In two recent videos, we see the revenge of the Mod look, channelling June Carter Cash and Jackie O:
Twenty Years and Two Husbands Ago - Lee Ann Womack
- and -
Like We Never Loved At All - Faith Hill with Tim McGraw
Lee Ann and Faith have their full shaga-dellic looks going on. Big hair, bigger eyelashes, funky patterns, neutral lipstick. Yet, Tim still seems to look like a 21st Century Metrosexual Cowboy.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Monday, November 28, 2005
Justifiable Homicide
That's what I told the lovely, talented and somewhat crazed bride (but who has good taste) Miss O'Hara when she IM'd me this... thing....
It's Chucky meets Alien meets a Can-Can Girl. And whoever says "wear this" should be shot for committing unspeakable crimes against fashion. And the designer should be severly beaten for even thinking it was... wearable. Man... I think I'm going to lose my lunch - which is ok because it wasn't that good anyway.
It's Chucky meets Alien meets a Can-Can Girl. And whoever says "wear this" should be shot for committing unspeakable crimes against fashion. And the designer should be severly beaten for even thinking it was... wearable. Man... I think I'm going to lose my lunch - which is ok because it wasn't that good anyway.
A playset for the Cartman in all of us
Via Elena (who knows exactly how to make me cackle with glee):
This playset has everything......except a hippie. Though the New Age Lady will just have to do. I bet they don't know that hippies have sub-categories: the giggling stoners, the drum-circle hippie, and the college know-it-all hippie.
Yeah - I know. I'm being lazy. I have nothing insightful or all that funny to report. So unless you want to hear my internal monologue of various dance steps "One, Two, side-together........" that has been stuck in there for 4 days now... I didn't think so.
I will eventually get around to saying something neat.
Though I did over-hear one woman at the dance studio report that the only reason why she was dating this guy was "THE SEX IS AMAZING!!!!!" We all needed to know that, thanks sweetheart. If it isn't followed with an offer of his phone number, I don't really want to hear it.
This playset has everything......except a hippie. Though the New Age Lady will just have to do. I bet they don't know that hippies have sub-categories: the giggling stoners, the drum-circle hippie, and the college know-it-all hippie.
Yeah - I know. I'm being lazy. I have nothing insightful or all that funny to report. So unless you want to hear my internal monologue of various dance steps "One, Two, side-together........" that has been stuck in there for 4 days now... I didn't think so.
I will eventually get around to saying something neat.
Though I did over-hear one woman at the dance studio report that the only reason why she was dating this guy was "THE SEX IS AMAZING!!!!!" We all needed to know that, thanks sweetheart. If it isn't followed with an offer of his phone number, I don't really want to hear it.
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Your Papers, Please.
Y'all might think I'm crazy.. that I'm a hater of the state (well you are right about).. that I have completely gone off the deep end into the world of conspiracy theories.
The Washington Post reports that the CDC wants to make a database of travellers to track the spread of communicable diseases in case of an outbreak.
What is to stop them from switching the health database into a database used to track the movements of the citizens nationally - for security purposes?
"As proposed, passengers could refuse to give personal contact information and still travel."
Just like you can still travel and not enter yourself into the TSA database. Be prepared to stand in line for 2 hours.. because if you are innocent, what do you have to hide? Come on.. enter your name and information into the database. Make it easy on yourself. We are from the government and we are here to help.
Just like you helped after 9/11 and the hurricanes? Yeah. No thanks. I will protect myself thank you very much.
The Washington Post reports that the CDC wants to make a database of travellers to track the spread of communicable diseases in case of an outbreak.
What is to stop them from switching the health database into a database used to track the movements of the citizens nationally - for security purposes?
"As proposed, passengers could refuse to give personal contact information and still travel."
Just like you can still travel and not enter yourself into the TSA database. Be prepared to stand in line for 2 hours.. because if you are innocent, what do you have to hide? Come on.. enter your name and information into the database. Make it easy on yourself. We are from the government and we are here to help.
