FIRE Brings Life to a Screeching Hault... Update

Hi Everyone!

I hope you are all having a lovely Holiday Season... can you believe it's about to be 2011!?!

I just wanted to provide a quick update on everything that's been going on with my new "Post Fire" existence.

I seem to be okay. Really... I've finally mentally put Sheri and Wyo (my cats) to rest in my mind. I no longer cry at the sight of them, even though I often see pictures of them every day and remind myself they won't be in my hotel room when I get there. I do miss them, but I understand fully that it is better that they didn't survive opposed to surviving and being maimed in some horrible way.

The love I have felt from everyone in my world has been nothing short of overwhelming. I continually am reminded of the wonderful people I have managed to surround myself with and I am so thankful and blessed that they are there!

I do seem to be exhibiting some Post Traumatic Stress of some kind. Where I never used to be so scatter brained as to leave my residence without my car keys, or forget to do what I set out to do moments after the decision was made... I seem to be doing that a lot lately. I also don't really have a concept of days of the week as of late either, although for that I suppose I can blame on the odd Holiday weeks.

I will tell you that I am also really surprised with how much I don't miss my "stuff" I lost EVERYTHING save my oak bedroom furniture which is out being specially cleaned. I don't have my clothes, photo albums, jewelry, coats, shoes, or any of the other trappings of normal American society. You know what? I'm actually kind of excited about it!

Being that I am virtually at peace with the tragedy of my cats... I am allowing myself the opportunity to look forward. How often does one get the opportunity for a "Do Over"? I have one! I don't want to squander it! I am being very cautious while in my temporary housing to only buy what I absolutely need. I have enough clothes to get by for just over a week, I have my toiletries and basic food needs taken care of, and a couple pairs of shoes for running around the hotel I'm now residing in.

I did make two purchases... I have a more substantial winter coat because the ski jacket I was wearing on the day of the fire is NOT warm enough for these bitter cold days, and I have a good pair of gym shoes being shipped so I can take advantage of the cardio facility here in the hotel. (I made sure two sets of workout gear were purchased a few weeks ago).

I hope to go with a "less is more" type philosophy with my home when I move back in. I want fewer things, but higher quality than before. I hope I can accomplish that on the insurance money that will be coming my way.

I also have some rather exciting news! I have been in contact with the Animal Welfare organization named Second Chance that I had adopted Sheri and Wyo from 5 years ago. They have a litter of three kittens that were born the week of the fire, and that will make them old enough to come home with me when I move back in. (Yes if they are all healthy and of good temperament I'll take all three!) Even more exciting than that is that in talking with this organization, they were so moved by my story and so generous of spirit that they told me they would waive all adoption fees for whichever kittens I choose to take home! This is only the latest in the amazing that is now my life.

I will absolutely be making a donation to them at the time I adopt, but if you too would like to honor their generosity please feel free to donate to them via their Donations Page. They have many ways to donate, from money to toys and blankets.

Thank you all for your support! I can't begin to tell you how loved I feel. I know I had written before about how I always seem to land on my feet.... I really seem to have this time around!

I'm not gonna lie though... I'm only on my second week in this hotel apartment and I already just want to be home... I am also SO READY for 2010 to be outta here! Between ankle and fire... It has NOT been my year!

This too shall pass, and that which doesn't kill me only serves to make me stronger.

Happy New Year!

Kat

FIRE Brings life to a screeching hault.

Sunday Night 12-19-2010 Update on my Progress:



Well it's been a long week... but I have to tell you that I have felt SO LOVED this week. The love from my friends, co-workers, employer, and family has been so great that it nearly completely over shadows my loss. Don't get me wrong, I will probably always mourn a little for the passing of my Kitties (commonly referred to as "The Kids.") but I no longer feel at all bad about having to start over with my "stuff."



I have been back to my Apartment several times this week, to show people, have my oak bedroom set pulled out for cleaning, etc. Each time I look around and for the most part don't care about the "stuff" although I did find my High School Diploma, decided to keep that, and I found the baby blanket my parents brought me home in, decided to try and wash that. Also will probably keep a sketch book I had when I was 7 or 8 years old that is a tad water damaged, but I always wanted to keep it for the Someday when I have my own kids. I also had a mental flash to Sheri running towards me to say "hi"... it was an image that stuck with me for the whole day and made me sob when I got some time alone.



My parents came home tonight, safely, and had a wonderful trip, and they actually took the news very well all things considered. I'm so pleased because I was probably stressing more about telling them what happened than just about anything else all week.



I go back to my apartment tomorrow to watch all my old earthly belongings be tossed into the dumpster and I will look forward to the future.



Thank you to my employer and co-workers for your generous support, I look forward to returning to work on Tuesday.



Thank you to my Ballroom friends for being there and being generous beyond words.



Thank you to my neighbors for being my most awesome neighbors the past 6 years and for checking in with me daily this week... we'll be neighbors again soon!



Thank you to all my parent's friends and my readers for your kind words and offers of support while I rebuild.



It's not over yet, but the biggest part is past... and we dust off and move forward.



THANK YOU!







Hi Dear Readers-

I had intended to write after Ohio, I had intended to do a lot of things... but what I'm doing now is telling you about something a lot of you have been asking about.




On Monday December 13th I left for work at 9:42am I arrived at work, ran back out to my car with a co-worker to get a beverage I didn't want to freeze... I was back at my desk and preparing for my next meeting or shift on HelpDesk when I got the following call from my neighbor:



Neighbor: "Kat please pick up, you have to get home... please pick up."

Kat: "I'm here I'm here...what am going on??"

Neighbor: "You have to come home right now your apartment is on fire."

Kat: "Ok... um...did someone call 911??"

Neighbor: "911 is here...just come home."

Kat: "Ok... I'll be there"



I didn't really wait for my manager to say anything... one of my co-workers asked if everything is ok... I said no my apartment is on fire... she asked if it was the building or mine... I said mine and ran out the door as my Manager said something about everything being covered.



On my way to my car I called my neighbor back and said "You tell them about the cats... please please tell them about my cats!"



On my way home (I live about 15 min from the office) I also called my sister and told her that I may need her help later...



I arrived to my street... and there were emergency personnel everywhere! I had to park about half a block away.



I walked up to the first police car I saw



"Excuse me I live in that building... (I couldn't see my apartment just yet)"



"You should talk to the officer down there... I'm not sure which apartment it is"



I was getting scared



"Ok... thank you" and I made my way to my building...



