'Gypsy Diary- Entry #1

I first heard about the Juggling Gypsy back when I was in my junior year of high school. I had been teaching myself bellydance and was starting to get very interested in fire dance. A friend told me about the belly/fire dance troupe of Wilmington called Vatra Gitana. While looking at their site she mentioned that they performed at a hookah bar. Thus I was introduced to the Gypsy. I wanted to attend a Fire and Drums Thursday as soon as I saw it on their events page. I finally managed to get down there for the first time sometime in the late summer of '09. Some drummers showed up but no fire dancers. I didn't get to return again due to multiple contraindicators in my life... from parents to school early the next day, to not having car... Until January of this year. I now try to attend at least every Thursday Fire and Drums night.

My 'Gypsy Diary

I have a new haunt, a place in Wilmington, NC called the Juggling Gypsy Hookah Bar and Entertainment Parlor. It is an eclectic mix of hippies, rockers, normal-joes, Fire dancers, and every type of person in between. It has become my home-away-from-home, my paradise in a life full of stress, school, and work. It is a place where strangers are family. I have been inspired to start writing what I'd like to affectionately call my 'Gypsy Diary, an on-going account of my bohemian adventures at the 'Gypsy.

Check them out at www.jugglinggypsy.com and on Facebook.

Ready Set...

Go.

I moved into my new room on January 4th. The day of the New Moon (and a Solar Eclipse for half the world), I thought it fitting to start off new on this day. New house, new room mates, new responsibilities, new freedoms. My room is still under construction as far as organization (I have yet to find a dresser..) and decoration (.. I keep forgetting to get thumbtacks to hang up my scarves and posters). I will be beginning a Surfer Mag mural (again, I used to have one in my old room last year).

Another fitting occasion for the New Moon was to begin my New Year's Resolution: to finally go vegetarian. I will still be eating sea food on occasion. I am cutting out all other meat products, trying to switch over to all non-dairy substitutes when available (rice-milk cheese slices are amazing), will be buying local eggs, and will try to keep my meals at least 50% raw (in the spring/summer I hope to increase that to at least 75%). Last night I made pasta with traditional sauce in a jar, seasoning, faux ground beef, and raw mushroom slices as a topping all over whole wheat penne noodles.

I also began my French class yesterday. My teacher is from Russia with a French accent developed over years of immersion and speaking French. So far so good.