Notes from week one

Wow, I'm beat.

Since I'm not out with the brothel for the vast majority of Faire this season, I feel (mentally) like I'm not really doing anything all day except for Smoker. So why do I feel like I got hit with a truck today? I hauled myself out of bed, did half my Monday morning exercise program, got ready for work, and then sat on the couch with Fetish for fifteen minutes wondering if I should call in.

Just. So. Tired.

I'm going to double up on the allergy medication during the weekends to see if that helps with the weariness and headaches.

According to all accounts (so far) Smoker went well. The things that went wrong were pretty par for the course for a first weekend. I was uncertain about my performance level (the location is great but the ground is shitty for dancing) until roya_spirit assured me on Sunday that I looked fine. Well, that my dancing looked fine. I used to dread dancing for other dancers, but now it's nice to have them for a reality check. I think it'll be a good time. That's my favorite kind of audience to dance for. Some people are stage performers, and others prefer to have audience interaction. I'm definitely in the second camp.

As I mentioned, the ground is not the best for dancing--Mulch! Dirt! Uphill! But on Monday I figured out that if I have a person I trust sitting on a bench to hold it stable, I can dance on the bench for a little while. That takes me off the stage and puts me in the audience for a more personal feel, but also gives me a solid surface for the more delicate movements--and allows the whole audience to see. So yay. Luckily, the Marines always sit up front, so I can count on them to hold a bench down most of the time. When they're not on the stage bribing the drummer to go faster, that is.

Costume notes: The bra straps on the cowrie/black/green costume stretched. Also, the strap placement just about killed my shoulders. I need to convert them to the halter back style or I'm going to suffer permanent damage to my trapezius muscles. So that gets done this week definitely. Because the costume itself looked amazing. Just enough glitz to look sexy, and it photographs really well in the natural light out there. The coin costume was so much fun to wear again. It made me happy. The conversion to the O-ring tie-back bra worked well and I had no shoulder pain issues. The red and gold mirror costume looked fantastic and the harem pants were so much cooler and more comfortable than the black pants, but the bra was really hot and heavy. I'm not sure I'll wear that one many more times. It's just too much costume to cart around all day.

Makeup notes: Lip Ink eyeliner holds up better for me than Temptu on extra sweaty days. And with a little bit of powder, the Lip Ink neck tattoo looks more like a tattoo. Less painted-on. By the end of Monday's Smoker, I had sweat off some of the Lip Ink, but the Temptu started to smear by halfway through the day on Saturday. Looked great on my face, though. I might use the Temptu on my face and the Lip Ink on my neck. That will be next week's experiment.

Another chin pimple. Damn it. It's itchy.

I miss the whores, but it feels good to dance for an audience again.

It can't happen here

Oh, really?

Massive police raids on suspected protesters in Minneapolis ( Text archived here )

Keep checking back to the original article, though, as they are updating it.