New Thing #90 - Axe Throwing

Month 2 - Stress Relief

August 12, 2018 - Axe Throwing

I've become a big fan of self-care as of late. Taking mental time to sort yourself out. Whether it's a spa day, a cozy day reading on the couch, drinks with friends, vegging with some Netflix or throwing axes. Whatever ya need to just let go of all the BS going on in life.

Groupon to the rescue again for Month #2. As with most random fads, axe throwing has become really popular. I was able to find a Groupon for 4 for 2 hours of throwing axes at a wooden target. I invited my friends Jen, Sandi and Julee because when it comes to hurling sharp objects, I knew each one of them would love it as much as I would.

We headed to the Axe House in Valley Park (a little suburb near StL), got a quick 60 second tutorial on the do's and don'ts of axe throwing and were quickly assigned to a lane. Our instructor, who may or not have been older than 12, showed us the one-handed or two-handed methods and then left us to our own devices.

We each took a few practice turns, and I WAS TERRIBLE. I never once got it on the damn board. While I did manage to get it all the way down the lane, it just never stuck in the board. Sandi was a natural and kept nailing the board time and time again. Jen started off slow like me, but she picked it up quicker than I did. After our practice rounds, we started right off into a game, all 4 pitted against one another, with the winner being the first to score 21.

Sandi came out swinging (haha...literally) and dominated that first round. I finally found my groove and actually started sticking the axe in the damn board. It still wasn't enough to catch her though, and she killed us.

Second round and Jen's competitive nature came out. She started to heat up, and while I kept pace with her, she ultimately pulled it out in the end. And then MY competitive streak (which I don't normally have, it just decides to show up occasionally) kicked in and I killed the 3rd round in only three turns. BOOM!

By the time we finished those 3 games, we still hadn't been throwing for a full hour. And we had another hour to go! I didn't pay attention to the website that said we could bring beer or wine in, so Julee headed next door to pick up some beer for us. I guess I just assumed mixing booze and the hurling of sharp objects in the air would be frowned upon. Not in StL apparently.

They also had throwing stars that we could try out for free, but I didn't really enjoy that. I didn't get a single one in. We all struggled with the technique,  jumping out of the way when the damn things bounced back at us! Julee eventually mastered them and proceeded to play against the three of us throwing axes. It made for a much better game, since her axe throwing was a bit rusty!

Two more games before we quit, and I managed to put up Ws in both, coming home the victor for the day with 3 games to Jen and Sandi's 1 apiece. I feel very braggy right now. Sorry not sorry.

While we were taking turns throwing at the end, Jen asked one of the workers how often they have to change out the wooden target. When the big guys come in, it could be as soon as 15-20 minutes, and after league play, it's usually after each game. Damn!! Ours were both looking pretty wretched, but he assured us they'd get some more games out of it. We decided to help them along (and we didn't want to let the big guys have all the fun), so we just started hammering the one board. One of the boards was really loose and we were damned determined to rip the thing off the wall. So the three of us just pummeled it one after the other until our time was up. It might not have popped off the wall right then, but the next group would have a sad looking target!

We had an absolute blast, and I would totally do that again! Great times with some great peeps.

Jen makes it look so easy. :)

This girl was a natural!

Subtle brag. :)

Crushing it.

Lumberjack in training?

Julee was the only one who threw one-handed. I found it awkward and ineffective. So glad I did the two-handed method!

She's excited.

Well this is embarrassing...

Warmer...

Hotter...

FAIL

That little guy? Don't worry about that little guy.

Okay, so you can't throw an axe when there's already one on the board, but I forgot to take a picture of my bullseye the throw before. I wanted to document it in case I didn't get anymore! (I needn't be worried though.)

We work out...

Awww yisssss....BULLSEYE!

Sandi killed it.

I lost count of all my bullseyes...hahaha

Jen's turn to crush it.

Winner winner chicken dinner!

What's that you say? Win the game in 3 rounds? Don't mind if I do!

This seems excessive.

How did I go from 0 to winning the game in the next two rounds?

Beer and axes...what could possibly go wrong?

Don't try this at home, kids.

Totally normal for the two of us.

Love these ladies!

She was totally joking when she did this. Turns out it was a pretty solid strategy.

Don't mess with Julee and throwing stars.

Collecting her spoils.

Julee put up a strong fight with her throwing stars, but I pulled out the third and final W!

