Love (?) in the Life of Dinah

I alluded to my recent break up in my last blog post, and I think it will be cathartic for me to write a little more on the subject now. Feel free to pass on this post if you just aren't interested (understandable!), but this is my personal blog, so.... there.... Ha.

In any case, I had been dating Paul for just over a year when I ended things and, to be frank, things had started getting bad after just 3 months. Whenever things got particularly bad, we'd talk and things would be better for about a week, then revert back to what it was before. I had spent my year or so of being single prior to dating Paul to build my personal confidence levels. Unfortunately, a lot of my time with him undid most of the work I had done on myself. It was through no active efforts on his part, but just the general way the relationship went, our closeness, etc. I can't really get more specific here, but suffice it to say that my ego took more than a few hits in the time we were together, and most of them were directly related to my relationship with him. The worst part about it is that I didn't even realize how low my own self-worth had gotten until a few days ago. But I'll get to that in a moment.

Back in the Saddle Again!

This month, I've gotten myself re-involved with the theatre. It's been a while since I've participated much, so it's really nice to be back! I'm re-acquainting with old friends and making new ones in the process. Plus, it's our 6th Annual Holiday Burlesque Show, which is just a blast to begin with.

The best part about this is that it happens to coincide with me going through a pretty messy breakup with my now ex-boyfriend. One of the unpleasant results has been a slight estrangement from a lot of his and my mutual friends. In most cases, our mutual friends are closer to him, so I get left by the wayside a lot. Fortunately, I am spending more time with my theatre friends again, so I at least have some backup.

The Burly Q itself is going really well. The show runs a bit long, but it's still a very fun show and the audience loves it every night. We sold out for the entire rest of the run 2 weeks in advance, which is pretty bitchin', to say the least!

One of my favorite acts is to the song 'Moves Like Jagger'. It features a couple of my very attractive male friends stripping and doing some pole dancing in unison. Let's just say I'm glad all I have to do is hit play and just enjoy the show each night.

Another favorite is brought back from the previous year, in which three gorgeous girls in black halter dresses dance to the song 'Kiss You Off'. This is one of the sexiest dance numbers and it's also one of the only (non-chorus girl) dances that does not include the dancers taking their clothes off. It was choreographed by my friend Jenney for last year's show and was so fantastic it had to be brought back (something I'm happy about).

The final number I'd like to bring up is to the song 'Never Gonna Leave This Bed'. This is another strip number, but it's a little different than most. Instead of being a single person (or pair of people) stripping their own clothing off, this act has one girl and one guy (buffed out wearing nothing but blue jeans). As the girl begins to take her clothing off, she enlists the help of our jeans-wearing friend. They re-enact the clothes removing portion of what we can only imagine is about to be a very steamy night!

I know I'm not including any photos in this post, but it's just to protect the assets of these friends of mine.

In any case, hooray for theatre! I'm glad I'm back in, even if it is just for one show at this time.

Trivia Night

For the past few weeks, some friends and I have been attending one of the local trivia nights at a downtown bar, the Banshee. With topics as varied as Caddy Shack, Prisons, Native Americans, and Charlie Sheen, it's no wonder we haven't snagged a win just yet. The group of individuals has changed from week to week and sometimes it's been beneficial to the team, other times not so much. But we're having a good time, we've at least placed (3rd place, that is) almost every time. Not too shabby, if I say so myself.

Plus, we've had some pretty bitchin' team names. We've been Team Snatch, The 12" Rough-Ins, and Chubby Horse. The last two are work-related jokes. You don't believe me with the Chubby Horse one, do you? Well, just follow this link and you shall find one of the most ridiculous items my company sells. GLORIOUS.

In any case, what I have enjoyed more than anything else is the opportunity to go out, have a few beers, and spend some time with friends just having a great time and guessing at all kinds of random-ass questions. It doesn't get much better than that!

On House Affiliations

A couple weeks ago, a friend of mine asked me what I would do if I was sorted into a House other than Hufflepuff in Pottermore. My response at the time was, "I've always believed I had at least some of the other Houses in me as well. So nothing will stop me from feeling like a 'Puff. Not even if I end up in a different House on Pottermore. It'll just be another House to be associated with more strongly. To be frank, it's going to be the most accurate House quiz because it's from JKR, but it's not going to be a substitute for her knowing me and for me knowing myself. I am and will always be a Hufflepuff in my heart."

I finally got to spend enough time on Pottermore (without it being out of commision for once!) to get sorted. Here's the thing - I wasn't sorted into Hufflepuff. I have indeed been sorted into Gryffindor.

Trying to be More Active... How I'm Not Suceeding

The funny thing about making an effort to be more active is that when you miss just one opportunity to stay active, you lose almost all the motivation you've been building up. At least, that's how it works with me. I probably shouldn't admit this, but every now and then when I'm dedicated to some physical activity, I'll come up with some excuse to ditch it at the last minute so I can instead stay at home and watch a movie, TV show, or just sit around doing nothing. Perhaps recognizing this failing in myself is what will help motivate me to stop doing it.

There are two things in particular that I don't want to slack off on - yoga and soccer. I'm not going to lie, I'm not particularly flexible and I'm pretty crap at soccer. I'm the worst player on our team. Last game, I scored a goal for the first time. The problem is, it was against us by an accident of my foot being in just the wrong place at the wrong time. But it still happened.

Despite the fact that I really enjoy both soccer and yoga and feel the physical benefits of them afterwards, why is it that I have trouble motivating myself to go there in the first place when it's time to start? Even though I know how much better I feel physically, mentally, and even emotionally after engaging in these activities, I don't always go. And I don't always have a good reason for skipping the activity.

On Harry Potter Tattoos and a Call for Opinions!

When I got my first tattoo, everyone kept insisting that tattoos are addicting and once you get one, you won't be able to stop. I assured each person who gave me this piece of advice that I wasn't going to get more tattoos. I might get one more someday, but it wouldn't become an addiction where I end up with a sleeve. And hey, it looks like I was right! Of course, I currently have two tattoos and am planning my third. I have never gotten a tattoo without a minimum of 1 year of thought into it, so the third won't be emblazoned on my body anytime soon.

When I was back in high school, I never expected to get any tattoos at all. Anytime I ever thought of typical tattoo ideas, I instantly realized that if I got any of them, I would regret it someday. I like to make a point of living my life without regrets, so it was pretty easy to discount the idea of ever getting any tattoos. All of a sudden, I wasn't just a huge Harry Potter nerd, but had become integrated into something more than just a fandom. I had joined a real community. And not even with other regular fans, but I became more interested in and involved in the world of Wizard Rock. That's when I realized I wanted a way to show the world just how much this all meant to me. The thought of getting a tattoo was renewed in my mind and, for the first time, it actually sounded like an awesome idea. About 2-3 years later, I had my first tattoo.