Spring Break Updates

So, I went on Spring Break this week (technically). I was in Florida with a few friends of mine of vacation. I realize that I have already graduated college and do not technically meet the Spring Break criteria, but I tried my hardest to blend in with the "Frat Lauderdale" crowd. Here are some interesting things I learned in my time in sunny Florida:

1. Pizza (or pete-za) is a very versatile food. Although I was unable to call Mad Mushroom while on vacation, I found several places that sold pizza by the slice. I had pizza for breakfast, lunch, and dinner while on the trip. It was a very economical meal ($3) compared to some of my other splurges.

2. Having a 60 year old man as your wing man could not go well for you. 60 year old men cannot keep their stories straight. Are you the Dad? The friend of the uncle? What is going on? Also, if you graduated high school in 1992, you should not be hitting on someone who graduated in 2003-2006. Not going to go well, dude.

3. There are a lot of tacky beach shops everywhere. Right along the beach (where I was staying, might I add), there were an overwhelming number of tourist trap shops. This is pretty par for the course. However, I noticed that many of the shop owners were of Indian descent. After noted this, I wondered whether or not they knew what any of the t-shirt slogans (mentioning sex, drugs, etc.) meant or if they just buying a standard package of Spring Break attire.

There was some pretty awful stuff in there (including t-shirt slogans I won't mention. (Go to T-Shirt Hell if you need some ideas: ) Also included were pipes for "tobacco" smoking and the like. Apparently, all cultures have an awful view of everyone on vacation. Probably a good call. If you're wondering, my friend picked up a sweet "GTL" shirt that was freshly screen printed.

4. I would like to move to Florida. Okay, maybe not. But, it was a pretty sweet place to vacation. Now, when is the next one?

Stage of Internet Usage

No, this post is not about tiered internet usage or anything from a technology standpoint (sorry, C-net fans). It's just about the rise and fall of the internet and its usage in the average human being. Okay, so I'm basing this on my own experience and observations. But, here's what I've decided.

Stage I
This is the stage where you've just gotten internet access (flashback to 8th grade for me). The internet is awesome (even though it may be dial-up) and endless to you at this point. You got an e-mail address somehow ("What is Hotmail?" I once asked myself) and maybe even started instant messaging. Life is good. Some of my older relatives who have just got the internet are still in this stage. They forward chain e-mails (to 10 friends before midnight, of course) to avoid bad luck. Any e-mail they get must be true (yes, Virginia, people are hiding under your car waiting cut your ankles with a razor blade at night).

Stage 2
You're now exploring sites for your favorite interests (Backstreet Boys and the Chicago Cubs for circa 1998 Katie). There's so much to absorb and you're trying to find every detail about everything. You visit "angelfire" fan sites and the like. Any source is a good source at this stage. The internet is still endless.

Stage 3
You've pared down your usage of the internet. You've established a routine (check mail, check Facebook, Google something, turn off computer) and no longer stray from your old haunts. For some, this may be a favorite news or sports site. For others, technology blogs. Whatever it is, it's a routine much like reading the newspaper is for many old men.

Stage 4
You are now officially bored of the internet. You watch YouTube videos mindlessly and go through your routine. Why isn't the internet more entertaining now? I think this could describe the phase that many of us 20-somethings are in. Now, we look for new devices to get the internet on instead of new content.

Maybe it's okay to be in Stage 4. You get straight to the point without getting lost in too much content. You can figure out reliable sources for research (no matter how unimportant). You avoid viruses more readily as you're not clicking on everything. Here's to the internet.

My TV Shows

All of the TV shows I watch are actually the same show. Or at least, there could be three different story line within the same show. For example, a crime is committed.

Law enforcement (cue Stabler and Benson from Law and Order: SVU) get a call for a murder. They go to the crime scene and look at the body or interview the victim. CSI is called in (and we move from NYC to Vegas) and finds clues for the police.

If the body is too mangled or too decomposed for normal CSIs, its transported to the Jeffersonian (the flagship lab of Bones) and more analysis is done.

Then, Stabler and Benson, along with Special Agent Booth, come back to interrogate the perp and he or she gets arrested. Then, law (and possibly order) takes over again and someone goes to jail.

