Hello forum friends.

Well, I have some pretty major news. I am going to be taking a brief winter hiatus from the forum… and I’m going to miss you all so much.

The good news is that it’s a positive hiatus (is there such a thing?) as my girls and I will be traveling for a professional dance gig for a temporary contract (you can see more… Read more

I am getting my booster/third shot tomorrow, as well as my flu shot, right before I head off to dance for a few hours, and then have dance again the next day.

I work everyday this week and it only gets worse from there (stage week is less than two weeks away), so I don’t really have a “down day”, unfortunately, to make room for resting if I… Read more

I am on a nostalgia kick. 

I know I’m not alone. Lately it seems like, everywhere I look is another 90’s reboot, or a media wink-and-a-smile to a previous decade (that reference was a Harry Connick nod, just FYI), and on and on. And as cliche as it makes me: I LOVE it.

Leaning in to things that once felt new and now feel… Read more

I have spent most of the pandemic rolling my eyes at anyone who complained too heavily about masks because ‘we with CF’ have had to wear in hospital more times than we could ever count. Surgeons wear them. I wear them at dance and move at really high-speed levels. And so on.

But last night, while running an entire show with my company (where… Read more

Hello forum friends! I have been off the forum for a few days, but I am still alive (hello, hi), and wanted to see how everyone has been feeling and doing.

I have had a rough medical week to say the least, so let’s talk happy and silly instead.

What are three interesting or fun things that have happened to you this week? 

 

Recently, our forum friend Jenny said the following: “I’ve experienced some pretty significant changes to my body in the last few years, but I held onto old clothes thinking “someday, they’ll fit again.” Finally coming to peace with the idea that realistically, they’ll probably never fit again and it’s okay to let them go was very… Read more

My “day off” yesterday ended up being the day where everything I couldn’t get done on the days “on” got piled on. It hurts a lot currently to write for long periods of time (it’s sort of silly how I can dance here and there post surgery, yet typing on a laptop is what makes me miserable?), but I had no other choice because it had to get done.… Read more

I am one day away from finishing a 7 day marathon of dance. I have had to teach, choreograph or direct dance every single day for a week… and tomorrow is my first “day off”. I honestly can’t believe I pulled it off less than a month after the last major surgery, and couldn’t help but post about it because… Wow, I did it!

So, today’s… Read more

What a week. Pain. Work. Work. Pain. So busy… but also always a little bit happy to be busy, I think. Despite this, we are working through some heavy topics in dance rehearsal last night. 

One of the lead characters thinks that the love of her life has been killed, and so she has a slow slow slow denial-level reckoning ‘on stage’,… Read more

Yesterday was a stressful parenting day. Like…. really awful. It ended up consuming my whole morning when I had a lot of work to get done, and even worse: it just made me really tired and sad. Everything that’s going on is “normal” (teenage stuff), but man… it’s exhausting to balance all of it sometimes. The nearly full time work [dance]… Read more

I was replying to our dear Jenny here about her recent “in person” CF clinic visit, and it made me realize I hadn’t yet posted about mine! It was last week, so I was only a week and a few days out from neck surgery, but I documented pieces of it here in a little silly video.

All in all, it went really well (mostly in part to my amazing team).… Read more

I wrote about demand versus reward yesterday on the forum, and about a big dance project coming up, and it made think about the first big hurdle I’m facing: Completing my company’s show before this new dance contract begins.

Here’s why that’s hard: I can’t dance for about 4 more weeks, give or take… which leaves me only about 2 weeks to get… Read more

Yesterday I posted about complaining (and the weird relief in complaining sometimes?), and then I blasted the music of a composer I’ve found to simmer down: Oliver Davis. (Hot Tip: Blast “Dance I: First Movement” and see how it makes you feel. I’d be so curious!) Then, I moved on with my day.

But I’m going to be honest… It’s been hard to… Read more

I typed up an entire post this morning… and then accidentally deleted it. 

Since typing hurts so much right now as I’m recovering from surgery (the “looking down” or “crunching my neck” is what hurts), this feels much more dramatic to me than it would to anyone else. I text our beloved Jenny to complain… and how here I am. Grumpy-faced… Read more

Yesterday was truly so special. I had my long rehearsal day with my Company (Sunday is basically my biggest work day of the week) from about 12:30 to 9 (although last night I didn’t get home until 11 pm- eek!) We run through dances, set things, and work with various age groups nonstop throughout the evening.

