The Wednesday Dance Reel

One would think it easy to create a video for the world to see. Not. If you want to create something unique or interesting, it takes time and preparation. For the Wednesday dance, I had to change the camera's perspective because there were larger-than-life dramatic moves involved. Posted on Instagram @Tamaschen. 

Most important of all, I had to be in the right frame of mind. I had moved through the euphoric phase of freedom. Now, I am settling in to the new reality of my singleness. 

Back to the preparation phase. The blinking purple lights over the loveseat were found in the shed. In the background is a strobe light, also a squeee, happy find. I will make room for props any day of the week. There also is the little detail of an Eeyore plush dressed in costume on the loveseat. An Easter egg at Halloween. 

The black wig thrifted find was labeled as "premium" and I agree with that. Fun to wear, it will make another appearance in a dance reel. An England-designed Hell Bunny dress also thrifted. I used the tattoo arm sleeves on my legs, yes, I am that gawd damned thin. To change the lyrics of one song - All of this drinkin' and smokin' is hopeless, I hope to be putting on some weight... (sung to Jelly Roll's Save Me.) 

Saw a cute meme - Having a toddler is like having a drunk friend with you 24/7. Emotionally unstable, always wanting snacks, sings randomly, falls a lot, and has no sense of volume control. 

I am considering a dance to GUAP with moves by emetsound. On my bucket list are the dance moves to the Punjabi song Mundian To Bach Ke (Beware of the Boys). The video I want to share is a premium download, so I will have to learn the dance and create a reel of my own. 

My Brief Wilding Stint is Coming to an End

It is a good thing that a fur baby is coming into my life. For nearly a year, I have been supplemental mom to my son's Welsh Corgi Tucker. Each day, I have traveled from my apartment to the family home to act as dog walker/groomer. Tucker will now be joining me in my apartment. 

No more happy hours to kill time. When I do have to be gone for extended periods of time, he will be at doggy daycare. Upcoming are performances, hopefully, with the Sutter Street Theatre cadre, and classes at Folsom Lake College. My focus will swivel to him and discovering the numerous walking trails in the area. 

Another bonus, I will include him in the background of Instagram reels. An incredibly intelligent dog, I am sure he will understand the assignment. 

On the subject of pets, while I was at Walmart, a dehydrated pidgeon approached me in the parking lot. The bird was clearly in distress, panting from the unusual October heat. Luckily, I had water in my truck and I poured some on the ground. A Walmart worker joined me with more water from another customer and we got the bird out of distress. It was clearly someone's pet as it was nearly tame but still uncatchable. 

Looking forward to having Tucker join me soon. 

Looking To Be Adopted

After eliminating most of the negative people in my life, I am looking to being adopted by a loving family. I say that tongue in cheek, of course. I have delightful children but they have their own lives and interests. None of those include me. 

I stay very busy during the week with dance fitness, and acting classes. Had to share this image, a sweet stranger took the photo for me. When I was waiting for my Uber ride home, a male passerby said I looked "gangster."😂 Side note, now TWO younger gentlemen in historic Folsom have said I look "gangster." Not sure if it is because of my guerl outfit, because I look homeless-girl thin, OR if it is a new name for cougars ... (hope not). Perhaps the Cuban gangster I lived with for many years has rubbed off on me. 

I know the odds of being a single older woman and meeting a partner are slim to none. At least the type of man I hope to meet. One with all working parts, like hearing, and the ability to walk. Just the little items. A full set of teeth is a bonus. Seriously, I am not kidding. Mr. Wonderful kept losing his teeth and did not replace the missing ones. 

Here is a little tidbit that gets me every time. Women post that they have been dating Mr. X. Mr. X turns out to be married. There is this little search engine called Google. Lo and behold, you can search public records. What a concept!!!???? Maybe check there before things happen. 

I've got my adoption papers ready. Good health, good teeth, a little bit vision challenged. A proven sense of humor. One Tami Ready to Go.💝

Fashion Focus and Reel Creation

Love fashion and all of its iterations. While athleisure clothing continues its popularity, the baseball cap guerls have taken over. The out-and-about uniform for most women seems to be the cap, t-shirt, pajama/yoga pant, backpack/fanny pack, and tennis shoes. No old lady purses being toted around, they have cutesy backpacks with plush backpack clips. I have added an Emotional Support Stuffie to my gear. 