As my apartment came into view... my worst fear realized.... my front door was wide open, my blinds looked all melted and twisted... and firemen were all over the place...



I saw a fireman...



"That's my apartment... did you find the cats? If it's not too bad in there I can tell you where they are hiding!!! Please tell me you found the cats!"



"Ok come with me, you have to talk to animal control about the cats...I don't know... but come here... careful of the ice (the water from the hoses had already frozen... it was only 10F outside)."



The fireman held my arm as we walked... I didn't fight him on it... but I felt plenty strong... I told him I live here I know how dangerous the ice gets.



I was introduced to the officer as I noticed a lot of my neighbors standing just staring up at the back of my apartment... I saw some things burnt to a crisp in my courtyard... undoubtedly from my apartment.



The officer and I went into the laundry room of the building next to mine, while the firefighter went to find Animal Control. I told the officer my morning activities and then the Animal Control officer came in to the room. She was a very kind looking woman.



"Hi.... I'm sorry to tell you, they didn't make it..." she said in a very kind voice.



"OH NO!!!!" I howled... It must have been the worst sound I'd ever made in my life I immediately started crying and said something about my babies...the Animal Control officer tried to tell me they didn't suffer...She asked me where my vet was.. I told her through tears... she said she would take care of the transport for me... we hugged.... I then had to find my Neighbor mom immediately... I left the room and there my Neighbor mom was with a big hug... another neighbor also there with a big hug... and I was then pulled into my Neighbor mom's apartment to warm up and relax a little.



My sister called, she had left work and asked me where I was...my sister was on site.... by this time most of the emergency vehicles had left and things were starting to quiet down a little. I was moving into "what now mode" I wanted to know what I needed to do... I decided that I would call my insurance agency State Farm and begin to file the report.



After talking to several people, and things dying down I was then allowed into my apartment to grab what necessities I needed... My sister and I went in with garbage bags we found in a laundry room and I grabbed what I thought was important... my "clean clothes" from the hamper I knew was clean... not even thinking that the smoke damage was too great to save them... my laptop..That was far away from the epicenter of the kitchen...I asked the fire investigator if it would be worth grabbing... he said it might be ok... again... I wasn't thinking of the stink and black soot that covered it.



I then spent some time in the kitchen with a fire investigator... who pointed out that it appeared to be in the wall of the kitchen where everything happened... they asked me what I kept in my kitchen drawers...what I had plugged in... When was the last time I made coffee... they noted that all the knobs on my stove were in the off position... I had spent most of this past weekend out of my apartment at a ballroom event and taking care of my mom and Sister's dogs.... I hadn't used anything cooking wise since Friday....



Below are pictures I took as I went in one last time to grab my phone chargers from my bedroom... my two little phone chargers... which I have cleaned with a disposable wipe... have stunk up my parents large master bedroom. (I'm staying in my parent's room as they are on vacation until Sunday... if you know them DO NOT TELL THEM.. my sister and I will tell them when we pick them up from the airport on Sunday... we will NOT.. I repeat NOT ruin the vacation they are on.



I went to my parent's house with my sister... we decided to shower and have a late lunch... I had a minor melt down... I couldn't shower... I didn't have anything to change into... I didn't have any shampoo, no hairbrush... no underwear... nothing... I did manage to find an OLD robe I used to wear in High School... I wore that after my shower until the only clothes I had were done washing... we then decided to immediately go to get me Toiletries and a few outfits so I could at least have something.



The belongings in my world can now be contained in 5 small plastic bags...like the kind you get at the grocery store... that is a very trippy feeling.



I will randomly think of something about my Kitties that I will miss and start crying.... I will then stop... and everything will appear fine... that is my way of coping.



If you pray...please pray for my kitties Sheri and Wyo so that they may continue to rest in peace... I miss my furry angels.



I have received an outpouring of support... to the level you would not imagine... for which I am VERY thankful... Everyone is offering to help. I have come up with a few ways for you to help if you would like... and I thank you very much in advance...


If you would like to send a gift card to a store like Target, Wal-mart, Trader Joe's, Albertson's (Jewel), Safeway (Dominick's) for food and other sundries please e-mail me at Stagekat@gmail.com so that I can provide you with contact information/address. If you would like to help me rebuild my wardrobe I shop at Lane Bryant and Avenue.



If you would like to donate to an animal shelter in your area in the names of Sheridan and Wyoming you can go to Petango.com if you live in North America, find a shelter by zip code and contact them.



I have to go to my apartment with the cleaners just now to asses if anything is salvageable... I will post pics after that.

Rest in Peace Wyoming 7/1/2005-12/13/2010

Rest in Peace Sheridan 7/1/2005-12/13/2010

Thank you all for your support!!!

The Epicenter My stove was under the lights witch and there used to be countertop and drawers in that corner

My stove, all knobs in the "off" position.

Kitchen items tossed out to the courtyard below.

Bedroom, the stove would be about 2ft behind me normally...Wyo was on the bed.

The living room, if you look ALL the way on the left you'll see the spot on my desk where my laptop used to be. The cleaner said the smoke damage on a scale of 1-10 is a solid 7 Most of my stuff is toast.

Ohio Star Ball.. Sunday Sunday Sunday!

Oh wow... ok if I could have gotten the whole weekend to feel like the competition on Sunday felt... I probably would have died with glee!

Sunday was the day I absolutely wanted to be at Ohio for the professionals that I know, because Sunday is when the Rising Star events happen, and at the time of my reservation last year it was going to look like Largo/TNT and TSD/FAF were going to be in it to win it...so to speak.... Wellll... this past year has been very kind to "my" pros and their competition results where Largo/TNT actually qualified out of Rising Star by becoming National Champions of Rising Star Rhythm at USDC back in September. So.. that meant that Sunday was all about supporting TSD/FAF. Which I love to do...because I have always believed that their dancing has moments of being absolute poetry in motion and I already had a good feeling about this competition for them.

BUT.. before all that was to happen at 5:00pm I had another engagement to attend in the ballroom at 9:15am. :-) The founder of PartnerDanceOnline.com EliseDance was dancing with her partner in World Senior Pre-Champ Standard and I wanted to cheer them on. I arrived in the ballroom at approximately 9am but couldn't find Elise, so I grabbed a muffin and some water from the in ballroom breakfast set up, found a seat and watched the Standard dancers before me. I am endlessly curious about Standard and how the mechanics of dancing in that style works.... perhaps Largo and I will have to give it a try sometime.

