No Harley? For good?

I love it. For weeks now, the ever-annoying Harley has not been showing up at the Monday night cardio bootcamp classes at my gym. He's a loudmouthed jackass who insists on barking loudly and calling undue attention to himself. He constantly cheats on his moves, and yet he acts like he's at the top of his game. "Look at me! Look at me!" is what his hooting and hollering amounts to. What a loser.

Haven't seen him in several weeks now. Maybe he's found something else to do during the summer, but I hope that's not it. I hope that he has left... permanently. That'd be great.

Half-baked solutions

More on the topic of poor preparation.

I was at a social function wherein the host had to entertain some foreign visitors. He wanted to show them a movie, but he didn't have the right DVD on hand.

This other fella -- a guy who had been tapped to help out with the event -- said, "Oh, no problem. We'll just go to Netflix and play the movie that way." Obviously, that was a poorly conceived idea; after all, Netflix streaming can be erratic at best. Unless you're lucky, it won't make for a smooth experience, and there's a very good chance that the movie might not be available.

This fella has a habit of coming up with half-baked solutions -- essentially bandages in place of proper fixes.

Poor planning

Here's another thing that I'd like to vent about. It's a little thing, but it makes my eyes roll.

So I attended a party recently where some dancing was involved. For the most part, this was not "real" dancing. Rather, it was people shaking around a-rhythmically and without much style.

Did the folks have any music prepared? Mostly, no. When they wanted music, they went to YouTube and tried to find the songs they wanted. That was just mind-numbingly dumb and a sign of poor preparation. Blech.

Speaking of encouragement

Speaking of encouragement, I'm glad that this guy Ross doesn't attend my Muay Thai classes anymore. I was frequently partnered with him, since we were at the same rank. He was a very dour fella. He routinely provided criticism, but he never provided positive feedback -- not even once. That got really old.

He was more skilled and more experienced than I, since he had prior martial arts training. He failed to understand that positive reinforcement is helpful and even necessary.

Some of the more advanced practitioners in our class understood that, which made them great to work with. Too bad he didn't. This made him a real pain.

Encouragement

I wish that the lady swing dancers would enthuse over me the way they gush over certain other guys. I don't think I'm that bad, even though I know that I'm not highly skilled. Would be nice to get a bit more encouragement now and then, just as I routinely try to provide encouragement for these ladies.

Disappointed

I'm so disappointed. But oh well, life goes on.

About swearing

Somebody on the 'net asked why children should be taught to avoid swearing. I like what one person said in response. Here is what he/she said, albeit paraphrased slightly.

It is a sign of maturity and intelligence to display the ability to moderate your behavior for the circumstances you find yourself in. You wear a suit to a wedding, but shorts to the beach. The same is true with language. People will respect you more if you understand the difference between swearing in the office and swearing at a backyard barbecue with your oldest friends.

Also, attempting to be offensive just for the sake of being offensive is manipulative behavior, and most people will recognize this and respond to you accordingly. If you can't communicate appropriately and effectively, it will affect your relationships with people, and this is true whether you're swearing or not.

I would add that one should avoid swearing around people that one doesn't know well -- people that you've just met at a party or on vacation, for example. One should also avoid swearing in the office, as a general rule, even when among friends.

Just a couple more

Just a couple more negative postings, please. I really did mean it when I said that I wanted to focus on more positive, uplifting things. On the other hand, I also meant it when I said that I need to unburden and vent now and then. Some of the things I'll be venting about will be fairly minor, but I still want to voice these things and get them off my chest.

More on the gym classes, continued again

Here's another gym annoyance.

We sometimes do these moves in the kicbkoxing classes where you have to bob and weave. Jumping jacks are also a frequent requirement. A whole bunch of people pretty much just shake their fannies slightly instead of doing the moves properly. It's kinda like simulating the move without having to put in much real effort.

On the one hand, I understand that it's their life, and if they want to cheat themselves, that's their business. The reality, however, is that they're a distraction and they bring the energy level of the room down. Energy is contagious, and when people put in very little effort, then their neighbors will also tend to be motivated to do minimal work as well.

One of the worst offenders is this woman who just kinda twists her booty around slightly during our jab-and-cross moves. Now, you have to understand -- jabbing and crossing are both strong, energetic upper body moves. The jab is a quick little punch with nearly full extension. The cross requires twisting one's body around so as to put a lot of power into a punch. This gal just moves her hands around slightly and wiggles her tushie. It's annoying and bloody painful to watch.

More on the gym classes, continued

Another complaint about folks in the gym classes...

A lot of people move very jerkily, even when it comes to simple moves such as knee raises. Now please understand, I'm not trying to cast blame here, nor am I saying that these people are crude louts or any such thing. I'll be honest, though... it's distracting and even painful to watch.

A couple of guys keep crunching their upper bodies during simple knee raises, for example. I don't know what to make of that. It does throw off their rhythm, and it's almost an eyesore. It could be that they just need a little bit of coaching, or it could be that they're led such sedentary lives that they don't know how to move anymore. I just don't know.

