A Hart Hall Thanksgiving, Nelson, BC

Just returned from the Kootneys,  British Columbia. We stopped at my sister Theresa's for a Thanksgiving feast. My sister Miranda and her family also joined us.

Theresa recently bought and restored a historical hall. She opened up her Veterinary clinic on part of the main floor and the second floor is dedicated to a massive hall and kitchen--perfect for hosting parties, suppers and dances. Her new clinic is amazing. High ceiling and big windows keep it well lit.

 It is now home to my darling Pyewacket--the cat we rescued from a tree in the forest behind my home (he'd been stranded for a week). I couldn't keep Pyewacket because my bully bog Pablo would probably have killed him. My sister said she'd take him to her clinic and find him a good new home. Well, guess what? Pyewacket wrapped his magic tail around her finger and she could not part with the handsome boy. So , Pywacket is now her clinic cat. I will blog and tell the true, amazing story about finding Pyewacket and our magical connection in an upcoming blog--maybe for Halloween, as he truly is a magical cat.

Enjoy the pictures of our Thanksgiving at Hart Hall. I admit to posting a few comical comments under a couple of the pics--I couldn't resist. I wanted to keep going, but thought I might offend, so there are only a few joke captions. 

The meal was perfection: 3 antibiotic-free free-range turkeys, appetizers, casseroles, veggies,stuffing,desserts, lots of beverages. My sister catered it herself! She cooked everything for 60 people! This is a woman who works full time at her vet practice and manages all Hall tenants and activities. 

The night included a talent segment. I have many pics of some of the acts.  My talent was to lead  the Thanksgiving guests to dance the Bachata to a song by John Lennon, Stand By Me. Too bad I was dancing and couldn't get a pic of that--everyone danced! It was great. I wish I lived in Nelson, Hart Hall would be shaking with my Zumba classes every night.

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Why yes, the butcher was out of turkey. However, the moose was a nice price.
Another bottle of vodka in the punch, no one will be the wiser .

Hart Hall? I thought it said Halston Hall. I'm here to see his spring collection.

Something's cooking, but what?

Whoot-whoot! The fruit punch is amazing!

Kelowna girls.

The party's getting started...

And how...

The kid has obviously not sampled the punch yet... 

John, lost in a sea of young women, contemplates his political speech for talent time.

Get this woman some punch, and quickly!

Behind the scenes at Hart Hall...

Paul, Kyran and friends agree: that was awesome punch.

Watching the talent show...

Artemis and Pip

Nem and Tabs do a spoof on a Taylor Swift video.

Tabs and Rascal (her sax).

Nem and her violin.

Don't Stop Believing!

Justin Bieber for Prime Minister!
Bieber? I was talking about Trudeau!

Hart Hall at Thanksgiving.

Hart Hall

John Lennon really got them going...

Captain America has got to go...and bad.

The Queen and King of the ball make their appearance. Joop really needed a drink. 

Blink and you'll miss me.

He thinks I'm pretty without any make-up on...

Carol and Kyran jamming. Artemis wants to sing...

Artemis and her back-up band.

Mist and Pip

Peter on top of the clean-up.

Dodging Garden Ninjas and Pink Ghettos

My nephew Kyran introduced my sister and I and our girls to the game of Ninja.

My nephew Henry joined us.

After the Ninja game we were treated to an impromptu concert in the garden: Nem and Tabs.

Kyran 

Mist and Kyran. Mist played David Bowie's Life on Mars?

Pictures are from the Victoria Day long weekend in my parents' back yard. Canada is the only country that has a national holiday to celebrate Queen Victoria's Birthday. So, if you celebrated Victoria Day last weekend, you know you're Canadian!

This spring is busy for me and my family. Much travel and celebrations. Tabs' grade 6 graduation, my M.A. graduation. Numerous final dance, music concerts.

