Superheroes

"...And now we do Soulja Boy, what versions do you all know?"

Blank stares.

There are versions?

We were learning the newest dance in our Tap Club repertoire: a Superhero mezcla in honor of Ithaca Relay for Life's 2011 theme of... you guessed it: Superheroes!!  We had just learned about 30 seconds of a dance, and our choreographer asks us to do a "Soulja boy"... well, of the 12 people present, only 4 of us including the choreographer knew the Soulja boy dance, we're tappers, not hip hoppers!

But now, after learning the dance that so many people already know, we are more like the rest of the world, except we make sounds when we hop to the sides with our arms lagging behind "cranking" to the beat.  Clink. Clink. Clink. Clink.  We may look silly doing it, our overall look almost as far from hip hop as could be (only a ballerina could be further) but it was fun to learn something a bit simpler than the more complex numbers we've been learning lately.  

As we walked out into the cold after rehearsal, I realized that something about tonight reminded me of why I love Tap Club so much.  I love the other members and how we laugh about everything, I love the dancing and I love having a few hours a week during which nothing matters but the neurological connection between my brain and my feet.

Joy of cooking?

I've unfortunately discovered that I don't really enjoy cooking.  I'm not sure if this is a temporary thing stemming from the fact that campus apartments have less than ideal kitchens that must be shared (in my case) with 5 others on a daily basis.  Who really wants to make some extravagant thing they've never tried before that takes up every dish in the house, when your room mate is going to be hungry and need that burner on which you are creating your sauce?  Or maybe it is more because I'm not very experienced so every minute in the kitchen is one of constant tension as I try to dice the onions without scalding the milk.   I really think the reason I haven't been enjoying cooking is because what I enjoy about cooking is the company that comes along with it.  Growing up I would help my mom or dad in the kitchen, taking on bigger roles as I got older.  I loved helping out to create the family meal.  Now I love baking and cooking for Zach and for my family and friends because when I'm done I get to socialize and share my creation.  If I'm left to cook it's some variation of mac and cheese, or spaghetti with whatever veggies I picked up at Wegman's that week.  When Zach cooks: it's a masterpiece.

Zach actually cooks most often now: he's much better at it and he really enjoys it.  He has a couple cookbooks of Jamie Oliver's and everything we have made from them are delicious! While he's cooking I'll sit out of the way and talk to him, or do homework, or knit, ready to lend him a hand when he needs to grab something from the fridge, or just needs a third one. Then my favorite part comes: sharing the wonderful meal :)

Thursday Nights

I used to avoid the small man-made path up the side of the hill upon which "The 30s" sat.  I avoided it during the day for fear of mud and ice (depending on season) and I avoided it at night because it is not particularly well lit.  The woods is off to the left and apartments are up above as you practically scale a small cliff.  It was creepy. 

Then a week ago I was walking home around 8 o'clock chatting on my cell with Dad who says "If you're still outside, look for Orion and to his left is Sirius, a brilliantly bright star."  I had my doubts of seeing Sirius or Orion as Ithaca's campus is the brightest place outside of NYC (though I'm not complaining. The well-lit campus makes me feel safe especially when I have late classes).   As I neared the end of the path I was on I noticed the thin path through the snow going up the hill.  I decided to try out the path and I looked up at the sky.  The stars were brilliant!  Orion was standing right in front of me in all his mightiness and off to the left... well, off to the left I saw lots of stars, but I picked out the brightest one and named it Sirius. 

Tonight as I walked home with the melodic tones of "Dide Ta Deo" in my mind I once again took that path up the side of the hill and looked at the stars.  They once again shone down with vibrancy and made me smile in awe of the vast galaxy beyond us.