ready, set, go.

It's happening again. Once again, it's our last night in New York and I'm trying to stuff my life into a suitcase no bigger than a back pack. Each time we do a massive trip I downsize in luggage from the trip before... you just start to realize how little you REALLY need to get by.  So this new little gem is a "boarding bag" and allows just enough room for the basics + an extra or two... and I'll be using it for three months abroad. Eeeek! After the tour we'll be working on the new record and getting things in line for the release next year. I'm excited beyond words, but of course have a little anxiety as well. I've never left for 3 months and the thought of not seeing my family and friends for that long makes my heart sad. 

The adventure is just beginning! I'll try to keep this updated as much as possible - so check in often. If you don't already, go ahead and follow me on twitter (@dancepanda) as that will surely be updated more than this. 

And as always - come see us if you're in one of these cities!

xoxo,

b

making christmas in brooklyn

Ron and I are now doing "the holiday switch off" - meaning we switch off between families for Thanksgiving & Christmas each year. Last year we were in Atlanta with my fam - this year we're up in New York where most of his family has landed. So this means we got to host our very first real holiday (sort of)! We hosted Christmas Eve with our family and close friends at our... um... I mean, some dude's apartment that we've never met. We got an apartment via AirBnB for the few weeks we're in town. Luckily, it was perfect for our holiday! Thanks, random dude!

Ron, his brother, and his dad made an Italian dinner for us... and I made dessert (lemon + basil cookies and funfetti cupcakes!). Dinner was out of this world as always - you can't beat antipasto, homemade lasagna, rice balls, and veal cutlets. God bless an Italian kitchen. PLUS, we had a delicious holiday cocktail/amazing champagne/perfect wine. The mint, cranberries, and pomegranates below are our drink garnishes... nice touch, if I do say so myself. Can't beat it with a stick.

Merry Christmas everyone... more to come from this crew... but go hug your fam and celebrate with them. See ya lata.

-b

quiet

Sorry I've been so quiet these last few weeks. I posted last week the day of Hurricane Sandy & haven't been back since. We left New York yesterday for LA so we can fly to Australia on Tuesday for the tour. Things have just felt a little off and a lot of excitement for Australia has waned a bit.

I want to extend a very sincere thank you to all of my friends, family, twitter followers and blog readers for checking up on us. It was a scary time, but we were some of the few that were very lucky. However, if we stayed in the East Village apartment we rented (which happens to be across the street from the apartment we lived in for three years), it would be another story. On Sunday, I frantically went to the store with the rest of the neighborhood, waited in long lines, bought water at my bodega, then sat glued to the internet for updates since the TV didn't work (bahhh!). Ron was performing at a private event, so 'Alone Blair' quickly turns to 'Frantic Blair' when left to her own devices. When Bloomberg said they were shutting down the subways in three hours, I knew I had to make a decision immediately. I called Ron, told him we'd be going to Brooklyn to my best friend's apartment, and to meet me there instead. If we had to weather the storm somewhere, I'd rather be with my best friends anyway.

So glad we did! The storm surge reached well past the East Village apartment and power was out for days. Since I lived in the neighborhood for years, my heart breaks for all of my friends still there and all of the local shop owners who I came to know and love over the years. As a New Yorker, if you haven't formed a close bond with your bodega owner and laundry lady, you have certainly done something wrong. Fortunately, the power has been restored to most parts of the East Village at this time, and it seems that subways are starting to be more functional again. However, this area is still in dire need of help as many families who live in subsidized housing do not have the resources to bounce back as quickly.

Obviously, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Staten Island is a mess, Far Rockaway and Coney Island feel like they've been forgotten, and parts of New Jersey don't even exist anymore. I feel guilty as I type this from my hotel room in LA for not being there to help. New York is my home and I'm not there to clean up the mess. Guilt aside, here are somethings you can do to help from near or far!

- EASIEST: Verizon customers can donate up to $50 to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief via text! Text "REDCROSS" to 90999. It'll text back with a confirmation. I'm actually pretty sure you can do this with any provider, but you should probably check into that, my friends! You can also donate on the Red Cross website HERE.

Other places you can donate to from the comfort of your couch are listed here.

- NEW YORKERS: I'm sure you've seen it, but if you haven't, this is your one-stop shop for ways to help around the city http://www.nycservice.org/

- NEAR OR FAR!: NY Cares is an amazing organization that I've personally used to volunteer across the city in the past (my personal fave was walking foster doggies, but there are TONS of available opportunities). They have options to donate money OR you can help out with the NY Coat Drive that will desperately need more coats this year. If you live outside of New York, you can get 10 gently used coats and ship them directly to the warehouse (think about how many unworn coats you probably have between you and your friends! Look in the back of your closets!). Look into that HERE.