Just like you helped after 9/11 and the hurricanes? Yeah. No thanks. I will protect myself thank you very much.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
M Is for Movie
M is for Murderer
M is for freakin' creepy.
So that didn't quite work out with the Sesame Street tune, but M is a old horror movie staring Peter Lorre' as a child killer.
What struck me about it was the very "CSI-Berlin"-circa-1931 feel to the beginning of the flick where they are searching for clues. Then a near-police state is created in an effort to find the killer. Because of the increased police presence, the criminal underworld goes on a hunt for the child killer. They are ticked off because the child killer has put a cramp in their day-to-day thieving and whoring. When they catch him first, they put him on "trial." Just as mob justice is about to take over, the police show up.
Just remember that when you exchange freedom for security, you are likely to have neither. Sure, initially you may feel safer, because you trust the police; but it is easy for them to abuse their power. Then you fear the state, as well as the criminals (who will always be out there). And because the state wants to control the populace, they have probably taken away one of the ways that you can defend yourself and family: personal firearms. Lang, the director, said that the message of the movie was for parents to watch over their children themselves---not to depend on others to do it for them.
The killer, Hans Beckert, sees himself as a victim. How can he stop doing what is just a part of him? How can he help himself? Something inside him drives him to kill. Haven't we heard that before? The mobsters don't buy it and say that he is better off dead at their own hands than in a prison where he will be evaluated as crazy and could be out in a few years---back on the streets to prey upon children---when the prison officials say he has been "rehabilitated." Again, the arguments haven't changed in over 70 years.
Lorre's child murderer is scared, small, and animal-like. You hate him the moment he comes on the screen. Compare that to the contemporary standard for a movie serial killer: Anthony Hopkins's Dr. Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs, who is suave, charming, funny, and---in a twisted way---likable. It isn't that you are rooting for him. No, you hate Dr. Lecter too. You don't really see what he does or what he did, but his nonchalant description of eating liver with a chianti is more chilling than seeing Buffalo Bill shot to death, in my opinion. Both Beckert and Lecter are devoid of a moral center. How can they be human?
M is for freakin' creepy.
So that didn't quite work out with the Sesame Street tune, but M is a old horror movie staring Peter Lorre' as a child killer.
What struck me about it was the very "CSI-Berlin"-circa-1931 feel to the beginning of the flick where they are searching for clues. Then a near-police state is created in an effort to find the killer. Because of the increased police presence, the criminal underworld goes on a hunt for the child killer. They are ticked off because the child killer has put a cramp in their day-to-day thieving and whoring. When they catch him first, they put him on "trial." Just as mob justice is about to take over, the police show up.
Just remember that when you exchange freedom for security, you are likely to have neither. Sure, initially you may feel safer, because you trust the police; but it is easy for them to abuse their power. Then you fear the state, as well as the criminals (who will always be out there). And because the state wants to control the populace, they have probably taken away one of the ways that you can defend yourself and family: personal firearms. Lang, the director, said that the message of the movie was for parents to watch over their children themselves---not to depend on others to do it for them.
The killer, Hans Beckert, sees himself as a victim. How can he stop doing what is just a part of him? How can he help himself? Something inside him drives him to kill. Haven't we heard that before? The mobsters don't buy it and say that he is better off dead at their own hands than in a prison where he will be evaluated as crazy and could be out in a few years---back on the streets to prey upon children---when the prison officials say he has been "rehabilitated." Again, the arguments haven't changed in over 70 years.
Lorre's child murderer is scared, small, and animal-like. You hate him the moment he comes on the screen. Compare that to the contemporary standard for a movie serial killer: Anthony Hopkins's Dr. Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs, who is suave, charming, funny, and---in a twisted way---likable. It isn't that you are rooting for him. No, you hate Dr. Lecter too. You don't really see what he does or what he did, but his nonchalant description of eating liver with a chianti is more chilling than seeing Buffalo Bill shot to death, in my opinion. Both Beckert and Lecter are devoid of a moral center. How can they be human?
