Anyone watch “Six Degrees”? There wasn’t anything I wanted to watch on the movie channels, so I was surfing the networks. I missed the end of the show because I was too tired, but I was pleasantly surprised that this show is so good. It seems more like movie than a TV show, and there are quite a few movie actors in it. You have probably seen Erika Christensen, Hope Davis, Bridget Moynahan and Campbell Scott in movies.

I wish it was available on iTunes. I’ve always wondered who decides what shows to put on there, since my favorites are rarely there.

I think most people have heard of the six degrees of separation. Many years ago it was a game to take actors in movies and get them to Kevin Bacon in six people or less. It’s actually pretty easy to do because Bacon was in a lot of movies. So then this theory got planted in our minds. Now there’s a TV show with little individual stories and the surprising connections all the characters have. I wonder what will happen next week. I also wonder how long they can continue the show and keep it fresh.

This show takes place in New York City. The fact that it takes place in a large city made me think about those who live in small towns. I remember living in a very small town (around 200 people) for a year. Everyone knew everyone. Perhaps this show won’t appeal to them. For those of us who live in a large city, I think we need reminding that we’re connected because we seem so disconnected.

Technorati: Six Degrees, Kevin Bacon, television, New York City, small town

Anyone catch this news about healthy people hearing voices? Dutch researchers began the study in the 1990s and found that a small percentage (4%) of people hear voices and don’t feel the need to seek mental health services. Finally, some reason. Have to give it to the Dutch for researching the unusual.

I typically don’t mention that I heard voices as a child. It only happens rarely now. My thought has always been as long as the voices are not telling you to hurt yourself or anyone else then everything is fine. It seems to run in my family though. None of us has sought help for it or thought anything of it.

Of the people interviewed for the study, many found it to be a positive experience. I think this just shows how little we know about how the brain works and what is “normal.” I think “normal” is boring. I think our mental health professionals are a little too eager to define “normal” and correct with drugs what they consider “abnormal.”

I have dancing (hula/Tahitian) on my mind. In fact, I began dreaming about it over a week ago. Why is it that you can have it down practicing at home, but as soon as you get into the studio, you’ve lost it?

I’m still working my butt off practicing Tahitian for tryouts. Most of the people are supportive. They wouldn’t tell you that you have no chance even if it were true. There is one lady though who tells you exactly what she thinks. She thinks that no one can possibly be ready to perform unless they have danced for a year. Somehow just one negative comment destroys all the good comments.

I keep reminding myself how much I’ve improved in 6 weeks and that I will get the rest of it down soon. There are lots of things to concentrate on. I constantly remind myself of many things while dancing: feet together, shoulders straight, not moving and large movements and breathe. Yes, those of us beginning sometimes forget to breathe enough. Now I have to add, “smile,” “attitude” and “relax the shoulders.” Apparently in my attempt to not move my shoulders, I look stiff. The attitude required is confidence and thinking you’re the sexiest woman in the room.

I think the main thing now is too keep my cool, as they say.

Technorati: hula, Tahitian, dance, anxiety

I know why my mother married my dad. The relationship was very rocky and they divorced permanently when I was 15. There were lots of almost-divorces. I had one of those conversations with my mother. She told me something I will NEVER get out of my head. Information I shouldn’t know.

I suppose you wonder how this conversation started. I was talking about my son and puberty. See, he’s a late-bloomer. He’s got some hair, but not on his chest, armpits or face. His voice is changing dramatically. I know he has some hair because I accidentally caught a glimpse of it. I had no idea he was even beginning puberty yet.

I’ve always hoped that he would be better endowed than his own father. It appears that he may be. When I mentioned this to my mother, she tells me that he must take after my father’s side of the family Yes, it seems my father had a big one.

A long time ago I saw a picture of him when my mother and he first met. He was a handsome guy. I thought that might be the reason they married. Home had always been unstable. I guess my dad was the unstable one. So, I never really knew why they married, and I never thought to ask. I suppose I thought my mother wouldn’t want to talk about it.

So perhaps I have an odd wish for my son—to be “endowed” as to not be embarrassed. I’ve known too many guys who have size issues. Issues that are generally unfounded.

Now I’m left with information about my dad that I didn’t really want to know. Funny.

Again, California is in the news. So now we’re not supposed to eat bagged spinach. I had some a just a few days before the news broke. It was one of the brands on the list to throw away. No problem here. Although it might be a good way to lose a few pounds. Painful, but successful.