Several people look like they're about to tip over when they do moderate tempo knee raises. This is usually because they're standing upright instead of leaning over and bending the supporting leg, as should be done during proper non-alternating knee raises. I don't know... is this because they've never been taught the fine points of this move? Or is it because they're trying to do the moves with as little effort as possible, so they stand vertically instead of supporting one's self with a single bent leg? I honestly don't know.

More on the gym classes

I don't want to harp on the people at my gym too much, but I swear... some of them are just truly aggravating. Here are some of the annoyances in the various cardio kickboxing classes that I attend.

- People who groan and moan a lot. Folks, if you're having a hard time with the moves, please keep that information to yourselves. We can see that you're struggling; indeed most of the people do. You don't need to piss and moan about it during the class.

- Gigglers. Some folks giggle almost hysterically when they can't do the moves. I understand that they do this out of nervousness, and I understand that this is a natural reaction for them. Please though, you need to learn how to suppress that reaction. It's not polite to giggle during the class, just as it's not polite to giggle inappropriately in a classroom situation. Just relax. If you can't do the move, then acknowledge that and do your best. No need to go into hysterics about it.

- Folks who don't match the moves at all. At least try to move in sync with the instructor, please. I know that people will mess up -- I certainly do. Still, please try to move in more-or-less the same way as the instructor and the class; otherwise, you can wind up throwing other people off.

Again, I'm not saying that everyone needs to be in tip-top shape. That's not the objection at all. I do understand that some people will struggle. I'm just saying that they need to do their best, get their head in the game, and basically work hard and working out hard.

You're not that great, pal

There's this fellow that I'll call "M." M says that he's one of the very best dancers in town. I think that's a great exaggeration. He's very good, and he certainly has a lot of experience. He also throws a lot of energy into his dance, and I know that some gals just love him. I think that he greatly overrates himself, though.

For one thing, he puts a lot of body english into his moves, even when it's not warranted. During a simple swing dance, for example, he keeps twisting and rolling his body, and that doesn't really suit the music well. He also tends to do a lot of things to call attention to himself, flashy stuff that's designed to make himself stand out. A little bit of flash is good, but you don't want to overdo it. That's just poor dance style.

Need a new SD card

Drat. I wasted maybe half an hour of work last night, all because my SD card (or technically a microSD card with an adapter) chose to give out. Phooey.

I hate this. I hate losing productive time, especially with all that I need to accomplish.

Move your feet, darn it!

Some of the people in my cardio classes are darned annoying. I've talked about some of them before, but right now, I want to focus on one particular type -- the kind that scarcely moves.

It's very frustrating when the class is told to shuffle to the left or to the right, and the person to your left or right doesn't move. I realize that some of these folks might not be able to move at all, but frankly, I doubt it. After all, even a greatly overweight person can push himself hard for a while. I've seen it happen time and time again in real life, and you can also see it on a certain weight-loss competition program on TV.

Folks, if you don't want to move, then please stay on the sides of the room or to the back. Don't take up center stage, so to speak. Not only are you being an obstacle to other people, but you're also setting a bad example for everyone else. Either move it or take up a more discreet position.

More on the doctorate issue

There's a guy who posted a comment to this article that I previously cited. I liked his comment a lot, so I've reproduced it here in its entirety. I'm sure that he wouldn't mind.

I think this confusion starts from the fact that the medical profession took it upon themselves to use the title “doctor” inappropriately. First of all, the title “doctor” has a Latin origin that loosely translates into “teacher”. This is generally a function of the Ph.D. holder. There are other legitimate doctorate degrees that are equal to the Ph.D such as D.Sci, Th.D, and the D.D. The holders of these degrees are the REAL DOCTORS!

Another interesting fact is that the MD isn’t even a graduate degree. This is a “professional” degree, not an ACADEMIC one. Consider that lawyers with a JD (Juris Doctor) degree, go back to school to get a Masters of Law. What!? They have a “doctorate” degree, and if they pursue graduate studies, they go “back” to the Master’s level? How can that be? Simple, the Juris Doctor degree is NOT an academic, graduate degree. Same as the Doctor of Medicine degree.
In fact, other countries like India, and England have the right idea, and their medical schools grant the Bachelor of Medicine degree for the same amount of course work.

I remember speaking to medical school graduates from India in the past, and neither refer to themselves as “doctor”. They call themselves a “physician” which is far more appropriate. In Germany, you can’t even call yourself a “doctor” unless you have a Ph.D.

Understandably, our western society has linked the phrase, “he/she is a doctor” with those who possess an MD or a DO. Even chiropractors, podiatrists, and dentists are not considered “doctors”, even though they have a “doctorate” in their respective fields. This is unfortunate, and it will take a lot of effort to re-educate our society to change it’s perception on this honored title.

