Life Musings

Cardio idiots

2009-04-23T21:45:00.000-07:00

I've been taking this cardiovascular boot camp class at my gym. This is a very demanding class that involves a lot of jumping jacks, lunges, plyometrics, interval training, and other intense exercises. It's designed to leave even fit individuals gasping for breath.

I love the class with all my heart. I love it! However, some of the bozos in the group are incredibly annoying. There's this group of jackasses who keep barking and howling throughout the class, sometimes even as the instructor is talking. Their cries of "Woof! Woof! Woof!" are just bloody irritating. The worst offender has even taken to yelling out "I love this!" at random moments during the class.

The worst part? They're not even doing the exercises right! Not even close. During the marching and running drills, their feet barely leave the ground. When punching, there's virtually no twisting in their torsos and their arms don't go anywhere near full extension. And when squatting, their rear ends don't go down more than a few inches. They look like a bunch of nine-year-old girls.

Those bozos are incredibly annoying.

Oh, and that worst offender in the group? He keeps turning around or walking around to other parts of the room so that he can chat with some of the ladies. I've been told that he's a married man, and I know that it might be perfectly innocent on his part. Somehow though, I doubt it -- not if he's paying attention to the ladies instead of the exercises.

Of course, the gym management isn't going to do anything about this. After all, while they're an annoying distraction, I can't quite say that they're disrupting the class. Still, I wish that the class instructor would say something like "Some of you guys are all talk! Pour that energy into your feet, not your mouths, you bozos!"

I have a hole in my sock.

2008-09-06T12:39:00.000-07:00

Darn it.

Remembering Marco

2008-09-05T12:25:00.000-07:00

For some reason, my mind has been flashing back to an encounter I had with Marco, this one kid that I knew in my college days. I was standing at a bus stop with some friends on our college grounds when somebody pointed out that my zipper was down.

As I started to pull it up, Marco yelled out, "Hey, everybody! ----'s zipper is down!" One of his classmates shushed him, obviously recognizing that such a prank was in poor taste. It was certainly infantile.

Needless to say, I was humiliated. I stewed for a while, unsure of how to respond. In the meantime, Marco kept on chatting away with his classmates.

After about three or for minutes, I couldn't take it anymore. I marked right over to Marco and pushed him away from his friends. I then glowered silently, too furious to say anything. After glowering for a few seconds, I walked away. He was lucky that I wasn't a violent man; otherwise, I might have been tempted to take a swing at him.

One of his friends did come up to apologize to me, though. I have to give him credit for that.

As it turned out, his friends and mine were headed to the same place -- a small, inexpensive restaurant. Marco walked over to my table and apologized, and I have to admit that that was good of him. That's why I'm disappointed that I find my mind flashing back to that incident. It's best forgotten.

Wish I could do more cardio work

2008-09-04T12:21:00.000-07:00

I want to do more cardio work. I don't want to just sit around at home and watch TV. Like this fella says in this article, there's no point in being a couch potato.

Besides, I want to shed the last few pounds on my belly and face. It's been tough, though. I'm taking cardio bootcamp classes on Monday and Wednesday evenings, and I'm now doing occasional cardio classes on Saturdays. In addition, I also do all sorts of other cardio work at home and in the gym -- kickboxing, elliptical trainer work, brisk walking and running, and so forth. I also watch what I eat.

It's though, though. These last few pounds are slow to melt away. What's more, I can't restrict my calories too much -- not if I want to function mentally. Ugh.

Does anyone want the rest of this Oreo?

2008-09-03T12:20:00.000-07:00

Anyone? I only want the white stuff.

A tip for new swing dancers

2008-09-02T22:26:00.000-07:00

A few tips for new swing dancers:

1. Learn how to follow a guy's lead. If he pulls you in one direction, don't go the opposite way.
2. On a related note, learn proper frame. That is, learn how to maintain a little bit of tension in your arms, but not so much that you become tense.
3. Don't grip the guy's fingers. Just maintain a light "hook."
4. Don't reach for the guy's hands after a spin or a turn. After all, you don't know which hand (or hands) he plans to use in the next more, or which of your hands he plans to grasp. Just keep your hands at the right height, making them available for him to reach for.
5. Read up on social dance etiquette.
6. Always remember the proper footwork -- especially the rock step. If you don't rock step, it'll look like you're just walking around, and that's bad.
7. Put a little bounce in your step.

Proper conduct at the viewing of a dead child

2008-09-01T22:15:00.000-07:00

There's this little boy who drowned recently. I scarcely knew his mother, but I felt that I should drop by for the viewing of the body. I couldn't attend the funeral due to my work schedule, but I did want to make an appearance of some sort. That's when I was reminded of how some people engage in very poor judgment at these events.

Case in point: As I was in line to view the body, this one woman started chatting up a storm with the lady in front of me. "Hey, how are you doing?" blah blah blah. She just kept going on an on in a casual, everyday tone of voice, and I thought it was distasteful. Why? Because the dead boy's mother was just a few feet away and could doubtlessly hear every word. I doubt that she would have been pleased to hear two people carry on an animated conversation as they were waiting in line to view her dead son's body. That's not the time for chitchat and pleasantries.

That's not all. One of this woman's teenaged daughters was engaged in another conversation, albeit in much lower, more hushed tones. At one point, this girl burst out into a chuckle. I immediately put my hand on her shoulder and said, "Hey, no laughter. Not here, not today." The woman in front of me said "Yeah, that's right." I'm glad that she agreed, as it showed that she understood that chuckling under the circumstances was in very poor taste.

Then there was this little boy who was running around the chapel, laughing. I asked myself, "Where are this kid's parents? They should be immediately running up to the child to hush him up!" As it turned out, this boy was associated with that very same family, though I don't know how. I turned to one of the girls in that family and said, "Hey, let's take him outside." (Of course, what I really meant is that THEY should take him outside of the chapel.)

I was disappointed that I had to tell someone from this family to do that. One of the parental units should have taken it upon themselves to do so. Instead, I had to be the one to tactfully point out that the boy was being disruptive.

Some families just don't act like they have proper breeding.

Window switching can be so incredibly annoying

2008-08-31T05:34:00.000-07:00

Do you know what one of the most annoying thing about Windows (the various versions) is? It's how Windows often responds so sluggishly when you attempt to switch between different applications.

You have probably seen this happen. You click on an application window and find that the OS fails to switch to it. You click on it again, and again, and again, and it just doesn't happen. After a minute or so, it might finally switch, but in the meantime, it's just aggravating.

Of course, I realize that the OS may have more imperative things to do than to respond to a user's mouse clicks. Still, this problem ultimately occurs because of the massive bloatware that's inherent to Windows. That's what happens when you don't design things correctly right from the start.

On using the term "anime"

2008-08-30T07:57:00.000-07:00

I found the following amusing quote from some Internet poster regarding why the term "anime" came to supplant the older term, "japanimation."

[F]ans on this side of the pacific had picked up the term anime (which the Japanese borrowed from the French). Now if you know anything about anime fandom then you know that there's nothing they like better than appropriating Japanese words, using them poorly, and being smug about it to people who don't understand them. So naturally this quickly became adopted as the term to use.

Dancing with a severely overweight partner

2008-08-29T09:56:00.000-07:00

I've been taking some lindy hop dance classes. In these classes, followers rotate among different leaders. That helps people learn how to lead and follow more effectively and get used to different styles.

Unfortunately, it also means that you occasionally get saddled with a partner who's very difficult to work with. For example, one of the followers in this case is almost severely overweight. Now, I've danced with a good number of overweight partners before, and as long as they can still move well, it's not a problem. Some of them, however, move very sluggishly. This makes everything difficult, as it feels as though you're forced to haul them around the dance floor. Very frustrating.

Because they can't move energetically, it also throws a lot of the footwork off. Again, very annoying. It's unfortunate when you know that you have the moves down well, but you simply can't do them because your partner is throwing everything off.

Is this simply because they are carrying a few extra pounds? I don't think so; as I've said, I've danced with a lot of overweight women who could still move well on the dance floor. I think the problem is that some people become overweight partly because they do move sluggishly. That is, because they've gotten used to moving slowly and with minimal motion, they do wind up putting on the extra pounds. And of course, the extra pounds then make them move even more sluggishly.

At least, that's what I suspect. If I'm wrong... well, please understand that no malice was intended.

I could use a nap. And a vacation.

