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Arun is Bringing You...Your Daily Remedy

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

The Feminization of Arun?

Jeez I hope not.

I consider my myself kind of an all-around guy. Not too fruity or metro sexual, but not exactly the alpha-male, Man's Man either. I work-out and keep myself well groomed for the most part (although some would argue that the "longish" hair that I'm rocking right now is a little out of control), but I don't spend any real money on grooming.

I received an interesting offer this weekend.

My friend Renata tells me that a good friend of hers is finishing up cosmetology school and they really need male "models" to work on, since pretty much the only people that come in are female.

Me: "Haha! There's no way I'm paying the ludicrous prices that these places charge for any type of cosmetology service!"
Renata: "Oh but it's FREE!"
Me: "Tell me more."

Don't we all love the magical word of "Free!"

So I was honestly still pretty skeptical since sitting in some chair for an hour while someone is dolling me up doesn't sound too appealing. But then she said the other magic word.

Renata: "A big part of this also involves a MASSAGE"
Me: "Sign me up!"

She signed me up and told me it was basically some kind of "facial" where they exfoliate and moisturize my skin and then give a massage for the rest of the time. It's free because it's a student (Renata's friend) doing it, and they really need guys.

I was all excited to be signed up for a free massage until she dropped this bomb on me.

Renata: "Oh yea, the facial might also involve a little eyebrow waxing..."

Ok, if there's any word that defeats "free" and "massage," it's definitely "waxing."

Me: "What!?! Uhhh, I don't think this is happening."
Renata: "Well I already signed you up. But there's one more thing I forgot to mention....."
Me: "One more thing? What?!"
Renata: "Well they kind of need the male models to also be prepared to get a male bikini wax"
Renata: (Laughing at my incredulous oration on why no rational man should ever even consider getting waxed in "the sacred area of good stuff."

The next day, I did some research on the Internet to see what men had to say about bikini waxing. Here are some direct quotes:

"Any man who doesn't pop at least 4 Advil before getting a wax job, may not make it out alive. The tenderness does eventually subside and I feel silky smooth."

"After icing my 'area' for a couple of days after, the product looked great!"

These testimonials weren't exactly convincing. After some debate, I finally convinced Renata to let me talk to Heloisa (the friend performing the procedure) so that I may put my negotiating skills to work. After some time and a few jokes, I finally made it clear that I would do this providing no wax even come near me.

So I went in and had an incredibly relaxing massage, and yes, a facial. I have to admit, I did enjoy it. It was actually really relaxing, and I told them that I'd be willing to return any time they need male models provided waxing is not so much as even mentioned.

I don't know how you ladies do the waxing thing, but I will never be feminized enough to do it!

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Arun Versus The Bee

I normally don't like writing posts on small daily activities because I don't want this blog to be like a daily journal or diary, most of which I find incredibly uninteresting. The purpose of this website is to be entertaining while allowing me to share my rants, commentaries, advice, and adventures.

Keeping that in mind, I had no intention of sharing the following story, but after telling this account to a couple of people who found it humorous, I thought I'd go ahead and share. To cover everything, I'll give you a time by time account, and for dramatic effect, I'll tell the story in the third person.

7:30 - Arun comes into office. All is quiet.

7:35 - Arun brews a delicious cup of decaf coffee and sits down at desk ready to work, with earphones streaming The Adam Carolla Show.

7:40 - Arun hears a buzzing and wonders if it's the music in his headphones. Removing headphones he continues to hear an incredibly noisy buzzing. Arun looks up and locates the source. A Bee!

7:43 - Arun tries to work and ignore the bee, but the bee keeps going into the light housing and its wings are beating against the metal causing an incredibly noisy reverberation.

7:45 - Arun twiddles thumbs waiting for the damn bee to hurry up and leave his office. The stupid bee however is content to buzz around the ceiling lights and annoy Arun incessantly.

7:52 - Fed up, Arun stands up and rolls a piece of paper up planning to possibly swat Mr Bee. This turns out to be a bad idea because:
A) The florescent lights have this plastic grid protecting them so its hard to get a clean swipe at the bee.
B) Arun fears missing at a swat attempt and possibly pissing off Mr. Bee, and
C) If Arun goes for an extra aggressive swat with something bigger and heavier, there's a damn good chance that the florescent light will explode in his face. Arun's face is too handsome to risk any remote chance of harm.

As an aside, this Mr. Bee was one smart cookie. It's as if he knew he was taunting me. He would start up his buzzing every few minutes. Just when I thought he was done, he'd start up again. Then he'd poke his little body out, and I'd jump up thinking I could get him, but as soon as I got close, he'd retreat behind the lights.

8:55 - Arun attempts and fails to ignore Mr. Bee and be productive, but Mr. Bee is persistent in his annoyance.

9:10 - Fed up, Arun says allowed, "Fine! You wanna play Bee?!? This is war!"

9:15 - Arun goes around office rounding up a small stash of rubber bands.

9:25 - Arun returns to office with a stash of ammunition and practices aiming and firing at a makeshift bulls eye drawn on his white board.

9:35 - Arun crouches behind office door waiting for Mr. Bee to come out and play. Mr. Bee however seems to know what I'm up to and remains in hiding, still buzzing against the metal.

9:45 - Strategizing, Arun sits at desk with weapons at easy access. To his left are the rubber bands, ready to fire, as well as a notepad for swatting, and a heavy book to finish Mr. Bee off.

10:45 - Arun returns from meeting and notices Mr. Bee is resting on the plastic grid in the lights. Apparently he thought he could rest while I was gone, and now he has his back to me so he has no idea I'm here! This is my chance!

10:46 - Arun grabs handful of bands and commences firing!!!

10:47 - The first two shots are misses. Mr. Bee starts flying frantically in the lights. Arun pulls back for the third shot knowing his window of opportunity is shrinking. Mr Bee will soon go into hiding, and this is his best chance.

10:48 - Arun releases third shot. HIT!!!! Mr. Bee falls to the ground, injured.

At that very moment, I knew it would soon be over. The battle of Man vs. Bee would soon be over.

10:49 - Arun grabs note pad and swats downed Bee. He's still moving! Arun lunges for giant book and throws it down with tremendous force causing a huge sound. It's over.

10:50 - Office neighbors walk over to see what all of the commotion is about. An exhausted Arun explains the epic war that was just fought, and that he was able to successfully defeat the intruders.

10:55 - All is quiet in Arun's Office, and he takes a quick nap to prepare for lunchtime basketball.

What a morning.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Four Exercises Every Guy Should Avoid

I'll be the first to admit that today's "Remedy" is completely superficial, but the fact of the matter is, most people, despite our convictions, are swayed by certain superficial things.

Like it or not, we all judge a book, at least partially, by its cover.

One of the places where people congregate to improve their "cover" is the gym. Sure a lot of people (including me) exercise to be healthy, but seriously, how many of us would bust our backsides everyday in the gym if it didn't contribute to our physical appearance? I know my motivation would go down (but luckily I'm genetically blessed devilish good looks :)

Oh but looks aren't the only first impression we make on people! Actions are just as important! Think about it. Suppose you see a good-looking guy doing ballet. Odds are he's either gay (not that there's anything wrong with that) or a fruit (yes there is something wrong with that).

Yes I'm making gross generalizations, but this is my blog and damnit I want to unfairly generalize people today!

Keeping these aforementioned observations in mind, I would like to save any of you men out there from looking like a fruit at the gym. Nobody respects a fruit, and I don't want any of my readers to ever accidentally enter "Fruit Zone."

Before I get to the actual exercises you should avoid, let me add this disclaimer: you can avoid every exercise on this list, but nothing can save you from fruit status if you're wearing extremely short and tight shorts.

My God those things are terrible. There's nothing that screams "Tooty Too Fruity" more than those oversized speedos.

Now, the moment you've been waiting for. Four exercises any self-respecting, female desiring, and yes, somewhat superficial Man should avoid.

1. The High Speed Elliptical: Notice the words "high speed." I actually think that the elliptical is a great machine and use it on occasion because its easy on the joints (and if I do it, by definition it cannot be fruity). The problem arises if you try to run on that thing. Trust me. Going any faster than 5 mph makes any man look like a prancing gazelle. Put some resistance on the thing for God's sake!

Look around, and you'll see a lot of women flying on that thing! That's great for them, but I would rather avoid looking like a prancing gazelle. (As a side note, wasn't there an infomercial once for an elliptical machine called the Gazelle? I seem to remember a muscle-bound guy who was the epitome of a fruit which further supports my case!)

