Home on the Range
I feel like a new woman! I have just found the answer to feeling like a “loser mom” for not being able to provide a hot, balanced dinner on the table each night for my daughter. I love to cook and to smell the wonderful spices circulating around the house. I have such fond memories of coming home from school and smelling the distinctive dishes my mother would make – but I can’t do it all!!
Recently I woke up at 3 a.m. (once again) with this panic that I was missing something. I took out a pen and paper and began to write out all that I had to do the next day. I could not see where I would fit in planning/shopping/making dinner, so I got out of bed and started to cook for the day, all the while feeling resentful that I was stuck in this position. I needed a “wife”. I’m a single mother, center of my Universe, AND I have to meal plan. Are you kidding me?
Being the nice Italian mother that I am, how could I do take out once again? When would the madness stop? This was getting expensive!! I felt that if I wasn’t able to provide that down time for my daughter and me to sit at a table and talk about our day while enjoying a hot meal, I was a “loser mom”, and now I was starting to resent it.
I was talking to another single mother, venting that I didn’t have time to cook. . . and she suggested calling Home on the Range. So, I called . . and my life has changed (queue angels singing in the background, please). We now receive daily hot meals (dinner) right to our doorstep. We get to chose a different meal each day, they do all the shopping, I just put it in the oven, add the dressing to the salad, and set the table. No drama, and each day Isabella and I wonder what our “wife” is cooking next. The meals are diverse, and we feel very satisfied after.
I still get to cook on my slower days, but for now, this solution has given me the opportunity to feel “normal” with daily sit down dinners with my daughter and mother. I can devote my time where I’m truly needed most: spending time with Isabella, running by business, and evolving as an artist myself. . .without feeling guilty.
THIS… is American Idol
Every season, my daughter and I watch American Idol. We just love it. You get so involved over each and every person; the more you know about their deep dark secrets the better they seem to sound. The more devastating the reason for auditioning and wanting to “make it” the more we seem to cheer them on. Fantastic!
Each week we get to watch these normal people just like you and me get out on stage and evolve into what America wants to promote as a representation of us. This is the American public’s idea of becoming a star and what that means. WE get to vote and have the power and authority over their destiny.
But with just one mistake, a singer could be gone. With just one song choice, they might lose their dream forever. With one bad outfit, we could loose faith in their ability to represent us as a community. With one bad day or lack of positive star-like quality, they might just not be enough for us.
Who cares what kind of week they have had or what they are going through personally or emotionally. Who cares that the mother of a 2 year old hasn’t seen her kid for weeks. . .or a first-time father hasn’t been able to hold his new baby girl. Those singers better get on stage and belt it out for us. Suck it up and perform – that’s show biz!
Each week we wait to see who has made it. I can’t even remember who was voted off last week since, well, tough break but onwards to the winners. We don’t have time to watch an artist truly evolve since that takes decades and we can’t invest in that. Who will make the top 12 and ultimately be our shinning star. And who will Simon like – or NOT like. He gets the loudest applause anyway.
Hmmmmmmmm.
Rakkasah!!!
30 years of Rakkasah is something to be truly proud of. I am so honored to have been a part of the Rakkasah family and legacy. Not only do I feel that some of my best work was debuted on the Rakkasah stage, but I can honestly say that I have seen many dancers evolve under the roof of the Richmond Auditorium throughout the years.
I know what my mother went through producing the first festivals in this country. Organizing and producing these events are a labor of love, and the dynamics amongst vendors and dancer egos can be challenging at times. But with all that to take on, Shukriya has always managed to provide our community with a very successful and selfless event.
Not only is Rakkasah a Belly Dance Festival, but its true impact is the community that it provides. I don’t think I even understood the depth of this need for community until 3 years ago when I went through my divorce. I felt the community lift me up with positive energy. . . almost not allowing me to fail. I was humbled; and I knew that for better or worse, this community is my family.
Thank you, Shukriya, for yet another year of Rakkasah. I know my mother and I have enjoyed being a part of this event, and we will stand by your side in supporting your vision. We love you.
Workshop pics!!! :-)
January Multi level
February Level 3 prep!!! 
February Level 3!!!! With Arya (to my left) and Tanja (pregnant) passing L3!!!! WOOOOO!!!!
NINE
From beginning to end, I held my breath. It was hot, sexy, full of life and had the artistic flare of an Italian director. Go running to see “NINE”…. right now!!!
It wasn’t just the amazing cast or Daniel Day Lewis as a Casanova…. it was everything. This movie was about the mother, the whore, the wife, the mistress, and the muse. What more can a girl ask for from a night out at the movies? The costumes were hot, the women full of life….. and who could not fall in love with Penelope Cruz after that solo number. I’m hooked!
I found myself relating to all these women while falling in love with this Narcissistic creative genius. The stories and experiences that make great art and artists. To truly live as all those women…. And I fell in love with Daniel Day Lewis…oh, I mean Guido 
.
I could really identify with the Daniel Day Lewis’ character, an artist controlled by the audience’s need to suffocate what is adored. There is no time or place to escape, rejuvenate and explore. Time is ticking and we must produce NOW.
The best part is how it ends for Guido. Or maybe it was Fergie’s chair dance. I don’t know and I don’t care – it was ALL good!!!!