When my Mother retired last year the firm presented her with two day passes to The Sanctuary Spa. Let me first tell you that my Mother and I work for the same firm and so everyone looked to me for gift ideas... that's my sisters department. The spa day was also my sisters idea, the second day pass was the idea of my boss because she thought my Mother would like the company, and because she couldn't see me sitting around in a robe and flip flops all day, the second day pass was intended for my sister. However, somehow, I ended spending today at The Sanctuary Spa with my Mother.

And now for the Dollhouse reference. Any review, article or write up about Joss Whedon's 'Dollhouse' always says how much the facility looks and feels just like a spa, that's because a spa really is like the Dollhouse. Everybody is dressed in their robes walking around with a very docile nature or lounging on comfy couches around the Koi Carp Lounge, some taking a dip in the relaxtion pool or the exercise pool, there's even one room that reminded me disturbingly of the sleeping chambers and when someone asked me 'Are you ready for your treatment?' I wanted to laugh hysterically.

My day:

11.00 - Arrive, register, change, tour.

11.15 - A few lengths of the exercise pool, just to get the blood pumping, and just because I like swimming

11.45 - Head up to The Lavender Suite for my 'treatment'. I chose a full body massage with essential oils.

12.00 - Treatment begins with a lovely lady named Andrea, who leaves me to change into some fantastic temporary pants, helps me choose which oils I'd like and the proceeds to do amazing things to my body to make it relax so much that I wobble when I finally leave the room.

13.15 - Finally locate my Mother in the Koi Lounge, because we'd forgotten to arrange somewhere to meet after our sessions. After a rest, so that the Shea Butter I've been practically basted in has been absorbed into my skin, we head up to the restuarant for lunch.

13.45 - It is a bizarre experience to sit in a restaurant where everyone is wearing exactly the same thing as you. I dined on a Goats Cheese and Red Onion Tart for starters and Organic Pan Fried Salmon with crushed potato and spinach for my main. (Crushed is just a fancy way of saying mashed but with the skin still on.) It was all delicious.

14.45 - Returned to the Koi Lounge, intent on reading a little before my next session. I managed about six pages before I fell asleep with the book on my face because I was so darn relaxed.

15.30 - I wake up in time to attend my next session, The Sleep Retreat. This is where ten of us enter a darkened room and head to an assigned bed. We press a button on the remote and the bed starts vibrating, then put on some headphones and a very ethereal voice tells us to relax and enjoy our meditative journey. There was something about water and birds and grass and a hammock... zzz zzzz zzzzz zzzzzz

16.00 - Back to the Koi Lounge, I staked out a bed and a blanket and fell asleep for another half hour.

16.30 - Shower, change, sign out, leave.

I spent half the day wet and half the day asleep... it was surprisingly exhausting.

...

Snagged from geekgrrllurking

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My parents are ballroom dancers, in fact, that was how they met over forty years ago. So both my sister and I have dancing in our blood; we've both gone through the obligatory childhood phase of disco dancing, filled our teenage years with contemporary dancing, and experimented in our twenties with ceroc. In her thirties my sister has come full circle and discovered ballroom for herself, I'm still teetering on the brink of actually doing it myself.

Growing up we watched our parents at family functions, dinner/dances and parties. To my sister and I it was just something that they always did at these type of events and we paid them no real attention. But something was soon to change both of our attitudes towards that whirling, twirling, fancy footwork thing that they did to strange pieces of music. Strictly Come Dancing came to our television screens in 2004 and changed the public image of ballroom and latin dancing for an entire generation. They were using music that was in the charts, while still introducing golden oldies that your parents have on vinyl and classical pieces that you know you've heard in film trailers. The costumes were sleek and modern, not polyester and ruffles. The dancers had attitude and sex appeal, instead of plastered on smiles and far too much hair spray. It was... cool.

So the premise of the show was to pair a professional dancer and a celebrity with no previous dancing experience, eight couples in total. The celebrities were the stars who attracted the audience and the professional dancers did their best to whip them into shape and tap into their potential. By the end of the first series professionals Brendan Cole and Anton DuBeck were celebrities in their own right. (Brendan has since appeared on the West End stage as Billy Flynn in Chicago and Anton has hosted several shows for the BBC.)

By the third series popularity of the show demanded more couples, extending the length of the series. Among the new professional dancers to be added to the line-up was former World Champion Karen Hardy. I fell in love with this woman the moment that I saw her dance; she doesn't just dance with her body, she dances with her soul and it is incredible to watch. I read somewhere that when she retired from professional dancing she felt as though her life was over, but Strictly Come Dancing gave her a little bit of it back.