2008-08-28T13:25:00.000-07:00

Yeah, you heard me. I'm not ordinarily one for vacations, but I could really use a break right about now. I'd love to spend a few days just catching up on my reading. Oh, and maybe spend a few extra hours in the gym. That'd be nice.

Not feeling well

2008-08-27T13:14:00.000-07:00

Man, I'm feeling tired. Tired, and frankly, a bit depressed.

I know that this depression has been brought on by fatigue and stress, mind you. The human mind can be funny that way.

At Seventeen

2008-08-26T13:11:00.000-07:00

It must be one of the saddest songs I’ve ever heard. Listen closely and you’ll find that the words are heart-wrenching.

I’m talking about “At Seventeen” by Janis Ian. You may remember is familiar opening verse:

I learned the truth at seventeen
That love was meant for beauty queens
And high school girls with clear skinned smiles
Who married young and then retired
The valentines I never knew
The Friday night charades of youth
Were spent on one more beautiful
At seventeen I learned the truth…

One of the later verses really grips my heart. It goes,

To those of us who knew the pain
Of valentines that never came
And those whose names were never called
When choosing sides for basketball
It was long ago and far away
the world was younger than today
when dreams were all they gave for free
to ugly duckling girls like me…

Dang.

LedEngin revisited

2008-08-25T07:42:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, I mentioned that I wrote to LedEngin to ask about one of their products, and that I also gave them a call. I also mentioned that nobody responded.

Well, a couple of days ago, I wrote to follow up. I was polite and understated, but I also stated that nobody had responded.

To their credit, somebody wrote back within a couple of hours. He also provided some helpful insights into their product line. That was quite encouraging. It also shows that one should avoid drawing overly hasty conclusions when a company doesn't respond right away. (And honestly, sometimes it helps to be a little bit emphatic.)

An animated depiction of a laboratory assay

2008-08-24T02:18:00.000-07:00

I may have posted this one already. If I have, well, mea culpa.

This here is an animated depiction of a cytokine ELISPOT assay. It's interactive, but not in a gee-whiz, flash-bang kind of way. The animation gimmicks used are very simple and understated.

The same page also points the reader toward some downloadable PowerPoint slides that one can use in presentations. It also includes some MPEG movies that are likewise helpful. Nifty resources, they are.

Hymn lyrics

2008-08-23T06:47:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of these hymns? I sure haven't. The lyrics are apparently in the public domain, thanks to the Berne Convention's rulings on copyright laws.

I still like "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," personally.

Memories

2008-08-22T06:45:00.000-07:00

I just received a message from a woman that I hadn't heard from in about 13 or 14 years. Let's just say that she was someone who was very special to me, but she decided to marry someone else. She was reluctant to tell me though, so I had to find out from her sister.

Some memories can be very bittersweet.

LedEngin

2008-08-21T05:49:00.000-07:00

I tend to judge companies based largely on how they respond to their customers. I figure that if they respond to questions quickly and accurately, then they're more likely to be a company that I'd like to do business with. This is especially true when it comes to companies that provide high-tech components and equipment.

I was kinda disappointed when I contacted LedEngin. I was looking for a particular part, and I wasn't sure if they still offered it or not. I wrote to their sales department's e-mail address, but I didn't hear back from them. I called their sales person up, but I received no reply. What a disappointment.

Of course, I realize that there could have been any number of reasons why I received no response. After all, I don't know what's going on behind the scenes. Still, this was a bit of a let-down, and when it comes to the fast-paced world of high-tech development, a lot of people would be much less patient.

Wish I was more flexible

2008-08-20T05:45:00.000-07:00

Dang. I wish I had more flexibility in my legs. I've never had much.

I"m trying to practice my roundhouse kicks. I can't kick very high though, and this makes my roundhouse kicks seems kinda wimpy. I need to learn how to kick higher.

Yeah, that's right. I want to learn how to fight like a superhero. Heh.

I used to consider post-workout stretching to be a bit of an annoyance. No, make that a huge annoyance. Not anymore, though.

Now that's some good marketing

2008-08-19T21:16:00.000-07:00

Earlier, I talked about some completely horrendous and embarassing marketing materials that some bozo came up with. Ugh. You should have seen it; it was mind-numbingly bad.

Here's an example of some much better marketing: The Stanley Functional Utility Bar. Now that's a brilliant piece of marketing! It's thrilling, it's innovative, it's interactive, and it's funny. Absolutely brilliant.

Then there's this actress. Her personal website is very clean and elegant in its design, and it does a good job of communicating who she is. (Here's an unrelated fan site that's dedicated to her, BTW.)

And this page contains some really great downloadable marketing flyers. They give every indication of having been meticulously fine-tuned and systematically designed. The verbiage was very specific and clearly selected to catch the reader's attention. Some of the images could be improved, but some of the others are pretty good, and it's clear that a lot of imagination went into them.

Now that's horrible

2008-08-18T21:07:00.000-07:00

I recently saw one of the worst marketing flyers I've ever seen. Here are just some of the reasons why it was terrible:

There was no headline -- nothing to immediately grab the reader or tell him what's being sold.
It was a multi-page flyer with only one graphic. This graphic was on the front page, and it had a weird aspect ratio. It was tall and narrow, which is a very odd (and aesthetically displeasing) choice.
There was no clear picture of what was being sold. Oh, the graphic that I mention did include a sample pic of one of the items being sold, but it was somewhat faint, and you had to look closely to distinguish it from all the other images in the graphic.
The color red dominated the entire flyer. That made it very painful to look at.
You had to read quite a bit of text in order to figure out what the flyer was about -- and the flyer gave no incentive for anyone to do so. In other words, there was no "hook."
The text failed to communicate the message quickly and effectively. In fact, the text gave every indication of having been cut and pasted from a more technical source. When it comes to marketing materials, an entirely different style is required.
The whole thing gave every indication of having been designed around the one graphic. That is, the designers apparently decided to use the graphic, and then they designed everything else around it. Such thinking is completely backwards, of course.

The whole thing was completely embarassing. It looked like the work of a thirteen-year-old.

Electrical work

2008-08-17T15:05:00.000-07:00

I'm getting a friend of mine to do some electrical work in my basement. This is strictly on-the-side, mind you. It'll be some tax-free income for him, and it'll be an affordable deal for me.

I wish that I could get a similar deal for the more expensive work that needs to be done on my home, though.

Oh, well. Thank God for whatever blessings I can get!

I wish I had a CD player in my car

2008-08-16T17:34:00.000-07:00

That's right. I wish I had a CD player in my car. My 1997 economy vehicle still has an old-fashioned tape deck.

And no, I'm not about to upgrade. Not on a car this old.

Still, it would be nice to have a more updated sound system. Sigh.

I envy these people

2008-08-15T14:32:00.000-07:00

I envy these guys who are tall and have magnificent, lean, muscular physiques. I'd like to be like that someday.

Getting lean has been hard for me, though. It just doesn't come naturally. Some of my body parts also need some more muscular development as well. I have quite a number of problem areas, yes.

Go away, moth!

2008-08-14T20:31:00.000-07:00

This moth has been flitting around my dinner and on my computer screen. Darn it!

Go away, you annoying beast! I have enough annoyances in my life right now.

The tragic Stringbean

2008-08-13T20:29:00.000-07:00

I just read about how Stringbean, the actor in the old Hee Haw show, didn't put much stock in banking. Rather, he used to keep large amounts of cash on his person and talk about how good Hee Haw was to him.

He was murdered in 1974. So was his wife.

Somehow I don't think that was a coincidence.

Hee Haw

2008-08-12T09:33:00.000-07:00

In a moment of weakness, I watched a DVD of the old Hee Haw variety show. Man, what a stupid show that was! The jokes were horrible and cringeworthy. I wondered how that show lasted for so long.

As I watched though, the answers became evident. First, the country music was actually top-notch. And second, they had some comely lasses in stereotypical farm girl outfits. Yeah, I can see why people tuned in.

Actually though, the most attractive lady of the bunch was one Cathy Baker. She was a wholesome-looking lass who dressed very modestly in comparison to the other young ladies. This goes to show that you don't need to dress provocatively in order to look good.

Natalie Teeger

2008-08-11T09:29:00.000-07:00

So I was watching an episode of Monk when I was struck by how sweet and cute Traylor Howard's character, Natalie Teeger, is. She has this adorable fragility about her. She doesn't look like one of these swimsuit model bombshells, but her cute face and lithe figure just make her exude sweetness and charm.

