I'm not stressed, I'm trying to breathe!

Maybe it's that the kid likes me, that she keeps talking to me? I don't know, all I know, was I was still a little cranky with little miss "aren't you too old", so her asking me today after class, whilst I am trying to pack up my stuff, fill out the new years registration form, find my checkbook, remembering how old I will be on January 1st (no, really, I had to think about it for like 5 minutes)  and y'know, catch my breath from getting my ass handed to me within the first 20 minutes of class, if I was alright, cause, y'know, "you looked stressed" *read in snotty 9 year old tone*. My response was "No, just trying to catch my breath. We aren't all young and energetic." Her parents were standing there, or else Evil Meara might have popped out and said something to the extent of "When you are pushing 30, overweight, a former heart-patient and don't have your mommy to tie your shoes for you, you can talk to me about stress, ya little turd!" . . ..  I am pleased to say, Evil Meara was held at bay.

Despite pre-class social anxiety panic attacks, I got there walked in the front door, and it was almost like there hadn't been a summer break. TC was happy to see me, so that was great. All the same little faces lined up on the floor next to me. The only thing different was all that stamina I had been building up over all of last year left me high and dry weeks ago. Some warm up drills and two times through my treble jig and I was ready to collapse. Amazingly enough, I didn't forget every single thing I had learned.Treble jig & Hornpipe had nothing more then the usual technical difficulties. But then, one of the munchkins decided to ask to do slip jig first thing in shoftshoe.

When my TC was confirming with me that I didn't know it, I did have the decided pleasure in telling her that I knew my first step well enough and that I had danced it at my last Feis, AND DIDN'T GET LAST - my "fifth place slip jig" was the joke for the rest of the class. And honestly, my first step still wasn't bad, having only just learned it right before the competition and then not working on it at all since then.

After class (somewhere in between being insulted by Miss Smartypants) I got a chance to catch up with TC. She was pleased with all my 2nd places, liked the idea of me coming to 2 classes a week was encouraging of me entering a feis in December, pointing out that I would still be able to dance in AB, but as of the new year, anything I had placed in I would have to move up in. I managed not to scream like a teenage at a boy band concert, and just said something to the extent of "Yeah, I was thinking that I was going to have to. I was hoping. Now, maybe if I work really hard and do well at this feis in January, I can move ALL my dances up at one time and not have to be split between two levels.

But, really, what I was thinking was "HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT!!!!! I'M MOVING UP TO NOVICE"

I mean, it's only been eleven bloody years!!

So - no messing around from here on out!! I WILL have all my dances ready to move up to Novice by the new year. That means I need to place my Treble Jig, my Slip Jig and my Saint Patrick's day at this feis in December. So I HAVE to go to all my classes, if not 2 classes a week. I need to practice over the weeks, I need to start eating better, getting better sleep and being more focused.

CAUSE HOLY SHIT I'M MOVING UP TO NOVICE IN THE NEW YEAR!!!!