If...
You were praying for me yesterday morning, I appreciate it.
All is well. Thanks. Now back to your regularly scheduled snark.
All is well. Thanks. Now back to your regularly scheduled snark.
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Burn Burn Burn
Burning Ring of Fire...
That should have been the name of the Johnny Cash bio-pic (as one review suggested).
Short review: Double-plus good.
Longer review: I loved it. I will admit to becoming a fan of Mr. Cash late in the game. I started with his American series from the 1990s and 2000s. If you don't own those CDs, you should. They are very good - raw, emotional, and authentic.
Reese Witherspoon should be nominated for an Oscar for her performance. She stole the movie. Joaquin Phoenix was good, but there was something missing...but I'm not sure what. His voice was spot on to Johnny's, and Joaquin did all of the singing. Bonus points for that.
Elena pointed out the way that a lot of Cash's songs' rhythms sound like a train moving. She also loved that the record producer at the beginning said, "If you were about to die and you had a chance to sing just one more song, what would it be? What do you want to be remembered for? Something mediocre that everyone's done before? Or are you going to step out, take a risk, and do what you are passionate about?"
It's a hard question that I definitely want to consider for myself: How do I want to live?
How do you want to live?
That should have been the name of the Johnny Cash bio-pic (as one review suggested).
Short review: Double-plus good.
Longer review: I loved it. I will admit to becoming a fan of Mr. Cash late in the game. I started with his American series from the 1990s and 2000s. If you don't own those CDs, you should. They are very good - raw, emotional, and authentic.
Reese Witherspoon should be nominated for an Oscar for her performance. She stole the movie. Joaquin Phoenix was good, but there was something missing...but I'm not sure what. His voice was spot on to Johnny's, and Joaquin did all of the singing. Bonus points for that.
Elena pointed out the way that a lot of Cash's songs' rhythms sound like a train moving. She also loved that the record producer at the beginning said, "If you were about to die and you had a chance to sing just one more song, what would it be? What do you want to be remembered for? Something mediocre that everyone's done before? Or are you going to step out, take a risk, and do what you are passionate about?"
It's a hard question that I definitely want to consider for myself: How do I want to live?
How do you want to live?
Friday, November 18, 2005
Lame, Lame, Lame
It's Friday. Past closing time.. and I'm still here working.
GOOOOSHH!
By the way, I will be out Monday. Just say a prayer for me Monday morning. I'd appreciate it.
GOOOOSHH!
By the way, I will be out Monday. Just say a prayer for me Monday morning. I'd appreciate it.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Shopping until Dropping
I normally do not go to the stores on the day after Thanksgiving. People, en masse, are stupid and crazy. Parking lots are full... I'm just not about that craziness when I can stay at home with a movie and a bag of popcorn.
But this may have changed my mind.
And the full listing of ads, deals, and sales can be found at bf2005.com. Or here. It is a market, after all. There is competition.
But this may have changed my mind.
And the full listing of ads, deals, and sales can be found at bf2005.com. Or here. It is a market, after all. There is competition.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
I can't wait to see what Elena is....
| You Are an Iced Coffee |
 At your best, you are: hyper, modern, and athletic At your worst, you are: cheap and angsty You drink coffee when: you're out with friends Your caffeine addiction level: medium |
A purr to Sugarfused.
What a lady needs to know abour social dancing
Poetry is to prose as dancing is to walking. ~John Wayne
Girls respond. Period. Women - we do NOT INTITATE ANYTHING IN SOCIAL/BALLROOM DANCING. Ever. Ever. You follow. You respond. This doesn't mean you just stand there like a limp rag, but you are actively following - leaning back just enough so that you can feel where he is moving. And no back leading just because you know the step. You have to stop anticipating and let him lead.
Lemme say it again: let... him... lead.