2. The Fancy-"Nancy" Stairmaster. Again, another machine I like because it really kicks your ass. I'm not talking about the one where you shuffle your feet really fast, but rather the one with the rotating stairs that you actually step on.

When on the stairmaster, face forward, and step all you want to your heart's content. Never, ever follow any of the routines you might catch a chick at the gym doing on those things! I don't know where they get these moves, but on any given stairmaster, there's a girl who does it like sideways, and then does a slow kick thing behind them on each step, and finally follows that by skipping steps, kicking the hind leg out while giving a hip shimmy.

Honestly, do I need to explain why no man should do this?

3. Aerobics class. Sure we all fantasize about being the guy in the "Call on Me" Music Video (see below), but that will never happen.

To put it simply, sideways cha-cha's, hip thrusts, and arm curls with no weights do not make a guy look flattering. And no, doing an aerobics class to meet chicks is not an acceptable excuse. If that's your intent, it likely totally transparent, and if it's not, then you're a fruit! Cut and dry.

4. Hip Abductor/Adductor. No man should ever be caught on this machine! In case you're not familiar with machine, it basically consists of sitting down with pads around your legs, then squeezing your thighs together and apart. Here is the Hip Adductor in Action

In case you haven't noticed, everyone of these exercises is extremely effeminate. A fruit, according to the Urban Dictionary can be defined as: "He's not exactly gay, but just womanly enough to be gay."

Next time you go to work out, remember to keep these exercises out of your routine. And if you happen to see a man performing any of these activities, don't laugh. Just take a mental picture of the fruit you could have been, and relish in your extreme Manlihood!

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Elevator Etiquette

We're in them almost everyday. There just another part, another room of the building, yet for some reason we all feel the need to change our behavior when we enter the elevator!

Look around next time you enter an occupied or crowded elevator and you'll notice some interesting peculiarities.

Most people enter the elevator and generally saddle up next to one of the railings while staring straight ahead saying absolutely nothing.

Rule number 1 in "Unspoken Elevator Etiquette": Enter, remain absolutely silent, and look at nobody!

I always enjoy the people who are fascinated with the elevator inspection sign. They just stand there staring at it, yet if you were to ask them what they just read, they'd have no idea. It kind of serves as a "target" for people to stare at and pretend to be reading, thus avoiding any "elevator conversation" which we all know is taboo!

Honestly, when I enter the elevator, I do have a couple of small things I do to. I used to always check and see if it was equipped with that little phone behind a door. I always felt more comfortable knowing I had some sort of communication with the outside world, just in case the elevator gets stuck (this was before the age of cell phones).

Sometimes when I'm in a crowded elevator, I casually glance at the max weight sign, then take a guess as to how much load the elevator is carrying. Inevitably, Fatty McFatterson steps on to the elevator at the next floor at which point I start worrying just a tad...especially when you feel the elevator bounce a little everytime it stops!

There's also the issue of holding the elevator door. Its funny how everybody has their own "point of no stoppage" when it comes to holding the elevator door as it starts closing. Some people absolutely refuse to stick an arm out if the door starts closing at all while others will go all the way until you can only fit a finger in to get the door to reopen!

I'm somewhere in between. Even though I know the elevator door isn't going to crush my hand, instinctively its hard to throw an arm in there as the jaws are collapsing!

And now for an interesting elevator story:

In high school, I used to work at a local fitness club as a tennis instructor. When the normal court maintenance guy was gone, I would clean the courts and refill the big water coolers on each court.

Now this was no simple chore because these coolers were pretty big and generally at least half full of water and ice when I had to change them. To compound matters, the cafeteria where we went to replenish the water was upstairs, so carrying each of the coolers up individually would require a mountain of effort which I wasn't willing to give.

To solve this problem, the cafeteria let us use their cart/dolly type thing, if you could call it that. It was basically a rickety board on four multi directional wheels (like on the front of a shopping cart) with a handle that came up to waste height.

It was always an adventure getting the coolers from the tennis courts to the cafeteria. I'd load two or three of these things onto the cart and make my way down the hall and into the elevator.

Brilliantly, the elevator opens up on the second floor directly onto the running track. In order to get to the cafeteria from the elevator, you have to cross this busy track.

Oh but I'm not done!

The track was also elevated about an inch from the ground, so to get over the track, I have to move the cart to the back of the elevator, and gather some speed to get over the hump and onto the track, then maintain this speed to get off the track on the other end.

Brilliant design Mr. Architect.

Theorem 781 in "Arun's Guide to Lifetime Awesomeness" states: big water watercoolers + rickety old cart + highspeed bumps = bad news.

So one sunny Saturday, I'm making my way from the cafeteria back to the elevator with three coolers full of water. Crossing the track from the cafe to the elevator is made tougher because, pushing the cart, you can't see around the entry wall for oncoming traffic, so you have to just kind of go, and hope.

So, as usual, I gather speed and push the cart over the bump onto the track. Suddenly, I notice a runner in my path so I stop abruptly to let him pass.

I stopped. The Cart stopped. The Giant Water Coolers kept going.

It was like slow motion. They hit the track, and for an instant, they just layed there. All was safe?...I'm not that lucky. The lids simultaneously popped off from the impact and the water pressure. The running track became a slip n' slide.

Oh but I'm not done.

This spillage occured right in front of the elevator which happened to be right at the corner of the track where it banks for runners. What this means, is all of the water was draining into the elevator shaft!

Did I mention the brilliance of the architects?

I, slightly panicked, first wanted to get the cart and water coolers off of the track. I threw everything in the elevator and went down to unload them and grab towels. The elevator door opened and the only thing I could see was a waterfall in front of me from all the water flowing down the shaft. Once I made it under the water fall, I was greeted by a thoroughly pissed janitorial and maintenance crew.

Management wasn't too happy with me that day. The elevator was "out of order" for the next few days. which meant the normal tennis court maintenance guy had to carry each cooler up the stairs for the rest of the week to fill them.

At least I saved him the trouble of having to observe "Elevator Etiquette."

Monday, May 14, 2007

The Art of Forgetting

This may be hard to believe (I didn't believe it at first either) but it turns out that I do have a slight weakness. I'm a tad forgetful.

As painful an admission as this is, I've been known to forget a few dates here and there, and regretfully, it happened again this weekend.

I woke up Sunday morning nice and refreshed, ready for another fun day, completely oblivious to the fact that it was Mother's Day! Now I knew the entire week that it was coming up, but on the day itself, I had completely forgotten until my Mom called me.

The bad part is, I didn't even remember until a couple of minutes into the conversation. I was wondering why she sounded a little funny on the other end of the line, then it hit me. "Happy Mother's Day Mom!" Nope, it was too late and blatantly obvious that I had forgotten.

Suffice to say, I felt really bad. My poor Mom was waiting for my call. To compound the guilt, we don't live in the same state so my Mom got none of the pampering a great Mom deserves on Mother's day.

Luckily, I was able to talk myself out of any extreme trouble. How was I able to do this? Well, first, I was really sincerely sorry about forgetting and have promised to make it up for my Mom. Second, I brought up my exemplary track record of forgetfulness when it comes to remembering occasions on the exact date.

I always know the dates of things like Birthday's or Mother's day, but on the actual date, I have a habit of forgetting. I forgot my Dad's birthday last year, and my sister's a couple before that.

I know what you're thinking. "Arun, your despicable! Your Mom has made so many sacrifices for you, and you can't even remember ONE special day! I'm shocked at your thoughtlessness!" Believe you me, I feel REALLY bad, but my Mom forgave me so you can too.

In fact, I received TWO solid tongue lashings from friends on Saturday when I mentioned I forgot. It turns out girls do not like it when guys forget special dates. Big surprise eh? My friend Renata layed into me right after I got off the phone with my Mom. Later on, I mentioned my little flub to Mariana who also gave me a solid scolding.

Luckily, balance has been restored to Arun's World, and all has returned to normal.

On a related and somewhat cute note (yes, I just used the word "cute," but I promise, I'm not gay (not that there's anything wrong with that)), I saw a funny little interaction between a Mom and her older (mid 20's) son yesterday. I was walking down the street and this cute little Mom was holding some daiseys as she and her son were parting ways after brunch.

Mom: "Bye Sweety!"
Son: "Bye Mom."
Mom: "Careful crossing the street!"
Son: (slightly annoyed) "Ok Mom."
Mom: (now calling from about 100 feet away) "I Love You!"
Son: (slightly embarrassed and very quietly) "Ok Mom."
Mom: (apparently not hearing his response and calling louder) "I LOVE YOU SWEETY!"
Son: (really embarrassed and annoyed) "OK Mom!"
Me to the Mom: "Happy Mothers Day!"

