Author: Karla M. Socci Somers

Freelance writer, graphic designer and mother to one little girl and one very large dog, Karla is a native New Yorker who traded in her downhill skis for flip-flops when she was transplanted to the South in 2003. She has a master's degree in Communication and Rhetorical Studies from Syracuse University, with a certificate in Conflict Management. She prides herself on being able to help her friends improve their interpersonal relationships, yet is still trying to apply that expertise to her own life. When not writing or designing logos, she enjoys reading, belly dancing, walking her dog, and spending as much time as possible at the ocean, lake or pool.
Living in the Limelight

Living in the Limelight

The lights dim. The audience quiets with anticipation. Backstage, Company dancers line up, waiting for the opening number to begin.

We are tip-toeing between the curtains in the wings so as not to be heard in our tap shoes. We whisper to each other, making last-minute adjustments to our sequined … Read the rest

Struggle Properly – My Journey in the Salimpour Belly Dance Program

Struggle Properly – My Journey in the Salimpour Belly Dance Program

Dear Readers,

This post is a pretty big deal. I began My High-Maintenance Life in 2011 with a story called: “Disenchantment” or “Beauty School Wasn’t What I Thought it Would Be.” Since then, I have written about everything from my dogs having fleas to raising kids, to relationships coming apart and coming Read the rest

The Hipster Urban Mountain Man: A Mullet for the Millennium

The Hipster Urban Mountain Man: A Mullet for the Millennium

There is a current fashion statement that fascinates me greatly. I see it at restaurants, churches, festivals, the grocery store…just about everywhere I go. After careful observation, analysis, and bafflement (“Why?” I keep saying out loud. “I just don’t get the attraction to this exhibit.”). Then, one night while observing this … Read the rest

Belly Dancers Eat Cupcakes, and 7 More Surprising Things You Didn’t Know About Us

Belly Dancers Eat Cupcakes, and 7 More Surprising Things You Didn’t Know About Us

 

After my first belly dance class with one of Atlanta’s premier professional belly dancers, a surprising thing happened: she ate a cupcake.

One of my classmates had brought snacks to the three-hour workshop and set them up on the cafe tables in the back of our rehearsal room … Read the rest

My Breastfeeding Rant

My Breastfeeding Rant

This morning I woke up early so I could take my daughter to before-school chorus rehearsal. It wouldn’t have been so bad getting up an hour earlier than usual if I had actually gone to bed at a reasonable time. Instead, Albie and I stayed up watching Sisters – the … Read the rest