i got up early to practice before today's "back to work from spring break" rehearsal. it was held at an elementary school, not the main hall, which made it feel slightly inauthentic. this afternoon, j & i checked out a tango practica downtown. i danced only with him the whole time, as i was too scared/shy to dance with others. i don't have good tango shoes yet, and the ones i do have leave my toes pretty vulnerable. we only stayed for about an hour, and i was getting really toe-shy by the end, not following well (or so j claims). it's great to be able to share such an activity with a loved one, but it can lead to some tense moments. i'm always really sore after dancing. my bum is always sore from tensing my legs so tight, trying to balance on the inside balls of my feet, and from walking backwards. backwards is not an easy movement. my arms also get sore trying to maintain good pressure so moving can be communicated & shared. i was already sore from the climbing yesterday, and this definitely gave my arms even more of a workout. on top of the rehearsing & dancing, i practiced 3 hours, so right now most of my muscles are really killing me. when we arrived home, we practiced dancing for another hour in the privacy of our own home, without the crowd to manouver around. when we're at home, we both dance in socks, so if we step on each others' toes, it doesn't hurt. anyway, i made some headway with the wedding invitations. still lots of work to be done...