EliseDance showing 'em how it's done (in Blue)

Suddenly as time approaches, I hear the announcer call for couple 695 to check in! Well for heaven's sake that's EliseDance and her partner!! Just as the heat is standing on the floor Elise and her partner come running in! Woo! Just in the nick of time! Turns out this very first heat was more of a warm up for them anyway, but I'm glad they made it! A little later the Pre-Champ heat semi-final was called, and thankfully ETP and Spicy joined me for the fun. It was a three dance multi (meaning the couples dance three dances as opposed to the usual 5 for professionals) and EliseDance + partner looked fantastic! It was such a joy to watch! Also as a professional spectator, and often the one that starts the room cheering for their favorite couple, it was such an treat to be thanked by EliseDance for being there! Bonus they placed 2nd! Woo hoo! Congratulations EliseDance and partner!!!

After the morning events we decided as a group to grab lunch and wander the convention center. Turns out there was a whole other side to the building where a huge youth cheerleading competition was being held, along with the collegate ballroom portion of OSB. We ran into FAF and TSD wished them luck and I told FAF they were going to do well tonight, and I wouldn't leave until she agreed. The idea being that regardless of how she felt about how they were going to do, I had at least firmly planted the seed that they were going to do well in her mind too.

Endearing is a bit of a late riser and joined up with us for lunch, shortly after lunch Endearing and I decided to wander amongst the vendors and see in greater detail what wares were to be had. We then relaxed with some much needed caffeine and waited until the agreed upon time where we would all collect in the ballroom to cheer on our favorite couple.

 Real men wear pink..and then WIN Rising Star Latin :-)

4pm... Endearing proving that she is a bit more observant than me, noticed outside the ballroom that table 51 had been reserved for our studio during the comp so we promptly found "our" table and set up camp to cheer for the Rising Stars. During the Rising Star Smooth there was also Rising Star Latin. So we promptly began discussing costumes and dancers from Dance Forums etc. We cheered for FAF and TSD couple 212 during their events, and found a Latin couple where he was from Dance Forums, and wearing a fuchsia Latin outfit WITH matching Fuchsia shoes! We knew without a doubt just based on observing alone that TSD and FAF made it into the Semis so we focused a bit more on the Latin couple. At one point the announcer said "Who's your favorite couple!" and I couldn't help but say (not nearly as loudly as I would for a real cheer) "The Pink One!" Well it was a bit louder than I thought because spectators in the immediate vicinity heard me, and cracked up, ETP and Endearing ended up laughing... and I promptly made a note to mention the interaction in this post. :-)

GO! TWO-ONE-TWO!!!

Semi Finals for American Smooth were danced... and we cheered!!! TSD and FAF were clearly in their element, floor craft was excellent, form was spot on, and the energy in the room began to build for us at table 51. We made it through the Latin semis, trying not to get too excited. TSD and FAF had not yet made the finals in Rising Star here at Ohio, and we knew they had made it... but we didn't want to talk about it too loudly...we watched the rest of the in-between events, I kept up my texting of about 8 people back at home to report results. Then... the finals were called... in no particular order..but...but... the first couple called back tot he floor was 212!!! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!! Already....already you could feel the positive energy... The three of us cheered and cheered like I don't think we had cheered before.... and I was thinking we had to... we had to cheer for the HUGE support system TSD and FAF have back at home, but no one was able to stay and see Rising Star... we had to cheer for their families and students waiting on pins and needles for their results! They danced... oh did they dance... like Cinderella and Prince Charming they floated across the floor in waltz.. they channeled Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers directly for the Tango and Fox Trot and their Viennese Waltz was a dream. ETP and I couldn't take it... as soon as the Finals were over we needed a break from the tension... Already we knew that our couple had made it further than ever before in this particular event, then we KNEW of the 7 couple final that they were not 7th!!!! On our way out of the ballroom ETP and I did a quick knock on the wood doors so that we wouldn't jinx anything we had thought or said at the table..and quickly agreed to not tempt fate and say anything else!!

"I've got a good feeling about this [ETP]!"

"Shut up! Don't say it!"

"I won't I promise, I won't even text it I promise!" ....ooooooo..but I was excited!

ETP and I met up on the way back to the ballroom about ten minutes later...and again I couldn't contain my excitement!

"ETP!...I'm excited!"

ETP then shook his finger at me as an exaddurated shut up gesture.

"I know I know! Ok.. but I have to say this... We're in the finals!!! and We're NOT SEVENTH!!!!"

I got an excited "I know!!!" kind of look from ETP...this is a feeling we have felt before....and boy did we hope we were right....

Endearing who had stayed in the ballroom to watch the other events shot me a text that the Latin Rising Star final had begun.... we left Spicy at the bar where she had decided to wait us out.... this was her first comp and being a tad burned out is understandable especially at THIS comp!

We ran in and resumed our positions at table 51.

The awards started and every couple in the final for smooth lined up...


The announcer started.....

"And in 7th place.... " Woo! Not from Illinois!

"In 6th Place".... YAY!!!! (see the thing is people aplaud at these results just as much for the couple that gets it as for the couple that's still waiting for their names to be called)

Congrats! (pay attention to the camera next time! sheesh!) Photo: Creative Portraiture

"In 5th Place"... OMG! NO WAY!!! We're still in it!!! YAYAYAYAY!!!

"In 4th Place....From Illinios...Couple 212...." WAH HOOO! FOURTH PLACE BABY!!!! Table 51 was on their feet and cheering!

THAT was amazing.. the best placement they've ever had... at the biggest comp ever!

L-R Endearing, FAF, TSD, ETP, Me Photo: Creative Portraiture

And now I'm off to catch my plane...Amazing comp, amazing weekend, amazing friends and dance professionals... can we do it again next weekend?!?!

Sunday at OSB...coming to a blog near you!

This afternoon and evening was the most fun I've had at a competition in a long time... it was so nice to get into it like the old days... TSD and FAF (that's Tall Smooth Dancer, and Floats Across Floor for my new readers) placed FOURTH in a field of 25 couples... BEST PLACEMENT at Ohio to date!!! SO HAPPY AND PROUD OF THEM!
Details of the events as they unfolded to come VERY soon! (like when I wake up in the morning) :-)

Good night Ohio... Thank you for a wonderful weekend!

Ohio Star Ball Saturday and America's Ballroom Challenge!

