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.