butter from the jar for dinner last night (way too hot to cook). I don't think I have ever done that. I also had some great fresh fruit (plums, apricots, cherries), so it wasn't all fat.

The advantage to the extreme heat is that icing my kness is almost pleasant. They do feel a bit better after icing last night, so I am going to ice a lot tonight.

Ok, back to work.

My new dance class

I have posted this in some communities, but have yet to do so here, so I figured I would. I am starting a new beginning Jazz Dance class in Redwood City this Friday. If you are interested in taking the class, just comment here or send me an email at cassidyrose@livejournal.com . As the class starts Friday, just bring your payment to class (rather than mailing to the address listed).

Also, if you know of someone who may be interested, please pass along to info. to them.
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Big Moves is offering a new class this summer--Come check it out if you are interested!

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Introduction to Jazz Dance
8-week session
Fridays in July and August, starting July 12
7:00pm-8:30pm
Academy of American Ballet
275A Linden Street
Redwood City, CA
Studio is a converted warehouse behind the Sleep Train on El Camino. There is street parking and a parking lot.

$10 per class if month paid in advance ($30 for July, $50 for August). $12 per class drop-in.

Class open to people of all sizes and genders; however, special emphasis will be placed on getting comfortable moving and dancing in a larger body. This is an introductory level class suitable for those who have never taken jazz dance, as well as for those more familiar with dance.

Each class will include a basic jazz warm-up and stretching, across the floor sequences, and short jazz dance combinations in a variety of styles. We will focus on proper form and alingment, safety, learning to move to the music, and most importantly, having fun moving and dancing in our bodies, big, small, or anywhere in between.

Jazz shoes, ballet slippers, or dance sneakers are recommended. If you don't have these, bring a pair of flexible sneakers to dance in. Wear clothing you are comfortable moving in and plenty of water.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR: For the past four years Jessica has trained at San Jose's Studio 10 in jazz, jazz technique, lyrical jazz, rhythm tap, hip hop, and body shaping. She is currently the assistant director of Big Moves and is a member of Big Moves' hip hop performing group, the Phat Fly Girls.

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PLEASE NOTE: All Big Moves events are G/L/B/T-friendly and open to dancers of all sizes.. No spectators: if you're in the studio, you've gotta try to move! Preregister by calling 707/546-6170, or e-mailing fullsun@sonic.net. Checks may be mailed to Big Moves, 1895 Humboldt Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95404. Calendar items are updated semi-regularly at http://www.bigmoves.org. PLEASE FORWARD THIS ANNOUNCEMENT to size-accepting friends and email lists.

scary and awful

San Francisco -- A mother and two of her daughters were sexually assaulted in their own home in San Francisco by three armed intruders, the second family to be brutalized by the same masked men within a week,police said today.

and just plain creepy...

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) -- Two dozen junior high school students apparently shared a needle provided by their diabetic teacher to draw blood samples during a science class last year, school officials said.

Some people are just plain stupid.

Grr.

He took the words right out of my mouth

Sept. 11 made us all feel unsafe. It's an unfamiliar feeling here, but it is common almost everywhere else. We lived in a lovely bubble, partly because we chose not to see the violence in our own culture, partly because we have not had war brought within our borders for a long time. The dream is dead. There is no getting it back. Let's calm down. --Jon Carroll

I have thought the same thing many times over the past many months. Every time Dubya would go on and on about the pure "evil" of Bin Laden, I would think: What about the rapists, queer bashers, and murderers all over our country? How is Bin Laden really all that different? (yes, I know there are some qualitative differences, but you know, if you kill people in cold blood, you kill people in cold blood. Period).

How convenient it is to ignore the very real problems of security and safety faced by millions of American men, women, and children everyday and focus on an outside threat. Apparently, Dubya (and many like him) are comfortable ignoring the very real problem of violence in the good 'ol US of A. Granted, I don't have to deal with suicide bombers at my local cafe, but I do have to worry about someone knocking down my door and raping me. As a result of my gender, I do have to worry about going out alone at night, travelling alone, being targeted for rape or assualt, being mugged, getting carjacked....the list goes on. And what about people of color? I doubt they have felt "safe" living in a country where acts of racial discrimination and racially motivated violence still regularly occur.

I was almost gang raped at the age of 17 at the local university in the small town where I grew up. There have since been a number of rapes on that campus, some committed by students, some by staff, and some by random people living in town (what happened to me). I was hassled more times than I can count and threatened with rape more than once living and working in that town. I rarely felt "safe". The things that go on there, like so many places in the United State, continue to go on because they are ignored. For whatever reason, the safety of female, queer, and citizens of color is not a priority, and is not taken seriously.

There are plenty of reasons for me to feel unsafe in my life, but going to the airport and getting on an airplane are just not among the top reasons most days.