Creative Wanderings

I am back! Europe was wonderful, filled with amazing stories. I always enjoy getting away and being more or less disconnected for a few weeks. It’s like pushing a big RESET button on life, and when you get back and pick up the pieces of normalcy again, you feel rejuvenated and prepared to take it all on.  In other news, I’m still a bit jet lagged. I am performing in a festival tomorrow night and haven’t learned any of the two dances I’m in. In my defense, I thought I was only in one. Surprise! Anyways, my mental processes are slowing down, so I’m going to hit the hay and be ready to dance away the morning. Pictures and tour stories coming soon, and pray I am really fast enough of a learner to make this work tomorrow!!!

I meant to go to a concert in Orem.  I meant to go running. (I suppose I still could…) I did finish my thesis revisions, and I can’t wait to get the final signatures and call everything DONE. I probably should be doing laundry, or writing a packing list, or vacuuming or something. I did try calling the temple. I called twice before I realized that I was getting the voicemail message because today is Monday, not Tuesday-Saturday. At this point, I should probably eat dinner. I mean real dinner, the leftovers Megan sent home with me because I’ve been eating cake for dinner instead. (No comment on how much cake I ate for my… “snack”… tonight.) SIGH. I wouldn’t mind going on a walk. It’s more fun to talk to someone and walk with someone. Like the concert: it’s more fun to go with someone. Sometimes I’ve been really Read more…

Dear dude on that ldsdating.site, I’m tired of you, collectively speaking. Yes, yes, there are some true gems on there. I do believe that. I mean… I’m on there. But let’s face it: you’re most likely talking to me because of my looks. Flattering, maybe, but it gets old super fast. I personally believe that my brain and personality are just, if not more, attractive than my physical looks. Let me share some thoughts on what I think of you. IF you are closer to 40 than 30, I am not your girl. IF you are 3o and only have a high school diploma to your name, I am so not your girl. IF you are 22 and already divorced, I probably am not your girl either. IF you call me pet names without even knowing me, I am not your girl, your baby, your hun, etc. IF you judge me because Read more…

Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence in society. Mark Twain (1835-1910)  Mark Twain was a smart man. And funny. I saw that quote last night and thought it merited preservation here. It also makes me feel somewhat better about my recent influx of clothing. One of the worst parts of working is that you have to have two functioning wardrobes: one for work and one for everything else. Scholar of Mormonism Melissa Proctor says, “A Mormon woman who has post-graduate education is less likely to attend church,” perhaps because “an advanced degree does not contribute to an LDS woman’s status within the church,” whereas the church tends to fill its top positions with professionally successful men. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-06-10/mission-training-grooms-mormons-to-pursue-presidency-ceo-suite.html I find this to be an interesting statement… not sure how true it is. For me, at least, it’s definitely not true!  Awesome places I’m about to go to Read more…

My thesis is done!!! It feels amazing. It is officially 123 pages long, with 7 intro pages and 10 bibliography pages, 4 chapters, 1 map and 6 photographs. And I feel awesome!! What started in 2005 as an idea to visit Ireland has turned into a Master Thesis and degree in 2011. It feels oh so good. 🙂

One of my committee members asked a compelling question today: where did the dancing masters come from? As I’m searching the web tonight…. I’m not finding much information. Based on names, some seem to hail from Ireland while others seem to hail from France. The video above is based on Kerry step-dancing style taught by the famous Jerry Molyneaux… so famous that very little is written on him (that I can locate). The shift between his style, termed Munnix here, and contemporary style is so subtle and nuanced, I’d be hard pressed to say what changes. Obviously the tempo picks up and foot beats per second increase significantly.  Better get back to my thesis. I’m finding too many great videos that aren’t about the dances I should be focusing on. 

I’ve been thinking about mountains lately. I’ve gotten to go on some fun hikes in the past week – up Rock Canyon and also Battle Creek Falls – and those have reminded me of other hikes and adventures. Falling down the mountain at Stewart Falls years ago… Getting left on a mountain in the middle of the Tetons with nothing but my water bottle and two knees that made me cry on my way back down. I also think of the hikes I still want to take in the future. I really want to meet a guy that likes going out for a nice hike in the mountains and will suggest it as well. (And not leave me on the mountain!) I think of how I’ll probably never make some hikes, thanks to my knee and the challenges it gives me going downhill. But I’m sure there’s plenty of easy Read more…

It seems that my last two nights of sleep (from about 12/1am – 4:30 and from 5-8/9 am) were flukes. So here I am working on my thesis. I’m totally tired of Facebook…. it’s been helpful these past few days with keeping up with news in Joplin and the tornadoes, but I’ve been on way more than normal and it gets old after a while. At the same time, I feel rather isolated working on my thesis while the world around me sleeps. To keep myself somewhat connected, I’ll document my progress and successes here for the unknown masses to read and be bored by!! Wahoo, I know you’re excited, even as you search for the X button. (It’s on the top right and is probably red).  I finally figured out page numbers!! Mind you, this is just on the preliminary official junk that I have to include, not even Read more…

So one of my committee members suggested I add pictures to my thesis. Actually, I think she would prefer me to add videos, but I have absolutely no time or resources to add videos to a text document. Instead, I became a model for my own thesis. Yep, to avoid copyright issues, I contacted the excellent photographer, Ananda Henriksen, to do some shots for my thesis. She photographed, I touched them up for lighting in Photoshop, and here’s what we’ve got!  ** Please note: the following images are exclusively copyrighted with the photographer’s consent. Do not use without contacting me or her for permission. ** Sean Nos style dancing   Competitive Dance Posture Common foot placement in early 1900s Competition Foot Placement   Ghillies Hard Shoes