[demi5e2991]

Freya works for me. http://www.freyalingerie.com/active/sports.aspx

[demi5e2991]

Phoenix Hunter, funny. I have blue eyes, medium skin, and sandy blonde hair and anytime I go to visit family in Oaxaca, Mexico there’s always a funny story or five I come back with. When I’m here I get aggravated in social situations where I know people look at me and my married last name and start asking about ludafisk and Vikings. It happens all over. Some of it is amusing, insulting, annoying, awkward, but all of it is life and I just try hard to remember I’ve been guilty of the same. Sometimes being wrong is a great tool for growth and learning-everyone needs humbling on some level. Besides, for all I know there’s a Norseman somewhere in the woodpile–plenty of Spainards have beautiful red hair 😉 Just sayin’. I wouldn’t have been surprised a bit if you had Hispanic roots too. I had honestly wondered since you’re exotic looking and in San Diego.

I’m encouraged to hear you’ve had such wonderful experiences with your proximity to Tiajuana and through your beau’s family. I think welcoming and community play huge parts in our upbringing, and again, that’s not everyone everywhere, but it is no surprise to hear that the Mexican government is encouraging people to do Calavera makeup, etc. We are the people who say, “Mi casa es su casa,” so sharing is certainly in our nature. I truly, truly hope I’ve conveyed the warmth, respect, and acceptance I believe are at the heart of my culture, and this is a great time to take part in a celebration that is hugely important and can only display it’s quirks and eccentricities to participants. Knowing this holiday is about a lot more than death and remembrance (recuerdo)–it’s about transcending (and sometimes playfully mocking) the void between life and death through love. I hope down to the marrow of my bones that EVERYONE can experience that authentically. It’s beautiful and comforting.

Okay, enough of my passionate Latin prattle. I have to go to mass, buy marigolds, and make offrendas–my relatives will be here this evening. Amor Para Siempre (Love Forever), mi compadres. I wish everyone a great visit with their dearly departed this Dia de los Muertos.

[demi5e2991]

Phoenix Hunter, Mexicans are white people. We are considered Caucasian as a race and Hispanic by ethnicity. So you and I are just like sisters and you can buy all the sugar skull masks you want! ;P

[demi5e2991]

I feel compelled to say something here because, um, I’m a 1st generation Mexican American…and while I can’t speak for all Mexican or Latin American people, I can definitely say that Calaveras have great significance, but one of the main reasons to use the face painting is to welcome all those crossing over from the other side on Dia de los Muertos. After all, you don’t wear sweatpants to a wedding, and when your dead relatives come to visit you don’t want them to feel weird when they’re having pan de dulche with the family–we’ll all be joining them one day, so it’s only polite for us to cast aside our earthly bodies so we can enjoy the time together. Would I be offended to see (for example) Japanese people having a great time in full makeup at a Marigold Parade? Absolutely not. I’d gladly offer ANYONE (Native American, African American, space alien, etc.)to share my empanadas, neopolitinos, and tamales. Would I be bugged if the meaning of a celebration near and dear to me were used to conceal identity and act as a narrative for loss? Maybe. Try to remember, you’re basically using imagery from Mexican Memorial Day. We deal with loss, um, differently though so it’s a little silly, colourful, and definitely full of food and fun. But at it’s root, we’re welcoming our loved ones to visit us so we can defy death through love and then carry on as we part ways again. We tend to their graves and tell their stories to keep them close. I think preserving those ideals is key to using the imagery without being offensive. I try to remember that there’s a lot of culturally relevant imagery that often gets used for purposes other than those originally intended and we’ve all been party to it without meaning to be offensive. I’ve been to a luau dressed as a hula girl thinking it was super cute then later realized hula is a very disciplined art of storytelling through dance. I’ve dressed as a geisha at Halloween because it was just so damned pretty then read about how those women devote everything to their art as early as age 9. I think education is a huge part of avoiding any major faux pas and if you really don’t know what it’s like to live in or grow up in a particular culture, try hard not to use it’s imagery or repurpose it’s meaning for those who do. At least that’s my two cents. And sincerely, today is Todos Santos and tomorrow is Dia de los Muertos so this consideration is a lovely time to see if there are some celebrations anywhere near you and take part in them so you can decide whether or not it feels right for you to represent them on stage. Additionally, I don’t know a thing about you. Maybe you have some Hispanic heritage or have been in a place where this is a good identity for you. My husband is Norwegian but he’s been in the southwest so long he makes better flan than my aunt. 🙂 Anything is possible and I really think you’ve done a lovely thing in considering that it might be offensive at all. Good luck, thank you for entertaining my rant, and I hope you can find a suitable solution to balance your pole dancing and professional life 😉

[demi5e2991]

Maybe Bugsy Monroe, Kari Seen, Erika Rodgers. I find Jenyne Butterfly to be more lyrical and artistic while being incredibly athletic, but that’s a source of debate between myself and friends. If you have any interest in aerial silks and lyra in addition to pole, I’d suggest Billie Wilson Coffey. 🙂

