Review of Christi Taylor: Totally Cool Step DVD

So I borrowed a copy of this DVD, Christi Taylor: Totally Cool Step from the library. It's a step aerobics video, and I don't recommend it unless you're an advanced stepper and are already familiar with the moves.

Kathy Smith is great because she breaks her moves down, allowing the viewer to see what she does. Christi Taylor's workout looks interesting, but it's not at all easy to digest.

It's that day

It's the anniversary of that day. Of that tragic, tragic day.

I remember that when this happened, I had just started working for a company that was already suffering from the collapse of the Internet and Y2K bubbles. We had just laid off about a third of the staff. Then this happened.

Boy.

The Giving Tree

Do you remember Shel Silverstein's children's book, "The Giving Tree"? I was surprised to read some very negative reactions to the book recently. "Why does this tree keep giving and giving to this little boy, taking nothing in return?" They thought it was a horrible story.

I disagree. In fact, I agree with one Internet poster's remarks, in which he says,

You definitely get a different spin on the book after you have kids.

There's a reason the story's called The Giving Tree and not The Taking Boy. The tree, not the boy, is what the story is about. I think some folks lose sight of that because we're used to humans being the central characters in our stories. The boy is just a necessary element to tell the story of the tree. Focusing on him too much makes you lose sight of what the book is really about.

When I was younger, I remember feeling that the kid was just a greedy bastard and the tree was a total doormat and an idiot. Now, I have a kid, and I think I understand: the tree (metaphorical parent) is willing to give every bit of itself for the boy (metaphorical child). What makes the tree happy is being with the child, and there's nothing the boy can take from the tree that will decrease that happiness.

Before I became a dad, I always heard about parents who didn't have enough money to feed the whole family, so they'd go hungry and give everything they had to their child so she could eat. I never understood that. Now, I think I know why people would gladly suffer for their kids. She really does mean the world to me, and I would give every part of myself for her. And I'd be happy.

Francis Y

Speaking of despicable people, Francis Y had a nasty habit of starting rumors about people. He loved it. Even an innocent conversation between a boy and a girl was grist for his rumor mill.

Why do some people take such a perverse delight in inventing rumors?

Rodney, you were despicable

I try to focus on the positive; I really do. I think that's important when you're in a high-stress job. However, there are still times when I find myself flashing back to some unpleasant memories.

For example, today I wound up thinking of Rodney, this incredible jackass that I knew from high school. To give you an idea of how despicable he was, he once snuck up behind me during a class study session when the teacher was away. He clamped his hands around my neck and squeezed... hard. The blood was cut off from my brain, and my vision started to fade. I nearly blacked out. We were in the back of the room, so the other students didn't see us, or if they did, they must have thought he was just playing around.

He eventually did loosen up, before I could pass out. When I complained, he said, "Come on! It's just fun!"

Yes, Rodney. I trust that you'd also find it fun if someone were to squeeze your neck to within an inch of your life. If I were a more mean-spirited person, I would actually wish such a fate on you, but I won't. I do hope that you've grown up and changed your ways; after all, we all do stupid things when we are young. If you haven't though, then more's the pity.

Dang, Buck Owens is good

I just watched an old episode of Tony Orlando and Dawn in which some of the old Hee Haw gang cast members were the guest stars. Hee Haw was pretty dumb and their jokes were extremely lame, but on Tony Orlando's show, they were much funnier.

Grandpa Jones is always pretty darned good. He's fun. However, Buck Owens really caught my attention. Man, that guy is talented!

I'm not a big country music fan; however, his rendition of Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Old Oak Tree was absolutely amazing.

Sarah Palin, Bristol, and taking the high road

I read the following comments from one self-avowed liberal regarding this whole Bristol Palin kerfluffle. I think that his words are worth heeding.

I'm a liberal, and an unabashed Obama supporter.

That said, this is how they'll beat us.... Judging this woman's quality as a mother based on a few datapoints, gleefully repeating idle internet gossip, eventually forcing the disclosure of a family matter that was none of our f***ing business.

This is how they'll win. Drag us down to their level and beat us with experience. Stick to policy, McCain's judgment and age. Leave Palin alone. Any attack on her--however well-founded--will be seen as picking on a defenseless hockey mom.

She's the bait, and we're taking it.

Sarah Palin, Bristol, and sex education

Earlier, I talked about how some people unfairly criticize Sarah Palin, laying the blame for Bristol's pregnancy firmly at her feet. Without defending (or even evaluating) Governor Palin's suitability as a candidate, I opined that such criticisms are patently unfair. I'd even argue that these are kinda cheap shots. Obama himself appears to agree, which is why he has asked his supporters to lay off.