FAF's new dress... Photo courtesy of FADS Chicago North

Well today was a great day! I can tell you I am just about too tired to see straight, but it was all worth it. We got a bit of a late start, dining on breakfast at early lunch time... so we'll just call that brunch. :-) Then wandered around with Bonnie, Michael, and Endearing. We watched some Amature Standard, which is actually now called International Ballroom. It was so cool. After studying our program (aka phone book size $30 program) we realized the evening session where TSD and FAF were competing in World Open Smooth straight off started at 7... not the 8pm we had planned on. Minor oversight on my part as the "Cruise Director" for this little voyage. So I rearranged our dinner plans with the crew (who have referred to themselves as my "entorage" in the past) and we headed off to the Elevator Brewery as refered to ETP by Megan and Vincente, they were totally right... our kind of place!

Elevator Brewing Co. Photo: M. Sprague

As we were wrapping up what felt very much like a family dinner we realized we'd have to hustle to get back and changed into our formal wear for the evening. We called our hotel to arrange a ride back (it was a short jaunt, but we didn't have jackets). Somehow the hotel didn't come through after 15-20 min so ETP his wife Spicy (She fits the moniker quite well!) Endearing and I hiked the short distance back as quick as we could. Bonnie and Michael made it shortly after by calling a cab.

We did unfortunately miss Round 1 of the World Open Smooth... the World Latin was underway.. but we did get to see TSD and FAF dance in the quarter finals! They looked AMAZING I can not wait til we see them in Rising Star tomorrow! Not only that but FAF's new dress.... OMG... awesome!

Being that I was unable to prepare as I had planned for the evening, (who knew this girl could go from jeans to black tie in 20 min flat?) I was getting very tired very early... usually when I travel and I'm out and about I like to take another shower before I head out for the evening...it's like my recharge time...without a recharge time, I flunk out at about 10pm... BUT.. this was the night of America's Ballroom Challenge! NO WAY I could miss that!

TSD and FAF Photo Courtesy of FADS Chicago North

After Endearing and I realized our favorite pros of the night hadn't made it to the semi's we left the ballroom to find some caffeine and recharge. 1 red bull, 1 cherry coke, and one bathroom break later we were back in the ballroom for the rest of the night (the evening, by the way, began at 7pm and went non stop until 1am).

Endearing and I were the only two to make it through the whole night, but we came to see ballroom and ballroom we did see! America's Ballroom Challenge is when the top pro couples in each style (International Ballroom, Latin, American Smooth, American Rhythm) then compete in two show dances, a long program and a short... kind of like figure skating. The top rated couple of those two show dances win America's Ballroom Challenge. It's pretty cool, and totally what the PBS show I mentioned earlier was about. This year the winner was decided by a remarkable Rule 11 (I'll tell you what that is another time) basically it's a tie breaking rule, between the International Ballroom pair of Katusha Demidova/Arunas Bizokas and the American Rhythm pair Bree Watson/Decho Kraev. It was very very cool... If I can find video of their show dances I will post the link.

One more day! One more day in this beautiful ballroom world... Tomorrow brings us to the Rising Star portion of the competition which is a category that allows newer professionals compete against each other without having to worry about the "uber" pros in World Open (once you win Rising Star, you can't compete in it again at that comp, or competition type).

Everyone have your fingers crossed for TSD and FAF! :-)

Ohio Star Ball 2010 Friday Night, Rhythm, Standard, and a Good 'ol Time!

This is IT! The Ohio Star Ball!!!

Hey gang! As promised... Ohio Star Ball updates from my darkened hotel room where my roommates sleep and/or prepare for bed.

Today was a ton of fun! My new to the blog friend who I shall call Endearing, because she is quite the endearing soul when you get to know her, met at O'hare International Airport at 11:15am where we endured security (no full body scan for us, or pat down thank you!), and the wait for our 45 min flight to Columbus Ohio. From there we grabbed a quick 10 min cab ride to our hotel, and met up with Bonnie and Michael who had already arrived.

A quick jaunt over the street in a covered walkway landed us smack dab in the middle of the largest number of ballroom vendors I have ever seen gathered in one place! It was amazing! Endearing and I meandered around getting turned around more than once, looking at the wares of ballroom gowns, accessories, shoes, photography booths etc. Oh what a sight! (no photography allowed but I may try to sneak some pics later...) We then promptly found the food court and had a late afternoon snack. Then moseyed on back to our hotel room where ETP and his bride had arrived. We discussed dinner plans.

Megan Murphy and Vincente Martinez Photo Courtesy of Creative Portraiture

ETP, his spouse, and I decided we would go to the "2nd Floor Bar" appropriately named "The Bar on the 2nd Floor" or some such to meet up with an online friend from Partner Dance Online. What a lovely time that turned out to be! We grabbed some dinner while there and then met up with the rest of the entourage in the large ballroom shortly after the evening began. We then sat, mostly riveted, for the next 5 hours watching world class International Ballroom (formerly Standard Ballroom) and American Rhythm heats. Later in the evening, Theatre Arts category commenced where our own Megan and Vincente (formerly known as the couple from Michigan Ave) proudly took 2nd place! Congratulations to them!!! So proud and happy to have seen that! (Yes as they are now a household name in the Ballroom community...they get to be named for real on the blog. :-) )

LadyGaGa Showdance (Endearing's favorite number)

The evening ended with the show dances that all the finalists get to do... wow there were some fantastic numbers! I just kept remembering that this is what I used to watch on TV LOOOOONG before I ever took ballroom into my heart as a passion... I couldn't believe I was seeing it first hand!! Endearing and I met up with ETP and his spouse in the bar for some lovely chatting and chilling out amungst the other Ballroom elite. It was a very comfortable place to be... :-)

Megan Murphy and Vincente Martinez 2nd Place! Photo Courtesy of Creative Portraiture

And now... here I sit telling you all about it, because it's impossible to be here and not desperately want everyone to be here and experience it with me!

Pictures to come...but for now... a well earned rest!

Until tomorrow!

Ohio Star Ball 2010 Spectating the Ballroom Elite!

Hello to all my precious loyal friends and readers. This year, as you can tell by my lack of posting, has been rough at best. I did about three weeks ago FINALLY get clearance to dance! But, that's not what I'm writing about just now... you'll get all those updates later. THIS post is about a trip that has been in the works since November 24th 2009.