It's funny how, no matter how old you are, Mom's are always Mom's. You can be Joe Toughguy at 30 years old, but your Mom won't hesitate to give you a tongue lashing for not cleaning your room or yelling "I love you sweety pie!" across the intersection in public.

If I so much as cough into the phone, my Mom will start pressuring me to take cold medication and go see the doctor. Then, I'll get frequent "check up" calls to make sure I'm feeling alright.

I suppose that's why we love our Mom's so much.

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Routine Your Way to Awesome Living

You never thought "routine" could be used as a verb did you? Well, one of my talents happens to be misusing the English language to create new word uses that are somewhat understandable.

So what am I talking about?

Rule number 135 in "Arun's Guide to Lifetime Awesomeness," - establishing a good routine is essential for maximizing fun-time. AND, postulate number 42 states "Lifetime Awesomeness is directly proportional to quantity of fun-time," so there's mathematical sense behind this.

Well, me being one not to argue with my own science, on almost all weekdays I am very routine. I get up at the same time every morning, do the same stuff to get ready, and go to work. At work, I generally eat and workout at the same time as well.

Sounds pretty mundane, eh? In fact, so many people resist the temptation to have a routine because they feel like everyday will be the same and life will be boring! On the contrary, having a routine actually creates more time to be spontaneous and "live life awesomely" (and if you haven't guessed, that is a running theme with me).

Not convinced yet, are you? Allow me to expound. The greatest thing about having a routine is that high priority activities are built into your day and you are able to get these done extremely efficiently while still having time to do whatever you want to.

For example. Exercise is a priority for me everyday, and its built into my Monday through Friday schedule. At lunch, I play basketball or go running, and after work, I go to the gym to lift weights. Skipping is not an option. Exercise is a "built in" part of my day, just as eating lunch and going to work are. The beauty is, it's not a nuissance that I have to plan around since its already in my schedule as a requisite activity and placed at such a time, that it gets done as efficiently as possible.

Think about it. You take a shower everyday, and most people do it in the morning right after they wake up, or in the evening before bed. But what if you decided that showering was not a priority (in which case you would no longer be welcome in my immediate proximity) and decided you'd just do it if you "have time" or "get a chance." Well, first of all, it would be a pain to have to go out of your way in the middle of the day or whenever, to go take a shower, and second, it would hardly ever get done!

Part of the reason so many people don't regularly exercise is because they don't incorporate it into their routine! When I exercise after work, I go straight to the gym to save time, and avoid any dilly dallying that would happen if I stopped home first.

When I do get home, I now have the whole evening free to do whatever I want without having to plan around anything!

I also need to make time to write this blog. Many times, this is right before bed (and a little during a break at work). Again, I put this activity into my schedule so that I don't waste any of my precious free time planning around this.

I know a few people who don't really have any sort of routine. What's the most common complaint? "I don't have any time for _______(insert fun or healthy activity here)!"

I generally won't say anything, but inside I'm thinking, "Well that's a big fat piece of juicy BOLOGNEY!"

Most of us have the time to do these things, but it takes an establishment of some sort of routine to manage your precious time as efficiently as possible, and thus have more time and energy to do the things you love!

Establishing a routine is like adding hours to the day!

I know what you're thinking. "Arun, you're pretty smart." (I know, continue your complementary thinking) "But how do you expect anyone to follow a routine every day! I like change! In fact, how do YOU even follow a routine everyday! Doesn't it get boring?"

First of all, my evenings tend to vary and be totally UN-routine (yes I invented another new word). Because I was so efficient in getting everything I prioritize finished, I have all types of free time in the evenings to do whatever I want!

And, when the weekend comes, I don't know the meaning of routine! I never plan workouts on the weekends because I have no idea what I'm going to be doing, and I hate having to plan around things (especially something like working out which isn't exactly the most fun thing to do) later in the day. Seriously, there is no structure whatsoever to my day on Saturday and Sunday.

So if you're one of the many people who feel like there's not enough time for anything, realistically look at your routine (or lack thereof), analyze, and fix it so that you can maximize your fun-time and live life awesomely!

Friday, May 4, 2007

The Adam Carolla Show

Every morning between the hours of 6am (The precise time on which my alarm goes off) and 10am (by which point I am solidly into my second cup of coffee and my first snack at work)I listen to a radio show broadcast here on the west coast called, "The Adam Carolla Show."

As you may have guessed, the star of the show is Adam Carolla. To refresh your memory, Adam has starred on such hits as MTV's "Loveline," and "Crankyankers," as well as "The Man Show." His cohosts are Danny Bonaduce (Partridge Family and Breaking Bonaduce) and Teresa Strasser (HGTV's "While you were out," award winning journalist, and hottie in general.)

Recently, I got the chance to watch the crew in action during a live broadcast.

I first started listening to this show when I moved to San Diego. It's intention was actually to be a replacement for the "Howard Stern Show" (which and whom I can't stand). At first, when I woke up in the morning hearing this Adam Carolla guy complain about everything under the sun from Left-turn arrows at traffic lights, to "Blowhards" like Rosie O'Donnell and Donald Trump, I was thoroughly annoyed.

Where's my morning music? How about some tunes to start the day? For some reason though, I couldn't bring myself to change the station. Slowly this man of infinite complaints and rants was growing on me!

In fact, his excessive ranting may have even influenced some of my own previous rants that I've posted!

Now that I've listened to the show for quite a few months, I definitely wanted to take the opportunity to check it out since they were here at the popular beach bar "The Wave House" last night for today's show.

I don't need to bore you with the details a radio show that you may or may not have heard, but know this. I am going to somehow, get on that radio show! Last night, I was watching these guys go about entertaining not only a live audience, but everybody else out there in radio land, and I decided I would be a great addition to their team!

I know what you're thinking. "Arun, when are you going to stop these hair-brained schemes and adventures of yours and just give it a rest!"

Never. I like to make life as interesting as possible, and if getting on the Adam Carolla Show is part of the plan, then so be it!

My plan? Well, I don't really have a plan yet per say, but they do have quite a cast of unusual guests that appear on the show, and I'm thinking that "Bapo Gupta: Beffudled Indian" would be both popular and hilarious. Stay tuned on this developing adventure!

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

A-plus - The Rapping Sensation

Over the years, I've been given many a nickname, each one with an interesting story behind it. Today, I'm going to share with you the nickname that stuck the longest, and which some people still refer to me as today: A-plus.

The genesis of this alias was at the beginning of my junior year in highschool. I had this friend, Germaine, who happened to be a brotha (aka a black dude) that I used to call "G." Well, he being the clever brotha that he is, and as many brothas do, having a talent for creating cool word plays, began calling me in response, not 'A' (which sounds stupid anyways), but "A-plus."

Now this was an incredible nick name for a few reasons.

1. It gave me high school "street cred" to have brotha's hollerin at "A-plus" in the halls.

2. It was a differnt play on the typical first letter or double letter nickname (ie. "RJ," "CT," "JR," "AJ" etc.).

3. It was incredibly appropriate since, in high school, I was a stellar student.

I started rolling with it. How could I be uncool with a name coined by a brotha? Around the same time I also started getting in to writing rap, so this became my sort of "rap name." Yes, you probably didn't know this, but I have been known to bust a rhyme or two in my day. I still have some of the first raps I ever wrote, in a box somewhere.

Coincidentally, my high school popularity started rising exponentially at this time. I mean, how often do you see a chubby honor-roll kid writing rap with brotha's, singing in the hallway at lunch with "little samoa" (even though every one of those guys was huge), and giving speeches for the newly inducted honor roll students.

The name "A-plus" however really took off after my English teacher heard through the grapevine that I was into doing rap. She then decided to assign the coolest assignment ever! We had to get into groups and perform raps for the class.

My group consisted of me, already named A-plus, my friend Colt, whom we nick named "C-average", and Jacob Farkas, also known as just Farkas, thus nicknamed "F-minus." Together we were the Grade School Rappers (I know, not the coolest name ever, but I thought it was funny!).

After this, people in my classes knew me as Arun AND A-plus. My senior year though, the name exploded!

Segway a moment. I'm reading through this and I realize that this nickname actually doesn't seem that cool, but it's hard to accurately reflect its coolness in writing. You're just going to have to trust me that it was amazing! (I promise)

Anyways, when it was decided I was participating in the eagerly anticipated Lip Sync Contest there were flyers posted all over the school that read, "Come see Arun aka 'A-plus' perform as the King of Pop: Michael Jackson! Well, that performance ended up being pretty popular and with it, A-plus and Arun became synonymous.

