I know I haven't updated in a while, and I don't even have a super good explanation for it. Hah. Other than the fact that I've been a little bit more busy with work study at Velocity, which opened up the ability to take more classes for less moneys. I've been getting used to it, things are coming a little more naturally now. And I keep feeling more and more welcome into the dance community there, it's wonderful. I even was given an opportunity to bartend at the last show I volunteered at for the first time. So I am gaining employable skills! Hurray!
Also I have a kind of starter poem that I've been meaning to work on lately and put up, but maybe I will just put up the rough draft and then I can get some input from anyone who wants to give it!
I once heard
the secret songs of trees with you,
their whispers
of all hopeful things.
I felt their joy and desire and peace,
but you heard it and only felt fear.
You could tell
things larger than you, us,
were living and breathing
and sharing with us
their raw honesty.
Maybe
you liked the idea of it,
because you shared the story with your friends
so you would sound
like all the things you wanted to be.
But now I know
you couldn't handle it.
So I went on
to stand
in high places
on dark nights
to hear the mournful bittersweet stories
of the wind and water,
rocks and trees.
In other news I'm back in Port Angeles for a bit, and I'm feeling really thankful for good friends. Friends that are there for you through thick and thin. Life is tumultuous and hard but we will be stronger in the end for it. I am also very thankful for the existence of cupcakes, because without them I don't think life would be as easy to get through. So, cheers to cupcakes and good friends.
And pretty pictures! Got to include my recent pretty pictures.
Night walking
Self portrait. kinda.
Sunny day flowers backyard pretty.
ALSO THE NEW ANDREW BIRD ALBUM IS OUT, AND THE SHINS. THEY ARE BOTH REALLY GOOD. GET THEM.
Hey, so the other day I came up with the idea of video recording any dance improvisation I do, for my own educational purposes. I want to be able to see what I did, in order for me to maybe incorporate parts into actual choreography. So I did a bit of improvisation last night, and tested it out. It was okay, except for I didn't pick out the optimum place to set my computer to record it so it's mostly upper body stuff, no floor work and I didn't get to go out of the range of the camera. But even if it's not great, it's not terrible, and I thought it might be interesting for people who don't have the ability to see me dance all the time.
This is the first video I took, it's to a song called "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap. I really want to choreograph something to it, so I'll probably be working with it a fair amount.
UPDATE- I watched this on here after I posted this, and the sound and visual are really not synced very well. I apologize, it's a lot cooler when it is.
I also wanted to put up a couple pictures I've taken over the past couple of days.
Definition of perfection: Seattle dinosaurs at sunset! (:
Life is weird. Today, sad and strange things are happening elsewhere, things no one can begin to understand why they're happening. At the same time, it feels like something resembling summer in Seattle today! And the mountains are so wonderful!
So although life is weird, and although it might be hard sometimes, one has to try to see the happy and beautiful things in life as well.
Like Betty! She is the perfect example of being at peace with the world.
Now to what's been going on with me-
While going on a walk to Caffe Ladro today, I was listening to the Decemberists, and it just felt good. I thought I'd try to share the experience with you to the best of my ability-
Also, last night I cooked again! I made vegetable chowder with carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, and potatoes. Very yummy. I also made cookie bars!
(They all made very good leftovers today, too! Hurray!)
And to update you all in the dance life of Jordan Rahne MacIntosh-Hougham, I randomly got asked to be in Kelsey Murphy's Cornish College of the Arts Senior BFA Performance, which will be on the 16th and 17th of February. Wednesday I had my first rehearsal, and tonight is my second. Things are lining up!
IN OTHER NEWS PINA 3D IS COMING TO CINERAMA FEBRUARY 10TH AND I AM SO EXCITED! It will be glorious.
Now that I've captured your attention, I'm not going to tell you what it is. Yet. Because I have other things to talk about first which are probably just as equally exciting.
First, a picture. (On a napkin.)
Secondly, a cookie recipe! I cannot, sadly, take credit for the recipe, other than the fact that I chose to make them with coconut, chocolate chips, and oats, and I made them well. I got several compliments on them, including them being referred to as "a revelation," "the best cookies I've had in awhile," and "pretty good." (That last one is my favourite.) I have gotten asked for the recipe a bunch, (meaning once) and so I'm putting it up in case people want to try!
1 cup softened butter
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups rolled oats
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup shredded (I used unsweetened) coconut
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, unless your oven is incapable of doing anything correctly like mine, in which case just turn it on and it will gradually heat up to 500 degrees, then turn it off and the cookies will cook the way they're supposed to after it's off.