The lady's responsibility is to stay on beat - no matter what goofy thing he does, even if you step on him.
It's hard for a guy to lead, particularly when the woman is fighting. When I first started ballroom dancing, I fought Zorro (my now former dance instructor) for about 3 weeks. Coming out of belly dance, I'm used to almost everything coming in a sequence of 2s, 3s or 4s. So I would constantly be anticipating a set of moves. "Let me lead," he would remind me. "Strengthen your frame. Push against me like you're trying to keep me from kissing you."
It's a good thing he isn't the Army Guy dance instructor. I wouldn't be fighting too hard... he's hot. He's also very married with a newborn. *mind returns to reality*
OK, so, I finally made the mental connection to how to follow. And my dancing greatly improved. And the guys I dance with seem to have more fun when they don't have to struggle with me as far as where the dance is going on the floor. We can zig-zag across the room. We can stay in one spot.
Oh, yes, your other responsibilty - look fabulous. Much of what the man does is to make the lady look good.
Girls respond. Period. Women - we do NOT INTITATE ANYTHING IN SOCIAL/BALLROOM DANCING. Ever. Ever. You follow. You respond. This doesn't mean you just stand there like a limp rag, but you are actively following - leaning back just enough so that you can feel where he is moving. And no back leading just because you know the step. You have to stop anticipating and let him lead.
Lemme say it again: let... him... lead.
The lady's responsibility is to stay on beat - no matter what goofy thing he does, even if you step on him.
It's hard for a guy to lead, particularly when the woman is fighting. When I first started ballroom dancing, I fought Zorro (my now former dance instructor) for about 3 weeks. Coming out of belly dance, I'm used to almost everything coming in a sequence of 2s, 3s or 4s. So I would constantly be anticipating a set of moves. "Let me lead," he would remind me. "Strengthen your frame. Push against me like you're trying to keep me from kissing you."
It's a good thing he isn't the Army Guy dance instructor. I wouldn't be fighting too hard... he's hot. He's also very married with a newborn. *mind returns to reality*
OK, so, I finally made the mental connection to how to follow. And my dancing greatly improved. And the guys I dance with seem to have more fun when they don't have to struggle with me as far as where the dance is going on the floor. We can zig-zag across the room. We can stay in one spot.
Oh, yes, your other responsibilty - look fabulous. Much of what the man does is to make the lady look good.
Monday, November 14, 2005
How to Get Out of Iraq
Use a paper clip, a piece of string, 3 buttons, chewing gum, a Swiss Army Knife, and an old copy of any book that happens to be laying around.
Vote Macgyver in 2008
Vote Macgyver in 2008
Friday, November 11, 2005
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Kelly Clarkson Whines
I watched you die
I heard you cry
Every night in your sleep
I was so young
You should have known better than to lean on me
You never thought of anyone else
You just saw your pain
And now I cry
In the middle of the night
For the same d**n thing
As a child of divorce, I get the point of this verse. My mom leaned on me because she didn't have anyone else to lean on. She would talk to me about things I probably shouldn't have known about because she needed to get them out.. unknowingly coloring my perception of men for years to come.
Not that my dad's walking out hadn't already shaded that to a great extent.
Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side
So I don't get hurt
Because of you
I tried my hardest just to forget everything
Because of you
I don't know how to let anyone else in
Because of you
I'm ashamed of my life because it's empty
Because of you
I am afraid
I know this song is emotional and heart-wrenching but at a certain point, you have to stop blaming other people and accepting (uh-oh, will she go there???) PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY.
I heard you cry
Every night in your sleep
I was so young
You should have known better than to lean on me
You never thought of anyone else
You just saw your pain
And now I cry
In the middle of the night
For the same d**n thing
As a child of divorce, I get the point of this verse. My mom leaned on me because she didn't have anyone else to lean on. She would talk to me about things I probably shouldn't have known about because she needed to get them out.. unknowingly coloring my perception of men for years to come.
