http://www.ebay.com/itm/Funny-jazz-music-swing-dance-t-shirt-Large-/160717139357?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item256b7ced9d#ht_500wt_1288

http://www.ebay.com/itm/160717464286?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649#ht_500wt_1288

I couldn’t find any images of her online from that episode, though there is a page that’s dedicated to Elyssa Davalos, who also appeared in that episode.

I’m also a bit gung-ho about Google stock (GOOG) right now.  To a lesser extend Exxon-Mobil stock as well (XOM).

I was tempted to do some short-term trading in Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) stock, but I didn’t, and I’m glad that I avoided that.

I read an article which suggested that people might underestimate her because of her beauty — and yes, she is beautiful indeed.  I can believe that they underestimate her.

Like I said, I’m no dance pro.  However, I do like to educate myself,  so I read up a little on what makes for a decent dance floor.   This site describes some of the requirements for a good dance surface.  Mind you, it specifically talks about ballroom dancing; however, it doesn’t take much intelligence to understand that the same principles should apply to just about any kind of dance.   After all, you’re still presumably stepping around and moving somewhat on the dance floor — unless, of course, you’re mostly just standing in place and shaking around like the stereotypical white guy.

I used to take these sorts of things for granted.  I’m glad that I’m learning more and more about these matters.  Very interesting.

I have read some discussions on the web which suggest that some varnish might not necessarily be a bad thing.  I need to learn more about that.  I suppose that it depends on how much is laid down.

I try to evaluate these things pretty fairly — and yes, I normally do mince my words.  However, I can honestly say that this was the second WORST singles dance that I’ve ever attended.  (The worst was held in another county, about an hour east of Cleveland.  The music was generally poorly suited for dancing, and they made the group engage in some ridiculously childish game, the nature of which I can’t even remember.  I could go on, but that would be another post in itself.)

Mind you, I do recognize the efforts of the organizers, who doubtlessly work hard at these events.  I’m not trying to ridicule or demean these people.  As far as the event itself goes though, it simply wasn’t very good.  One can’t really expect a lot from a singles dance, but even by that standard, this one just wasn’t very good.

Previously, I mentioned the fact that some of the attendees were pretty rude, and that (for those who care about such things) it wouldn’t have provided many good opportunities for meeting the opposite sex — certainly in comparison to most other dances that I’ve attended.  I think that you’d be better of keeping the money and spending it on something else.  I’m not big on online dating accounts, for example, but I think that even that would give you a lot more bang for your buck.)

Having touched on the subject of music though, I’d like to discuss that further.  I feel that most singles dances tend to play the same old dance numbers — stuff that’s “safe,” familiar, and unchallenging to people.  I wish that the DJs would try to mix it up with some more interesting and challenging tunes now and then.  Familiarity does help, but really — it doesn’t take a lot of skill to dance to an unfamiliar song, especially if you’re the kind of person who can feel and enjoy music.  Granted, it’s always possible to request a song, but most party-type DJs tend to fall back on a fairly limited selection.   Moreover, while the audience can make their requests known, I think it ultimately falls on the DJs to set the tone and try to mix it up for the crowd.  Precious few people seem willing to do that when it comes to singles dances, though.

In brief… it was very disappointing.  A total waste of time and money.  If you’re thinking about checking this place out, then I’d recommend saving your money and going somewhere else instead.

I don’t feel like composing a long post right now, so I’ll spare you a litany of the reasons why we didn’t like the dance.  I can mention, however, that the dance floor was tiny and crowded.  Also, some of the people there are just plain rude — horribly, horribly rude.  A total lack of social skills.

On a less important note, I also notice that the wooden floor was heavily varnished.  Now, I’m no dance expert, but I question the wisdom of having so much varnish on the floor.  Doesn’t that make the dance surface kinda tacky?  I mean that in the slightly adhesive sense, that is, not in the sense of good taste.

One more thing: While my friends and I weren’t interested in scoping out the opposite sex, I could also see that this venue wouldn’t provide great opportunities for meeting new people.  It’s more the sort of environment where people wind up sticking around in their own groups, so if you’re looking to meet people of the opposite sex, you’d probably be better off going somewhere else.

In brief, I really can’t recommend these dances.  Your time and money would be better spent doing something else.

I would also buy some Proctor and Gamble stock (PG).   It’s another good safety stock.  It suffered a dip last year, but it has been rising quite nicely again, and I don’t think it’s too late to jump on this stock.

SEO is very much an underrated art, IMO.

Andrew, it’s great that your town is offering free partner dance lessons! I wish that more places would do that. I would certainly jump at the chance for such freebies.

The cynic in me knows, however, that most people who like to “dance” still wouldn’t take advantage of such lessons. As one of my ballroom dancing friends says, most people want quick fixes, and they don’t want to do anything that requires substantial effort to learn. IME, even uncomplicated dance moves are enough to make many people say “This is too hard. I’m just going to shake it around instead.”

Again, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that everybody SHOULD learn to dance, and I’m certainly not saying that it’s morally wrong to just wiggle around. I just wish that people who claim to enjoy dancing would be more willing to learn a few techniques — even at a basic level — instead of settling for just shaking and swaying about. Frankly (and I know that this is a personal judgment), I’ll never understand why people who claim to LOVE dance would set the bar so incredibly low.