All this construction work drives me nuts

I lost about an hour of drive time last night because off all the construction work on the highways. Argh!

Of course, that was less aggravating that they time I wound up behind some slowpoke a couple of weeks ago. For about 20 minutes, I was stuck behind some bozo who was driving 10mph below the speed limit. Double argh!

Academically clueless

You'd think people would know better.

I feel like rolling my eyes whenever I hear somebody claim that PhDs are not "real doctors." In their view, only physicians are real doctors, and other people are just pretenders to that title. Not only is that historically ignorant, it also displays a severe lack of understanding of how the title is conventionally used.

No, folks. Physicians are not the only ones who are real doctors. In fact, the PhD holders have a more genuine claim to this title, as do people with comparable degrees (e.g. the ScD or the relatively obscure DBA).

That was a terrible dance

So I asked this older lady to swing dance last night. She seemed like she could handle herself on the dance floor. That was a mistake.

Turns out that she was one of these overly stiff ballroom-style dancers. There's nothing wrong with that, but it can really stink on the social dance floor. When they insist on doing everything in a prim and proper way, with no energy and flair, it can make for a heavily disconnected dance.

And it can be so boring. I found myself looking at the floor due to the awkwardness of the dance. She pointed this out and corrected me, and she was right to do so (though this wasn't great dance etiquette). Still, I think that the failure of this dance was due to her lack of energy, since I've had countless successful dances with women over the years.

Entering rant mode

In the past, I've acknowledged that I'd like to be more positive in my postings. I don't want to just post about frustrations and annoyances. And honestly, I still feel that way.

To be truthful though, I do feel the need to rant and vent now and then. It's cathartic, and it helps me deal with stress. So I hope you'll forgive me if I speak about various annoyances and grievances for the next few postings. It'd really help me a lot.

Boring photos

Some of the people I associate with take the most boring photos. Case in point: We were at a costume party. Did these folks take interesting photos that highlighted the costumes? For the most part, no. They focused on a whole lot of boringly posed pictures -- people just standing around, smiling at the camera, for example. Or worse, a lot of headshots. No real activity, very few interesting poses, and a whole lot of BORING.

Here's a clue, folks. Photos in which people look at smile at the camera are almost always mind-numbingly dull. They require no creativity, and they almost never engage the viewer's attention.

AbiLogic

I just discovered the AbiLogic directory. I don't understand their name, but I do appreciate the fact that they make a point of being a spam-free directory.

Gym slackers revisited

Continuing my previous rant about gym slackers...

I don't doubt that some of them are just doing the best that they can. Some of them may have joint problems, for example. Given human nature though, it's a safe bet that many of these folks are in bad shape precisely because they don't push themselves very hard. That's why instead of jogging around when the instructor tells them to, they just go for a slow an leisurely walk. Or why they just sit around and gab when the instructor runs late, as opposed to working out while waiting.

That's the key. If it was just one or two people who were "working out" at this minimal intensity, that'd be something to expect. When virtually the entire room is working out at such a low level though, it's hard to believe that they're truly putting in a major effort.

Just today, we did this drill wherein we were supposed to throw some medium-tempo jab and cross combinations. Virtually nobody was throwing a proper punch, though. Several folks just kinda moved their arms around a few inches while swaying their booties from side to side. It was painful to watch, and even a bit demotivating. I couldn't help but think, "Folks, even when I was in bad shape, I still pushed myself hard. Yet here you are, just coasting through. You're cheating yourselves, folks, and you shouldn't expect to see any results."

Complaining again about slackers

I know that I shouldn't fret over this so much, but I've got to say it again. I'm really, really tired of people who attend the cardio kickboxing and cardio bootcamp classes at my gym, and yet who scarcely put any effort into their moves. I'm talking about the ones who don't put any 'oomph' into their motions and who consistently adopt the posture that requires the least amount of effort and expends the least energy. (For example, doing knee raises while standing straight up, rather than leaning forward and bending the supporting leg.)

Yeah, I know. Ultimately, it's their choice, and that's true. The problem is that they're often distracting and even painful to watch. They're also demotivating -- and I'm not just saying that, since I've even heard an instructor say the same thing.

I know it sounds harsh, but it's kinda annoying to see people put in the time but not the effort -- to basically throw the time away. It's also annoying because some of these folks wind up chatting amongst themselves instead of doing the moves. They are also likely to let loose with whines or groans when the going gets tough, instead of just doing the best that they can.

More on Jesse Jackson

Today, I received an e-mail newsletter which said that Jesse Jackson is urging the creation of more jobs.

Yeah, that was brilliant, Jesse. Truly profound. Why does anybody bother listening to this parasite?

Jesse Jackson -- ugh

Jesse Jackson's latest tirade regarding LeBron James is really sickening.

Here's the story. Dan Gilbert took LeBron to task for his narcissistic media spectacular, in which LeBron hyped up his big decision to play for Miami. Gilbert correctly pointed out that this egofest was in poor taste.