[demi5e2991]

If you have a discreet and talented shoemaker anywhere nearby they may be able to install a small elastic panel for a bit of relief, but it sounds like you have that covered with the lacing. I’ve seen gals (and, um, boot blacks from the fetish community) fashion covers for zippers out of felt and hot glue that work wonders. Outside of that, enjoy them as much as you can but make a mental note to try something with a back zipper or sans zipper. It’s always something isn’t it? I have tiny feet and ankles but insanely high arches– boots are a pain for me too because by the time they go over my instep my feet are swimming inside. Good luck! 🙂

[demi5e2991]

Thank you, thank you guys! I understand the heat is terrible if you’re not used to it and the unhealthy food can be avoided if you know where to go, but conventions often leave people stuck on the strip. Sadly, I junk out at In and Out burger, Cane’s, Luv-It, and Farm Basket anytime I visit. However, there’s some really great food in Chinatown right off Spring Mountain Rd. All fresh ingredients and reasonable prices if you’re ever there again. Thanks again for sharing everyone! 🙂

[demi5e2991]

OMG! Those are so shiny I want to buy some and get crafty right now! Nice.

[demi5e2991]

When I started I went to an elementary school playground with a tether ball pole to do conditioning and stretching only until I could purchase a pole for home. I always kept my exercises family friendly, just doing leg hook side crunches, leg lifts, and knee tucks to start (all videos you can find here,BTW). Later, I did pull ups and push ups on some of the monkey bars and sometimes I still go and do a little conditioning just to be outside and play around a little. I find that if I do some things that are pole specific but just look like gymnastics or a good workout I can get by without anyone batting an eye. You’ll have to decide what’s right for you and your area of town (I started in Las Vegas, NV and there I could even practice spins, but I have to be more judicious in Albuquerque) and you may have to wait for evenings and weekends, but it’s better than nothing if you’re itching to get started. Good luck, be careful, and welcome!

[demi5e2991]

Meat Beat Manifesto- She’s Unreal; Massive Attack-Butterfly Caught; Dubstep-2001 Space Odyssey [Daisy Remix]

[demi5e2991]

Current Playlist = Massive Attack: Paradise Circus, Angel, Dissolved Girl; Portishead: Glory Box, All Mine, It Could Be Sweet; Dirty Vegas: Days Go By ; Justin Timberlake: FutureSexLoveSound, Dress On, My Love, I Got Sexy Ladies ; David Bowie: Lady Grinning Soul ; Aerosmith: Walk This Way, Sweet Emotion ; Nine Inch Nails: Get Down Make Love (with Queen), I’m Afraid of Americans (with David Bowie); The Weeknd: The Hills, I Can’t Feel My Face ; Calvin Harris: Sweet Nothing (with Florence and the Machine); The Rolling Stones: Strange Stray Cat, Low Down; Katy Perry: Dark Horse, Extra Terrestrial; Lady Gaga: Do What You Want With My Body (with R. Kelly); Jason Derulo: Talk Dirty to Me; Nero & Skrillex: Promises; Benny Benassi: Satisfaction, Cinema. That keeps me busy for at Least a couple of hours 😉

[demi5e2991]

That happens to me sometimes when I stretch after a long run or a good spell on the stair master. I try to stretch to increase flexibility only after a comfortable warm-up and stretch to maintain flexibility after a tough workout. After a tough workout I don’t want my muscles to tighten up and stay that way so I’ll stretch within my established range of motion even if I get a little shaky. Increasing flexibility is different because I don’t want everything to be totally fatigued, just agreeable, so I’ll do a moderate 15 minute warm-up then stretch comfortably beyond my range of motion. I never get to the point of shaking when increasing flexibility. This is by no means an expert opinion, I just found when I started to pay attention to my level of muscle fatigue vs. intended goal I got more comfortable and started making better gains.

[demi5e2991]

I had terrible mobility issues in my hips and it made flexibility training in the hip flexor and hamstrings almost unbearable. First I had to work on really knowing how to move my body from the hip, then strength train, then work on flexibility. After 2 years of consistent work I’m finally getting to the point where I can sit on the floor with my legs straight out and lean forward and touch my toes, so don’t feel bad. Make sure you’re doing quality movements on warm muscles a few times a week and if you have to set several tiny baby goals then so be it. If you’re willing to do the work you’ll look back on all of it later and realize the body always wanted to be more flexy, but the mind had to find the patience and tenacity to make it all happen. That’s the best thing about pole–you’ll discover a lot about your own will and really, all paths are up.

[demi5e2991]

I have a pair of minimalist running shoes produced by New Balance but with Vibram barefoot soles and I lurve them. I won’t do weight training or plyometrics without them and I bought a second pair for weekend errands. However I have ridiculously narrow feet, so I’m not sure if they would work for everyone but worth checking out.