New Thing #89 - Hypnosis

Month 1 - Fresh start 

July 10, 2018 - Hypnosis Session #1

Yup, you read that right. I tried hypnosis, y’all. But to be clear, I wasn’t on a stage, and I’m not going to cluck like a chicken whenever anyone says rutabaga. At least I don’t think I will. Please don’t call me and leave me rutabaga voice mails.

Just to be safe.

In getting ready for my new year of bucket list items, I wanted a theme. Something to build my new things around. I’ve done a lot of different things in the last 10 years since my first bucket list (oh good lawd, it’s been 10 years!), so picking things at random didn’t seem to be a good fit this time around. Not to mention I've already done a good chunk of the standard bucket list fare (skydiving...check....hot air ballooning, check...) So, I’m going to be doing things that are good for me. Good for my soul, my head and my heart. Things that challenge me, make me a better person or just plain make me happy.

At least that’s my goal. Who knows what this could evolve into over the next 12 months. And while I plan on doing at least 1 thing per month, it could be 3, 6, 25, who knows? I plan on taking this journey wherever the wind blows me.

So yeah, hypnosis. I’ll admit that my experience with hypnosis is limited to what I’ve seen on TV and movies, with a preconceived notion that it’s cheesy and probably fake. But, you know me, I’ll try all kinds of stuff for the sake of the blog. Plus, I found a Groupon with a hell of a deal, so I figured why the hell not.

Fast forward to today, and I’ll admit that I was hella nervous. Not necessarily for the actual hypnosis part, but for the conversation leading up to it. I’m not great about opening up to people about things, let alone a stranger I’ve met for .00004 seconds. But, these sessions aren’t just for shits and giggles. He wasn’t going to hypnotize me to break dance whenever it’s 4:48pm. I had to have a reason. Something I was looking to change in my life. Or fix. Or improve. Or whatever it might be. So, yeah, digging into what I want to "fix", what I want to get out of this was tough. Tougher than I ever thought it would be.

I won’t really get into what I decided upon, because yeah, that’s between me and Mr. Hypnotist. But, we spent a good 30 minutes this time around talking through my thoughts, experiences and feelings regarding a few situations. He asked a ton of questions to try to get to the root of my “fix”; some were easy to answer, others required me to go deep into the vault of emotions I usually keep hidden away in that dusty corner of my mind. It was unpleasant, to be sure, but I tried to open up, knowing it could hopefully only benefit me in the process. If it really even works. He has incredible reviews, but I’m always the skeptic, and this time was no different.

After our conversation, he directed me to a recliner to make myself as comfortable as possible while he got everything prepped. He even added in a blanket and some beach sounds to set the relaxation mood. Anyone else think this is weird so far? Good, we’re on the same page then.

Be more open to things, Heather.

Got it.

But then I started to get nervous about the actual hypnotizing part. A sure fire physical way to determine if I’m nervous is to see if my legs are shaking. Particularly my hamstrings. It’s an involuntary muscle flexing that I can’t control when I’m super nervous. It happens with the rest of my body too, but starts mostly there. Yes, I realize this is weird, but also uncontrollable. Once I was reclined and tucked in with my blankie and he was prepping his notes, I tensed up, and the shaking began.

But I could not get it to stop. Not even when he’s doing his relaxation chatter. Or counting me down. Or encouraging me to relax everything. I’m not even fully sure I completely stopped, though it did slow down a great deal. I suppose maybe I relaxed somewhat, but probably not fully.

I’ll tell you hypnosis is not at all what I was expecting. I remember the entire thing. I guess maybe I was expecting to wake from a trance like state having no recollection of the past 30 minutes (like when they put you under to pull your wisdom teeth), but feel like a new better me. Instead, I somewhat subconsciously fought the relaxation exercise, zoned out to what he was saying a few times and kept waiting to “wake up”.

He asked me after if I felt heavy or light, and I told him neither. He was startled saying that when he lifted my hand it was really heavy. I remember him doing that and figured I was supposed to let it be heavy. He’s convinced I was hypnotized, though he chuckled that he had to change his tactics for the relaxation portion. He caught on pretty quickly that I like to be in control and obviously he could tell I was not taking those relaxation cues very well. Shocking.

