Meet You at Around Midnight @ Syrups #2

So there we were, me partying on Fri and Sat nights, Mr T bouncing downstairs till ugly hour. One chilly evening decided not to stay warm in a sensible top and pants, but instead wear the beanie that I had finished knitting the night before. "Cool beanie" said Mr T, "Ta" said I, "I made it last night".

From there the conversation went along the lines of me promising to teach Mr T to knit, and in return he would owe me a favor.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't judge, but I'll tell you know, it is quite a giggle to see a 6 foot 6 bouncer learning to knit one, pearl one to make himself a killer scarf!! A few dropped stitches, and a few added on and he was off like a rocket.

We sat there in silence, knitting our scarfs and watching rage when BAM it came on, i heard for the first time the song that made me learn how to swing dance.

"Jump Jive and Wail" by Brian Setzer made me fall in love at first site. I'd always harbored a slight psycobilly crush, mixed with a love of "happy days" and poodle skirts, but this was different, this was sexy, this was pencil skirts, quiffs and hot rods all in one song!


"LETS LEARN TO SWING DANCE" yelled Mr T excitedly over his knitted creation. Hang on a minute, wasn't that supposed to be my line? Wasn't this going to be the favor that he owed me? "Come on - lets do it, Ill owe you another favor!!" he pleaded. Where did this guy come from??

It was my job to find out when and where - although he secretly got all the info before I did and just acted all casual when I told him about it.

Week one was hard, week two was hard, week three was hard, week four was hard, week five, somewhat easier...

By week five we had already attended an aerials workshop taught by some crazy cats from over seas, we were no longer worried about the dancing, more the throwing of me around in the air and the him catching me before my face hit the floor.

THIS is what it was all about, THIS is what they did on the film clip that looked so cool.. and Mr T being built like he was, and me, well a midget by comparison, it all seemed toooooo easy.

We did day one of the workshop, all good, pretty stiff and sore, but it was ok. Day two was a killer, a whole hour of warm ups concentrating on the thigh area, and I wanted to go home!! OH THE PAIN.

The teachers were great, they told us to make sure we cooled down properly, and that we went for a light walk when we got home, pfft - what would they know- a cool down is a warm shower and a little nap in my book. WRONG

I woke up in time to go to dinner at my mums house, I kinda swung my legs out of bed and THONK, I hit the deck. My legs did not hurt, I could not feel them at all, my thighs would not support my own weight! I had to slide down the stairs of my two story town house and call my mum to come and pick me up!

The next day at work, after limping around and generally looking like I had been hit with a truck, I got called into my bosses office. After skirting around the subject for a while she eventually handed me a business card for a counselor and suggested if things weren't ok at home there were people I could talk to - She thought I was stuck in an abusive relationship. I realised that I was COVERED in bruises, on my arms, neck, legs, and one big hand shaped bruise that I had to later explain to my boyfriend at the time.

Apparently "I'm a swing dancer" is in the same vein as " I walked into a door", it just made me all the more determined to get good at what I was doing and "show them all".

Next post I will tell you the pros and cons of determination, partnering up with a BJJ enthusiast, and how the war was won.