The Musings of a Salsa-High Weekend

As if I wasn't already head over heels in love with Chicago, this dance-full weekend more or less sealed the deal :)

Yes, there are a lot more girls than guys in the Chicago salsa scene, which means that the girls need to be a little more aggressive . . . . not something I have a problem with :) Lets face it, I've never had a problem asking for (and getting) what I want.

Not dancing everyday like I used to has turned my cardio to s*** :( I was in pain and gasping for breath after every fast song . . .  Not that it stopped me from dancing the next one :P

Dancing alone in my room has done wonders for my styling though ;)

My feet are no longer callused :( Which makes them really hurt by the end of the night . . .

I'm a darn good follow! Not perfect by any means, but good enough to keep up with professionals, connect with perfect strangers and make instructors be like, "D*** girl, where did you learn to dance like that???" That would be Seattle . . .

Dancing on2 opens doors. And windows. Guys want you ;)

Oh and one more thing . . . . . . even in a new city, I can smell a player from a mile away :)

Window to the Soul

What enlightened romantic poet first coined the popular phrase of the eyes being the windows to the soul? Well, there really wasn't one. "The eyes are the windows to the soul" is actually an old English proverb which now may have been proven true by scientists who are discovering that certain patters in the iris can give an indication of whether we are warm and trusting or neurotic and impulsive. Research has also found that those pretty squiggles of color could even be an indicator a tender heart, providing even more reasons for us to stare deeply into each other's eyes ;)

So if the eyes are truly the window to the soul, what can be said about the images that enter them? I've been studying vision pretty intensely for the last couple of months of grad school, and was surprised to learn that 90% of information our brain receives comes through our eyes. That definitely made me wonder about just how much "junk" I fill my brain with daily. A while back when I was on a food cleanse and eating really healthy, I would look at different foods and ask myself if I really wanted to put all those ingredients into my body. I mean, what were all these colors and preservatives going to do to me on the inside and how would that manifest on the outside? And then one day I was looking at a display of movies in the grocery store and caught myself asking a similar question . . . Did I really want to put all those concepts, ideas and images into my brain? What were they going to do to my mind and how would that affect my behavior? I know myself, and I know I have a natural tendency to reflect the language and mannerisms of the people I'm most often around. When I went to London, I picked up the British accent after just a few days and kept it up throughout the rest of my stay. My dance style is a mixture of Seattle's best follows ;) which I've modified to make my own and every time I watch Pride and Prejudice (which is quite often), I find myself acting more and more like a "proper" lady, speaking, and even thinking as Lizzy did. Am I easily influenced? If I allow myself to be . . . Is everyone else? To a degree, yes, I believe that even as adults, our child-like abilities of soaking up surrounding information and imitating those we admire is still very much with us.

It's a fact that the things we find entertaining reveal a lot about who we are, what we enjoy and also what we value and find important. Just like there is a hint of truth in every joke, nothing is done "just because". One doesn't need to be Freud to know that our subconscious is always working, making us do and say things that give away our true thoughts, beliefs, feelings, desires, and even motives. As humans, we tend to gravitate towards not only the things that reflect our current state of being, but also towards who we long to be, what we long to have, and what we long to do.

And so I started to consider why I really like certain TV shows and am strongly turned off by others. Was it my friends' influence or some psychological connections I've made with it? Did I relate to the characters and associate them with myself and the people I knew? What did these plots have that drew me in and held me captive for hours at a time? So I made a list of my favorite shows in order of which ones I love most. Conclude what you want from it, but I think I know what they say about me ;) . . . besides the obvious fact that I clearly value good humor :P If nothing else, I hope you get intrigued enough to check them out and find them as amusing as I do :)

Sex and the City - Besides being a hands down classic for single and dating girls everywhere, this series is as much about relationships and sex as it is about amazing friendships and life in the NYC (which I LOVE!) Not to mention that pretty much everything Carrie says or writes about is pretty profound...

Gossip Girl - I generally strongly dislike soap operas (something about stupid pointless drama that drags on and on and never seems to resolve itself), but GG is super smart, witty and full of clever and sarcastic LMAO humor that is truly addicting. Even though this drama is overflowing with lies, revenge, plotting, scheming, betrayal and tears, there is a strong sense of underlying goodness, love, friendship and family ties that leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside time after time, and unlike in a soap opera, the storyline moves along fairly quickly and everything does get resolved . . . . eventually :P Oh, and it's full of great quotable quotes too ;)

Bones - I love, love LOVE the characters!!! The gory murder plots and gruesome corpses were definitely something to get used to, but once I got passed that, I got to fully enjoy and appreciate the clever wit of the colorful personalities that made this show one of my top favorites :) Your mind will delightfully work overtime not only trying to solve the crimes, but to keep up with all the subtleties of each character's humor.

White Collar - I started watching this because I found out that one of my friends was a former white collar con-artist, and I was somewhat fascinated by the whole concept. Besides the fact that Neil, the main character, is VERY easy on the eyes and is extremely charming, creative, talented and sharp in everything he does, this show really does suck you in with its witty, edgy crime-solving plot and dearly beloved Mozzie, who just might be my favorite character EVER :P

Ugly Betty - I absolutely love this show and am super sad it's over, although the finale really was the perfect conclusion to its multi-season run :) It's smart, witty, full of LOL humor and most importantly, full of quirky,lovable characters and goodness that always prevails in the end! The way this awkwardly sheltered Queens girl survives and thrives in the cold and backbiting world of NYC fashion is truly inspiring and I got some AMAZING quotes from this show including my favorite, "Is it really naive to want to believe in people?" 

Jane by Design - It's cute. It's cheesy. It's about fashion and is set in NYC. It's clean, humorous, sweet and innocent, even though there is work, school and love drama that includes lying, betrayal and of course, heartbreak. I think what I love most about it though is how Jane's best friend Billy is always there for her and I'm just waiting for them to finally get together ;)

Criminal Minds - I'm not super into this show, but it's a really good one and it blows my mind every time I watch it. It is pretty intense in terms of real crime scenarios and psycho-killers that it deals with, so I definitely don't recommend watching it alone at night, because you WILL become paranoid and have nightmares. It can get pretty twisted, and it will suck you in because you're just gonna have to find out who the killer is and how they catch him, because in the end, they always do and that's what makes this show so great :P

Millionaire Matchmaker - I usually despise most reality shows, but this one is pretty excellent, even though I haven't watched it in a while. I just love how Patty really lays down the law on her clients and tells them straight out why they are still single. She is incredibly honest and doesn't beat around the bush, even though she does try to be nice . . . the first time anyway. Unlike other reality dating shows, this one seems to be the only one focused on traditional dating values, which is a pretty rare thing nowadays . . .