Trudging ahead any way I can trying to find a decent editor for my e-books. With the publishing industry in the midst of a revolution, editing has become the author's problem. This means financially too. Thus, editors are taking advantage of this and charging a lot for what is fairly easy work in my opinion. Simple grammar/spelling editing is going for a minimum 2 cents a word.  So, for e-book publishers like me, that means shelling out thousands for each book prior to even publishing it. Everything costs so much money in my creative world. It costs much money to produce art and literature before one even makes a cent from it. And making a cent after it's ready for the public is an unknown too. Ya, I chose this crazy life, I know. But sometimes the pure financial burden of creating is enough to drive even the most driven of artists into despair.

Zumba isn't the easiest part time job for an artist/writer. It doesn't pay enough. I feel for those trying to actually make their prime income from teaching Zumba. The only way one can make a good income from it is to own a dance studio. But that requires much $ to start and open one's own studio. I do it for the love of dance and teaching.  I tell people my payment is my body. Teaching Zumba gives me a super fit, strong and lean body.

 I am beginning to see many jobs that rip women off. Women put up with little pay and crappy benefits because of sexism. We are willing to accept other payments for our work that men flatly reject. We accept poor financial pay if we think we are being payed in joy (if we love our job) or if we feel compassion for our clients (who appear to have meager means) or, like me, if it keeps us super fit. Pink ghetto jobs are rampant. If the field is dominated by women, the pay will not be as great as it would be if the field were dominated by men.

Happy Mind. Wired Brain.

Chillin with Pip and Tabs--waiting for Mist's ballet class to finish so we can all head back up the mountain for the evening. Little Pip's face is a tad messy from treats :)

I finally made it to the Yoga House meditation and I am happy. Mondays have always been too busy for me to get away for the evening but I did it! Happy because, although I will be away traveling when they have their up and coming quest speaker/day long retreat, I will now be keeping in the know of up and coming Buddhist events in this city.

I am an artist. I have the brain wiring of an artist. This is good and sometimes bad (senses overload on occasion). My senses are super receptive to stimulation. My brain is that of a visual artist and a dancer.  I love learning about the brain and how we all have such unique areas that are super-developed compared to other areas. One thing I have learned about my own brain is how it differs slightly from people who don't have a natural affinity for art/music. For one thing, I see more colours than the average person. It helps me as a painter. I can identify slight variations in shades, tones and colours that others might not see. A bonus is that the visual side of my brain is very well developed and provides me with a photographic memory for colour. I can look at red fabric I have at home and go to the store and pick out an identical matching red fabric simply from memory. My brain  also has the wiring that provides me with a natural affinity for dance and music. My favorite thing to do as a little girl was to choreograph dances to songs and perform them for my parents. As a child, auditory music tests indicated I had a perfect ear and could choose any instrument to play in band.

As a Zumba instructor, these variations in brain wiring have become apparent to me. I realize that many people cannot hear subtle changes in the music. Literally, their brains are not wired for it as they are not trained in the language of music and thus cannot detect subtle shifts. That means that some of my untrained Zumba students (who have very little or no dance experience, or music experience), will expect a set beat to a song and stick with it, despite subtle changes. My brain hears everything in a song and my body naturally moves to the changes. This is a dancer's brain.

My Zumba classes are all about dance. I am the Gina Grant type of instructor. I have attended fitness style Zumba and it is boring to me. My brain craves the language of dance! Some instructors are more fitness-class based and do more athletic-type repetitive moves to music. My classes really are pure dance. I stay away from any moves that are simply athletic moves. If it isn't a dance step, it isn't in my song. The good news for my students is that even if they have an untrained music/dance brain, if they come to enough of my classes, their  brains will learn the language of dance and will soon be able to hear subtle variations and changes within the music. It is all about brain wiring. Learning the language of dance rewires one's brain in the best way. Music makes us happier. An added bonus is that a brain wired for art and music is a math brain too.

So, for anyone out there who wants to try Zumba or has tried it once or twice and worries if they don't "get" the moves right away:  be patient. Allow your brain the time it needs to "map" out the music. And if your friends are newbies too yet seem to "get" the moves quickly, it is because your friends have already established the basic music/dance mapping through previous training. They only need to add a few new little tweaks to their map. The learning curve is short. After 3 classes your map will be fairly extensive and you'll find Zumba a snap.

Hart-Fart Brothers Free Concert

Who Would Have Imagined He'd Be The Next Michael Bublé?

