I just returned from the 9th annual International Salsa Congress in Chicago (amazing). And I’m leaving Friday—using up all my PTO—and going to Oakland for a yoga workshop, to visit my brother and some good friends, and to dance one night at the salsa-rueda congress which is coincidentally happening the weekend I arrive and will be attended by many friends from Santa Fe.
I woke up this past Sunday morning after dancing until 3am and being up till 5, and suspected I was paralyzed. My body was so heavy and tired from 2 days of workshops and 3 nights of dancing, and I simply lacked the ganas to move. I got up however, and went into Chicago to see the Chinese New Year parade and hang out with my dear college friends. Without the latter two or maybe latter one, I would have had literally no reason to even leave the hotel, which had all I needed—chocolate, trail mix, and most importantly: live salsa workshops, music, performances, and dancing 24/7 from Thursday to Monday, and let’s face it, it’s February in Chicago…there’s no need to be out there.
I was inspired and renewed by the bedazzled weekend, and was happy to jump back into work—for one week—before heading off again…
In other exciting news, I wrecked my car on icy I25 a couple weeks ago, and have since bought a 2001 Jetta, which my friend Carlos had to teach me to drive, as it is a stick and I never learned to drive one. I have only stalled at about 342 stop lights/hills and gotten 1 ticket because he left reverse out of his teaching plan (which did involve dancing bachata while driving and singing “baby you can drive my car”). I did not realize this oversight in the lesson until the time came to parallel park and I had to opt to park about 4 feet away from the curb. I will be leaving my car at the dealership when I go to Oakland this weekend, because as it turns out, I don’t have a key for the trunk and cannot get into it, so they will have to somehow make me one. When I dropped by today to tell them this, they looked in the trunk via the back seat (a feature I had not yet discovered…I know, who was with me when I bought this thing? The answer: myself), I was half expecting to see a kilo of cocaine or a dead body. Alas, it was disappointingly empty.
I know I’m overloading you with excitement here, but let me just slide in one more fun fact: the air mattress I have been calling my bed for the last few months has been slowly loosing air, leaving me to awaken on the wood floor at 4 am or 1pm depending on the current sleep schedule, with the task of blowing it back up (praise theelectric thingie). So needless to say, I am in the market for a real bed, but in the meantime am sleeping on a twin that I pulled from storage in the house. I’m not sure whether it’s an upgrade or not.
Lots of love and hugs to all, Rachel
Dancing at the Chicago Salsa Congress
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