Mutt and Jeff

Whatever happened to the old Mutt and Jeff strips? This comic strip was a cultural icon, and yet no compilations appear to be available. Interesting.

Love Boat Angels

I've been watching "Love Boat Angels" on DVD, the two-part season four premiere of Charlie's Angels.

Not very entertaining, despite the presence of three lovelies. Also, while I'm not terribly critical of Shelley Hack, I do see why audiences didn't warm up to her the way they embraced Kate Jackson, Jacklyn Smith, Farrah Fawcett-Majors or my personal favorite, Cheryl Ladd.

Preston

He was a most difficult person, and that's putting it mildly.

Dancing friend

I was talking to a friend of mine on Saturday. She's really more of an acquaintance, but I'll call her a friend.

She has had some ballroom dance experience, and I saw that she knows how to follow when I tried to teach her some hustle. She picked it up quickly.

I was gratified to hear her comments on the typical dancing that goes on at the singles events we go to. She said that the shake-and-sway kind of dancing is really kinda dumb. I was so glad to hear her say that, as it's exactly how I feel.

The politically correct answer it to say that it's all okay, that it's all good. I'll defy PC conventions, though, and say that the mindless shaking around is really kinda dumb. It's almost always stupid and it lacks art. It can be fun for a while, but a whole night of it? Really dumb.

Why don't fast food joints usually sell fruit?

Somebody once asked why fast food places don't normally offer pieces of fruit as part of their menus. There are some, mind you; for example, Subway sells bags of apple wedges. By and large though, they don't.

I think there are several reasons for this. One is that fruit doesn't tend to keep very well. Apples and pears tend to get brown as they age, for example. Fruit also tends to be expensive in comparison to, say, a bag of potato chips.

Ultimately though, the main reason is demand. It's why KFC stopped selling rotisserie chicken back in 1992. It's why the McLean didn't take off, and why I sometimes find it hard to get a grilled chicken sandwich at McDonald's. Your typical fast food customer doesn't care much about nutrition, and so he'd probably prefer a cookie over a bag of fruit.

I'm not just speculating, mind you. I say this based on my observations of fast food customers. Also, the manager of a fast food restaurant once told me that they sell close to half a ton of french fries in a week, but only about ten cups of cut fruit. That's America for you.

Pi!

Happy Pi Day!

3/14

Tipping nazi

I once had a roommate who was a tipping Nazi. That is, whenever a group of us would go out to dinner, he's insist on computing a 15% tip for everyone does to the last center. He also insisted that we should never use pennies in our tips.

I remember two people objecting to his heavy-handed insistence. One person pointed out that it's a waste of time to compute everything down to the exact cent, and that people should feel free to tip more or less depending on their preference. On another occasion, one person pointed out that pennies are legal tender, and that there's nothing wrong with leaving them as part of one's tip.

And heck, consider this. These people work in a restaurant. If they don't like the loose change, they can always get it changed at the cashier's till. Indeed, that's what a lot of servers do.

Mark was a really interesting character, I tell you.

So annoyed

I am so annoyed.

I wanted to get some housework done, as well as some progress in preparing my income tax filing. Instead, I had to stay late at work and take care of some rather aggravating tasks. It didn't help that I kept getting interrupted.

Actually, I could have gotten home sooner, but I had already decided to go out and meet some friends. I did not want to give that up, though it would have made life simpler.

So annoyed.

More about the 60s and dance music

Here is a follow-up comment on the issue of dance music in the 60s. Again, it has been edited for content.

This article lists ten of the most popular dance songs from that era (http://oldies.about.com/od/buyersguides/tp/aatpdances.htm). Note that the 60s tunes are all from the EARLY 60s (1960 to 1962) and have an unmistakable 50s flavor. "Mashed Potato Time" was influenced by a similarly themed song from 1959, for example, and the corresponding dance reflects that.

Now, one can certainly shake it around to music from just about any era, but I was thinking more in terms of stylized dance. The list above mentioned "Madison Time," for example, and that's by no means a "shake it around" kind of dance. In fact, I suspect that most people nowadays have never even heard of the song.

The Sixties were NOT a great time for dance music

I was amused to see somebody declare that 60s music was great for dancing. She said that this is what her father steadfastly declared to be true.

Personally, I don't understand how ANYBODY with any knowledge of 60s music could make that claim. I like the following response that somebody posted. It has been edited slightly for content.

Oh, there's certainly some [good dance music from the 60s], but IMO a lot of the most popular music wasn't. You could still dance to it, but I wouldn't say that it was really MEANT for dancing.

The Beatles were the #1 band of the 60s, for example, and their music was mostly for listening pleasure. That's why Don McLean cryptically referred to them as the sergeants who played a marching tune. In fact, I'd say that their most danceable tune was "Twist and Shout," and it was a cover song. (At this recent dance, they played a lot of Beatles songs. You could shake it around to these songs, but IMO they weren't very good for "real" dancing.)

IMO, the most danceable music from that era came from the early 60s and still had a lot of 50s influence ("Runaround Sue" and "The Twist," for example).

How to exit from the tandem Charleston position to hand-to-hand Charleston

• Perform the same moves as with the tandem Charleston turn, except that on the second kick, you kick your right foot to the left instead of to the right. This places you in a hand-to-hand position
• The tricky part here is that the lady shouldn’t anticipate your move. This move is similar to the standard tandem turn, so she needs to be sensitive to your lead. This also means that you need to move decisively and on time.

How to do a tandem Charleston turn

• On count three, start to turn your right hand clockwise and over the follow’s head
• Use the remaining five counts to turn her completely around. Perform two right kicks during this process.
• Link back up again

As a variation, try turning yourself in this process. This means that on count three, your left foot will have to start turning clockwise. You should turn slightly ahead of the follow in order to lead this properly. You will also have to switch hands behind your back.

A few tandem Charleston tips

• Keep your hands facing upwards, cradling the follow’s hands without grasping them
• Use your arms to guide her motion like a choo-choo train
• Keep a bit of bounce – a pulse – in your steps

To get into tandem Charleston from a hand-to-hand position

• Start with the hand-to-hand turns, first with the right hands, then with the left
• On the next right-to-right connection, lift your right hands higher into the air instead of keeping them at waist level.
• Using your right hand, turn her clockwise. During this time, step on the right foot, then the left.
• Kick with the right foot in order to sychronize your steps
• Launch into tandem Charleston

Boogie woogie moves

• Try a kick-ball-change in place of the rock step
• Try a pas de bourrée in place of each triple step
• Try kicking lightly, alternating left and right, such that on every other kick, you kick between the partner’s legs
• Do a hands-free tuck turn in which you rotate the woman by 180 degrees
• Catch her free hand using your left hand, then push her into a free spin. Catch her back as soon as it becomes visible during the free spin, then cradle her back into a closed position.
• From a handshake position, turn her quickly through 540 degrees, placing your right hand on her right hip. Depending on how she reacts, her left arm may wind up in front of you or on your shoulder. At this point, do a rock step, then boogie forward lightly.

Other blues moves and tips

• Try a four-count turn, a la hustle
• Try a four-count turn in which you turn the woman quickly, build up energy in the connection, and then release it gradually
• While in the standard open position, turn her quickly through a 360 degree arc such that you catch her left hip with your right hand.
• Turn her back around, preferably through a tight circle. Of course, how good this turn looks will depend a lot on her own ability.