Not that my dad's walking out hadn't already shaded that to a great extent.
Because of you
I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you
I learned to play on the safe side
So I don't get hurt
Because of you
I tried my hardest just to forget everything
Because of you
I don't know how to let anyone else in
Because of you
I'm ashamed of my life because it's empty
Because of you
I am afraid
I know this song is emotional and heart-wrenching but at a certain point, you have to stop blaming other people and accepting (uh-oh, will she go there???) PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY.
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Maureen Dowd says....
"Deep down all men want the same thing: a virgin in a gingham dress..."
1) Who wears gingham? One would think a sophiscated, fashionable woman from NYC should know better. Hello? I want to look like a picnic table? Ick.
2) The "Dorothy meets the hunky Wizard fantasies".... keep them to yourself.
1) Who wears gingham? One would think a sophiscated, fashionable woman from NYC should know better. Hello? I want to look like a picnic table? Ick.
2) The "Dorothy meets the hunky Wizard fantasies".... keep them to yourself.
Monday, November 07, 2005
Enough PC-isms that it will make you twitch
By the way, "twitch" is my word for the last 2 weeks. I think I've used it about 3 dozen times since last Sunday.
On to this story found at WND... Seems that some overly zealous vandals scrawled a hateful anti-gay, religiously themed message onto a GLBT office door. If they had made some non-religious statement, there would likely only have been one seminar - not three.
And this could launch us into a whole debate about protected speech vs. non-protected. We know that hate speech isn't protected under the First Amendment but... should it be, for the reason that speech doesn't physically violate your space? As a libertarian, I view the issue as this: the minute your actions involuntarily affect mine, there is a problem. This is why screaming fire in a crowded theater where there is no fire, is illegal. In that case one person's action/speech has impacted us all, and likely to the point where people got hurt physically.
My political science professor (who helped make me into a libertarian) asked why we couldn't see each person as an individual actor - or in his demonstration, a bubble. In that bubble are the things you have direct influence and control over. Your stuff. You have your little bubble and you voluntarily interact with others for the purpose of commerce or having a social life. This causes your bubble to overlap with someone else's bubble.
Why force me to interact with someone I don't want to? But if you move your bubble over to push against mine and take/damage my property (including my person - not just my stuff), then you have violated my bubble. In my world, I would start shooting. Many would say, "We are glad we don't live in PK's world." But in PK's world, everyone knows you run the risk of getting shot at if you attempt to defraud/steal/rape/kill/act like a nuisance.
Since I don't live in just PK's world, I work hard to keep my bubble as intact as I possibly can in a world that is hostile to libertarian thinking.
How all of that reflects on speech--and others would say that speech threatens your bubble--that is the price one lives in for a free society. Do you give up freedom of speech for perceived safety and tolerance? Just because it hurts your feelings doesn't mean it is a legitmate threat. To borrow from the gun "safety" advocates: words don't kill people, actions do.
Would cross burning be protected? If they put it on my lawn and set it on fire? Heck no. If he burned it on his own lawn, in as bad taste as though it may be - yes.
I think they should get the people on vandalism and destruction of private property - the hate speech issue, for me, is beside the point. You mess with my stuff and you are going to get it. Say whatever you want. It is your God-given right to prove to the rest of us that you are a stupid racist, homophobic bigot. But you can be a stupid racist, homophobic bigot over there. You scrawl your message on my door, then we have a problem.
Edited to add: Another topic for discussion is hate crimes. All crime is about power, control, coveting something or wanting to hurt someone. Because someone does it out of a racist POV doesn't mean the crime is any more or less special. Dead is dead - no matter how you got there.
Hate crime laws demean the... non-hate crime victims. What happened to Matthew Shepherd, for example, was heinous. But why does the motive make it worse? What about the random guy murdered in Anycity, USA? Why should his attacker get anything less for what turned out to be the same thing?
