http://xylinia.com/blog/ Belly Dancing, Doll Making, Artistry, Art and Absurdity en-us Nucleus CMS v3.32 � Weblog http://backend.userland.com/rss http://xylinia.com/blog//nucleus/nucleus2.gif http://xylinia.com/blog/ http://xylinia.com/blog/index.php?itemid=48 Currently it is 3:45 am and I am hoping to exhaust myself with laughter.





]]> General http://xylinia.com/blog/index.php?itemid=48 Tue, 23 Sep 2008 01:32:45 -0600 http://xylinia.com/blog/index.php?itemid=46
Its about 50% done at this point. The bra straps need finishing and then I get to decorate! Finally a use for all of the great coins and kuchi jewelry I have been hoarding over the years.



]]> Costuming http://xylinia.com/blog/index.php?itemid=46 Thu, 4 Sep 2008 11:48:39 -0600 http://xylinia.com/blog/index.php?itemid=42
Oh, wait... that was me.

Seriously, it looks like a bomb went off in here, but there's been a lot of progress. One completed doll, one new face-up, a nearly completed doll, a costume for a doll that has not arrived in the mail yet and an almost finished costume for me! The materials for each of these projects are everywhere in little pieces. I swear I am the only person who could find anything in here but there is an odd and random organization.

I have been madly trolling ebay for a professional photocube set that will allow me to take really stellar pictures. They're pretty expensive unless you catch the right auction and then they are cheap, cheap, cheap. I'm a-workin on it. For now, you will have to see everything through the eyes of my not-so-professional mini-cam:

Here is the completed doll (ok minus earrings, so not really completed):


The nearly completed doll:

I still cant believe how different she looks from when I got her...
Witchie-poo likes to borrow her costume:


The new faceup:

Which is also going to be a gothy tribal girl. I would like to make a whole tribe at some point with coordinated but not matching costumes. I think she may be the first of that series. I made her some pants from the "faux-assuit" fabric I have been using for my own costume. The pattern was too overwhelming though. Im trying to work it into another fabric as an accent now.

And my new idea which isn't a bellydancer but a ghost for Halloween. The doll itself is in the mail to me right now so I am using the dancer (she really needs a name) as a mannequin:


Now you see why the studio is such a mess? Darned ADD wont let me work on one thing from start to finish. I think my fairies have it too...
OK, back to work!


]]> Dolls http://xylinia.com/blog/index.php?itemid=42 Thu, 4 Sep 2008 11:42:08 -0600 http://xylinia.com/blog/index.php?itemid=41
I was poking through Bhuz.com though and someone posted this youtube video. I nearly peed myself laughing. You have to stick with it to the end...

Cheers!
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]]> General http://xylinia.com/blog/index.php?itemid=41 Fri, 29 Aug 2008 11:48:10 -0600 http://xylinia.com/blog/index.php?itemid=39

A few years ago I was hired to dance at a Turkish Bar Mitzvah. There were easily 200 people at the event, over half of them young teenagers who never seemed to tire of the dance floor or the soda bar. When it was time for my show and the band announced me, the throng of adolescents rushed up to the stage to watch and left me a very small circle to dance in. This was challenging enough, but halfway through the introduction en elderly man got up and started to dance with me. Now, I do enjoy it when this happens and I do try to always have fun with my audience and encourage them to dance. I usually thank them after a few minutes and get them a round of applause, then politely dance away so that the interaction doesn’t interfere with the show. Well, the man was not giving up. No matter how many times I tried to get away he persisted, and he danced with me almost the entire show. People kept handing him dollar bills and he kept stuffing them in my bra cups (which I’m not too opposed to as long as it’s not too grabby) and a few times he held the bills in his teeth trying to get me to take them. This has happened before and I am never quite sure what they expect me to do with that but I politely wag my finger and shake my head with a wry smile that says “I aint doin it”. Thankfully no one appeared to mind his antics. In fact, they seemed to be really enjoying it, but I was a little upset with his audacity.

As I was leaving the stage the most surprising thing happened. A group of women stopped me and, with tears in their eyes, thanked me profusely for dancing with their father and encouraging him. They explained to me that he had immigrated to the US many years prior and had never really adjusted to his new life. He did not like living here and had refused to learn English, further isolating himself from his new community. This, they told me, was the first they had seen him really enjoy himself and they were so happy to see him dancing.

By this time I was tearing up and on my way out of the hall I made sure to stop and thank him. Realizing he didn’t speak English I put my hand over my heart and made a gesture to him to show that I was thankful. He was smiling from ear to ear, nodding and saying something in Turkish that I didn’t understand but it was so happy and genuine. I felt very small and sorry that I had been at all annoyed. Just goes to show ya, perspective is everything…

]]> Performing http://xylinia.com/blog/index.php?itemid=39 Fri, 1 Aug 2008 13:53:00 -0600 http://xylinia.com/blog/index.php?itemid=36
I have to say, I was a bit apprehensive about the whole deal. It meant driving down the day before and staying in a stranger's home and then performing at the party and driving back the next day. Man, I am so incredibly glad that I took the job. Our trip down was so much fun. Eli and his girlfriend Amina are very sweet and we listened to lots of wonderful Lebanese music while they translated and helpe me with my limited Arabic. Im still terrible at it but I am trying. They warned me that I was going to be stuffed with amazing food for two days so I was being pretty good about not eating in the car.