What do we do after that? I'll have to refresh my memory, though I can see that one can catch her back again or resume an open position.

Drag blues moves and tips

• To move forward, use your legs to move the follow’s legs
• When moving backwards, stride back confidently, pushing off a little bit with your legs
• When turning slowly, turn naturally. To turn faster, more or less pivot around your central feet
• Try this move when turning quickly. Let go of the woman’s back on the third beat, and then catch her with your left hand on the fourth. During the next four beats, use the built-up energy to turn her and catch her with your right arm.
• Relax the shoulders.
• Avoid leaning back too far. This will tend to throw her off balance.
• Try to blend the moves together. Blend the lateral moves with the turns.

I have a lot of trouble with these moves. In part, it was because I had some follows who couldn't do some of the faster spins. They moved like they were kinda old.

Recording some swing dance tips

Over the next few entries, I want to record some stuff that I learned recently at various swing dance lessons. These will focus on some blues, Charleston, and boogie woogie moves.

Why? Because jotting the breakdown of these moves is helpful to me. It would be even more helpful if I could watch some videos of these moves; however, the mere act of writing these notes helps me remember them more. Besides, a video wouldn't necessarily capture certain fine points that I need to remember.

Sore legs

My legs are really sore.

I got a really heavy workout last night. Had an hour of some of the most intense cardio bootcamp work that I’ve had in a while. Our instructor, L, is a nice person, but she sure doesn’t act like one during the class. She says, “R is the nice one. I’m not. I’m going to make you work hard!” Yeah, baby!

After that, I had 45 minutes of Muay Thai training, followed by half an hour of Cage Fitness work. Boo-yah! I was exhausted as a result, and I was thoroughly wiped out when I went to bed. Totally worth it.

Tanja

As a dance lesson partner, this Tanja gal is really kinda difficult. She's not a horrible person, but she's quick to criticize and never bothers to soften the blow. She never provides any encouragement either. I wish I had a different kind of partner.

She's also a very prickly person with a harsh personality. I don't like her much.

Lind hop outside turn variations

I need to tabulate all of the outside turn variations that I've learned in the course of my lindy hop lessons. They are as follows:

- Basic outside turn
- Outside turn with a free spin
- Quick stop
- Outside turn with a press on the back
- Outside turn with a catch
- Outside turn with a behind-the-back pass

I'll also add some rollaway variations

- Basic rollaway
- Rollaway with the lead's spin

Andrew Koenig revisited

Revisiting my previous post...

Upon viewing this tearful video from Andrew Koenig's parents, one person said (and I paraphrase), "Oh, man. That was so hard to watch. I'm tearing up right now." This same person had jokingly wished that Kirk Cameron had been the one to die instead.

Isn't it interesting how we can express profound sorrow at the death of one person, and yet take pleasure at imagining the death of somebody else? That's just wrong.

Andrew Koenig is dead

In some heartbreaking news, Growing Pains actor Andrew Koenig has been found dead. Subsequent reports state that he committed suicide.

That's sad news. I'm disappointed at some of the reactions that I've seen on the 'net, though. Some people have been saying "Why Koenig? Why couldn't it have been Kirk Cameron instead?" Now that's just in poor taste. Some of these people have expressed great disdain for Cameron's religious views, so I can understand why they don't like the guy. To wish that Cameron had been the one who died, though... that's just distasteful.

When this was pointed out on one forum, one person said, "Most people can tell the difference between a message board and reality," as though this excused such behavior. It doesn't. Whether it's on a message board or not, one shouldn't wish that Cameron had been the one to die, regardless of what one's opinion of him might be. This is especially true in the wake of a tragedy like this.

That DVD was positively incoherent

I'm interested in quantum mechanics, so I borrowed a copy of "What the #$*! Do We Know!?" from NetFlix. That was a mistake. Talk about a huge waste of time and brain cells. The whole thing was an incoherent jumble of pseudoscience and bizarre babble. (This review expresses much the same sentiment, as do the reviews on the NetFlix site.)

I'd love to see a decent DVD on quantum mechanics or other fields of modern physics. This was not one of them. Yuck.

A lackluster interviewee

Yesterday, I interviewed an applicant for an IT position. He did not do very well at all. For example, I posed a problem to him that (to cut a long story short) led to him having to divide 1000 by 8. I'd expect any computer science graduate to be able to figure that out in his head, but he couldn't. Very disappointing.

He did poorly in many other ways as well. I don't think he has a chance of being hired.

Body fat

I want to lose another 2% of body fat. It's getting hard, though. I keep working out and working out, and I've been watching my dietary intake, but it's getting to be quite difficult -- especially when one considers the amount of time it takes to plan ones meals and to exercise hard. I also have plenty of work to do, and my household chores are piling up.

Free will

I was reading a message board debate -- the kind wherein some people argue intelligently, and some argue as though they were philosophical dilletantes. In this discussion, somebody brought up the concept of free will. His opponent retorted, "You're only allowed to cite free will if you can resolve all the problems with it" and proceeded to cite some alleged problems.

First of all, I don't think that the problems he raised are truly problems at all. For example, he claimed that it's poorly defined; after all, what are we free of? I think that's a childish objection. We intuitively know what free will is -- it is the ability to make our own moral decisions. One might quibble about certain philosophical fine points, but ultimately, it means that we are not simply slaves to the universe and that our every action is not predetermined by the laws of physics.

Moreover, even if the issues he raised were truly problematic, what of it? Are we truly not allowed to mention free will in a debate unless we can resolve all of its philosophical problems? That would be like saying that a scientist can only cite quantum mechanics if he can resolve all of the problems with its implications. It's a foolish line of reasoning. One need not resolve every single problem with a premise or line of thought before it can be used.

Moreover, denying the existence of free will creates its own host of problems. Consider this: if there is no free will, then whatever "reasons" you have for rejecting it are ultimately not reasons of your own choosing. You may be right in rejecting it, but only as a matter of dumb luck, the same way that a stopped clock is right twice in one day. It also makes it nonsensical for someone to criticize a person who believes in free will, as that person ultimately has no choice but to believe it. If you insist in only using premises that are problem-free, then you can neither presume free will nor adopt a position of non-belief. It's a daft and self-defeating line of reasoning.

Diogenes

I've been reading the rantings of some fella named Diogenes. Boy, what a loon this fella is. He's the kind of guy who extols his own intelligence and yet routinely puts his foot in his own mouth.

Speaking of cortisone and anabolic steroids...

Revisiting an earlier topic...

I am baffled by the number of people who argue thusly: "Substance A and Substance B are both dangerous. Yet Substance A is allowed and Substance B is prohibited. They should be treated equally!"

That's like saying that gasoline and plastic explosives are both dangerous; ergo, if private citizens are allowed to keep gasoline at home, then they should also be allowed to have plastic explosives. That's a ridiculous line of thought.

Dance song recommendations

Here are some lists of song recommendations for particular dance styles. I got these from an instructional DVD.

