http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyWafhzs6zw

24.  It ran for an impressive 8 seasons and has at least one full length television movie made, with a full length film being speculate upon.  This grand tv series which I just started watching a little of on netflix, is about Jack Bauer, a government agent working for the Counter Terrorism Unit in Los Angeles.  Each season follows 24 hours in the life of Bauer as he races against a clock of life or death to preserve peace, whether from bio or chem threats, assassination attempts on the President or other important figure.  In the first episode he is fighting to save not only David Palmer, a presidential candidate with the best poll ratings to win.  At the same time, Bauer's wife and daughter have been kidnapped to be used as hostages to motivate Bauer to do dirty deeds for the assassins.

Each episode covers one hour in the 24 hours, jumping from Bauer to other agents to the kidnapped to the presidential candidate and his family.  Loosing a tiny bit of reality in the way it jumps to other people, yet it only takes a character the ten minutes to drive twenty miles when the scenes switch back to him.  However, despite the downfalls of trying to make each episode exciting and suspenseful enough in their own right along with leaving the viewer hanging waiting for the next episode, the show does a good job.  Not only is it suspenseful and creative, with a very leading and addicting feel to it, but it also is so twisted around that no one knows who is safe or a secure friend.  One has to remember that it is a tv show, and not believe that in real life this is how things will happen.  At the same time, it's realism gives it more quality, more depth.  The acting of Keifer Sutherland is good along with the rest of the cast.  Keifer's intensity over his wife and daughter yet with his ability to think clear-headidly about saving other's lives makes him quite the hero.

The use of screen splitting, where showing multiple scenes at once is used, is very, very good.  It allows us to see that these events, happening in real time, are occurring at the same time.  In addition, the use of a clock on the screen helps the viewer see that indeed, things are happening in real time.  The amusement of a person who is not watching a commercial filled evening, such as myself, is that an hour happens in 45 minutes, for the commercial breaks are evident due to the placement of the black "clock" screens.  It's funny to see in two seconds it jump the five minutes.

Overall I have been enjoying this tv series, and definitely find myself wanting to see the next episode.  Every time.

Beautiful things are everywhere

It's true.  Beautiful things ARE everywhere.  Whether people, places, an object or an idea or a vista.  The trick is to open one's eyes and see what is beautiful when it is right in front of one's self.  If I sit in the cafeteria of my community college and I look around me, do I see silly ignorant teens and young twenty somethings?  Do I see people wasting time trying not to have a life?  Do I hear them discussing stupid ideas, such as the latest and greatest video game coming out, or who's who and where's what?  Yes.  But I also hear others, who are talking about their plans for the future, their family, whether they have kids or siblings, or others who they care about and are talking about because they care, and are concerned.  I see those who are texting loved ones, though hopefully not while in class.  I see so many people, and they are connecting in some way with someone.  This, is just one of the little facets of beauty I see in a day.

We are blessed as human beings (and I say that in the non-religious way because you don't have to believe in Jesus to believe we are blessed) to have a beautiful world, with natural phenomena that can touch us emotionally in the deepest ways.  We need to remember this everyday of our lives, and not take the little moments for granted.  Even though we do.  This world is full of people living way to short, way to inefficiently, and way to laboriously engrossed in the lesser parts of life.  Working IS important.  However, despite it making the majority of our time alive and awake, it is not what society should consider a burden.  Live beautifully, and do what you want to do and love to do it.

Here's what I find beautiful in life, as anyone who's read this blog has come to know me - I think ballroom is beautiful.  This little routine is so simple, yet so beautiful.  Just like life should be.  Simple, elegant, and all about man and woman.  As my one latin instructor discussed in class yesterday - men are to be about giving.  In ballroom, this means that we are giving energy out, with power, like we should be with our money.  Powerful, and giving.  Women, are to be receiving this power, and to return their femininity.  To turn around that power and to give it back as grace.  This is a woman.  Now, this isn't to be a feminist statement, for women have power to.  But they aren't in ballroom supposed to give it in the same way as men.  Women and men are different.  And every woman is different.  Every person has a beautiful side to them, and some may have more beauty on the surface while another has more inside.  We must find our own beauty and show it to the world in the way we are meant to.  I have found how I wish to express myself to the world, through ballroom.  Music is how I express me to myself.  Ballroom is a way to show inner strength and solidarity.

