My soon-to-be brother-in-law made a totally fun game for iPhone; it's like Scrabble crossed with little alpha-blocks, and I looooove it. Check it out online to support him, or you can add it to your iPhone from the Applications store, too! http://www.wooglie.com/playgame.php?gameID=46
I have been approached by a German Publishing company to publish my thesis; no cost to me. I'd get 12% royalties, one free copy, and they publish per request, so no big risk to them. But before I sign away the rights (if they don't publish, I can rescind after 5 years, and I can publish online & in pieces for journals if those requests come in). All I really want is a copy of my thesis, and an ISBN number to brag about on my resume.
Yay for young talent! The fantastic Brittney-Jade Colangelo's awesome blog, Day of the Woman is featuring an interview with me about the Living Dead Girlz.
Since her blog is all about stand-up women in the horror genre, we talked a lot about being a role model to young women, which is my favorite subject. We also covered pop-irony and I discovered my inner Warhol. EW; I still feel dirty about that part!!
Really; that teacher should be a Living Dead Girlz fan... I would totally send him schwag if someone found out contact info for him.... (edited to add back in the link... silly blogger!)
Hubba Hubba Revue presents The Living Dead Girlz in
ZOMBIE BEACH PARTY!
Friday, June 5th, 9PM
(Living Dead Girlz will be on between 11 & Midnight!
That's early for us!!!)
Nobody crashes a Wild, Wild Surf Party like a pack of brain-eating zombies!
Join The Living Dead Girlz and their kookie cast of beach-bums and beach-bunnies for a summertime send-up of sand and surf guaranteed to put the laughter in "slaughter!"
Elizabeth Gilbert's talk on re-thinking the idea of genius.
"Don't be afraid. Don't be daunted. Just do your job. Continue to show up for your piece of it, whatever that might be.
If your job is to dance, do your dance. If the divine, cock-eyed genius assigned to your case decides to let some sort of wonderment be glimpsed for just one moment through your efforts, then Olé. And if not, do your dance anyhow, and.... Olé to you nonetheless, just for having the sheer human love and stubbornness to keep showing up." - Elizabeth Gilbert
Some of you know that Zulu has been super ill again, so here's the scoop:
He got to come home yesterday and is definitely feeling better today, but we have to see whether the "reset" from surgery makes the difference, or if the infection just takes over again. If that happens....
We suspect that he had an external injury (cat bite?) that got infected, and instead of the infection opening outwards as a boil/abscess, it opened inwards. Surgery on Friday removed almost a liter of puss & puss-globs from his chest cavity, as though an abscess had burst inward. Cell analysis did not find any cells that would normally be present in the gut, so we don't think it was something he swallowed that worked its way out of his stomach into the cavity. Hopefully now that his abdominal cavity is less of a giant abscess, he'll be able to fight the infection. He's on two broad-spectrum antibiotics.
He had two IV's, so both of his front legs were shaved, and how he's got little fur-boots on. His surgery wound is HUGE... it goes from the top of his scar from the last gut surgery (4 inches) up to his rib cage, and is probably over 6 inches long. He's eating & digesting properly, drinking lots of water and getting tons of love.