WALTZ:

Moon River by Henry Mancini
Come Away With ME... by Norah Jones
Natural Woman by Carole King
Love Dance by George Benson
(I'd like to add "Annie's Song" by John Denver)


RUMBA

Here we are by Gloria Estefan
Te Extrano by Luis Miguel
Beautiful by Christina Aguilera
Emotion by Destiny's Child

CHA CHA CHA

Oye Como Va by Santana
Let's Get Loud by Jennifer Lopez
Crazy in Love by Beyonce
September by Earth, Wind, and Fire


QUICKSTEP

Mack the Knife by Frank Sinatra
Nit The Road Jack by Ray Charles
Black Magic by Sammy Davis Jr
String of Pearls by Glen Miller Orchestra

Cortisone usage does not justify performance-enhancing drugs

I was having a conversation with some guy who was foolishly arguing for the use of performance-enhancing drugs in competitive sports. He was saying that they should be allowed, as long as the athlete uses them willingly. He also seemed to be arguing for the creation of specialized leagues in which athletes can use performance-enhancing medications freely without competing with the unsullied athletes.

Personally, I'm against the use of such drugs or the creation of these leagues, but that's a subject for another day. Instead, today I'd like to focus on the foolishness of his one particular argument. He says that cortisone is a performance-enhancing medication, since athletes can use it to keep injury pains under control. He also says that they entail a certain risk, just as anabolic steroids do. So if cortisone usage is legal, he argues, then anabolic steroids should be freely allowed as well.

That's a mind-bogglingly foolish argument. Here's why. Cortisone has legitimate medical applications for the treatment of injuries. Does this make it a "performance-enhancing drug"? In a manner of speaking, but only in the sense that it allows someone to recover from an injury more quickly. Obviously, that not at all the same as ingesting anabolic steroids, in which the objective is to gain strength more quickly and using less effort.

If someone wants to argue that anabolic steroids should be allowed, then they can't legitimately point to cortisone as a precedent. Cortisone is restricted. It requires a medical prescription and should only be used as part of a therapeutic regime. Moreover, the reasons behind its usage are completely different from those of anabolic steroids.

Juanin

Oh, my gosh. Actress Juanin Clay was really beautiful back in the day! She would have been a worthy Wilma Deering.

Such a shame about her premature death.

Annoying clueless guy

I mentioned this one dance wherein nobody really knew how to dance. I'm not saying that none of them were seasoned, expert dancers. Rather, the problem was that none of them could dance at even a basic level.

Please don't get me wrong. I understand that not everybody knows how, and I understand that sometimes people just want to have fun. All I'm saying is that it was frustrating for me. I like to dance and I know a few different styles. I also try to be creative. All this shaking and wiggling around just doesn't do it for me. If you know how to dance, then this sort of thing isn't fun anymore except in small doses.

I came across an old acquaintance at this dance. He kept asking stupid and annoying questions. For example, he'd point at one couple and ask, "What style are they doing?" I'd say, "They're not doing any style. They're just swaying around." Then he'd point at another and say, "Look, they're swinging back and forth. That's swing dancing, right?" I'd say, "No, it isn't. Reember, I demonstrated swing dancing earlier. Those folks are just swaying around. They're not doing any style."

He then pointed at his friend Jon, a fella who has (and I'm not trying to be unkind by saying this) somewhat diminished mental capacities. He asked, "Look, Jon is dancing out there. What style is he doing?" I said, "He's not doing any style. He's just making stuff up. Not everyone who dances does so with a specific style, Dave."

It got to be really annoying after a while. You'd think that people could tell the difference between dancing with intentionality and doing something real.

Another disappointing dance

I attended a Valentine's Day "dance" that turned out to be extremely disappointing. Now please understand, I don't want to insult anyone, and I recognize that not everyone is an accomplished dancer. Nor do I begrudge people who don't dance much and can't do much more than shake it around a little bit. However, it is nice to be able to do more than just wiggling or swaying around, especially if one truly enjoys dancing.

There were more than a hundred people there, but not one of the ladies could dance, even in a basic way. I tried to lead a couple of the young ladies through some basic moves, but to no avail. One of them refused outright, and the second reluctantly agreed but was a complete disaster.

One older lady saw me trying to lead this young gal, and she asked me if I could show her what I was trying to do. So I was able to (somewhat roughly) lead her through a triple-step swing basic move. Later that night, I kinda managed to lead her (again, somewhat roughly) through a few waltz moves. She was stumbling around a lot, but considering that she had never done waltz before, that was still pretty good.

Anyway, it was frustrating that despite the large attendance, not one of the women knew how to dance, even at a beginner's level. Not a whole lot of dancers among the men, either. One guy told me that he knew country dancing, but as far as I could tell, he was the only one in the entire group.

It was SO frustrating. I'm not saying that everybody need to know how to dance well; however, when the entire room consists of people just shaking it around, I find it disappointing. The reality is -- and again, I know that this might offend some people -- there's no real art to this kind of "dance," and most people look pretty foolish when they're doing it. Some people call it "club dancing," but I think of it as "spazzing out."

Check out this map

Take a gander at this. Check out the map of Europe on this site. It's cool to see the way the individual countries are highlighted, and it's great how clicking on any of those countries directs one to the most appropriate language (English, German, or French). Only those languages are supported, which is a shame, since it'd be interesting to see the site in Spanish or Italian.

And heck, they even have Monaco! You have to look closely at the French coast to find it, though.

Dance studio shutting down

I just learned that one of the local dance studios will be closing its doors in August. Bummer.

One of the instructors there is a college student, so I'm not too concerned about her. One of the older instructors, however, could probably use some help. I know that she was very thankful for this job when she had to leave her previous employer a few years ago. Darn it.

So thankful

I am very, very thankful that Moni is a part of my life and that she's a good friend of mine.

So tired

I am so tired. I am very beat. I could really use a nap to refresh my mind and keep myself feeling more alert.

Farrah Forke, Aquagirl, and Batman Beyond

Whatever happened to Farrah Forke? I liked her in "Wings," and I think that she did a fine job in the short-lived and vastly underrated sitcom, "Dweebs."

I did find out that she did some voice acting. She "appeared" in two episodes of Batman Beyond ("The Call" Parts 1 and 2) as Barda, this character from New Genesis. She did have a nice speaking voice, after all.

Pathogens

I recently found myself casually using the word "pathogens" in conversation. I don't recall the context, but I did think that it was kind of amusing. Most people would just say "germs," but for whatever reason, I felt like being more scientifically precise.

Maybe I've been reading too many of the right kinds of books lately.

More on the sock hop

I just want to vent a little bit more about that stupid sock hop that I mentioned.

I think that a lot of people enjoyed themselves, but that was because they were doing lame-o dancing. You know, just shaking it around. Now I understand that not everybody knows how to dance, and that not everyone has a lot of skill. Still, it disappointed me that most people didn't even try to do anything interesting. Honestly, it doesn't take a lot of skill. At least try to be creative and so something that's different from just shaking and wiggling around.

I've seen someone refer to a move called the "cracker squirm." That's how most people I've seen tend to dance. It's not a pretty sight.

What a lame sock hop

Here is a little something that I wrote to a friend of mine. I kinda want to preserve it for posterity.

Hey there, Bri. I thought about you this weekend. Here's why.

Your friend David Palmer and I attended a 50s/60s-themed sock hop last Saturday. I think that we were both bored, though. There weren't a lot of good dance partners, and people were pretty much just shaking around. Too bad; I was kinda hoping for some authentic 50s-style dancing... or at least some attempt at it.

