The night’s sky: what do you learn glamping?

 I’m having a lovely time in Reston, just wanted to keep y’all updated. I’m planning a post tomorrow for the current book I’m reading DUTCH GIRL. Stay tuned xxx

The Value of Sleep: Why is bedtime so bankable?

As you may or may not know, I was making a living as a dancer in New York for almost a year and a half until I had to come back home because of the pandemic. Anyway, Manhattan is widely known as the city that never sleeps - even though it is one of the most lucrative cities to live in and one of the most expensive. This is striking considering that insufficient sleep robs a nation of 2% of its GDP, according to Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker, PhD. He is the director of UC Berkeley's Center for Human Sleep Science.

But how can New York make so much money when it's always awake?

Well, much of this has to do with mega businesses prioritizing health and wellness for their employees - which New York is all about, worth about 1.5 trillion and contributing to approximately 1.1% of the US GDP -- which is cool considering how tiny it is. But at work, there is a couch for the girls to sleep on if they're too tired to perform and entertain to the best of their ability. I remember after a really long shift I was so tired and didn't make any money so at 2:30 AM I just had to take my turn on the sleep couch. Well, at 3 I woke up and was thinking about leaving cus there was only an hour til closing (we can come and go as we please). But I hit the floor and by 3:30 I made like $500 -- pretty solid considering my drowsiness and the absence of guests of the entire night. Sleep = BANK. So even though dancing might turn you into a nocturnal animal, prioritize 8 hours of sleep in the dark to get appropriate rest.

 It is SO important to be well rested in the dancing profession, to boost creativity, memory, sharpen your motor skills, AND to be aware of any creepy predator guests who wanna take advantage if you're too tired. After all, stripping is an art form and personal entertainment - you need to be sharp in both mind and body. And not only is good rest an asset to your work but when you're driving to and from work, as well. Leading to my next point which is so so so important for everyone I dance with to understand, especially if you drive.....

When I started stripping, I made the conscious choice to forego driving a personal vehicle and use public transportation, cabs, ubers, and lyfts. I've never had a DUI in my entire life, and I do NOT want that hanging over my head as a stripper, when we're already targeted by cops and people for pretty much everything. Put simply, you do NOT want to be the stripper at the club paying off a DUI. I have friends who have had this happen to them and you turn into the asshat at the club pretty quickly. We are around so much alcohol and we are exerting so much of our bodies in performance and when working the floor -- this can tire anyone out pretty quickly. Well, according to Walker, which was totally eye opening for me -- getting behind the wheel when tired is just as bad if not worse than getting behind the wheel after drinking. Tired driving is a leading cause of tragic car accidents accounting for about 1.2 million accidents a year in the US. Apparently, in 2006, a bus carrying 9 children, stopped at a stop sign and a Pontiac carrying 7 people pulled up behind. Well, an 18 wheeler barreled down the road, without stopping, striking the Pontiac and riding over it hitting the bus. The bus, the truck, and the Pontiac went through a ditch -- the Pontiac imploded and all 7 passengers were killed. The bus kept moving and hit into trees. The bus driver was killed, but the 9 children were spared though 3 of them were ejected from the bus -- they all sustained serious injuries -- as did the truck driver who, as it happened, survived.

All of his toxicology tests were negative when detained by the police -- the trucker was awake for 34 hours and fell asleep behind the wheel.

SO to my dancer friends DO NOT GET BEHIND THE WHEEL IF YOU ARE TOO TIRED TOO DRUNK OR TOO HIGH. Take a nap in your car if needed -- it could end up saving your life, anyone you pose a risk to, and all of the money you've worked so hard for. Even ask a friend if you can crash with them for a night or find someone to come pick you up. Seriously not worth it. 

Well, I love Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker, and I just finished it today. It's been keeping me company in quarantine, and been thoroughly educational, detailing the science of sleep, how to get the best of it, and how to seriously prioritize it despite all of the other challenges we face at work, at home, and in our own mind -- which can be a dangerous thing to get lost in.

So to improve sleep, change all of the LED lightbulbs in your room or anything that emits blue light, maintain a temperature of 65 degrees fahrenheit for bedtime, and take naps as needed throughout the day before mid afternoon.