In the fourth series she was paired with a cricketer, Mark Ramprakash. At first so shy and reserved Karen was afraid she would never get any fire from him, but she did and they stormed through the series to take the trophy. I voted for them, a lot. If I'm honest I voted for her because she stole my heart.

Karen's husband Conrad has an account on YouTube and has posted several of Mark and Karen's fantastic routine's. I've chosen to highlight their Argentine Tango because it was slick and sophisticated and sexy. (It was also something that not even Karen had danced before.) Afterwards, check out their Salsa and their Cha Cha Cha and their Samba... just check out all their dances, they are made of awesomeness!

...

Snagged from geekgrrllurking

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Passion and Perfection

Unless I'm buying a new book from Amazon, or a new dvd from Play, or a new desk from Argos, then most of the websites that I visit online are related to television shows that I obsess over, or films that I am not so patiently waiting to see. In every show, and a few of the films, I'm always looking for the connection between two of the female characters. Whether it be maintext (Helen/Nikki or Rachel/Luce), subtext (Xena/Gabrielle or Idgie/Ruth), or animosity that could possibly be, deep down, read between the lines, true love (Sarah/Cameron or ... nope, can't think of a film pairing to follow that up with at the moment), I'm always looking for more than what I get to see onscreen and fan fiction is the best place to find it.

Whenever I get into a new fandom, and find a new pairing, my first port of call is P&P because there's a good chance that others have seen what I have. Archived in this multi-fandom website is fan fiction, fan art, fan videos and graphics for a plethora of shows and films and theatre; ranging from Star Trek: Voyager and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit to Fried Green Tomatoes and Loving Annabelle and Wicked even has it's own section. It's also great that shows like Birds of Prey, Women's Murder Club and Nikki and Nora, axed before they had a chance, are given new life by dedicated fans who have vision and loyalty.

The website has been around for a good few years now, providing some of the best that the femslash has to offer. Ralst, webmistress extraordianaire, has built a friendly, encouraging and creative community on an international scale that I hope she can look at everyday and be extremely proud of... even when the backlog looks overwhelming and she's struggling with real life and getting those last few hundred words of her latest story ready to go.

Now, let's go see what's new on the Passion Perfect lj community...
...

Snagged from geekgrrllurking

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Snagged from geekgrrllurking

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"I'd give up forever to touch you, 'cos I know that you feel me somehow."

That right there is the reason why I love 'Iris' by The Goo Goo Dolls. To experience a feeling so powerful that you would sacrifice everything for it. The idea that love can transcend all barriers; life and death, mortal and immortal, good and evil, are all just obstacles to be challenged. It's what we all dream about, isn't it?

Monday 25^th January 2008

I hate the Monday after the convention. It’s all over for another year and I have to say goodbye to all my American friends who I probably won’t see for another year, and goodbye to all my British friends who are flying back to Good Ol’ Blighty at some point. But hey, I’m going to Las Vegas so I’m not too tearful!

We get to hang out at Bob Hope airport for most of the morning and invariably we bump into someone from the convention, eeking out the buzz for as long as we can.

Going on South West Airlines is like going on a bus that flies. For a lot of people it’s simply a commute, just like the one I take to work everyday, but with better views, better seats and no overcrowding. I love that the cabin crew wear shorts and tee-shirts and that I barely get my in flight drink to my lips before it’s time to stow my trade table and return my seat to it’s upright position.

A quick ride to the Excalibur Hotel and I feel like I’m home. I miss the sound of the casino; mechanic voices chanting ‘Wheel of Fortune’, the ‘ping, ping, ping’ of the slot machine reels. I even miss the smell of the casino, I have no idea what it is, probably a higher level of oxygen being pumped into the air to keep the gamblers awake. Whatever it is I already have a bounce in my step. The bed is as big as the one we had at the Marriott even if the room isn’t, but I don’t plan to spend a lot of time there.

We’ve scarcely unpacked and I’m dragging Katie out of the room and through the labyrinth of Black Jack, Texas Hold ‘em, Roulette Wheels and out for some exploring. The Luxor, The Mandalay Bay, New York New York and The MGM Grand are in easy reach before we need to meet Maureen and Virginia for dinner, so it’s time to go play on the moving walkways. If it’s not busy I like to do a little song and dance number from ‘Singing In The Rain’ called ‘Broadway Rhythm’; running against the walkway, going with the walkway and singing at the top of my lungs. I can’t seem to help myself. Nor can I seem to quash the desire to run around the inside of The Luxor as though I’m in an episode of Stargate; this, however, I manage not to act out.