We Might Have Guessed He'd Be The Next Sid Vicious.

Learned 2 new songs this week. Perhaps it is the new songs that have made this weeks Zumba so rewarding. Each class has been much fun to teach. Will post new choreography soon.
 I said good-bye to my regulars at UBC on Monday night. Must not forget! I promised to send one of my favorite students a song list so he can practice all summer. Must do that soon! University term is ending so no more evening Zumba until next September. Though, by popular demand, I have been asked to stay on and teach a noon hour class until the end of June ( this class is filled with graduate students, faculty and staff at UBC who will still be on campus all through the summer).

My darling daughters are all back at school. They all enjoy school but Tabs has already caught some stomach bug so perhaps she will be at home tomorrow.
And those darling dog boys (the Hart-Fart brothers) are exhausting. Pablo jumps onto counters and tables! And the other night, I was up late in the evening, writing in the living room by the fire. My dog boys were in the back yard, doing their thing, just before bed time. Then they started up their incessant singing: Pablo does a high pitched bark and bites Fernando's ears and Fernando literally sings a long mournful, high howl. This can go on and on for half an hour if I let them. Mistaya calls it their "throat singing." It actually does sound a little like Inuit throat singing.
I was just about to let them in the back door when I heard someone across the street yell out into the dark night: WOULD SOMEONE SHUT THOSE FUCKING DOGS UP!

Well, that did not feel good to hear from a neighbor. I let the bad-boys in and turned off the living room light so the neighbors could not view me writing (our entire living room is a wall of windows and we are up rather high above most neighbors so it is easy to see into our house at night). About 20 minutes later the door bell rang. Peter was down stairs watching a movie and answered it. I heard Peter say, "No, I didn't hear a thing." --it was true, only the dogs and I heard the verbal assault--it actually shut them up!
When Peter came upstairs he told me the neighbor apologized and had said that he was referring to some other dogs.
--ya right--
But at least he apologized because one should never yell at neighbors like that. I mean, we have to live across the street from one another and our neighbor hood is very quiet, friendly and low key.
And yes, I know my boys can be annoying. I don't let them sing for very long when they are outside.

And guess what? More craziness for me and that blasted thesis. Copyright. Facebook own everything ever posted on their pages and good luck ever receiving permission to publish screenshots for research purposes (even when any and all identifying symbols are erased). You get the freeze out. I'll be 100 before I hear back from them. I'm up against a giant that refuses to play fair. I guess UBC doesn't want to be sued by Facebook--go figure. Bye-bye screenshots for the final publishing...

He Ain't Heavy. He's My Brother.

Pablo and Fernando.

This is how my boys sleep during the day--piled on top of one another on the leather sofa back. It's always Pablo on top--Big bro Fernando doesn't seem to mind. Although, Pablo (Old Boston Bull Dog) is already taller than our pug Fernando and will be heavier soon too.

I had to post these pics as the love these boys have for one another makes my heart sing. Fernando was  a lonely only-dog for the first three years of his life and I feel so blessed that he now has regular dog company.

Danced perhaps my most gruelling line up ever last night. Realized at the end of it that I hadn't included any slow, easier type songs--all of them were hard core cardio. I was so pooped, could barely touch my supper once home at 8 pm.
This was followed by an odd night in bed full of tossing and turning. I ached all over and was itchy too. I had a diet coke to get me pumped after my kids Zumba class and before I arrived at the Uni for my next class. It always makes my skin crawl but it is such a great pick-me-up that can't say no to it (when I need a boost).
Tonight I start my first class across the lake at World gym. Excited because it's my first official time teaching at a "gym." Taking it easy today to rest up my aching limbs for tonight. Today I'll write, walk the dogs, make supper and take my gals to piano lessons.

This weekend was a turning point for me as a mom. I realized that my two oldest daughters are now at ages that make coordinating family sports day difficult. Skiing was a bust and then skating too. I had a wee melt down in the vehicle after all my plans fell apart.
What I'll do in the future is plan family sport days for just the Pip (kindergarten daughter) and I. Tabs, Mist and Peter can then join us if they wish. If I try to get the rest of them ready to go and pumped for the activity--I burn myself out in negative criticisms from the big gals and their dad. So, it's Pip and I from here on out that I plan for--the rest are free to come or not.