I suppose it’s certainly possible that I was indeed hypnotized because maybe my preconceived opinion of what it would be like was utter bs. I mean, I have no experience, so it’s unfair to judge this one time on what I THOUGHT it would be like.

It didn’t last that long, but that’s likely because of the amount of time we spent in discussion first. He also had a tough time cracking this nut into relaxing, but I do remember his affirmations and suggestions for the concerns I was having. I remember all of it. He recorded it just in case I didn’t, and he wants me to listen to it every day for a few days (but not while driving or operating heavy machinery, obvi).

It was over before I knew it, and even though I was to have been fully relaxed, I was emotionally exhausted, just feeling very raw and exposed. And I felt exactly the same. He said most people can experience a change within minutes or up to 72 hours after a session. I suppose that can be a pretty standard response for people who don’t actually think this stuff is real.

He’s to call me in a few days and then he’ll see if it’s working or if we need to adjust the theme before the next session. Oh yeah, I bought the Groupon for 3 sessions, which were altogether cheaper than 1 normal session.

Until next time!

July 30, 2018 - Hypnosis Session #2

So, our schedules never meshed well to get this in within 2 weeks of the first session, so I'm hoping that's not a detriment to any "progress" to be made. But, I never truly felt like I "got" it from the previous session. I don't know how to describe it, but I'm going to mostly blame it on myself for not being able to relax. Hypnosis is all about reprogramming the mind and adjusting your mindset. Well, when you fight the reprogramming, it's not hard to understand why it didn't take.

I hoped for better things this time around, and also decided to focus our efforts on something else entirely. An energy boost. I've been feeling pretty sluggish lately – both emotionally and physically – so, I felt like a kick in the pants might do the trick. If he can even help with that.

He seemed pretty discouraged (and a bit unconvinced) when I told him that I didn't really feel all that different from the previous session. I'm sure he's used to having a pretty high success rate, but I still don't blame that entirely on him. So, I told him that I wanted to redirect my efforts. Not because what we talked about last time wasn't important, but I already have those affirmations recorded and can listen to them anytime. I wanted to try a new approach, and something that was a bit easier for my subconscious to tackle.

So, back to my lethargy. He suggested an energy boost session to help get me more motivated on my down time. With the new job (which I'm absolutely loving, btw), it's been a bit more mentally draining than I'm used to, so my nights and weekends have been more about catching up on sleep and relaxing than actually getting much accomplished. Hence today's session, which I now refer to as a B12 shot straight to the ol' noggin.

Our talk was much more brief this time around, and mainly he just asked me questions to see how I solve problems and attack projects. Turns out, I'm analytical, by the way. Probably pretty easy to figure that one out.

I headed back to the chair, settled in with the blanket and beachy wave sounds (he had other choices, but Amazonian frog chirps really don't put me into a relaxing mood). No nervous shakes this time around! I felt considerably more relaxed right from the get go, and it didn't take him nearly as long to put me "under".

Which felt SO WEIRD. Like, I knew where I was, what I was doing, etc., but when he suggested I try to open my eyes but wouldn't be able to because they were too heavy, I COULDN'T OPEN MY EYES. And in my brain, I knew that I could if I really wanted to, but yet I still couldn't. And I knew I was hypnotized. Or something was happening. And it was incredibly bizarre. Because I still didn't want to believe it. Even though it was literally happening to me right at that moment. (For the record, I always opened my eyes in Session #1)

He launched in to his affirmations about having energy when I come home from work, and that I'll feel energized to get more things done, blah blah blah. But, yet when my head hits the pillow, I'll know that it's time to shut it down and go to sleep (so very glad he added that in there or I might have turned in to the Energizer bunny!) He also suggested that red will be an energizing color for me, and that whenever I need an energy boost throughout the day, just seek out something red.

This one lasted just shy of 20 minutes, and I felt leaving refreshed, yet not really energetic just yet. My homework assignment was to listen to it three days in a row again to lock it in to memory. That night when I went to bed, I woke up inexplicably at 4:30am. This isn't entirely uncommon if I have to use the bathroom. But, it happened the next night and the next (the last one being at 1:30am and 4:30). Okay, this is not what I had in mind. I thought I was supposed to shut everything down when my head hit the pillow? Does my brain think that I need to take that literally. Like, I need to punch the pillow with my head? (Totally kidding here, I'm not going to head butt my pillow.)