And what did Jackson do? He said, "LeBron is not a child, nor is he bound to play on Gilbert’s plantation and be demeaned." In other words, he is insinuating that Gilbert thinks LeBron is some sort of slave who is obligated to play as Gilbert deems fit. Nevermind that Gilbert was not objecting to LeBron's career move; rather, he merely pointed out that this prodigy has exhibited poor taste in hyping up his move.

Jackson likes to play the race card at every opportunity. He is an opportunist, and his actions are slimy beyond belief.

Eakins

Gretchen Eakins is a relatively obscure actress/model. She's also perky, attractive, and seems like she's probably greatly underrated. I like her, and I wish that there had been some gals like her at my old high school and college.

So disappointed

Darn, drat, darn, darn, darn.

What a disappointment.

Psych

Man, I love that show.

7/7

It's 7/7 today. Do you feel lucky, punk?

Wonder Woman in the original SuperFriends TV show

So I'm watching this episode of the original SuperFriends where they have to deal with objects made of this plastic substance called FRERP. Wonder Woman had the task of creating a solvent to get rid of this substance. What's more, the villian even acknowledged Wonder Woman's scientific brilliance, predicting that she could indeed develop such a solvent.

Too bad the writers didn't treat her that way in subsequent seasons of this show. They sure dumbed her down.

Boot camp was disappointing

I was really disappointed in tonight's cardio bootcamp class. Our regular instructor is in Vegas, and I was told that this close friend of hers would be filling in. As in turned out though, another lady altogether led the class.

Some folks liked her. Personally, I thought she was mostly boring. She definitely didn't push me very hard.

The first half of the class was rather slow paced and low in intensity. She certainly didn't move as fast or as vigorously as our regular instructor. Some folks in the class probably preferred that, but personally, I didn't feel challenged.

Neither was the gal behind me, apparently. She's not a young woman, but she works out hard. The two of us agree that a boot camp class should be tough and demanding; otherwise, why call it "boot camp"? As she said, when it comes to the tough, physically demanding moves, we should say "Bring it!"

Judicious use of animation in PowerPoint

In an earlier post, I talked about how it's annoying to see someone simply re-read the text in their PowerPoint slides. I also said that trivial rephrasings aren't quite as annoying or insulting, but they do come awfully close. I also suggested that it helps if we keep the PowerPoint text brief, so that we can expand on their meaning as we speak.

It also helps if we use simple animation effects to make the text appear only as needed. It's trivial to learn, and anybody with even an average IQ can make it work.

Independence!

It's Independence Day! Don't take freedom for granted.

Manuals, dang it!

It's so annoying. So many companies don't produce decent documentation for their products. They're not interested in producing manuals that are intelligible, much less systematically written. Bah.

The problem is that a lot of techies don't develop their writing skills. What's more, a great many of them don't consider writing skills to be important. It stinks.

PowerPoint

I'll say it again -- I hate it when people give a presentation or lead a discussion by reading the text on their PowerPoint slides -- treating PowerPoint as though it were a teleprompter. It's colossally dumb and it's very annoying as well.

Now, some people don't actually read their slides. However, they will sometimes have detailed points listed in their slides, and then they'll state those points in their so-called "presentations." That is almost as annoying and almost as insulting.

A better approach would be to use a few short bullet points -- not detailed sentences, but brief phrasings. One's presentation can then expand on those phrasings.

My leg hurts

It hurts. I'm getting old. These tendons just don't take as much physical abuse as they used to. I wish that I had been a lot more physically active in my younger days. Now I'm trying to make up for that, and it's tough -- tougher now, since I can't jump and kick as much as I could have in my younger days.

Not enough time

I don't have enough time in my life, and I could really use a raise. Sigh.

Thinks I like

As I've said before, I know that I tend to rant and rail in these postings. It's cathartic. For that reason, I'll focus on some things that I like in this post.

I like frozen yogurt, strawberries, cantaloupes, reptiles, exotic animals, this obscure actress, another actress, Almond M&Ms, salt and vinegar Pringles, the website development company that I'm working with, the M sisters, some of my lindy hopping comrades, solo Charleston moves, the finale from "Hairspray," old Speed Racer cartoons, the Doc Savage movie and more.

Expenses

Argh. I have to pour thousands of dollars into some home repairs. I hate this. That's money that I'd rather not spend, especially since it's important to have a hedge against unemployment and unexpected expenses.

So much of this could have been avoided if I knew more about home maintenance, and if some of the previous owners had done their work correctly. Bah.

Stacey Williams, democrat

So I found out that ex-supermodel Stacey Williams is a supporter of the Democrat Party. Here is a photo of her which mentions her involvement in the Democratic National Convention.

I'm kinda disappointed. I prefer to think of these celebrities as being apolitical, even though I know that's not the case.

My knee hurts

Ouch. My knee hurts. I strained a tendon due to my workout routines. I tend to put a lot of energy into my moves, and I must have overdone it. Yikes. Ouch.