2. Mix butter, brown sugar and white sugar until creamy. Beat in the eggs, then stir in milk and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt, and then slowly add the latter mixture into the former. Mix well. Add the oats, coconut, and chocolate chips! Fun stuff!
3. I'm sure you know the rest- put scoops of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet, bake until they look good! The recipe I used says 10-12 minutes, but if your oven is incapable, just eye it!
4. Voila! 30-ish "Revelation Cookies." (The recipe says 30, I got more than that out of it. Depends on what size cookie you want.)
Thirdly, things are getting rolling! Things are looking up! Things are happening in yours truly's life! Finally!
Within the past couple of days I have had visitations from my dear friend Adri Rainwater, and my dear mother. Adri and I basically bummed around Seattle and went to Oddfellows because apparently that's my home away from home now, and bought tea, which is one of my favourite pastimes. Mom took me with some of her friends from LIOS to Goodwill, and then she and I went to Blue C Sushi, (which I also had just been to with Adri, heh) and caught up. Niceness. Also Magda and I are still hanging out, still doing weird things together, and that is good. Vurry good. Things are good.
And I went and saw The Artist, which was stunning! Everyone needs to see that movie. It was so beautiful and clever! I cried, and I don't normally do that in movies, so see it! Really, probably one of the most excellent films I've ever seen.
One a different note, last night I volunteered at Velocity Dance Center because it was the last night of The Bridge Project, a workshop/performance they do every year where four up and coming choreographers are chose to do an intensive type thing and create a piece of their own, and then showcase it at the performance. I helped set up, usher, and take things down, and I got to see it for free! (Who calls that volunteering when you get to see it for free!?) It was breathtaking, and beautiful, and I highly recommend you all to keep on the lookout for the choreographers that got chosen for it. Their names are Rachel Grant, MaryAnn McGovern, Alice Gosti and Alicia Garcia.
AND MY BIG NEWS! I AUDITIONED LAST SATURDAY FOR THE YOUNG CHOREOGRAPHER'S LAB AND TODAY I GOT AN EMAIL SAYING I GOT IN!!! YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!
I will be working every saturday with one of four young choreographer's that participated in the lab, and some other young dancers that got in as well until May 5, when we perform at Velocity! Then, if the piece I'm in gets chosen, we would move on to perform in DANCE This, which will be July 12-14 at the Moore Theatre. So keep your calendars open, especially May 5!
Mmkay, I'm done now. That was my exciting news.
Also, I just learned Andrew Bird (my favourite musician ever) is releasing a documentary February 17 which will be premiered with an intro short film by Fleet Foxes. Stoked!
Here's a couple videos of him, for your enjoyment. You may know him already as the artist who did "The Whistling Caruso" for the Muppet Movie. (The puppet Walter 'performed' it, but it was Andrew Bird who was whistling.)
It's true. Just kidding, it's probably not true. But I think I'm a lot better than I was when I first came here! Hurray!
Yesterday, (Thursday) was market day again. Didn't take many pictures, but I did buy some things including a pair of leggings and a tea set, both of which I am so excited about!
My baby!
Lunch: Dol Sat Bi Bim Bap
Dinner: Chinese! (very different from Chinese food in America)
Dessert: Ice cream inside a corn husk made out of the same thing as ice cream cones, layered with chocolate on the inside and with little bits of rice and corn in the ice cream. It was the most delicious thing in the world.
Today, I visited Jamie's school again... I got a picture with some of the girls. They were so cute and asked me lots of questions during their passing period. We talked about what musical instruments we played.
I feel so tall! Haha.
Lunch: Squid, Kimchi, Rice
Dinner: Ohyadeok jolim (This stuff was delicious. Squid, lettuce, mushrooms, and peppers in a spicy sauce.)
A couple posts ago I mentioned that Koreans are very resourceful people. I wanted to give you an example of how they are so resourceful.
These pictures are taken right outside Jamie and Miya's apartment. Every spare bit of space is used to either grow or prepare food. Gardens are everywhere.
Drying persimmons off of a balcony.
Drying seeds.
Growing a squash plant or something that's hanging between two trees.
There's huge gardens surrounding the apartment, and one of them even has manta rays drying out on a rack.
Yeah, so I thought I'd share that with you guys. Also I'd like to share this song, that I have stuck in my head. YAY K-POP!!!! (Most k-pop is really bad, but catchy, and the choreographed dances are fun and cute. I think Miss A probably are the most talented out of the groups I've seen.)
And I'll leave you with that. Know what song's going to be stuck in your head for the rest of the week?
