What Have You Learned Today?

Dance and Ecstatic Dance. Hmmmm

2010-10-29T13:32:00.000-07:00

I love to dance. Flailing about is one of my major forms of amusement and workout. I started with aerobics years ago, became a trainer, and continued to dance for fun and profit ever since. I no longer work as a trainer, but I've continued to dance for fun. To that end, I'm taking a Zumba class taught by the amazing Michelle Vaughn. I've attended various "Endless Waves", "Five Rhythms" and "Sweat your prayers" dance workshops before, and find the music great, the dancing wonderful (especially since you can either dance by yourself, spend a few moments or seconds dancing with anyone else, or dance with a partner, as you choose), and the spiritual/religious overtones totally weird. Somehow, I've never quite connected the joy of moving to loud music with praying to some great spirit--and I'm an old hippie. This doesn't seem to be a problem for younger people, who in the "sharing circle" (eek) after the dance profess their divine closeness to everyone in the room. Heck, I'm just shaking my booty and turning off my brain. If that's ecstasy, I'm there. I'm going to an "ecstatic" pre-Halloween dance tonight. I hope we don't have a sharing circle, so I can sweat in peace.
PD See some great ethnic dancer shots by my friend, photographer Bonnie Kamen.
Joanne Miller

Hand-Eye Coordination...Whats That?

2010-08-25T18:22:00.000-07:00

For an absolutely delightful set of unusual games to play on your computer, try http://www.ferryhalim.com/orisinal/
The games are created by a designer with a terrific imagination; you could spend the rest of your life just exploring what's on there. Suitable for the whole family, too.
Joanne Miller

Lessons from Ozzie

2010-08-13T13:45:00.000-07:00

The Ozter in a rare moment of quietude

We've all seen those cards: "Everything I know I learned from my ___". Much as I hate to admit it, I've actually learned a lot from my cat, Oz. When I picked him out at the San Francisco ASPCA, it was because he seemed like a bold little fellow, and he had an unusual affection for my hair (he still does). What I didn't know was that he was feral, and not likely to change. Eight years later, we have both survived numerous periods of shrieking fury, cursing, nursing bleeding bite and claw wounds, and removing either the remains of prey or live prey (I quit keeping score after the second year, when we reached 250 "household visitors"). Oz is quite the dude. We have come to an understanding, mainly because I've realized a very simple fact about cats, and their people. We often assume cats consider themselves better than us; the reality is that cats do not accept the concept of "victim", and they won't understand if you do. I suspect they don't even think of their prey as victims, but as worthy adversaries.
Whenever Oz bit me out of annoyance or simply a desire to chase around, it's because he takes me as an equal. I used to whinge when he seemed to attack me for no reason: "but I'm always so good to him! I feed him and brush him and love him! Why does he hate me so?". What I didn't get was that he was treating me with ultimate respect. He adores me, and I didn't know it for the longest time. When I decided to be HIS equal--to fight back, tease him, and continue feeding, loving and brushing him--our relationship got so much better. We respect each other now. Cats don't do "victim", only equals--if I was not considered to be his equal, he would simply ignore me.

I Have No Taste

2010-08-10T17:35:00.000-07:00

Class flies out the window when faced with a talking dog puppet who makes evil, hilarious fun of those imaginative folks living out some kind of twisty fantasy:

Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog - Star Wars - watch more funny videos

Martha Stewart--As We've Always Suspected

2010-08-07T12:41:00.000-07:00

Oh my. Conan O'Brien spends a little time at Martha's Ossening, NY farm. I love a woman in power as much as the next ambitious girl, but it's no wonder somebody wanted to see her in the slammer for a little while. The video is from Funny or Die...

Conan O'Brien interviews Martha Stewart - watch more funny videos

Comcast IS the Evil Empire

2010-08-06T17:02:00.000-07:00

I hope Comcast monitors blogs for their name, because I intend to give them a reality check they won't soon forget. Within the past 10 days, my internet service (and my business) has been the victim of "a temporary service interruption" for nearly a week. At least that's what the automated voice system on their 800-945-2288 contact number says. I called several times during the first "interruption" last week, and was told repeatedly that I WAS online (even though the Comcast box was flashing like a Christmas tree and Firefox assured me they couldn't find the Comcast ISP). Apparently, Comcast tech can "see" my connection on their computer out there in Bangladesh or god-knows-where. After four days, the system went back on. On for four days, then off again. Another automated message, "no need to stay on the line, we are working to reconnect". Not only that, I had to keep calling until the automated phone system told me that they would "now reconnect me if I went online". What is going on here? I will not pay for service I didn't receive. I'm irritated as all get out that Comcast makes it impossible to talk to anyone in a nearby location to find out what's going on and when it will be fixed. AT&T is looking better all the time.

I Am a Fireworks Junkie

2010-08-04T13:34:00.000-07:00

I would attend a lecture on thin bubble film theory in physics if it included fireworks. This morning, I learned that there's an annual World Fireworks Competition in Vancouver, Washington during the month of July; it's the Celebration of Light international fireworks competition and festival. For four nights on consecutive Wednesdays and Saturdays, the skies over English Bay light up in a musical pyrotechnic extravaganza. Each weekend is produced by a different country, and each country has one night to wow the judges and audience before the final night's grand finale. A friend went during the display from Spain; the show lasted about half and hour and was spectacular. Since it stays light longer up there, the show didn't start until 10PM.
Since 1990, the annual Celebration of Light has become one of the most prestigious fireworks competitions in the world, attracting the world's best fireworks pyrotechnicians and designers. The 2010 Celebration of Light fireworks competition features tour-de-force performances from the United States, Spain and Mexico, as well as a tribute to China.

Here's a great video of Ocean Media's Tribute to Mexico. Check out their other videos on vimeo:

Celebration of Light - Vancouver, Canada from Ocean Media on Vimeo.

Journalist Joel Stein of Time loves Tony Robbins

2010-08-03T13:26:00.000-07:00

Joel Stein--one of the funniest and snarkiest of columnists--has outdone himself in the August 2, 2010 issue of Time magazine. In it, he interviews super-motivator and former circus giant Tony Robbins (OK, I made that up; he IS six-foot-seven). The interview is hilarious, and touching; it ends up with Stein writing, "But even though I have about 20 solid Tony Robbins jokes ready to go, it turns out I don't want to make fun of him. Not because I want him to be my friend but because I want to be my own friend. God, I hope this wears off soon."
I love you, Joel. And you didn't get the Time gig because you're in the world's least funny magazine without the world science in the title. You got it because you're funny and snarky.