Ohio Star Ball is the United States most foremost ballroom competition. Nearly the entire ballroom year revolves around this competition that started 33 years ago in Columbus Ohio. The day after last year's competition ended I booked my hotel room for this year. At the time I was unemployed, but knew no matter what was to happen I'd attend this year. I've been aiming to do this since I started dancing nearly 4 years ago.

Many US residents may know a ballroom show that used to be aired every February on their Local PBS station called "America's Ballroom Challenge" this was in fact the Saturday evening of Ohio Star Ball. I used to watch this show every year... long before "Dancing with the Stars" and "So You Think You Can Dance?" ever hit the airwaves we were introduced to elite ballroom dancing through this once a year program.

I am so excited I can't even tell you that on Friday November 19th I will be on my way to Ohio Star Ball with a small entourage of friends for some of the most exciting ballroom competition we may ever see! I am coming out of my skin excited! I'll be meeting friends from Dance Forums and Partner Dance Online discussion forums as well as catching up with old friends and meeting all new people!

With me will be Bonnie and Michael of Bonnie's Belle Gowns, ETP777 and his new bride (yeah, a lot has happened this year!) as well as a new to the blog friend as yet to be named.Together we will spectate, dance, dine and laugh the weekend away!

I am also bringing the good 'ol laptop with me! So I hope to find a bit of time each day to post this experience..it's going to be memorable for sure! If it's one thing my job has taught me it's that I'm capable of stringing together a sentence on a keyboard even when bone weary tired. :-)

Now that I'm working my way back to the dance floor and attending this new comp.... it's time to blow the dust off this forum of expression in dance and get moving again! It can't ever be what it was...but who knows.. maybe the next chapter is better than the last several???

July 31st NATIONAL DANCE DAY!

Hi! Thank you so much to my loyal readers for sticking by me all this time! As I still deal with Ankle things (we're possibly talking surgery with the doctor tomorrow). I can't let this upcoming day pass us by!


Just a few days away on July 31st is the First ever NATIONAL DANCE DAY!

As many of us have seen because we all watch and love So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) one of the judges/producers of the show has been pushing this new marked day on every show. It has taken off like crazy! I've heard tale that even Congress is going to do a Flash Mob dance on the National Mall in Washington DC!!!!

SYTYCD and the Dizzy Feet Foundation (one of my favorite charitable organizations) have asked Napoleon and Tabitha, master hip hop choreographers for the show, to put together a little routine for everyone to learn.



Go ahead give it a try!

There are also several cities and counties around the country as well as private organizations putting together various events to mark the day so check with your local dance studios (of all kinds, not just ballroom) to see how they are marking the event! 

SYTYCD is also allowing everyone to post videos of how they are celebrating National Dance Day on their Facebook page. So be sure to check it out!!!

As for me, I will be spending time with dance friends, but sadly not dancing...so you get out there and burn the floor, street, driveway, yard, whatever you dance on, for me!

Issues Issues Issues Abound, and not ALL Massage is Created Equal.

Seriously… after talking to my Physical Therapist and she pointed out all my leg issues the idea of how exactly is it that I'm able to dance crossed my mind a LOT! This week brought on THE MASSAGE FROM HELL to boot.

Massages are supposed to be relaxing… at least the few I've had have been relaxing… unless you have Tendinitis in your muscles I guess. It has been discovered that I have a SEVERE case of Tendinitis in both my calves... which is important to work out because of the way the muscles connect to the ankle and foot.

I have tight muscles in my right hip, and my knees both go in towards center when I bend them instead of straight forward, (based on knee surgeries I've had in the past, this is the way they've healed). Also when I walk both of my feet whip in, again probably because of the Tendinitis, although that was a known issue before I started Physical therapy.

So this week my Physical Therapist had the onsite masseuse gal work on my calf…

We've established that I experience some level of pain in my legs all the time right? So pain threshold there is especially high… Well ya'll… I almost needed a bite stick to keep from cracking my teeth!

Every single touch felt like razor blades from knee to ankle, I was able to carry on a conversation through most of it, but there were moments where I just about lost my mind. Then I learn it's gonna have to happen again. *sigh*

So allow me to diagram it out for you… this is how my body from the hips down along with a description of the common issue of Tendinitis:

 
Tendinitis is an inflammation or irritation of a tendon, a thick cord that attaches bone to muscle. Tendinitis is most often caused by repetitive, minor impact on the affected area, or from a sudden more serious injury. Incorrect posture at work or home or poor stretching or conditioning before exercise or playing sports also increases a person's risk.

Treatment of tendinitis includes:

• Avoiding activities that aggravate the problem
  
• Resting the injured area
  
• Icing the area the day of the injury
  
• Taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs
  
• Treating the area with a heating pad
  

It can take weeks and sometimes months to treat and resolve Tendinitis, and it can reoccur.

Prevention of Tendinitis is as simple as including a good solid warm up and cool down of all muscle groups and avoiding repetitive movements.

Well… I'm guilty of all of that… I usually used to stretch at the end of my workout sessions and very rarely before or after dancing. I also do not currently own any heating elements for treatment.

SO… I'm sidelined a little more seriously than I thought… and for a bit longer than planned. I was informed that I can return to the gym this week, as long as I PROMISE to include long stretching periods before and after each session. (I promise!).

Although I woke up this morning with every major muscle group from my shoulders down felt tight and frozen, and I haven't done ANYTHING major since Physical Therapy on Thursday. I did have a stretching session at about 7 this evening and my right quad (front of thigh) locked up on me.

That's ok.. I'm more determined than ever… I am not an underdog, I just have some challenges ahead… and I have to rebuild my strength the right way instead of what I was doing before and just pushing through.

Square One… All Over Again

Hi! Welcome to my blog, my name is Kat and I'm a recovering unhealthy person. (read: fat chick)


Ok… so why am I introducing myself all over again you ask? Well that's simple… we're back at the beginning. I am physically and nearly mentally back where I was when I stepped on the dance floor damn near 4 years ago…. What the hell happened????


Well… I'm not exactly sure of all the steps I tripped and bumbled over to get back HERE. Back to the land of the out of shape, not dancing, vaguely resembling miserable state I'm currently in. But here I am…. In a bit of pain, up almost two pant sizes from where I was, lacking most of the motivation that I had a year ago at this time.


