DANCING AIN’T FOR SISSIES - Paragon Dance Competition

DANCING AIN’T FOR SISSIES

Mrs. C's bosses

This cranky old man spent the weekend in Rye New York at a Ballroom dance competition.  You know, the “Dancing With The Stars” stuff.  What with my steady diet of reality TV including shows such as “Say Yes to the Dress,” some of you might think I am leaning to the gay side.  I assure you, though I may be getting in touch with my feminine side, I am not changing teams.  In fact the few gay friends I do have specifically requested that I do not change sides.



Anyway, I did not participate in the competition, I only went to help clean up after it was over.  Mrs. Cranky loves Ballroom dancing, and is manager of a local studio which runs this particular competition.  She volunteered my services.

Dance Floor before

 Ball room after

Besides, Ballroom dancing is not a gender orientation event.  Most of these dudes are very straight, and by the way they move I suspect they have no problem attracting women, and the women are hot with a capital HOT!

If you watch DWTS, you may think the stars are good dancers, and they are, but the dancers in this competition, amateur and professional, are great dancers.  They maintain perfect posture while every movement is sharp and crisp. They appear  to glide around the room as if they were Olympic ice dancers.  The ballroom style takes endurance, athleticism and strength.

Believe me, this dancing is not for sissies!

Kids starting early:

The best of the amateurs 

To see Mrs. C’s bosses in action at previous contests:

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=ballroom%ee%80%81+dance%2c+%ee%80%80andrei+gavriline&FORM=VIRE3#view=detail&mid=6D7A5180EF424E1368236D7A5180EF424E136823

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO…- a cranky re-run

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO…

This Monday's cranky re-run is a bit of nostalgia from October 2011 

Sometimes technology makes things obsolete overnight. Vinyl replaced the old breakable records overnight; CD’s replaced records, and iPods are replacing CD’s.  Other changes are more phased out, and that is when you sometimes ask, “Whatever happened to…”

Gas station attendants used to wash your windows, check your oil, check your tires and check your batteries while they filled your tank.  Heck, they even gave you NFL tumblers and green stamps.  Today, except for New Jersey and Oregon they don’t even fill your tank.  Everything is self service.  Whatever happened to full service gas stations?  Why?  Would you pay an extra couple of pennies per gallon for old time service?

Whatever happened to checking the battery?  They used to need distilled water periodically to each cell.  Now they are sealed up.  What happened?  

Whatever happened to green stamps?  They used to give stamps away at gas stations and grocery stores.  You saved the stamps, put them in books, and turned the books in at redemption centers for stuff.  Two books for a yoyo, twenty thousand books for a dish washer.  My folks wouldn’t shop at a store unless they had the “We have green stamps” sign out.  Why was that a good idea in the forties, fifties and sixties and suddenly was a horrible idea?  What do I do with my five hundred books of stamps?  I want a new baseball mitt!

Whatever happened to the “Bug Whacker?”  This lovely appliance attracted insects to its light, and then zapped them to dust.  They supposedly killed mosquitoes but everyone knew they didn’t.  They mostly attracted moths which otherwise would not even bother you.  Still the bug whacker was a patio tradition in the eighties and nineties.  They are now nowhere.  I miss them, outdoor barbeques just do not seem the same without the periodic zap of small insects, and the occasional house-dimming electronic burst when a large insect or small flying mammal was caught in the bug whacking glow.

Varsity athletes in high school and college used to earn a felt “Letter” which was proudly worn almost daily on their “Letter Sweater.”  My dad had a letter sweater, I had a letter sweater, my kids earned letters, but they did not display them.  Whatever happened to the letter sweater?  Did all athletes at all the schools get together and decide they just weren’t cool?

Cars used to have small triangular windows on both front seat side windows.  They were called “cheaters” and they were perfect for letting out cigarette smoke, ashes, or diluting an accidental rectal methane release.  Whatever happened to the “cheater?”

Remember manners?  This was a form of behavior where complete strangers would act pleasantly towards each other. If someone had his/her hands full, complete strangers would hold open doors to help them.  Driving a car, complete strangers would wave another car to cross over or get in their lane.  The other driver would then give a friendly “thank you” wave back.  When people received change back from a purchase they would say “thank you” to the cashier, and get this, the cashier would respond back, “you’re welcome.”  I kid you not. These acts and more used to occur on a regular basis.  Whatever happened to manners?

Some “whatever happened to” things I miss.  Some I just wonder about.  Some “whatever happened to’s”are the result of major life style improvements; some are things which just faded away to the detriment of our daily lives.  

I hope the latter is the sentiment when people ask, “Whatever happened to The Cranky Old Man?”     

Stupid Headlines 110115

Stupid Headlines 110115

It is time again for

NRA lobby has way more influence than the Wooden shoe lobby!

STUPID HEADLINE SUNDAY

This week’s stupid headlines and my stupider, sometimes sophomoric comments.  As in previous weeks, there is no fake headline contest!

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New York man builds own 'country' in Utah, has passports and border patrol – Ralph Zaq, the President and only resident of Zaqistan says he is sick of his countries high taxes, but doesn’t know who to complain to.

Woman blows up house she was trying to fix – And they say men won’t ask for directions!

Glamour Magazine Names Caitlyn Jenner Woman of the Year – Must not be many women worthy this year…of course Caitlyn is a good choice, except for that vehicular homicide thing.  Oh yeah, and the penis.

Man’s unborn twin 'fathered' his son – Honestly, there is no fake headline this week.

MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry says term 'hard worker' demeans slaves' experience – It is a given these day that if your lips are moving, you are insulting, demeaning or offending someone.

At nearly 1000 lbs., world's heaviest man to undergo weight-loss surgery in Mexico – They will be performing a Mariachi-Bandamectomy.

Florida man placed in a coma after e-cigarette explosion – I think that was an Ay-ay-ay-cigarette not an e-cigarette. (Why Pixel, why?)

EMT says he was suspended without pay for trying to save choking girl – The Mid-east is explodin, heads are a rollin, An EMT fined for savin, a girl that was chockin;  Ah, you don't believe, we're on the eve of destruction.

Champion teen runner disqualified after helping rival in medical distress – Taxes are risen, economy’s a bumma, A champ is DQ’d, for saving another runna;  Ah, you don't believe, we're on the eve of destruction.

 Thrillseekers strip naked for roller coaster record – They be flipping and flopping on the loop-de-loop.

Salem witch takes warlock to court – My money is on the warlock; he is bigger and faster and will be able to drive to the hoop.  What, a lawsuit? Nevermind.

Fury among Muslims after backpackers strip naked on beach –Rape victims guilty, Cartoonists murdered, naked on a beach, tourists need to be tortured;  Ah, you don't believe, we're on the eve of destruction.

Federal website's jack o'lantern warning cites climate change – There is no fake headline this week.

10 year old girl born in China seeks change in US Constitution so she can run for president – I think we should stick with 35, 10 seems too young to run for President…unless you are talking about the last debate.

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Come back next week for more:

 STUPID HEADLINE SUNDAY!!

Where there is no fake headline contest