I like her better than Bitty Schram's character, Sharona Fleming, who was her predecessor. Sharona was funny and an effective foil for Monk, but I felt that their relationship became too adversarial over time. I like that Natalie is more nurturing toward Monk, which is what he needs right now.

Marketing flyers

2008-08-10T04:50:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine showed me a copy of a marketing flyer that he got his hands on. It was from some guys who asked him to review this piece of work. I also saw another flyer that these dudes had produced.

They were atrocious. They were ugly, incoherent, and positively amateurish. They looked like they had been written by twelve-year-olds. As a writer, they made me cringe.

They violated every fundamental law of advertisement design. For one thing, they had no headlines -- nothing that would quickly summarize what the flyers were all about. There were no clear images of the product being sold. (One of them did have an image, but it was a faded photo that kinda blended into its background.) The text had been cut and pasted from a technical catalog. This was a poor choice, since such text is ill-suited for quickly summarizing a product's benefits.

People are busy nowadays, especially if they work in a technical field (science, engineering, medicine, law). You MUST catch their attention and communicate things quickly. Don't expect that they'll slog through your paragraphs of text, especially if the writing had not been finely tuned. In other words, it's not enough to simply have all the facts on paper. That's just poor judgment.

That's why these principles of good marketing design are so important. And heck, they're just a matter of common sense.

Here are some examples of attractive flyer design. You can't really zoom in on the text, but the design layouts look good. You can also see some well-design flyers here. In these examples, it's clear that the text and layout were painstakingly designed to communicate a lot of information quickly and efficiently.

Rain. Darn it.

2008-08-09T18:00:00.001-07:00

Got a sudden downpour today. I was going to work on sealing part of the driveway, since the forecast said that the weather was going to be clear.

So much for those plans. Darn it, darn it, darn it.

Oh, well. At least now I'm forced to tidy up and install my new printer.

Found a friend

2008-08-08T20:09:00.000-07:00

I came across a friend of mine on a singles dating site. I guess things didn't work out with the guy that she had kinda been seeing. Too bad. I think that men don't appreciate her the way they should.

And no, I'm not going to pursue her. She's out of my league, and besides, I'm quite certain that she's not interested. She has given mixed signals in the past, but no, she's not interested.

I'm surprised that she's advertising herself, though. I would have thought that there would be an abundance of men pursuing her.

Mouses?

2008-08-07T20:07:00.000-07:00

Quick? What is the plural of mouse? Y'know, as in a computer mouse?

The answer is not so obvious. When they first came on the market, most manufacturers referred to them as mice. There was one company that insisted on calling them mouses, though. I won't tell you which company this was, but I will tell you their initials: IBM.

Mouses. I like that.

Personal branding

2008-08-06T20:05:00.000-07:00

The following is from an article that someone sent me. Sadly, he did not properly attribute the source. ACtually, he gave no attributions whatsoever... the rat.

In the branded world we live in today, Personal Branding is more than
just a latent hot topic. It is not a new phenomenon, nor is it an
option. It is about how others perceive us - our very reputations. We
brand each other constantly by way of introduction, in describing one
another, or by articulating opinions about each other in person and in
the media. We all have a brand, whether it is positive, neutral or
negative, and all of this is going on whether we are managing the
process or not.

Pedestrians in mall parking lots

2008-08-05T07:22:00.001-07:00

I don't want to be a perpetual complainer, but I just have to rant a bit about those folks who insist on walking straight down the middle of the driving lanes in mall and supermarket parking lots.

Why don't they walk off to the side so that cars can make their way through? That's safer and better for everyone. Heck, some of them don't even bother to move even when they see that there's a car right behind them. Are they that self-absorbed?

This reminds me of a woman who held up traffic in a nearby suburb. Turns out that she was crossing a major street even though the DON'T WALK sign was on. The worst part was that she wasn't even hurrying. No, she was sauntering and less than normal speed, as though oblivious to the traffic that was building up. After she finally reached the curb, I tapped my horn as I passed by her. She gave me look as though to say, "What is this guy's problem?"

Not recovered yet

2008-08-04T21:13:00.000-07:00

I tried to go through another hour-long cardio bootcamp session, but I couldn't make it all the way through. I guess I haven't fully recovered from my cold yet. I just didn't have enough energy to make it through. Blast it.

Muscle dysmorphia

2008-08-03T21:11:00.000-07:00

I learned a new term today: Muscle dysmorphia. It's this psychological condition where men obsess over not being lean and muscular enough. I don't go that far, but I can really understand how men can fall into that trap.

On a related note, I'm watching a TV report about a man who died from home liposuction. The buddy who provided this treatment administered too much saline solution and lidocaine, thus killing him. The guy was jailed for practicing medicine without a license.

Boy.

Cardio

2008-08-02T14:49:00.000-07:00

I need to catch up on my cardio work! I was laid up with a cold for so long, and now I feel flabby and soft. I have probably gained a few pounds as well, in part due to a business trip where I found it hard to eat right.

I borrowed some cardio exercise DVDs from the public library. I should give some of them a shot tonight. That, and do some light weight training. Oh, and I need to work on my abs as well.

Mystery Woman

2008-08-01T14:36:00.000-07:00

Want a light-hearted diversion? Check out the Mystery Woman series on the Hallmark Channel. It's a little fluffy, but not bad, and the DVDs of at least three of the episodes are available from Netflix.

I did cringe at a few scenes that were awfully convenient, though. Like when the heroine stumbled across a blackmailer's scrapbook that spelled out a huge amount of the information that she needed. Who the heck keeps a scrapbook of such things anyway?

Still, it's a good show, and Kellie Martin is great in the title role.

Doing business in China

2008-07-31T20:15:00.000-07:00

Again, revisiting my previous postingson intellectual property protection in China...

Somebody told me, "My company refuses to do any high end manufacturing in China for fear of it getting ripped off. For my area of the business, we only have manufacturing in highly commoditized wires, cable, switches, etc. We had local counsel specifically tell us that the government takes a blind eye to the rampant, and I mean rampant, piracy over there."

Wow. Unfortunately, that's common.

He then said, "Time magazine had an article about how the film industry is getting crushed over there because at the same time a new release hits the theater, there is already a DVD out on the street. If you ask these people why they pay for the DVD or why they are pirating, they all say that it's much easier, or that they're just trying to make a buck or some other nonsense. When I was over there, I tried looking out for it, but my lack of Chinese language skills and guide made it very difficult."

Chinese views on intellectual properties

2008-07-30T20:13:00.000-07:00

Revisiting my previous post...

Somebody alleged that the rampant piracy and copyright violations in China is simply "building off someone else's work." That's just a plain foolish perspective. It's not building off previous work; rather, it's completely ripping it off.

Innovation already builds off the work of other people. What the Chinese do is entirely different. Constructing an entire fake Disney theme park, for example, is hardly as innocent as building off the work of others.

As I said, the Chinese attitude toward intellectual property is bound to hinder true innovation. Why innovate when you can copy someone else's work? Conversely, where is the strong incentive for people to innovate when they know that others can simply duplicate the fruits of their labors without the R&D investment?

I'm not saying that every single Chinese person is like this. I'm not saying that they are a nation of "one-billion rip-off artists." What I am suggesting is that when a nation does not adequately promote and protect intellectual property rights, people will have less incentive to innovate. There will also be less of a cultural push to break off from the crowd and do something different.

Chinese innovation or lack thereof

2008-07-29T20:07:00.000-07:00

I was having a discussion wherein someone asked why there appears to be comparatively little innovation that comes out of China. China the nation -- not the Chinese people, mind you, many of whom live in the USA.

China is, after all, known for producing a lot of highly competent scientists and engineers. They are also becoming more industrialized. So why don't you hear so much about modern Chinese inventions?

IMO, part of the problem is that their culture simply does not tend to value intellectual property -- hence the rampant piracy and copyright violations. Why invest in innovation when it's simpler and quicker to rip off someone else's work?

I'm sure that this is all an oversimplification. Still, I do strongly believe that there tends to be an inverse correlation between innovation and respect for intellectual property.

Somebody objected though, saying "Let's be a little more willing to shift cultural perspectives here. Most Chinese people would probably say they just build off each other's work."

Rampant piracy is simply "building off someone else's work"? Good grief. That's not just a difference in cultural perspective, fella. That's blatant whitewashing, plain and simple.