Well Shit. (uh oh.. she only curses when she's angry)


It came upon me earlier when I was at my first PT appt. I was being assessed as they do to check where you're at with range of motion and all that. In my case we were of course focusing on my ankle. In the process of assessing the way I walk, and all that… it's been pretty much decided that every joint and muscle group from the hips down is pretty much all wired wrong. To the point where I'm pretty sure the therapist seriously doubted my ability to dance properly.


Well that sucks… but I also came to one realization: I've SERIOUSLY fallen to the bottom of the stairs I was so diligently trying to climb, and I HAAAAATE it! I may not be down to that last step yet, but I'll be damned if I'm going to be putting time and money and effort into healing this ankle only to have to start over with Largo, what RT and I had set out at the start to accomplish. I've been so AFRAID of damaging my ankle further than it's already gone, afraid of not doing my paying job well enough, afraid of oversleeping. Just plain afraid that I completely and totally irrevocably, lost sight of what the heck I was living for.


Life is Grand! Existence Freak'n Sucks.


I've had all the conversations with myself… trust me ALL of them… (mostly while also berating myself for sitting on the couch and watching TV). They go something like this:


Why don't I just suck it up and go back to the gym?


What if I KILL my ankle... it's already half dead. Look at it all puffy… why am I even taking this medication if it's not working?


Well that's never stopped me before. I have to take the meds for a month at minimum so it's probably going to take longer than a week to work.


It's gonna hurt.


Shut up, I am in some level of pain every day and actually forget to tell people about it because I don't feel it enough to matter, not only that but I actually revel in the pain that can only be brought on by a good workout. (sad fact)


*sigh*


I got myself in this mess again… it's time to claw out of it.


Oh but (insert show here) is on in 10 minutes.


Which is why I pay monthly for a Digital Video Recorder.


I don't have anything clean to wear to the gym.


So I should get off my duff and go to the Laundromat that is directly NEXT TO THE GYM. I can work out when I'm finished. Or just wear the closest thing to clean… no one is gonna care.


I'm gonna care, they still know me in there.


Laundry will take like three hours.


I am the most impossible person to argue with.


Yep, and I'm arguing with myself.


I'll start tomorrow.


Well there have been lots and lots of tomorrows. The buck stops here, I'm not waiting for tomorrow.


 
Which also brings the question (since I know I have written about this before) why is this time different? Well it's not… it's the same level of conviction I have every time I try to rally to come back from a stint off the wagon of health. The only difference is… I really let myself go this time.


Yeah you could put part of the blame on the ankle… you could put part of it on how I felt after RT left… you could put it on the fact that I felt the need to get used to my job and stop all my extra working out…. you could put the blame squarely on my year of unemployment.


Are you noticing the common denominator?


All those reasons are… sorry, not reasons…. Excuses.

 
ME


I'm the common denominator in every one. Not a single external source, it was all the way I was feeling… I could have pulled myself out of it. I really could have. But I didn't. Wow… sometimes I just plain old suck.


So in the spirit of the rally and how much I seem to love being the underdog in all of this…


Here we go again….


Clothes are laid out for tomorrow… not including the pedometer only because the only workout machine I can really get any cardio in on right now is the bike, and my workout clothes are freshly laundered, my Digital Video Recorder is set to catch anything I might want to watch on TV at a later time.


Next PT appointment is on Tuesday morning before work, I will be there every Tuesday and Thursday morning obtaining knowledge about my sucky ankle range of motion, and how to strengthen all the other various muscle groups from the hips down, as I try to rehab this injured ankle back to some semblance of order.


Hello Life, my name is Kat… and I'm just warning you… I'm working my way back to taking over.




 

 

The Official Ankle Verdict…. I’m on the DL

Saw the doctor this morning about my ankle… Actually I saw a nurse and two doctors about my ankle. I'm not exactly sure how doctors get their own nurses that travel around to their various offices, or how they get resident doctors assigned to their services either…. But this doc has both.

I arrived, filled out the needed paperwork, waited about 10 minutes and was ushered into the office to wait. Then a very nice x-ray technician came in and brought me to the x-ray room where we took three x-rays. We then walked back to my designated holding pen and my x-rays were immediately brought up on a monitor (very cool technology). I was then left to wait and contemplate the images before me. I was expecting to see something odd our out of place… you'd think after 14 weeks of trying to nurse this ankle back to health I'd see something on the x-ray. I don't know exactly what a normal ankle looks like… but I gotta tell ya, my ankle looked pretty normal on the bone structure level.

After waiting and contemplating a little bit longer my Doctor's nurse Lucy comes in. She interviews me… it started with "You're 31 right?" after which I knew this was going to be a lot of blah de blah nonsense about information she already had in my file. She didn't seem overly friendly on this particular occasion either. Meh… I wanted to see the doc.

Then he walked in… I looked up from dangling my feet from the table and looked him straight in the eye and shook his hand… the most attractive doctor I have ever seen in my life! DRAT… why did I decide to wear the slumpy jeans and a sweatshirt! Probably because I never expected to see anyone remotely attractive in a doctor's office! This was Dr. Steve… and he works with the doctor I had my appt with (must be a resident or something)… He tested the resistance on my ankle… inquired about previous ankle surgery (I have a particularly nasty scar on my injured ankle from a previously unrelated shaving mishap… don't ask) which he mistook for a surgery scar… he joked with me about possibly needing surgery and informing me that flip flops from Old Navy were not good choices for footwear he then he walked out. Sadly… without taking my phone number (but… it's in my file should he ever feel the need to call).

About five minutes after the glorious Dr. Steve left, the main Doctor came in, we'll call him Dr. P., and he reviewed much the same information that both Lucy and Dr. Steve reviewed, only thankfully in slightly greater detail I finally felt after my third time around at telling the saga of my ankle all the words were finally being heard. I also mentioned for the third time that getting back to the dance floor is what I needed most of all. I can already walk; it's the dancing part I can't seem to get right at the moment. So there was some more "push this way, and back that way, good, and again" to test my current range of motion. Also after reviewing the x-rays which look pretty much normal Dr. P. informed me that I have a very normal extra bone in my foot. How, that's normal I'm not exactly sure… but the fact that I got an observation of "everything looks pretty normal except this common extra bone you have here." Is actually normal… it seems that I always have a slightly left of perfect status on most of my anatomy.

Moving on to the plan of attack so that I can get back on the dance floor full time to both mine, and Largo's satisfaction:

I am to take 750mg twice daily of some kind of super strong anti inflammatory which Dr. Steve says will knock out any swelling.

