Learning to Viennese Waltz

So a little while back I got on the ballroom dancing bandwagon. Growing up with movies like Dirty Dancing, Moulin Rouge, and Strictly Ballroom, it was something I definately wanted to try. So found a great local place that taught classes and started to take lessons.

A friend and I started with the beginning classes, and then moved up to advanced, all with Pro/Am teacher Nikki Morin. Then we started going really nuts...

Dork Pixie Goes to Washington!

Recently, I had the opportunity to go to Washington, D.C. with our city to advocate with our representatives as a delegation. I'd never been, and I was excited to participate in our democratic process as well as see the sights and historical monuments.

The trip was, among other things, an endurance test as we raced from building to building...

Visiting Davy Jones' Locker

If you're familiar with the Pirates of the Caribbean, you might remember the slightly odd scene after Jack gets swallowed by a Kraken and has to be rescued from Davy Jones’ Locker, which is interpreted as his own personal hell of being stuck with himself on his boat and no sea.

Now, it just so happens that a personal hell like Jack Sparrow’s exists, and it’s in the beautiful landlocked state of Colorado. There’s a giant 85,000 acre Great Sand Dunes National Park that’s home to some of the tallest sand dunes in North America (some as high as 750 feet). And, these sand dunes are about as far from the ocean as you can get. How did so much sand get there? Well, according to their website, "the story of their formation is still being discovered," which I take to mean that they don’t really know. But I have a hunch it has something to do with a tentacle-bearded undead sailor…

The fun thing about dressing up like Jack Sparrow in public...

Sailing the Thane!

During my trip to Victoria, Canada, I came across a stark, beautiful red-sailed tall ship called the Thane, with daily cruises through the Strait of Juan de Fuca. I booked passage with Sue, and also met Boca and Trinket – two seasoned seadogs who just happened to be cats. The Thane, built from recycled materials by Captain Len, is modeled after Joshua Slocum’s Spray, which was the first vessel to circumnavigate single-handedly back in 1895...