Finally, while I definitely agree with the city for canceling the marathon (FINALLY!), I do feel for those who flew from around the world and trained for months to be a part of it. Bless those who are using their time in New York to volunteer in devastated areas and make the most of it instead of spending their time angry. I guarantee this will be a time they never forget & once they see the areas affected, they won't think twice about the cancelation.

That's about it for now. I'll keep you guys posted in the weeks to come on our travels, but this was something I needed to get out there. My feet may be elsewhere, but my heart is in New York.

post card: new york

"I’ve spent more nights sleeping in a hotel room than most people ever need to over the course of an entire lifetime, and I’m not even 30 years old yet. I know which hotel chains have soap that I like, and which places will make you smell like a little old lady when you wash your hands. I’m alone in a big bed with my glasses on, listening to Tom Waits, trying to come down after the show. There’s only one more date left in the US and I’m thinking about how this tour has played out. One night like tonight can make up for fifteen miserable ones…the fans were locked in with the band, and it was powerful. All the nonsense I have to deal with to get onto that stage (unsavory promoters, poorly managed venues, twelve hour drives in the van, missing my family, etc etc etc) feels absolutely worth it when the fans show up like they did tonight. The energy in that room was palpable and it drew a strong performance out of everybody in the band. The reason why I tour is so that there can be more nights like tonight. Thank you New York; you’re like no other." 

- Rp's Tumblr post on the New York show last night

vibrancy

Yesterday, I made a stop by the Union Square farmers market. If you live in NYC and you haven't been... um, why? If you're here on a visit, you should stop by and pick up an apple or something! It's truly wonderful. It gets packed, so the earlier you go, the better. There are other great markets around the city & brooklyn, but for the purpose of this post, this is the one we're discussing.

So I took my rented 7D cam out for a spin to get used to it before snappin photos at Ron's show. All I learned is that now I have to save thousands of dollars so I can get one + a killer lens. GREAT. greaaaaat. Just what I need.

Food can be so gorgeous. BEHOLD!

summa summa summa in the city

I'm SO glad we're back home for a few weeks. Being on tour is great (most of the time) and I'm so glad I get to hang out in tons of great cities... but there really is no place like home. ESPECIALLY when your home is New York in the summer - can't beat it one bit. There is something to do literally every day. For the amateur, it's enough to make your head spin, stay inside, and cry. As a veteran, we start compiling our summer calendars in March. There are free outdoor concerts, movies in the park, farmers markets, rooftops to drink on, pools to try to sneak into, picnics, trips to long beach, etc, etc, etc. I just love it. I want to shrink it and put it in my pocket. 

Last week, I sent an email announcement to all of our friendsies requiring them to see us at least once before we depart again. First thing on the agenda was a free concert from the NYC Philharmonic in Central Park. So a few of us packed up a blanket, picnic food, wine, & my camera, and headed to snag a spot.

After I dumped half a bottle of red wine all over the bottom of my bag (grrrr!!! raaahhhh!!!! nooooo!!!), I spotted Ron and we were set. The show was absolutely stunning and it was a perfect night for it. Wait - it rained a bit, but that didn't really dampen the mood (ohhh, you're welcome for that pun).

work it!

shoulda known better. my payback was pictures of me eating

yay picnic

the vegan noodle slurp

the vegan noodle nosh

our friends came prepared with ADULT JUICE BOXES. WINE JUICE BOXES, PEOPLE. Amazing.

JOE & his juice

Ron's foot.

my blurred face. For all of you creepy creepsters who ask what color my eyes are.

Finishing the night with fireworks. Perfection!

Lots of other good stuff comin up! We're also crazy busy at the moment with work... If you ARE in the city, please come hang out with us for Rp's birthday! The crazy guy decided to celebrate by working, so he's playing a show! We'll be at Webster Hall Studio @ 7pm on July 21st. GET TICKETS, PLEASE!

See you then :]

Eating alone and other things

How'd ya like that Q&A sesh? Pretty fun, right? Well, I have another one coming soon.... just need a few more Qs to A so it feels like a real post. NO ONE has prompted an interpretive dance yet, though. I'm impressed with you guys.

Anyway - as you've probably noticed from some of Rp's updates, we are living in a hotel in Soho at the moment. Just to clarify - this isn't really by choice. We had another place worked out... that didn't actually work out, so here we are. I'm LOVING living in this neighborhood. I don't know that I'd ever do it otherwise for a long-term situation, so I'm glad for the experience for now. Point is - I'm compiling some pics for ya.

