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.

Boring photos

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

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

AbiLogic

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

Gym slackers revisited

Continuing my previous rant about gym slackers...

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

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

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

Complaining again about slackers

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

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

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

More on Jesse Jackson

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

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

Jesse Jackson -- ugh

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

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

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

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

Eakins

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

So disappointed

Darn, drat, darn, darn, darn.

What a disappointment.

Psych

Man, I love that show.

7/7

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

Wonder Woman in the original SuperFriends TV show

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

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

Boot camp was disappointing

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

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

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

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

Judicious use of animation in PowerPoint

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

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

Independence!

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

Manuals, dang it!

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

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

PowerPoint

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

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

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

My leg hurts

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

Not enough time

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

Thinks I like

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

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

Expenses

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

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

Stacey Williams, democrat

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

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

My knee hurts

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

I'm getting too old for this.

Language

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

After King Kong Fell

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

Tips for church secretaries

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

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

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

The Real Ghostbusters

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

About website domains

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

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

Whither Wendy Benson?

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

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

Whining about having to wear seatbelts

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

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

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

USS "dances"

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

Yakov Smirnoff

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

Ruby-Spears Superman

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

A tip for marketing design

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

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

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

Gotta take care of a mold problem

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

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

Buckaroo Banzai

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

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

Incompetence

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

Dealing with them can be most aggravating.

PowerPoint

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

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