Even though it was a 50s and 60s event, the band mostly played 60s tunes (plus some 70s stuff). IMO, there wasn't a lot of good dance music that came out of the 60s, since it was mostly known for listening music. Most Beatles music wasn't really meant for dancing, for example, though one can certainly shake around to it.

I remember that they started with some more danceable songs, during which the dance floor was fairly bare. Once the band played some shake-it-around kinds of numbers though, the floor was suddenly flooded with people. At one point, David and I looked at each other from the sidelines and said, "We can't dance to this."

Anyway, that's why I thought of you. I remember you saying that you like to take pride in your dancing, which is why you don't like to shake it around unless you're under the influence of alcohol (heh). Apparently, David feels the same way we do. He said that he likes to have some sort of plan when he's dancing, and I agree with that sentiment. I love the artistry that comes from dancing well, and I just can't take any pride in wiggling or swaying around.

To each his own, though.

Positive feedback

Here's a message that I sent to a friend of mine recently.


====================================
Hi, Esther. How have you been? It's been way too long since I've had a chance to hear about your insights into life.

I remember your comments about how you don't appreciate brutal honesty. I'm with you on that point. I think that when people say that they're just "telling it like it is," it's pretty much just used as an excuse for not being tactful or empathetic.

This came to mind because of some struggles I've had with people in my dance class and martial arts classes. In my lindy hop dance class, for example, there's one gal who's kinda quick to provide negative feedback. That's not necessarily a problem, and she's not obnoxious about it, but I always feel that she could afford to cushion the blow with a smile or some words of encouragement. A bit of positive feedback now and then would be nice, too.

That's how I deal with other swing dancers, especially beginners. When I see that they struggle with something, I try to help them out with a smile on my face. I even say that I hope we can dance later, even when I know they're kinda bad.

I've got a similar situation in my Muay Thai (Thai kickboxing) class. Most of the people there are quite nice, and some of them are great sparring partners. However, there is one guy who's quick to criticize when my punches or blocks aren't quite right, and he does so with a somewhat hard expression and/or tone of voice. I always try to be encouraging when provide feedback, and most of the other guys are the same way. We've found that few gentle words like, "It just takes practice" or "I struggle with that too" can go a long way, y'know?

So anyway, those experiences made me think of you. I'm glad that you're more of an empathetic person. That's a positive quality to have.

Philology

Okay, this is really kinda petty, and I don't want to sound overly negative. However, part of my motivation in maintaining this blog is that I need a venue for venting, even about little stuff. Here's one example.

I get really annoyed when I hear certain folks refer to music videos as "MTVs." I also get annoyed when these folks refer to cassette players as "cassettes." I keep trying to explain that cassettes are what you place INSIDE the cassette players, but this distinction is apparently lost on them. (They refer to cassettes as "tapes," which is accurate but does not justify referring to the players as "cassettes.")

I know this is kinda trivial, but it's annoying nonetheless.

Why so many visitors?

On Wednesday nights, I take a cardio bootcamp class that’s heavily based on kickboxing. Last week, our regular instructor “R” was out of town, so “L” filled in for her. L can be utterly brutal, and I appreciate that.

One thing amazed me, though. Attendance was unusually high on that night, as a lot of ladies apparently chose to attend because L was teaching. I don’t understand that. L is a tough instructor, and she provides an intense workout, but I don’t think that’s the reason why she has a fan following. I say that because almost none (if any!) of these folks were able to keep up with her. Heck, most people have a hard enough time keeping up with R, so it doesn’t make sense to me that so many of these folks would attend L’s class but not R’s.

I’m just glad that the loud barking guy (let’s call him “Harley”) wasn’t at that class. I remember that he joined in once when another lady (“F”) filled in for L. He was such a poser, whooping and barking enthusiastically even though he was barely working out. To be fair, he does work hard on some moves, such as flutter kicks and certain step aerobics moves. He punches and kicks like a teenaged girl though, his jumping jacks are pathetic, and his high knee raises aren’t high at all.

Another guy's comments

Here are some comments from another fella about community dances.

Going to a non-specific dance can still be a disappointment. e.g. I went to a 40s themed event where everyone knew how to dance to some extent but there were many clashing styles and few women who could follow a lead without knowing the specific moves. I wouldn't expect anyone to, for example, be able to tango without having had specific lessons, but I would expect anyone who can follow a lead to be able to cope with the dumbed-down simplicity of modern jive. The fact that so many dancers cannot follow a lead is down to poor teaching, I think - although, obviously, inexperience or lots of experience of poor leads could be the problem.

Comments from a dancer

I just wanted to reproduce the following comments that I saw on a public discussion board about dancers. This gal had some wisdom to share.

It can sometimes be impossible to avoid the bad dances, since there is no way to know if it is bad or not until you try it out. Unless of course it is a weekly event and you have already heard word, but those are not what you seemed to be talking about.
...
As for attending socials at dance studios. Those, to me, have a very different feel than just attending a regular social event. From my experience, at the studios people are very willing to dance, but are constantly trying to fix how you are dancing or how they are dancing. They paid money to learn and want to make sure they are doing it right! And often many have the exact same style as the others there (since they are all learning from the same person). When going out socially you never know what you are going to encounter and I love that! From new dancers to people who are incredibly experienced. Each person has their own style, and each feels different to dance with.

Harley, go away

That Harley guy pisses me off no end. He's a loudmouthed jerk, he's a poser, and he's all talk.

I usually don't mind the folks who struggle in the gym. Some of them work really hard and want to get back in shape. (Admittedly, a lot of them don't. A lot of the just coast through the workouts and have no determination, no fighting spirit. Some of them genuinely want to undo years of poor health though, and they work hard to do so.) What I don't like are the folks who just talk the talk and don't walk the walk. The ones who hoot and holler like idiots, trying to make themselves sound all bad*ss, even though they're working out as though they were nine-year-old girls.

These folks aren't quite girly men. They can actually be in halfway decent shape. It's just that their mouths get much more of a workout than their bodies do.

And Harley is the worst offender by far. Shut up or go away, jerk.

Jobs in China

I found a site called "Jobs in China." What in the world is that about? It doesn't seem to me that a whole lot of people would be interested in finding jobs there -- certainly not the kind who would be drawn to an all-English site. So what the heck is that about?

Rachel from "Cardholder Services"

You suck. You dishonest, robocalling scammer. You thief. You deserve to be kicked out of the country.

More on laziness

Oh, and speaking again of lazy people in the cardio bootcamp class... I've often spoken about the loudmouthed poser who keeps whooping and hollering during the class, even though he's barely doing the moves. Well, he was in exceptionally rare for this week -- and by that, I mean that he was exceptionally lazy. He kept doing the moves in a wimpy, girlish way, even as he kept on hollering "Whoooooo!"

Go away, fella. You're trying to impress the ladies, but only an idiot would be taken in by your tactics.

Miggy and Migdalia

I'm not a big fan of "The Biggest Loser," but I sometimes tune in. Why? Because the physical challenges and last-minute workouts help motivate me to work hard at my own physical training regimen. Also, quite frankly, I sometimes find myself astonished at the ways in which people rationalize their obesity or their poor exercise and dining habits.