I'm getting too old for this.

Language

Some people are so inarticulate. So horribly inarticulate. It's very annoying, especially when they demean the value of a good vocabulary.

After King Kong Fell

I just read this classic short story by Philip Jose Farmer. It was amusing to me because of some unnamed cameos. It featured a bronzed heroic figure who was clearly meant to be Doc Savage, as well as two character who were obviously intended to be the Shadow and Margo Lane.

Tips for church secretaries

Get a load of this. There's a website that's devoted to providing helpful information for church secretaries. I'm not sure what their business model is, but I did think that this is a bit of a speciality niche.

They even have articles on the following topics, among others:

Tips to Time Management
Time Management and Planning Tips
Words Every Church Secretary Should Avoid
Ways to Become More Efficient At Work & At Home
A Habit Every Successful Church Secretary Must Have
Quick Keys to Managing Multiple Projects

The Real Ghostbusters

Been watching Season One on DVD. Loads of fun and lots of clever dialogue.

About website domains

Here's a little tidbit. If you type a domain name into your browser, you might find that no website appears. This does not mean that the domain is available, though. A lot of companies buy domain names for future use or for strategic value (for example, to prevent their customers from taking those domain names.)

So can you buy that domain name from the owner? Maybe, or maybe not. The reality is that if it's owned by a company, then they probably bought it for strategic purposes -- perhaps for some future product. They are unlikely to relinquish this domain, and frankly, it'd be foolish to assume that they have no use for the domain in question.

Whither Wendy Benson?

Whatever happened to actress Wendy Benson? She was never a big name celebrity, but I did like seeing her on TV. She also reminds me of an old friend of mine.

According to Wikipedia, she should be 39 years old by now. I wonder if she still has that sparkling youthful appearance. Unfortunately, with her fair skin, I suspect that her age will have started to show significantly by now.

Whining about having to wear seatbelts

I still remember this time when I was in a foreign country -- one where wearing a seatbelt was not legally required. Indeed, a surprising number of vehicles over there weren't even equipped with seatbelts, even in the 1980s.

I was riding with one family in a relatively modern automobile. This one did have seatbelts in it, and I noticed that one person wasn't wearing hers. I recommended buckling up for safety reasons, and she said, "But they're not comfortable!"

I couldn't believe it. Seatbelts are minimally intrusive, and one scarcely even notices that they're there. Even people who are severely obese learn not to take heed of the fact that they're strapped in, and yet this person thought that seatbelts were simply too uncomfortable to wear. Talk about being effete. Talk about being foolish.

USS "dances"

There are these monthly dances sponsored by a group called "USS." I won't be more specific about their name, since I don't want to embarrass them. I have to say, however, that their "dances" are incredibly dull. The regulars display no skill to speak of, and it's become obvious that they're not even interested in learning. I say this because they attend month after month, and yet they just do the same old squirming, swaying, and wiggling around. It's incredibly dumb -- kiddie-level, really.

Yakov Smirnoff

I just saw Yakov Smirnoff in "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension." He was even referred to as National Security Advisor Smirnoff, or something to that effect. What a movie!

Ruby-Spears Superman

I'm watching the short-lived Superman cartoon series by Ruby-Spears on DVD. It's not bad. Not earth-shakingly good, and not particularly memorable, but pretty decent. Ruby-Spears did good work, back in the day.

A tip for marketing design

Here's a little tip. When designing marketing materials -- whether they be billboards, flyers, magazine ads, or websites -- remember that effective communication is more important than artistry. It can be tempting for someone to try to make these materials as beautiful as possible, but that should only be a secondary goal. The primary goal should be to communicate your message, and excessive emphasis on artistry can get in the way of that.

Consider this. What if your website were to have such magnificently beautiful artistry as to captivate your readers. Where will their focus be? What will they remember? Will they be focused on the beauty of your website, to the point that they are no longer as engaged in reading its message? That simply isn't right.

Don't get carried away with artistry, folks. It's not a good idea.

Gotta take care of a mold problem

I have to take care of a mold problem in my basement. This is going to get expensive. What's more, it'll require cleaning this place up.

Oh, and to make matters worse, my knee hurts.

Buckaroo Banzai

So I've been rewatching the Buckaroo Banzai movie. It helps if you know ahead of time that the whole thing was based on the Doc Savage pulp stories -- and if you know who Doc Savage is.

Yep, he's like a modernized Doc Savage without the overhwhelming physicality.

Incompetence

Some people are incompetent. Simply incompetent. No systematic thinking, no common sense.

Dealing with them can be most aggravating.

PowerPoint

I hate it when people simply read off their PowerPoint slides when giving a presentation. It's especially aggravating when these folks are highly educated. Gagh!

Amazingly, one friend of mine said that she tends to be more receptive to vendors who give terrible presentations. She said that she thinks this means that the speaker must be highly intelligent, and that this must mean that their product or service must be worth considering. That is some of the dumbest logic that I've ever heard.