That wasn't the end though. Soon thereafter, I found out I received a tennis scholarship. They did an article in paper about me titled "Rapped up in Tennis." The writer wanted to highlight things I did in addition to tennis. My tennis mentor at the time had told him previously that I had been known to rap here and there under the name "A-plus."

Well during the interview, he made me perform a couple of raps. Sure enough, when the article appeared on the sports page, he spent two paragraphs talking about "A-plus" and including lyrics from the rap that I performed for him.

When I went to college, the name was left behind. Truthfully, my two year stint as "A-plus" was plenty, and it was time to move on. To this day though, a lot of my high school friends still call me "A-plus" for fun.

I know you now have doubts, but I assure you: I really was cool!


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According to information obtained by a liberal environmentalist group, the White House deliberately misled the public about the amount of oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon disaster in April 2010.

The month after the spill, the administration announced that about 25,000 barrels per day of oil was being leaked into the Gulf. That estimate turned out to be wildly off the mark. About 53,000 bpd were being spilled.

According to emails obtained by the group Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, the administration falsely reported the U.S. Geological Survey’s low-end estimate as its high-end estimate, dramatically downplaying the amount of oil flooding into the Gulf.

USGS director Marcia McNutt wrote the following on May 29:

I cannot tell you what a nightmare the past two days have been dealing with the communications people at the White House, DOI, and the NIC who seem incapable of understanding the concept of a lower bound. The press release that went out on our results was misleading and was not reviewed by a scientist for accuracy.

PEER also alleges that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration “maniputalted” data on the extent of the spill by marginalizing measurements that showed a significantly larger volume of oil seeping into the Gulf – measurements that turned out to be far more accurate.

Lehr was leader of one of the most important FRTG teams, the “Plume Team” which analyzed videos of the oil leaks to produce the first estimates. Three of the 13 Plume Team experts used a technique called Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) to estimate a leak rate in the range of 25,000 bpd. But three other experts on the Plume Team reported that PIV was underestimating the size of the leak by more than 50%. Those three experts used a different technology to correctly peg the leak rate at 50,000 to 60,000 bpd.

Yet Lehr did not tell the public or key decision makers that there was a deep split on the Plume Team. In the Plume Team’s Final Report, the body of which Lehr wrote, he reported that “most of the Plume Team used PIV” which produced “consistent and accurate” estimates. These underestimates were repeated to the public and media.

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Punjab Govt Orders Lie Detector Test for Accused Brothers

2 Sikh brothers accused in the Bargari sacrilege case to undergo a lie detector test ordered by the Punjab Government through court.

Sikh worldwide know the 2 accused are innocent as they have a long history serving the Panth. The two became Amritdhari GurSikhs 12 years ago. Sikh groups worldwide are in support of the two brothers and their innocence of the case.

Yesterday amid very tight security around the PGI Hospital in Chandigarh, RP Singh and Parminder Singh from Sikh Relief, were allowed access to visit Rupinder Singh for a few brief moments. There were heavily armed guards surrounding Rupinder’s bedside but our team managed to exchange a few words and offer him moral support.

You may recall during peaceful protests by Sikhs against the beadbi of Guru Granth Sahib ji, Rupinder sustained severe injuries to his spine when police charged at the protestors using their batons. To the shock and horror of the worldwide Sangat, the Panjab government then proudly named and arrested Rupinder and his brother Jasvinder, as the supposed culprits of the beadbi.

The latest situation is that Rupinder awaits an MRI scan which will show in detail the trauma to his spine and the course of treatment required. As Rupinder is currently in judicial custody the State is liable to pay for his medical costs. Therefore, pending payment from the authorities, the hospital will proceed with the MRI.

Earlier in the day, Sikh Relief’s Jasvinder Singh and Amandeep Singh visited Rupinder Singh’s home and met with his family to discuss what assistance we could offer. Further to this meeting, as with our other political prisoners, Sikh Relief will be setting up a monthly welfare package for the family to cover their costs while both their sons are cruelly kept behind bars without justification.

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Thursday, May 17, 2012

The fly rod

If you are fishing using fly fishing technique, you should use a special rod that is fly rod. Fly rods there are 2, 3, 4, and even 5-section. In the performance, section of each rod is actually much less effect on the performance of the rod. It's just for practicality. The fishing gear consisting of 3 or 4 section is superior because it can be taken anywhere easily. Rod with section 3 or 4 is also very suitable for fishing small fish in freshwater. While the two-section rod is more fitting used in the estuary and saltwater fish where size and the power of tend to be larger. Based on the action of rod there are three types of action that is owned by a fly rod that is Slow, medium, and fast. Slow action rods will bend if hit by the load close to the fly reel. Rod of this type cannot be expected to produce a far distance casting. Then the medium action rod will bend in the middle of the rod. Fast action rods, if you get a load to be curved in a third of the rod tip. Fast action rod has a greater lifting power and casting distance. The beginners should choose a fast action rod for casting distance but easy to use. When buying a fly rod you must concern about the warranty offered by the manufacturer. Buy a cheap fishing rod may seem more economical but they are not. You should buy a rod from the leading manufacturers usually always offer a lifetime warranty. The price of fly rod that you want to buy you can customize according to your taste and ability. Purchase via online store it right solution. It could be good alternative brands such as sage fly rods are very easy to get there. Also high class brands such as hardy fly rods. Types of sage fly rods are recommended is one sage because the sage one is the "all-around" rod category, where precision casting accuracy is needed over a wide range of conditions

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Don’t tolerate the scam artists

I bet you’ve seen this kind of scam before: An advertisement in the mail that is designed to look like a bill. It’s the worst kind of scummery because companies like this base their entire business on lying to people. They plan on the receptionist opening the mail, assuming it’s a real bill, and forwarding […]

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Monday, January 2, 2012

The New Greek Goddess of Men's Facial Hair Website

It's been a long time coming and the big day is finally here. The new Greek Goddess of Men's Facial Hair website is finally up and running!

The website works in conjunction with this blog, providing additional information, resources and fun for men's facial hair lovers.

On the site you will find links, freebies, fun stuff and a store with a section selling men's grooming tools and products. A section with Greek Goddess of Men's Facial Hair merchandise is coming soon. It should be noted that 20% of the Greek Goddess's proceeds from store sales go to charity (Locks of Love and Movember/Prostate Cancer Awareness).

Have a question for the Goddess? There is a contact form on the website for just such a thing.

I hope you enjoy the additional fun and resources. Thank you for all of your support over the years. I look forward to continuing to find new, fun, flirty ways to celebrate the sexiness of men's facial hair with you.

~Dani (a.k.a. the Greek Goddess of Men's Facial Hair)
Copyright © 2007 - 2012 Daniella Nicole. All rights reserved.


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Friday, May 16, 2014

a recap...

Remember the days when I used to blog daily?

Me either. Sadness. I actually miss it. So lets all come back to this place, shall we? Good...let start.

The other day I was catching up on a few blogs that I follow and Jenny from Story Of My Life, did a post of life currently in bullet point format...I liked that. So this is how I'll east back into my blogging, after all, it's been over a month since my last post...lot's has happened in our little world.

This is us:

-That was on Easter in Sacramento, we had brunch on the Delta King. Egg hunts at home. Good day.
-I finished my first quarter of college...did you know?
-Now I'm in my second quarter...crazy how that works.
-I switched from night school to days and I got two new jobs. Yes, two.
-So, I never have a day off. That's a lot of fun.
-I did Tough Mudder.
-I learned after doing Tough Mudder that I'm not in shape and I'm more terrified of water than I thought.
-So I've started working out again...Thanks Tough Mudder.
-Little lady got bangs. I cute.
-She has little preschool's the sweetest thing ever. I see my future with a teenager, surrounded by a bunch of very dramatic, chatty me.
-She learned how to write her name. Beyond awesome. 3.5=genius.
-Mother's Day was celebrated. In San Francisco. At the beach. Perfect.
-I turned 30.
-Yes, 30....the BIG 30. How'd that happen? Whoa.
-I celebrated the day with my little girly, pottery painting, dinner and snugs. It was good. Really good.
-Life is good. Busy. Productive. Good.

Here's to more blogging.

Happy Friday...Have a fab weekend.

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jasmine nile said...

beautiful child ,,,,,,,,,,

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Saturday, 14 December 2013

Searching for the Heart of Christmas

We are well and truly into Advent now, well into the festival of light at this the darkest time of the year. How are you doing? Are you in the spirit of the season or are you struggling a little. It can be a difficult time for some folk in so many ways. It’s just so easy to get lost in so many different things. So much so that we fail to fully experience what this time is all about. We all have a bit of Scrooge within us do we not, we all have a little bit of “Bah Humbug”.