I normally fast forward through a lot of the show. It just doesn't capture my attention that much. However, I was riveted to some of the drama that surrounded Miggy and Migdalia, this mother-and-daughter team. Talk about delusional. Talk about unhealthy suppression. These folks are quick to blame other people for their own failures and they don't understand how much they're hurting themselves.

Miggy protested that they were there to exercise and learn proper eating habits, not to have their personalities changed. She failed to understand that when your personality traits foster obesity, then you MUST learn to change those traits. Suppressing one's emotions will make it vastly more difficult to trim down, due to the way one's body handles stress.

Speaking of lazy...

Let's revisit yesterday's blog entry.

Speaking of lazy folks, I remember when we were lining up outdoors to start the exercises. We were instructed to form a straight line. Instead of going to the end of the line though, a couple of stragglers decided to squeeze themselves into the other end. Why? Because that way, they could stand under the shade of a tree.

Get this? They packed themselves tightly into that part of the line, just so they could stay out of the sun. This was at around 6:45 p.m. Oh, boo hoo. Talk about being wimps.

What's more, it was pretty obvious that we were going to be moving around on the grass; otherwise, why bother going outside? So even if they could stay in the shade for a few moments, that wasn't going to last for very long. So what was the point of trying to squeeze their way in there -- and by necessity, squeeze other people out?

Lazy, lazy, lazy.

Lazy gym folks

Okay, get this. I take a cardio boot camp class every Monday. It's a class that's designed to push people hard so that they can get real results. This week, the instructor decided to take the class outside. We were to run around on the grass, spring, perform various calesthenics, and more -- all for the sake of varying our routine.

Things did not go very smoothly though. First, it took a long time for the class to get going. We performed the warm up routine indoors, after which we headed outdoors for the main exercise routines. Some of us headed straight outdoors, but we wound up standing around for nearly ten minutes while waiting for the stragglers to get out there. Apparently, a lot of people decided to slooooowly saunter their way outdoors instead of moving briskly. Another guy and I couldn't help but wonder, "Do these people want to get a workout or not?"

Second, a lot of people weren't paying attention to the instructions. As a result, we had long waits while the class instructor tried to explain the instructions everyone.

Third, a lot of folks did not push themselves very hard at all. A few of them gave up after just one sprinting exercise. Others moved very slowly, which meant that the people who were working hard had to stand around waiting for them to finish, for pity's sake. (Me, I decided to do squats and lunges while waiting for these folks.)

I realize that some of these folks were probably going as hard as they could. Looking around though, I don't think that many of them were. There was no look of determination about them, no expressions that indicated they were trying to push themselves. Heck, I'm not a fast runner by any means, but even with a 20 lbs weighted vest on my person, I still moved faster than just about any of them.

It's sad. These folks are not going to see results if they keep lollygagging through the exercises.

Nearly ran out of gas

I look at my gas gauge this morning and discovered that I had burned nearly a full tank of gas last night. Yeow.

At first I thought that somebody might have been siphoning off the gas. I have a locking gas cap though, which made that unlikely. After crunching the numbers, I realized that this amount of gas consumption was not unreasonable.

Still, it was a lot. Yeow. I'm glad that I didn't run out without realizing it. What can I say? It was late at night.

Sage

It is a wise man indeed who appreciates the value of sage.

Mental Floss

This page mentioned this Mental Floss book. A great book, and the magazine is great as well.

I wish that I had more time to read these things. Sigh.

MS PowerPoint

I've probably ranted about this before, but... I really, really hate it when people read their PowerPoint slides out to their audience. It's ineffective, it's stupid, it's insulting, and it's a sign of both laziness and incompetence.

The thing is, this SHOULD be common sense. For whatever reason though, a lot of people don't realize that.

Cage Fitness

I love the Cage Fitness program. It's tough, it's demanding, and I wish that I could do it every single day.

On a related note, I was going to take this Zumba class today. Unfortunately, the regular instructor was away and the previous instructor was filling in. Her moves tend to be way too feminine for my tastes, though, and she doesn't break the moves down as well.

Yeah, I like the regular gal a lot more.

More lindy moves

A few more lindy hop dance moves that I've been taught:

- RJ with a turn. The key here is to start the turn at the tail end of the "5" count.
- RJ with a follow (I'm not sure how this should be most properly called).
- Outside turn with a dramatic pause at the end of the "6" count. Shift your weight into the normal position during the "8" count.

It was also good to see Dan and Stephanie at the lesson this week.

Vinyl siding -- cruddy tactics

I remember when I was trying to solicit quotes for having vinyl siding installed on my garage. One of the people I spoke to was a Sears representative. His quote was outrageously expensive, so I told him that I couldn't afford his prices.

His reply? "Sure you can. You can take out a zero interest credit card if you need to."

Now that was a scummy thing to say. You don't advise customers to go into debt unnecessarily, and you certainly don't assume that they can afford something. Frankly, that's none of your business, bozo.

Fat acceptance

I came across the following statement which has been reproduced on a variety of "fat acceptance" blogs.

[Y]ou do not have anything interesting to say to someone who is struggling with obesity. You do not have better willpower than they do. You do not “care about myself” more. You are not more “serious about a healthy lifestyle” because you took off the eight pounds you gained at Christmas. You are no more qualified to lecture the obese on how to lose weight than I am qualified to lecture my short friends on how to become tall. You just have a different environmental and genetic legacy than they do. You’re not superior. You’re just somewhat thinner.

My reactions?

First, I'm somewhat sympathetic to the whole fat acceptance movement. I think that fat people are unfairly marginalized and aren't treated very well. I must confess that I'm guilty of that as well, as I occasionally realize that I tend to treat more attractive people better than I treat the chubbier ones. It's not fair.

However, I think that a lot of people in the fat acceptance movement go way too far. The aforementioned quote is a perfect example. For example, the author insists that skinnier people are NOT "more serious about a healthy lifestyle." Now that's just foolish. Sure, some fat people are doubtlessly more serious about health than some skinnier folks. To say that trimmer folks are absolutely not more serious about their health, however, is sheer denial.

Ditto for the steadfast denial that trimmer folks care about themselves more. I realize that combating obesity is not simple, and that some people will struggle far more than others. People who deny this are oversimplifying greatly. However, when somebody denies that trimmer folks do, on the average, care about their physical well-being more... well, that's simply over the top.

Those are two objections to what the author said. Both of these can be chalked up to exaggerated rhetoric. On the other hand, when this person says that thinner folks "just have a different environmental and genetic legacy than they do," then that's completely wrong. Environment and genetics do play a major role -- a very significant role, in fact -- but so do physical activity and dietary habits. Let's not deny that.

Therein lies the problem. Fat acceptance proponents are absolutely correct to demand better treatment of the overweight. However, this does not justify denying that one's eating and exercise habits play a major role in their condition.

Ace Ventura

I remember when "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" came out. I thought about watching it, largely because of Courteney Cox. She had faded into the background at around that time, and this was her first prominent role in a while.

An acquaintance of mine said that it was a pretty good movie and that I should watch it. Well, I was disappointed. It was a piece of crap with utterly idiotic humor. What was this woman thinking, recommending this piece of tripe?