TPiR and Chantel

If I had to pick a classic line-up of models from "The Price is Right," I'd say that the all-time iconic line-up has to be Janice, Holly, and Dian from the 70s and 80s. Out of all these folks, Holly was my favorite, thanks to her sparkling smile and wholesome good looks.

My personal favorite individual TPiR model of all time, however, was Chantel Dubay. It's a terrible shame that she wasn't on the show for very long. The current batch of beauties seems to be very much interchangeable.

Ouch, that hurts

I'm still annoyed that I'm nursing an injury due to this accident that a co-worker caused. It was a really stupid mistake, and even though I'm very forgiving of such things, it does create a huge inconvenience -- especially since I'm trying to get in shape.

GrafTech

I stumbled across this page today. It mentioned GrafTech International Ltd, which brought back some memories. I thought, "Hey, I remember hearing about GrafTech. I was making chit-chat with an attractive woman who mentioned that she worked for that company." This gal was way too conscious of her age and wrinkles. That was a shame, since she was still quite attractive.

No Harley! Yay! Yay!

I am SO glad that Harley was not in our cardio bootcamp class tonight. He's the jackass who keeps woofing like a dog and yelling stuff like "I love this!" during class, even though he's working out at a very low level. He is so lazy, but he likes to act as though he's this bad*ss athlete who's at the top of his game. What a loser.

When he's not around, the class is more pleasant. When he is in the class, he sets a horrible example. It's bad enough that most people in the class don't work very hard, and that our instructor has to routinely stop the class and say "That was pathetic" or words to that effect. When he acts as though his lackluster attempts at working out make him an exercise dynamo, he's setting the bar tremendously low for the rest of the class.

Branicky

This guy was intelligent, but like many people with brainpower, he did not understand the limits of his intellect or knowledge. He was also severely lacking in people skills. I remember the comment of one person who heard him speak: "What an *ss."

MK does ramble

I mentioned that my dear, beloved friend MK tends to take up a lot of time in conversation. I honestly do love talking to her, but she could say so much more in so fewer words.

For example, she tends to say stuff like, "A friend told me... not Sarah, the really pretty one -- who by, the way, is really enjoying herself and is thankful for her marriage. Sarah is so sweet. Do you think that she has a good marriage? Anyway, this friend of mine...." She keeps getting off track, and it gets to be kinda annoying, especially when I'm trying to get stuff done.

MK rambles

I have a friend, MK, who is very dear to me. Talking to her can be very frustrating, though. She calls and says, "Can you spare five minutes?" but her conversations tend to go on for at least half an hour. Not such a big deal when I'm not busy, but when I am busy -- or worse, at work -- it's a bit aggravating.

This is especially true when she's going through some sort of emotional trouble, the sort of thing that takes a lot more than just five minutes to discuss. I don't mind talking to her about these things, but I have pointed out that it's unfair to ask for just five minutes of my time if she's going to go on and on and on... and that happens a lot.

I'll say more about her ramblings soon.

Real Ghostbusters

That show rules. Very intelligent and very clever. The voice characterizations during the first two seasons were outstanding, and the plots were absolutely amazing for a children's program.

New penny

I saw one guy complain obnoxiously about the design of the new US penny. Apparently, some people just don't like change.

Camo pants

I'd like to find some grayish camouflage pants. Unfortunately, they can be hard to find. (Get it?)

I miss me some Disney movies

I miss the old days of the Disney animation renaissance. You know -- The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, and even the lesser lights such as Pocahontas, Tarzan, and the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

I'd love to see more of that stuff. Thankfully, Pixar is still producing top-notch stuff.

Paige O'Hara

Previously, I talked about the luminously talented Jodi Benson. I'd also like to say something about Paige O'Hara, who came right on her heels. Paige doesn't get the same amount of exposure as Jodi, but she also has an amazing voice, and she got to display more of her singing chops in Beauty and the Beast than Jodi did in her movie.

Jodi does gobs of voice work for Disney though, making it a regular gig on her part. Paige doesn't do nearly as much, for some reason. Is it a question of interest? And availability? I don't know; however, it does seem to me that Ariel is much more heavily merchandised than Belle is, which may suggest that Ms. Benson's character is simply more popular, even though O'Hara's movie did better in the box office.

This monthly so-called "dance"

I have almost totally given up on this monthly singles "dance" that I used to attend. It just wasn't any fun. The people there didn't know how to dance, nor were they really interested in learning how to do so. Rather, they just shook and wiggled around without any skill or style.

Mind you, I'm not saying that they need to become as skilled as a professional dancer. I'm not even saying that they should learn any ballroom dance styles, though that would certainly be nice. I'm just saying that it'd help if they learned at least some basic dance moves -- y'know, something at a higher level than the twist or a grapevine. The people there had no style.