I wasn't feeling 100% energized just yet, but it was also the end of the week when I'm usually drained. I chalked it up to maybe this stuff won't work for me. But then Saturday dawned, and I accomplished more in one day that I think I've accomplished in the last month. Besides numerous chores and working out, I painted my entire kitchen. Top to bottom. Two coats. By myself. And I didn't stop until the late night hours when it was all finished.

And then I started early the next morning, removed the tape, and touched up nearly every foot of trim with a tiny artist's paintbrush (the thing about old houses is that the molding isn't even, so it's impossible to tape it cleanly...and I'm a messy painter), not to mention a dozen or so other chores.

I realize that this may not sound like much to a lot of people. Parents out there do this much and more when their kids are running around. I'm not saying I did the most work in the entire world this weekend, I'm just saying that I did more than I have in a long time, and it felt great to get so much accomplished. I'm effing exhausted (still waking up in the middle of the night which is no bueno), but I feel so damn good about what I did.

So, perhaps, yes, his methods did work this time around. Perhaps because I actually let my guard down a little bit and let myself relax. Just one session left. I need to figure out what I want to work on the next time around!

New Thing #88 - Peru (Days #12 and #13)

September 10, 2017

Despite my solid attempts to sleep in, the party monster didn't want to comply. The music didn't die down until around 9am, at which point B slammed every door she had in retaliation. My guess is he passed out with little effort and never heard her frustrated slams.

Another lazy day, and unsuccessful nap (car alarm outside went off every 5 minutes), and then we ran to the grocery store. B opted to drive, but even with the lighter Sunday traffic, I could tell she didn't like it. And I don't blame her. I wouldn't want to drive there either.

The grocery store was much better stocked than the ones she went to in Sarajevo, so she was more successful in getting the food she was looking for. After dinner, I finished packing and waited for my driver.

He was early, but was also the the most normal driver we ever had. He drove a normal speed, wasn't psycho and got me there in one piece. The being said, I was super early for my flight, and checking my bag was quick and painless. I would have to recheck my bag in Dallas, and I was hoping it would be easy, given the really quick layover I was going to have.

I found my gate rather quickly and settled in to finish my water bottle (we weren't allowed to take it on the plane) and people watch. People watching in airports is always a great time, especially in foreign airports. And especially seeing the people going to the same place I am.

Luckily my seat was close to the front of the plane, but once I sat down, the woman and her son asked if I wouldn't mind switching seats with her son. I had the aisle and he had the window. He wasn't feeling in tip top shape and wanted an easy exit plan. I told them I had no problems with a window seat, but since I have a tiny bladder, they would likely need to get up at some point during the flight. I pounded a huge bottle of water before I got on the plane, so it's only a matter of time before I need to let it back out. Mama assured me she didn't mind and that I should wake them up if I ever needed to get out.

I settled in to read, not being tired yet, and they immediately brought a small ham & cheese sandwich around for a snack. That apparently made me sleepy, because I managed to doze on and off for about 3-4 hours, though it was impossible to get comfortable. I was freezing, even with my extra layers, but I refused to use the plane blanket that was covered in some super weird textures. I couldn't see them. But I felt them. Barf.

September 11, 2017

Around 5:30am, they fed us breakfast, which consisted of the worst eggs I've ever eaten in my life and a croissant with jelly. Not great, but tolerable. I had somehow managed to hold off a pee break until this moment, but apparently everyone else decided this was a great time for a potty break, too. The line was ridiculously long, but my urge to relieve myself was stronger than that line. So, I roused my aisle mates, and waited forever (was everyone taking a deuce?!), rationed what little TP was left, and managed to make it back to my seat shortly before they turned the seatbelt sign on.

We landed 30 minutes early, giving me a bit more breathing room for my connection. The customs check was quick and painless, with the recheck bag area right outside. I assumed I'd have to go through security again and recheck it that way, but this was super easy.

If you've never been to Dallas's airport, the terminals are arranged in a circular fashion, so I had to take a train around to find the one I needed. I made it with about 45 minutes to spare (thank goodness for our early arrival from Lima!) and had time to grab a real breakfast, with real eggs. Well, I'm sure they weren't real fresh-cracked eggs, but they were still better than that yellow mess on the plane.

