NEWS: Welcome! 10/15/05: Work:  Well, I can't believe it's been almost a year since I last updated this page. I know I'm repeating myself, but I'm constantly freaking out about how quickly time passes. I really just can't keep track. And it's worse with my new job- which I love, but I'm so busy that the time really flies. So, after working a few temp jobs, for the Office of Personnel Management, which I abhored (job-wise, at least, but the people were nice), and for Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld, I continued searching for a permanent job - preferably one that had something to do with the arts, but I was about ready to take anything. Well, it worked out perfectly, and I'm amazingly lucky. I had a few weeks after my Akin Gump job ended to perform with Centuries and generally get my life together before I was offered a job at Scarecrow Press, a publishing company in Lanham, MD, a mere 20 minute commute from my house. I am their new Assistant Editor in music and dance. I love it so much. I'm learning an amazing amount, I have lots of  responsibilities and need to make my own decisions, I'm working with authors and two great bosses, I'll be going to conferences, and I'm working with material I know about and enjoy. I'm actually using my degrees!! Unheard of! While it's a bit overwhelming, I'm really enjoying it. I've been there over six months already and the time just flies!! I'm excited about the conferences I'm attending, and I'm presenting at two of them. My husband Alex is attending the Society of American Music conference (March 2006, Chicago) with me, and we are presenting and teaching 1920's fad dances at the Saturday evening banquet. In April, I am attending the Popular Culture Association / American Culture Association joint conference, and I'm presenting a paper on "Once More With Feeling," the musical episode from Buffy the Vampire Slayer! I'm looking forward to them both, but I've got lots of work to do before then. Centuries has been pretty busy. We produced and are selling our first DVD! I'm very proud of it, and we all worked very hard. It is a documentary with demonstrations of dances from the 1890s to the 1940s. I hope to make more DVDs in the future, as part of a series called Dancing Through the Centuries. This first one is called Dawn of a New World: Two-step to Lindy Hop. Please visit the Centuries website, or contact me if you are interested in more information or in purchasing a video. Leisure: I've been watching a lot more television as of late, and it's quite bad. I'm going to curtail that though because I really don't have the time. For one, I'm still teaching three nights a week (including Centuries rehearsal), but I've been so tired from my job that it's difficult to get motivated when I come home at night. And there are shows I've been enjoying. Part of the problem is that I loved Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and now many of the actors from the show are doing separate new projects. I've not been able to watch more than two episodes of anything, but I've really enjoyed How I Met Your Mother (co-starring Buffy's Alyson Hannigan), My Name is Earl, Lost, Desperate Housewives and especially Grey's Anatomy. I've been getting very into Grey's Anatomy; it's really a great show. I would like to see Kitchen Confidential, which co-stars Buffy's Nicholas Brendon (but is on at the same time as Alyson Hannigan's new show, and is a night I'm teaching), and Smallville, which has brought on James Marsters (Spike, from Buffy). I also watched a lot of So You Think You Can Dance, which I mostly really enjoyed. The dancing was pretty amazing... but I didn't really like that the audience was so responsible for the decision making (ie: who was voted off). It was a little ridiculous how much they screamed, and they would boo the judges if they said anything critical about the dancers. Toward the end, the judges got quite a bit too gushy. We of course watched Firefly, and immediately fell in love with it. Yes, I've joined the ranks of Browncoats who are so disappointed that we may never really find out what will happen with the crew of Serenity. Yes, I know, some of that is discovered in the new movie Serenity, but it's very different from the show. I need to see it again, as I haven't quite made up my mind about it, but the show is so brilliant. I'm excited for Rent, and I'm (finally) going to see Wicked, at the Kennedy Center (though I was only able to get standing-room-only seats). We're also going to see it in NY in April. Woo-hoo! 11/11/04: Work: Happy Veterans Day! I'm off today! I can't believe it's November already. I was hoping to update this News section more frequently, but time just got away from me, especially with the job I'm working. I'm currently working a temporary position at the US Government's Office of Personnel Management (OPM - I work for OPM; most people work for money.) ;) I'm not loving it. The people are very nice, but I certainly don't like the political climate, and the work is boring and not very educational. I'm searching for something else, preferably in the Writing, Editing and Proofreading arenas, but I'm certainly open to things. I'm still teaching two nights a week (plus Centuries rehearsals), Tuesdays Ballroom at Northern Virginia Community College, and Wednesdays Irish soft shoe and hard shoe at Backstage Studio in Columbia, MD. Leisure: Alex and I had a Halloween party last weekend which was quite fun, and I think everyone wore some kind of costume! It went from 5 pm till at least 1:30, on Sunday night, which really wore me out for work the next day... We're still working our way through Buffy, and now Angel, too. We're currently up to Disc 3, Season 5 of Buffy, and Disc 2, Season 2 of Angel. We also saw The Incredibles last weekend, which was absolutely that: Incredible! What amazing, astoundingly creative talents they have at Pixar. We have also both started live journals, Alex more for soliciting work advice, and me just for fun and random musings. We're enjoying it, but boy, can it take up a lot of the day... 8/9/04: Work: I am currently between classes until the last week of August. I will be attending the Newport Vintage Dance week in Rhode Island, August 16-22, visiting my parents on the way up. I am teaching a class on the Saturday of Vintage Dance Week, entitled: Ragtime Curiosities: Crab Walk and Snake Dip. Upon returning, classes begin at Backstage and at Northern Virginia Community College. I will probably also be doing some dancing at the Maryland Renaissance Festival. Leisure: Alex and I have finally jumped on the Buffy bandwagon, obsessively watching episodes of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. We're currently half-way through season 3. I am currently reading Wicked (I'll get to the DaVinci Code later), after being obsessed with the musical recording, which seems to have little to do with the book, storywise. I'm really excited about getting the new cast recording of Assassins, but so far Best Buy does not have it, and I cannot afford to buy it at Borders or Tower. 7/19/04: As this has been a year of fast changes and renewed lives, I have decided to completely revamp my webpages. Over the past two years, I got engaged, bought a house, got married (in May), and have decided to change (or at least redefine) my career. I'm in the process of looking for a full time job that will hopefully fulfill me and that I will learn from and enjoy. Work: My class at Backstage studio has 2 more weeks, and then break until Fall. I am teaching a clogging class July 22 as part of Knock on Wood studio's summer camp. In the meantime, I'm working part time at Travel Media Corporation, a travel magazine publishing company, and looking for a full time job. Leisure: Alex and I spent my birthday wandering around Columbia and using the gift cards we had for Borders Books and Music. I purchased the Original Cast recording of Wicked, and the soundtrack to The Triplets of Belleville, which we actually haven't seen yet, but the music was great! Good dance music. I also bought the book Pink Think, by Lynne Peril, which I happened upon some time ago and look forward to reading. I'm completely obsessed with the current book I'm reading, Angels and Demons, by Dan Brown, author of The DaVinci Code, which is next on my list. I don't read often, and I rarely read fiction, so this is really fun!

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