Monday, September 08, 2008
Our Blogs Have Moved!!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
The Mystery of the Blue Mai Tai
Now we don’t come by these names willy nilly- we sit, we analyze, we google… we brainstorm like the people at OPI nail polish do when naming a new collection (minus the trip to Brazil or Marti Gras- which I’ve been trying really hard to implement). First we decide on a theme- this helps us create names to match~ so as Rayna and I were having a late spring cocktail to help us ‘get creative’- the lightblubs went on- and the Summer Cocktail Collection was born.
The Cosmo hoop was a given- raspberry & orange- the perfect combo.
The Midori Sour took some purple liberties- but the neon green borders were all we needed to lock down this beauties name!
So then we came to our hot hot hot Blue, Black & Glow—and we sat and we threw out suggestions—Blue Hawaii! Blue Lagoon! Mai Tai!! --- oooooh we all said- we like Mai Tai- that sounds tropical and a fantastic name for a hoop! “Are Mai Tai’s blue?” I ask. I get a resounding positive yes and I- for the one time in my life- don’t confirm by doing a google search. Well….
apparently Mai Tai’s aren’t blue…
Mai Tai’s are Orange...
So now we’re stuck in a quandary. Half of our Mai Tai collection is already sold out- and we’ve already produced all the hand-numbered tags that adorn each Limited Edition hoop. Do we shove all the Mai Tai tags under the rug in embarrassment and switch the name on the website to the “Blue Lagoon” in hopes that no one will wonder where that cool Blue Mai Tai hoop went? Do we justify the fact that Hoopnotica’s on the cutting edge and the only Mai Tai’s we drink are doused in Blue Curacao? or perhaps – we’re making a statement on the fact that if you drink one too many Mai Tai’s – you could end up looking black and blue…
I’ll leave it up to you. The Mai Tai will stay- a little piece of Hoopnotica lore that we can look back upon with fondness.
Here’s the recipe- try one this Labor Day weekend and think of us~~
THE ORIGINAL FORMULA
2 ounces 17-year-old J. Wray Nephew Jamaican rum
1/2 ounce French Garnier Orgeat
1/2 ounce Holland DeKuyper Orange Curacao
1/4 ounce Rock Candy Syrup
juice from one fresh lime
Hand shake and garnish with half of the lime shell inside the drink and float a sprig of fresh mint at the edge of the glass.
THE HOOPNOTICA FORMULA
All of the above
EXCEPT- substitute Blue Curacao for Orange Curacao
Bust out your Hoop at the party and be amazed at the number of people who have no idea that a Mai Tai isn’t blue after all…
Xo,
Keaton
Friday, August 22, 2008
My answer to the Wii Fit Hula Hoop Exercise game
My first thought - "virtual hula hooping, really?"
Then came the hugely popular You Tube video of a guy videotaping his girlfriend swinging her hips to the virtual Wii Hula Hoop game in her underwear:
Classic! This one had me on the floor laughing. The NY Post even talked about it in their July 29th article on Hoopnotica.
Honestly, I haven't tried the Wii Fit version of hula hooping, but I just think it has to be way more fun and much more effective to exercise with a Hoopnotic Hoop instead. And let's not forget - you can't HOOPDANCE with the Wii Fit version, and heck, that's where the fun is - not to mention the way you can actually burn 400-600 calories per hour, tone your entire body and look incredibly SEXY. Don't get me wrong, the hula hooping girlfriend in the video has a cute booty, but let's face it, she looks more silly than sexy.
To prove my theory, I got into my underwear, popped the Hoopnotica Hooping in the City demo on the TV, sat my boyfriend Sammy Bliss on the couch with the video camera, and hooped it up...
If you've tried the Wii Fit Hula Hoop Exercise game and think it's fun, I challenge you to get into a Hoopnotic Hoop, try out some of the hoopdance moves from our instructional DVDs and see how much fun you can have with a REAL hoop! Then come back here and tell me all about it!
And by the way, hooping in your underwear rocks (as HoopMamma can attest to), and your guy on the couch will always appreciate it ;)
Until next time, HOOP ON!
xo
Rayna
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Wedding Book Woes...
Maybe it’s because I grew up in liberal California, maybe it’s because I’m a pretty independent yet social woman or maybe it’s because I didn’t grow up in the 50’s, but I don’t understand half of the problems in this book. I’ll give you an example—there’s an entire paragraph dedicated to being “Off the List”- as in, once you get married, your single friends cross you off the list of being able to go out with them for a drink or a skiing vacation or a celebration on New Years Eve. How once you get engaged or married- you don’t fit in with your single friends anymore and you have to adjust only hanging out with married couples. WTF?? If I become the woman who doesn’t go out anymore once she’s married, someone shoot me in the leg. (I don’t really want to die yet, so I figured the leg is a good wake-up call).
Now to the books credit- after laying out a bunch of these new issues- it tells you how to solve them- ie: make sure to take the time in your newly married life to still do things you liked to do when you were single and don’t let your husband tell you that you can’t do them. Make sure to write to your single friends and tell them how much you miss them.
Really? That’s the solution?