Cardio bootcamp

2008-07-28T22:17:00.000-07:00

I attended my weekly cardio bootcamp session today. It's grueling, but I normally have enough energy to last me through the hour. Not this time, though. I'm recovering from a cold, so I had to quit halfway through.

BTW, I want to complain about this one woman was sauntering through the corridor at a turtle's pace while I was trying to get to the locker room. I'm talking about SLOOOOOOOW movements. She was very noticeably overweight, but still... most people her size can stand to pick up the pace a little bit.

Unfortunately, some people are overweight precisely because they move slowly. Others move slowly because they are badly overweight, but most can at least walk at a normal pace. Sadly, some people do move sluggishly, and so their metabolisms become sluggish as well.

Sigh.

People who take and don't give

2008-07-27T22:12:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine was complaining about a co-worker of hers. Let's call him Stan.

She complained that when people brings food to work, Stan helps himself quite generously, loudly, and unapologetically. He never brings any food himself, though. He never reciprocates.

Taking without giving.

I remember hearing this guy talk one day. He was asking for ways to illegally break into his neighbor's wireless network so that he wouldn't have to pay for an ISP. "There must be some software that I can download that'll let me do that," he said.

Good grief. From what I've been told, he's paid quite well. Where is the shame?

Wanna dance

2008-07-26T08:38:00.000-07:00

So I took a dance lesson last night. Waltz. I'd like to get some more practice in, and preferably, get a regular dance partner.

Man, I wish I were better at this sort of thing. I've seen how women react to the guys who are really good dancers. I don't get that kind of attention, and I wish that I did.

Gravimetric analysis

2008-07-25T01:58:00.000-07:00

I'm learning more and more about chemistry. Makes me kinda wish that I had gone into chemistry after all, as my ten-year-old self had planned on doing. Heck, I wanted to win the Nobel prize. (My mother didn't care for that though, saying "There's no money in Nobel prizes!" She meant well, but for her, a career was all about earning money rather than seeking self-fulfillment.)

Read a little bit about gravimetric analysis today. That was kinda nifty.

Now, about zoology... I learned a new word today: helminthology. It's the study of parasitic worms. A delightful topic, isn't it?

Plagiarism

2008-07-24T11:55:00.000-07:00

I knew a fella back in high school who used this shady tactic when pursuing a woman. He didn't have a lot of writing skill, so he would go to a bookstore, copy poems off of Hallmark greeting cards, and then give them to the woman of his desire.

Yeah, he was a rat.

He also cheated a lot during tests. I know that if I ever had to do business with him, I would not trust him.

PhDs as doctors

2008-07-23T01:26:00.000-07:00

I was following this online discussion about whether PhD holders are "real doctors" or not. Here are a couple of excerpts from that discussion:

"Please. A PhD is not a professional degree. Society understands "doctor," when referring to the medical profession, to mean an individual that has been able to earn an MD. You, whether due to lack of motivation, or more likely lack of aptitude, have not. I'm glad Webster's dictionary validates your semantic point but for a thinking person, that's clearly not the point of how "doctor" is perceived. Fortunately for you, it appears the sort of fans you attract don't spend a lot of time thinking that hard."

"The above post is a classic example of the MD God-complex. No one besides the "MD" can call himself a doctor. Please. Read a dictionary and get yourself educated. For all I know, you are not even a doctor since no one knows who you are since you continue to shroud yourself in anonomynity. This is type of person who everyone on the hospital staff can't stand, along with patients. Get over yourself, pal. Yawn."

Sheesh. You'd think that people would know better by now.

My Nikes arrived

2008-07-22T11:19:00.001-07:00

My Nikes have finally arrived.

For years, I've tried to get by with cheaper brands such as Asics. They do a good job, mind you, but I find that Nikes are more comfortable when I'm running or doing other intensive exercises.

They also cost a bundle, though. Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch.

Holding up an elevator

2008-07-21T11:09:00.000-07:00

There was this incident where I was heading down an elevator. This lady yells out "Hold the door!" and catches the elevator before it goes down. Instead of proceeding down with us though, she hold the door open and continues her conversation with a co-worker, blabbing and blabbing away.

Mind you, they weren't just chatting leisurely. They did appear to be rushing somewhat. Still, they kept talking and talking about work-related stuff while the elevator occupants were forced to wait.

Lady, I understand that you wanted to catch the elevator. Really, I do. If you weren't done talking to your co-worker though, you shouldn't have gotten on board. Finish your work up, THEN board the elevator car.

Time for another Vista rant

2008-07-20T11:04:00.000-07:00

Okay, it's time for another diatribe against the idiocy of Windows Vista. Actually, this particular complaint can be levelled against all the Windows versions. Ugh.

I hate it when I'm typing into one application, only to have Windows call up another program and redirect the focus into that window. What a stupid thing to do! If I'm typing or clicking on buttons, don't automatically switch focus on me without warning, darnit!

You can always call up a ghosted outline of the new application, for pity's sake. That's what the X Window System did, and it made perfect sense. Does Microsoft have any idea of what kinda of damage someone can accidentally cause, simply because they decide to force your keyboard or mouse input into another application without warning?

Sheehs.

The influence of the Beatles

2008-07-19T13:27:00.000-07:00

I saw some guy's posting on the influence of the Beatles. I thought that his words were so true that they were worth citing here:

The Beatles have many influences that are beyond their sound. Things like long songs, Indian music, complex production methods (Queen may sould little like the Beatles, but "A Night at the Opera" would never have been made without "Sergeant Pepper."), different chord progressions (before the Beatles, there were sounds everyone used; the Beatles would accidentlly play a wrong chord and, instead of saying "Oops, did it wrong," would say "That sounds good. How can I use it?"), different song structures, and many other things. The Beatles influence on modern popular music is akin to oxygen's influence on life on Earth -- it's everywhere, even if you don't realize it.

The incredibly idiocy of Windows Vista

2008-07-18T18:28:00.000-07:00

I can't stand it. I just can't stand it. Windows Vista has this incredibly annoying habit of freezing up for no apparent reason -- even when it's not running a lot of programs, and even when these programs are nothing exceptional. I'm talking about idiotically fundamental programs such as Internet Explorer and Microsoft Outlook.

I hate this.

So I try switching from one windows to another, and what do I get? NO RESPONSE. I wind up walking away to get a drink, and then hoping that the window context has switched by the time I get back. And why does this happen? Doubtlessly because Vista is doing all sorts of fluffy, unnecessary stuff in the background -- the kind of stuff that some geeky programmer decided would be "kewl."

Hey, here's a clue, Microsoft! Think about how these gee-whiz-bang features will impact basic performance before you decide that it's a kewl thing to do.

So sick of those bugs

2008-07-17T21:00:00.000-07:00

I like insects. I think they're fascinating. I appreciate them from a scientific viewpoint, and I'm not squeamish about handling them.

Having said that, I am sick and tired of the insects that populate my lawn. I walked out into my backyard this evening to spray some weeds, and a big old bug flew into my left ear. In a pique of frustration and irritation, I yelled out "Damn you!", knowing full well that this wouldn't do any good.

And as I continued to spray weeds, a whole bunch of these buggers started biting my arms and back. Darn them all.

Postmodernism

2008-07-16T07:23:00.000-07:00

I think that post-modernism is a pretty messed up view of the universe. I've had some conversations with a few hardcore post-moderns lately, and frankly, I think it's difficult to discuss matters of truth with anyone who embraces post-modernism outright.

Here are some brief comments from one Dr. Moreland regarding post-modernism:

Postmodernism is a loose coalition of diverse thinkers from several different academic disciplines, so it is difficult to characterize postmodernism in a way that would be fair to this diversity. Still, it is possible to provide a fairly accurate characterization of postmodernism in general, since it friends and foes understand it well enough to debate its strengths and weaknesses.

As a philosophical standpoint, postmodernism is primarily a reinterpretation of what knowledge is and what counts as knowledge. More broadly, it represents a form of cultural relativism about such things as reality, truth, reason, value, linguistic meaning, the self and other notions. On a postmodernist view, there is no such thing as objective reality, truth, value, reason and so forth. All these are social constructions, creations of linguistic practices and, as such, are relative not to individuals, but to social groups that share a narrative.

Postmodernism denies the correspondence theory, claiming that truth is simply a contingent creation of language which expresses customs, emotions, and values embedded in a community’s linguistic practices. For the postmodernist, if one claims to have the truth in the correspondence sense, this assertion is a power move that victimizes those judged not to have the truth.