Here we go - power and effeminate, simple and elegant, graceful and... Beautiful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOiByplrkX4

iPhone 4s

I recently got the chance to hold and somewhat use the iPhone 4s thanks to a friend.  I am very intrigued by Siri.  I believe that the iPhone is slowly advancing an idea about connectivity, and our ability to perform.  The problems with the ideas behind Apple lies not in their products, but in the users.  If people were able to focus, move on past their little insufficiencies, the world that Steve Jobs envisioned where a technology company provides clean, simple, easy to use and effective gadgets for aiding life, both in work and in play would come to fruition.  However, we are left with people not quite sure of the potential that their lives offer, because they are wrapped up in so many trivial and menial pieces of life.  If everything were perfect, as in a non ever-expanding population that will deplete the world of it's resources and beauty unless we successfully implement living n other planets or somehow manage to start farming off-world, Steve Jobs would indeed have created the perfect concept of devices for aiding us in our everyday life.  It is nearly impossible to have a perfect world however - because people aren't perfect.  I guess we all have to accept that, no matter how much we hate to.

This is the video for the new iPhone 4s.  Some people I know think that I'm just following the "bandwagon" of the tech world.  A world where we go all goo-goo over a pretty new device and buy it right up just because we can.  Is the the case?  Or is it that I see a better world through owning an Apple product?  Maybe I envision myself being able to live better, more productively and efficiently through a device like this?  Whatever you believe, whether you feel that Apple is continuing to create some of the best widgets and gadgets out there, or that they are merely a bunch of cult-like, mindless people following a trend because things are "shiny" or because we just can...  Apple has been grossing some of the biggest numbers in the tech industry on all of their devices.  Bandwagon?  I'm inclined to think it's more about success...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf0EgDHG8FQ

Legend of dancing? I'm in... Now to find some funding.

This is a performance happening next year.  I'm extremely intrigued to go to it - and it excites me that I might go.  I will have to check my competition schedule though, because the time of year this happens is the same time of year practicing and competing is most intense for ballroom dancing.

http://www.dancelegends.com/

Here's a post

Because I haven't made one in a little while...  I found this quite amusing.  This is a Shakespeare insult kit...

On media use

It's amazing just how much time we spend utilizing various different media channels.  For my electronic media class, we were given an assignment that required us to journal our media usage.  Here are the graphs from my project.

I surprised myself with these statistics, though I also feel that somehow I didn't get all of my radio hours clocked due to being in the tractor a lot on the particular week I was graphing.  This was the week we harvested our corn with the silage chopper.