I haven’t been to a store since the spinach scare to see if the spinach is missing. It sounds like other bagged salads may not be in stores either. I read that the farmers are saying they will lose an entire crop—one-third of their yearly crop. All this spinach is grown just 20 miles south of here.

I’ve seen the vegetable farms from here to Monterey and to Los Angeles. A good way to pass the time and stay awake while driving to either place is to guess the crops…onions, garlic, carrots, etc.

I wonder how long there will be no spinach. It looks like I won’t be eating any for awhile. I hate salad, except spinach. Non-bagged is an option, but I’ve never been able to get rid of all the sand. I’m not very fond of biting sand grains.

Unfortunately, this is the big news. So we get to hear about E. coli and it’s symptoms. Gross. Just what I need to hear about in the morning—diarrhea and death. After the incident with the cat, I’ve had enough of bodily functions to last months. For now, I will be avoiding spinach and refusing to allow my cats to eat tasty spinach leaves. I don’t think I could deal with their vet bills.

Technnorati: spinach, California

Here’s my rant about blogs. I’m not an expert, nor do I consider myself an expert. This is just my opinion on blogs.

1. Bad Grammar
Come on now people. At least take some time to edit. Perhaps it’s my journalism background, but boy there are numerous blogs out there with bad English. I don’t mean intentional bad English. Some of these blogs you see the same mistakes over and over. Even your spellchecker has to tell you that it’s wrong. Doubt the spellchecker? They’re not perfect, in fact MS Word’s sucks. Look it up. There’s a dictionary online. Try this one as well.

Even I’m embarrassed by my grammar and spelling mistakes. It comes from being in a hurry and careless. I still remember my journalism teachers. “It’s not just one mistake. It’s thousands or hundreds of thousands. There are people who delight in finding the mistakes and calling the paper. Don’t give them any work.” For blogs, it’s one error that gets seen hundreds of times. I’d like to see all websites checked more thoroughly for spelling and grammar mistakes. Honestly, it makes the site owner look stupid.

2. Bad templates
This didn’t bother me at first, but after reading many blogs and seeing the same template over and over gets really annoying. No, it’s not simple to change a template, but it’s not impossible to learn. There are quite a few people offering their design services. Find one. Check out who designed your favorite blogs. You will find that information in the “credits.” Google search. I absolutely hated the freebies, so I paid for a template. Can’t figure out who designed your favorite blogs? Email and ask.

3. Too many ads
I don’t like too much clutter. Too many ads in so many colors makes my eyeballs hurt. Where am I supposed to look? If they distract from your posts, it’s not worth it.

Technorati: blog, grammar

It’s time for a cat birthday party. Silly, I know. Bear with me. There won’t be any party hats, balloons, cake or guests. It’s just for the cats. All the cats will enjoy some tuna and new toys. They also have to put up with a little singing. It’s not a birthday without the birthday song.

Two of my cats are a year old today (I think.) I don’t actually know their birthday. They showed up at my door about two weeks from now last year. At first there was one. The next day there were three. None weighed a pound. None could eat by themselves. They wre covered with fleas. I’ve never seen so many fleas on a cat, and these were tiny cats.

After their baths, here is what they looked like.

I had to buy formula and bottles to feed them. A couple of days later one died. So now there were three cats. At the time, there was one male and what looked to be two females. Soon they ate mushy baby cat food. It only took them a week to learn to use a litterbox. Smart little kitties.

Of course they grew, and I had no plans to keep them all. I was planning on keeping one—what looked like a little tabby male. As he grew, the “stripes” became spots. I realized that I had a kitten that was part Egyptian Mau. Cool. Like the cat in “Catwoman.”

It was nearly the end of the year before I noticed that the other two cats were male. Even the vet had decided they were female. It took that long for their balls to drop. Weird. All three had “temporary” names. I had to change two names to male names. So we had Zach (spots), Max (marbled) and Ari (black and white). Max was formerly Moxie, which the cat had plenty of. Ari was formerly Annabell.

They had grown enough that they were terrorizing the house. The older cats were grumpy. It was time to find homes for two cats. I would have three of my own. One was pretty sick at the time, so I wasn’t sure if I’d have that many cats. He’s still alive with an immune disorder that acts up every now and then. Poor kitty. I found a home for the black and white kitten easily. A lady from work took him. So he was named Oscar and went to a home with another cat and a small dog.