Vista really, really sucks

2008-07-15T11:31:00.000-07:00

I don't think I'm ever going to stop complaining about Microsoft Windows Vista.

I hate, hate, hate the fact that it takes forever to call up Windows Explorer. When I migrated to Vista, I was hoping that it would perform better in this regard... but NO!!!! Apparently, it still takes it upon itself to perform all sorts of background processing that slows the process down completely.

Ditto when I want to open a document in, say, Microsoft Word or Adobe InDesign. If the document isn't in the default folder ("My Documents," for example), then I've learned to select "Open File," then walk away and make myself a cup of coffee. After all, it takes about a minute or so before the navigational dialog will respond. And why? Because Vista (much like XP) insists on doing all sorts of questionable, fluffy tasks in the background. (Digesting thumbnail images is doubtlessly one of them.)

Note that I say "fluffy." I won't claim that these tasks are useless; after all, somebody surely likes them. They dramatically hinder performance though, especially if you have a lot of documents -- and many of us do.

Ah, the triump of style over substance. Whoopee.

Avoiding toxic people

2008-07-14T07:17:00.000-07:00

An old classmate of mine from my high school days contacted me via Facebook last week. He and I used to be good friends, and we even shared a lot of spiritual perspectives.

I lost touch with him through the years, though. Why? Because he got to be darned annoying... toxic, even. He became bossy and overbearing, and it became extremely difficult to have a normal conversation with the guy. He was also a bit of a hypocrite, and not in minor ways.

On the one hand, I recognize that people change, and maybe he has changed for the better. Do I really want to open up communication with him again, though? I'm not sure that it would be wise. He might indeed have changed, but I think it's best to simply avoid communication. In other words, I won't treat him as though he were some evil dude, but neither will I take the risk and see if he has changed his ways.

Therein lies the problem. I could accept his 'friend' request, but then that becomes a lot more difficult to undo. Removing him from my Facebook 'friend' list could have vastly more negative repercussions.

Rediscovering Tony Orlando and Dawn

2008-07-13T05:24:00.000-07:00

Boy, does this take me back.

I remember watching the short-lived "Tony Orlando and Dawn" variety show back in 1974. I discovered a deeply discounted DVD set at Best Buy, so I thought I'd check it out. I bet my mother would want to watch this.

It's cheesy and the sight gags are occasionally kinda dumb, but it does take me back.

Revisiting the doctorate issue

2008-07-12T21:36:00.000-07:00

I previously wrote about the issue of whether JD holders (that is, lawyers) should be considered to be doctors. More specifically, I posted the opinion that was offered by a lawyer of my acquaintance.

This reminded me of some comments that I once read from an attorney who did not consider PhDs to be "real doctors." He said that if you ask the general public, they would think of physicians as the real doctorate holders. I think that's a poor argument; after all, the general public probably thinks that the so-called "law of averages" is a genuine principle of probability. The majority is very often wrong.

Moreover, I think that many Americans DO understand that there are "doctors" who are not physicians. Again, remember Dr. Martin Luther King? If one were to suggest that he should not be referred to by that title, I think that a great many would protest.

This same lawyer ignorantly said that the MD program takes more time and effort than PhD programs do. That's simply absurd. Now, I'll grant that some PhD degrees MIGHT require less effort and mental acumen than an MD, but I daresay that few knowledgeable people would say that MDs generally take more time and effort than a PhD would.

Here's what I said when he insisted that most Americans would only consider MDs to be "real" doctorates, based on the "fact" that they require more time and more intense labor:

And they would be wrong. A Ph.D. typically takes more time than an M.D., not less. Furthermore, since it requires both mastery of one's field and an original contribution to that field, I stand by my assertion that it involves greater scope. (Note: I'm not saying that medical degrees are easy to get. Not at all. I merely say that anyone who thinks that a Ph.D. requires less time and study than an M.D. is woefully misinformed.)

More than you ever wanted to know about the JD degree

2008-07-11T21:29:00.000-07:00

I once asked some people abou the propriety of lawyers calling themselves "doctor" or referring to their degrees as "doctorates." (The title "J.D." means "juris doctor.")

Here is what one J.D. told me:

Way back a half century or so ago, most US law schools gave their graduates the LL.B. degree (Bachelor of Laws). This stemmed from back earlier when law schools did not require a separate undergraduate bachelors degree befofe admission.

Eventually, some bright lawyer recognized that in federal government employment, someone with a doctoral-level degree was paid more than someone with merely a bachelors. The law schools were convinced that it was not preposterous to award a J.D. (Juris Doctor) degree to students who had completed a three-year post-bachelors program (as a bachelors was pretty much required for admission by then), so they switched the degree they awarded from the LL.B. to the J.D. They also permitted their LL.B. graduates to "trade in" their LL.B. for a J.D. if they wanted.

Even though law school graduates were now awarded "doctoral" degrees, the profession had the unusual situation where it was mostly the new graduates who had doctoral-level degrees and the more experienced lawyers (and judges) who had "mere" bachelors, so there was virtually no movement to start calling J.D. law graduates "doctor."

Also, in addition the LL.B. (now J.D.) degree, there are "graduate" law degrees awarded by some American law schools: LL.M. (Master of Laws) and S.J.D. or J.S.D. (Doctor of Juridical Science). The S.J.D./J.S.D. degree is a research degree, considered in equivalent to the Ph.D. in other fields. Once more there is the odd inversion where the initial degree is doctoral level and the advanced degree is a masters, but nobody worries about that.

Internationally, in many Continental European (particularly German-influenced) countries, practicing lawyers will have doctoral degrees and be referred to professionally as Doctor. In many other countries, universities commonly have undergraduate programs in law leading to the LL.B. degree, with graduate programs for LL.M. and LL.D. (doctor of laws) degrees. Often the LL.B. graduates will not become practicing lawyers in the same way that, say, biology graduates will not become biologists, though each may work in related fields.

In short, in the U.S., most lawyers have a doctoral-level degree (though we realize that it is sort of a doctoral-lite degree), but are not referred to professionally as "doctor" (unless possessing another doctoral degree or unrestrained pretentiousness).

My allergies are killing me

2008-07-10T21:01:00.000-07:00

My eyes are itchy and a bit inflamed. My mind is fuzzy. My allergies are to blame. Sadly, my pills only go so far when it comes to fixing the symptoms.

To top it all off, this oppressive heat and humidity is going to make it hard to sleep tonight. I need my sleep, darn it, and I don't want to run the air conditioner at full blast.

Dang.

How can you be so educated, and yet...?

2008-07-09T20:53:00.000-07:00

I used to do some volunteer work with an organization for which the assistant director was an MBA-holder named Debbie. At some point, Deb decided to take over the publication of the organization's newsletter. Nothing wrong with that, but Deb was a rather problematic individual.

For one thing, she insisted that every paragraph should have at least three sentences in it. Heaven knows where she picked up this rule. She acts like she has never read a newspaper, in which paragraphs are often just one sentence long. Similary, novels and essays frequently have one- or two-sentence essays.

There were two MDs and one PhD on this organization's board of directors. Deb insisted that only the MDs should be referred to as "Doctor" in the newsletter, on the grounds that only MDs are "real doctors." Apparently, she has never heard of Dr. Martin Luther King, or she never addressed any of her professors as "Doctor."

I just don't get it. How can you have a prestigious graduate degree -- an MBA -- and yet fail to grasp such basics? I'd expect any diligent high school student to understand such things.

HSBC again

2008-07-08T07:20:00.000-07:00

Let me rant about HSBC again.

I ran into problems when I accidentally tried to transfer funds to a USBank checking account that I had closed months ago. That's why they locked my bank-to-bank transfers. When I called to straighten things out though, the customer service rep said, "Oh, we can't do anything right now since we're trying the transfer again."

Excuse me? They knew that the USBank account had been closed; in fact, they told me that they knew. So why were they attempting a transfer again, thus tying up the resolution process? If they were concerned that there might have been some mistake, wouldn't it be better to contact the bank and/or the customer and verify whether the account was truly closed?

When I pointed this out to the poor customer service rep, he said, "Well you see, it's our policy..." I interrupted, "Yes, yes, yes. I know it's your policy. What I'm saying is that it's a foolish policy. Why in the world would anyone try transfering funds to an account that you know has been closed?"

On the one hand, I understand that this poor rep has a stressful job and is just trying to do his best. He was also fairly pleasant about this whole deal. On the other hand, I don't think he understood the nature of my complaint. Darn it.