It was an intriguing assingment.  It made me think and wonder - how do other people, who may or may not be less active or less busy.  And, how many people break up there work day on the internet, spending time on facebook, or some other social media sites?  I am not sure yet whether to be worried or optimistic about the answers to these questions.  I'm currently doing research for another presentation in this class, focusing on the effects of social media on society.  I already have read a lot about how video games affect the youth of today - violence, sexuality exploitation, changing social norms.  And in my media class we are discussing how it's all about the advertising or selling dollar.  It's all about making the consumer think they have wanted the product, as my econ class is telling me.  The movie Middle Men did a good job of demonstrating how a multi-billion dollar industry can revolutionize and take over a technology, and how it's turned around the world in different ways.  If you take the fact that it was adult entertainment out of the equation, it really was impressive the way a few people revolutionized an industry, and have now set the standard for selling non-pornographic material.  Amazon, Ebay, very nearly every dot com website out there - has everything they now owe to that industry.  Not only do companies benefit, but consumers have benefited not only from anonymity, but also the ease of ordering.  And who can forget that Fedex and UPS have benefitted too!  It's sadly all about the physical materials, the books and the toys, the nooks and the traveling joys!  We can venture around the world and purchase what we need thanks to the credit card.  We can also complete transactions back home while we explore new lands, mobilize armies with the push of the button - it's all very big, in so many ways.  And it touches us all in so many ways.  The thing to think about is not how it will positively or negatively impact our world, though.  I think these are important things to consider and talk about and discuss, however - what we have to do is to use these new ways of living to our advantage, and to make the world a better place.  We have to come to these resolutions and move past wondering if we are doing the right thing by using the internet.  We already have it embedded in our everyday life.  Now we have to use it for good, to transmit knowledge that will help us live more economically and environmentally soundly.  Today there is a need to pay attention to all the different happenings in the world, to be up on the news, to advocate people to express their intelligent opinions and ideas that they have.  Only now, with our super-connectivity can we truly begin to have a global world where people can convene and come together sharing the best of the best.  "when an elderly scientist says that something is possible, it most likely is.  When that scientist says something is impossible, he probably is wrong."  This paraphrasing comes from the first chapter of "Physics of the Impossible," a book that presents in a scientific fashion the science behind star trek and other science fiction movies and television shows.  I feel that this statement covers what I have just stated so well.  While we have many people telling us what is possible, with the internet we now have the chance to make the impossible, possible.

Something anyone can tell about me is that I'm a big fan of dancing - specifically, ballroom dance.  Ballroom dance has numerous attributes going for it that makes if my favorite dances to do either socially or competitively - socially, because there is so many different genres of music that can be played and still be danced to in some fashion.  Surprising, some of the styles that match to the music.  Many modern pop songs are latin (usually cha cha cha or samba) dances, and for this reason those dances are some of my favorite to do.  However, due to the flexibility of the West Coast swing, it too can be danced to these songs and has become my favorite social dance to go "out on the town" doing.  As I have gained freedom and mobility through owning a car, a new world has been opened up for me in the past two years with my dancing.  Now able to experience the freedom of driving around and dancing wherever and whenever I can (time permitting), I have gained much understanding of myself and life through dancing.  There are some things about dancing that teach you how to be a better person.  To lead a woman, or anyone for that matter - but only after they have been consented to being led.  Many politicians could do wisely from learning to gain the trust of the people before they attempt to lead them.

In recent years, happily for me and many of my fellow collegiate competitors, ballroom dancing has been popularized through the use of the media.  Television shows such as American Idol, where the object is to find someone unknown and see that they have actual talent through auditions.  Shows for dancing, such as So You Think You Can Dance which is built upon the same premise.  Fun fact, my cousin is very close to a top ten finalist on said show.  Another show now on the scene for a long-running 13 seasons - Dancing with the Stars (or among those who know and love the show as I do and will throughout this post, DWTS).  It is a show in which stars volunteer to be dancers competing against one another with trained and experienced professionals whose median age is below 30.  These professionals have been champion dancers, having won competitions all over in ballroom dancing.  Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_with_the_Stars_(U.S._TV_series)

for more information.  To watch the latest showing, go to http://abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars and watch the latest episode.  These competitions have happily brought ballroom into the public eye as the amazing show and art that it is.

My personal commentary on this show is this - not only has it achieved great success for those running and sponsoring the show, it has taken advantage of the modern reality tv show to a different level.  Since DWTS came out, at least one other show that I know of based on the same idea - Skating with the Stars (doing ice skating) has come out.  This particular show sounds slightly more dangerous than DWTS, however a few have pulled muscles and various bodily tissues through the course of 13 seasons.  However, injury isn't the focus of the show.  Demonstrating character, being an actor, being an athlete - as with all ballroom dancing, that's what this show is about.  Doing the best that you can, and rising from the bottom out of all odds.  It is a bit sad, however, that one couple gets eliminated right away.  It would be fairer if they had a performance, gained a baseline both with the audience and the judges, and went from there.  This way, everyone would have an equal chance to improve.

