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Looking Back and Looking Ahead – Good things are happening!
My Journey So far…
The way we humans envision time is a funny thing.
When I start looking back I am often surprised at how much, or how little time has actually passed.
And, if you will pardon a wee bit of bluntness, I’m often surprised by the huge amount of CRAP that I’ve been through!
No wonder my face has some tread marks on it because life done run me over! Several times!
In the colorful vernacular of present times: Life be like — “Boy you done been Bitch Slapped!”
Life is getting Better! Way Better!
If things keep going on their current trajectory, then 2016 is going to be an amazing, stupendous, exciting, fabulous year!
It may, indeed turn out to be the best year of my entire life.
Wow!
The truly amazing thing is that my focus has shifted.
I’m no longer focused on the “here and now” locked permanently into “survival mode;” I find that I am only looking “back” to measure how far I’ve come and/or to explain to friends when they ask me “where have you been hiding?”
My focus is firmly pointed toward the future. A quick rundown of the exciting things that are happening:
- I’m loosing weight! Yay!
.. - As of this morning I weigh 294.6 — that is a total of 40.4 lbs lost from my highest weight of 335 lbs.
.. - My health is improving on almost a daily basis. My stamina is up. I’m moving more.
.. - I’ve started dancing again!
- I am back in the studio practicing.
- I’ve started teaching line dance again — lots of stuff happening there; more on that later in this post.
- I’ve started an Instructor Training program at a local studio and as soon as I finish that program I’ll be put on staff teaching couples dancing, both Ballroom and Country — THIS IS FRIGGIN’ HUGE!
- I’ve been put on staff at one dance event already for the coming dance year, 2016, and I’m likely to be put on staff at several others!
- I’m planning on competing this year in Line Dance!
- I’m beginning to choreograph line dances and will be competing in Line Dance Choreography this year.
…
Things are turning around. But to understand just how wonderful and much of a positive change these and other events and happenings in my life are, I have to go back in time and fill you in on how awful things were…
Long time readers of my blog will recognize bits and pieces of the story but you’ve probably not seen it laid out so concisely in one spot.
For my new readers, new “dance friends” I just made at Dallas Dance and at Worlds, and for my friends with whom I only recently reconnected…
…in the words of Bette Davis “Fasten your seat belts...”
And, uhmmm… you might want to hit “pause” and go grab a cup of coffee or soda and some snacks.
I never intend for my blog posts to be long. Stop laughing! It is true! I really do try to make them short, but somehow… sigh
Oh, well, it may be long, but it is without a doubt entertaining…and informative… Now git…go grab that beverage…
…back? Got your soda? Cool… here we go:
The date my life changed…for the worse
Looking back on one’s life, even on recent events, is much like using a crystal ball to peer into the future: the images are very VERY foggy!
Some events are Read the rest of this entry
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5 – 6 – 7 – 8 — UPDATE! Woo Hoo! Dancing is upon us!
Isn’t that CUTE?!?!
Get it?
“5-6-7-8” as in the count off which dancers use to start dancing and then…
…TahDAH! “Update” Woo Hoo.
I think I shall keep it and use it as a standard “Quickie” header for a four point update post.
Whatcha think?
Five…
You may have noticed a theme in the last few posts and a flurry of activity…
Yes, you have correctly noticed that I’m kinda freaking about about MONEY! It is because I need it and I don’t have it.
Why? Well we are in the Fall.
And “Fall” is when I have to do an oil change on my truck, a tune up on my truck, get my truck inspected and pay the annual registration taxes/tags to the State. It is also when my AAA (American Automobile Association) membership renews each year.
AND it is one of two times a year (every six months) when my auto insurance renews.
And this time $#@#$@@##$@@!!!!! Progressive, which is otherwise a pretty good insurance company, RAISED MY FRIGGIN INSURANCE RATES FOR NO APPARENT REASON other than the money sucking fat cat capitalists want to GET EVERY LAST penny out of people like me who live below the poverty line!
Aaaarrrrgggghhhhhh!!!!
Yes, I’m stressed. And I need money, so I’m trying to sell some stuff and yes, I’m begging for donations (which no one has ever actually done…) sigh
Want to be the first? The donate button is always over there in the right hand column…
Or you can buy a cool design from my online store: TxCowboyDancer Designs
And check out “My Online Garage Sale” — There will be more stuff added to it over the next little while. Most of the stuff will be dance related in one way or another. — No, I can’t have an “actual” garage sale. The complex I live in has rules against that kind of thing. SIGH
Six…
2010 Worlds – Line Dance World Champion! — Yes, that’s me in the top spot! Graduating into the Advanced Division!
However, the “once a year bills” are not the only money stressor.
There is a bigger one that is directly related to my long-term goals of getting fit and healthy.