I like HSBC, but...

2008-07-07T17:54:00.000-07:00

I kinda like HSBC Direct, but they really frustrate me at times.

My bank-to-bank transfers got locked -- understandably so -- since I accidentally tried to transfer funds to an account that I had deactivated a few months ago. That's not the problem. The problem is that they can't unlock the account for reasons that they themselves don't understand.

This all happened late at night, when I was desperately trying to get some sleep. Darn you! Darn it!

So I'm trying to be calm, but yeah, I'm a bit grumpy today.

Darn it! Darn it! Darn it!

2008-07-06T05:53:00.000-07:00

I just entered a fairly lengthy post, only to find that after pressing the "Publish Post" button, an error occurred. Do I have to retype the whole darned thing? Obviously so.

I'm not going to blame anyone. I know that these things happen sometimes. Still... DARN IT!

Some dancers I met

2008-07-05T22:15:00.000-07:00

I met some interesting people at a dance event tonight. I want to make a special effort to remember their names, so here I am, recording them.

Suzanne came up to me and asked me to dance. She said that she saw me and was hoping that I'd ask her to dance. I had honestly been planning to, but I was just waiting for another song. She was really friendly and a darned good follower. (Her husband, unfortunately, refused to come to this event.)

Her sister was named Stephanie. Stephanie, by her own admission, did not have the same sense of rhythm. Frankly though, I didn't care. She was nice and she made an effort. I always want these newcomers to know that they can feel at ease, even if they don't dance well. And honestly, with a little practice, I think she can do quite well indeed.

Becca was a darned good follower. She was able to follow some unusual moves that I pulled on her, and that she had never seen before. I always get a thrill when that happens.

Becca's friend was named Chelsea. She needs work, but after all, she had only tried swing dancing once before, and that was last year. Once again, I tried to make sure that she felt appreciated and at ease.

This gal Jean asked me to dance as well. She hasn't been doing this for very long --- only three months or so -- but she could follow pretty well. Not flawlessly, but surprisingly well.

Then there's Christie. A pretty young student gal. She's also relatively new, so I tried to make her feel at ease. Oh, and I complimented her on her fabulous layered hairstyle. I think she was pleasantly surprised to hear me say that.

So much that I want to read

2008-07-04T16:21:00.000-07:00

I decided to spent the 4th of July at home. Why? Because I had yard work to catch up on, and because I wanted to spend some extra time in the gym. And besides, I had way too much reading to catch up on as well.

I didn't get to do much reading, though. The yard work was pretty time-consuming. Even just spraying weeds takes up a lot of time and effort. So did sealing up the cracks in my driveway... and I'm still a long way from being done. Ugh.

Lazy motorists

2008-07-03T11:25:00.000-07:00

Lazy motorists annoy the heck out of me. Here's an example.

I picked lunch up at a Boston Market outlet in a nearby strip mall today. I tried to drive out, but as I navigated my way through the parking lot, I found that my lane was blocked by one driver. I tapped my horn, but she just sat there.

It became clear that she was waiting for somebody to pick something up at one of the stores. Instead of pulling into an empty parking spot though (of which there were plenty), she decided to just sit and chill within the lane itself. She didn't even bother turning her hazard lights on. Talk about lazy!

On a semi-related note, I got tied up over lunch on Tuesday because some drivers caused a bad case of gridlock. Apparently, they did not grasp the notion that one should not block the intersection... or if they did, they just didn't care. That kind of selfish behavior is a leading cause of traffic jams. If I had a badge, I would have threatened to ticket every single one of them. (I might not have issued a ticket, but I certainly would have tried to put some fear into them.)

Whatever happeend to Khyrystyne Haje?

2008-07-02T05:28:00.000-07:00

Whatever happened to Khyrystyne Haje from that old, underrated sitcom, "Head of the Class"? I know that Robin Givens had an ill-fated marriage to Mike Tyson, and that some of these other actors dropped off the face of the earth. I did see Ms. Haje in a prominent, nationwide commercial for some sugar-free gum a while back, so I guess she's still acting in some manner.

I'm also curious about what happened to that guy who played Jawarhalal. Wish I could remember his name, and I'm not inclined to look it up right now.

I liked that show. There were times when the scenarios they painted strained credibility completely, such as the time when Arvid purportedly recomputed the proper trajectory for a space shuttle and attempted to correct NASA. Anybody who understands the complexities involved, such as knowing the precise payload mass, would understand that that's simply implausible. Still, on the whole, I thought it was a reasonably clever show.

Ayn Rand

2008-07-01T05:25:00.000-07:00

I thought the following posts from a discussion on Ayn Rand were amusing. The posters were talking about whether one should introduce a teenager to Rand's writings.

"I would say that high school through college is in fact the optimum time to read Rand, because that's the only time you'll enjoy it."

"Better warn this teenager that Ayn Rand did not own a dictionary, and thus, did not know what 'altriusm' and 'selfishness' meant."

"Oh, she knew, all right, she just felt entitled to redefine the terms. Like with Paul Johnson and the term 'Intellectuals.' (It means 'someone who is passionately interested in knowledge and ideas for their own sake,' Mr. Johnson; it does not mean 'someone to whom ideas are more important than people'; and if it did, Ayn Rand and Nietzsche and Russell Kirk would be better exemplars than Marx, Tolstoy or Brecht.)"

The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan

2008-06-30T20:11:00.000-07:00

I caught a few episodes of that old 70s cartoon, "The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan" on Boomerang recently. That brought back memories.

This cartoon was certainly different. Oh, it had the usual childish humor and cheesy Hanna-Barbera production values. However, it featured an Asian hero and his Asian family, which was unusual. What's more, none of the characters behaved in a stereotypical way. They were of Chinese descent and were drawn as suchg; however, there were no exaggerated accents or other stereotypical mannerisms.

Unfortunately, the clan was too large. Most of the characters never developed much of a personality of their own, and I'm sure that very few children could keep track of who was who.

Humidity

2008-06-29T01:02:00.000-07:00

I wish it wasn't so blasted humid. The heat is bad enough, but the humidity makes it simply unbearable. I have to crank up the A/C (and my electric bill, as a result) just to be comfortable.

And I really hate doing that. Ugh.

Stuff I wish for

2008-06-28T22:23:00.000-07:00

I wish I could have seen John Denver perform in concert.

I wish they had a fat-free version of the salt-and-vinegar Pringles.

I wish I could have met Frank Gorshin when he was alive.

I wish I could sing.

I wish that Jim Henson and John Denver had never died so prematurely.

I wish that I had washboard abs and more well-defined deltoids.

I wish that a certain women from my past had never broken my heart.

Some people are idiots when it comes to writing video scripts

2008-06-27T22:18:00.000-07:00

Back in my grad school days, our lab team had to produce a video to document our work. I was tasked with preparing the script, and the grad students on our team were asked to contribute sections of text that described their work.

Two of these guys took the easy way out, though. Instead of preparing a section of a script, they simply submitted a copy of the report that we had previously prepared for our corporate sponsor. That was a completely idiotic move. Obviously, a written report will do nothing to describe the kind of action that should accompany the voiceover. Heck, it doesn't even make for good voiceover material, since formal reports are written in a vastly different style from video presentations.

As often happened, I had to clean up their mess. Why? Because while they were hard-working in certain aspects of their work, they also had a way of taking shortcuts when convenient. Convenient for themselves, that is. Not for the people they had to work with.

Review: Fat-Burning Workout for Dummies

2008-06-26T06:18:00.000-07:00

I just finished watching Fat-Burning Workout for Dummies, a great fitness DVD by Gay Gasper. I strongly, strongly recommend it. Gay Gasper is a great exercise leader--enthusiastic, energetic, and completely winsome. What's more, she's in fabulous shape, and it shows.

Unlike Denise Austin's videos, which clearly seem directed toward women, the movies used by Ms. Gaspar are very much suitable for both men and women. Dudes won't feel overly girly by performing these moves, however basic they may be. They're also a great introduction for people who might not be familiar with traditional aerobics moves.

Oh, and I prepared a quick cheat sheet of the various combo routines that she used. These are really helpful for those who want to get some exercise done without the DVD. (I still recommend the DVD, though. These notes won't make much sense without it, and besides, she's just a fabulous leader.)

