She got it from her mama...

Well, I really believe I'm an exact 50/50 blend of both my parents, but everyone that knows my mom always tells me how much I look like her (especially people that knew her at my age now). My dad always says that I got the best of both of them, and I'd like to think that is true. I'm creative and bold like my dad, but I'm also scholastic and reserved like my mom. You may wonder, how can you really be both? Well, there's a time and a place for everything. It's a quality that I think really helps me relate to a multitude of people.

What prompted me to make this post today was because yesterday after picking something up from my dad, at his work, I ran into a gentleman that has known my parents for years. Right before I left he said, "You really look like your mom." It kind of made my day because I think my mom is gorgeous. The ironic thing about everyone thinking we look alike is that if you really break down our features, none of them are really the same, except our brown hair. Plus, I was blessed with my father's body, long torso and short legs. I even have the same back problems he has, thanks.

With all that said, I'm glad I can remind people of my beautiful mama.

^My mommy and me

^You have to click on this to see larger, you do not want to miss those 'shorty-shorts' my mom was sporting in the top right pic! You can also see some of her travels from her youth. There she is on top of the Swiss Alps (top middle), on a safari in Africa (bottom left), and in Istanbul (bottom right).

^My parents dated for a month before my dad proposed, but he said he knew she was the one just after their first date. But, the great part is that they are still together after 26 years of marriage. They're in it for the long haul. I love these early pics of them, but doesn't my dad look Amish in two of those pics?

^Still together, and madly in love.

Now back to mom and me. I leave you with one last pic. Most of my favorite pics with mom and me are still in the family albums and yet to be scanned into the computer, but this one isn't bad.

My mom is a hard working, selfless, person who has devoted her life to helping others succeed. She's a high school English teacher who wants the best for all of her students, and does way more than what's expected of her. Thank you mom for all you've done for me and everyone around you. The world is a better place because of you, that I know is true. I'm happy to be compared to you any time.

People I want to be friends with...

Some people I'd like to meet, be friends with, or at least have a stellar dance party with.

Madd Chadd


Robert Hoffman




Twitch




Beat Freaks

Seriously, I want to be these girls!

Quest Crew - D*Trix




NappyTabs (Napoleon & Tabitha)

The best choreographers out there! I wanted to leave you with something you could learn if you wanted to. NappyTabs choreographed this for Dance Day this past summer. But, you can find their amazing choreography all over youtube.

Now go ahead and throw yourself your own little random dance party and bust a move. You know I will.

The Beat of New York

Born and raised in a small town in the middle of America I've always had a strong desire to get away, travel, see the world and make a way for myself in new places. My family has never had the finances to travel or vacation so my first opportunity to get away came during college. I was set on getting out of state and trying something totally new. So, I made my way south the grand state of Texas. Fort Worth to be exact, at Texas Christian University. Skipping all the details, it was a great growing experience for me. I met and made friends with some of the most amazing people, learned how much Texas loves Texas (it's true), and I found out that I can make out there in the world.

Now you must be wondering, "What does all that have to do with New York?" Well, I want to know if I could make it there. I want to find out if "I <3 NY." As a creative person I've been told by many people that you really just have to live there for a year, just to take it all in and have the experience. I don't necessarily see NY becoming my permanent home (who really knows), but I would love to give it a year. I look forward to the day when I can have that experience, I mean heck I haven't even been able to visit the lovely city yet. For now I'm just trying to make my way in Kansas City, get those lovely student loans paid off, and then see what happens from there. But, I saw this video that I'm going to share with you and I thought I would also tell you about one of my future goal to one day live in NYC for a year. We'll see what happens, but for now enjoy some of these stunning pictures (click on pictures to see larger) of the iconic city and watch the video.

THE BEAT OF NEW YORK from tim hahne on Vimeo.

THE BEAT OF NEW YORK - A STEREOSCREEN PRODUCTION

stereoscreen.de
facebook.com/​stereoscreen
vimeo.com/​stereoscreen
thomasnoesner.com
filmannex.com/​timhahne

Thomas Noesner, our DoP, was in New York for a shoot of the new Mercedes R-Class. Right after the job, he took his camera and strolled through the busting streets of „The City“. While screening the pictures of a drummer in the tube station, I had the idea of creating a „remix“ of the recorded drum sequence to use it as a soundtrack for the film. That´s when our sounddesigner Toussaint came into play... We composed a track around the drum beat of this guy. Watch and listen to the beat of New York!

