I watched the entire Season 3 of "America's Best Dance Crew" over the weekend and I just can't get enough!
Two of my favourite dancers from "So You Think You Can Dance?", Dominic and Hok reappeared as members of the group, Quest Crew. After receiving some minor criticism from the judges, Quest Crew regrouped and came back in Week 6 with a performance that combined their trademark humour with amazing tricks. Words fail to do it justice so just see the embedded video below.
To see all of the Quest Crew performances on "ABDC", check out their YouTube channel.
Giving Quest Crew serious competition were Beat Freaks, the most technically adept group of b-girls that I have seen on TV, showcasing their skills with intelligent choreography. If ever there was a strong reason for women to lift weights, Beat Freaks would be it.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
Don't drink and work
Years ago, I realized that drinking and working don't mix when I attempted to write an article for the school newspaper while drunk. 'Ernest Hemingway could do it so why can't I?'so the thinking went. I stared at my computer monitor for 15 minutes without ever getting bored because I was enthralled with my own heart beat and the alcohol coursing through my veins.
I have never again attempted to drink and work at the same time but when socializing with co-workers outside of work, most adults will enjoy an alcoholic beverage because it helps them to relax, or at least, look relaxed. For someone like me, who drinks nothing but water and milk, this can be a dangerous situation.
At the recent Christmas dinner with co-workers, my hearty meal gave me a false sense of security and I indulged in two shots of delicious Russian vodka in quick succession. It wasn't until we were preparing to leave that I noticed my vision fading to black. It became a race against my metabolism as I attempted to take my leave as gracefully as possible, while warding off unconsciousness. Only when some neighbouring bushes blocked my boss's direct sight line of me did I feel safe to crumple against Joe and allow him to drag me home on public transit.
Tonight, I found myself again in the awkward situation of "having drinks with the co-workers". I clawed at the waitress for a menu, desperate to construct a soft bed for the beer before it went straight to my head. My boss regarded me with concern as I wolfed down the communal platter of nachos. I tried to look sober by resting my hand thoughtfully under my chin as my co-workers laughed raucously about work.
Maybe it is time to claim health or religious reasons for abstaining from alcohol during work functions. Afterall, the alcohol is doing nothing to put me at ease; rather, it has made me unusually prim, and I fear that I send my boss the wrong message when I frown while staring intently at him in an ill conceived attempt to appear coherent.
And yes, I am buzzing right now. Say 'no' to mixing alcohol with productivity.
I have never again attempted to drink and work at the same time but when socializing with co-workers outside of work, most adults will enjoy an alcoholic beverage because it helps them to relax, or at least, look relaxed. For someone like me, who drinks nothing but water and milk, this can be a dangerous situation.
At the recent Christmas dinner with co-workers, my hearty meal gave me a false sense of security and I indulged in two shots of delicious Russian vodka in quick succession. It wasn't until we were preparing to leave that I noticed my vision fading to black. It became a race against my metabolism as I attempted to take my leave as gracefully as possible, while warding off unconsciousness. Only when some neighbouring bushes blocked my boss's direct sight line of me did I feel safe to crumple against Joe and allow him to drag me home on public transit.
Tonight, I found myself again in the awkward situation of "having drinks with the co-workers". I clawed at the waitress for a menu, desperate to construct a soft bed for the beer before it went straight to my head. My boss regarded me with concern as I wolfed down the communal platter of nachos. I tried to look sober by resting my hand thoughtfully under my chin as my co-workers laughed raucously about work.
Maybe it is time to claim health or religious reasons for abstaining from alcohol during work functions. Afterall, the alcohol is doing nothing to put me at ease; rather, it has made me unusually prim, and I fear that I send my boss the wrong message when I frown while staring intently at him in an ill conceived attempt to appear coherent.
And yes, I am buzzing right now. Say 'no' to mixing alcohol with productivity.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Virtual retail therapy = virtual rock star
Joe and I have taken to redeeming gift cards recently in order to get our retail therapy without actually spending money. In one fun packed transaction, a Best Buy gift card was traded in for Xbox Points so that we might purchase songs to rock out to in Rock Band 2.While perusing the Rock Band songs for sale, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Neko Case's "People Got a Lotta Nerve" off her new album, Middle Cyclone, was being offered. For a stubbornly independent alternative country artist, being featured on such a popular platform is quite the coup. And how can gamers resist an attractive girl wielding a sword while riding the hood of a car? The song is fun, too.