From a spectator stand-point, it is a very easy show to watch.  Sadly, like all shows today there are commercial breaks every few minutes, however this does allow the cast to set up and prepare before each show, making even live performances seem perfectly done despite the few mistakes and bungles that the stars often make.  I feel that more people should watch this show, not because I want the advertising dollars to be important, rather this show is, if one has to watch tv, better than others.  The television has taken over the lives of many today, and yet few programs that play not only too the modern media's viewership, and to old-fashioned sensibilities of respect, non-violence, and athletic ability as well.  These few attributes are what makes watching Dancing With The Stars at least somewhat worthwhile.

And for those of you

Who are asking what on Earth the reason to have high-waisted, form fitting pants is - they're comfortable, and for competition they help make your legs seem longer.  Also they define the technique of the dancer better by fitting well and looking good.  Now, I'm not saying I want this fashion to be in everyday style - it would loose its panache.  However, please don't think we are wearing these pants because we are gay - few ballroom dancers are gay.  Well.  relatively speaking...

http://marisawright.hubpages.com/hub/Mens-Dancewear-Ballroom

This link helps understand these things a little better.

Latin pants - they're cool. And you know it.

Just what ^ that says :D

Get in shape USA!

http://ballroomdanceronline.com/how-to-get-in-shape-with-ballroom-dancing.html


So people.  Get in shape.  Learn something new.  And become motivated to meet new people, see new places, open new worlds, and most importantly - find your inner self.  Anyone can dance, it's just that we don't always know what dance it is we can do...

Just found another good video

Of professional dancers.  This one includes some impressive action to the music of Michael Jackson, automatically making it cool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j-eUGgD42A&feature=related

Please watch this.  You will be amazed.  And see where I only wish I could be one day...  If only I had more time in my life...

A word about connection

Connection is something that dancers know well.  It is how the man and woman keep from crashing into other dancers.  Connection is what keeps a couple moving sharply and together - to the music!  But what is this connection's importance in the non-ballroom floor.  I feel it is important for people to connect both emotionally and physically in many ways.  Have you ever been having a bad day, and someone gives you a hug?  Or you have a really good conversation with someone who knows you and who cares about you?  You will feel better about yourself and your day.  This I feel comes from the personal value of connection. A bond with someone is powerful, and potentially dangerous depending on the situation.  But it's very important that we have those relationships, that we have those ties to someone else.  It helps to keep us moving, motivated, and encouraged about our own lives.  Without a connection to someone, anyone, we truly have no purpose to our lives.  Our actions won't mean anything unless other people take note, and to have someone to support us and talk to us  that knows us is even more important.  We could be Ghandi, but unless we have someone that not only cares about us and looks to us as we look to them - our grand actions will mean very little.  It is the respect and love we have for one another as humans that helps encourage us through out lives.  Think about you life.  Now I leave you with this question, to encourage you to be friends to someone, to have you care about them whatever and whoever they are.  Remember that it doesn't matter who they are or what they do.   As long as you believe them to be a good person inside, you can be there friend.  Being their friend doesn't mean that you hang out with them for everything that you or they do - sometimes that's not what your friendship needs to be about.  But certainly, talk to them get to know them, and be there friend and support them.  Hopefully you choose your friends such that they support you too.  But think of this - if you were the only person in the world, as the biblical story of Adam depicts.  Would you want to live without any other person around?  For example, if you just woke up and everyone was gone.  Would you try to search for someone out there?  Or would you give up and off yourself?  Or maybe - you'd make do with what was left in hope of them returning.  Whatever the answer to these questions, remember that tomorrow you may be gone - or those you love might be gone.  So keep that in mind when you turn someone down to play a video game or something else that probably doesn't need to be done.  Pay attention to those around you.  Don't let them become invisible.  And remember that sometimes you have to take some effort to get somewhere in life, whether for a job or to establish a link with someone that you feel a connection too.