I can appreciate how much time it takes to create an Instagram reel. First, I lay out the costuming and other items I might use. Throwing a stuffie during the reel might become one of my signature moves. 

I apply semi-permanent leg makeup (the skirts are so short), and get the wig brushed and set right on my head. The hard part is next, getting the right dance moves to go with the music. Editing the reel is still a challenge. I keep dancing out of frame, so I will have to change the perspective for the first October reel. 

Other news - the 2027 spring college term. While I do have a talent for drawing and painting, it is a solitary pursuit. I am just not in to being alone. Rather than continue taking classes for studio art, I am swiveling to courses in theater arts. Yes, that means taking an acting class. There are no prerequisites for that. Now, whether the scheduling lands on days I am not baby watching, will be the determining factor on which class I can take. 

Got in on the dress rehearsal for the Evil Dead production at the sold out show held at the Sutter Street Theater in Folsom, California. What a hoot! Part of the show meant being doused with red Kool-Aid if you sat in the front 4 rows of the theater. 

Just a Girl at Play

The view of my patio from the outside looking in. Decorated for fall, I will be putting up Christmas at the beginning of November. 

With the onset of shorter daylight, I booked my first Uber to and from an event. I thought it safer being a woman alone, to just book that ride rather than walk back to my parked car in the dark. That was my main concern, taking the evening improv class at night. Now I can relax, have a drink, knowing I won't have to navigate in the dark. Maybe even engage in drunken shopping.😛You will have to check out my Instagram account @Tamaschen for stories on that. 

Did my first karaoke, my first song was Choosing Texas by Ella Langley. It went south quick because the soundtrack didn't match the words. My second choice, Close to You by the Carpenters, went a little better. I am considered a contralto, with the lowest singing voice for a female, so the upper register tunes I can't master. 

Setting up my next IG dance video. I found a disco ball and a strobe light in my storage. I will incorporate both. I also want to have some humorus aspect rather than straight up dance. I am finding such fun costuming. I have at least 10 different wigs from my thrift shop forays. Some I have had for years, others found recently. 

Ending with Karen Carpenter's version of Close to You. She was such an amazing talent, lost way too early to this world. 

 

Plunging into the Performing Arts

I have waited a long, long time to perform any kind of routine in public. While Instagram dances are not necessarily in person, they are out there for the world to see. Instagram @ Tamaschen. There is so much to learn to creating a reel. Took me awhile to figure out how to print screen from it. 

Behind me is a peek at the oil on canvas abstract I am currently working on. 

Tap dancing is one of my first loves. I take classes twice a week from two different teachers in two different cities. 

Country line dancing is offered twice a month and is so. much. fun. Not nearly as demanding in technique as tap dancing. 

I've committed to an adult improv class every Friday night at a small local theatre from now until the year's end. 

A little more about my Tami the Terror character. I have made-up names for the children in my family; My son - Ethan, My daughter - Lauren, my former husband - Bob, and my grandbaby Georgette. All so I can sing this song from 1967 .... Georgy Girl!

Saw my former partner Mr. Wonderful made a Instagram account. He never was interested in that platform before. He and his adult daughter were immediately blocked. 

Ending with a funny tidbit about the improv class. Seems the bulk of the participants are introverts. I showed up Tami, the extrovert to the extreme, and am changing the course of history.

The Instagram Experiment

Now is the time to find wigs at thrift. I dig through the tubs of costumes to find them. This one will be next up for a dance video. Never worn, still with protective hair net in package. 

I also discovered I look better in the longer hair wigs, maybe because I wore my hair long so many years I feel comfortable that way. 

As I suspected, my first dance video received many more views than anything else I have done so far posting on Instagram. I like to dance (all the time) and I like to watch other people's dance videos. 

As a kid, I loved to watch the Carol Burnett show which ran on TV from 1967 to 1978. I pattern my physical comedy after her. Here she talks about one of her famous scenes from the show. 

An extremely happy find were these tattoo sleeves, also from tub digging. I am going to use those rather than go the long manicured nails route. 

The adult improv class went and I am signed up for another session. It is good training for me to be in an ensemble setting. 

I am a busy, busy girl. Anyone who is bored in retirement needs to quit hiding their talents under a bush.