Here Comes the... Bridal Shower

There are some really great bridal shower invites out there. So, when my friend asked me to create one for the shower she and her mom are putting on for their future sister/daughter-in-law I wanted to give them something they couldn't get anywhere else. That's why I decided to do an illustration of the Bride-to-be. For this shower they want to just give gifts for the kitchen so that provided a great theme for the invite.

(Personal information on this invite were altered for the web)

Humans That Fly

I wasn't planning on blogging about this today but when I saw this video I had to share it with you.

I'm always in awe of highly skilled dancers, no matter their expertise. Whether it's a ballerina, delicately leaping across the stage, or a b-boyer, seemingly levitating over the ground. It's as if they're saying to gravity, "You don't own me!" I love it.

So of course, there are tons of videos out there of amazing dancers, but this one particularly caught my eye and led me to share with you because of the artistry in the filming. Really beautiful with the lighting, which seems to turn the dancer's shadow into a character all it's own.

Enjoy.

Brazing Ballet

THE INSPIRATION?

... these pointe shoes (literally these exact ones, they were my template).

THE TASK?

... to take this raw material, mold it, shape it, and form it into these.

HOW?

... here's how Wikipedia explains it.

TRANSLATION?

Wear some sweet goggles and bulky gloves, bend and shape your metal, get your torch going (yeah, FIRE!), place filler material at the joints you want to connect, and melt the filler material. Keep it going and watch and see what you can create.

HERE'S THE CREATED FRAME

FINAL PRODUCT

I used newspaper to create the "skin" of the slipper (good 'ole paper mache) with one layer of white tissue paper over that to achieve the delicate look. I then took the exact ribbon and string from my inspirational pointe shoes and attached them to the sculpture. I sewed the ribbon on just the way you would on real pointe shoes.

OneWord... go.

Just stumbled upon a very interesting site. It's called "OneWord."
They show you a word, and you type for sixty seconds. Simple enough.
After your time is up what you wrote is posted and you can see what others wrote about the same word. It's intriguing to see what one word prompts in different people.

My word was POLICY, and here's what I wrote (don't judge).
"rules and guidelines: here's what to do. Obey, black and white, not blue. Say yes, say no, here's where to go."

Check it out and give it a try.

http://oneword.com/

"Get Outta Your Mind"

When I was young my mom put me in dance lessons; the usual ballet and tap and then I did a year of jazz before quitting. I enjoyed dancing but unfortunately when I was young I was at times painfully shy and I suppose being in front of lots of people in a leotard became a bit too much and I quit. Luckily as I got older I gained confidence in myself and while at college I rediscovered my love for dancing after joining a Step Team. Now, I'm no master dancer but I have rhythm and I'm not ashamed to bust a move. There's nothing like getting in your groove and really feeling the music and just letting go, a very freeing experience. I love dancing with people that aren't afraid to embarrass themselves, because truly that's the key to it all. It's about not being afraid or worried about what others might think. I love seeing that person who has no rhythm, and they know it, but they don't care and they just get lost in the music. So, much fun.

I'm a big fan of the show "So You Think You Can Dance" on FOX. They highlight amazing dancers from different backgrounds and styles. The contrast of seeing the ones raised taking classes and classically trained to the ones who are self taught is really great. They have some of the top choreographers created these masterpieces each week, so in an hour you'll see ballroom to b-boying and ballet to bollywood.

I want to leave you with one of my all time favorite performances from last season. Choreographed by Tabitha & Napoleon (a.k.a. Nappytabs) and danced by Twitch (hip hop dancer) and Alex Wong (ballet/modern) to the song "Get Outta Your Mind" by Lil Jon and LMFAO. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLtSfYX8tJk

Then after Alex got hurt SYTYCD had a special guest recreate the epic dance for the finale.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkDqDrDPDRw&feature=related

Sherlock Hound

Saw this video on "Watch What Happens Live" with Andy Cohen, and thought it was so cute and funny. Of course it's cute to see the big floppy dog in the costume but what I thought was funny was all his extra skin going up and down as he ran. It's like his own little game of "Peek-a-boo."

Time For a Makeover

It's time to re-do this blog. Breathe some life into it and make things interesting.
So, that's on my "To Do" list for tomorrow. I just haven't been on my computer as much as I used to be and I have to say the break has been nice but I suppose it's time to get plugged back into the Matrix. Looking forward to focusing more on laughing, dancing, and creating.