The Slug, Part III

BTW, somebody complained to the class instructor that I was running into her during the class. I'm pretty sure that it was the slug, since she made some kind of remark when I was doing back kicks and supposedly tagged her or something.

The thing is, I was doing BACK kicks. I didn't run into her; rather, she was standing too close behind me when were were kicking. Common sense should dictate that if the class is going to be kicking backwards, you shouldn't stand too close behind another person in the class. What a diva.

The problem is that she doesn't pay attention. She often starts the moves late, acting as though the class was catching her by surprise. She doesn't have her head in the game. That's one reason why she barely moves -- because her mind isn't engaged by the class and she puts in no effort to speak of.

The Slug, Part II

Another thing about this sluggish gal at the gym... toward the end of the class, she keeps yelling out stuff like "Oh, yeah!" or "You go!" Something like that.

I don't object to that per se. Like I said though, she's barely moving in these classes! Why in the world would you let loose with these yelps of enthusiasm if you're barely moving at all? I'd rather that people put their money where their mouths are, so to speak.

The annoying slug

There is this woman in my gym that I think of as "the slug." It's not a kind nickname, which is why I don't share it with anyone. In my mind though, that's how I think of her.

She barely moves during the Saturday morning Hi-Lo class. From the very start of the class, she always adopts a hangdog expression. She doesn't really do the moves; rather, she moves as though she's dragging her limbs through molasses. Instead of doing a kick or a knee raise, for example, she just kinda lifts her foot a couple of inches off the floor.

No wonder she hasn't shown any results over the past couple of years. Working out the way she does, she's not going to get anything done. Heck, she'd get a better workout just by going for a brisk walk, since she hardly moves at all.

F.B.

Fenna can be very... problematic. She is so full of anger and negativity, and she's overly quick to jump down other people's throats, even without knowing the facts. She also has no grasp of diplomacy.

Gotta catch up

I need to catch up on my mail. Seriously.

Gotta catch up on my reading, too.

ALL CAPS

I met this one comic book store owner who always types up his messages entirely in capital letters. Argh.

Bad idea.

WKRP

I would like to watch some old WKRP episodes. Really.

Terry

Terry, you disappointed me. Greatly.

My thumb

My thumb hurts. Darned cut.

When communication fails

I think that the following comment that I once read makes a lot of sense: "If six people have understood the same thing, and it is not what you meant... you have, indeed, not made yourself clear!"

Hungarian Movie Night

I dislike it greatly.

The Cupid Shuffle

The Cupid Shuffle has got to be the most mindless line dance ever invented, right after the Chicken Dance. Even the Hokey Pokey provides more variety than this stupid charade.

That's why my mind was boggled when I attended a swing dance in Pennsylvania where the organizer actually took five minutes out to TEACH people how to do the Cupid Shuffle. Good grief. This isn't the sort of dance that you waste time teaching. Rather, it's the sort of mindless crap that people should be able to observe for a few seconds and then follow along.

Then again, the organizer of this particular event wasn't known for having a lot of dance expertise.

People who are ignorant about dance

Not everyone knows how to dance, and not everyone understands what goes into preparing a good dance event. I'm okay with that, as we all have different talents and backgrounds.

It does annoy me, however, when dances are organized by people who know nothing about dancing. Now, I'm not saying that the organizers need to be professional dancers. However, when they fail to understand such simple niceties as keeping the dance floor dry and mud-free... well, that's just dumb.

What's more, they typically cater to the lowest denominator. That's why a lot of dance parties have plenty of mindless line dances such as the Cupid Shuffle and the Cha Cha Slide. Don't get me wrong; I'm okay with having some of these dances, especially for the benefit of people with no dance expertise. However, when you have these kinds of dances over and over again in the course of the night, it gets to be a bit much.

10/10/10

Today's date is 10/10/2010 -- or if you wish, 10/10/10.

Makes me want to watch a Bo Derek film.

Tuberculosis screening

I came across the following in a paper from 2003.

"ELISPOT, an enzyme-linked immunospot that detects T cells specific for Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens, promises to be a major advance in screening for tuberculosis (TB), according to the results of a study published in the April 5 issue of The Lancet. In a comparison trial, ELISPOT was more accurate than the tuberculin skin test and was unaffected by BCG vaccination."