For those of you unfamiliar with these shows, Bones, Law and Order, and CSI are actually three different shows that feed (and maybe copy) off of one another. I watch them fairly regularly and generally I enjoy them. But I'm starting to notice a lot of overlap. The unrealistic nature of all these shows is also starting to wear thin with me. For example:

a. Each worker in the lab is ridiculously talented in multiple areas of investigation.

They can do fingerprints, bugs, DNA, handwriting analysis, shoe print identification, ballistics, tire track comparisons and anything else you want to throw in. Every person seems to know how to do all of these things though. Very unrealistic.

b. Everyone is ridiculously hot.

L and O may have some less-than-smokin' employees on deck (Munch, Ice-T), but the main characters are easy on the eyes. Most of the people on Bones are good looking (and subsequently, are all sleeping with each other). CSI also features mainly attractive people (except for Captain Brass, which is why he didn't make the cut for the above photo).

c. 95% of cases are solved in one episode.

In a matter of only days, each case is neatly bundled in a package that is handed to a lawyer, who tries the case immediately. Bad guys go to jail. The next cases rolls in just in time for the proceeding show. In the real justice system, some of these people may be in jail for years before they even go to trial. We have some very expedient justice on the TV shows.

I guess none of these points are really all that original, but if you've ever watched any of these shows, hopefully this will hit home. Just throw in some real-life crime shows here and you've got an excellent, crime-filled TV marathon.

Thoughts on Boredom

I realized I felt "bored" the other day while looking something up on my computer and watching something on NetFlix. I'm not sure how you can be bored by doing more than one thing, but I feel this way a lot. I'm probably not alone; I think a lot of people have a sense of ennui, especially in the wintertime.

I almost feel guilty for being bored immediately after saying I feel that way. My Mom (ever the optimist) always reminds me that "Life is too precious to be bored," and I agree with her. Yet, I still end up in ruts sometimes.

Frank Tyre (a newspaper guy) once said, "The biggest bore is the person who is bored by everyone and everything." Maybe he's right, too. It's a real downer to be around people who are mindlessly doing things or just laying around (even if we need these forms of relaxation sometimes).

Most people can't even go to a dinner, a movie, or a social outing without having their phone with them in case there's a lull in conversation or a hint of lacking excitement. Are we all bored? Or are we all just boring?

I don't really know what the answer is here, but maybe I'll stop and think before I declare boredom as the cause of all my problems. After all, there are a lot more interesting things I could be doing. . .

Gym Personalities I Hate: Part 2

It's pretty easy to think of more people to hate at a place that has such a wide variety of weirdos. Let's begin.

Smelly Guy

Everyone knows this guy. He's on the treadmill and he's barely walking, but he smells like [insert awful scent here]. I'm not sure if this is a hygiene malfunction (failed deodorant?) or a natural smell (curry?) for some, but it is not fun to be in close quarters with this one. I don't really have a lot to be clever about on this one, but I do know that I wish he would find a new gym.

New BFF Lady

This lady (sometimes multiple ladies) is in my group fitness class. I talked with her before class one day, and so now she thinks I want to talk to her all the time. I don't mind a little pre-workout socialization, but I do mind someone talking during class. It's distracting to me, and kind of annoying for the instructor as well.

Plus, she never has anything interesting to say. Yesterday, she walked over and told me how much she hated using resistance bands. Clearly, I do not care about her workout preferences. Maybe I should go back to being a gym hermit to avoid such confrontations.

Marching to His Own Drummer Guy

I hadn't actually noticed this guy until New BFF Lady pointed him out (in the middle of class, half-whispering), but now he really annoys me. He's a 50+ year old guy who comes to female dominated aerobics classes. He gets out all the same equipment that we do, but he never does the same exercises. I'm not sure if he thinks the class is too easy, or if he's trying to impress the ladies, but neither of these things are working out for him.

For example, if we're doing some cardio on the step, he might just start doing lunges or squats himself. If we're doing lunges, he'll do something else. I understand modifying the class, but I don't understand completely abandoning it. If it's so easy, maybe he should work out himself. If he's trying to impress women, maybe he should join Hair Club for Men. There are many solutions to make him less annoying. Maybe if BFF Lady is loud enough, he'll get the hint and stop coming to class.