I've been thinking these last few days what exactly Christmas is all about, what is at its heart? What is the spirit of Christmas we hear so much about? I've been asking other people too and have heard some interesting views I've also had a look at what is has meant in the past too. It has not been celebrated in the same way over the years. Some of the things people complain about it today have always been present. This blogspot is an attempt to just explore what Christmas is about, what is at its heart? What is the heart of Christmas?

A friend of mine says that Christmas is a time of love and compassion of bringing to the surface our better selves. For many it is about family (however that is understood) coming together. For some it is about God’s Love incarnating perfectly in life, in the Christ child. For others it is the celebration of the end of winter and the coming of life and renewal in the spring time. I think it is all of this and a whole lot more. It seems to me that Christmas is the ultimate universal festival of the heart. It is a mixture of so many traditions and it has altered so much over time, embracing and incorporating so much of this simple spirit of light and love. Christmas is the ultimate festival of the heart, perfectly placed in the deep mid winter when we need it the most.

That said the very fact that it is a festival of the heart causes difficulty for some, if not all of us. Christmas is difficult for everyone in one way or another. Some places of worship offer what are called “Blue Christmas” services. These were begun for those who had suffered losses during the year to remember their loved ones, but this has now extended to include all who find this time of year difficult. Feelings such as grief and suffering are felt more intensely at this time of year because they stand in such contrast to what the Christmas ideal stands for; namely a time symbolising the fullness of the heart; a time when we are supposed to be at one with all that we love, with all that is love. It is important to remember this as we embrace the season with all our hearts.

Christmas is the season of the heart. It is a time to focus on the ties of the heart, the loves of the heart, the dreams of the heart; it is a time to focus on the hearts yearnings and longings; it is a time when we are called to concentrate on the heart, on what it wants, what it needs and what it compels us to be. Perhaps the darkness and the cold of winter helps us with this as through it we appreciate the light and the warmth that the heart of the season can bring. Perhaps by feeling cut off or separate from the ideals of season, by our own grief and sorrows, we can be brought closer to the true heart of it. Not because we are told me must, but because our own heart’s desire it.

We need to remember this as we rush through this season; we need to remember that for many there is pain and suffering. This is why my theme for Advent this year has about bringing that bit of light from our own hearts and souls into this season. By bringing light to the suffering of others we can bring warmth and light to our own hearts. This helps us connect to ourselves fully, to one another, to all life and to that eternal and universal spirit that runs through all life. For “It is better to light one candle than curse the darkness.” When we light the candle within our own hearts we incarnate the Kingdom of God that is within us and we make it present amongst us. In so doing we bring that commonwealth of love to life right here right now.

The heart of Christmas is connection; connecting with best of ourselves, that of others and that of life. Music and singing aid this. People come together and sing communally more at this time of the year than at any other. We sing together; we sing “Glad Tidings of Comfort and Joy”, both of which are needed during this season. I know the power, the spiritual power of singing so well. Singing is one of those practices that bring me closer to that universal, that eternal spirit, it fills my heart to overflowing and compels me to fill the cups of others. It compels me to give my heart.

To give ones heart is the heart of Christmas. As Christina Rosetti wrote “What shall I give him, give him my heart.”This is the heart of Christmas.

Now of course some will argue, usually the “Bah Humbuggers” that this is not what Christmas, or whatever mid-winter festival they believe they are celebrating, is actually about. Maybe they are correct, but I suspect that they are not. Christmas has meant many things to many different people at many different times. It incorporates many traditions, is celebrated differently around the world and at different times in many other cultures. Some would like to see the back of it from a variety of perspectives both religious and secular, but that’s never going to happen. The power of love runs deep and the heart will always overcome the “Bah Humbuggers”. Just as lighting one candle always overcomes the darkness.

Did you know that Christmas was once banned in England. The Puritans in Parliament wanted the people to focus purely on Sunday as the holy day and wanted rid of all the other festivals, such as Christmas, Easter and Whitsuntide, which they considered both heathen and Catholic. Christmas was a time of rejoicing and in the eyes of the Puritans debauchery. Over indulgence and revelry at this time of year is not a new phenomena it has its roots in the Christmas tradition. The Puritans turned Christmas to Christ-tide, a day for fasting rather than over-indulgence. In 1647 they passed an ordinance abolishing it. That said as much as they attempted to enforce them the laws were hard to maintain and the people continued to celebrate these feast in the ways they always had. The measures were completely swept away following the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660 when all legislation passed between 1642 and 1660 was made null and void.

Now of course theologically speaking the Puritans were quite right in most of their objections about Christmas and the time that it was held. That said Christmas was never a celebration of theological correctness, of biblical literalism, of doctrinal purity, of historical factuality. Christmas is rooted in the pre Christian traditions. It was originally a celebration of the returning of the sun at the winter solstice that the church co-opted. The birth of Jesus was not assigned to December 25th until the year 336 and only after much debate and argument as this was the time of year that was originally assigned to the sun gods. This included Mithra, a popular deity worshipped throughout the Roman Empire as well as the dying and rising Egyptian god Osiris. So yes they Puritans and other critics are and were correct when they said, and when they say that Christmas was created by the Roman church and was a co-option of already existing winter solstice celebrations.

Does this matter? Well to many yes it does. To me I actually think it enhances and adds to the universal and eternal spirit that is the heart of Christmas.

Christmas, as we celebrate it today, owes as much to Victorian England and the writing of Charles Dickens as to anything else. “A Christmas Carol” first published on December 1843 is the epitome of what we see as the heart of Christmas today. Dickens caught the imagination of his readers in Britain and America and did so much to create the Christmas ideal a time for family and the simple pleasures of coming together around the table heart to heart.

Christmas as we understand it today and certainly the message that lies at its heart has a deep and rich history and has been fed by many traditions both ancient and modern. This is why I believe Christmas is for everyone, in every time and place. It matters not what name we give this festival of the heart that comes alive at this time of year. It matters little to me the variety of roots that formed it either; they certainly do not diminish its power. Quite the opposite actually the universality of it actually enhances my faith in that universal and eternal spirit that I name God, that light of hope that finds a way through in the darkness of winter and warms our hearts and hearths, that runs through it.

You see the heart of Christmas is the heart itself, burst to overflowing, lit up bringing light and warmth into this season of darkness and cold. It brings hope in what can be very cynical times, as it always has. Christmas is the dream of the heart, wishing to come alive. This is why Christmas is both the religious and emotional centre of the year for most folk. Christmas is the time of the heart, which calls us to our truest nature, to be all that we can be.

This is why it is the holiest of holy days and nights. This is why I believe it is for everyone regardless of background and or faith, or lack of it. Christmas connects to something universal, something eternal in all of us which allows us to connect to our true selves, to one another, to all life and to that loving and eternal spirit that runs through all life.

“Oh I wish it could be Christmas every day”. Well it can be if we make it Christmas every day. It begins by lighting that lamp, that fire in our hearts and in our hearths.

“For it is better to light one candle than curse the darkness”

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Friday, November 29, 2013

A rarity in more ways than one

This one arrived at chez Feel It last week in the same package as last week's offering. This is the B-side. I had bought it for the A-side so turning it over and playing this was a big bonus. A lovely slice of late Sixties Chicago (although actually I suppose it hasn't strictly got the classic Chicago sound), it was the Bamboo label's debut release, and being a solid green label I think makes it a regional first issue.

As far as I can ascertain this was Sylvia Thomas' only appearance on wax. A pity.

You can listen to a very well executed extended edit of the A-side over on YouTube. (The track on the 45 only runs to about 3:30).

As for "At Last" it's not on YouTube - which makes it something of a rarity in more ways than one!

Sylvia Thomas - At Last 1968

Friday, November 22, 2013

See what I go through to bring you these sounds?

This 45 represents a third of the contents of a little package that dropped through the letterbox today and made its way onto my turntable in double quick time. Too quick in fact. I hadn’t noticed the record was covered in a sort of vaguely sticky film (for want of a better description). The record wasn’t playing well at all. The subsequent record didn’t play well either. I whipped the stylus off and put it under the magnifying glass. Where was the stylus? Encased in that great wadge of gunk (I hoped). After a careful bit of stroking with a small paintbrush the gunk was removed and the stylus was revealed again. Out with the magic fluid and Jeannie was given a good clean and polish. Back to the turntable, stylus returned to the cartridge, “needle to the record” and ..… no sound coming out of one channel. Putting the stylus back on had disturbed the cartridge connections (which have been giving me a bit of trouble lately). Some fiddling and prodding ensued and finally I managed to play this 45 with no distortion, and out of both channels.

