You Know You're Hooked on Argentine Tango When . . . .

. . .you start categorizing your music into the category it would fit best for dancing: tango, vals, or milonga.

Silly tango joke.  Anyway. . . .

The one thing that's truly keeping me somewhat sane here is the tango community.  Tango in Dallas is vibrant and awesome!  I've been going to a couple milongas (tango dance event) a month, most notably the one at Bodega Wine Bar on the first Thursday of the month.  It certainly cuts the isolation and loneliness I feel living here.  I'm lucky in that I rarely have to sit out a tanda (set of 3 or 4 songs separated by a cortina, which presents an opportunity to change partners), and last Thursday I managed to reach that pinnacle of tango dance for the first time, call it "tango nirvana" or whatever.  Two dancers move as one body with four legs in perfect harmony to the music, the dance floor, and each other.  It lasted a whole tanda and I was so sad when it was over.  I thought that sort of thing only happened with a couple who had been dancing together for a very long time, but it was so magical and special that if I only get to experience it once in my entire life, I would still consider myself incredibly lucky.