I encourage everyone to check it out and let me know your thoughts!!

I love sleep!!!!!!  

&&thanks for reading! 

Home Alone: What Are You Reading in Quarantine?

Being stuck inside the house all day with nothing to do can make anyone go a little stir crazy, especially amidst a pandemic that requires all of us to stay inside and play it safe - but one thing that makes loneliness a little easier to handle is a good book to read.

I love reading and I love conquering a novel - yes, it may be boring at times but I love finishing a good book and discovering a new way of thinking - even a new world - that teaches me something and challenges me when I put the effort and focus into it, that  also cultivates  my critical, reading, writing  and analytical skills... While also making me a smarter, better person. 📚

So this is what I've been reading:

THE LIFE by Lisa Ann

I love this book and she was so thoughtful to write a thank you note and sign my copy. It's a memoir of her adventures in the adult entertainment industry, and she delves into how she really built a brand as a porn star and sports aficionado- making her more than just a coat hanger when many people in porn and stripping feel disposable. It's very inspiring.

She is the American Dream 🇺🇸

TALKING TO STRANGERS by Malcolm Gladwell

This book is so amazing and extraordinary, not to mention a great piece of anti-prejudice literature. What's our human instinct to remain naïve when we know better about? Well, from chamberlain's fanboy-ing of Hitler to America's enabling  of tone deaf bully police men who murder innocent men and women on the basis of race and gender, no stone is unturned when it comes to the dynamic of default to truth.

Also: AND SPOILER ALERT: am I the only person who noticed the major friends faux pas ... Ross NEVER sees Chandler and Rachel kissing.

THE MAN WHO SOLVED THE MARKET: HOW JIM SIMONS LAUNCHED THE QUANT REVOLUTION by Gregory Zuckerman

Gregory Zuckerman is an accomplished Wall Street journo and covers Wall Street icons all of the time. For those of you who don't know, Jim Simons is the founder of Rennaissance Technologies and completely changed the game of investing and stock management. He is a mathematician and created the lowest risk formulas when it comes to the high risk nature of investing money. The most interesting part is how his second in command Robert Mercer is such a supporter of the trump admin and was the primary donor to trump's election campaign, whereas Simons is an avid Democrat.

"Forget Me Not"

Forget Me Not

By Eloise Banting

Forget me not -

Forget me never -

Your heart I sought -

Born to be together!

So I give you this seed -

This seed of faith - 

It is born of our creed -

It will keep you safe!

I planted my first when I was only five -

I said a prayer over it to see you in time.

And when it bloomed I wore it everyday in my hair -

So when I blossomed too - you’d stop&you’d stare.

Then you saw me in time -

At the baker’s shop!

Do you remember the flower in my hair?

When you thought that sweet thought??

Days had passed -

And so had the great moons!

We lived in joy!!

(Yet danced on our tombs)

But remember that flower??

Well, that sweet flower I kept!

I dried its soft petals -

In my gold locket they slept!

They bring me luck -

When I walk through the street -

They give me protection -

When the 2 devils lie&they cheat.

The first time I met them - 

The night eclipsed the street.

They were watching and watching -

I could hear the march of their feet.

So I heard them coming -

Faster and faster!

So I sped up -

And my locket I clasped her!

The first devil nearer -

Grazing my thigh and my hip -

The second more eager -

Pressing his fingers against my lip.

Then the first one lifted a gun to my head -

(Holding me closer and closer)

When he finally said -

Give me your money, Your body!

Or I’ll shoot you dead!

I said I have nothing!

Please let me go free!

Just this locket -

One you may keep!

He snatched it off my neck -

And broke the chain -

He opened the lock -

And the petals - to the ground they rained!

So I fell to the ground -

And I knew they would run!

I fell to the ground!

Picking up my petals one by one!

So I darted home -

And held you so close, so tight!

I sewed the petals in your favorite coat!

So you’d stay warm if they take you at night!

Then they broken in soon -

In the closet did I hide -

They knew you were there -

With your polymath mind!

SO away they took you -

But I ran after with my bare feet.

They beat you so mercilessly -

And dragged you through the street!