I understand there may be easier ways to listen to music nowadays!

I can find virtually no information on Jeannie Piersol . She had two releases on Cadet Concept, a sister label to Cadet which featured Rock and 'more adventurous' music, (and Rotary Connection).  I have only just realised it was also the US label home of Status Quo in the late Sixties – Pictures Of Matchstick Men was the second release on the label, Rotary Connection having the first (of course).

The writing credit on this track is Darby Slick. Darby’s sister was Grace Slick. Darby and Grace were both founding members of the San Fransisco based rock band The Great! Society!! in the mid Sixties and it seems that Jean Piersol was also a vocalist with that band for a short period in 1965. That’s as much as I have been able to find out.

Time to push the furniture to the edges of the room again.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Tapping My Feet #17 - Let The Music Play

This one has been inspired a bit of Friday night "Yeah Baby" action over at DavyH's blogcave.

I had to interrupt the playing of my latest charity shop purchase to record this one. What is my latest purchase I don't hear you ask? I'll tell you anyway - it's Pinky & Perky's rare album (at least it has virtually no presence on the internet) "Pinky & Perky's Melodymaster", and very enjoyable it is too (surprisingly!).

Anyway, back to Charles Earland with a jazz-funk classic. You will need to push the kitchen table to one side for this one. (The B-side of this I had completely forgotten -i.e. when I played new back in '78 it didn't have that, then essential, jazz-funk vibe - but is very good in a totally different way and I must post it here soon).

Charles Earland - Let The Music Play 1978

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Hot toddy

Uh-oh.  I feel a cold coming on. Time for the honey and lemon, and the whisky of course.

Or I could just play this (again), it has the same soothing effect.

I was very happy to receive this via the letter box recently.

Everything you could want to know about the wonderful Willie West can be found here.

Saturday, November 09, 2013

Slept on too long

I heard a Candido track on the radio last night. I thought - I’ve got this.

It was easy to find because I knew it was filed away under C in my Expedit full of my “original collection” from back in the day. I’ve slept on this one for far too long. I seem to remember Jingo was the track that made me buy this album, but all four tracks on the LP are joyous, percussion driven, dance floor movers. The lyrics may be basic but that is not the point of such records, there is more than enough going on in the mix to mean you don’t need to be in the vicinity of a dance floor to enjoy them. Also, although all the tracks are long – it was recorded in the middle of the disco age after all – they don’t feel over long as so much of the disco output did.

By the looks of my LP I didn’t play it nearly as much as I should have done back in ’79. My gain now though, the LP is in mint condition and sounds great.

Thousand Finger Man is the track that I heard last night. Candido Camero originally recorded this in 1970. I haven’t heard the original version but expect it is very different from this 1979 version which, I think now, sounds way ahead of its time.

Candido has a recording career stretching back to the 50s. He was 58 when he recorded this track. He is still alive, and turned 92 last month.

That’s what congas and bongos can do for you!

Candido – Thousand Finger Man 1979


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OP Kits tagged posts

The March To Immortality begins anew

With the 2017 Immortals Tournament now in the bag, and the 2017 Master Rules book out in the wild, it is time to unleash the 2017-18 March to Immortality (MTI) Tournament document onto the world!

This document is the official, CMON-approved, Dark Age tournament format for the next 12 months (until the 2018 Immortals event), and provides an excellent base for all event organizers to start from. You can run a tournament using this document with no changes, OR you can adapt it to suit your needs (running team/doubles tournaments etc). Just remember to provide all details to your players before the event.

You can go HERE to download the PDF, read through it, and get started on playing through the scenarios.

Next week we’ll do a little feature on some of the great new terrain and objective ma...

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COMMUNITY FEATURE – 2017 UK Nationals!

It is always wonderful to hear tales of enthusiastic communities around the globe putting together events (from demo days to campaigns to  full-blown tournaments), and it is exciting to see folks who have been championing Dark Age take that all one step further.

We’ve been talking with Gareth Anderson on and off for awhile now, and we are very pleased to be able to announce a great focal event that he is running in May 2017 – King of the Wasteland (Dark Age UK Nationals)!

Here’s a link to the event listing on Facebook:

But here are the details listed again (for convenience and for those folks who don’t use Facebook):

King of The Wasteland – Become Legend.’...

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Organized Play – Our New OP Kits!

Earlier in the week, we introduced you to the ‘Bludgelt’, our new “currency” for Dark Age Organized Play. You can check out the post HERE to learn more about it.

In that post we promised to show you more about our Organized Play (or OP) kits. Well, Aaron and the lovely folks at Battle Bin are packing up our OP kits as I type this, and they’ll be delivered to us just after Gencon. Very exciting!

We have two OP Kits for Dark Age – Kit #1 and Kit #2 – so that we can switch up a few things in the kits to add variety to your prizes in-store. Once we know the rate we’ll be going through the OP kits, we’ll be able to better plan more variety, but we think these are starting out pretty well.

In both of the kits you will find:

• One Bludgelt ...

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Friday, June 21, 2013

LaSalle for Father's Day

Every Father's Day my friend Dan goes wading all day.  I joined him last year and blogged the trip.

This year we've had too much rain for the rivers where wading is concerned so we came up with plan-b; take my jonboat to LaSalle Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area to fish for bigger blue catfish than we'd caught on our trip with several other DuPage Anglers a few weeks back


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History, Evolution, and The Darwin Debate

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Is Evolution Observable In Action Today?

March 18th, 2015 · No Comments

Darwinism can’t answer the question: Is Evolution Observable In Action Today? because it points to the wrong mechanism: natural selection. The latter produces mutations and eventually change, but that is not truly evolution.
We need to look in a completely different direction. The macro effect in WHEE adopts an evolutionary terminology of ‘macro’ and ‘micro’ as evolution and then looks at world history on two levels. The starting point is the clear evidence of a development master process of some kind, and its relationship to the realization of this via humans themselves.

In that definition we see how the term ‘evolution’ can apply to historical development. A new model of history

In these terms, the question is ‘evolution observable today’ breaks down into a series of ‘nows’: the greater ‘now’ of civilization since the Paleolithic, the lesser ‘nows’ at smaller and smaller intervals. In that context we see the ‘evolution’ in our new sense is an intermittent process, that alternates between a ‘macro’ phase or transition, and the intervals between them. The former are ‘evolution’ in our sense, while the intervals in between are the realization phase of those transitions, etc… The full model then suggests we are now in an intermediate interval after the most recent burst of rapid transition…. These two taken together thus answer the question, is evolution observable in action ‘today’ in the affirmative in the larger ‘now’ of our model.

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Training Beats Hiring Among Enterprises Seeking Analytics Skills, Survey Shows

by   |   September 13, 2012 9:10 am   |   0 Comments

CompTIA big data survey skills responses

Respondents in the CompTIA survey say they plan to emphasize training.

Over the next two years enterprises will rely on a mix of approaches to overcome a predicted shortage of big data and analytics professionals, according to a study by IT industry association CompTIA released Sept. 12.

The preferred method for acquiring more in-house expertise in data analysis and business intelligence is expected to be training. Fifty-three percent of the 935 respondents—all U.S. IT and business executives from an even sampling of small to large organizations—said they would invest in training current employees in big data and analytics technologies through vendor courses, conferences, certifying organizations, colleges and universities or e-learning.

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Just one in three respondents to CompTIA’s July online survey said they planned to hire new employees with data and analytics expertise.

Together, these two data points suggest an underwhelming response to what is being portrayed as an overwhelming demand. According to consultancy McKinsey & Co., there will be a shortage of almost 1.7 million big data/analytics workers by 2018.

This at a time when enterprises say they recognize the importance of capturing and managing structured and unstructured data to remain competitive. The CompTIA survey respondents echoed this sentiment: 65 percent of  respondents agreed with the statement, “if we could harness all our data, we would be a much stronger business.”

Failure to efficiently collect and analyze big data could cost their organizations in a number of ways, CompTIA’s respondents indicated, with 50 percent citing potential lower productivity and 43 percent citing inefficient or slow decision-making.

These insights come as a separate survey of executives at Fortune 1000 and large government agencies show 85 percent of respondents either already have big data programs or are planning to, with 85 percent of those initiatives being driven from the C-suites or from a business-unit leader. This same research, by NewVantage Partners, a management and consulting firm focused on analytics, also underscores the skills gap: Only 17 percent rated their enterprise’s “ability to use data and analytics to transform their business as more than adequate or world-class.” Harvard Business Review published a blog post on the results on Sept. 12.

Businesses Still Defining Their Skills Needs
Tim Herbert, CompTIA’s vice president for research and the author of the association’s big data study, suggests that some enterprises may be inclined to look inward for big data and analytics talent because they haven’t yet fully grasped the technology.