We have not committed to Neko Case's song yet but we have purchased:
- "Lounge Act" and "Breed" by Nirvana
- "Little Sister" and "3's and 7's" by Queens of the Stone Age
- "Interstate Love Song" by Stone Temple Pilots
- "Don't Look Back in Anger", "Live Forever", and "Wonderwall" by Oasis
- "Roam" by B-52s
- "Love Spreads" by Stone Roses
- "Die Alright" by The Hives
Two gems that were free:
- Stephen Colbert and the Colberts - "Charlene (I'm Right Behind You)"
- "Still Alive" by the evil but cute computer from Portal
A few artists have not granted Rock Band the rights to use their original songs. Hence, as much fun as it would be to sing David Bowie's "Heroes" and the Black Crowes' "Hard to Handle", we're not spending money on a Rock Band rendition...at least, not full price.
I am still working on Joe to agree to purchase Jimmy Buffet's "Cheeseburger In Paradise". Since Buffet is one of the top selling tour acts ever, there are many out there who would agree with me. Further peer pressure can be inflicted in the Comments section below.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Memory in the digital age
As the public inquiry into the death of Robert Dziekanski continues, I can't help but think back to my university Psychology class during which it was repeatedly demonstrated how faulty human memory can be.
Much of my education is now a haze but I do recall one entertaining demonstration; the professor had a collaborator enter the lecture hall, grab another assistant's bag, then escape. The students were then asked to come up with their best description of the robber. Many could hardly even come up with the most basic of details (the colour the robber's clothing) due to shock over the situation. Of course, there were a few exceptional students who were able to recall accurate details about the robber but their memories were soon clouded over by conflicting testimony (the robber's jacket was blue). When the 'robber' returned to the lecture hall, students were disturbed by how wrong their recollections had been (the robber was not even wearing a jacket).
With the Robert Dziekanski altercation captured on amateur video and in 911 recordings, the perpetrators and witnesses are now faced with a horrible equivalent to the return of the robber. The RCMP officers are making claims based on memory that are then swiftly refuted by the video footage. Witnesses who claim sympathy for the dead man are forced to account for the derogatory remarks they had made earlier about Dziekanski to the 911 dispatcher.
Even if we were to give the witnesses and perpetrators the benefit of the doubt and assume that they are not knowingly giving false testimony, adrenaline and shock undermine the dependability of their testimony in the Robert Dziekanski case. Add a media firestorm to heightened emotions, and the result is an exercise in futility.
The Dziekanski public inquiry is necessary because changes will need to be made to RCMP regulations over taser use. I, for one, would prefer to see police tasers abolished because the weapons are commonly perceived as a non-lethal use of force, and therefore, wielded more liberally than a gun. However, unless the point of the public inquiry is to cause those giving testimony to squirm uncomfortably over their faulty memory, the parade of witnesses is pointless when the stark truth is readily available in video and audio form.
Much of my education is now a haze but I do recall one entertaining demonstration; the professor had a collaborator enter the lecture hall, grab another assistant's bag, then escape. The students were then asked to come up with their best description of the robber. Many could hardly even come up with the most basic of details (the colour the robber's clothing) due to shock over the situation. Of course, there were a few exceptional students who were able to recall accurate details about the robber but their memories were soon clouded over by conflicting testimony (the robber's jacket was blue). When the 'robber' returned to the lecture hall, students were disturbed by how wrong their recollections had been (the robber was not even wearing a jacket).
With the Robert Dziekanski altercation captured on amateur video and in 911 recordings, the perpetrators and witnesses are now faced with a horrible equivalent to the return of the robber. The RCMP officers are making claims based on memory that are then swiftly refuted by the video footage. Witnesses who claim sympathy for the dead man are forced to account for the derogatory remarks they had made earlier about Dziekanski to the 911 dispatcher.
Even if we were to give the witnesses and perpetrators the benefit of the doubt and assume that they are not knowingly giving false testimony, adrenaline and shock undermine the dependability of their testimony in the Robert Dziekanski case. Add a media firestorm to heightened emotions, and the result is an exercise in futility.