Combo #1

Step touch to right (4x)
Ham curl to right (single-single-double)
Grapevine to left (4x)
Mambo left (2x)
Step touch to left (4x)
Ham curl to left (single-single-double)
Grapevine to left (4x)
Mambo right (2x)

Combo #2:

V-step right (8x)
Tap right (4x)
Back lunge left (8x)
V-step left (8x)
Tap left (4x)
Back lunge right (8x)

Combo #3:

Heel digs, (right, 8x)
Out, out, in, in (right, 2x)
March forward on right, tap with left
March back, tap with right
Step-touch to right and back
Grapevine to right
Heel digs, (left, 8x)
Out, out, in, in (left, 2x)
March forward on left, tap with right
March back, tap with left
Step-touch to left and back
Grapevine to left

Combo #4:

March with jumprope
Heel dig to right (single-single-double)
Knee raises (four singles, two doubles)
March with jumprop
Heel dig to left (single-single-double)
Knee raises (four singles, two doubles)

Debra Winger

2008-06-25T21:15:00.000-07:00

Whatever happened to Debra Winger? Now there's an actress who was loaded with talent. She also had a sense of humor, as evidenced by her infamous Letterman appearance.

She hasn't performed much in public, despite her formidable talent. I read that she recently wrote a book, though. Maybe I'll read that after I read Peter Falk's book, if I ever get around to doing so.

Yeah, Debra. You're a class act, and nobody disputes your talent. Too bad you've largely dropped out of the public eye.

This is what I mean

2008-06-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

In yesterday's blog posting, I complained that the current batch of supermodels seems to be focused on showing skin. I also mentioned Kathy Ireland, who was relatively wholesome.

Mind you, I was never a big Kathy fan; however, I do have to appreciate the sweetness that she exuded. Consider these pics, for example. Fully and modestly clothed, and yet her extreme appeal shines through. I like that. In fact, I prefer it.

Fully clothed supermodels

2008-06-23T21:03:00.000-07:00

The supermodels of the 90s were famous for showing a lot of skin. Even the relatively wholesome ones like Kathy Ireland were known for the occasionally racy photos.

Today's batch is a lot racier than what I'd care for, though. Frankly, I think this detracts from their appeal. There isn't a single supermodel nowadays that I would find captivating... but maybe that's because I always cared more about their faces than anything else. (Some of them have nice faces, mind you, but they just don't get my interest.)

Logos

2008-06-22T20:59:00.000-07:00

Don't ask me why, but when I came across this page, I couldn't help but think about the various company logos depicted. None of them really stand out as far as I'm concerned. I do kinda like the one that was used by the Japanese company that was listed on that page, though. It was simple, unpretentious, and very straightforward.

Nothing beats the classic Coca-Cola logo, though. Now that was a work of art.

Been watching the Muppet Show

2008-06-21T07:17:00.000-07:00

My favorite Muppet Show guest stars:

Sandy Duncan
Ben Vereen
Mark Hamill
Cheryl Ladd
John Denver
Linda Rondstadt
Lelsie Ann Warren

If the show were still running today, I think that Zooey Deschanel would be an awesome guest star. Ditto for Kelsey Grammer.

Yummy. Rainbow trout.

2008-06-20T17:46:00.000-07:00

I recently had the most amazing fish dinner that I've ever experienced. It was a simple dish of grilled rainbow trout, but prepared exquisitely. Yummy! I so want to go back to that restaurant and try it again.

Unfortunately, they don't have any franchises in my area. Dang it! Dang it! Dang it!

I love that place. The fact that they also served brown rice was just an added bonus. Delish, lean, and nutritious to boot.

I loved, loved, loved it!

Sloppy resumes

2008-06-19T09:38:00.001-07:00

It's amazing how some people don't pay any attention to basic spelling and grammar in their resumes. If you've been searching for a job, common sense dictates that you should pay attention to proper phrasing in your resume. I understand that not everybody is an English major; however, one can always have a spouse or a trusted friend review the resume for presentability.

I recently received a resume that had the following gems in it:

"Skills Sets"
"Respond to all manor of emergency situations..."
Phrases with inappropriately capitalized words, e.g., "My Career has been...," "... a private liberal arts College."

Interestingly enough, this same gent ended his resume by saying, "I am confident that my experience, my natural leadership abilities, my close attention to detail and my interpersonal skills will allow me to be a valuable addition to any staff." Close attention to detail? I don't think so.

New seafood place

2008-06-18T10:48:00.000-07:00

I got to try a seafood place yesterday. Dang, it was nice. The portions weren't very large, but that's okay, since I'm trying to slim down and most restaurants serve too much food anyway.

I'll try it again today, since I want to eat healthily and lean. My employer is footing the bill though, so I won't go for anything outrageously expensive. I wouldn't feel right about that. Still, I do want to sample some of the local cuisine and eat well in the process.

Wish I could get this food for cheap. Dang.

Hotel, no internet

2008-06-17T09:37:00.000-07:00

The hotel that I recently stayed at was a bit of a ripoff. They said that they offered free Internet access, but the network cable doesn't work and there's no wireless network. Dang it.

Unfortunately, this is the most affordable place in town that's not a total dump. Rats.

At least there was a great restaurant nearby. I liked going there.

Herc and Iolaus

2008-06-16T09:36:00.000-07:00

Been rewatching old episodes of "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys." That was a fun show, especially if you enjoy reading about Greco-Roman mythology. I love the tongue-in-cheek humor, and the action sequences were often quite amusing. Michael Hurst was also wonderfully funny as Iolaus.

Scientists

2008-06-15T11:48:00.000-07:00

I've been reading about some scientists whose work was hitherto unknown to me: Dmitry Ivanovsky, Martinus Willem Beijerinck, Wendell Stanley, Oswald Theodore Avery, and Paul Ehrlich. What exciting lives these people led!

Speaking of Wonder Girl

2008-06-14T01:25:00.000-07:00

Speaking of Debra Winger as Wonder Girl, check out these vidcaps of her appearance on the Letterman show. Bwahahahahaha! Boy, that was a great moment. Hysterically funny, too.

Gotta love it.

Debra Winger

2008-06-13T06:29:00.000-07:00

Debra Winger is one of those great actresses who has kept a low profile in recent years. She was one of those women who wasn't glamorous in appearance (though she was certainly nice looking), and who didn't skate by on mere beauty. She had talent, and talent to spare.

She first got started by playing Wonder Girl on the "Wonder Woman" TV series. Her character was named Drusilla, which I thought was a cheesy, unnecessary departure from the comic book canon. I understand departing from Donna Troy's origins, but I do wish that they had kept the character's name.

Stayed at a Motel 6, and what did I think...?

2008-06-12T19:35:00.000-07:00

When I travel, I normally choose to stay at a Super 8 Motel or a Motel 6. That's because I'm a low-maintenance guy and I try to be frugal.

When I stayed at the Super 8 in Abilene, Texas, I was pleasantly surprised. The Wi-Fi access was great, and they provided a pretty darned good selection of amenities -- a coffeemaker and microwave oven in the room, a comfortable bed, and a pretty darned good breakfast spread. What's more, the staff was wonderful.

I had a very different experience at the Motel 6 in Gaithersburg, Maryland. No coffemaker in the room --- and for that matter, no shampoo. They didn't provide any list of nearby restaurants and other amenities, and they charged $2.99 for Wi-Fi access. They did have clean towels though, for which I was glad. Oh, and the bed was pretty good too.

I get the feeling that the Motel 6 there was trying to cut costs in whatever way possible. Would I stay there again? Probably, but only because of the cost. I'd prefer to stay someplace with better amenities, though.

Stupid AVG. Stupid Google.

2008-06-11T15:30:00.001-07:00

Last night, I was playing Text Twirl with some people online. This is a game where you have to create as many words as possible from a collection of six letters, and you have to do so within a two-minute time limit.

Well, as I was playing, AVG Antivirus suddenly threw up a status window, notifying me that it was downloading an updated set of virus signatures. That was well and nice, but in the meantime, it was preventing me from typing anything, and Windows XP would not let me dismiss the window. Argh!

And shortly after that, I got another message from Google as well -- due to my Google toolbar, I'd imagine. I don't know what it was about; all I know is that I was frantically trying to dismiss that window so that I coudl get back to playing the game.

I didn't score as well as I would have liked. I strongly believe that it's because these two programs messed me up. It's aggravating to know that some programmers design their software in a manner that says, "Oh, you must drop everything right away and pay immediate attention to this status window. It is surely much more important than anything else you must be doing!"

Feeling blah

2008-06-10T17:34:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling very blah today.