Personally, I would have said "The ELISPOT assay" rather than just "ELISPOT," but that's just me. At any rate, I like the idea of using this technology for TB screening.

G I Joe, a real American hero

I just love watching old reruns of the G.I. Joe animated series from the 1980s. Now that was some quality writing for a children's show.

Phil

I received a Facebook friend request from this guy named Phil. I don't want to accept, but I suppose that I should.

Batman TV series

I have been watching some old episodes of the Batman TV series. Boy. This isn't great writing and Burt Ward's acting is deplorable, but it is a bit of a guilty pleasure.

Appreciated

I received a bit of appreciation recently. I don't get that a lot, so I am thankful for that.

Writing

I have way too much writing to do. Ugh.

Bri

I really appreciate my pal Bri. She is such a sweet and appreciative person.

She is also very beautiful. That is part of why I appreciate her. Not because I appreciate her good looks, but because she doesn't put on airs about it. Some beautiful women act that way and they tend to be hypersensitive about men showing them attention. She knows that I don't just regard her as an object of beauty though, and that I respect her marriage. I am thankful for that.

Working out too little

I've talked about how some folks fear that lifting weights will cause people to put on too much muscle. These people have probably never lifted in their lives. If they did, they would know that it takes a LOT of work to pack on tons of muscle.

Most people overestimate the benefits that they'll get from exercising. They think that if they run a couple of laps, they've made a big dent in their fitness goals. Or worse, they think that they can indulge in that cheeseburger they've been craving.

I see this in our gym classes all the time. People do practically nothing in the cardio classes, scarcely working up a sweat. They probably figure that they've put in their time, and that that's what counts. No, it doesn't. If you consistently work out at a low level, then you'll scarcely see any results. You need to put in some real effort if you want to get real results.

I'm not saying that every workout needs to be intense. The occasional low-intensity workout can be beneficial, especially if it's an endurance exercise or part of one's recovery period. However, consistently working out at a low level is likely to yield low-level results and nothing more.

Rats

I sure could use a change. A real change.

This is kinda disappointing. And frustrating. And aggravating. And discouraging.

Could really use a change of pace.

Women who fear getting bulky

In my previous post, I talked about folks who fear that if you start working out, you run the risk of looking like some hideous bodybuilder. That's simply a foolish fear, unfounded in any sort of reality.

Most people don't go that far. However, a lot of women have more moderate fears. They don't want to lift weights because they fear that they'll develop too much muscle. Again, that's just a foolish concern. First of all, a bit of muscle on a woman is SEXY. Second, it's extremely unlikely that they'll develop so much muscle that they'll start to look masculine -- especially if they're generally feminine in their appearance. Third, when they do develop muscle, it will be a gradual process, so it's not as though they are likely to be taken by surprise at how massive their biceps have become.

Not bulking up too much -- oh, please

It gets a bit annoying at times. When I mention that I work out, there are ladies who say, "Oh, no! Don't overdo it! You don't want to look like Arnold or those other huge bodybuilders. That's just gross."

Oh, puh-leez. These people have no clue. They simply have no idea how hard it is to reach that level. You can't get to the grossly pumped up level by accident, folks. You have to work hard for it, and the entire process can take years, especially if you don't use steroids (and you shouldn't!).

These people are well-intentioned, but horribly naive. They must think that if you lift weights for a few weeks, BAM! You're going to get grossly overmuscled. Folks, that is NOT realistic. That is NOT how it works. Get a clue.

The 29th

September is almost over.

Stamina

Most people have rather poor stamina. Most people also allow their stamina to deteriorate dramatically as they get older. They get used to lounging around and being physically inactive -- sedentary, even -- and it shows.

I looked at some photos of my old elementary school classmates, and it was pretty obvious that almost all of them had fallen badly out of shape. And to think that I was one of the least athletic people in our class way back when.

I watch these folks who attend our cardio boot camp classes at the gym. Most of them can't keep up for very long, even when they're barely doing the moves. The worst offender is this rotund fella who barely moves at all during the exercises, and who gives up easily. I don't think it's a question of being tired, since he scarcely works up a sweat and there are no signs of exhaustion on his face. Rather, he just doesn't put much effort into his moves, and so he's never going to see any real results.

Birthday greetings, bro

Today marks the birthday of one of my brothers, a young fella who means the world to me.

Browncoat!

