Practice, practice, practice

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Went downstairs after my morning coffee to practice the backwards spin in my rumba routine.  I have not been able to do it yet with Minas.  So I decided to practice by myself.  I found it helpful if I slow everything down and try to understand how to adjust my weight as the body moves.  If what Diana said is true, and I believe her, nobody is born with good balance.  It’s gained by practice, practice and practice.  So I did.

And it worked.  I did improve.  Not by much, but a little has been gained.  The one leg swipe that starts the spin is a hard one to grasp.  My body starts twisted the wrong way and the leg helps to give it momentum to start spinning backwards CCW.  I treid half spin first.  It was kind of, just kind of easy.  But when I tried to increase to a full spin, I always lose my balance to the outside.

Finally, after my leg was getting tired, I decided to use the bar edge to imitate Minas’s hand support.  Surprisingly, it helped a lot.  I was able to feel the need to raise my center of gravity up with that swiping leg drawing upwards at the end and stay up a bit longer.  I still haven’t got it down yet.  I would achieve a good one, once in a great while.  As I did it correctly the last time, I stopped practicing.  I wanted to end it with a good note and let my body remembers that correct movement.  No guaratee it will reproduce it on demands but the more correct one I do, the better I’ll be. 

As with any profession, there are skills/knowledge within each one.  It takes time to learn the tricks and there are lots of trials and errors and frustrations.  But the sweet taste of momentary success cheers you on to finally master the skill or obtain the knowledge.

The weather is very mild today in the 50’s.  I took Benny for a longer walk around the other side of stonewater and came back by the park.   It feels so good to be able to take a deep breath and ahh the air is not freezing cold.   Even though is overcast, it’s the best temperature we have in a long while.  I love it and even had the urge to go for a hike.  Nah, I’m not really a hiking enthusiast, but it gives you that unrealistic desire when the weather gets warmer. 

Thursdays and Fridays are my off days from dancing.  I feel free cause I can do anything I like and there is no schedule to adhere to.  If I decide to take a longer walk with Benny, I can.  If I want to indulge in knitting or web surfing, I can.   It’s wonderful.

Project progress

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Talked to Tim and Esther today about the student record project.  It turned out to be much easier than I thought.  So tonight I simplified the forms and queries to do what they wanted.  I think it’s ready to be test driven now.

Also uploaded the newsletters to the web site.  With Rodney’s help, they should be viewable soon.

Had a lesson with Minas.  I still can’t do the backwards spin to a half split.  The more we tried, the worse I got.  sigh.  But it was fun to work with Tim on the new routine. 

Couple of days without dancing coming up.   Want to decide on my next knitting project now.  I made the list for the Meg Swanson’s Knitting Camp in July.  That’s kind of exciting.

Knitting Maniac

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Lately the knitting bug has bitten me.  I finished a new sweather for Tido in two color tone.  Well, I ran out of green and used navy blue for the second half.  Left over sock yars work great for his sweater.  Now I have intasia or texture fabric in my mind for his next one.  I’m back working on Leo’s drop shoulder sweater again.  I’m near the end for the body round and working the neck shaping right now.  Still have to get Meg’s DVD out to review the technique often but it’s progressing very nicely. 

My daily routine is like this.  I get up, taking my time to come to full consciousness, usually after a cup of coffee and some knitting video viewing, take my shower.  Usually, Benny would be whining to go out at this point, so I get bundled up (it’s still between teens and twenties most of the time, but there is heat wave today, it’s 49 now) and we go for a walk for about 15 – 20 minutes.  The walk is usually plesant and he would do his business while I marvel at the progress for the house that’s coming up across the street.  Those construction works are amazingly speedy.  One day the trusses (sp?) would just start to be anchored, the next day the whole house is already boarded up.  I have heard new house construction night mares before, and it usually takes months and months and months, but these houses go up in a matter of weeks.  I don’t know how they do it.  Either they have a fantastic project manager or they are really skilled.  I wouldn’t consider the possibility of cutting corners though.  At least I hope not.  Ok, after the walk, I come home and eat some breakfast, usually a bagel or some hot oatmeat.  Then my marathon of knitting starts.  Most of the time, the audible book plays on the iphone to accompany me, or sometimes I play Leo’s Mozart and just knit mindlessly.  I would only stop shortly if I have to do some work for Esther or read my email or wander around on the web drooling over yarns or getting lost in Ravelry.  But 90% of the time, I knit and knit and knit.  I can’t seem to put it down, well, I know I can’t cause I don’t till it’s almost 3:30 and i have to stop to think about dinner.  Sometimes, I just email Leo and tell him that I really don’t want to cook and keep on knitting till he gets home.

This is heaven for me.  I don’t think very many knitters can indulge like me.  I can really neglect everything else and just knit to my heart’s content.  Leo kept saying it’s too much work for me to knit his sweater.  He just doesn’t know that I really truly enjoy it.  I don’t know what it is.  My guess is that I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment when I look at the fabric that emerges from the needles from balls of yarn to something utilitalian or vanity beautiful.  I just can’t wait to see the next progress when the body is done and the sleeves are cast on or the next round of lace on top of the current one.  I have in my mind already been planning for the next project where I can try a new technique or a new design.  In the mean time, my mind can either follow the story line from the interesting book I’m listening to or simply slip into a meditative phase and thus build up the need to spill it all out here.  The nonsense that really leads to nothing profound and yet has to have an outlet or it will explode.

So here goes my knitting maniac phase.  I am totally enjoying it and can’t be thankful enough that I can indulge in this phase right now.  Even though I don’t have the means to buy things or go out, I am very happy to stay home and work on my knitting projects and dream about the next one.  Actually, I have a lace project waiting to be picked up again after the sweater.  And I have some spinning books coming so I can read up on that process and try my hand in it.

Because of my other hobby, the ballroom dancing, I have to think about making some income and going back to work part time.  I may not be able to indulge myself in knitting like this when I do.  But in the mean time, I’m taking full advantage of it .