Well, that's my gym rant for now; look for these celebrities or similar personalities at your own gym!

Gym Personalities I Hate: Part 1

As an exercise enthusiast, I've noticed that there are a lot of characters at a place like the gym: some good, and some very bad. I have formulated a set of common gym stereotypes out of the people I see so often. In this three part segment, I hope to outline some of the more memorable personalities I've encountered.

The Way Too Sweaty Guy

This guy is frequently found in cycling class. He's wearing an Under Armour tank top, trying to look buff. But, you also notice he's put 10 of the red gym rags under his bike. What's going on?

Midway through class, W.T.S.G. (Way Too Sweaty Guy) has formed his own pool underneath his exercise device. Sweat is dripping off him at such an alarming rate that the towels under him look like the generic brand of paper towels in a Brawny commercial. The janitor probably needs to come in and clean up the room after him because he barely wipes down the floor after throwing his wad of towels in the dirty hamper. How is one dude producing so much sweat? Why are we forced to watch him? [*sigh*]

The Bottleneck Lady

This person is an avid group fitness class participant. Most classes at my gym are in a workout studio with small rooms for the equipment in back of the studio. You can walk in, get a step or some weights, and walk aback out. In the most annoying incident, this lady will try to block as many people as possible from getting their weights out of the rooms, and more annoyingly, back in the room.

Many classes feature barbells, which require weights on each end of a bar that are secured with two clips. The proper etiquette for getting this particular workout item is to get all items individually, take them back to your station, then put them together into the barbell. Consequently, a similar process is used to take them apart. Take them apart at your station, then walk the individual components to the room. There's even a sign on the door that tells you to not un-rack the barbells while in the crowded, small equipment room.

But, a technique that seems like courtesy and general common sense to most is also a technique that Bottleneck Lady is oblivious to. This "lady" will take her barbell to the room, park it in front of a growing line of other fitness class participants, and take her sweet time taking the weights off her bar, carefully placing the plates on the rack, and putting her bar up. All the while, multiple people are behind her, holding heavy sets of weights, waiting to put them up.

This may not sound too bad to many people, but a gym has a natural order of things, a doctrine, if you will. This lady is breaking the Gym Law, and I am thoroughly against this. (I have a feeling that she hogs the water fountain, too.)

Comparison
Bottleneck Lady is actually worse than W.T.S.G. because (although gross) W.T.S.G doesn't actually deter anyone from doing something. He's just there, bad genes and all. Bottleneck Lady, on the other hand, holds up multiple people from leaving class in a timely fashion. She also makes me want to yell "READ THE SIGN! FIGURE OUT HOW TO USE A BARBELL!" I don't get mad often, so consider this an outburst.

Unfortunately, I have no recourse in dealing with these gym celebrities. All I can do is laugh at them in a blog they will never read. How's that for justice? Anyways, I'm sure I can think of many more "celebrities," so stay tuned for Part 2.

100 Day

As I reach a milestone of blogging known as my 100th page view (who cares if 50 are from me?), I look back to my younger days and remember the elementary school phenomenon known as the "100th Day of School." This was a magical time when children brought in 100 items to class, did math with 100 candies, and many other wondrous things. It was the day the number line was cool again.

The number 100 has a special meaning for many article writers (according to my Google search, anyways). There are sites devoted to living with only 100 things (see previous blog update), sites for taking 100 pictures, 100 things to do before you die, and so on. So, in the spirit of the number 100, I'm going to list a few things I wish I had 100 of.

1. Vacation days. This would mean that almost 1/3 of my year would be devoted to not working.
2. Barry Zito action figures. 1 down, 99 to go.
3. 100 more page views (gotta win you readers over).
4. Episodes of Law and Order to watch. I can run through 5 of these in a day, easy.
5. Things to get rid of in order to satisfy my end of the "100 Things Challenge" blog

Anyways, this is a kind of silly post, but maybe you can think about things that you wish you had 100 of. In elementary school, 100 M & M's did the trick. Now, you may be thinking money, jewelry, Coach purses, or whatever else you enjoy. Ah, how things change.