Filling the Tea Pot with Music

You know you're life is nothing but music and dancing when in the middle of showing your guy a new dance, the tea kettle beeps that it's ready and you say, "Wait a sec. I just have to fill the tea pot with music. I'll be right back."

Being a Zumba instructor pays me in a currency untouchable by financial means. All the money in the world could not give me the strength, fitness and leanness that teaching Zumba gives me. It is an unbelievable gift to feel so effortlessly connected with one's physical self.

And yet, I digress. I admit to sometimes being plagued by negative thoughts regarding my physical self. I see imperfections. Western society is poison. It attempts to pervert humans minds into self hate so we spend money trying to like ourselves better. It is very important for me to project a self image full of love and respect for my body. I look after it, it looks after me. I have three daughters that need a good role model of a woman with a strong mind and body.

Sometimes my body, like my tea pot, is full of music. Love for my life and my body. And sometimes my mind is weak and my tea pit is full of poison. Love for the physical self is sometimes difficult. On a conscious level, I know I am blessed with unbelievable strength and health. But when I fall into the weak mind state,  it takes so much wisdom, knowledge and strength to keep filling my teapot with music. One can work and work and work on building the greatest body but if it is filled with anything other than music, it is empty, much like an empty tea pot.

The daily work in life is to keep filling one's teapot with music. No matter what obstacles come one's way, allow no poison into the teapot. Protect it, keep it sacred, a sacred place where only the most beautiful music can be stored.

The Hart Fart Brothers

I know I'm a little crazy. Mostly I have a huge sense of crazy fun and I am honest about it. I cannot express the glee I feel on finally getting to call someone "The Hart Farts." My last name is Hart. Yes, my sisters and I were lovingly called The Hart Fart Sisters by my parents on occasion. And sometimes I was called Hart Fart not so lovingly by some childhood bully. But still, I love my last name. It comes from Ireland (my Catholic and Druid ancestors) and before that it's roots seem to be Scandinavian (recent research by me). It is my father's last name and thus mine. It means stag, as in male deer. It is a very powerful symbol in Druidism.

When it was time to give my own daughters a last name, it was no easy choice. I wanted them Harts, Peter wanted them to have his last name as is tradition in our culture. I don't like hyphenated names because I think they are short-sighted. The name ends after one generation as who wants a triple or quadruple hyphenated name attached to their kid? So, since I have my Dad's last name and love it, I decided to compromise and let my girls have their Dad's last name. Each of my daughters has Hart as their third name.

Now, about those Hart Fart boys. Peter didn't want anymore dogs. When he agreed to go along with me adopting the two darlings, it was with the understanding that they are my dogs. So, my dog boys have my last name. Hence, the Hart Fart Brothers. And yes, it feels really great when I say it :)

The youngest Hart Fart Bro's (my darling Pablo) ears grew so fast that they stand straight up and then the tips flip backwards. I will have to brace them up for awhile until he stops growing as he has the most unusual ears that fold over backwards!

Life updates for inquiring minds:

Only had to cancel one Zumba class because of my inflamed lungs. I have a respiratory virus that I caught from my darling Tabitha. Because I have asthma, my lungs stay infamed for weeks after any respiratory virus. I teach in a few hours at UBC. If my lungs start to really burn I will announce 'we are taking it down a notch' and will dance to a whole bunch of my cool-down songs for the rest of the class :)  --slow songs like the one I choreographed to Rhianna's You Da one. 
I detest ever cancelling my Zumba classes. I don't have a sub and thus i worry I may loose students for every class cancelled. So, you can be sure if I cancel a Zumba class it is because my lungs are on fire and I cannot breath at all.

Thesis defense postponed months and months now. It has zero to do with me or my work and everything to do with red tape. My external examiner keeps being replaced and then the scheduling doesn't work and thus we are waiting and waiting for UBC to allow me an external who is available to attend my defense sometime in this lifetime. All this red tape is costing me $ in tuition and psychological torture. This degree was supposed to be done in 2011.