If I had to be more specific, I'd say that I feel tired and somewhat amotivated. Maybe it's because I need more sleep. Or maybe it's because I feel that I keep wind up working on things that I'd rather not focus on, such as system and software testing.

Or maybe I feel that I deserve more recognition, both in my work and in my personal life. I don't know.

I also feel annoyed at this guy who was driving slowly down the highway, holding up traffic. I looked his way when I passed him, and sure enough, he was on his cell phone. Hey, drop the phone and drive normally, buddy! Don't hold up traffic just because you want to keep on chatting.

Beer drinking and health

2008-06-09T12:06:00.000-07:00

During one of my college PE classes, the instructor said that there was SOME evidence that having one beer per day could help improve one's cardiovascular health. He didn't say that the results were conclusive; merely that there was some evidence to suggest this might be so.

One guy in our class, a fairly inarticulate fellow, piped up and asked, "What if instead of having one beer per day, you drink a whole lot of beers once a week?"

My eyes rolled. I had always know that this fella was no scholar, but still, such a question betrayed an incredible amount of ignorance regarding basic science.

A mermaid in "Mighty Kong"

2008-06-08T05:53:00.000-07:00

A lot of Jodi Benson fans know that she also performed in the cheesy animated feature, "The Mighty Kong." If they watched the show, then I'm sure that they noticed the segment where her character, Ann Darrow, dove into the ocean and swam around in obvious imitation of Ariel, The Little Mermaid. Jodi is, of course, best known for providing the vocals for Ariel.

The animators were clearly having a little bit of fun with her.

Never eat alone? I don't know about that.

2008-06-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

I've quoted Keith Ferrazzi before as he offered advice on being a master networker. He does offer the following bit of advice though, which I have a hard time accepting.

Never Eat Alone

The dynamics of status in a business network are similar to those in Hollywood: invisibility is a fate worse than failure. Above all, never, ever disappear. "Keep your social and conference and event calendar full," Ferrazzi tells me. "I give myself one night a week for myself, and the rest is an event or dinner."

Is this a life?

Ferrazzi, who has no children but has been in a 10-year relationship with another man, spends almost all his time working. "I wake up around 5 or 6 in the morning, and I go until 1 in the morning," he says. "Every free moment is a chance to E-mail or call someone. But I don't consider that work. That's my true joy. I have balance, but it's my own version. My career and my community-service stuff have always taken a front seat to my personal life. But, in a sense, that is my personal life. There's no distinction for me. Yes, I'd like to go to church more and meditate more. And it's been a while since I've taken a real vacation. But do I feel like I've sacrificed anything? No."

This might work in some fields, but I think that engineers and a lot of other introspective types would have a hard time with it. And the title that he gives this particular rule ("Never eat alone") is kinda extreme. I understand that he was probably going for hyperbole, but I think that hyperbole works against him in this case.

Why celebs go broke

2008-06-06T05:45:00.000-07:00

Why do celebrities go broke? Often, it's because they don't know how to manage their money. They come from poor or modest backgrounds, and when they come into money, they squander it, not realizing that it could all disappear someday.

Here's what one fella said about that. I read this on a message board, and I have to agree.

It's easy. People don't know crap about money. Most rich people got rich by working real jobs and taking very good care of their money. People who luck into money either by winning a lottery or by having a hit t.v. show usually don't know crap about money and investing.

I read study a while ago that tracked people who won a lump sum of money greater than one million over 5 years. Something like 85% of the people who won a cool million or more were back at their normal jobs after 5 years.

If you have 1 million and make 10% in investments you get 100,000 per year. Take out taxes and you are down to about 80,000 (maybe less, I am not sure of the top tax rate on investments) . Now, assuming you have an investment adviser, they'll take a bunch of that. So you can quickly get down to 50,000 a year net, which ain't bad at all to live on assuming that you don't go out and buy a new house, car, boat, plane, etc. The problem is that they get some money and then take their new Ferrari out of their new 20 car garage to drive to their new yacht so they can impress their friends with how rich they are*. Of course the new house, Ferrari and yacht came out of the principal, not the returns on the investments, so the next year instead of earning 100,000 off of one million they had they earn 50,000 off of 500,000 they have left. Do that a couple more times and you are broke.

Now some of these folks, both actors and lottery winners, get smart and either learn about investing or pay someone to do it. The problem with paying someone to do it is that you have to watch rather carefully so that the investment adviser doesn't rob you blind and man, they will try.

Not feeling well

2008-06-05T08:06:00.000-07:00

I'm not feeling well today. Wound up going to bed early last night, feeling completely drained. Had a hard time getting up today as well, for the same reason. I don't think I have a fever, but I'm monitoring my temperature just to play safe.

Dang. I hate being sick. I like being physically active, and I like to work out. I also like feeling that I'm being productive, and that's hard to do when you feel like you don't have any energy left. Ugh.

Darn it. Darn it. Darn it.

I sure hope there's nothing wrong.

Still more from C.A.P.E.R.

2008-06-04T06:23:00.000-07:00

Another script excerpt:

P.T.
Doc you stay here and do some thinking. Don't move until you hear from me. And no matter what happens, don't come into the house. Bugs, you come with me.

DOC
What happens if you don't come out?

BUGS
Yeah, what happens if we don't come out?

P.T.
Well, you get on the C.A.P.E.R. band radio and call Sergeant Vinton.

DOC
Affirmative.

P.T.
Come on Bugs.

BUGS
Is there any reason why you don't go in the house and I stay here and think?

DOC
Yes.

BUGS
I thought so.

More about C.A.P.E.R.

2008-06-04T01:01:00.000-07:00

Here's an example of the offbeat, fourth-wall-breaking humor of the old "Kids from C.A.P.E.R." show.

P.T., DOC, BUGS and DOOMSDAY are just hanging around.

DOC
Hey guys, what's going on?

Doc snaps his fingers.

BUGS
You know what's going on, we're waiting for the girl.

Bugs snaps his fingers.

DOOMSDAY
What girl?

Doomsday snaps his fingers.

P.T.
The girl that usually arrives about this time.

P.T. snaps his fingers and Judy enters the room.

JUDY
Are you the boys from C.A.P.E.R.?

P.T.
If we're not, someone's wearing our clothes.

The CAPER kids

2008-06-03T22:44:00.000-07:00

I'm having a big nostalgia flashback right now. I wish that I could have watched the entire series of The Kids from C.A.P.E.R. It was a children's show with an offbeat kind of humor and some mighty darned fine musical numbers. It was kinda like the Monkees, but more sophisticated and funnier.

Bugs, P.T., Doc, and Doomsday. They were a funny bunch with some great vocal abilities.

I especially wish that I could have seen the final episode, in which a female joins the group. Too bad this show didn't last for more than a single season. I wish they'd release it on DVD. Darn.

Bull snake

2008-06-02T05:59:00.000-07:00

So I was bitten by my pet bull snake a few days ago. Yow, yow, yow. That hurt.

It had escaped from its cage, and after a few days, I found it in my second-floor bathroom. It was acting aggressive, so I threw a towel over it in order to keep it from nipping at me. It still manaqged to strike when I grabbed hold of it though, and it drew blood.

Thankfully, the bite didn't hurt much. It was more painful than my old corn snake's bite, which was more like a bunch of pinpricks. Still, it wasn't horribly bad, and it's the sort of thing you learn to expect.

Fat loss

2008-06-01T06:21:00.001-07:00

I used to be rather badly overweight, and even now, I'm striving to be more healthy. For this reason, the following posting on a message board struck home for me:

I dunno if by fat acceptance they mean, "You should be nice to fat people.", I agree. If by fat acceptance they mean, "I have the right to be a big sloppy glutton and you are supposed to support my lifestyle because I have the right to be this way.", then I don't agree. Certainly someone has the right to be fat if they want, but I also have the right to think being fat isn't the way to go.

It seems more like they think that anything should simply be accepted, and that we shouldn't look at weight loss as a road to health as a positive development. Yeah, it's a good thing that homey lost a bunch of weight and climbed a mountain. Good for him.

What's interesting about their gripes is that they want fat acceptance, but clearly have not accepted it themselves if they are looking for CNN to validate them.

I happen to be about 30 lbs overweight. If I could get to around 180ish, that would be nice. I've been realizing how sedentary I've been. I've been making more effort to be more spry like I used to. Hurdling the baby gate instead of just stepping over it.

I commend this person fo rhis honesty.