I was gratified to see that one of my former co-workers is a fan of Joss Whedon's short-lived TV series, Firefly. These people are known as browncoats, and they are a discerning bunch. What a terrible shame that this show went off the air so quickly.

It didn't help that Fox TV decided to air the action-oriented "The Train Job" in place of the originally intended pilot episode. It was a good ep, but it didn't do as good a job of setting up the story premise.

How to give good presentations

Most people -- and this includes college-educated folks -- do not know how to give an effective presentation. They tend to ramble, or they tend to focus on irrelevant details, or they use graphic ineffectively. Many of them also tend to read off of their PowerPoint slides, treating PowerPoint as though it were a teleprompter.

This generally indicates poor mental organization. It's one thing to use your PowerPoint slides to guide your presentation. It's yet another thing to read the content of the slides to the audience, treating them as though they were idiots. The same problem holds for those who ramble on and on, using a hundred words to explain something that should only require one sentence (and yes, I've seen my share of presentations like that).

Stupid EBAY stock

I wish that my Ebay stock were performing better. Darn. I blame Ebay's vendor-unfriendly policies for its decline. Amazon.com's second-hand stores seem so much better.

Kangaroo courts

A lawyer friend of mine says that the local municipal courts are pretty much kangaroo courts. That is, the judges are lazy and pretty much don't care about their work.

I don't know for sure if that's true or not, but I can believe it.

Incompetence

I had this encounter with an utterly incompetent person. More than one such encounter, actually. How unfortunate.

It's aggravating. This person must not be very well liked. That much is abundantly obvious.

She is in entirely the wrong line of work.

This illness sucks

Being sick stinks. It stinks to high heavens. Thankfully, all of the symptoms are above my neck.

Sneezing

I've got a bit of congestion in my nose, I have post-nasal drip, and I have started sneezing. I hate this. I hate this to high heavens.

I need my T cells to kick into high gear. Like, right now.

Gym slackers again

I'm still irritated by all these slackers in the gym. Why do some of these folks even bother coming? They take up space, they yap and yap and yap, and they put in practically no effort. If they were simply harmless, that'd be one thing, but they tie up valuable equipment and exercise floor space. What's more, by setting a bad example, they bring the energy of the entire room down. Sheesh.

Biotech

Ohio University has this here list of biotechnology companies. Good call. There's a lot of promise in biotech, so I think we should be doing whatever we can to promote it. What's more, I think that students should learn more about these companies.

AAPL

I sure wish that I had bought some Apple stock last year. Darn. At least I did invest in Google (GOOG), which has also done well.

One female attire and professional conduct

I just wanted to repost something that I read on a discussion board.

Now, if I made a point in dressing in very tight work clothes, or wearing shirts with a lot of cleavage, I'm not helping the situation at all. A gentleman would avoid comment, of course, but not all men are gentlemen, and some professional sports players are also quite young and thus not as experienced or polished as even a 25 year old man. If you're going into a male locker room then I think it's reasonable to expect a female reporter to dress in attire that, while feminine, is not overly revealing and for her to be strictly business - avoid flirting or sexual innuendo while on the clock. It makes it much easier for everyone to keep proper boundaries intact. On top of that, I think the women who adhere to those guidelines will find that respect is much more forthcoming from the men. In my experience men are much happier when the distinction between business and fun is kept sharp and clear and far more likely to conduct themselves in a respectful manner.

Coast to coast

I had a weird debate with someone over the meaning of the phrase "coast to coast." This expression clearly means "from the east coast to the west coast" -- that is, spanning the continental USA. In her interpretation though, it could mean from any coast to any coast -- the coast of Lake Michigan, for example.

What a strange thing to even debate.

Congestion

I hate being congested. Argh.

Weird guys at the gym

There's this weird Asian guy at the gym who can't seem to follow any of the moves during the cardio classes. He frequently winds up doing something completely different from the rest of the class. Instead of doing knee raises or lunges, for example, he kinda twists in place. He also reacts very slowly to the instructions. When the class turns in one direction, for example, it takes a few second before he notices and starts to face the same direction.

Then there's this weird middle-aged fella who does his moves at an extremely slow pace. He doesn't seem to be mentally handicapped, but he does move as though he... can't. Like he's dragging himself through molasses. It's not just that he's out of shape; rather, he has the coordination of a six-year-old. It's strange.