I am to proceed directly to my nearest Physical Therapy (PT) facility in workout clothes and explain to the Physical Therapist that I require an athletic training variety of therapy so that I can return to dance.

I am to do visit this PT facility 3 x weekly for 4 weeks and also perform at home exercises (that I've already been doing for at least 8 weeks myself already) at which time I am to asses my own ankle.

IF after these 4 weeks I am showing marked improvement I am to proceed with my PT for two more weeks and start introducing dance again (at the Physical Therapist's discretion).

IF after these 4 weeks I am NOT showing any marked signs of improvement and strength in my ankle I am to proceed to an MRI facility and make an appt with Dr. P. to consult on possible surgery. (An MRI takes images of the soft tissue such as tendons in the body for a better assessment of what is going on.)


So this leads me to ask "Ok, that's a plan, but what about dancing…. Am I off the floor or what?"

Dr. P looks at my x-ray, looks at me and says "Well I'm not about to tell you not to dance, but it's not going to help you heal."

"Ok… so spell it out for me what does that mean?"

"How about go to some PT, take the meds, and MAKE SURE your therapist knows you have to dance so you get the proper type of PT and decide for yourself when you can go back."

Well shit.

Based on my performance in my last lesson… I'm on the DL (Disabled List)… Which means:

No dancing of any kind for 4 weeks not at studio parties or anything… I will work my ankles at PT and my upper body at the gym and if the swelling starts to improve, I will also include walking on the treadmill (or whichever form of cardio my PT will advise). This is my 4 week plan to see if I can actually get some RESULTS.

Also, after speaking at length with my friend Horace, I will also be looking into a second opinion.

I am sick of feeling like this year is slipping by and all I have to show for it is the remarkable ability to sit at my desk.

Sidelined by Injury… Still… Again… Largo Says “No!”

You may remember that I had mentioned an ankle injury back in January. I had slipped on the ice, my right foot and ankle got shoved under a steel railing. I, like the trouper I tend to be… ignored it and plodded on with my day of wandering around the museum and out to dinner and show.

Well three months… actually about 14 weeks later… I'm still dealing with it. I've been dealing with it in my own special "trying to ignore" it way since then. I did take the required time with most sprains to ice, elevate and care for it…. To no avail. It proceeded to swell have blood bruises of all colors of the rainbow and just in general be a nuisance.

I've been to the studio dance parties with it, and tried to walk on the treadmill at the gym, and even had two or three lessons on it.

Well… I was ok at the parties, my ankle felt stiff and I felt all sorts of out of shape, but I thought it was ok… in spite of the constant swelling.

I thought the treadmill was ok too, until the swelling actually interfered with the way my gym shoes fit, so I stopped that.

I had a few lessons on it because I NEED to dance… now that I am financially able to dance… I NEED it… it is my sanity and my joy.

Week before last I managed ok until the last 10 minutes, the humor in the lesson was that my bangs were in my face, which never bothers me… but it bothers Largo… so he set forth on a mission to find me a Bobbi pin. During the last 10 minutes my ankle didn't hurt, it just felt like it was about to give out on me, so I insisted on Rumba for the rest of the lesson. I was also told by my wiser than his years professional instructor that "You will dance until you fall over broken, I know you."

Last week, was bad… I couldn't cha cha like I normally would, and was sub consciously trying to protect my ankle, so it made dancing a little rough. Largo insisted several times that I stop, while pointing out the small golf ball that appeared to be hanging onto the outside of my ankle. I told him it didn't hurt (it honestly didn't) but he didn't believe me.

So… we left it..or I should say HE left it that he left it by saying he would not actually accept any lessons from me until a doctor says it's ok.

I have my doctor appointment now. It's actually in the morning before work. I scheduled the appointment before my last lesson, which is probably why Largo felt so confident in telling me I couldn't dance with him anymore until after I get medical approval. Either way, no matter what the doctor says I am SURE of two things. 1- I'm not gonna like anything he says. 2- I'm not going to be able to dance for a while.

All I have to say is this… If I'm going to be made to be off the dance floor again for a minimum of 6-8 weeks, it had better be because I have done such irreparable damage to my ankle that it's going to need surgery or some other major treatment that will totally justify my not being on the dance floor. Because if it's not completely major then I may just lose my mind and try dancing behind Largo's back.

 

We'll see…. Wish me luck.

Big Dance News… Emerald Star Ball

Hi gang!
I've got some big news of my own... but first allow me to brag a bit about the professional dancers I know. Two weekends ago the nation's second largest ballroom competition took place. Emerald Ball in Los Angeles California.
This comp is HUGE… I believe I read 10,800 entries total between professional, pro/am, and amateur.
First of all… A BIG THANKS to one of my Facebook friends for somehow setting up a LIVE VIDEO STREAM for the Friday night events. Savvy and I sat in our pajamas till 3am Chicago time watching the excitement unfold as we saw the following results. (Also, we have never been so comfy while watching a ballroom competition!)

 

Largo and TNT WON the Rising Star Division of American Rhythm!!!!

 

STP and HFC placed SECOND in Rising Star American Rhythm!!!

 

TSD and FAF placed 6^th in Rising Star American Smooth!!!

M/V (aka "The Theatre Arts Couple") from Fred Astaire Michigan Avenue WON the Show dance division for the 2^nd YEAR IN A ROW!!!

 

As a true fan of these dancers I can't even tell you how amazing it is to be in their continually growing fan base.

 

SO PROUD TO KNOW AND LEARN FROM YOU ALL! CONGRATULATIONS and KEEP IT UP!

Photographs by Fred Astaire Chicago North and Stephen Marino of Decadance Photography

I’m Baaaaack…. Well… I’m Working my way Back Anyway…

*Poof*… ugh I left this place for too long… *cough cough* it's awfully dusty in here…wouldn't you say? *ah choo!* Geez… had I known… I may have at least come in and dusted a bit…..*click* Reading light on - Check *rummage, crumble, crack…* Ah!!! There we go! Ok….*whizzz whirr* Computer up and running- Check, *sniff*…whew! Here we go… Wait…. No.. *flip, scrape, klunk* Thesaurus present- Check… NOW… we're on our way….

Hi gang!

So…. What have you been up to??

Me?

Oh… nothing… much… really…

Well that's not true, I've been working… lots and lots of working which means lots and lots of mental exhaustion… do you want to know how long it takes someone who was laid off for nearly a year to NOT be completely exhausted each day when she gets home from the job she finally got? Answer: 7 weeks.