Or should you extend hate crimes to cover gang violence too? I mean, those gangs REALLY hate each other.
You know what it says to me: All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others - George Orwell, Animal Farm
On to this story found at WND... Seems that some overly zealous vandals scrawled a hateful anti-gay, religiously themed message onto a GLBT office door. If they had made some non-religious statement, there would likely only have been one seminar - not three.
The best response, participants decided, would be a series of free forums in which local clergy and others explore different perspectives on how the Bible should be interpreted in regard to human rights and homosexuality.While I certainly don't condone violence or discrimination, I personally think alot of people are trying to make themselves feel better by having a whopping bag-full-o-forums.
At the first forum next week, for example, two ministers and a rabbi will explore such questions as the Bible's social context, whether it was "God-written or God-inspired," and arguments for and against literal interpretation.
"People are using the Bible to dehumanize LGBTQ folks," said Garcia, referring to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer individuals. "The purpose of the forums is to bring an inclusive vision of what the Bible is stating."
And this could launch us into a whole debate about protected speech vs. non-protected. We know that hate speech isn't protected under the First Amendment but... should it be, for the reason that speech doesn't physically violate your space? As a libertarian, I view the issue as this: the minute your actions involuntarily affect mine, there is a problem. This is why screaming fire in a crowded theater where there is no fire, is illegal. In that case one person's action/speech has impacted us all, and likely to the point where people got hurt physically.
My political science professor (who helped make me into a libertarian) asked why we couldn't see each person as an individual actor - or in his demonstration, a bubble. In that bubble are the things you have direct influence and control over. Your stuff. You have your little bubble and you voluntarily interact with others for the purpose of commerce or having a social life. This causes your bubble to overlap with someone else's bubble.
Why force me to interact with someone I don't want to? But if you move your bubble over to push against mine and take/damage my property (including my person - not just my stuff), then you have violated my bubble. In my world, I would start shooting. Many would say, "We are glad we don't live in PK's world." But in PK's world, everyone knows you run the risk of getting shot at if you attempt to defraud/steal/rape/kill/act like a nuisance.
Since I don't live in just PK's world, I work hard to keep my bubble as intact as I possibly can in a world that is hostile to libertarian thinking.
How all of that reflects on speech--and others would say that speech threatens your bubble--that is the price one lives in for a free society. Do you give up freedom of speech for perceived safety and tolerance? Just because it hurts your feelings doesn't mean it is a legitmate threat. To borrow from the gun "safety" advocates: words don't kill people, actions do.
Would cross burning be protected? If they put it on my lawn and set it on fire? Heck no. If he burned it on his own lawn, in as bad taste as though it may be - yes.
I think they should get the people on vandalism and destruction of private property - the hate speech issue, for me, is beside the point. You mess with my stuff and you are going to get it. Say whatever you want. It is your God-given right to prove to the rest of us that you are a stupid racist, homophobic bigot. But you can be a stupid racist, homophobic bigot over there. You scrawl your message on my door, then we have a problem.
Edited to add: Another topic for discussion is hate crimes. All crime is about power, control, coveting something or wanting to hurt someone. Because someone does it out of a racist POV doesn't mean the crime is any more or less special. Dead is dead - no matter how you got there.
Hate crime laws demean the... non-hate crime victims. What happened to Matthew Shepherd, for example, was heinous. But why does the motive make it worse? What about the random guy murdered in Anycity, USA? Why should his attacker get anything less for what turned out to be the same thing?
Or should you extend hate crimes to cover gang violence too? I mean, those gangs REALLY hate each other.
You know what it says to me: All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others - George Orwell, Animal Farm
Friday, November 04, 2005
Lead, Follow, or Don't Dance
Here is an example of where the guy needs to lead clearly. Last night, Elena and I went to the Tango Nashville 2nd Anniversary party (it was free - and I am all about the free stuff). Part of the festivities was a free tango lesson. I jumped up and waded into the crowd to find some single guy to dance with. Turns out the guy next to me didn't have a partner either, so I asked him if he wanted to dance. He said, "Sure," and off we went. The steps were very basic: walking; a side step; and then a cross step for the lady, that can be very sensuous and flirtatious. 'Cept that Omar was having none of that and was, like, not willing to lead.