Bending over instead of squatting

I mentioned that a lot of people in my gym classes cheat heavily when they're doing their moves. These people, I hate to say, will not see much by way of results.

For example, instead of squatting, they will typically bend over a little bit. This requires a lot less effort, though their backs might feel a bit sore the next day. Our instructor routinely points out that they're cheating, but that doesn't stop them.

I'm also a little bit annoyed at this woman who joined our class, and who consistently moves with the wrong arms or feet. This is a problem when doing side kicks, since it means that she could wind up hitting someone. It could also be a problem if she were to move in the opposite direction as the rest of the class, darn it.

A day of infamy

This is the anniversary of a tragic day.

Gym cheaters

I am sick and tired of these people who blatantly cheat on their moves during our cardio gym classes. In a way, I shouldn't be; after all, it's their time, their money, and their business. At the same time though, I find it darned irritating, especially since this tends to be distracting and it brings the energy level of the class down.

I'm talking about the gal who comes in late during our Saturday Hi-Lo class, for example, takes up a spot in the front of the room, and who barely moves. What's more, instead of doing a grapevine -- a mildly vigorous lateral motion -- she simply faces sideways and slowly shuffles in the direction of travel. Good grief. If you're going to do that, you may as well stay at home or walk slowly on the track.

Or the guy who, instead of doing trunk twists, just kinda swings his arms back and forth. He's not really working out his body; rather, he's just moving his forearms a little bit. I suspect that he's gotten so used to moving minimally in the course of his day that he's used to finding ways to sorta-kinda mimic a move without actually doing it.

Great dialogue on "Psych"

I loved this little bit of dialogue from last night's episode of Psych:

Gus: I told you that newspaper thing was a dumb idea.
Shawn: Are you at all serious? We just captured a dangerous international spy. You're hung up on the newspaper bit?
Gus: No. I'm hung up on the fact that you've been obsessed with this woman this whole time. She makes the ultimate move on you and you shut her down? What's wrong with you? That makes no sense! Are you crazy?
Shawn: I know, it doesn't make any sense. Maybe I am crazy. All I can tell you is just now, in that moment, all I could think about was Jules. I just can't wrap myself around the fact that she's dating Declan. Actually… it's actually killing me.
Gus: Shawn, that is not fair.
Shawn: I know, I know it's not fair. And you're right. She likes this guy, who I am to stand in the way?
Gus: Exactly.
Shawn: You think I don't want her to be happy? I want her to be happy. But, serious Shawn moment here: I want to be happy too. But, for some reason, I can't imagine that happening without Juliet. How crazy is that?

Psych summer finale

Oh, my gosh. That was great. I watched the scene with Juliet in the surveillance van over and over again.

Iggy

I was reading the rantings of this unusual fella named Iggy. Iggy, from what I've read, is an outspoken atheist. I won't criticize him for that; however, he carries that torch a little bit too high and makes it burn a little too brightly.

I'm referring to the fact that he insists that the medieval Christian church was vehemently anti-science. According to him, they went around burning books, as well as burning and torturing men of science. Now, it's true that the Catholic Church did burn books and presecute heretics (John Hus was famously burned at the stake with Wycliffe's bibles used as kindling), but it simply untrue that they also went around killing and torturing people simply for being men of science. Nor is it true that they went around burning science texts; quite the contrary, the Catholic Church promoted the development of science, and some of its own clergymen were scientists.

Note that I'm not trying to excuse the abominable things that the medieval Catholic Church did. Not at all. I also think that it's unfair to accuse them of attempting to squelch science, though. It's also unfair to blame Christianity as a whole for their misdeeds. (Iggy did not specifically say such a thing, but based on his wording, it was pretty clear that this was his intent.)

Pain

Boy, do my legs hurt. My lower back, too. It's from all this exercise, and I could really use some more. I like it.

Excellence in exporting

Came across this site which lists various recipients of an "excellence in exporting" award. I wonder how companies are selected? What criteria are used?

I can think of a few Third World countries that might benefit from giving out such awards.

Old cartoons

Just watched a DVD of some old 60s cartoons -- Marine Boy, Space Ghost, the Impossibles, etc. Good retro stuff.

Typing

I once worked with a guy who was a bit freaked out that I could type while looking at him -- that is, without looking at the computer. "You're supposed to look at the keyboard!" he exclaimed.