(By the way, I use big words – once a gain my spell check had no idea what a particular word was. In this case — what a “stressor” was. I had to add it to the dictionary on my computer.)
I admit defeat. There. I said it. I will never ever “exercise” for the sake of “exercise.”
I hate exercise. I will. NOT. Do. It.
But I do love to dance!
Dance is not exercise.
Dance is fun.
Dance is passion.
Dance is what I miss MOST from “before” my health went to crap.
Dance is what I love to do — which my body “thinks” is “exercise” but which my mind and my heart sees as “fun”
Cycling is the other one, but DANCE has the potential to also enable me to MAKE money eventually and dig myself out of this financial hole that I’m in because once I get to a certain level of fitness, I can start TEACHING dance again! So Dance gets priority over cycling.
And, “dance” is what will help me become physically fit and healthy again! Who Hoo! Woot even! and YeeeeeeeHawwwwww!
But for now, at the outset, Dance is also a money-stressor. sigh
Why? I’m glad you asked. 🙂
I need choreography…
One thing that is adding to my stress levels is that I need money to pay for Choreography.
As part of my (1) return to dancing and competition dancing and (2) as part of my efforts to become fit and healthy, I want / am planning to / strongly desire to compete in Showcase Line Dance next year.
I can choreograph, but my choreography, compared to a talented professional choreographer is like a child’s finger painting compared to a Picasso or Monet.
I have only begun to play around with choreography and that is what my choreography looks like – a beginner’s efforts.
And folks you don’t “win” at Worlds with choreography that looks like a beginner’s efforts! A major portion of the scoring for Showcase Line Dance is the quality of the choreography!
I need the help of a Pro!
I have my first choreographer lined up. She has agreed to do it for $80 per hour. She is an amazing dancer and choreographer with years of experience. She has even choreographed for Hollywood and Broadway!
She thinks it will take 3-4 hours do to it which means that I need between $240 and $320 to pay her for the choreography.
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Today is a “Scary Day” and the importance of doing a single solitary “thing”
Brace yerself…! What I want… …and why is it a “Scary Day”…
Brace yerself…
…because I’m about to free associate and just let the thoughts poor out onto the page. That means, friends, neighbors, fellow dancers, that you are about to get a peek into Tony’s brain. Eeeeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkk!!!!! Or you may laugh so hard that there will be tears leaking outta yer eyes…
But either way, this post is going to be somewhat disjointed. And weird. And well.. just keep reading. 🙂
And pay no attention to the typos… ..or the grammar or lack thereof… …they just add character. 😉
What I want…
…is for lots of you to send me emails, comments, likes that all add up to “You can do this Tony! I believe in you!”
Yes, that is a blatant appeal for support, mostly emotional, seriously that kind of stuff means a LOT…
…but if you feel so inclined, buy something from my store or hit that donate button over to the right. No one ever has donated, but I keep hoping. *sigh*
Seriously, this month is the toughest financially that I’ve had in a long time. Lots of out of the blue expenses have made it hard to make ends meet.
Why is it a “Scary Day”?
Well this is where that free association thing is gonna start. Because I know I can be wordy…
*GASP* OK, ok, the thunderous shock of in-drawn breath from you, my faithful readers, was NOT necessary! 😉
Now, where was I?
Oh, yes….
…it is a scary day because today is Saturday and that means…
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A Case of RVW Syndrome… …or the end of a “Waking Dream”
Brace yourself… You’re about to go on a trip through Tony’s mind. It can get scary in there….
I bet you’re wondering whether you should be sending me flowers at a hospital somewhere and “What tha heck is RVW Syndrome?”
Well, dearest readers, RVW is short for “Rip Van Winkle.”
And, RVW Syndrome is an entirely fictitious disease I just made up, mere seconds ago, as I was staring at that blank box where the “title” of the blog post is supposed to go.
For a several weeks I’ve been thinking to myself, “I really need to do a post on my blog!“And the “Title” that has been stuck in my head every time I have that train of thought is “Rip Van Winkle.”
“Why? Huh? What?” I hear the teeming masses crying out… all eight of you who are actually reading this…
Well, “Rip Van Winkle” keeps popping into my head because over the past few months I feel as if I’ve been asleep. I feel as if I’m waking up from a dream — from a very long sleep — thus “Rip Van Winkle!”
Aha! say the teeming masses! (I TOLD you that my mind was a scary place! *grin*)
In many ways, I do indeed feel as if I have been sleep walking through the past few months.
Another way to phrase this feeling is: I’ve been on automatic pilot. Or, to say: I feel as if I were numb. As if I have been taking pain medication and the pain meds are wearing off now.
Or, that I was in shock and Read the rest of this entry
5-6-7-8 Dancing My Way to a Healthy Me! 