AAC 2008 – Update #2

This MDA is making me neurotic. More neurotic than normal. In other words I am in a TOTAL LATHER cause I’m dying to write home to tell you guys about everything but this STUPID STUPID device won’t write ARGHGHGH. Now the stylus is stuck in the hole. STUPID blockhead device. Dag-NAB-it!

So we were waiting in the long line to register for the comps (they do things in the old-fashioned 20th century way down here – paper and live actual humans – (as opposed to Brian Faust’s cool new Event-Express program complete with etch-a-sketch-judging and online registration for weekend pass and competitions). And the line was long ’cause they had way more people this year than they’ve ever had since starting the event two years ago. But, so, we are like waiting in this line forever; and two girls who shall not be named (you know them trust me you so know them) are having serious drama right behind us in the line, and Mark Levetin and Stephanie are way too happy and smiley right behind them, and it’s sick early in the morning (like, noon or 1pm or some frightening no-make-up hour of the day), and so we had just exactly dragged ourselves out of bed and I had on this hat (pulled down waaay low so maybe they won’t know who I am or at least not see my eyes and maybe they’ll take a hint and just go away and not talk to me fer gadsakes) and that purple blanket-turns-into-a-coat thing which I bought from Sophy (which she bought a bunch of, from Banana Republic, and sold to dancers cause they’re perfect for planes and not freezing in the ballroom) and I had just grabbed the thing as we ran out of the room (the schedule said one hour to register get down there and sign up or forget it loser you can’t dance) so I’m standing there in a dazed coffee-less stupor and I’m freezing (do they NEED air-conditioning at this hour?!? Why?) so I take my purple blanket thing and put it on and Mark yells something all cheery and friendly like “Hey Liza!! You need to be more dramatic! Throw that thing on with finesse!” and I’m like brain-dead and so is Genieboy so he doesn’t catch it in time and so I smile a dazed smile and fake laugh hahahahaha and trying to be cooperative take the purple thing off and throw it, whoosh! very dramatically like he said and BOOM!! the blanket locker-room whips (that girl – the one I can’t name – yeah, you guessed right, that one) right in the middle of a sentence and it whips her hard right in her face, right smack in her left eye which she does not like at all. She says “Ow! Why did you do that?” and I thought oh no why didn’t I write a will like they told me to?

Geezum crow. I am such an idiot. What an idiot. I am a hopelessly stupid idiot.

I survived, and this is turning out to be a good event. It’s an important event because of Mario; and because it’s many tours together so there’s more at stake), and because the AANCE tour seems to really be taking off and getting respect, and because Texas is this weirdly cool place for dancing! They are just damn good here, really daggone good!! I have not danced one SINGLE dance – throughout this entire event so far – with a bad dancer. Doesn’t matter what they look like – the most nerdy, dorky, icky, grosso lamest guy you can think of – is great. The guyshere are ALL great. I asked around – I wanted to check and make sure it wasn’t just me so I asked other non-Texas women and they confirmed it – these Texas men are excellent dancers, that’s all there is to it. The women? That’s another story. Okay, some of the women are good. Many are good. But not all. Not like the men. There are some bad women here, hair-raisingly bad. And women who are beloved who you watch do well in competitions because they are beloved, but who are not good dancers. You look out on the floor and you see a lot of female dancers who make you make an icky face.

But bad-dancing men? Nope, don’t seem to be any in all of Texas. This is not an exaggeration. It must be something in their food or their cowboy boots.

And wow do they CHEER out here! They SCREAM for people – totally supportive, especially about their beginners. What a great crowd!

So – it’s a fun event. We’re coming back next year, and hope to bring a whole crowd of DC folks.

More (hopefully! maybe!) later ….

Love Liza

Liza, via squishy squinchy 2″ non-working frozen-up screen MDA