This Summer, I will be teaching at Half Moon Bay through College of San Mateo, and also at Skyline College.These classes are extremely cheap; only the cost of about two studio classes for the entire semester!If you're not sure about being able to make it to all of the classes, you can always enroll as "credit/no credit," and then drop-in at your leisure. Also, please note that the MWF classes go until mid-August, but the T/Th classes only go until July 30th.Monday, Wednesday, Friday -- College of San Mateo's Half Moon Bay Recreation Centerhttp://collegeofsanmateo.edu/enroll/personal.aspAll of these classes take place in the Half Moon Bay Recreation Center, Room: HMB-C106June 22nd - August 14th54258 FITN 334 HAH YOGA MWF 7:00 - 8:05a Units: 0.554259 FITN 335 HAH PILATES MWF 8:30 - 9:35a Units: 0.5Tuesdays & Thursdays -- Skyline Collegehttp://www.skylinecollege.edu/rsc/inc/flipbooksummerschdule09.html(That's my Pilates Class in the picture on the front cover!)All of these classes take place in the (very nice) dance studio, Building 3, Room 3201June 22nd - July 30th53054 FITN 335 B6 PILATES TTh 12:50 - 2:55p Units: 0.5 52268 FITN 334 K6 YOGA TTh 5:30 - 7:10p Units: 0.5 54113 DANC 350 K6 CARDIO DANCE TTh 7:25 - 9:30p Units: 0.5 I will be teaching this class as a Jazz class with a cardio-based warm-up.The level is usually Beginning, with a few Intermediate folks. Each class is adapted to challenge the students in attendance!If you've danced a lot or a little, I will help you work hard, laugh and DANCE.My class will combine the sexiness, thrill, edge and funky sass of Commercial, Street, Vegas, and Thrash jazz styles. Movement will range from hard, sharp attacks to sultry, sexy glides with a bit of hip-hop thrown in.The class will begin with a warm-up of isolations, stretching, abdominals to make you proud, across-the-floor movement, and a LOT of time is spent learning the combinations. Each class will finish with a combination focusing on body awareness, line and performance. Class is a great workout, and super-sexy!Some of my rehearsals and choreography: http://www.youtube.com/user/SteeleDanceCompany Please do invite your friends, and I hope to see you all this Summer!--Amber SteeleDirector & ChoreographerLiving Dead GirlzAdunct Faculty - Physical Education & DanceSan Mateo Community CollegesBio:Founder of the nationally acclaimed zombie dance theater troupe,LIVING DEAD GIRLZ, Amber Steele has been onstage as an actress, singer and dancer since the age of ten. She is currently working on multiple projects merging dance, film and performance art.Steele graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a Double Major in Dance and Comparative Literature and completed her Master of Fine Arts in Choreography at Mills College. Her research focuses on technology's impact on bodies and body image in our voyeuristic, commercialized modern culture.Steele toured Germany and performed at the Cannes Film Festival as the featured dancer in TRIP - Remix Your Experience, a multimedia exhibition of film, live music and art. Steele has also performed as a featured dancer for RJ Reynolds (CAMEL) promotional events and managed the go-go dancers of "Poor Impulse Control," who perform frequently in San Francisco's industrial, alternative, and rock venues.Steele Dance Company provides live entertainment for festivals, corporate and private events. Steele handles artistic direction, storyline creation, rehearsal facilitation and choreography as well as teaching the company's master classes. Steele has been teaching dance classes and private lessons since 1997.
This Summer, I will be teaching at Half Moon Bay through College of San Mateo, and also at Skyline College.
These classes are extremely cheap; only the cost of about two studio classes for the entire semester! If you're not sure about being able to make it to all of the classes, you can always enroll as "credit/no credit," and then drop-in at your leisure. Also, please note that the MWF classes go until mid-August, but the T/Th classes only go until July 30th.
Monday, Wednesday, Friday -- College of San Mateo's Half Moon Bay Recreation Center
I will be teaching this class as a Jazz class with a cardio-based warm-up. The level is usually Beginning, with a few Intermediate folks. Each class is adapted to challenge the students in attendance! If you've danced a lot or a little, I will help you work hard, laugh and DANCE. My class will combine the sexiness, thrill, edge and funky sass of Commercial, Street, Vegas, and Thrash jazz styles. Movement will range from hard, sharp attacks to sultry, sexy glides with a bit of hip-hop thrown in. The class will begin with a warm-up of isolations, stretching, abdominals to make you proud, across-the-floor movement, and a LOT of time is spent learning the combinations. Each class will finish with a combination focusing on body awareness, line and performance. Class is a great workout, and super-sexy!
Please do invite your friends, and I hope to see you all this Summer!
<lj-cut> -- Amber Steele Director & Choreographer Living Dead Girlz Adunct Faculty - Physical Education & Dance San Mateo Community Colleges
Bio:
Founder of the nationally acclaimed zombie dance theater troupe, LIVING DEAD GIRLZ, Amber Steele has been onstage as an actress, singer and dancer since the age of ten. She is currently working on multiple projects merging dance, film and performance art.
Steele graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a Double Major in Dance and Comparative Literature and completed her Master of Fine Arts in Choreography at Mills College. Her research focuses on technology's impact on bodies and body image in our voyeuristic, commercialized modern culture.
Steele toured Germany and performed at the Cannes Film Festival as the featured dancer in TRIP - Remix Your Experience, a multimedia exhibition of film, live music and art. Steele has also performed as a featured dancer for RJ Reynolds (CAMEL) promotional events and managed the go-go dancers of "Poor Impulse Control," who perform frequently in San Francisco's industrial, alternative, and rock venues.
As is the CEO of the Steele Dance Company, Steele handles artistic direction, storyline creation, rehearsal facilitation and choreography as well as teaching the company's master classes. Steele has been teaching dance classes and private lessons since 1997.
DAMNIT. Why is there finally another amazing Cabaret... and it's in Madrid? Check this out... all of the dancers are SMOKING. That's Cabaret. 'Course there's something not right about doing Mein Herr without a chair, but I'm willing to forgive it here...
One of my friends recently asked what folks do to practice counting calories.I prefer to avoid activities which my obsessive side can breed anxiety out of, but I definitely have been working on a finessed way to eat luxuriously & gently. Here are some of my favorite rituals around eating with gusto; without overdoing it. (I once, at age 16, rationalized the Zone diet out of such proportion that I went from 145lbs to 185 in 2.5 months.) So, for me, I need it to be extremely simple and, as a lover of fine tastes, very enjoyable.I'm trying to rebuild my sense of serving proportions; here are my favorite tools:
1.)French Women Don't Get Fat Eating in Europe, even when drinking wine daily and having fancy meals and butter and creamy sauces... didn't make me gain weight. The culture of smaller portions and a light walk afterward totally did the trick without thought. I love - and can enjoy - idea of balancing what you eat over a week, rather than fostering a constant attitude of self-deprivation. Self-deprivation is about the most self-destructive, self-sabotaging attitude I can think of. A healthy body is something to be pleasurably tended, not "achieved."
2.)New Bowls Japanese ceramic rice bowls. They hold about 1cup of liquid when full. Our normal bowls hold about 3 cups of liquid. It is MUCH easier for me to eat one bowl of cereal/dinner (and even allow myself sometimes to go back for another half bowl) than to try to gauge my hunger. I find that the number of servings I eat tends to remain the same, and it's easier & less stressful for me to control the size of the serving with a smaller bowl. I know some folks can fill their bowls half full, but I have trouble not serving too much.
3.) If I get the feeling that I've been overeating for a week, sometimes I try to "leave one bite." Funny how it seems tough, but after 3 days, I realize I'm eating with less compulsion to FINISH, and with more attention to how my feelings of satisfaction are. The entire process of eating becomes much more satisfying.
4.) Put your fork down between bites. It totally helps with being able to enjoy your food, digest better & sense your satisfaction.
5.) If possible, sit up straight while you eat. Making eating an active ritual of enjoyment can help with eating the right amount.
6.) Booze: I love booze, and I often choose it over dessert. I prefer wine or vodka. I stay away from over-sugary drinks. Club Soda has no calories (tonic does, but half of what is in coke), and a butt-ton of squeezed lime juice has ... what... ten? Go crazy with the fresh ingredients!! WHOOOT FLAVOR!
7.) I try to stay away from soda (coke, etc.) On the other hand, I do have a hard time drinking enough water, so I compromise & let myself have diet sprite/cherry soda rather than not drinking water. I try to just keep the water/aspartame in balance. But better aspartame than no water.
8.) I love sugar, but it needs respect & as little processing as possible. I try to stick with raw sugar in my hot drinks, honor & respect my desserts, and to steer clear of high fructose corn syrup at all costs (except for fake blood). That stuff is everywhere... even in freaking salad dressing. It's insane. Stupid government-funded overabundance of corn... we should run cars with it instead!
9.) Salad! Like crazy! Nothing makes my skin as nice as some baby spring greens every day. Seriously; that's my skin secret. No zits when I eat salad.
10.) Don't beat yourself up(see the French book on balance and ease)!! Stress causes your body to release cortisol, which tells your body to buckle down and protect itself from danger (i.e. famine). Permitting yourself to behave in a stressy manner about what you eat will prevent your body from using up your fat stores; in fact, you'll depress your immune system and store more fat. Just be nice to yourself!!
Wow. ONE outfit. Medium Shots as the majority (as in; they don't cut off the dancer's bodies). Strong, jiggling, not skinny thighs. Dancing. Stiletto's. No set. FOR THE WIN, dance godessess. FTW.
I wanna go see the Pussycat Dolls. If we were in Europe or Australia, we'd get to see them with Lady GaGa, but alas.. we'll just have to settle for Britney, betch. That's right, Britney Muthafuckin' Spears. We are totally dressing up with RHINESTONES.
Poll #1347878Pussycat Dolls Live - Who's in?
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