#20: An Unconventional Dance Class

So when a friend said she had a certificate for a dance class, I jumped at the chance to go along. A fun night out with the girls which doesn't happen very often with the cold winter weather. The unique part of this night was that it was not a typical dance class, but a pole dancing class. Yup, I was going to spend my evening bonding with my girls while learning some new stripping moves. This was definitely a great way to cross something off the list!

Fitness with a Twist is a dance studio that offers exercise classes in the form of pole dancing, hip hop, and lap dances. A one of a kind work out that definitely beats the typical pilates and yoga classes I was used to. It sounded like something fun to try, so I was there.

A group of five of us decided to go to their drop in class. This was a simple dance class to learn the basic pole dancing moves. This included 'the walk', a few spins, and some good old booty shaking. Dressed in tanks, shorts, and our bare feet we got onto the dance floor not really knowing what to expect. We gave each other that nervous giggle that girls do. We were all stepping out of our comfort zone.

Our instructor was a perky, smiley twenty-something in a little tank, tiny tight boy-shorts and stilettos. That was inspiring already. If this class can get me skinny enough to wear that, I'm in! She was very nice and encouraging the whole time. The class started with some stretches and then quickly moved on to business, the pole. We started out easy enough with 'the walk'. Yes, there is a specific way to walk around the pole. You must take slow long strides, leaning outward, with a grazing hand that slides up and down your body. I think it's impossible for anyone not to look good doing 'the walk'. My friends and I had to share a pole. So we took turns encouraging each other with some “woo-woos” as we each practiced our walk. I could do this I thought, no big deal, not even much of a work out. Ya, that was before we started the spins.

The instructor told us we were next going to do the fireman spin. Basically, you walk around the pole once, wrap your legs around it and spin your body until your on the ground. It's definitely a little scarey at first. You must be very trusting that there is ground under you and your tush is big enough to land on. ( I did not have a problem with that.) All five of us manged this, laughing and yelling cat calls at each other the whole time. Next, came the fairy spin. A little more advanced, you spin with one leg bent behind you and the other is wrapped around the pole. I have to say, this I mastered. If I can be proud of any of my pole dancing skills, this is what counted for me. I jumped up on that pole, swung my ass around and got myself to spin. Was it graceful, I don't know. But it was kinda fun. Some of the other girls struggled with this. You really need to have trust in your self, some upper arm strength, and the ability to not be afraid to look stupid. (Once again, this is something I'm starting to get good at.) The last spin was the forward hook. This was not happening. Both arms on the pole and both legs bent behind you. We did not look graceful and we realized quickly this could never be an occupation for us. We fell over and over again. But we did at least try it. In fact, we tried every move. Finally ending with the proper way to shake the booty. Which if your wondering is to keep the knees very very slightly bent, isolate the hip muscles, and shake only the butt side to side to create a jiggle. Watching my butt in the mirror, I feel I did pretty well at this too. Finally, the class was over with one finally show. The disco ball came down, lights darkened, and the music turned up. We walked in a line and went to each pole (there were about 8) and did a move. It was very motivating and we showed off what we learned to the class.

All in all, it was the best exercise/dance class I ever had. We couldn't stop smiling, proud of our out of the box experience. We were drenched in well earned sweet, and we had a great time together in a very comfortable atmosphere. I would definitely recommend this for a fun girls night out or even as a regularly workout. I woke up with sore muscles all over and just a little more comfortable in my own skin.

#5 Needs a Raincheck

So I had Wednesday all perfectly planned out. I was going to begin #5, volunteering. I had the idea of working at the Humane Society a few blocks from where I work. I've always been a lover of animals, growing up with mostly cats but a few birds, fish, and even an iguana too. (Not all at the same time, of course.) I have two cats now, and I always swore that if I get a house I would add a dog to the mix. So this type of volunteer work seemed like a good fit.

Well, Wednesday came and I went to work. The orientation to the Humane Society wasn't until the evening, so a friend agreed to meet me for dinner beforehand. I had suggested staying in the neighborhood so that I didn't have to worry about being late to the orientation. I left my car in front of my work, and we drove her car to the restaurant. We had a really nice time eating and catching up on our lives. Afterward, she took me back to my car and that’s when I saw it.

My front passenger side window was smashed in. There was shards of glass over the two front seats and floor. Nothing was left of the window. I was shocked and stunned for a minute not even knowing what to do. I had never had this happen and it made me nervous and a little thrown back. My friend, Nikki, thankfully had her wits about her. She came over and after she saw what had happened, she told me to check what was missing. I looked threw the different compartments. Opening and closing drawers and looking around, I didn't see anything missing at first. Until, I remembered my GPS was on the floor. The only thing they took was an old outdated GPS that was laying on my passenger side floor. We went back to her car, I called my parents first and then the police. The officer, was very nice about it all and explained that this happens a good bit. A lot of times it happens for a lot less like loose change in a cup holder, a jacket thrown on the back seat, a few Cd’s laying around. Considering I had a bag of laundry and an extra coat in the backseat with a CD holder filled, I guess it could have been worse. He was honest and said that they really couldn't do anything, and with a 500 dollar deductible the insurance wouldn't be much help either. Nikki asked if we would ever get the GPS back. The officer said it would probably be sold on the street for 5-10 dollars! So there I was in shock and out hundreds of dollars because I left my stupid GPS out. I would have given the robber the 10 bucks if it meant not going throw this!

So I left the scene of the crime and went straight to my dad's house. Now I didn't really grow up with my dad, but over the past few years we've been rebuilding our relationship. So, it was really great to have him help me with this. He covered my window with plastic, found the number for a repair service, and offered to help me pay for it. This really meant a lot considering I'm usually overly independent. But with this I was so shaken up, I simply was appreciative and thankful.

So here it is the next day. I took the day off of work to get my car fixed. I emailed the Humane Society to reschedule orientation. And I have now learned to never leave anything in my car ever. Please learn from my mistakes too. Trust me, it's not worth the aggravation, the money, or the unease you feel from being robbed. It wasn't the GPS that bothered me. It was the fact that someone broke into my car so easily. It's scary and very unnerving.

Progress

Over the next couple of months, I feel a lot of exciting things will be happening for me to blog about. So, I just wanted to update you and give you some sneak peaks on what is happening.

I completed the paper part of my application for the summer camp Italy job. It was accepted, and now I move onto the next part of the application process, the distant learning course. If I do well on this, I might just have a job in Italy this summer. Trying not to get my hopes up, but I do really want this.

My sister and I have started to train for the Race for the Cure 5k. It's nice that she's doing this with me. Any cancer related charities are always important to both us considering a considerable amount of our family has been affected by this. Also, it gives us a goal to help us get in shape. Our plan is to add a mile each month to our running routine. It's very sad how out of shape we both our, but it's fun having a workout partner. Let me tell you, I do not need a personal trainer with her. She is like a drill sergeant. I think we're done at 2 reps on the crunches, and she has us do 2 more. But it's good because I tend not to push myself enough.

As for volunteering, I have an orientation this week with the Humane Society. I love animals, and it's close to my work. I think this is something I'll really enjoy.

My friend K asked me to do a pole dancing class with her and some other girls. Definitely out of my element, which means it's something I have to try.

And lastly, I will be visiting a friend in April in San Diego. Pacific ocean here I come.

I'm excited about all the upcoming events. Some I've planned and others just fell nicely in place. It feels good to start accomplishing some goals, and I think if I complete this list I will have learned about myself and what I'm really capable of.