Nevertheless, I've seen a great many critics jump on Sarah Palin's case over this issue. Apart from questioning her parenting skills, they also say, "Aha! This demonstrates that her abstinence-only beliefs on sex education simply don't work." Now, I'm not going to attack or defend the use of abstinence-based (or even abstinence-only) sex education, as that would merit a whole 'nuther long discussion. Rather, I want to emphasize that this line of reasoning is unwarranted, and here's why.

First, nobody should rationally expect that any approach to sex education will be foolproof. That's simply naive. If somebody gets pregnant despite extensive instruction on the use of condoms and IUDs, would people be so quick to conclude that this method of teaching is a disaster? Probably not.

Besides which, even if we were to pretend that a single failure constitutes proof that a particular approach doesn't work, we still can't use Bristol Palin as a valid datapoint. Why? Because we don't know that she was educated using "abstinence only" as a guiding principle. All we know is that this is what her mother advocates. We don't know if this is what Bristol was taught in the schools, for example. We don't even know if this is what her father advocates. Heck, we don't even know when Sarah Palin herself adopted this stance (which, for all we know, could have been well into Bristol's teen years).

Now, this is the point at which various peopl exclaim, "But abstinence teaching doesn't work! Those programs are stupid!" Maybe that's true, and maybe not... but that's not the issue at hand. The question is whether the blame for Bristol's unfortunate situation should be placed on Sarah Palin's views on sexuality or her parenting skills. Such accusations are simply unwarranted, and they implicitly assume that anything less than 100% effectivenesss is equivalent to abject failure.

Sarah Palin, Bristol, and parenthood

So VP candidate Sarah Palin has a daughter who recently god pregnant out of wedlock. Her name is Bristol, and she is now in the public eye. Poor gal.

Some critics have been jumping on Sarah Palin's case, saying "See? She's not a very good mother, is she?" Now, I'm not going to attack or defend her parenting skills, as I don't think that would be appropriate. Rather, I want to emphasize that this criticism of Governor Palin is patently unfair.

Does her daughter's pregnancy make her an inattentive or otherwise incapable mother? I don't think so. You can't necessarily place the blame for this child's failing firmly at the feet of her mother. Children can always make their own mistakes, even with the best of parental guidance.

Heck, how many times have we heard people say "You can't stop teenagers from having sex" (a statement which is technically true, but which oversimplifies the duties of parenthood). Now that Palin's daughter is pregnant though, all of a sudden it's "Omigawsh, she's pregnant! This proves that Palin is a neglectful mother!"

As for accusations that Bristol was "sexually active"... again, that's technically true, insofar as she has clearly had sex. However, this says nothing about whether this was a continuing habit, an occasional failing, or even a one-time mistake. To lay this blame firmly at the mother's feet is both unduly harsh and unwarranted.

Mind you, I'm not saying that she was some lily white virgin who simply made a single mistake. (I hasten to emphasize this, since one person did challenge me on that point.) Rather, I'm saying that we don't know if she was sexually loose, or if she gave in during a moment of weakness, or if the truth lies somewhere in between. It seems to me that we should avoid making too many assumptions about what's going on behind the scenes.

Obscure Peanuts characters

A friend of mine is a big fan of Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and the whole Peanuts gang. I'd love to get her some figurines of some of the more obscure Peanuts characters -- Five, Shermy, Charlotte Braun, Tapioca Pudding, Patty and Violet, etc. Those have been very hard to find, though.

How I spent my Labor Day weekend

So what did I do during the Labor Day weekend?

I spent a lot of time resealing my driveway. This is time-consuming work, since my driveway is in very bad shape. It's coarse and has a good number of depressions, which means that it's not as simple as just spreading the sealant around. I have to trowel some filler into various spots if I want the sealant to spread evenly... and even then, I need to be selective. I can't afford to use this stuff in all the rough spots, nor do I have the time to do so.

I also have spots that are very difficult to clean, being right close to my landscaping. I had to spread some of this filler onto those spots as well, just to cover up the dust and give the sealant something onto which it can adhere.

Oh, and I always need to hose the driveway down for best results. With all the pine needles, bits of mulch, and bits of grass blowing around, that gets to be annoying. It would be best if I had a pressure washer to use, but I don't want to spend money on one. Maybe if I were to buy a cheap one...

Another Windows annoyance

Okay, here's another thing that I hate about Windows. It happens way too often that windows pop up and won't disappear. For example, if you click on the Start button at the start, you may find that it will pop up and remain there, refusing to go away unless you actually select one of its options. It also happens when you click on various taskbar buttons.

This stinks. It also seems to happen a lot more under Vista, but that may just be my misperception.