My boarding assignment was pretty much at the end of the line (probably because of my flight change), so I watched nearly everyone board while I waited. A little less than halfway through, they told us that the overhead bins were completely full, and everyone would have to check their carry-ons. You guys. LESS THAN HALF THE PASSENGERS TOOK UP THE ENTIRE OVERHEAD SPACE. W. T. F. This is another reason I hate all those damn baggage fees. Not only does it make flying more expensive, but it causes more and more people to carry their crap on the plane and clog up the bins. Because you know these people weren't taking two small items on there. I was mainly worried because my backpack was crammed with breakable souvenirs, and I didn't want to check it, for fear of them breaking. Yes, I had them wrapped, but that means nothing in the cargo hold of a plane.

The flight attendant told me it would fit under my seat, so I would be fine. Well, in theory, yes, that would work. But, it baaaaarely fit under my seat, and a decent amount was left where my feet should go. So where did I put my feet, you ask? Good question. Let's just say it was a very uncomfortable 2 hour flight back to Chicago.

We arrived 25 minutes early (yay for early flights!), I somehow managed to snag my bag quickly, as it was once again one of the first ones off, and Uncle Robert was there shortly after to pick me up. It was an easy drive back to their house, where I ate a quick lunch and got back on the road. I had already missed work today, and I didn't want to miss another one tomorrow. (Though I did end up only doing a half day, which was dumb. I was so tired.) I hated to leave so soon, but it's another 4 hours of driving that I wasn't looking forward to. Luckily, my sister talked me through it, to keep me awake!

So, my 13th country is now in the books. I've added a third continent and another World Wonder. Despite the emotional way it started, I know that going was the right decision. Grandpa would have wanted me to experience that. And seeing Machu Picchu made it all worth it.

Some follow up observations.

1. Peruvian drivers are the worst. Well, I'm sure there are worse drivers in the world that I've yet to experience. But, for now, they're the worst. I would prefer crazy Italian drivers over what I experienced.

2. The toilet paper system definitely took some getting used to. Not a fan.

3. I'm not sure if it was the time of year we went, the massive quantities of bug spray stuff that I sprayed on my clothes, or perhaps the fact that my blood tastes different in South America, but somehow I managed to avoid the mosquitos. Ya'll, I read some HORROR STORIES on a few travel blogs about softball sized mosquito bites. I was freaking terrified. I'm so glad I dodged that bullet!

4. I'm also incredibly thankful for the minimal effects of altitude sickness. Other than being easily winded and getting a bit light headed occasionally, I was incredibly lucky. Again, those travel blogs will terrify you. The people who had serious intestinal issues or headaches made me so paranoid, I talked to my doctor about altitude sickness medication. (Basically, without testing it first, she couldn't tell me if it would really work for me or not, so we opted not to fill a prescription for it.) So, if you're reading this, wondering what your altitude sickness will be like, I'll tell you it's definitely not the same for everyone. Prepare yourself as much as you can, but there's no way of knowing how it will affect you.

5. I really need to brush up on my Spanish!

New Thing #88 - Peru (Days #10 and #11)

September 8, 2017

I wish I had a more exciting blog post for today, but I literally did nothing. Originally, this had been my day to finish laundry, pack and get ready for a really early morning flight. Since my flight was pushed back for two more days, I opted to just use this as a lazy day of reading, watching TV and snuggling with Lemon. Zero f*cks given on not getting out and exploring more while B was at work.

We did meet up with her friends again tonight for tacos, beer and subpar queso fresco, followed by strawberry and coconut gelato, so at least I wasn't a complete bum!

September 9, 2017

Since this was B's weekend, we slept in and took it easy in the morning. We planned on heading into the Barranco district, a more artsy neighborhood to have lunch and go shopping. I really wanted to try ceviche, though I'm not usually a big fan of raw fish. But Lima has some of the best in the world.

A fairly new restaurant had opened that B wanted to try and it was run by famous Peruvian chef, Gaston Acurio. Google him, he's pretty awesome. Turns out he was actually in that restaurant at that very moment. Given the number of restaurants he has around the world, that was damn cool. We might have been geeking out just a wee bit.

Waiter recommended drink. Something with pisco and passion fruit juice. Amazeballs.

Some fabulous empanadas to start with!

Ceviche! Okay, this was amazing. I opted to go with white fish instead of octopus (mostly for the texture) and it was so good. It's raw fish, marinated/cooked in citrus juices, aka tiger's milk (not made from actual tigers). Mixed in with it is red onions, sweet potatoes, corn, some peppers and those corn nut things again. I could have eaten a few more plates of this stuff.