But I could not let you go -

Without this one thing -

He needed his blessed petal coat -

SO to him the angels would always sing!

They glared&they glared -

And surely said okay -

Searched it for guns, for gold -

And said on his back it can stay!

They said to flee -

And never come back -

But all I saw around me - 

Was death in its tracks!

To my right was a daughter -

Who would never be the same -

Holding her father’s lifeless hand -

After a bullet to his brain.

To my left was a mother -

Being pushed around by three!

To my front were my friends -

Hanged in the sweet trees!

Below my feet was glass -

From our baker’s shop window -

At the door was his body -

And streaming eyes of his widow.

But what do you do -

When tragedy itself abounds?

Does it make it less tragic?

When tragedy surrounds?

The loss of a child -

Too hard to bear.

The loss of a million??

They play, they play(they die)at the Godless fair.

I knelt & I prayed -

To the heavens & those universal gods of grace -

I was told to run home -

To plant my seeds in the back garden vase!

Yet a life without him -

Is no life at all!

But he is cloaked in my love!

And the petals of the fall!

So forget me not -

And forget me never -

Your heart I caught -

We are always together. 

WASP by Eloise Banting

Making Progress.

WASP by Eloise Banting

Daddy was a millionaire,

Mama was a gypsy.

At me the people would stare&stare,

Because I am a mutt of King Henry.

Mama knew her wrecking day --

When my daddy said he’d miss me.

In this home I cannot stay --

And on my cheek he kissed me.

People say my kind have it easy too easy --

Cus in we life we may have all we want.

But survivors come in many forms --

When half of you has gold and the other nothing to flaunt.

But there are many things money can’t buy --

That I inherited from my gypsy.

I am tricky-tricky with a heart so sly,

And the boys-the boys they want to kiss me.

Am I white? So white?

Am I an easily-tanned-Euro-king?

Do I protesteth what’s right, so right?

Yes,for I am an inbred wasp -best beware my sting.

"Hope - Know My Worth" by Eloise Banting

Hope

I was born to heal -

Compressed into beauty -

From coal to something real -

To make those I touch free.

But so roughly I was FOUND -

By a man who did not know my worth -

I was found from my sparkle UNDERGROUND -

I was found in the beauty of Earth.

They took me away -

To be carved into their currency -

They said in your Eden you cannot stay -

Because you belong overseas.

---------------------------------------------

You will give me fortune -

You will give me fame.

Though you were born to heal -

I will force you into a bejeweled frame.

But I will pass you along -

Among my parasites - my friends -

I will lock you in my closet -

Because your profitable sparkle never ends.

Though you were born of the great spirit -

To give life in those that sold you - 

I will sell you and I SOLD you -

Because you will give me profit.

---------------------------------------------

But those deserving of me -

Know my worth so sweet!

And those who cannot see -

How my healing powers cannot be beat -

Are the ones who lose -

The goodness of my soul -

For they so self-righteously choose -

To see me as gold - more gold!

I was carved by the high man -

I was carved by the corrupt pope -

But I am not 'The Hope Diamond' -

I want to be just hope.

Yet you see more value -

In those jewels in the flood -

Not the ones passed around -

More than the diamonds of blood.

No man can see my worth -

Even the ones who crave -

The spotlight for protecting -

My bloody peers from their blood grave.

"Fallen" by Eloise Banting

Fallen

They called me a devil for my lace -

With horrors and names they were calling.

They called me the ugliest disgrace -

For I am among the fallen.

Pictures and portraits so rotten -

Caricatures of a clown.

And they said I would soon be forgotten -

Forcing me 6-feet underground.

Don’t they see my heart so pure?

My soul of the Universe’s vastness?

And every heartache ill I can cure -

But I am the one so classless.

But they need a figure -

To ease the evils of the world.

For they blame the seekers -

And they say I raise Hell on Earth.

Yet the ones who say so -

Are the ones who ignore -

The ones who need saving -

And forget what we’re here for.

The liar and the thief -

You say they are Satan too -

Who stole money for a friend -

When the devil is in you.

Because the devil is in you.

Not in the survivor -
Not in the sweet soul of the survivor.