The Dziekanski public inquiry is necessary because changes will need to be made to RCMP regulations over taser use. I, for one, would prefer to see police tasers abolished because the weapons are commonly perceived as a non-lethal use of force, and therefore, wielded more liberally than a gun. However, unless the point of the public inquiry is to cause those giving testimony to squirm uncomfortably over their faulty memory, the parade of witnesses is pointless when the stark truth is readily available in video and audio form.
Monday, March 09, 2009
In progress
- I started reading Barack Obama's Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance yesterday and I am about 1/3 through; this is a testament to Obama's compelling prose as opposed to my reading prowess. The book was published in 1995 but already, the characteristics that make Obama such a force to be reckoned are revealed: his thoughtful yet unflinching reflections on racial identity, and the unswerving confidence in the face of ignorance or even outright hostility demonstrated by his father and assumed by Obama in turn.
- I traded in my Air Tracks snowboard, which seemed too flexible and unresponsive, for the 2008 Flow Venus. I have not had a chance to test my new board as Mother Nature has not been on my side, choosing to please just about everyone else with milder weather. Never before have I prayed so fervently for cold weather and heavy snowfall.
- The downturn in the economy has apparently produced a bumper crop of eager police recruits thus pushing any chance of me taking the York Regional Police written and physical test to 2010! I also failed to submit an exhibition proposal for Luminato due to a lack of motivation. Presently, all my hopes rest on my Nuit Blanche 2009 application - decisions are promised for the end of March. In the meantime, I am open to suggestions on what to tackle next.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Lots to talk about
Thanks to the unseasonably cold winter that Toronto has been experiencing, talking about the weather has become a solid conversation starter.
While waiting for the elevator recently with a delivery man, I decided to fill the dead air with a "Is it still freezing outside?" What would have been a non-starter during the mild winters of previous years now prompted the delivery man to not only give a weather forecast but to also elaborate on the effects of global warming. The time we spent walking to our destination was amicably filled up.
This leads me to admit that, other than the weather, I don't have much to write about. However, I would like to point to a new foodie blog listed under my 'Links' called This is why you're fat: where dreams become heart attacks. My current favourite entry is "Sandwich Cake": A layer of deviled ham, chicken salad and olive-nut spread between a whole loaf white bread surrounded by four packages of strawberry cream cheese. It's dainty and monstrous at the same time.
All those who would invite me to a potluck in the future, be warned: I intend to take advantage of the opportunity to recreate one of the magical dishes found on that site.
While waiting for the elevator recently with a delivery man, I decided to fill the dead air with a "Is it still freezing outside?" What would have been a non-starter during the mild winters of previous years now prompted the delivery man to not only give a weather forecast but to also elaborate on the effects of global warming. The time we spent walking to our destination was amicably filled up.
This leads me to admit that, other than the weather, I don't have much to write about. However, I would like to point to a new foodie blog listed under my 'Links' called This is why you're fat: where dreams become heart attacks. My current favourite entry is "Sandwich Cake": A layer of deviled ham, chicken salad and olive-nut spread between a whole loaf white bread surrounded by four packages of strawberry cream cheese. It's dainty and monstrous at the same time.
All those who would invite me to a potluck in the future, be warned: I intend to take advantage of the opportunity to recreate one of the magical dishes found on that site.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Still entertaining
When George W. Bush left office, I must admit that a little part of me was dejected at the prospect of a less ridiculous political climate in the U.S. Happily, I am wrong.
The new chairman of the Republican National Committee, Michael Steele, recently spoke to The Washington Times and demonstrated that the Republican party is the gift that keeps giving.
In the article, Steele promised a public relations strategy that would be "off the hook".
"We want to convey that the modern-day GOP looks like the conservative party that stands on principles. But we want to apply them to urban-surburban hip-hop settings. (W)e need to uptick our image with everyone, including one-armed midgets,” said Steele.
Urban blacks and white liberals would both be offended if they weren't laughing so hard.
The new chairman of the Republican National Committee, Michael Steele, recently spoke to The Washington Times and demonstrated that the Republican party is the gift that keeps giving.
In the article, Steele promised a public relations strategy that would be "off the hook".
"We want to convey that the modern-day GOP looks like the conservative party that stands on principles. But we want to apply them to urban-surburban hip-hop settings. (W)e need to uptick our image with everyone, including one-armed midgets,” said Steele.
Urban blacks and white liberals would both be offended if they weren't laughing so hard.
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