I’ve been thinking about how I costume myself for dance. Shadia of Boston has made two custom-made costumes for me. Part of the process has been costuming in a way that doesn’t look bad with my large waist wrapping tattoo. I personally don’t want to wear a strap that goes around the tattoo, because I [...]

My S3 arrived back last week, and while I missed it, I was surprised in the ways in which I did not. I text for work, I keep my calendar on my phone, use Evernote for my grocery lists and meeting notes, and like browsing stories online. However, as cumbersome as it was to be [...]

My friend Andalee of NC has launched Belly Dance at Any Size within the past day or so. I’ve watched her thoughtfully develop this project and am so excited for its launch. The idea is belly dance can be for anyone, regardless of size. And I support that idea entirely. Andalee has developed the idea [...]

My Galaxy S3 died very, very suddenly and without warning on Friday. A visit to T-mobile and my own attempts at resuscitation were fruitless. I am on a very old flip phone until the repair center sends a new phone to me. One of the downsides of having a popular phone that was fairly recently [...]

One of my proteges asked what are the differences between grad school and undergrad. I thought it was an interesting question and a very long response followed. I began thinking more about it, and here’s how I would best describe the differences. Note that I’m thinking of more traditional aged students and this based on [...]

Last night, I had another open mic slot at the Red Fez (three cheers to Erzulie for continuing to organize these events). Because of gentle prodding from one of my teachers, I decided to try to perform in heels. I’ve been intermittently practicing in them, but it was still strange to actually perform in them. [...]

Among my commitments this semester/year include mentoring. I have grad students, some who consider me a mentor. I also have more formalized commitments to several undergraduates through the GMS Mentoring site, which is for GMS Scholars. Although I’ve been incredibly lucky to have great people help me along the way and have read/learned about mentoring, [...]

Over the past month, I’ve recommended that a few folks seek out the campus ombudsperson. What is ombuds? The ombudsperson is kind of an outsider to the university whose job is to provide impartial, confidential support for faculty, students, and staff regarding most issues pertaining the campus/campus life (academics, social situations, relationships, etc.). I thoroughly [...]

A lovely dancer/acquaintance of mine, Afra al Kahira of the UK, has started a blog on her perspectives on Middle Eastern dance. She is an experienced dancer and from the looks of her first entry, she also is quite a good writer. I appreciate her candor in the first entry and look forward to reading [...]

The school year started off with illness; Boston’s sudden colder weather gifted a cold to me. I’m currently fighting it as I type. Beyond that, it is just another school year. I’ve been making more of an effort to socialize, as research is rather a solo effort. As I had predicted, it would be rather [...]