Ipods...

My ipod has become an intregal part of my daily life. I don't go anywhere without it. I listen to it constantly. I'm always downloading entire new albums and putting my ipod on shuffle, never really knowing what I'm going to hear next. Of course, I've got all my classic favorites... The entire discography of Jackson Browne, Billy Joel, New Found Glory, Panic at the Disco and Rolling Stone's collection of the 500 greatest songs of all time which includes everything from The Clash, Lynard Skynyrd, The Police, and Prince, to The Shangri-Las, The Sex Pistols and Simon and Garfunkle. It is quite an eclectic mix.

But, last night I took my ipod to a new level!

It was the last night out with the Austrian and he wanted to go to B1... I hate B1! It's a kinda lame bar that has almost no room to dance and bad techno music. But, the European guys wanted to go so I tagged along! After a couple drinks and a sincere attempt at enjoying myself, I started getting annoyed. Not just tired, but annoyed! The whole scene was lame and contrived. I was in uncomfortable shoes. It was hot and the music felt like I was pounding my head into the wall... over and over and over. And then, I had a brilliant idea! I pulled out my ipod, turned up the volume and started rocking to my own tunes! It was awesome! It was like my own private dance party... I had the lights, the drinks, and with enough elbowing and pushing I was able to make my own mini dance floor. AND... I could sing along to my own music! Amazingly, my feet suddenly stopped hurting, the heat seemed inconsequential and my mood improved dramatically! Not to mention, the ipod became a catalyst for attracting new dancing partners! People would do a double take. It would take them a second to realize... wait, why is she listening to an ipod when there is already music playing? So, then I'd share my ipod with them and we'd dance to my music for awhile.

Like I said, taking my ipod to a new level!

In other news...

This was the last weekend with the Austrian. He was here for about two months and we dated pretty consistently for the two months. It was a nice time. And the best part was the laid back, casual nature of the entire thing. It was easy, probably because there was always a set expiration date. No worries about the future. No false expectations. No concern for "where is this going?" Just good company, lots of good food and wine and some pretty interesting conversations. And so today with a kiss goodbye, we parted ways. Another friend from another part of the world. Here are a couple pictures from this past weekend.



However, there are parts of my life that aren't changing... I still LOVE my tap class. Wow! It is great. I am getting a little better every time I practice, I can see it. It doesn't seem like tap would be that hard, but most people don't attempt to move their feet in such a specific and controlled manner. Tap is all about moving your feet using your ankles, not your knees. So, tap dancers have to move the toe, heel and ball of their foot in quick and calculated succession in order to make distinct sounds and movements. It is a really fun feeling when you can hear the beat of the music and get your feet to make just the right sound. I've started a new movement where I tap backwards and I'm having some trouble... but I'll get it! Oh, I'll get it!

Speaking of dance, I think I am going to sign up for another dance class. There is a dance studio in Itaewon that caters to foreigners and it has all sorts of Latin classes, and swing lessons. The swing lessons are on Saturdays, so I could go to my tap class from 1-2:30 and then to the swing class from 3:30-5:00. Awesome!

And finally... the weather. Oh, dear god! It is hot and humid. It is so hot that if I just stand outside I sweat through my clothes. In fact, it is about 10:00pm here and it is 80 degrees with 80% humidity. There are glass doors on the front of my school and the air conditioned room and the hot exterior are causing the windows to fog up! During my dance class, the room gets so hot that sweat drips off my face and body as I dance. The glass mirrors get fog all around the top and we drink gallons of water! In short... It is hot!