No, you're not. What's wrong with you?

Lazy pool guys

Why is it that whenever I go to a Bally gym with an indoor pool, there are usually several guys lounging on the pool chairs and scarcely anyone in the pool itself?

Today, there were four guys in swimwear, stretched out on the pool chairs... even though the pool itself was out of order. Huh.

Articles on gym tips

I found this page which contains a couple of articles on gym etiquette, as well as one on how to get results from a calf workout. Strangely, the latter was cut off, as though the web designer neglected to include the latter half of the text. Too bad; that's where all the good stuff would have been.

The etiquette rules are worth heeding.

John Denver

Checked out a bunch of John Denver CDs from the public library. They contain a bunch of songs apart from his well-known classics. I can't wait to listen to them.

Crain's

Ya just gotta love Crain's. What a wonderful resource.

Working out or cleaning

I wanted to spend a large part of the evening working out. Instead, I had to put some clutter away... and I'm nowhere near finished. Rats.

Frustrating

I've got a friend, a very dear friend, who sometimes frustrates me greatly. It's like she keeps missing these points that I try to make, and so she barrels through the conversation as though I hadn't said these things.

For example, we were talking about why the parents of a certain friend of mine did not show up at her wedding. She said, "It's such a shame that they didn't approve of the groom."

I said, "Really? Is that why they didn't show up? Did the bride tell you that?"

"No, she didn't... but her parents weren't there, so they must not have approved."

"We don't know that," I pointed out. "It's plausible, but we don't know what the real story is. Maybe they simply had a fight."

"It's so sad that they didn't approve," she went on.

I tell ya, sometimes it's enough to make me want to tear my hair out.

The four kids at a swing dance

I was attending a swing dance last night. They were not swing dancing.

Instead, they were shaking around like maniacs. Not just for one or two songs, mind you, but for practically the whole dance. At least, for as long as they were there.

Some would say "Who cares?" At least one guy thought they were funny. Another guy said that they were annoying though, and I have to agree with that.

Here's the problem: It was a SWING DANCE. If you're going to attend a swing dance, you should at least make a token effort to dance swing. If you want to do your own thing, go somewhere else, please.

Mind you, this doesn't preclude acting goofy for a couple of songs or so. I've seen people breakdance during a couple of songs, for example, and I've even done it myself.... but not for the entire dance.

If you attend a country dance, the expectation is that you'll dance in a countrified style. You might not know how to do it well, but you should at least make some sort of effort. Shaking it around and doing wild stuff just isn't appropriate.

Go somewhere else instead, kids. Please.

He is aggravating

I have to deal with this one fella who is... problematic. To say the least.

He's arrogant, he's classless, he's selfish, and he's utterly dishonest. He's also manipulative and underhanded. I wish that he wasn't a part of my life.

What a jackass.

Too much stress

I have way too much stress in my life. It doesn't help that certain people in my life are infantile and extremely difficult.

What a jackass

This certain fella is a world-class jackass. He's arrogant, he's abrasive, he's tremendously dishonest and he can never admit to being in error. What's more, he has no people skills to speak of. No diplomacy, no ability to hold his tongue. Oh, and he has a tremendous sense of entitlement.

What a jerk.

Speaking of abdominals...

Speaking of abs, I wish that I had more time to work mine. I'd really like to develop some washboard abs myself. I have a pretty strong core, and my abs are fairly well defined. I can't claim to have real washboard abs yet, though.

It would help if I could drop a little bit more body fat. Over and above that though, I do need to develop larger, stronger abs muscles. I'd like that.

Erin Elmore and the abs

So I saw this clip on YouTube where Apprentice Season Three candidate Erin Elmore was washing the washboard abs of some male model. That behavior was just plain inappropriate. If a man had done that to a female model, he would have been considered a real creep.

It's possible that Elmore thought she could get away with it because of her looks. She was prone to reminding the viewers that she was a former beauty queen, for example, and she did like to flirt with the Trump. Ultimately though, that's no excuse. In fact, it's a terrible excuse.

The 21st

It's the 21st of August. Yay.

Shows I'm watching nowadays

Fringe
Bones
The Big Bang Theory
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Gilad: Bodies in Motion
Mythbusters
Human Target
Castle
Psych

Wrong line of work

I was looking at the work that this one woman I know created. Let's just say that I think it's perfectly clear that she is in the wrong line of work. No doubt whatsoever.