We spend a couple of hours looking around the different casinos and shopping arcades, just letting Katie take in the sheer madness that is Las Vegas. Then it’s time to head back to the room and meet up with Maureen and meet Virginia for the first time. Virginia is Maureen’s oldest sister and I’ve heard a lot about her over the years, a lot that Maureen begs me not to reveal that I know. Two hours later I know all the stories again, from Virginia’s point of view; mostly the same story, but with a lot more swearing!

There was no real doubt about where we were going to be eating on our first night in Las Vegas. Maureen and I have waxed lyrical over the Mandalay Bay Buffet for years, Virginia has been once before and was ready to return and Katie had been waiting for this experience since the beginning of the trip. We were too late for the dessert section but who cares when there’s salmon and crab claws, noodle soup that has pasta bows, creamy mashed potato and omelettes made to order.

With our appetites nicely satisfied we wander back through The Mandalay Bay and The Luxor and into The Excalibur. Las Vegas in a big city and we’ve got a lot of ground to cover tomorrow.

Tuesday 26^th January 2008

Dropped by the Sherwood Café for breakfast, headed through New York New York (browsed the tee-shirt counter at Coyote Ugly), into the MGM Grand (stopped by the Lion habitat where a couple of cubs were entertaining the audience) and finally arrived in Heaven. Heaven being a three storey tall Coca-Cola bottle; where the famous brand logo is stamped on anything from a key ring to a classic chest refrigerator. I have a pair of pajamas.

No trip to Coca-Cola World would be complete without having at least one drink at the café conveniently located on the top floor. So Katie and I ordered a medium coke and medium diet coke and proceeded to give ourselves brain freeze as we drank them too quickly.

From there we began our whirlwind around the world trip, or at least the Las Vegas version of it. A slow stroll down to Paris, where because we hadn’t finished our Cokes we got ourselves some Pepsi and sat for a few minutes to admire the 1:8 replica of the Eiffel Tower. On the way we passed Morte Carlo, currently closed because it had suffered some fire damage at the weekend. Then we were crossing the Rialto Bridge as we made it to Venice, making a beeline for St Mark’s Piazza, buying ice cream and watching the Gondolas bob past. I’ve never really spent much time in the Venetian and now I know why. Lots of lovely little shops with beautiful masks and amazing hand made leather journals; I could spend a fortune and not even care, so Katie dragged me out and promised to buy me a mask for an early birthday present.

Across the road and we begin the journey back to Arthurian England. We’re a little too early for the Siren’s at Treasure Island so we’ll have to come back for that. We bypass the Forum Shops because I have no desire to spend $300 on a handbag. Spare a brief glance for the Coliseum, well we were sightseeing. We did stop at the Bellagio Lake, but after 15 minutes with no dancing water we moved on because it was starting to get a bit chilly. We ducked into New York New York for a bit of warmth and walked through the pretend streets and into the pretend park. And then we were back to our castle.

We did indeed cover a lot of ground, miles when you take in the endless corridors of the Aladdin’s Passage at Planet Hollywood and the numerous floors of the Fashion Show Mall. And we walked all day, no buses, no cabs, no wonder I only want to go as far as the Round Table Buffet for dinner.

Wednesday 27^th January 2008

It’s Annual Best Buy and Barnes and Noble day in Las Vegas. The rest of Las Vegas doesn’t actually celebrate this holiday, just myself and those on the trip with me. It’s a day dedicated to going off Strip to one of the numerous little shopping arcades, what we here in England would call a retail park, and spending a vast amount of dollars on DVDs, CDs, electronics and books.

Last year we discovered after a healthy spend in Best Buy that Barnes and Noble had a 2 for 1 on most of the DVD box sets we’d just got. This year we heeded our mistake and went to Barnes and Noble first; and they’re still having a 2 for 1 deal. After browsing the shelves of television series for a few minutes I realise I have all my Angel and Buffy and Xena box sets. There’s no new release for Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. And every other series I like gets cancelled after 13 episodes and rarely makes it to DVD release. In short I can’t find anything to buy. But then a little gem appears before me: 30 Rock season one. Mine. Tina Fey is my goddess; she writes, she acts, she creates, she produces, why would I not worship her? And Stephanie March as a lesbian… GO GAY FOR GRETCHEN.

Over at Best Buy I pick up Studio 60 and The Shield for Dean, neither of them were available in the 2 for 1 next door. I get close to pulling the Complete Alias box set from the shelf but Katie stops me with a gentle reminder that I’m trying to be careful with money during this trip. I hate it when she makes me sensible.