Man, they weren't kidding! The moment we arrived at his friend's house the food came out. Eli's friend had been cooking all day for the party and as soon as we walked in the door we had to try everything. Such amazing food! We hung out and watched dancers on youtube and Lebanese music videos on the tv and then headed over to the party house. It is a huge house and the hosts have graciously given me my own guest room and bath. People started arriving in the evening to hang out and we had a wonderful night sitting by the pool, drinking wine and smoking arguileh.

Today I finally got some sleep and when I came down I was given an amazing breakfast of eggs scrambled with... all kinds of stuff I'm not familiar with and rice cooked with finely ground meat and little nuts. I asked what the nuts are called but, of course, I forgot the name. They are like pignolis but long and brown. Just delicious. Its 2:30 now and the party doesn't start until 4. Everyone has been bustling around like crazy and as much as I try to help, they are insistent that I be a guest. So I am sitting at the kitchen table, typing away and watching the preparations... All of the men are in the kitchen working like crazy. There is a whole lamb in the oven, Celine is madly squeezing what has to be 20 lemons into fresh lemonade, John is still working on the 40 tons of tabouleh he was making last night, the ladies are cleaning 30 heads of romaine lettuce... its just amazing. Everyone is buzzing away in Arabic (I haven't understood a single word in over an hour) and they keep looking over my shoulder to catch the opening of the soccer championship on the screen in the next room. Call me crazy but this is so much fun...

6:00 PM... this is such an ordeal and I have so much downtime that i might as well check in...

The guests have been pouring in for an hour or so. I've totally been hogging the kibbeh... The lamb came out and was gone before I even knew it was there :-( I realized that there are 200 people expected and nothing was catered... WOW.

Doing my makeup...

6:23... thought they wouldn't want me until 7ish but I've been asked to get ready. Ugh, now Im sorry I had all of that kibbeh...

9:20... I just finished my third show. Its like 95 degrees down here with about 400% humidity and my body is just done. I don't think I could twist my hips one more time if my life depended on it. Ive been dancing out on the new wet flagstones and my feet feel like raw hamburger. I am, however, having an absolutely amazing time. Every person here has danced with me, we danced 3 debkes, all of the young men know how to play doumbek and keep taking turns showing off by playing me drum solos... its just fabulous. PLUS, Ive never been able to finish a show and then take a cool shower. Awesome.

11:00... oooooh! Hot tub! Bathing suit on...

11:30... Just when I thought we were finished (because they have been plying me with red wine in the hot tub) they want to go out to a club... back into the cocktail dress. Did I mention that I LOVE my job?

1:50...Done. Bed...

]]> Performing http://xylinia.com/blog/index.php?itemid=36 Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:49:00 -0600 http://xylinia.com/blog/index.php?itemid=29
Yesterday, as we worked on the Halloween Hotties website, she gasped out loud and informed me that dear Mr Carlin had passed away.

Larry says I am not allowed to read anything of his for a few weeks...

What an incredible loss... I am not going to say I agreed with everything he said or wrote, but he never backed down. He said what was on his mind 110% of the time and he had an irreverent way of looking at life that I will always admire. He made me laugh until I peed and my sides hurt. He stood up for our freedom of speech and he took the fall for all of us. There should be a national George Carlin Day when anyone can say whatever the FUCK they want to... when we strive to take a completely different look at life... when we laugh at ourselves and each other and relax... and vow to fix things.

Oddly, I was about to log onto my email and change my signature to a quote from George that embodies my own philosophy and is a fitting epitaph (although I suspect he selected one LONG ago and it contains several "dirty words"):

"People who see life as anything more than pure entertainment are missing the point" -George Carlin, When Will Jesus Bring The Pork Chops?

I would say Rest In Peace but I believe in reincarnation and I am looking forward to the next irreverent motherfucker that gets his soul!


]]> General http://xylinia.com/blog/index.php?itemid=29 Tue, 24 Jun 2008 15:29:40 -0600 http://xylinia.com/blog/index.php?itemid=24
Ok, so I am a child of the 80s and I have always wanted to do something crazy with my hair color. Shoshi was reminding me yesterday of how we used to put purple or blue hair mascara streaks in and then match our eyelashes. You know, for school...

I finally, with lots of encouragement from Larry, did something really wacky:



I wanted fire-engine-red. I wanted punk-ass-Jessica-Rabbit-flame-lava-stop-dead-in-your-tracks-RED.

I got pink.

Now, I would never have had the balls to ask for pink... but I have to say that I LOVE it. I was so freaked out when I left the salon- I couldn't stop laughing! I didn't expect it to be so bright and every time I caught me reflection in a piece of glass I would just bust up giggling. Thank ghad Melissa came with me and was very encouraging because I never would have made it. I was just so afraid that I had done something too drastic and no one would take me seriously. Anyone who knows me well can tell you that my hair is almost me entire persona and I made such a drastic change...