New dancers

I've been asked to keep an eye out for the following newly minted lindy dancers. I could use the practice, and I'd like to help them feel welcome. Of course, I'm only going to dance with the ladies.

Zdenka, Deb, Heather, Shannon, Caroline, Allie, Chandra

Bill, David, Norm, Steve, Michael, Chris, Kirk

Let this serve as a reminder for myself.

Quick and easy side dishes

Earlier, I complained about how a lot of people simply bring a bag of cookies to these singles socials that I've attended. That is, regardless of what they were actually assigned to bring (a side dish, for example), they take the easy way out and bring a bunch of cookies.

I should be fair, though. Some of them bring chips instead. Sigh.

This contributes to the nation's obesity problem. People are WAY to enamored with pastries and other unhealthy desserts. Personally, I stay away from them for the most part.

The thing is, preparing a side dish doesn't have to take a lot of effort, and it doesn't have to cost much money either. I often bring a bunch of sliced apples or pears, for example. Slicing them up doesn't take much time, and it makes for a healthy side dish. Or if you wish, how about a bag of baby cut carrots? These are cheap and quick alternatives to the fattening baked goods.

Too many desserts

I've attended a few singles socials recently wherein people were assigned different kinds of foods to bring. This was done alphabetically; for example, people whose last names start with the letters A to L might be asked to bring a side dish, whereas people with names from M to S might be asked to bring desserts and T to Z would be asked to bring drinks.

What typically happens, however, is that there is an overabundance of cupcakes and cookies. Is it because there's a disproportionately large number of people whose names fell into the corresponding range? I seriously doubt it. What happens -- and of this, I'm absolutely convinced -- is that a lot of people just decide to bring a bag of cookies regardless of what their surname initial is. After all, it's simpler and easier to do that.

In most cases -- and again, I feel confident in saying this -- it's also lazy and inconsiderate. I don't want to judge any individual on this matter, as I'm sure that some people were legitimately pressed for time. Knowing human nature though, I don't doubt that many people simply decided to take the easy approach.

Is it disastrous? Not really, but it does create obvious problems.

Andrew Fenlon

Some people just don't get it.

I can be fairly negative at times. In fact, I often use this blog to vent about stuff that bothers the heck out of me. It's a way of pouring out frustrations that I can't really voice elsewhere. However, Andrew Fenlon carries this to a whole 'nuther level.

If you've seen his little snitty fit on "American Idol," you know what I'm talking about. I don't blame Kara DioGuardi for telling him that he should just walk out if he didn't change his attitude. Nor do I blame the ever abrasive Simon for saying that he should stop being a smartass.

How did this fella even think that he could get away with that kind of 'tude?

A rediscovery

Today I rediscovered the Science Advisory Board. I had forgotten that this organization existed.

Their mission is to improve communications between (a) medical and life science professionals and (b) the companies who provide this community with products and services. In other words, its a way to hook researchers and their colleagues up with companies that can provide the stuff and services that they need.

So they conduct studies about the products and services in question. Companies can then use this information to improve existing products and services or to develop new ones that better meet the needs of their customers.

About Chloe O'Brian

I thought this was amusing. It's from an earlier version of the Wikipedia page for a certain "24" TV character.

For a time, her character nickname on the website Television Without Pity was "Potato Face." In various TV appearances and print interviews, Mary Lynn Rajskub has mentioned that she now avoids Internet discussions about her character because somebody said that she had a face like a potato. More recently, other nicknames have been proposed, such as "Hot Potato" (a reference to the fact that many fans have found her increasingly attractive).

Clueless gym gal

I try to avoid referring to gym newbies as being "clueless." I recognize that we all have to start somewhere, and that it sometimes takes people a while to understand proper form, good workout techniques, and even the fine points of gym etiquette.

However, some people truly are clueless. I was reminded of this when I saw the following on someone's blog:

"Machine Hogs. These people will hog one machine and won't let you work in with them. I can understand if you're using a machine and you leave your towel on it to show it's in use. However, if you are doing lunges up and down the room and the machine is sitting there, you can at least let someone work in while you are lunging. Yes, this goes out to the woman who hogged the leg press machine today - you could have shared. Other people have work outs they need to do too."

Last week, I was trying to use the lat pulldown machine. However, somebody had left her gym back and water bottle on the seat. That wasn't very nice, but I figured that this person might simply be between sets. I waited around, even trying out a cable row machine in the meantime. The bag just sat there.

I tried to work around this by using other machines. I also tried to stand behind the seat and use the lat pulldown machine that way. Eventually, the owner of the bad did show up. She said, "Sorry, I should have moved my stuff."

YA THINK!?!?!? Apparently, she had been using this machine as a table while she worked out on another station. I wanted to give her a piece of my mind; instead, I said, "Yes, that wasn't very nice. Other people want to use these machines too, you know."

Now that is just pure cluelessness. I can understand someone not understanding how to use the machines properly. I can understand them not being familiar with how to get an effective workout. However, how can you possibly think that it's okay to dump your stuff on one machine while you work out somewhere else? Do you think that you're the only person who could want to use the machine in question?

I think that my reply to her was quite restrained. What I really wanted to say is that she was being very rude. I wanted to say, "You do not own this machine, lady. Don't treat it like it's your personal property."

Some new exercises

I watched Jillian Michael's "Last Chance Workout" DVD. It's very much a beginner's workout and won't be challenging for people who are already fit. However, there are two exercises there that I liked and that I think are worth incorporating into a workout:

Staggered pushups, in which one hand is placed more forward than the other
Up and down planks, in which we alternative raise ourselves up on our hands and go down onto our forearms

I also liked the idea of doing certain weight exercises while balancing on one leg. This causes the body to engage more muscles.

Dancing well

Earlier, I talked about how I wish that people who enjoy dancing would learn how to do so. That is, I wish that I could get my friends to take a few lessons, or to break down some dance moves from TV, or to learn some other interesting stuff.

Some would point out that when most people dance, they're not performing for other people. That's true, but it's also beside the point. It can be fun to just shake one's booty around, but I guarantee that dancing -- even for one's personal pleasure -- is vastly more gratifying when someone learns some real stylings.

I have attending this monthly singles "dance" party where almost nobody knows how to dance. Oh, they know a few line dances (that wretched cupid shuffle, for example), but nothing that requires real skill. A few of them know some country steps, and there's one couple that knows a little east coast swing, but nothing really impressive or energetic.

Heck, I remember trying to lead a couple of them through a turn. These folks were so sluggish that they couldn't make it all the way around, not even at slow speed. I swear, it was like they were walking through molasses. Ugh.

I wish that my friends would learn to dance

I wish, I really really wish, that I could get my friends to learn how to dance.

They enjoy dancing, but to my frustration, they don't really try to learn. Oh, they'll make a token effort at going through the complimentary lessons at our community swing dances, but they don't pay much attention and they don't try very hard. Nor do they try to learn any really interesting moves, not even the simple ones. They just kinda like to wiggle and shake around.

The politically correct response would be to say that it's all dancing, and that there's nothing wrong with just shaking around. In a very real sense, that's true. However, it's not "real" dancing as far as I'm concerned. Some call it freestyle dancing, but really... good freestyle dancing involves much more than just wiggling around to the music. Yeah, I know. Some people think it's fun to just wiggle around, but frankly, it's kinda dumb.