Hahahahahaha.... DANCE.

As I go through life, I seem to be happily meeting people - new people to talk to, to learn new things from and about.  One way I often meet people anymore is through my dancing.  As I intend to head up to Boston MA this weekend, I hope to meet a few more people through dancing.  Recently I had the privilege of meeting someone new.  Hopefully a lasting dance partner, unlike those from previous times who have parted my company on the ballroom floor for one reason or another.  This young lady is currently studying in Baltimore at one of the many colleges in Towson, MD.  Appearing rather late in the latin class at the John's Hopkins University ballroom team's tuesday night intermediate and advanced lessons, she came in with confidence and quite the technique level.  I have now happily since then practiced with her over the weekend, and optimistic about this partnership.  We have fairly good floor chemistry, with her strong connection and my strong lead.  This is promising :)

Haha...

http://tosh.comedycentral.com/blog/2011/10/03/behind-every-great-woman/

If I had an older sister I would have been this same kid.

Hey! You should tell them...

There's no smoking allowed!

The 2011 Demolition Derby at The Great Frederick Fair - the very essence of "Americana" as my Uncky Jim said...

Cars are beautiful things

They offer us freedom, the rush and thrill of life.  They embody America, from the freedom to the power to the very sound of in particular, classic cars.  We Americans often drive gas-guzzlers, but that's not always necessary, and Americans are slowly beginning to realize this.  Sadly, there are also people out there who still want to drive the biggest baddest Hummer around.  However, I think a better way to spend my time would be in this car.

This was my dad's 78 corvette.  He didn't restore, he made it his show car.  This is the car on it's final voyage as it goes to it's buyer, as my dad doesn't feel he can appreciate the car and enjoy it, between having put the money into making it look like this and not having much time to drive it.  Now, I guess, it's time to find another classic car for him, and hopefully me, to have as a "date" car...  :)

DWTS

So, as a ballroom dancer and advocate that anyone can dance, here is my favorite tv show :D

http://abc.go.com/watch/dancing-with-the-stars/SH559050/VD55143780/week-1

Now, to clarify, while anyone can dance, only the one's who practice are going to be any good.  If only I got 6 hours of dancing in a day, I could be world champ in a year...

By far, my biggest crush is on Lacy Schwimmer.  However, I do think it's to bad Anya Trabunskaya is married ;)

Today

I had lunch of tomato soup and a cheese and deer bologna panini.  Let me just say that this is one of the great things about the cooler weather, other than getting to wear jackets and looking like I do in the photo above.  Warm food is fabulous.  Just sayin'

Cool lighting

On this photo.  Overlooking the fields at home.

A beautiful picture

From a tractor.  While transporting corn sileage to and from the field.

New ballroom slacks!

So these are my new ballroom pants, not the greatest pic but they look good :)

fellow bloggers from class

These are some more interesting blogs from my class

http://thesamte.blogspot.com/

http://eastcoastweather.blogspot.com/

A blog of a fellow classmate

http://markevitts.blogspot.com/

This is one of my fellow classmates in the Electronic Media class that prompted this blog.

Favorite musicians

So, as I am sitting here typing papers, I've heard at least two songs by Lady Gaga, and now Michael Jackson is playing.  I wonder how many other people jam out to their favorite musicians while writing papers?  I know that sometimes I can't stand to have music playing while I'm trying to focus, while other times I have to release and relax through my music and just feeling the beat.

