Hoop Path Cleveland and the Elephant Man.

Tarot Card of the Day

Three of Swords

Trying to bring harmony into a situation or prevent heartache. A tight circle of friends that have steeled themselves against outside forces. A close-knit family. Having others you can count on in times of need. You have a strong support system in place. Others may be envying how easy things are for you. Greed. Great sense of community.

I like that my tarot card for the day is the 3 of swords, because in a way it’s true.  There is a great community coming together this weekend.

This weekend is Hoop Path Cleveland.

http://www.hooppath.com/cms/

I really haven’t had much time to think about it because unfortunately, I can only participate in one day of it.  The show I am doing will run this Friday and Sunday, so I only get Saturday.

It kinda makes me sad.  With all that I have been through so far this year, I could use some “spiritual hoop” healing.  Anyone who has been to Hoop Path before knows there is sort of a spiritual element to it.  Even if you’re atheist.  There is a greater message of self acceptance at the core.  At least for me.  It’s a good way to get centered, and a reminder to be thankful for all blessings in your life, whether they be big or small. . . screaming in your face, or quietly whispering in your ear.

I think about all the Hoop Path’s I have participated over the years and how much I have grown not only as a hooper, but a person as well.

I think about how many paths I have crossed, and how many continue to merge with mine.

I need to remember the gratitude for that, and not get so caught up in the bitterness that often fills me when the paths diverge or twist in unexpected directions.

I always go back to my very 1^st Hoop Path, which was in Louisville, KY.  I was going through my separation, and I felt so completely off course.  I walked into my host’s house and there standing in her living room was a 10ft giant Ganesh.  It was sort of a re-awakening of strength in me I thought I had lost.

(For those of you who don’t know, Ganesh is the Hindu god of removing obstacles.)

He has sort of become a symbol/reminder for me since then.

A reminder that I am my own obstacle remover and at times (times I feel more so than not) I AM my own obstacle.

Anyways, it should be a good day of hooping and re-connecting with my hoop sisters.  I am very much looking forward to it.

Two birds. Two trees.  This Mydan can not wait to fly back home. Even if it’s for just one day. 🙂

The Condition My Condition is in or Susie Sparkles Spring 2012!

The weather has been absolutely amazing for this time of year.  Normally around this time, Northern Ohio is still in the icey grips of winter, or some other cold, rainy wet bullshit, but today the forecast calls for around 80 degrees and sunny, so the urge to get outdoors and be active is immediate.

I’m tired.  My body is incredible sore.  I suspect crappy bones at the core of my physical malaise.

I went for a hike last Saturday.  It was nothing strenuous, but since then my ankles have been bitching about having to move and support my body in an upright position.  It feels like an enormous amount of effort is needed in order to walk.  It’s like I am trudging through cement.

I wanted to do a “Susie” video (Susie being my alter hoop ego) since I haven’t done one in forever.

Susie is just a crazy hoop gal who runs around hooping and what not, documenting her progress.

She came about when a friend of a friend kept calling me Susie (even though I told him my name like a million times) Eventually I just got to the point where I just went with it.  (“Yeah, my name is Susie.)

(Susie two years ago.  Go Susie!)

(Side note, I will also tell drunk/scary/gross guys who try and pick me up in bars that my name is Susie as well.  I dunno why, but it cracks me up.)

I went out on my lunch break and set up my camera and just messed around with my hoop for a min or two and took about maybe 3 videos.

I hate everyone of them.

BLECH.  I hate my hair.

So I thought, well, it’s a nice day, I’ll just go to the park after work and try again.

I get to the park, set myself up in a nice grassy area and proceed to warm up.  But I can feel the stiffness in my legs.  They just don’t want to move. I can barely shimmy the hoop back up from my knees.  I kick off my shoes. . .this helps for a bit, and then I am back to struggling with the shimmying.

Try as I might, I stumble.  I trip.  I about fall over.  I am at the park for about a half hour when I just give up, because I know my legs are tired and done.

I’m extremely agitated. I am depressed.  I feel incredibly fat and bloated from winter.  I want to work off the hibernation fat so I can look svelte and foxy for next month’s Burlesque show.

Some of it may be from the inactivity, but I haven’t been a total sloth all winter.

I know in part, my impatience for speed and grace for movement is something I constantly have to work though.  Considering my condition.  I need to be less impetuous.

But I don’t like living as someone with a “condition”.  I know it could be worse.  I am very fortunate, I can walk and do stuff, but I constantly live in a state of achy-ness. Some days it’s easier to push it out of your head and not notice, and other days it’s like Jesus!  What am I?  Like 80?

Cause that is how I feel 90% of the time.

I’ve bitched about this before, so I am gonna stop here. But damn. I don’t like getting older.  Physically.

It blows.

Stepping out

I have been trying to work on pulling one leg out and hooping around one leg.  I can get my leg out and go a couple of revolutions around my one leg, but then either the hoop falls or I can’t get my leg back in,  or i get it back in. . . and the hoop falls.

I really wanna work on this and incorporate it into my next act.

 

I found this tutorial which sort of shows how to just step outside of the hoop using your hand.  I figure this might be an easier start. I also dig the turn version. 

 

Something I think I am going to work on this summer is the kick up. I started with this last summer, but the amount of pain that my heel was in from kicking the hoop back was more than I cared to work through.  I don’t know if I was doing it wrong, but ultimately I got to a point where I was like F this.

But I don’t like to give up. 

I think its gonna be all about the legs.

My legs are soooo gonna love me!

 

The end.

 

Where I am at

I so have not been in a hooping mood, considering all of the loss I have been experiencing.

Which is odd, because hooping has gotten me through some very difficult times.

I guess these events are proving to be most difficult, especially if you think about how hooping was one of the ways I coped with going through with my divorce.

Maybe there is some sort of subconscious stigma (as in the guilt that I carried for deciding to divorce my ex and now the guilt I feel towards his death.) attached to hooping in regards to healing myself over his death.  I will find ways to self punish at times.

I have no idea if this makes any sense.

I’ve also been extremely busy with another show I am doing.  It’s been a whirlwind of rehearsals rehearsals rehearsals!  Normally, you have about a month and a half to two months to rehearse.  This show was all last minute and we were given maybe 3 wks at the most to prepare.

Opening night is this Friday, and i am just exhausted.  If you don’t count the 5-6 hours of sleep at night, I have probably been home for less than an hour each day during the span of rehearsals.

I miss my cat.

I am also, once again, going through the same old shit with the guy I was dating.  Which I have been bitching about elsewhere.

But it’s not like I have abandoned the hoop entirely.

I was asked to do another Burlesque show towards the end of April, and so I have been more inclined to pick up my hoop for about 5 mins here and there when we have downtime at the theater.

I have a song narrowed down, but not sure of the theme.  I came across this and thought it was just absolutely adorable and fun, and was thinking of maybe doing a variation of something like this.  Not the exact routine mind you (or song) because I can barely lift my leg out of the hoop (let alone take my socks off) but I like the silly over the top exaggerated sexual-ness of this character.  I would like to incorporate this sort of schtick with Joan Jett’s “Do You Wanna Touch?”.  I think I can make it real campy and fun.

and I think that the extra big panties are just too much fun as well.  😛