“Many companies are still working to understand some of the innovations we typically associate with big data,” he says. “Some of them may first attempt to do it with what they have, so they may be looking at skills in the IT department, they may be looking at general financial analysis skills, and they may be looking at others throughout the organization.”

While many enterprises may indeed identify current employees with sufficient technical or analytical skills, Herbert says organizations seeking to leverage big data may have to look outside for other types of skill sets.

“There will be these positions that fall between the technical and the analytical, and it may even include an element of behavioral science,” he says. “Those types of people don’t really exist inside a lot of companies, and those may be new hires.”

Technical, analytical or behavioral, the emerging big data scientist also must have another specialty—the business. Herbert points to a recent job posting for a data scientist by Facebook, “one of the world’s largest aggregators of data.”

The ad emphasizes that the data scientist must communicate with product managers and engineering teams and produce “actionable” guidance.

“He or she must be able to positively impact the bottom line,” Herbert writes in the published study.

One of the industries in which big data and analytics specialists will be most in demand is IT. Technology vendors, Herbert says, are keenly aware of the demand among their customers for big data and analytics expertise, a demand many are rushing to fill through consultancy practices.

“A lot of the big (IT) companies are scrambling to ensure they can provide a solution to customers who inquire about big data,” he says. “There’ll be a significant amount of training and hiring within the IT companies themselves. And usually they’re ahead of the curve, so a lot of the hiring will happen with them before it happens within the customers.”

Chris Nerney ( is a freelance writer in upstate New York. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisNerney.

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8th European Conference

Data Mining 2014

15 – 17 July, Lisbon, Portugal

mosteiro dos jeronimos

NEW Final Program

NEW Social Event

NEW Guidelines for Presenters

NEW Keynote Speakers (confirmed):
Professor Concha Bielza, Technical University of Madrid, Spain
Professor Ana Madureira, Coordinator Professor at the School of Engineering–Polytechnic of Porto (ISEP/IPP), Portugal

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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
Title: Wind and String Octet
Authors: Taylor III, John R.
Advisors: Lansky, Paul
Department: Music
Class Year: 2011
Extent: 119 Pages
Other Identifiers: 25302
Location : This thesis can be viewed in person at the Mudd Manuscript Library. To order a copy complete the Senior Thesis Request Form. For more information contact
Type of Material: Princeton University Senior Theses
Appears in Collections:Music, 1948-2016

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text:
Entry #3

Im back

2008-08-16 01:27:03 by Datnoob

Ive been gone for a logn time as you can see but im back with 2 new Songs, Tropical Holiday and Dearly Beloved. Both of these are Remixes, i hope you enjoy them and later bring on more songs for you to enjoy!

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2010-12-29 07:20:50

your stuff is pretty neat but the filesize makes it hard to use in a flash


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Ruby is a Message Oriented Language

RailsGirls Brisbane, 15 Aug 2015

Many people think of Ruby as an Object Oriented Language. It is - and a lovely one at that. But Ruby makes so much more sense if you think of it as a Message Oriented Language. Most of programming in Ruby involves sending messages to objects, and defining how objects should respond to messages. Master this and you’ve almost mastered Ruby.

We can send a message to an object by using the dot operator, the message name, and an optional payload (typically known as arguments in other languages).

object.send(:message, payload)

So how do we add 2 & 3 in Ruby? We send the object 2 the message + and the payload 3:

2.send(:+, 3)
# => 5

How do we reverse the string RailsGirls? By sending a String object the message reverse:

# => "slriGslisR"

And to randomly generate 5 numbers between 0 and 100, we send a Range object the message to_a which responds with an Array Object. We then send this object the message sample and the payload 5:

(0..100).send(:to_a).send(:sample, 5)
# => [75, 89, 76, 62, 55]

Syntactic Sugar

Every language is optimised for some quality. C is optimised for speed. Java is optimised for bureaucracy. Ruby is optimised for developer happiness.

One way to make developers happy is by giving them a rich and expressive language. Ruby does this by sprinkling some semantic sugar on top of its message oriented architecture. The first dollop of sugar let’s us stop the tedious .send(:message) syntax and replace it with simply .message.

2.send(:+, 3)
# => 5

# => 5

"Hello, Ruby!".send(:include?, "Z")
# => false

"Hello, Ruby!".include?("Z")
# => false

Next, we can get rid of parenthesis so long as there is no ambiguity.

2.+ 3
# => 5

# => true

Finally, some core objects have additional semantic sugar baked in.

2.send(:+, 3)
2 + 3
# => 5

"I love Ruby".send(:[], (2..5))
"I love Ruby"[2..5]
# => "love"

Mmmm, syntax. Yummy.

Everything in Ruby is an Object. Almost

Spend any time around Rubyists and you’ll here that everything in Ruby is an object. That’s almost true but why it’s almost true becomes clearer when you understand just how Ruby conceives of objects.

The traditional coneption of an object in computer science is anything that holds state and exhibits behaviour. In Ruby however, an object is anything that responds to a message.

Numbers are objects because they respond to messages.

# => Fixnum

Strings are objects because they respond to messages.

"Ruby is beautiful".class
# => String

Booleans are objects because they respond to messages.

# => TrueClass

Nils are objects because they respond to messages.

# => NilClass

Objects are obviously objects because they respond to messages.

# => Class

Even Classes are objects because they respond to messages.

# => Class

Yes, the Class class is an object of class Class. Ruby is meta.

Responding to Messages

While much of programming in Ruby involves sending messages to objects, a lot also involves the other side of this relationship - defining how objects should respond to messages. The Ruby Core and Standard libraries already provide a bunch of useful functionality. Often however, we need to compose our own. Ruby of course, make this all very simple with the class keyword.

class MyFirstClass

That it - we’ve just created a class of object called MyFirstClass. Out of the box, we get a lot of functionality thanks to Ruby’s automatic inheritance from the Object class.

# => [MyFirstClass, Object, Kernel, BasicObject]

# => [:allocate, :new, :superclass, :freeze, :===, :==, :<=>, :<, :<=, :>, :>=, :to_s, :inspect, :included_modules, :include?, :name, :ancestors, :instance_methods, :public_instance_methods, :protected_instance_methods, :private_instance_methods, :constants, :const_get, :const_set, :const_defined?, :const_missing, :class_variables, :remove_class_variable, :class_variable_get, :class_variable_set, :class_variable_defined?, :public_constant, :private_constant, :singleton_class?, :include, :prepend, :module_exec, :class_exec, :module_eval, :class_eval, :method_defined?, :public_method_defined?, :private_method_defined?, :protected_method_defined?, :public_class_method, :private_class_method, :autoload, :autoload?, :instance_method, :public_instance_method, :nil?, :=~, :!~, :eql?, :hash, :class, :singleton_class, :clone, :dup, :taint, :tainted?, :untaint, :untrust, :untrusted?, :trust, :frozen?, :methods, :singleton_methods, :protected_methods, :private_methods, :public_methods, :instance_variables, :instance_variable_get, :instance_variable_set, :instance_variable_defined?, :remove_instance_variable, :instance_of?, :kind_of?, :is_a?, :tap, :send, :public_send, :respond_to?, :extend, :display, :method, :public_method, :singleton_method, :define_singleton_method, :object_id, :to_enum, :enum_for, :equal?, :!, :!=, :instance_eval, :instance_exec, :__send__, :__id__]

Typically though, that isn’t enough. Often, we need to define our own responses to messages which we do with the def keyword.

class Hipster
  def ironic?

  def opinion_on(it)
     "#{it} is so last year.""

Now we can create instance objects of our Hipster class, send them messages, and watch them respond.

byron =
# => #<Hipster:0x007f83539f6130>

# => true

byron.opinion_on "Craft beer"
# => "Craft beer is so last year."

That’s largely all there is to Ruby. Just remember that it’s a Message Oriented Language.


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Saturday, October 29, 2011

Since it's snowy, rainy, cold, and just plain miserable today (not to mention the fact that I'm lazy and didn't have the desire to clean mud off my bike all afternoon), I decided to hit the old weights for the first time in a looong time.  To think I used to lift EVERY day back when I was in college is amazing.  I forgot how hard it was!  Moving weight fast, no matter how fit aerobically you are, is hard damn work!  Glad I did it, though I'm not all that excited about how sore I'm going to be for the next few days...

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Winds of Change

"My life got flipped turned upside down..."-Fresh Prince Intro.