However, last night we had a… Read more

Today is my birthday and I definitely can’t believe how old I am. I’m not sure if it’s because I feel enormously younger and cannot fathom my current age (it feels like a trick?) I am almost embarrassed of my age, right now, because it feels such an ill fit for how I feel inside.

Then again, my Dad asked me if I feel “105” today and I said… Read more

I read this article the other day about Tiler Peck (a top tier, rock star ballerina, if you don’t know her yet), and was really blown away by how openly she talked about “saving her legs” for dance.

Most dancers and athletes I read about talk only about how “over achieving” they are. If they’re not performing or playing a game, they’re… Read more

I’m going to rant for a second.

I know that doctors need to see us in person for a lot of things. I know that there is benefit and merit to appointments that aren’t strictly virtual. But lately, I sort of want to ask: What happened to doctors being more accommodating?

I have had multiple doctors tell me I can only come in-person now and ‘we… Read more

Hey forum friends! I am back! I took last week off while beginning recovery from cervical spine surgery, and left it all to our amazing Jenny so… THANK YOU Jenny, as always!

I know this is a dorky way of diving back in with everyone but… How the heck are you? (I’ve missed seeing my regular friends here!)

I’d love to know how you are,… Read more

What is your favorite way to wish someone good luck?

In ballet, we often say “merde” (because good luck is actually considered bad luck), even though it actually means sh*t in French. I love talking about poop any chance I can get (we all do it!) In other areas of theater we say “break a leg” or other variations that avoid actually saying… Read more

In one week, I have choreographed over 33 minutes of dance. That’s 60+ people orchestrated in fully comprehensive, every-second-accounted-for dancing (in my head), so I can continue our Fall show preparations, even while recovering from the surgery that’s to come in a few days.

I won’t be able to “demonstrate” movements when I come out… Read more

Today’s question is quick and simple, but also not considering how complicated medical terminology can be to pronounce:

What is your favorite medical word of all time to say?

I feel like we all have that one antibiotic or term we overuse just a little bit tooooo much because we like how it feels. Or maybe you have a word that you… Read more

Last week was weird and lovely at the same time. I was in pain, which was awful (not how someone wants to spend their big “week off”). I was sick- ended up coming down with some sort of bug-fever, and of course worried it’s because I’ve been doing more and being a little too lax around friends without masks, and thus brought it upon myself.… Read more

Yesterday I asked who would be you in the movie of your life, and today I’m doing one better. Or rather, musical theater “nerdier”…

If you were to make a Broadway musical of your life, who would write the music and what would it be called?

I am obviously a bit of a theater geek, but I also love musicals that are based on pre-existing artists… Read more

 

I was at the beach last week and trying to stay safe, and healthy, but also keep things “light”. So here was a very light but very fun question to consider:

Who would play you in the biopic of your life and who would direct?

(I care more about the directing part than the acting part, haha.)

Would you let your sickness be a… Read more

I have been posting a bit more about Covid this week on the forum (see here and here), and will be shifting to other fun-in-the-sun topics next week, don’t worry… but one more question to round out the week:

Do you think things will change in terms of virus protocols between now and this fall?

What are your predictions for the next couple of… Read more

My family is currently on a road trip and trying to be our safest.

It is weird traveling during a pandemic… but especially when it’s starting to “pick back up”, so to speak. It had truly felt like the light was beginning to be at the end of the tunnel, and that committing to this little budget hideaway beach stay wasn’t an… Read more

I posted awhile back about the instances of immunocompromised patients contracting Covid after being doubly vaccinated, and said I would go into more information… and then didn’t.

And to be honest, I’m not a scientist or a doctor, so I probably should not be the person dolling out wisdom or data on the subject. Still, I thought that … Read more

I saw the following question posted on someone’s Facebook recently, and thought it was hilarious to consider. (They were someone without health problems, to be fair, so “near death” experiences have probably been a lot less looming at times.)

Even so, I figured it would be rather funny to ponder here:

If you died tomorrow, what would loved… Read more

Last week I posted about setting “best intentions” for healthy habits but then falling short, and I thought it might be beneficial to share my health habits goals right now… so you can share yours?

I’d love to know what goals you’ve set for yourself lately and how they’re going so far!

MY HEALTHY HABITS GOALS Right Now

* To wake up… Read more