Yes, I've learned a lot about post secondary academia (the clueless, the fragile egos), grad school, conference presentations, the evolution of story Online. This stuff is very valuable to me and I have especially enjoyed presenting at the two conferences I attended-LOVED it. But sometimes, you do things that involve so much mental anguish that you think: was it really worth those years of my life? Let this M.A. not become one of those things...

And on a super positive note: had time to edit my novel again--nearly finished this final edit and I dare say--I am so in love with this book! Will send it away to professional editor prior to e-Publishing it. And then my publishing house will publish it. I am aiming for this spring. You really are in for a treat. Queen of the Godforsaken is one fun ride to read :D I'm not just saying this because I am the author. It is hilarious. Dark yes, but funny too. Will keep updates leading up to its release: Spring 2012.

ZUMBA by Request...

I had a request to show my latest Zumba choreography. I have edited the video to shorten the routine so it is much shorter than the original dance but it gives you the basic moves.  It appears to be a slow sexy-type of routine but try it and you'll see it is a hard work out. I always tape my own choreography so I won't forget. I often take a song out of my regular roster and forget it eventually! Forgive the casual quality to the performance--I taped it for me--so I'll always know the choreography. Also, when I am actually teaching dance to a class, I am never serious--we laugh and have fun with the sexy moves. One cannot take themselves seriously dancing Zumba. We dance for the pure joy of it. It really is more of a dance party than a class.

 Thanks to my camera man and my   

side kicks!  

Zumba fans, enjoy the video below:

The Business of Life

Pippi before attending a birthday party for a friend last evening. She's wearing an Indian outfit I purchased for her in Little India, Penang, Malaysia.

Trying to exercise moderation. It's work for me. I used to be an excess/crash and burn type. But studying Buddhism has helped. This is why, as much as people might make fun of my "Spoil QueenMJ days" they are a necessity. Even the ridiculous title helps me focus on what I need to do. I get an idea, and get excited about it and a little mania sets in and I throw myself into accomplishing the goal. But thanks to my learned wisdom, I now feel and recognize the physical and mental effects of this pattern and tell myself to slow down and take a "Spoil QMJ" day, hour or even just a minute sometimes. And honestly, I'm much better at calming myself down on busy days than boosting myself up if my days are too dull.

Mist this week.

I'm starting two business. One a side business (party) and the other an e-Publishing business. I'll explain more about this once I get the paper work complete. Getting the side business off the ground after coming down from my 12 dance classes week, I started to feel my mind go into overdrive. So, I immediately found a spot on the sofa to breath for a moment. My daughter Mist sat with me and my dogs (the Nanders and the Pablee-poo--just had to type out their nicknames as I love calling them that!). It felt good just to have all four of us sprawled together and I said so. Well, little ears heard this and soon I had Tabs and Pip all squished with us on the small sofa (love seat size)  :)

 I am learning it is the little breaks one can immediately take that can rest the mind. I still had one more class to teach-- let me say that it was very hard to get myself there last night. I was so burnt out. But once I arrived and then the Mom's and their little Zumba dancers arrived (it was Mom & Me Zumba) I had to suck it up and put on a show. After class, I felt refreshed. Somehow, no matter how exhausted I am, after an hour of dancing I feel revived again for a t least a few hours after word.

Tabs this week.

The down side of teaching in the evening is supper. We have grabbed take out here and there all month and I feel horrible about this! I am putting a moratorium on eating out for February. No matter how rushed we are, we must make meals at home. Our nutrition is at stake. This is really hard since we don't eat modern wheat. I need to stock up on spelt bread and freeze it for occasions when we might only have the time for sandwiches. I could, I guess, make some spelt bagets and freeze them. Also, I'm hitting the slow cooker pretty hard next month. Making supper in the morning is easier when I am fresh. There is nothing worse than coming home after an exhausting day and having to make supper. I make 4 suppers a week and Peter three. Peter is not a chef. But last week he made chili from scratch so I am hopeful.

My girls too are very busy this week. Tabs is going winter camping with her class, Mist just finished provincial exams and Pip has been a party girl (attending friends' parties and preparing for her own coming up in Feb).