The cupid shuffle was tremendously popular there. You know why? Because it requires no skill whatsoever. In a sense, that's a plus, but if you keep doing the mindless, skill-free stuff over and over again, then that's setting the bar awfully low. It means that there's no challenge and no art whatsoever.

More on Deborah

I remember how Deb reacted when I chose to search for other candidates instead of promoting her into the senior director position. She heard that I didn't think highly of her people skills, so she got me on the phone and yelled, "What do you mean, saying that I'm not a people person? I have GREAT people skills!"

The irony somehow escaped her.

Deborah

I wonder what happened to Deborah. She was this woman I knew who was intelligent, well educated, and even pretty despite her extra pounds. She was also abrasive and lacked people skills. When she was the assistant director of a charity, she tended to rub people the wrong way.

She said that she was a people person, but that she chose not to operate as one so that discipline could be enforced. Frankly, that's a cop out. A good people person can enforce discipline without having to abandon her people skills. Her problem wasn't that she was deliberately not operating as a people person; rather, her problem was that she was hostile, needlessly abrasive, and just all around tactless.

Learning to dance as a student

I've got some young college friends who seem to have plenty of time to learn how to dance. They take dance lessons and participate in all sorts of dance exchanges.

Personally, I can't imagine doing that as an undergrad. We always had way too much homework to do, and way too many tests to prepare for. It was a safe bet that we couldn't take a weekend off. I was a double major though, and I was in some pretty demanding fields.

I almost wish that I had pursued some more leisurely degrees, but that wouldn't have satisfied me at the time. I think I would have regretted it.

Software testing

Software testing sucks. It is boring, boring, boring.

I don't like doing this.

Cancer immunotherapy

I remember my grad school days. Back then, I got to talk to folks about various fields of research. Knowing a wide range of graduate students really helped, and I just wish that I had more time back then to absorb their knowledge and interests.

Some of them were involved in cancer immunotherapy or related fields, for example. Would have been nice to learn more about what they did. Unfortunately, too much of my time and mental energy was already being poured into my own research work. That required virtually all of my free time, especially with my limited funding. Ugh. I wish that I could have taken a more leisurely approach.

That just wasn't an option, though.

What a voice

This is worth repeating. Jodi Benson has an absolutely angelic voice, and she comes across as a wonderful performer. I wish that I had even a fraction of her talent.

Got to catch her on some YouTube videos recently. Man, what a voice. She also injects so much love and energy into her songs. I would love to see her perform more. Too bad her old "Crazy For You" videos aren't online anymore.

Got the P90X DVDs, but...

I got a bunch of inexpensive P90X DVDs off Ebay. I'm dying to try them out, but I just don't have the time. I still need to catch up on housework and yard work, for example, and I'm spending a lot of time with my dance lessons and practice. Yikes.

I really want to ramp up my exercise routine, too. I want to get leaner and pack on more muscle.

Cha cha moves I need to learn

I need to learn a few more moves before I can say that I've completed a bronze syllabus.

One is the cha cha shadow position. This is otherwise known as the cha cha sweetheart position. Another is the cross body pull back. The third is the crossover flick to side break.

Perhaps another private lesson would be in order?

Cha cha moves

I've recently expanded my repertoire of cha cha moves. Cha cha is a useful dance style to learn. It can be used with a lot of modern music (e.g. Brown-Eyed Girl), so even if you're not actually dancing to Latin music, it's still good to know.

Here are some of the moves that I currently know.

- Basic in place
- Side basic
- Progressive basic
- Outside partner position. This is where you turn the lady to one side. It also requires rocking forward with the right foot instead of rocking back.
- Crossbody lead. This is a little bit different from the salsa crossbody lead. You don't start turning until you rock back with the right foot -- or at the very least, until the final cha cha step before rocking back.
- Open break and underarm turn
- Chase turn
- Shoulder check. (Paul taught me this one, and then Lizzie did too.)
- Butterfly. This one requires touching her left palm with your right palm after a side break. It involves rocking forward with the left, alternating it with rocking back on the right.
- Alternating underarm turns
- Triple cha chas. This one requires using the progressive basic and steering the woman as though using a pair of rapiers. Also, with a little push, you can get the follower to turn during the second cha cha.

Gotta remember these moves and put them to use.

BodyShaping

I really, really miss the old ESPN show, BodyShaping. I was never much into watching televised sports (certainly not for hours on end), so ESPN never held much appeal for me. They did have a bunch of fitness shows though, such as BodyShaping, and I did like that one. Too bad they're not showing it in reruns anymore.

And yes, Jennifer Dempster was a cutie.

The flying guy in the red suit

I'm watching an episode of "The Greatest American Hero" on DVD. I remember this one. It's the one that had Captain Bellybuster in it. I remember thinking that this storyline was a bit implausible, even within the conceit of the series.

Charleston

Man, I sure would love to practice some high-speed Charleston moves sometime. Too bad most of my female friends are in such bad physical condition. They don't have much energy at all, even if they're not terribly overweight.

