I didn’t stick around to see what happened, I made a beeline to my car trying not to make eye contact with anyone. The security guard was all, “Hey, don’t use that door.”

I’m like, No shit, why didn’t you say that before I opened the door. Well, I didn’t say that out loud, but you get the picture. Not only is the alarm extremely annoying, there are flashing lights which I could see blinking away through all the windows as I drove away at top speed. I didn’t see any fire trucks heading that way, so that’s good.

I’ll take the long way next time.

I’ve never been in any ballet class with that many guys before. This isn’t my first rodeo either, I’ve taken class for awhile even a few advanced classes that I mistakenly took in the past. You might think you would find more guys in those classes, but no. I’ve never been a part of a class with more than two other male dancers. It would have been perfect if this was a partnering class, we were totally even-steven, four guys and four girls.

The normal vibe was way different too, I’m not sure if I could enplane just how it was different, it just was. You will have to trust me on this.

I’d like to go back next week to see how the numbers shake out and see how many of them return but I don’t normally have my Monday nights open and I won’t be able to go again until May. The other guys were all beginner types, two were there for the first time ever. Despite your skill level it’s amazing to see just how much you have learned when you see people taking class for the first time ever. Was I ever that clueless? Was I stumbling around with steps you now can do with your eyes closed and one hand tied behind your back?

Then the third drink was worse than before luckily we reached the point where we get set free right after barre and I thought I’d go dump it out and fill it with fresh suburban strip mall water fountain water, mmm delicious. I dump out the old and I notice even in the dimly lit hallway behind the studio that the inside of my water bottle is yellowish orange, almost like the color of orange juice pulp coating the entire inside of said bottle.

This got me thinking of two things, one how long has this bottle been in my bag and two, how sick am I going to get from drinking from this third-grade science experience? Well I’m sure it’s been in there since mid-December, I forgot to get it out of my bag last week. I’m not good at math but that’s well over a month, plenty of time to grow god knows what that shit is. And for number two, it’s a waiting game. I feel good right now…

Here’s an excerpt:

4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 28,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 6 Film Festivals

Click here to see the complete report.

What? Or, so I’m guessing that is what you just said.

Chicken butt.

Ha, that’s hilarious, can’t believe you fell for that.
Anyway my faithful readers I, your faithful writer, was interviewed by Kristen from Adult Ballerina Project. I think it came out well and I’m happy with my answers, but…

Like anything I’m never 100% satisfied with anything I write. I’ll obsess over each and every word for way too long nearly to the point of obsession. I think I’m happy with it and hit the send button and immediately find obvious flaws that will just drive me nuts, especially items that I no longer have control of the second the send key was struck. I’ve made a huge mistake.

It’s like anything, I’ll blank on a question at a job interview and come up with the perfect answer as soon as I’m about halfway home. That job would have been mine if I’d only had that thought about fifteen minutes earlier. Not to toot my own horn here but I have been interviewed a few times and the same things always happen. I’m sure it’s just me, but I’m a king of playing the what if game.
So that’s me, over thinking the little things, oh well.

Toot toot!

Regardless, I’m thrilled that one, people actually read this thing (thank you all) and secondly, I’m thrilled that I was chosen to be interviewed. There are many people out there who I would have picked way before me, but fortunately that isn’t my job.

So, thanks Kristen for choosing moi. I really enjoy the blog and your Adult Ballerina Pro profiles, keep up the good work! Woot!

The original crash sidelined me from both ‘cross and ballet. I was about over the ankle issue I suffered in Cali and was chomping at the bit to get back into the studio. Then blammy, not so fast there bike boy, doctors orders.

Flash forward, I was feeling good, and had classes circled on the calendar once again, counting the days until my grand return. Then, like I said above I went and did it again, same type of crash with nearly the same results.

So, I thought about going to class a few days ago. I was feeling good and getting little signs all day long that ballet was in my future. Ran across the schools dance team doing pirouettes to warm out before their practice. So I did one of my own to try to show them I wasn’t just some stranger oggling them. It was pretty good actually. There was a link to some great video on YouTube and then a clip from The Nutcracker on the ARTS network when I flipped on the tv when I got home.

Dear readers, I was feeling good, finally, I got my shit together, and thought hey let’s warm up here before I head out. It was at that point when I discovered that things were not as ready as I had earlier thought. The knee wasn’t having any of it, even the simple stuff, a simple plié for one. It felt good walking, running and even cycling, but not this, no sir.

Ggggrrrrreeeeaaatt (complete with eye-roll), now how long will it be? Well, I have four or so more local races, then nationals in Madison, WI and then UCI world championships in Louisville, KY of all places in February. Hopefully I’ll survive until then. I’ve already promised several that I’ll stop crashing, I guess it’s as ugly to witness as it is to be in them (I actually have little to no memory of either of them, which I almost prefer). Can’t wait to get back, hopefully soon, see you then.

Oh wait, I guess you’re talking about the upcoming elections, yeah I guess that’s important too.

I suppose one could practice one’s turnout as one pulls the lever, marks their box, or puncturing one’s chad. Just go and do it.

I know who I’m voting for.

Chair 2012!

Time out!

So, I’m sure you’re wondering what the fuck is up with you, I thought you liked ballet.

Well, you are correct there, I love ballet and I try to do it as often as I can. However, I’ve managed to really do a number on my ankle / foot areas. Somehow I kinda twisted / rolled said ankle area somewhere in northern California. I didn’t think much of it at the time and I really didn’t do to much about it aside from the standard ice bags and pills. Then the pain and discomfort just kinda lingerd, and really didn’t go away, not cool, but meh it happens. Plus, I still have the intermentant clicking noise and what feels like a bit like tendonitis both of which I’ve battled for years.

Then I go and crash really hard while cyclocross racing as I’m known to do. Aside from the crash that spit my knee open last year this was the worst crash I’ve ever had the mispleasure to have had. I don’t remember how it happened, all I remember is crawling off the course so I don’t get run over again by the guys who are behind me. All I know is I landed with all my weight onto my knee. It was a wreck that drew a crowd, those usually do not turn out well. I know I’m done immediatly and I might have actually done something bad to myself but nothing life threatning.

FYI Cyclocross crashes are quite common and rarely injure the rider. Trust me, it happens to me all the time.

Long story somewhat short I make an appointment with my doc to get checked out, basically trying to squeeze every ounce of my $20 co-pay. Let’s go nuts and x-ray everything. The knee is fine, just soft tissue damage but nothing that ice and more pills wont take care of. No bone spurs in the ankle, a possible cause of the clicking, but it could be arthritis (I thought that was just for old people). Oh, and a broken finger, a cracked bone in the joint of my left index finger. I’ll gladly take this diagnosis, a broken finger beats a broken knee cap any day of the week.

I’m sure my doctor thinks I’m out of my mind as I attempt to explain cyclocross, how I keep getting hurt crashing and my love of ballet. How many “hobbies” that take a tole on your legs and feet can I get myself into?

Anyway, he suggested that I should take another month or so off from ballet and I should quit crashing during cyclocross racing. It’s hasn’t been easy not taking my normal load of classes every week for the last month, and another month off seems like forever. What will I do?

I’m not in that video, but I have raced in several of the races shown, the US National Championships in particular.

Luckily enough, I found an Int/ Adv class in Portland, and I was able to take the class and still make my train to San Francisco. It was fun, but strange. First off it was at 9:30 am, never seen any class that early. The strangeness crept in when we began doing barre work with our right hand on the barre, that was enough to really throw me. I know there isn’t that much difference between hands, but when you do something for years the same way everyday and then you switch things up it might mess with your head, I can say it did for me. She was so casual about it that I didn’t catch it at first, then it just was really odd and slightly disconcerting.

Then I had all the time in the world in San Francisco, (btw dear readers, don’t call it “Frisco,” they will loose their shit.) however I was never in the right part of town when I needed to be or if I was I didn’t have my magic bag o’ tights.

Not having what you need can really put a cramp in your plans, I suppose I could have just shown up in my jeans. Sure they are tight and stretchy but I can’t imagine wearing them in class, but more importantly I didn’t have a dance belt which means no class regardless of jeans style. There was a girl in a class a year or so ago who wore jeggings to class for quite awhile. And yeah yeah, I know my jeans are snug, some say tight, that’s the way I like them, and I rock the shit out of ‘em, but that’s beside the pointe.

Even if i had made it to a class my legs were already cooked. I had been riding hills (super serial steep grades, crazy steep, like nearly straight up steep) it’s hard not to in San Francisco. I can’t image how awful a class would be with legs that were completely dead and all noodle like. I’ll never bitch about steep streets again for I have met and bested the steepest of streets.

Plans were kinda made to meet up with some fellow ballet bloggers but that didn’t quite workout. It would have been fun, but that’s how things work some days. I will be back to the City soon enough, and hopefully our schedules will work out better next time.

If you should ever find yourself in Portland you have to visit Powell’s Books, it fan-fucking-tastic! It had the biggest dance section I’ve ever seen. The whole aisle, not just a shelf.

I apologize for the less than stellar photography here today, both of my cameras died days into my vacation and I ended up having to rely on my cell phone to record my journeys. Not happy about this at all. All I see are $$$$$ in my future to hopefully get them back up and running. Plus both have been with me more than half way around the globe and are there for me 24/7, pretty bummed.

Please, a moment of silence for my seemingly dead cameras.

Thank you.

Tiptoe Avenue, no sign of Turnout.

I rarely ever hear the word tiptoe unless someone is talking to a small child or someone learns that I’m a wanna be ballet dancer. The conversation usually goes something like this.

“Oh, you do ballet?”

Yep, sure do.

“So do you spin around with your arms raised above your head while on your tiptoes?”

Um, what? Yes, I’ve been known to spin around sometimes with my arms over my head as is done in ballet, from time to time. I’ve been known to jump around as well but not like the song by House of Pain. As for the tiptoes, that’s more of a girl thing. I’m guessing they are thinking of dancing en pointe. However, my faithful readers should remember that I have experimented with dancing en pointe, or “tiptoe” as some people call it, BTW not all that common for dudes, but you probably know that.

Now everyone regardless of chromosome combination will use demi-pointe, it’s as “tiptoe” as most will ever want or need to go, unless you want to learn pointe.

Tiptoe Ave was quite steep, however there were no Turnouts to be found. I guess you could ditch into someone’s yard, but being on the side of a steep hill means yards are super small or just don’t exist at all. FYI just getting around my friends neighborhood ain’t an easy feat, to get to the first major cross street less than a mile gains 434ft with an average grade of 9.3%, thats nuts! For comparison, the climb to the top of the Marin Headlands, you know, the mountains overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge was just slightly steeper with an average grade of over 10%. Crazy steep on both counts. But both are well worth the effort, the view is amazing especially when it is fog or cloud free, which doesn’t happen all that often.

Above the fog, but not for long! It was a foggy and cold ride across the bridge and back home.