I can easily say that the thirtieth year of my life has been, without a doubt, the hardest.  From an emotional standpoint, everything in my life has seemed to result in some form or another of stress.  In May I took a trip to Spain to see my then girlfriend.  After one day of being there I was super-sick (the kind where it's coming out both ends-I'll spare the details).  To make matters worse, we argued most of the time about things that now seem kind of trivial. And then, to put the icing on the cake, my proposal of marraige was turned down.  To put it simply, I left Spain with my tail between my legs, looking forward to getting home and concentrating on work and training throughout the summer.

I got home to a shit-storm at work.  A loyal client of mine left me to go with another trainer.  She had given me her word before I left that I had nothing to worry about, and that she was only training with this new trainer while I was gone. I was assured she'd pick up with me right where we left off when I returned from my trip.  Instead, through a text message no less, she informed me that she was no longer going to be working with me and that she hoped we could still be friends.  Yeah, ok, FUCK YOU.  Not only had I been denied by the love of my life, but now I was coming back home to what I thought would be the safety net of work, only to be betrayed by two people I trusted: my client and my co-worker.  I apologize for writing this, but both of them can go fuck themselves.

So I figured that would be the end of it.  I was wrong.  The "safety net" of work became replaced by the safety net of training.  I poured everything I had into training hard and racing harder.  My races results were ok, but nothing spectacular.  Work dwindled, and I wound up having the worst summer financially that I've ever had as a trainer.  Sure this is more likely a result of the economy, but it still wasn't very confidence inspiring for my already shaky self esteem.  My last race of the season (not intended to be) literally took everything I had.  I wore myself down so bad that in the days after the race I had dizzyness and shortness of breath which prompted a doctors visit.  Being a hypochondriac I also began having panic attacks that gave me heart palpatations and tightness in my chest.  The doctors visit and test results didn't show I had any long term health issues, but I was severely fatigued and I believe so dehydrated that I caused some serious internal damage.  I pulled the plug and haven't raced or seriously trained since.  That was the beginning of August.

And then the true bomb dropped.  I got a call from my girlfriend in Spain.  In hindsight, I should've known something was up because she NEVER called me (we either skyped or texted), but when my cell phone rang and her number came up I was grinning ear to ear.  It had been quite a while since I'd heard her voice as the internet connectivity where she was nearly non-existent, and any time I heard from her my world got brighter.  This wasn't a "good" call though.  This was to be the last.  I was being dumped.  I guess the marriage proposal and the distance had proved to be too much.  I was completely blindsided.  My whole world came crashing down around me.  It was one of those moments in life where emotion is more painful than any physical act could ever be.  Even though she was thousands of miles away and we'd only seen each other twice in about 6 months, I felt alone for the first time since we'd met.

I'd never loved someone more intensely and this was the biggest let down of my life.  For the time that we were together I felt like I was moving forward with my life for the first time.  It was good to feel like I had some direction.  I was planning to move and join her in Spain.  With the breakup I felt lost.  I went from having everything somewhat figured out to complete isolation.  I had no starting point.  I managed to keep a cool profile from the outside, but inside I was a mess.  I started drinking a little more, riding a little less, and generally just not caring. Not good.

Fast forward to now.  I'm still not over everything that's happened, but things are looking like they're finally starting to turn for the better.  Work is still not what it once was, but it's getting better and I'm having fun just riding my big bikes and doing crazy stuff on the trails.  I'm not sure when the next time I'll race is, and it's honestly not a huge priority.  Getting my life on track right now is where I want my focus to be. I've got a bit of my motivation back and that's good.

I'm sorry if this is long winded.  I've never really spoken to anyone about what's been going on and I had to spit it all out.  I'm probably not going to reread this, so there are probably some mistakes.  I'm going to take a little "creative license" and write them off as being part of the writer expressing his emotions on the page (I think one of my creative writing professors said something like that once...).

Thursday, October 20, 2011

In the last two weeks I've had about 7 crashes on the mountain bike.  I NEVER crash.  Maybe a couple dabs here and there, but NEVER anything big.  Once in a blue moon I'll go over the bars, just like everyone, but in the last year plus that I've been pretty exclusively riding in the dirt, I could count on one hand the number of crashes I'd had (and races don't count).

So last Tuesday while riding with a friend, I wiped out hard.  Real Hard.  The type of hard that takes you a minute to get up from.  The type that makes you kind of question exactly what the hell you're doing.  So there, I thought.  I got it all out of the way and it would be another year until I had another big one.  Wrong!

I can't recall all of the crashes, with the exception of the last one today, but damn if I'm not sore, covered in trail rash, and a little sketched out.  This crash today was a real brain-rattler.  I got launched of the bike after hitting a tree stump with my right pedal and landed directly on my head and shoulder.  My poor bike got thrown into a tree, and I bent the ti rails on my favorite saddle.  Otherwise no damage to the bike, but  my body is getting more sore and stiff as I type.

Anyway, it all could have been much much worse, but I think it's time to take a few days off the mountain bike and ride on the road with the crazy drivers where things are SAFE!

I've been thinking of why all these crashes are occurring and the one thing that they all point to is an improvement in skill.  That's right, I said improvement.  Given the fact that I ride quite a lot, my technical skills have gotten to the point where I push the limits A LOT more than I used to.  When I was strictly doing XC riding, I usually kept things pretty mellow-just get from point A to point B as quickly as possible.  Since I've taken my little hiatus from racing, and have been more interested in All Mountain/freeride stuff, I think my balls have grown.  Air is run.  Skinnies are fun.  And power sliding in sharp corners is REAL fun!

All this is to say that I need to be a little more calculated.  I don't mind the occasional crash here and there, but when it starts to become a daily thing, it's time to reconsider how I'm looking at lines.  I'm not 18 anymore for goodness sake!  I think I'll take a couple days off the trails and rediscover my road bike while I heal up.  Let's just hope I don't get hit by a car!

Monday, October 10, 2011

Not much new...

Not much new to report.  Have a few things brewing, but nothing worth talking about yet.  I think since I've stopped "formally" training and racing for the time being, I don't have much to write here.  Not that that's a bad thing, I just need to re-adjust my thinking.  It's been a long time (almst 25 years) since I've not been doing at least something competitive.  To be honest, it's kind of a relief.  My life has been stressful enough without having to worry about the added pressure of racing and training.  Right now, I just exercise for fun (which really means just ride my mountain bike a WHOLE LOT) and enjoy the days.  If I don't get a ride in-which is almost never-I don't beat myself up about it.  Life goes on and there's always tomorrow.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Muddy Fun

I've said it before, but nothing beats riding a mountain bike in mud-not even 'cross.  Something about being able to go through streams on a bike and then cruise through sloppy mud with slick rocks and roots everywhere just makes me go a big soft one inside:).  Soooo much fun!

Today was a nice easy 90+ minute ride in a steady rain on my favorite local trail.  Temps weren't quite cool enough, but they'll do.  The humidity here is still getting at me, but I'll take what today gave any day.  The rest of this week is going to be warmer, and I'm hoping to get in a nice little "road trip" this weekend with some friends to go and ride.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Couple of good rides

Coupla good rides the last couple days.  Both on the dirt and both nice and muddy.  I understand the appeal of 'cross racing, but it seems a little overblown when people talk about all the mud and rough conditions.  Seems like EVERYDAY on the mountain bike is a mixture of sand, mud, dirt, and whatever else is in the way.  Rocks, roots, and jumps make things so much fun.  Cross is awesome, but riding a mountain bike, to me anyway, kind of beats it.  Not to mention disc brakes and suspension allow you to do so many things a cross bike just can't do.  I love mountain bikes and I love cross racing, but if I had to choose between the two, the fat tires would win every time.

Anyway, enjoyed the last couple of days riding in the mud.  The weather seems to be looking like rain for the rest of the weekend, so the trails should be muddy and fun for the next couple days.  I'm considering riding the road bike with some friends tomorrow, but that would entail me waking up super early on the one day I get to sleep in a bit ('till 7am instead of 4:30am!).  Looks like it'll be a gametime decision.

On another note, I'm seriously considering this race for next year.  If I can get in it might be the only race I do next year:) Check out this vid:


text:
Photo by Melody

Rural Gardening: Building a Home , 1 by CricketsGarden

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The sky and clouds were so picture perfect purdy that it looks fake.

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Garden Patio design

New Hampshire, NH(Zone 5b)

I'm designing a patio which will be located in an alcove between my living room, master bedroom and 3 season sunroom. All three rooms will have access to the patio through French doors. I think I know what I want, but could use some help from you folks in here.

First, here is the site (the sunroom is not built yet - it will replace the ugly deck to the right of the picture):

This message was edited Feb 9, 2008 3:39 PM

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