Riker

Say "Riker" and most people will think of the character played by Jonathan Frakes. Today though, I was reminded of Robin Riker, a successful but relatively obscure actress.

Boy, I haven't heard that name in a long time. Years, in fact.

Yow! Yowza!

Why aren't there any models like this out there anymore? Or if there are, I sure don't see them in the print media.

Actually, I take that back. I did see one such model in a print catalog once. Not often, though.

So envious

I am so envious of D. So very envious. He really lucked out.

Dang.

Hope this works

I really, really hope that this works this time. I hope it works.

Sadly, I've learned not to hope for much. Rats.

Trying to be optimistic, but I think I also have to be realistic. Ugh.

Firefly birthday

The following makes for a suitable birthday greetings for fans of the short-lived TV series, Firefly:

Couldn't get ahold of no flour, so it's mostly protein. In fact, it's pretty much what we just had for dinner. But I tried to get the frosting as chocolatey tasting as possible.

Student humor publications

I picked up a copy of the student-published humor magazine from a local university today. It was... bleh.

That's the problem. Most people think they can write funny stuff. Few people can.

Back in my high school days, I was on the staff of our school paper. Every year, we published a spoof issue. We also got students who wanted to write for the spoof issue alone, and not for our regular issues.

Needless to say, we turned them away. After all, why add someone to the staff if he or she is only going to write for one issue out of the entire year? They've got to prove their chops, y'know.

Barking Harley is back

The obnoxious barking guy is back at the gym.

He's the guy who insists on barking like a dog during the cardio boot camp classes. For a couple of months, he was absent, but now I see that he's back.

Rats.

He puts in scarcely any effort, then thinks that he can make up for this by barking enthusiastically, as though to suggest that he's on a big testosterone rush. No, you're not, you jackass. You're a poser, plain and simple.

Another gym encounter

So I was on one of the elliptical trainers at my gym. I was reading comic books, since the up-and-down motion of a treadmill or elliptical trainer makes book reading more difficult.

The fella to my right kept trying to chat me up. I guess he was bored, and I guess he didn't think that I might want to concentrate on my reading. It got kinda annoying, and so I was tempted to switch to another machine. I didn't though, since I didn't want to needlessly upset the guy. It's best to avoid that when you're at the gym, especially if you might encounter the fella again.

The worst part is that he kept making all sorts of inane comments. "So, that Wonder Woman, she's all about sex, right?" Ugh.

Looking back, I wish I had said, "Say, do you mind if we discuss this after I'm done reading?" And to be fair, the guy was probably a complete gym newbie -- the kind of fella who hardly ever exercises, and who didn't stop to think that it'd be good to have a magazine or an MP3 player with him as he stayed on the machines.

Lohan

Boy, this Lindsay Lohan gal is really messed up, isn't she? What a shame, considering how much talent she has.

On the one hand, I feel bad for her. I realize that her upbringing leaves something to be desired. On the other hand, I also think that people need to wise up. It's a matter of common sense.

Gym lollygaggers annoy me

It really annoys me when I see people attending the cardio classes in my gym who scarcely put in any effort. It's like they know they need to exercise, but aren't willing to put in the effort needed to get real results.

As another gym habitue said, if you're not going to work hard, then why bother? You're just wasting your time.

It's good to see the occasional person who really pours on the effort. There aren't many people like that. Most people need to power through with determination and really work out hard. When they are there, they help raise the energy level of the room, and they set a good example for everyone else. They're a blessing.

It's 8/8

Nothing much to say here. Just commenting on the date.

Jeric

I will never forget this fellow Jeric. He was a classmate in high school, and he was known for his rampant cheating. Nobody every cheered in class whenever it was announced that he got the highest scores during a test.

He later went to the same college that I attended. I ran into him toward the end of our freshman year, shortly before term papers were due. He pointedly asked me, "Where is the library?"

That slacker made it through almost an entire school year without stepping foot in the library -- indeed, without even knowing where it was. Lazy bum.

Really sleepy

I didn't get much sleep last night, thanks to some computer problems. Got to get to sleep sooner tonight.

The Big Apple

I want to learn the Big Apple dance routine from Hellzapoppin. Actually, there's an awful lot of stuff that I want to learn. When in the world will I have time for all of this?

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.