I like what a friend of mine said. This friend of mine pointed out that it takes time and effort to learn how to dance. People want quick gratification, so instead of learning how to dance well, they just wiggle about. Have I mentioned lately how dumb that is?

A skinny gal's response

In the past, I've written about the poor way in which overweight people sometimes get treated. I've also written about the fat acceptance movement -- both the good parts and the parts on which certain elements go way overboard.

Today, I'd like to post the following remark from someone who's been treated poorly because she's NOT overweight.

I find these discussions depressing at best. I'm a "skinny, little bitch" according to quite a few people. The disgust and nastiness shown towards me is far more than I have ever expressed internally or externally to someone overweight, but hey, it is ok, 'cause I'm skinny and I deserve it.

I've been overweight (briefly) and got a great view of how overweight people view skinny people, it isn't nice, it is not attractive and frankly, it pisses me off.

My husband is overweight, always has been. He also has horrible eating habits. Several of his family members are overweight also, they have the same horrible eating habits. The two skinny ones? Well, they don't eat like the others, nor do they weigh like the others.

If eating less didn't work, then bariatric surgery would NOT work. Sure, some folks regain the weight by stretching their stomachs back out and doing exactly what they aren't supposed to do.

I work with a girl that is about 5'2" who is probably close to 400lbs. She swears she never eats. I guess all the times I see her helping herself to the ice cream cooler don't count. Or my friend who swore it was "genetics" and was a vegetarian who would eat cream cheese by the container, or the friend that was a "vegan" but would binge eat anything, once by eating about 4lbs of shepard's pie (yes, there was meat in it).

Now, I have an unhealthy relationship with food, but I adore it. I also understand that it is impossible to create something out of nothing.

We, as a world, are fatter now than ever. Obesity is rampant. The food we eat has more calories per ounce than it needs to, our portion sizes are out of control, what we consider food is laughable. I'm perfectly fine accepting someone for who/how they are, just don't sling bullshit at me.

The amount of people who have actual medical conditions that are responsible for their weight are in no way even close to the majority of obese people.

Some freestyle (hip hop) dance moves

I picked up some "freestyle" dance moves from a Christy Lane DVD. Based on the context though, I'd say that she's using the term as a synonym for hip hop.

The ones that I most want to remember are the following: hot spot, pump, electric kick, the box (basically, a box step with some funk thrown in), and the reggae chop.

Science revisited

In an earlier post, I mentioned that some bozos pride themselves on being scientific in their day-to-day activities, yet they have a poor grasp of what science is. Far from using real science, what they're doing is using a severely watered down version thereof.

In that post, I described how one of these guys would claim to use science in evaluating relationships. Interestingly enough, this guy is an ardent atheist who ridicules those who believe in the power of prayer. Now I'm not about to argue for or against prayer or God right now. However, I would like to reproduce the words of one bright fella who made an interesting observation.

The point I'm trying to make... is that your definition of a "scientific approach" is not what most people would recognize as science at all. Let's suppose that somebody said that they prayed to Jesus for a miraculous healing and their request was granted. The objection will immediately be raised that the healing might have occurred naturally, and that the only way to determine whether prayer works is to conduct a study with many people suffering from a certain condition, split into two groups, one using prayer and one not. This response is given all the time on this board and elsewhere. In other words, the assertion is that a single person evaluating his or her own experiences cannot be scientific; it's only scientific when you're studying a group.

But then here you are saying that a single person making conclusions based on unique circumstances can be using a scientific approach. In other words, the exact approach that people usually blast for failing to be scientific, now is scientific.

Great answer!

Kathy Griffin is an embarassment

Some comedians seem to think that dropping the f-bomb in their act makes them funnier. No, it doesn't.

Kathy Griffin did this a lot during her CNN appearance on New Year's Eve. She also made certain off-color jokes that were decidedly shocking. Frankly, she should have known better. It was CNN, after all, a network that carries a certain professional demeanor.

I've never liked her act, and this incident makes me dislike her humor even more.

What a disappointing NYE celebration

I had to decide where to go on New Year's Eve. I could have gone to this one singles group, but the folks there tend to be older than I am, and they even act much older than they are. I could have gone to this ballroom on the west side of town, but I suspected that it would mostly be older people as well. (Indeed, I later found out that it was mostly older folks and a lot of couples. Not a great environment.)

So I went with some friends to a singles dance about an hour away. That was very disappointing as well. It was a "dance" where people mostly just wiggled around on the dance floor. Were they having fun? Certainly, and I won't begrudge them that. I was really hoping to see some people with actual dance skills though, especially partner dance skills.

One problem with these singles groups is that there are often good reasons why these folks are single. I'm not trying to disparage them, nor do I wish to minimize their worth as human beings. Like it or not though, very often these groups tend to be filled with people who are badly out of shape or who otherwise lack physical ability.

That's not the entire problem, though. One of my friends is pretty athletic, and she's even quite pretty. She just can't dance, and I don't know why. I think that ultimately, it's because she lacks confidence. She could do it, but if you throw something unexpected her way, she panics. She also doesn't put in a lot of effort, which is disappointing. I know that a lot of guys would want to dance with someone like her.

Some new lindy moves

Here are some new lindy hop dance moves that I learned.

"The Basket"
Trying different moves when coming out of a reverse swingout. One could do a Texas Tommy, a she-goes, or an outside turn.
Trying "the basket" but adding an extra turn at the end

Hyphenation

I thought that the title of this article was interesting. Why? Because this is a situation wherein somebody actually used hyphenation correct. The term "antigen-specific" is a compound adjective, and as such, it should ordinarily be hyphenated.

So many people miss out on this simple rule. I don't understand why, since it should be pretty clear to anyone who does a lot of reading. I do understand that some people don't seem to be wired in a way that lets them grasp the written word as well as others do, though. Some can communicate perfectly when when using spoken English, but their written English is a mess. Go figger.

Consider Rick Warren's vastly overrated bestseller, "The Purpose Driven Life." "Purpose Driven" should be hyphenated, but it is not. Very few people pick up on this.

There was a car blocking my driveway

I saw a car blocking my driveway late at night. It had its hazard lights on and its front passenger-side tire was twisted at a nasty angle. I'm guessing that it had a broken tie rod.

What a bummer for the owner. I am glad that the car was gone by the time I woke up in the morning, though. I would have hated to be blocked in. (Remind me to rant sometime about the jackass who blocked the driveway of the apartment building that I used to live in.)

I am also glad that this person didn't knock on my door and ask for help. I would have been willing to help, as I would not turn away someone in distress. However, I was also tired and had a lot of things to do.

Some cardio DVD recommendations

I'd like to recommend the following cardio DVDs:

Kimberly Spreen: Absolute Kickboxing
Criss Cross Cardio featuring Sherri Jacquelyn

In fact, I'd recommend anything by Kimberly Spreen. This particular DVD is great though, because it incorporates the use of a Body Bar (that is, a weighted bar) for some combat exercises. This is a great way to mix one's workout up a bit.

Sherri Jacquelyn is a bit of a newcomer; however, she does have some rather unique kickboxing moves. She also makes good use of capoeira, which is refreshing. I wish that my right ankle weren't hurting right now; otherwise, I'd do her workout a lot more.