In thinking about my favorite musicians, many people may feel I'm a bit old school in liking Michael Jackson - but am I?  This one musician managed to transform so much of the world for the better, through his love for kids and the foundations/donations that he put his own money into.  He also completely upended many parts of the music industry -the greatest of which was the advent of the music video as we know it.  I trust that anyone reading this will have seen the music video "Thriller" to MJ's song of the same name.  The album Thriller, released in November of 1982, contained the song as the title track.

[spoiler alert-watch the movie on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA&ob=av3n]

I would like to give a simple little review of the masterpiece that is the music video to this song.  At 14 minutes it is a substantially longer movie than the song.  Which, to most artists, is excessive.  However, there is a story that is being told through the video.  The initial scenes appear to Michael turning into a werewolf creature to then attack his lover, whereby the camera focuses on a laughing Jackson eating popcorn watching this scary movie with his date.  Telling his girl she is taking the scariness to seriously, they venture out onto the street where Jackson begins the opening lines of the song to cheer up his girlfriend.  As the movie goes along, they pass by a cemetery where inevitably, some ghoulish creatures rise from the grave.  The movie concludes with some scary beastliness dancing around with Michael Jackson (which according to Commoncraft indicates that they were not actually zombies http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVnfyradCPY)

What this movie did was change the music video recording industry.  It included fanciful costumes, unique elements of synchronized dancing in a story board fashion.  While the beginning of the video feels a bit tedious, it certainly has the scary buildup to lead into the almost light-hearted rendition of the spooky lyrics.  It even includes haunting sounds of Vincent Price's voice throughout the end of the song. Overall the video is an enjoyable watching experience, particularly to those who are about to go trick-or-treating on halloween.  There's something about the song and video that just puts the spook in your step.

Just a fun blog...

http://fuzzycarpetandpolkadots.tumblr.com/

This amusing blog is from my friend and her awesome roommate, and their adventures as roomies.  Check 'em out :)

Thoughts on class room time

Often, I sit in my college classes and I ponder the things that go on.  Why am I here is a great question - but maybe - what else could I be doing?  Why do I even ponder what else I should do?  What is my opportunity cost of staying in this class, rather than edging out, and maybe dancing, or exercising, or playing music...  There is so much to do in life - why should I stay in class to learn the things I may or may not know.

It is my belief that while class is useful, maybe there should one day be an interactive online deal, where you can have interactive discussions with a teacher through a webcam.  Spending barely half an hour on a subject, a person could discuss with the teacher different subjects that a person may already know.  Then, after the teacher assesses the individuals knowledge level of the area of choice, could potentially certify a person in the area, and there wouldn't be any need to attend that extreme length of class time.  We could be much more efficient about how we go about schooling.

Just food for thought, because this blog has a lot of that.

And here we have a delicious quiche that my mom made for breakfast the other day, along with some homemade donuts.  One more example of why I enjoy living at home so much - the food.

Amen, for our lives, our food...

New York Times, Michael Pollan to President Obama

Please check out this link, and read this letter written by a man who I respect for deciding to help educate the American public on just how lost they are in their food choices.  One book he has written, The Omnivores Dilemma, has helped to educate me and provide me with an insightful view on just how lucky I am to live on a working farm.

I tried turning it, but you will get the picture.  This is a recent panini I made, completely using vegetables from our garden.  The joys of living on a farm - you get fresh, real, and most important tasty food.  This evening for example, I experienced a casserole using our own potatoes, green beans, homemade tomato soup (made from our tomatoes), onions, and our ground beef from our own cows.  Additionally there were squash based biscuits to go with the meal, plus locally produced butter to top them with.  Deliciousness.

Slavik Kryklyvyy and Karina Smirnoff Jive WSS

This video is what has been the inspiration for my dancing every time I feel down about where I am with my working out, stretching, and exercising. It embodies not only the feel of the jive by using playful choreography, but demonstrates a level of fitness and physique as few athletes can experience. This is one of my many favorite videos on youtube.

Oo... Joining the blogosphere...

Time to discover what this "blogging" thing is all about, huh...