Argentine tango is quite different from the ballroom-style tango I have been learning, but the idea of lead–follow is the same, regardless. The man directs the movement of the lady through the use of his chest and shoulders and by shifting his body weight.
So I asked Omar 3 times if he would strengthen his lead, because I couldn't tell what foot he was on or what direction he was going. "I can't follow if you don't lead." No response.
I'm a good follower. I can usually pick up on what is going on, even with a bad lead, but this was awful. I kept missing steps. He stepped on my foot 3 times because we were off-synch. He messed up the rock step (the man signals that by bringing his right foot forward to touch the lady's left and then rock back and forth). And he was having none of the cute, sensual, flirtatious side of the tango.
PKs thought during the experience: Dude, so I'm not that little blond hottie you are staring at and who you probably wanted to dance with, ok... but for the moment, could you pay attention to what you are doing here? It would really help. And uh... she's married. Big gold ring. Right there. Easy to see. To that other professional dancer.
Elena observed the whole thing. I'm hoping that she wasn't trying to puff up my ego (because if she was, it worked) by saying that she could see that I was definitely the better dancer. I hope the workshop this weekend goes better. I'm looking forward to it.
Argentine tango is quite different from the ballroom-style tango I have been learning, but the idea of lead–follow is the same, regardless. The man directs the movement of the lady through the use of his chest and shoulders and by shifting his body weight.
So I asked Omar 3 times if he would strengthen his lead, because I couldn't tell what foot he was on or what direction he was going. "I can't follow if you don't lead." No response.
I'm a good follower. I can usually pick up on what is going on, even with a bad lead, but this was awful. I kept missing steps. He stepped on my foot 3 times because we were off-synch. He messed up the rock step (the man signals that by bringing his right foot forward to touch the lady's left and then rock back and forth). And he was having none of the cute, sensual, flirtatious side of the tango.
PKs thought during the experience: Dude, so I'm not that little blond hottie you are staring at and who you probably wanted to dance with, ok... but for the moment, could you pay attention to what you are doing here? It would really help. And uh... she's married. Big gold ring. Right there. Easy to see. To that other professional dancer.
Elena observed the whole thing. I'm hoping that she wasn't trying to puff up my ego (because if she was, it worked) by saying that she could see that I was definitely the better dancer. I hope the workshop this weekend goes better. I'm looking forward to it.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Copy Kitties
Seems that once again, I am the inspiration for a post.
Nashville Is Talking: Caption Contest
It's a great photo. Go write something funny.
Nashville Is Talking: Caption Contest
It's a great photo. Go write something funny.
Thank you Captain Obvious!
In other news, they will tell us that the government collects taxes, smoking is bad for you, Wal-Mart is evil, and and people waste time at work doing anything but work.
Ohhhh what could I do.....
PETA prez sells herself on eBay
The lovely and talented Miss O'Hara and I immediately kicked out the following suggestions of what we would do with the President of PETA if we won the auction (that is if we combined her wedding fund and my dance lesson money):
Make her eat meat, veal in particular. And a nice juicy grilled steak. Mmmmm....
Wear Leather
Kill a chicken
Cook a turkey
Beat a baby seal
Wear Fur
Take her to the circus
Feed the lions
Conduct cosmetic testing that they aren't doing on animals
Spend time with Giselle and the editor of Vogue
The lovely and talented Miss O'Hara and I immediately kicked out the following suggestions of what we would do with the President of PETA if we won the auction (that is if we combined her wedding fund and my dance lesson money):
Make her eat meat, veal in particular. And a nice juicy grilled steak. Mmmmm....