I think I'll borrow these DVDs from the library now and then, just to give my workouts some variety.

A new robot

I received an ad today from Agilent Technologies. They were advertising their new Agilent Direct Drive Robot. It's a bit odd that they chose this name, as opposed to something glitzier. It's especially odd since their life sciences clientele probably wouldn't understand the implications of a direct drive robot, but what the heck.

It looks like a nifty machine. I wouldn't mind taking one of these things apart and/or discussion the design philosophy with some of their engineers. Might be kinda fun, and I do enjoy these high-tech toys.

Visiting

I'm glad that I got to visit a new friend over Christmas. She's very cool.

She says that she's no domestic diva. Personally though, I think she's a wonderful person. No romance in the cards there, but that doesn't mean that I can't respect her.

She's also a writer and can articulate herself very well. I appreciate that. If only more people had that kind of mastery of the written word.

Some Christmas humor

Here is a geeky bit of holiday humor from a clean jokes page.

Real programmers can never tell the difference between Halloween and Christmas. After all, OCT 31 == DEC 25.

Christmas Eve

Gonna meet a new friend for Christmas.

I normally spent Christmas with these delightful sisters that are very dear to me. One of them is on her honeymoon, though. The other is in a relationship, so getting together with me one-on-one is not an option.

Unfortunately, this meeting will involve a very long 3.5-hour drive, plus another 3.5 hours getting back. So I don't get to work out or do any real work on that day.

Extra billing from Bally

I don't get it.

Back in April, I cancelled my old Bally membership and started a new membership contract with different terms. Basically, for a few extra bucks each month, I can now go to any Bally gym in the nation. My old membership fees were being charged to my Visa card, whereas my new fees are being charged to my Discover card.

Starting in August though, I found that my Visa card was being charged again. I had a hard time getting ahold of any Bally customer service reps on the phone, but this week, I finally got a hold of one. (To be fair, I wasn't trying very hard, due to the long wait times.)

The problem has now been fixed and my charges are going to be refunded to me. We don't understand why the billing was erroneously resumed in August, though. Go figger.

So glad that I changed my battery

I am so glad that I changed my car battery. I could swear that the car runs more smoothly now. Yeah, baby.

I also saved myself a bunch of money that way.

Writing Great Articles

How do you write great articles? The following article (heh) from this site helps spell it out.

------------

How To Get Started On Writing Killer Articles


I once wrote an article in which I offered the following tip on how to speak eloquently in public: Talk about something that you’re passionate about. When we speak about matters that are dear to our hearts, we often find wellsprings of eloquence from which we can draw.

I offer similar advice to anyone who wants to learn how to write with flair and style. Start by writing about something that you feel deeply and passionately about. The same hearty emotions that lend eloquence to an orator can also provide a jumpstart to an aspiring writer. What’s more, we are likely to be well-informed about matters that we hold dear, and we are likely to have spent many hours pondering their significance in our minds.

Of course, this is no magic bullet. An aspiring writer still needs to master the mechanics of proper composition, as well as develop his own style. Still, these skills can only come about through practice—and if you’re going to practice, it helps to start with topics that we can launch into with great passion and aplomb.

V. B. Velasco Jr
http://www.immunospot.com

Replacing a car battery

I just replaced my car's battery. That was a lot more work than I expected, partly because I had never done it before. Loosening the screw on one of the battery clamps was pretty difficult, and as it turns out, I didn't need to loosen it all that much. Also, there was this arm that was used to hold the battery in place, and this one supporting rod kept falling out of place after I installed the battery.

Now that I have the hang of it, replacing the battery should be pretty easy. I probably won't have to do that for another five years, though. In fact, my current battery lasted me for a little over six years.

Oh, M.D.

This gal, M.D., is heavily into eastern mysticism and all this kinda nonsense. Too bad, since she's a very attractive thirtysomething woman. She's intelligent, lean, athletic, and beautiful, and she's got killer gams.

What a shame.

That's not what you do at a swing dance

There's a bunch of folks that I sometimes attend dance events with. Unfortunately, none of them know how to dance, with the exception of one gal who (somewhat infrequently) comes along.

There are a couple of other ladies who can follow along somewhat when it comes to partner dancing, but they aren't as enthusiastic as a lot of other folks that I hang with. What's more, they could use more energy.

I went to a swing dance event with them in December. At one point, instead of dancing swing, they did the usual "party" thing where you get a circle of people together and just kinda twist it around. That was utterly embarrassing.

It's one thing if you don't know the moves -- but for pity's sake, if you're at a swing event, then at least TRY to dance swing. Sheesh!

Motown dance moves

I decided that if I ever want to look up some useful Motown dance moves, I should check out Tamilee Webb's DVD, "Fit to the Hits: Motown Moves."

Patty

I just heard that my friend Patty got engaged. Good for her. She's a nice gal, and fairly attractive as well. She also has brains. Heck, if not for the fact that she's divorced with a boatload of kids (as well as a few areas of potential incompatibility), I might have chosen her myself.

She's a great gal and she deserves happiness.

Speaking of competence

Speaking of lacking competence...

I wonder what happened to DMS. He's a guy that I knew in school. When he landed a job, we all predicted that he'd be shooting himself in the foot before long. He had some technical competence but very poor social skills. What's more, he was basically a "plug and chug" kinda guy when it came to solving physics-related problems. He could study and he could score well, but he didn't necessarily have a very solid grasp of the underlying science principles.

Then there's Deborah, someone that I worked with at a charity. She had competence, but she was also severely lacking in people skills. She said that she was a people person who simply chose not to act like one. That was a blatant excuse for bad behavior, and she never admitted that to herself.

Competence

There are various works that could be used to describe T. Oliver. "Competent" is not one of them.

The guy is a bozo. He lacks common sense.

CVC

I saw that this site mentioned the CVC. Boy, did that bring back memory. Relatively recent memories, but still...

They do some exciting work, by gum. I almost wish that I could enter a different field and work alongside those clever folks.

I'm so cold

I am so cold. So uncomfortably cold.

I use to laugh at the cold. Well, not anymore. After losing a significant amount of bodyfat, I now feel the cold more acutely. A lot less insulation, you know.

I wasn't fat before, and I certainly wasn't a couch potato by any means. (You could say that I agree with this philosophy.) I also used to quietly scoff at people who complained about the cold. Well, not anymore. (To be fair, most of those people were fatter than I was. However, I also have to remember that some folks will just tend to be more temperature-sensitive.)

New solo Charleston stuff

I've got to remember the following moves and work them into my repertoire:

Boogie drops, followed by this four-snap move
Knee slaps followed by a jump Charleston
Charleston spins followed by the scarecrow

So incredibly tired

I am beat. I got to bed at a little past 3 am due to various tasks I had to take care of. Also, a friend of mine kept me up on the phone due to some personal crisis of hers.

Then I woke up early in order to attend my 8 am cardio workout class, which was further tiring. I would have liked to take a nap in the afternoon, except that the cleaning ladies who were supposed to arrive at my house were two hours late (through no fault of their own, I might add) In fact, they're still at work right this minute.

I have to leave in about two hours -- maybe an hour after the cleaning crew gets done. I've got a full night of activities lined up, and so I won't have time to rest. None.

I could really use some rest, too.