I met Tabatha when she was a 20 year old college student. She was a beautiful aspiring dancer. She spent the Summer after her junior year as an intern at a prominent dance company in Chicago and she lived with me during that time in my studio apartment. Folks wondered how we managed: two women in a one room apartment. But we did more than managed, we thrived and became dear friends. After she graduated she moved back to Chicago, danced professionally with the Joseph Holmes Dance Company, met …
The Adventures of Permanent Lifestyle Change Girl: Results and Gratitude.
312.2 LBS How could this be? I weighed 324.8 pounds three weeks ago. I sat on the floor and looked at my weight scale. I turned it over, checked the new battery, calibrated it per the instructions. I cautiously step back on the scale and there it is again. Like Magic. I am shocked, pleased and mostly suspicious. It's like some result from The Biggest Loser show. I used to watch that show and marvel at the beastly trainers as they ladled out the expected weight loss for the contestants: Next …
Black Hair Matters: My journey of growing out my natural hair.
I have been on a journey with my natural hair every since I did the "Big Chop" (term for cutting off the chemically- straightened hair) of my hair when I was in my early 20's. I have always kept it close cropped which is the look you all have seen for the past three decades. Lately, I have been growing it out and it's more than just a length choice. It's a commitment and has become a cultural movement. …
Paris and a Jazz Opera: Anxiety Sets In!
There's no turning back now! I am close to departure date and all in all I am in good shape though I haven't packed yet. I have written a list and checked it twice. I have listened to this Opera so much that I hear the melodies in my head day and night. I find myself tapping out the rhythm of the songs. Luckily, I love the songs very much and have great admiration for the composer so it's a joy actually. With each melody or song lyric I memorize comes great elation and relief. Yet I am still …
Paris and a Jazz Opera: Don’t Worry, Be HaRpy!
Happy New Year! I know it's been ages since I last wrote and to be quite honest there hasn't been too much new to tell except I did present a staged reading of one piece from my one woman show and it was well received. The response was almost overwhelming. I performed it during a cabaret show I did in late November. Since then I have mostly been scraping by as I experience some of the toughest economic times of my life. I have been poorer in the past, but I had no bills in those days. Yet, I …