Racialism, Muscles, Literature, and Dance

[shanmonster]

I have strange recollections of my dream: I live in Canada, which is divided into three regions: the West (controlled by Red Indians), the East (controlled by Black Africans), and the South (controlled by White Cowpokes). The Whites are gathered together with a a large circle of covered wagons pointing arse-end out. I am wearing a yellow gingham dress and a big Holly Hobby-style bonnet. The menfolk are discussing how we'll never survive--that wave after wave of Blacks and Reds are wiping us out. Oddly enough, the Whites are the native North Americans, and the Blacks and Reds are the European invasion.

I have no idea what inspired the wacky racialist dream. And where did all the Northerners go? Maybe to China or Saudi Arabia. No Yellow or Brown people were represented, after all. And considering I more or less identify myself as Inuit, I'm curious as to why I was such a whitebread honky in my dream. Ah well.

I finally made it to the gym today, and my quads are all aquiver. Kung fu is going to be quite the task. Christmas acts as an alchemist converting muscle into fat, and sweets are the philosopher's stone. Unfortunately, I can't think of any food which acts in the opposite direction, so it's extra gym time for me. I hope I'll be able to fit it into my work schedule. I don't think I'll be able to take yoga classes, and I'm worried my kung fu time is going to shrivel up due to incipient shift work.

I'm going back into retirement from figure modelling again. I modelled this afternoon, and I'll be doing it again on Thursday. After that, the artists will just have to find someone else with which to fill their drawing pads.

I finished reading Daniel Quinn's Ishmael the other night, and as I set the book down, I heard myself say "Hmm." And then I said it again. And again. f00dave asked me what I was hmming about, so I told him to read the book. It made my brains whirl around in my head. The book gets especially interesting right around the explication of the Cain and Abel story. Check it out and see what I mean. Thanks for lending it to me, zero_design. I'm now working on snowy_kathryn's recommendation, Chuck Palhniuk's Lullaby. So far, so good.

After all the recommendations made to me as per my request a month or so back, I have a lot of books in my to-be-read queue which weren't there before.

Last night, I gave a private dance lesson to Anna and lickthefrog. I'd actually taught Anna before, maybe four years back. Both dancers have been studying Egyptian dance in Toronto, and I'm impressed by their repertoire of movements. I have a very North American nightclub approach to my dance, and their Saidi style is quite exotic to me. I showed them some floorwork, a glute shimmy, and how to do a faux (ie. safe) Turkish drop. Afterwards, I went to Lickthefrog's place where we danced with her sister (a ballet dancer), her sister's friend, and Keltie. It was fun, but I had stomach cramps and then I forgot three of my CDs there. Doh! I hope I can get them back before she returns to Toronto.

Right now, superbrad, f00, Dmitrii, and Linda are playing Starfarers of Catan in the kitchen. I'd play too, but it's a four-player game, so I opted out in favour of relaxation.

It looks like that relaxation is drawing to a close. Kung fu is nigh.

Comments

[daughty.livejournal.com]

This part

Christmas acts as an alchemist converting muscle into fat, and sweets are the philosopher's stone.

really made me giggle. I must be a very wise woman now, given the vast amounts of philosopher's stones I consumed over Christmas. I am still suffering from sugar detox headaches.

I admire you for all the exercise you get! I wish I'd do half as much as you. Hope I'll manage to try out my new PowerYoga DVD tonight. :-)

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

How do you like the DVD? Which one is it?

[daughty.livejournal.com]

It is really good but it is a German DVD, I don't think it has English language. This is the Amazon.de link:

http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000BZTEX/qid=1105002505/ref=pd_ka_0/302-1264191-4931212

I have done only Hatha Yoga so far, but late in the evening, I had a hard time staying awake after a hard day's work. Power Yoga is better for a person with a desk-based job like me.

[lickthefrog.livejournal.com]

I had lots of fun too! I dropes off your cds to foo last night, I hope you got them. I didn't realize you had left them till about 4 then next day getting out of the shower. PS my legs are still sore!

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Yes, I did get the CDs back. I started sorting through my CDs today. It's an enormous task.

[zero-design.livejournal.com]

'Hmmm' is a pretty good reaction, what with you not being the sort to leap to your feet and smack yourself in the forehead in shock;)

I realize that you have a monstrous stack of books to wade through now, but if you ever want to read the followup book, feel free to ask - it's called "The Story of B", and it details a modern day Catholic priest's search for the Antichrist.

[zero-design.livejournal.com]

I guess, if you wanted to, you could call Ishmael and The Story of B 'christian lit'. It does contain a lot about the christian faith, yes, but neither of them are really works _of_ the christian faith. It's kinda like the difference between theology and religious studies, I guess. I do strongly recommend the books, no matter how you want to classify them.

At this point, I think I've read pretty much all of Pahlaniuk's books, outside of the aforementioned Lullaby (Shan has the copy I'd be reading ;)). Currently working on Diary, which is a very creepy book. I really like them all, so far.

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

I haven't read the other books, but Ishmael is no more Christian than it is Jewish. It discusses Cain and Abel, but not in a religious fashion.

I didn't mind Invisible Monsters, but I prefer Fight Club. I'm not far enough along in Lullaby to give a strong opinion either way, but so far, it is interesting. I haven't yet read Survivor.

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

Ishmael wouldn't have gone over well with me in my fundy days. God just doesn't factor into it, and all the polytheistic references may have had me looking over my shoulder for the Devil. Your uberchristian friend must come from a pretty liberal congregation.

My cousin-in-law thinks Palahniuk writes strictly for shock effect, but I think I have to disagree with that assessment. Yes, his writing is very violent and often shocking, but I don't think it's the point of the story. Still, I need to read more of his literature before I can say that for sure one way or the other. Two and a quarter books just isn't enough to go on.

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

I would like to read it sometime, but first, I have a glorious slough of waiting books in which to wallow.

I don't think I've ever jumped up and smacked my forehead in shock. It could happen, though. The closest would be the time when I was looking for bizarre fetishes and found a picture of myself on a sneeze fetish site.

[zero-design.livejournal.com]

Good enough - just keep in mind that the time in which I can lend it to you is limited ;)

*nods* I can imagine that would be a bit of a shock.