The Wandering Monkey

Tonight was the first night at the House of Blues and Jazz. At first we were worried; only six girls and two guys showed up. Then, gradually more people came in. In luck beyond prediction, two swing-capable guys were just walking by the door and they happened to stop in and we had a very well balanced class. We taught for an hour; about 16 people I think, plus four more who had never learned before.

There is one girl in our class who has been there from the very beginning. Neither Kellian nor I thought she liked it, because she didn't smile or get excited or anything, but she showed up again and every time we went out. We have also found two particularly lindy-capable people, one guy and one girl. We are going to bring them into the fold. It's hard to believe, but we are actually beginning a Lindy Hop scene out here. Kellian and I sit back and hold our heads sometimes in amazement.

On a personal note, today was what is called a "Bad China Day" for me, up until we started dancing. My phone is on the fritz; I can't accept or send text messages and people call me and say they can't get through. So I went to try to get the phone fixed and I realized I could not explain what the problem was to the people behind the counter. I didn't even know exactly where I was supposed to get it fixed. I keep on calling up my friends who are Mandarin speakers, and I think it drains on them sometimes. I feel a bit like a lost child.

But I met up with Kellian and she saw I was having a hard day and showed a lot of good spirits and helped cheer me up and get into shape for the event tonight. And that went just about perfectly.

Incidentally, we did a swing jam with Kellian as the main event. We also did the Shim-Sham, and one guy (named Z) lead us through the Jitterbug Stroll. We're going to polish those things up, and get our dancing more refined.

What can I say? I am very pleased.
-J