Chaufa again. We ended up splitting it and still couldn't finish it! Also delicious!

Waiter also recommended this dessert. Again, not sure what it was, but it was essentially a chocolate mousse with toffee bits that tasted like a Heath bar. So good, but so full now.

I don't remember the name of the restaurant, but I took a pic of the name of it. Too bad you can barely read it.

We walked to a super artsy and spendy shop called Dedalo and spent about an hour looking around. I loved a lot of what they had, but it was all out of my price range. I was still saving up for the wood flair I had found earlier in the week. Afterwards, we walked around Barranco checking out more shops and exploring the culture.

This shop makes custom leather shoes. You can buy premade ones on the shelf or have them CUSTOM MADE using a variety of leather options. It smelled so good in here.

I kind of wish I had purchased a pair of these, but they obviously wouldn't be ready right away. I could have had B pick them up and ship them to me, but with my luck they wouldn't fit right, and I'd be out the money. Oh well, it was nice to look around here.

We Ubered back to her neighborhood so I could find the wood flair from the other day. I'm glad I pulled the trigger and brought it home, because it's one of my favorite souvenirs from the trip (in addition to the MP painting, of course). We finished up by walking along the coast, so I could try out some of the exercise equipment. HA!

By this point, I could tell I was travel weary. I was tired and ready to be home. Luckily, B also wanted to stay in, so we ordered some pizza, watched a movie and hit the hay. Fun fact: Peruvian Papa John's makes an "Americana" pizza with just ham on it. I asked for mushrooms on it, but they forgot. Actually, I think they threw them on the breadsticks we ordered.

Unfortunately, we got very little sleep tonight because of the party monster who lived below her. She warned me about this kid before I came, but I had no idea how bad he'd be. According to her, he was in his upper teens/early 20s, lived in his uncle's apartment and had parties that last upwards of 12 hours. Around 9pm, he started up and the bass thumped so hard, her apt literally shook and reverberated throughout. We could even hear the dance music through the walls.

And it didn't stop until about 9am the next morning. The only saving grace is that the party was mostly centralized in the living room and the two bedrooms are at the other end of the hallway. Thank God for ear plugs.

New Thing #88 - Peru (Day #9)

September 7, 2017

Last day of prearranged tours, and I was picked up at the same hotel (on time this time) before the transfer to a different bus. I was the only non-Spanish speaker on this tour, and we didn't have separate tour guides. So, I had to listen to everything in Spanish before he repeated in English. While he was nice and did a good job, I'm pretty sure he abbreviated his explanations for me though. Plus, people were asking him questions and he didn't always translate for me. Not really complaining, it was just a bummer sometimes.

This time we headed down the coastline to Pachacamac, which if I remember correctly, is the only Incan temple built so close to the coastline. Or something like that. Look it up if you really want to know! We started in the museum itself, but I felt very rushed and didn't get a chance to really look at all of the information I wanted to. I was at least able to look around while he did his explanations for everyone else first.

Christ of the Pacific erected in 2011.

Next, he showed us the Women's House and then the Temple of the Sun. I felt a bit like an outsider, so I spent more time exploring and taking photos rather than making him repeat everything for me.

I wasn't nearly as impressed as I was hoping for. I wanted to spend more time in the ruins, but we basically just walked around it, took some photos and then drove back to Lima. There were other tours I had thought about doing today, but I thought this would be cool. I wish I had gone with one of the other ones.

After an hour ride back to Lima, I was dropped back off at the mall yet again and tried lunch in a different spot. They had no English menu, but I managed just fine.

Sure, I'll have some salad with my cheese!

More jugo de piña! I love their frothy pineapple juice drinks.

Complimentary cookie of some kind.

FroYo!

One of the items I've had on my bucket list for quite some time is to salsa dance in a foreign country. If you know me, you know that salsa (and other Latin dances) is near and dear to my heart. It's my happy place. So, I asked Brenda if it would be a possibility and she told me there's a club not far that we can go to. She rounded up some of her work friends and we headed out for a night on the town.

Unfortunately, there weren't many people here, so I didn't get a chance to dance with any locals, but I did dance with one of her coworkers and enjoyed watching the live band. So, I can mark that off my bucket list!