Mold

Got a mold problem in my basement ceiling. Gotta get that fixed. This means cleaning up the house a little bit more before the contractors get here... and I'm already plenty busy. Yikes.

Imad

I remember sending a Christmas greeting via e-mail to a bunch of people one day. One fella, Imad, send the following (paraphrased) response:

"Please don't send me any more non-business related e-mail. I receive plenty of e-mail as it is."

Gee, loosen up, grinch.

Autumn, please

I can't wait until autumn. I can't wait. I'd love that.

Oh, and I hate doing yard work in the summertime.

It's blank

This post has been intentionally left blank. Well, almost blank. Not quite.

It's getting progressively less blank, the more I talk about it.

Arnold, you stink

I won't go into detail, but there's this underhanded guy that I'm going to call "Arnold." As in "Benedict Arnold," mind you, not the powerhouse bodybuilder.

Arnold is a despicable traitor who would sell people out without any hesitation. He routinely screws people over, and it's detestable. No wonder nobody likes him.

Swearing like a sailor

I wish that people wouldn't swear so much. I encounter way too many people who seem incapable of expressing themselves without spouting the f-word left and right. It's jarring and annoying.

Some people say that the liberal use of profanity helps them express themselves accurately. I disagree. It might feel good to them, but it doesn't help with precision of meaning. Nor does it help much with emotional impact; after all, when profanity is used excessively, then its impact is diminished.

Dang

Dang. I'm disappointed. Bummed.

Not altogether unexpected, but it was unpleasant. Disappointed indeed. Darn, darn, darnity darn.

Cancelled plans

I had to cancel my workout plans for Monday. Why? Because some folks decided to organize a small trip to a local amusement park. I felt that I needed to be more sociable, and besides, one of the organizers was a pretty lady. That certainly can't hurt.

And a very cute lady she is, too. Not classically pretty, but she has a different sort of appeal. We only went as friends, but I have to admit that she was cute.

Another new kickboxing combo

Jab, hook, slip
Back kick, stutter forward, palm fist
Elbow to back, elbow to front, elbow down, switch

New kickboxing combo

Jab, cross, jab, knee
Jack, jack
Back kick, front kick
Side kick, hop and side kick

Repeat above using opposite side

HBD

And here's wishing a warm happy birthday to my beautiful sister.

That was kinda nosy

Get this. I was taking some photos of a friend at a recent swing dance. Upon seeing this, one lady comes up to me and peppers me with questions. "Excuse me, but what are you going to do with those photos? Are they going on your computer?" "Are you taking pictures for a newspaper?" "Did these people ask you to take photos of them?" and so forth, and so on.

I assured her that it was common practice for people to snap photographs at events like this. I'm not sure why she was asking, but I think it was kinda nosy. If I see somebody taking a picture of someone else, I'm not about to give that person the third degree regarding what they're doing.

I'm not sure what that was about. I don't think this gal was a swing dancer. She pretty much sat in the same place the whole night long. Maybe that's why she decided to pepper me with questions. Whatever.

BioMed

I'm always interested in hearing about technological developments in less advanced countries. That's why it's nice when I stumble across websites such as this one. It's a biotechnology firm in Thailand, a decided less advanced nation.

Now, I'm not trying to say that such companies are remarkable to find. It's just good to know that they exist, and I hope that they get all the exposure that they need. The design of this company's website could use some improvement, though.

Forearms

Gotta work in some forearm exercises, too. I think I'll plan those for Monday morning. They tend to be very much neglected, even by experienced gym rats.

Workout plan

Okay, here are my exercise plans for the weekend:

Thursday: Shoulders with a bit of chest and triceps work
Friday: Noontime walk with weighted vest, plus back and biceps work in the evening
Saturday: Cardio work in the morning and early afternoon. Some core work as well.
Sunday: Leg resistance training, followed by massage, followed by chest work
Monday: Back and biceps in the morning. Core work and a little cardio in the evening.
Tuesday: Core work and cardio in the evening. Maybe some balance exercises, too.

Celebrity Apprentice

What a waste of time. Donald Trump has no integrity -- especially after the way he screwed Annie Duke over last year in favor of Joan Rivers. Ugh.

Thirty days hath April

It's the end of April. Huzzah!

Brian

There's this strange guy named Brian who attends our local swing dance events. He's been coming for two years, but he almost never does anything more than the basic jitterbug step over and over again. He does ask women to dance, but he seems to be pathetically shy, and he obviously has no confidence when it comes to trying out moves. As far as I can tell, he has no friends there either.

I've tried to chat with him, inviting him to a workshop, for example. Doesn't seem to do any good. I wonder what the deal is with him.

Human immune system cells

A bit of educational information here. Here is a brief and somewhat fragmented discussion of some of the cells of the immune system. By this, I mean the human immune system, of course. Strictly speaking, this should be stated; however, when people speak of the immune system, it's normally understood to mean that.