In that 7 weeks I have sat at a computer for nearly 9 hours every week day… came home, and plopped in front of the TV mostly… trying to figure out what to do with my ankle (which is still not healed) and watching the weight get packed back on and my stamina go right out the window…and I let the blog get all dusty.... 

THAT'S what I've been up to… ugh… and I hate myself for it… HOWEVER I have started in the last week or so to build up my energy and stamina to climb back up this mountain I seem to have fallen to the bottom of again.

There have been some highlights… I started the year off (the ballroom year that is) by attending the Indiana Challenge competition with some ballroom friends, including Jem, and made some new ballroom friends while I was at it… not only that but watched the pros from Fred Astaire Buffalo Grove kick some serious butt on the dance floor… it was at that comp that I decided I needed to see all I could see of my pros, because I have a really excellent feeling about this year for them!

Mid March had ETP and a "new to the blog" friend Savvy (remember all names of people not in the public eye are changed to protect the innocent). So anyway… the three of us had a fun filled car trip to St. Louis (Savvy was kind enough to drive). The competition itself was as good as I remember last year… Largo and TNT along with STP and HFC performed very well! TSD and FAF weren't able to make it this time around, but… but… the Theatre Arts Couple from Fred Astaire Michigan Avenue debut their new routine… and it's FABULOUS… MAN this region is chock full of talent! I wish I had my pics from this event! But unfortunately… with the mess around here, I can't find my cord to get them off of my camera…

The most recent competition I attended was the Fred Astaire Chicago regional comp. I only attended the Pro/Am (aka Teachers and Students) portion for this one. Jem was competing in Latin and Rhythm and she did AWESOME. As did all of my competing friends that day.

I have also been attending the parties at the studio, using them as an opportunity to test my ankle… which is now officially the weakest ankle ever! I'm really REALLY irritated about this ankle thing, and will be having my medical professional examine it as soon as my employee benefits kick in next month.

I also am now officially caught up on my bills and know what my monthly budget is… so I will be resuming my lessons with Largo in two weeks. I hope to get back to one lesson a week (when he's not off competing somewhere) and as many group classes as I can handle.

Also, my gym that is a two minute car ride from my home is now OPEN FOR BUSINESS and I plan on making myself a rather regular fixture there as well.

So…I've fallen down to the bottom of the mountain I had started to get really good at climbing… but I'm not gonna let it get me down anymore… I can't it's EXTREMELY counterproductive. I don't like being counterproductive.

Now…where's that pedometer??? *CrAsH!*…oh… there it is! J

What’s Really Important?

I mean really… What's really important??

As I prepare to engage my full life and full schedule again. I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Now that I have less free time, (not that I was ever super productive when I did have free time), what is really important to me and what I want to do?

Then… I saw this mini documentary in TLC last week. It was following one of the former winners of NBC's "The Biggest Loser" this gentleman was one of the people that lost the most amount of weight on the show. They were doing a "where is he now?" kind of follow up. This hit home for me… first because I auditioned for this show when I started dancing, and didn't make it… and second because he had regained ¾ of the weight back once the cameras were turned off. His reasoning was that once all the attention was off of him, he felt a little abandoned and stopped caring as much. Also, that while what he did on the show was amazing… that it didn't really teach him how to live daily life.

I can identify with him…

In my days of unemployment, I could have really chosen to kick up the workouts and kept up with the weight loss, let's face it… the last year and a half or so, I slid… I myself at one point had put back on 40 pounds of what I had lost…then dropped 20, then put back on 10… I think… I didn't pay that close attention… my family did though… every so often I'd get comments "Well you know you've put a lot of weight back on." Or whatever… That made me angry… but I was too busy being depressed. I couldn't see my way back to the path of good, healthy living. Could the reasons behind it be because I didn't have all that attention I was receiving from anyone and everyone in my dancing life to propel me forward? Was it possible that I was relying too much on outside influences to keep me on the path of a healthy life? ABSOLUTELY!

One BIG thing that has had me thinking in the days since I saw all of this on TV… is what does it come down to? It comes down to me… do I have the inner strength to reach my goals? Can I be humble enough to ask for help when I need it?

Well… my mind finally whittled all of that down into one simple question… What is really important? The other catalyst in all of this is that at my new job, where I'm meeting all these new people, who don't know me, my past, what I write, they vaguely know that I even dance. They have made comments about me being unique, and unusual, and things you don't normally hear from co-workers that hardly know me or my work ethic. THEY have noticed in two short weeks, some of the things I pride myself on… reminded me that I am the person I set out to be every day.

So now that I am working on building my life back up to what it should be, what it was two years ago, only better… I am continually asking myself "What is really important, no, REALLY important?… Am I willing to work to get and keep what is really important?"

The answer to the first is that it is REALLY important that I be proud of myself and my performance in everything I do. Whether I'm setting out to train a new client on software, write a blog post, dance a rumba, commit to my 10,000 dance steps a day program, go out with the dance gang after a party. I must enter and exit each one of those situations being proud of myself, and being proud of the way I handle whatever situations come up.

Ok...so now you ask what does it take for me to be proud of myself? Because, I did NOT come away from my unemployment experience being full of pride with the way I handled it. In fact… if I were to grade myself on it… I'd give myself a "D." So, for me to be proud of myself now… I have to put in the effort; I have to be honest with everybody, including myself. (That last bit is going to be tough… I'm exceptionally good at pulling the wool over my own eyes) Yeah, it can be said as easily as that… however to actually do it… now that's going to be the challenge.

I am still on the same mission I set out when I started this blog, well before I started this blog actually… I will be on it for the rest of my life, and right now… it's time that I start participating in my adventure as much as I THINK about participating in my own adventure. I am a very passionate person, and I've somehow limited myself to only expressing that passion in certain areas of my life… well that's gotta change.

So to answer the second part of the question... YES I am absolutely ready to put the work in and make this life everything I want it to be. I had it at one point in the not so distant past, it's time I regain it.. and keep it... for good. :-)

 

10,000 Dance Steps a Day Update:
For those of you on the 10,000 Dance Steps a Day program with me, I'm averaging 5,000 steps a day right now with some effort… I'm still working out my new schedule and waiting for my paychecks to start up so I can do things like put enough gas in my car to get to the dance studio, and gym again. This is not a setback, it's a mere rescheduling. Not everything can go exactly as planned… and I'm not giving up… so don't you do it either.