The book goes on to demystify the classic myths of marriage – like, “I will be the perfect wife.” Who says that?? What modern day woman gets married and seriously thinks to herself that she’s Martha Stewart (who went to jail by the way people- no amount of perfectly hand decorated cupcakes= the perfect wife).
In reading this book- I’ve realized that I’m a truly blessed individual- not only do I live in a state that supports a woman's rights, but I have an incredibly smart, savvy and sensitive fiancĂ© (and he can hoop!). We adore our friends- often host BBQ’s and during hockey season- there’s not a lot of days when our living room isn’t full of friends cheering for Canada’s Blue & White. He takes evenings and goes out to play pool with the boys and I take time to have margarita’s with the girls, and we always have Sunday night together to make dinner, drink wine and snuggle on the couch to watch a movie. I’m not saying we’re perfect- no one is, and deciding to spend the rest of your life together comes with unexpected challenges and compromise- but I feel like the less you think of getting married as changing your whole being to accommodate another – and think of it more as opening your life to allow more in- the more that the natural compromise that’s inevitable is easy. Ultimately we are all just Shawn Johnson on the 4" balance beam - working for balance each leap we take...
Friday, August 15, 2008
Relieving the Stress of Life through Hooping
My good friend Jen had stopped by to take me out to lunch- so she decided to pick up Louisa (my camera) and snap a few shots…
Like so many Hoopers out there, I am not blessed with a lot of ‘extra’ space in my 2 bedroom apartment in Santa Monica, but I do have a King size bed. So I pick a rockin’ song on my ipod (today was The Blues are Still Blue by Belle & Sebastian… it’s so yummy!), get up on my bed and hoop it out for 5 minutes. Here’s a breakdown of what happens…
Minute #1- starting off slow
Hooping on a bed is like hooping on sand- it tests your balance, so your core has to work twice as hard to keep yourself upright and stable. I start with the hoop rotating on my waist, close my eyes & turn my attention to my breath. This meditative start is already melting my anxiety away.
Minute #2- getting into it
I slowly start to incorporate my arms and start to pick up the pace of the hoop to match the rhythm of the song. I turn around slowly, keeping balance on the bed and moving the hoop to my hips, where I can really start to feel the beat- a smile creeps its way onto my face.
Minute #3-4- rock it out
I bring the hoop to my chest and start to meld with the song- arm weaving, duck-outs, angles and then drop down to my knees on the bed with a corkscrew and continue upper body work on my knees- rising up and back- feeling my thigh muscles come alive- My breathing has quickened and I’m starting to sweat as I come back up with the hoop back on my waist for quick undulations- they empower me and I feel silly and sexy at the same time.
Minute #5- give it an ending
As a trained performer – I have learned that any performance, whether it be in your pajamas or on a stage in front of thousands- has a beginning, middle and end. The beginning and middle comes to most people naturally, but I encourage you to find fun ways to end your practice. Whether it’s posing at the end of the song, spinning your hoop slowly above your head and down as you walk off or giving a bow with your hoop- give yourself completion. It’s so rewarding to your spirit. I ended this 5 minute bed romp by practicing slow control on my waist, taking it down to my thighs, bringing it all the way back up to above my head and striking a Madonna worthy pose at the top.
I take a moment to glance at myself in the mirror and relish in my ridiculousness. I fix the covers on the bed, take a moment to catch my breath and return to my desk with a renewed vigor. I can accomplish all that I have on my plate and more. I am an extraordinary human being. All it took was little inner child playtime on a king-sized bed.
Peace,
Keaton
Thursday, August 14, 2008
WORLD HOOP DAY 8-8-08!
Hoopnotica donated 100 TravelHoops to the World Hoop Day organization - a non-profit organization committed to providing hoops to children in need. You can find out more about them and donate to their cause at www.worldhoopday.com!
Keaton and I started the WHD celebrating a little early when we hooped it up at her fiancĂ©’s company launch party the night before. We had so much fun hooping to djs Sammy Bliss (my main squeeze) and Shylock, and we spent much of the night teaching newbies how to get their hoops started.
After a good night's sleep, we headed to our favorite hooping spot in Venice and set up for World Hoop Day!
Soon, the Hoopers started arriving...
and much hooping fun insued!
Kids and adults alike enjoyed the hoopla. HoopMamma and her kids joined in on the fun too!
The lovely Hoopalicious (Anah of Hoop Revolution), her man Franc and even her dog Quinn joined us as well!
We worked on some new moves....
...and then it was time for the HOOP RAFFLE! Hoopnotica and Hoop Revolution each raffled off gorgeous hand made hoops! Congrats to the winners!
After hours of fun in the sun, it was finally time to call it a day. We packed up, said our goodbyes and planned to hoop together again soon!
Thanks everyone who made this World Hoop Day unforgettable! Get out there and share the joy of hoopdance with someone new! We'll have some video of our WHD experience up in a bit, so visit us here again soon ~Rayna
Monday, August 11, 2008
Pursed Lips and Girl Scout Cookies
I am not clear about when this began. It is one of those things that seems like it could have happened years ago or yesterday. To make me feel better, I could say something like "Your mind just starts to go once you've had kids". It would sound good, and reaffirm my point that I am becoming, cliche.