Since then I have had a slew of compliments from my friends and total strangers have been stopping me on the street and in stores... Ya can't really hide with this color. Its SO strange. After the initial shock wore off (4 days at least) I started really having fun with it and playing with hairstyles that I never would have tried with my regular brunette hair. I have to admit, though, that I was very nervous about how it would be accepted in my dance venues. I always try to put on a classy air and I just didn't know what the color was going to do to that impression. Luckily I was at the Middle East twice and the Kasbah once since I did it and everyone seems to like it. Garo gave me a huge thumbs up and Joe was very nice once he stopped laughing. I danced the same night that I had it dyed and the AC is so bad in the Middle East that I had bright pink sweat rivulets running down my face. I didn't even know until I went upstairs to change and Sahar, Gene and I had a huge laugh about it. I was still in shock, ya know...

I'm thinking I will have fun with my pink hair over the summer and then go for the deep dark red in the fall so that I can wear brown again... I passed Laurie Cabot on the sidewalk today and the little voice in my head said "suddenly she doesn't look so strange..."]]> Beauty http://xylinia.com/blog/index.php?itemid=24 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 20:51:38 -0600 http://xylinia.com/blog/index.php?itemid=21
If you don't know about mercury retrograde you can read this

For me, it usually starts about a week before it's "scheduled" and peters out in the last week. I, of course, continue to ignore the advice of not starting anything new. I can't help it- my brain has been running completely amok and I had to put my new doll on hold because apparently the universe wants me to make purses. Don't ask me why...

This Friday was a gloriously sunny day and I had to run some errands which included going to the fabric store to buy stabilizer for the bags. Melissa came with me and we had a ball just driving around going to the art stores and picking through everything (OK I had a ball and she very sweetly put up with me). I scored a major stash out of the Jo-Ann bargain bin including some wicked cute fabric for my soon-to-be-born niece. I spoke with a new friend who gave me a fabulous performance opportunity in New Jersey and then danced the night away at the Kasbah.

The Kasbah was totally hopping (they are wickedly immune to both retrograde AND The crappy economy) and we had a fabulous time. Nasser's 3-year-old niece came running up to me as soon as I started dancing and followed me all over the restaurant. She wanted my veil and as soon as I wrapped her in it she started dancing for the crowd. I gotta tell ya- for a 3-year-old she has some wicked hips! The band was totally on, I was surrounded by friends, I ran into a former student of mine and had a chance to giggle and catch up... it was the perfect ending to a fabulous day.

Of course, Saturday morning was STRAIGHT back to retrogradiness.



Thank GHAD its about to end because i can't take it anymore...

PS on the last entry... the BURN came out 2 hours later. Retrograde is my dupe on that one too...
]]> General http://xylinia.com/blog/index.php?itemid=21 Sat, 14 Jun 2008 20:08:00 -0600 http://xylinia.com/blog/index.php?itemid=19
Somehow over the last 10 years as I developed this problem, this Random Romanticism, I became totally incapable of sitting still. There's always a project that needs to be worked on. It's as though the ideas that I develop take on lives of their own and they nag at me like little children that want attention. I just want a freakin tan. If I don't keep my hands busy my brain drives me nuts. It won't shut up- jingles from tv, songs I hate, stuff I have to do, conversations I go over and over again... So my afternoon in the sun went something like this:

12pm: Put on bikini, get ice water, lay down.
12:10: I forgot lip balm (go get lip balm, lay back down)
12:15 Jesus I hate to sweat (get towel, lay back down)
12:22 Man, the jonquils need pruning (prune jonquils, pansies and fuschia, lay back down)
I think that new bag would look really good if it had some beadwork... nah the pattern's too busy for that. Well, maybe something unobtrusive that went with the pattern... The new doll really needs some more green in the skirt. I gotta try fray check on that and see if it discolors the fabric...
12:30 I need a cigarette (go inside, get cigarette, check tan... nothin yet, lay down)
12:36 I wore off my lip balm (go inside, get lip balm and more ice water, check butt in mirror to see if working out every day has done a damned thing... no. Lay down)
The bag definitely needs to be deeper and smaller. I really liked Larry's idea of having more framework. Crap, I gotta go to Jo-annes and get more plastic mesh... I really don't want to get in the beetle today and fry all of the skin off my thighs...
12:45 I can't just sit here, I should get my computer (resist, resist, resist) I wonder how hot it really is (check iPhone)
12:55 Its been 2 freakin hours and I cant get the freakin jingle to freecreditreport.com out of my freakin head! (go inside, put on music, lay back down)
1:10 OK, If I can make it to 1:30 I will go get the laptop, stick it in the shade and flip over...
1:15 (go get laptop, stick it in the shade and resist)
1:22 That's enough (flip over, open laptop and surf ebay)

I made it 'till 2. I have to get back to work...]]> General http://xylinia.com/blog/index.php?itemid=19 Tue, 10 Jun 2008 12:19:40 -0600