I tried to find a home for the other cat. He’s marbled. My son was in love with this one. My mother thought he was the best looking. I thought I had found a home for him several times. But I finally gave up when someone wanted him but didn’t have the $40 to cover the shots I had gotten him. The people who were calling were crazy like that. “Yes, I want to see the cat.” “No, I can’t make it.” The guy who wanted the cat but couldn’t afford the measly amount I was asking made me stop looking for awhile. I wanted to scream. If you can’t afford $40, you can’t afford to feed a cat. Abut a week later, he sneezed blood. Sprayed it all over my computer, window and desk. After a $100 trip to the vet, I decided I better just keep him. So now I have 4 cats and one Great Dane.

Here’s a picture of them all grown up. By the way, they loved their “party.”

Technorati: cats

Of all the things that could happen yesterday, this one I least expected. My cats often walk on the desk, blocking the computer with their bodies. I suppose they think they are helping. I find it quite annoying when I’m busy. Talking to them does no good. Pushing sometimes works.

Yesterday afternoon my black cat was on my desk, and I patted his thigh. As I did, liquid shot out of his butt into my face and hair. I remember my son pooping on things as a baby (not me, thankfully), but this one is new even for me. I’m not typically grossed out by bodily fluids—human or animal. But, this…this was smelly, sticky and stuck in my hair! I don’t think I’ll be patting any cat’s thigh for a while, especially if his butt is near my face and possibly loaded.

Yes, that is a photo of the offending cat.

Looking through the local news this morning gives me no comfort. Let’s see three people (man, woman and child) were stabbed in SF, fire in SF (no casualties there), phony cop report and boyfriend sought in killing of single mom. That’s just local craziness. There have been lots of craziness nationally and around the world. Ever wonder what makes people snap? I do. I wonder why they seem to do it almost at the same time.

No wonder people think the world is coming to an end. No wonder some turn to religion. Frankly, this article creeped me out. Since when did it become essential to send women back home to take care of their men and make babies? Who really thinks that following the bible (or Koran, as the case might be) literally will make everyone happy?

Yesterday, I vowed that I would shower and dress before writing and publishing my blog. Again today though, I sit here in my pajamas writing away while most people are off to work or school.

Technorati: cat, religion, crazy, poop, San Jose

Class is going quite well now. It took a bit of dancing to get rid of the stiffness. I will be at class tonight for more practice. It sounds nuts—even to me it sounds a bit obsessive, but I don’t have mirrors on my walls to really tell what I’m doing.

I got a bit of advice last night from one of the gals who has been dancing for many years.

“Have fun with it. Enjoy the music.”

Yes, I’m analyzing my ever move in an attempt to get it right. I still need to do that, but she is right. It’s getting time to stop thinking so much.

The other advice was to learn about the culture. Sounds easy, right? No. You will find a lot of misinformation. Perhaps it’s time to get to my local Hawaiian store. I’m sure they can recommend something. The Internet can only get you so far. It is surprisingly lean when it comes to cultural information on Hawaii and Tahiti. The sites all seem to say the same thing. My most recent reading has been on kahunas and their teachings, which is part of the culture, but not all.

Technorati: hula, Hawaii, culture

This morning I found this website: “How to Dissuade Yourself from Becoming a Blogger.” Those Wiki people are strange.

First it says that after reading a few blogs, you won’t want to write. I read at least five random blogs a day. I haven’t read them for a month. However, I have more than five blogs that I’ve chosen to read and have read for a month that I enjoy. I must like drivel. Guess that step didn’t work for me.

Second it says that even if you’re a good writer, no one will find your blog. Hmm. Guess my commenters are ghosts. My counter must be lying.

Third it says to write in WordPad daily. Why WordPad? Do I even have WordPad on my computer? Could I find it if I wanted to? I’m sure it’s somewhere on my PC. I know it’s not on my Mac. It also says that you won’t find attention and validation in blog. My readers will have to let me know if they agree.

The fourth step is about the time commitment. I think we can all agree that the time commitment is high, particularly if you’re trying to get traffic. Posts can take as little or as much time as you wish. Unless you have blogging host problems, then it can take hours. Although I am finding that I spend more time than I used to creating posts and hunting for photos.

One tip that I cannot disagree with is the warning that the posts will be forever on the Internet.

So after all of that, why do I blog? For fun. To write more.

Technorati: blog, Wikipedia, blogging