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Showing posts from May, 2012

Tanguera Problem Solvers #2 - Moisture Wicking Undergarments (Review)

Review - ExOfficio Give-N-Go Underwear I've tried moisture wicking clothing/fast drying underwear before with varying results. A friend recommended ExOfficio underwear and tank tops so I found a coupon code at RetailMeNot.com and tried them out. The Claim:  "Give-N-Go underwear are packable, odor resistant, durable and above all comfortable." The Pros: These garments do dry very fast and stay pretty comfortable no matter how sweaty I got. One note that should be obvious, but is easy to forget, if you wear breathable undergarments under clothes that don't breathe, the benefit is pretty limited. That said, these did pretty well under my poly-spandex blend milonga clothes (which I wear mostly because poly-spandex doesn't tend to show sweat or wrinkle.) On the skin, even when these do get damp, they dry pretty quickly.  After washing in the sink (and blotting dry with a towel - don't forget to do this or they take much longer to dry) they

No Illusions

Conversation 1. . . . "I just don't want you to have any illusions when you go down there [to Buenos Aires.]  People go to the milongas to dance with their friends, the people they know - and people who look good to them on the floor. You get danced a lot here - you may sit a lot there. Don't take it personally." I looked at the concern in this visiting Argentinian teacher's face, and wondered how many students he has told this to. How many complaints has heard from visiting tangueros/as that they came down to dance, but just sat all night? I told him I don't have any illusions or expectations about how much or how little I will dance. Even if I sit on my ass, I said, I'll be sitting on my ass in Buenos Aires - which is still pretty damned exciting for me. He smiled broadly. "Good, good. Okay, let's get started . . ." Conversation 2 . . . Visiting tanguera talking about her last trip to Buenos Aires: "I danced with [so-and-s

Tanguera Problem Solvers #1 - Tips for Hot Summers/Hot Milongas

Every summer I think how can I possibly make it through another summer in Texas ?  It seems worse every year. I become a hermit, hiding out during daylight hours and constantly searching for things to make the heat more tolerable. I'm not one of those women who "glows" or "glistens" or any of that. I sweat. I sweat a lot. Dancing in milongas, especially barely-air-conditioned milongas, becomes almost more effort than it's worth. And you want me to go to an outdoor milonga, you say? Are you kidding me??? Call me when it cools off. I've been dreading it so much this year that I went to my doctor and asked what I could do to cope with the heat a little better. He recommended first, get acclimated. Stop avoiding being outdoors, but don't overdo it. Eat a few meals outside. Walk more. Work in the yard, play with the dogs, set up the patio or porch so that it's inviting. Focus my activities in the morning and evening to ease into it.