Wear Leather
Kill a chicken
Cook a turkey
Beat a baby seal
Wear Fur
Take her to the circus
Feed the lions
Conduct cosmetic testing that they aren't doing on animals
Spend time with Giselle and the editor of Vogue
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
I can't make this stuff up, folks.
Overheard in the office just now. A student who is upset because her petition to change her class from graded status to pass/fail said:
"I know there are rules or whatever and that they are trying to make it like the real world. But to me, the real world is about exceptions you know?"
"I know there are rules or whatever and that they are trying to make it like the real world. But to me, the real world is about exceptions you know?"
My Own Caption Contest Entry
The Clintons each thought "I'm make-believing like I am kissing you... I'm dreaming about.. uh.. any woman other than you as I do it."
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Dancing Backwards in High Heels
That's part of a quote used to imply that Ginger Rogers did more than Fred Astaire in their dance routines. And its a lyric from a Kenny Chesney song, too.
It occurred to me Saturday night at dance class that the quote is wildly inaccurate. Men have WAY more to do in social dancing (that would be your couples dances - waltz, foxtrot, swing, salsa, etc...) than women. I was dancing with a guy who is quite a bit more advanced than myself. So he would test my ability to follow by throwing stuff in there. And for the most part, I did pretty well if he provided a clear lead.
In every dance class I've been in, the instructor has spent more time going over the guy's part than the girls. Usually by the time they get to the girls, we've managed to pick up on our step and only need a moment or two to make sure we are actually doing it correctly.
Guys have to learn to lead. That means the guy has to somehow provide information to the woman through the direction of his body, the pressure of his hands, and the release of a particular handhold to move into a open step or turn.
Guys also have to look out where they are going. This is particularly crucial on a crowded dance floor. I can't tell you how many people I've bumped into because the guy in the other couple wasn't looking where he was going and walked right where we were moving. It doesn't hurt, but it's a bit embarrassing for all parties.
Guys also set the tone of the dance. Sure, the girl can be fun and flirty, but it's the guy who sets it up so that she looks super-great.
Given the amount of information the man is responsible for, it doesn't surprise me that I keep bumping into men who don't want to learn to dance. Such a shame, because I meet SO many women who say, "I love to dance. I wish I had a partner," or something like that. I really think that if a guy wanted to wrap a girl around his finger, he would learn to dance well. But that's just me... and I love to dance.
In my next entry, I will talk about what the ladies are supposed to do... or not do.
It occurred to me Saturday night at dance class that the quote is wildly inaccurate. Men have WAY more to do in social dancing (that would be your couples dances - waltz, foxtrot, swing, salsa, etc...) than women. I was dancing with a guy who is quite a bit more advanced than myself. So he would test my ability to follow by throwing stuff in there. And for the most part, I did pretty well if he provided a clear lead.
In every dance class I've been in, the instructor has spent more time going over the guy's part than the girls. Usually by the time they get to the girls, we've managed to pick up on our step and only need a moment or two to make sure we are actually doing it correctly.
Guys have to learn to lead. That means the guy has to somehow provide information to the woman through the direction of his body, the pressure of his hands, and the release of a particular handhold to move into a open step or turn.
Guys also have to look out where they are going. This is particularly crucial on a crowded dance floor. I can't tell you how many people I've bumped into because the guy in the other couple wasn't looking where he was going and walked right where we were moving. It doesn't hurt, but it's a bit embarrassing for all parties.
Guys also set the tone of the dance. Sure, the girl can be fun and flirty, but it's the guy who sets it up so that she looks super-great.
Given the amount of information the man is responsible for, it doesn't surprise me that I keep bumping into men who don't want to learn to dance. Such a shame, because I meet SO many women who say, "I love to dance. I wish I had a partner," or something like that. I really think that if a guy wanted to wrap a girl around his finger, he would learn to dance well. But that's just me... and I love to dance.
In my next entry, I will talk about what the ladies are supposed to do... or not do.
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