We manage to get a cab back to the hotel and arrange to reconvene with The Sisters later on for an excursion. In the mean time Katie and I decide that having pictures taken in front of various landmarks would be a fun way to pass the time. So we posed before the Statue of Liberty, The Sphinx, The Eiffel Tower, The Coliseum and the castle – America, Europe, Africa and time travel all in the one day, how wonderful.

Our excursion for the evening is a trip to Fremont Street. I’ve been meaning to do this for six years but never quite got around to it, this year I was determined. The four of us got 24 hour bus passes and boarded The Deuce at Tropicana and sat in traffic for an hour, there was an accident somewhere along the Strip. Finally we get to Fremont Street and I feel a bit of a shiver as I see some of the first casinos to be built in this town: 4 Queens, Golden Nugget, Binion’s Horseshoe, The Golden Gate and The Plaza. Not to mention the Marlborough Man waving away at everyone. I couldn’t resist the chance to pump a few dollars into a slot machine at The 4 Queens just so I could say I did.

We watched the light show on the canopy above us, but I wasn’t really held captive by it. I was more interested by everyone else looking up at it and by the street performers and finding somewhere that was a little bit warmer.

The return bus ride was even more of an adventure than the first. We get as far as the junction of Treasure Island to find the whole thing blocked off by police. No traffic is moving in either direction and foot traffic is forbidden to cross as well. Thankfully sitting just across from us is the daughter of a taxi driver and after a few phone calls she reveals that President Bush is in town. This gets everybody talking to one another, and on discovering that our group is British begin apologising profusely for their leader. Considering he won two elections I have never met anyone who has voted for him.

Unfortunately the delay this caused meant that we would not be in time for The Mandalay Bay buffet and so we opted for the MGM café instead. For some reason unknown to anyone, including myself, at this particular restaurant I always order my starter from the breakfast menu and my main from the starter menu. Not so this year, I took a gamble and had the starter for a starter and a main for a main; chicken noodle soup followed by a cheese and bacon burger. I didn’t manage to finish the burger but at least I know I tried.

Back in the hotel room we decided to actually switch on the rather large television that graced our wall. We tuned into an episode of Sex And The City. I’ve only ever seen one episode of Sex And The City and it was the same one. I fell asleep in no time.

Thursday 28^th January 2008

Our last full day in Las Vegas; we decide to skip breakfast at the Sherwood Café in favour of an early lunch in a little place I know. Head to Coca-Cola World, take the escalator to the basement, go past the climbing wall and the aqua massagers, walk through the video game arcade and up a ramp is a little diner that serves the best burgers I’ve ever had in my life.

Katie and I ordered something called ‘Sliders’ as a starter; six mini burgers with various condiments so you can flavour them to your own taste. I followed this with a chicken burger and Katie had a turkey wrap. With enough energy in our system we prepare to tackle the Strip for the final time.

Usually I would spend a couple of hours just playing in the arcade but today we have other plans. We head straight to the Venetian and after walking around the faux alleys and waterways we finally find the little shop selling the carnival masks and Katie lets me pick out my birthday present. It’s a gorgeous half face with silvers and blues and sparkles. She then quickly ushers me from the store before I can be distracted by the leather journals again.

Next we decide to visit The Secret Garden at The Mirage. We watch the Dolphins playing with Frisbees and take plenty of photographs so that we can guarantee that at least a couple will turn out okay. Then it’s onto my favourite part: the big cats, Lions, White Lions, Bengal Tigers, White Tigers, a Black Panther and a Snow Leopard. On my first trip to The Secret Garden I was relieved that these animals are only on show here for opening times and that they live on a big ranch with Siegfried and Roy and that they rotate which cats are on show every few days. And then there’s the Elephant; why does he share his space with a turkey? I ask myself this question every year and I still don’t have the answer. It’s a combination I just don’t understand, clearly.

It was starting to get a little darker out and so we decide to take in The Sirens show at Treasure Island. I’ve never seen the show before; it was fun to watch, some dancing, some acrobatics, some girls in very skimpy clothing who must have been freezing in that water. After the show we wander back along the Strip and as we reach The Bellagio they’re gearing up for a show, how very fortuitous for us. I think the song was ‘It’s Great To Be An American’ but it could have been ‘Singing In The Rain’ I just love watching those fountains dance, and they keep very good time.

Back at The Excalibur I try to spend some of the money I have left because I really don’t want to exchange it when I get home. I put $20 dollars into a slot machine and get $60 out, typical.