And now onto the realness! Today, Rp and I had completely opposite schedules. Usually, I'm the one out and about working or running errands. Today he was out and I was IN almost all day. Around about 2:30pm I realized I had skipped breakfast... and lunch for that matter. So I pulled myself together and ran off to Sacred Chow in the Village. Ran off meaning, I walked slowly to my destination... damn foot. Sacred Chow is vegan and it's delicious and I didn't care that I had to eat alone... worth it. I know what you're thinking. You're going, "umm.... Ron writes about food. What do you think you're doing?" And I'm here to tell you that I DO WHAT I WANT!

So, even more impressive than eating alone is eating alone AND taking pictures of your food. Nothing says weirdo quite like that. In retrospect, I'm always more uncomfortable after the fact - I could really care less in the moment. People gotta eat, yo! My favorite is when I realize I've just taken a picture of a pickle because it's sliced ever so cutely! That's the best.

Since I was all by my lonesome, I only had one course (plus, it's lunch). I went with the Grilled Western Tofu Hero. Total deliciousness. I know - some of you think you hate tofu. You don't. Not all of it anyway. Go to a specialist & your mind will be blown. BLOWN I tell you!

Anyway - that's all I have to say about that. Gotta run to eat dinner with real people.

interrogation

I admit it!

oh, not that sort of interrogation.... urmmm, anyway...

Now that I'm back in New York and recovering from that surgery I keep complainin' about, I don't have much to tell you guys... especially until I can walk & yoga like normal again (SOON... hopefully). However, I get lots of questions from family, friends, and Rp fans, so I thought I'd answer them here. Apologies if I condensed your exact question; some are basically the same, so I made them into one. If I missed yours, post it in the comments or email travelsizeme83@gmail.com and I'll get to it next time (I already have a few for a post #2 on this subject...). Anything goes! But as I've said before... I reserve the right to answer sarcastically or give you an interpretive dance instead. All depends on the appropriateness!

Do you travel in a bus?
NOPE! I'll refer you to this post where I discuss the van, how it's set up, & the fact that we do not sleep in it. Even if you want to... not allowed.

Do I think the guys have toned down the "guy talk" since I'm the only girl on tour? 
Umm. No. Not even a little. I hear it all... and smell it all, unfortunately. I realize some of you might be enamored with them... but they are still dudes at the end of the day.

How do you handle all of the girl fans? 
I get this one A LOT. I had this big long answer about groupies and how it's not a big deal for me (because, lesssfaceit, they're a fact of life with musicians)... but I don't want to offend anyone or ruin anyone's game. SO - let's just say that I don't worry because we have a relationship that isn't worth losing. Trust is everything.

Would you guys consider doing another Kickstarter campaign?
YES! Totally! It's an incredible platform even though it didn't work out for us last time. I think our biggest mistake is that the fans didn't really understand that their contribution would HELP HIM go to the places they ask all the time. Let's be real - no, he's not going to go to every small, teeny town of every state... BUT the donations would have allowed him to get close enough for almost everyone to see a show. Unfortunately, that's why we couldn't hit all of the markets this tour. So long story short, yes, we'd consider doing it for something that's easier for fans to see exactly what their donation will do (possibly an album)... stay tuned!

Do you miss yoga when you're on the road?
DESPERATELY!!! Most days there is barely any time/space for it. When I do squeeze it in, I basically do the same sequence while trying to throw in a new pose here & there. I did have a fun time trying to teach Zach & Kyle handstands one day :) but, ultimately, YES, I prefer a class environment. It's a bit more challenging mentally & physically. Plus, I just like being around other yogis!

How long have you & Ron been together?
In August it will be the better part of FIVE YEARS. throw up. We broke up once for about 5 months, and then another time for about 20 minutes. We can't get rid of each other!

Do you like working together? 
Love it! We're a really good team & I absolutely love my job. Sometimes working with people in different parts of the world isn't the best for my sleeping habits, but it pays off. Plus, if his business wasn't organized like I make it, I would go absolutely crazy. Organization is my sad, sad drug.

What's your real name? 
Virginia Blair (first/middle). I go by Blair if you see me at a show... so come say hi! I only add people I know on FB, so you don't need my last name at all! :]

All right kids... that's all I feel like answering for now. If you sent me others, don't fret! I'll get to them.

things i need to tell you

1. the case of the missing panda bear at our hotel
2. the fact that we're living in a hotel in New York
3. la la la los angeles
4. Australia... um, hello? I never thought I'd be able to go to the other end of the Earth. 
5. using crutches in New York & how wonderful it is
6. oh, and those wonderful questions I've been getting... you wouldn't believe how inappropriate you guys are!! (just kidding, they are all very tame & normal)

and I think that's it! I wanted to let you know that even though I've only posted once lately that I haven't forgotten about this little bloggette. 

I'll be back soon... 

**also right now

procrastinating doing expenses... so, doing handstands instead. I miss Yoga Vida, Strala, & Laughing Lotus! Yoga... I needs you real, real bad. The road does not allow for you so much.

artsy effects just for you