The GGA Project -- Day #265 "Not Yer Mama's Exercise Regimen"

I've been wanting to dance.  Like really really wanting to dance.  Wanting to lose my mind in dance kind of dance.  Forget about everyone and everything for a spell dance.


It's been a while.


I posted an open question on Facebook looking for recommendations for a club in the south bay; I'd be going with Raul (Nicole's man and my friend of 13 years now), and it wouldn't make sense for us to go up to SF, logistically.  And old coworker from Barnes and Noble suggested a once a month electro-house DJ party hosted by a friend of his to coincide with downtown San Jose's SOFA district 1st Fridays art walk.  It sounded pretty promising.


Raul agreed, as did my friends Kenneth and Dave and new friend Jen.  Kenneth brought John, his longtime friend who is visiting from Fresno, and we made a group of it for


Today's New Activity: The Workout


I'm not sure why this monthly dance party is called The Workout.  I guess the idea is that it does turn out to be quite the cardio routine, if you're doing it right that is.


I was super excited about tonight until I visited the photos on The Workout's Facebook page and noticed that nobody in the crowd looked a day over 23.  I started to get all self-conscious, thinking I'd be too old, be dressed wong, look spastic on the dance floor, etc, etc.  But Raul's and Kenneth's insistence that they didn't care about the demographic gave me the little push I needed, and when we got there I saw that it didn't matter anyway.  Not only were there plenty of, ahem, slightly older folks there, the place was so dark that a lot went undetermined, and there was a wide range of attire.


Anyway, who CARES about all that stuff, right?  We were there to dance, so the details didn't really seem to matter once we got there.


I was a bit shy at first, given that when we got there there was exactly one man--one very high man--dancing all by himself.  Raul was game to be next out there, but I needed just a *bit* more of a crowd to be wooed.  Three people later, I said what the hell, let's go.


And two and a half hours later, sweaty and exhausted, we stepped back in to the cool night air and straight over to La Victoria, the only possible place to go.  What happened in between there was nothing more or less than a lot of moving to music.  Feeling not thinking, moving not thinking, letting go and not thinking, for once.


I highly recommend it.


Raul and I plan to make a habit of getting to this little shindig whenever we can.  Every time I dance like that I'm appalled to think of all the time I've wasted NOT dancing like that.  It is so very good for my soul and state of mind.  A good release and an energizer, all rolled into one.  If only the gym could be this much fun...

The GGA Project -- Day #20 "To New Years"

(Timestamp is wrong...this was written a good deal after midnight)


I had all sorts of awesome plans (mostly in my own mind) to go out, go dancing last night.  I have been feeling the growing desire to revisit a feeling I only get when I just basically dance until I lose it.  You know, in a good way.  Unfortunately I made those plans with a friend who has been working 6 days a week for like a year and half now, and what she wanted to do most of all was to relax.  Understandable.


But what to do then?


I was invited to join in the festivities at the home of my friend Kenneth's girlfriend, Jessica (my friend also, now that I've finally had the chance to meet her a few times :)  What a beautiful home!  What a warm, open family!  It wasn't the kind of party I was expecting to attend tonight (it was actually at her parents' home, so the scene I first walked in on was a room bumping with about 35 parents (like parents *my* parents' age) and some young kids).  All the folks I knew were kicking it around an outdoor fireplace, but I didn't know that yet.


Today's New Activity: *New* New Years Venue


In 5 out of the past 6 years, I've celebrated the new year at the same bar/pub place, which was a place I wasn't even all that fond of...but it was comfortable and familiar.  I was excited to have the chance, this year (and having already secured babysitting with the folks--yay!), to make the decision of where new years would be spent all on my own.  But I have to admit I wasn't all that excited at first about the prospect of a house party.  Like I said, I wanted to be out dancing.


Buuuut, it ended up being a *better* party than I expected to be at tonight, partially on account of that grown-up/slightly less grown-up mix of people...of ill-advised things the younger folks might be known to do:

(Haha.  They FOUND it.  I don't know how, but they found it (Little "Back to the Future" reference there, for all you children of the 80's).  I did not participate in the four loko madness (and thankfully nobody got crazy on that), except to try a coduple of sips, and I have to say it is the most disgusting thing I have ever tasted that was actually sold that way.  Ewww.  It should have been banned on those grounds alone, nevermind the danger it apparently posed to over-indulgent teens.)


And of the nice traditions of a family...we released together--about 100 people in attendance or so--what seemed like hundreds of balloons to commemorate the New Year.


Plus, I got to ring in the new year with some people I've considered myself very lucky to have become reacquainted with in recent months.


And hey, THIS was new to me:  I can't seem to get my video to load, but there was firedancing (not sure that's the right term) going on at one point (thanks for the show Brenna, Peter, and Jeanette!).


All the way around it was a very nice night.  And I'm not one for New Years resolutions, but this time around I really am looking forward to making this year better than the last was.  For certain, and as much as I have control over this, it will be less stressful, more adventurous and outgoing, and is sure to include more dancing than 2010.


New year. New outlook.  And, as ever, life is good.


Also, jeeze, I just love this song/scene: