Verizon admits to not have reliable service in Greensboro

Got some good news today. Verizon QA team called me today and have confirmed that they do not have reliable cell service in Greensboro, NC and they said there are no plans to build a tower nearby at this time. They have released me from my contract and waived the early cancelation fee.

Sea Sun and Swing Camp

more signs the french are on to us:

http://www.seasunswing.org/ebn.ebn?pid=23

note the flyer: DC in the house...

I was going to go to Camp Hollywood again this year but maybe this will bump.

here is a dream vacation:
Go to SSSC and then fly to the West Coast for Reggae on the River. Two weeks of paradise.

the first international Balboa workshop

I knew it was only a matter of time before we had the French addicted:

the first international Balboa workshop in Nice, south of France, from the 6th to the 8th of May 2005. You can find all information on http://balboaonthepromenade.free.fr ; In summary :- 3 international teachers : Val&Marty, Kara&Randy and AnneHélène&Bernard- 4 levels, 8 hours of classes per level- Friday (DJs) and Saturday (swing band) parties- Sunday end afternoon outdoor party in the old town- Sea and Sun, of course !!- For those who want to spend some more time in Nice area, the Cannes American Film Festival will start 2 days after our workshop (http://www.festival-cannes.fr/) . Cannes is only 20 minutes drive from Nice ...If you need more information, you can email us at balboaonthepromenade@free.fr ... Or wait to see some of us in San Diego for the Balboa Rendez Vous !

Balboa Festival in Paris

we need someone representing in PARIS. I wish I could go but I have class then. I hope some people from go from NC and represent!

Balboa Festival in Paris (Public Event)
Floflo
Event Date: 20 May 2005 ends May.23 2005 (Ranged Event)
Group: RevolutionaryPosts: 0Joined: Jun.30 2004
Come and join us for this great Balboa workshop in Paris (France)Sylvia Sykes, Peter Loggins, Jim & Margie... and some suprises2 parties with big bandswe can find you a private accomodation if you needAll the informations on www.festivalbalboa.comor join me at floflod@club-internet.fr

BAL JAM The First Balboa Exchange!

Well, guess we have to try to go to the first balboa exchange too!

Balboa Nation's BAL JAM The First Balboa Exchange Mark your calendars: Sept. 9-11, 2005. Three days of balboa, friends, fried chicken, making up moves in the halls, throwing bread rolls across dinner tables, and moosh-moosh connection. In attendance: Sylvia Sykes, Marty and Jen, David Rehm, Marty and Val, Nick Williams, and the Deadly North Carolina Balboa Ninja Attack Squad. And of course, the Ambassadors of Balboa Nation -- legendary bal dancers Willie and Lila Desatoff And we are proud to welcome Kyle Smith as Head DJ.Featuring:* Great Balboa DJ's from across the nation * Hot Swinging bands* Balboa Nation's Anniversary Celebration Bash* Opportunities for private instruction from some of the country's greatest bal dancers* Jungle Speed card game tournament * And much, much, more! More info coming soon.Please check out www.balboanation.com/baljam

the perfect break for the stressed and angry

This is the perfect break to take if you are a little stressed out. Or perhapys you are angry....work it out on the below link.
and ENJOY!
bubblewrap.swf (application/x-shockwave-flash Object)http://www.nonstop.lv/files/bubblewrap.swf

eyeroll of the day- bostock

I would like to send a big eyeroll out to Bostock for below quote. It sounds like progress to me. Also, who cares about the ritalin and adderall- we would be better off if we required it for 7-12 graders.
“A new category of substance abuse is emerging in America: Increasingly, teenagers are getting high through the intentional abuse of medications,” said Roy Bostock, chairman of the Partnership for a Drug Free America. “For the first time, our national study finds that today’s teens are more likely to have abused a prescription painkiller to get high than they are to have experimented with a variety of illicit drugs – including Ecstasy, cocaine, crack and LSD. In other words, ‘Generation Rx’ has arrived.”
A 2004 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS), which surveyed 7,300 teens, found that one in five teens abused the prescription painkiller Vicodin, while one in 10 teenagers abused a similar drug in OxyContin. Also, one in 10 teenagers has tried prescription stimulants Ritalin and/or Adderall without a doctor’s consent.

Invention #3- The Astronants in Space Channel

Check this out(below). I had no idea they were even up there. How many people are out there floating around us right now? Do we only hear about the one's that explode now? I think we should have a special radio station that gives us astronant updates on XM or SIRIUS with space music in between... Listeners can phone in and talk to the astronants from 5-6 every daily. And they can play music like space cowboy and star wars...all the spacey songs.

ALMATY (Reuters) - A Russian Soyuz capsule bumped down on the Kazakh steppe early on Monday, bringing a Russian, an American and an Italian astronaut safely back to Earth from the International Space Station, Russian news agencies said.
"Everything went as planned. The Soyuz TMA-5 landed on its side," a spokesman at mission control outside Moscow was quoted as saying by the Itar-Tass news agency. The craft touched down near Arkalyk in the Central Asian state of Kazakhstan at 2:08 a.m. Moscow time (1808 EDT).

piedmont swing dance - um

Went to the shrine club for swing tonight here in Greensboro. For some reason the music sounded like wedding music to me. Anyway, the music didn't really swing that much tonight. Thank God Dennis came out from Raleigh to dance.
Unfortunately my overall rating of tonights dance is a 1. Now I am looking at this site http://www.roperld.com/HomoSapienEvents.htm and talking about evolution and aliens on IM with a friend. Another exciting night in Santos Greensboros. Good night and if you are really bored...chk this out http://www.mnh.si.edu/anthro/humanorigins/ha/sap.htm

all balboa weekend June 2-5

June 2-5 is all balboa weekend in Cleveland. http://www.allbalboa.com/ anyone just getting in to balboa should know this is a weekend not to be missed. Must figure a way to go and at the same time not fail my organic class. Mari said there is some trick where you can figure out the anwser to any organic problem with a pen and cap but it also has to seperate at the middle. Must learn pen trick. Hey! if anyone in Greensboro is an expert in Organic Chemistry, I need a brillant tutor for this summa.

Verizon JAIL

As you all know, having problems with my verizon wireless service in Greensboro. I worked with them to try and troubleshoot the problem with their tech support to no avail. The nice man said he would let me out of the contract if things didn't work out and well...he lied...so after everyday of phone calls with them and going to their store to stop service with no penalty...the are not doing it... at least yet and I may have to pay to stop the bad service. Now they are saying they put in a ticket to check if I can get out of it...checking what.... I just want to cancel my contract because I am not getting adequate service here. I was a customer for years.... anyway, really surprised it's such a hassle as my contract ends anyway in a couple of months. So now, I have to wait the 7 or so days before i can cancel if I want to avoid the penalty....which also means I will have to have two cell phones....one with a new number before I can roll the old one from verizon to nextel so I don't have to tell everyone a new number. And in the mean time...well, good luck getting me on the phone before Monday...and if you do the call will probably drop after a couple of minutes. At least Monday night I will have the nextel charging. If you need to reach me email!
Nextel is starting off rough as I ordered my nextel thursday...they said it would be here friday..it's not going to be her until Monday now. Even with that little mishap I am SO HAPPY to be switching to them as they look like little angels compared to Verizon.

the new Food Pyramid

Can you believe I actually watched the new video http://www.mypyramid.gov/mypyramid/index.aspx
about the new food pyramid? They seem like they stepped a little out of the box but still---is anyone actually going to follow this? Wow, and the money that goes into these things..the Web Development alone must have been $$! I think the veggie area needs some more data but at least they get something (not a vegatarian): http://www.mypyramid.gov/tips_resources/vegetarian_diets.html
I don't know one person who uses a food pyramid to plan there meals except for this one crazy nutritionist I met while in the hospital a long time ago! she noticed I had been ordering chocolate milk, chocolate icecream, hot chocolate, popsicles & chocolate pudding for my meals (you know how you fill out the little request forms) and came to visit me - YES she broke out the pyramid and gave me a Food Pyramid lecture...then said she would be ordering my meals for the remaider of my stay :( . Luckily, I was able to get McDonalds and candy delivered from friends. When the nurse found the chocolate kisses under my pillow I said "huh, the tooth fairy must of been by last night"... but a tip if you are in the hospital...keep a box of good chocolates and filled candy dishes available in your room to offer your nurses, doctors & staff as the staff are much happy to come help you when they know there are rewards(candy grease). Also, find out which soap operas your nurses like :).

cram101 - textbook outlines online

Maybe the notes this site will provide a nice supplement to notes, plus, they also have practice tests:

http://www.cram101.com/

the only problem is finding bugs using IE and mozilla.

verizon wireless not working in Greensboro

my verizon wireless cell is not working in mighty santos greensboros- especially in the UNCG campus buildings!! the last straw was when a call dropped while on the phone w/new job.

I am still not out of my contract after begging for a week...they keep telling me they report excellent service here....it's an interesting conversation...anyway, going there in person tommorow to have them end my contract with no penalty. :) hoping they cooperate.

I hear Nextel works well here...but used to have nextel in MD and it didn't have service everywhere. I guess you have to adapt to where you live and then change the phone when you move.

the Balboa Lindy Hop Retirement Community

danceFrankie and I will be running the Balboa & Lindy Hop Retirement Community which will be located on an exotic island. Only Lindy Hoppers/ Balboa dancers that are over 65 will be allowed but younger dancers can visit anytime.

Nightly swing dances w/late night dancing every night, silver diner, bands and djs on-site 25 hours, dance clip movie room, balboa room, drinks in coconuts, smart water, golf carts, ocean, sun, river, swimming, boats, horses, shoe (dance shoes) store and dance shoemaker on site, beaches, backrubs and more.

who's in?

savion glover in charlotte on april 20th

savion glover's show improvography is in charlotte on april 20th. you all should go. I am going to try and steal some steps this time... ;)

DCLX- permanently on the schedule

...this was IT. DCLX 2005 was AS USUAL the ultimate exchange , it was bliss within the confines of a few days. I am left waiting until I can return next year. There is something about dancing in the middle of Dupont Circle on a beautiful spring day, Glen Echo, and HB with friends from everywhere that will make DCLX a constant for me.

All lindy hoppers and balboa dancers who don't already know: you need to put DCLX permanently on your schedule.
http://www.dclx.org/

next year I may break the rules and actually "pre-register"....did I say that?

making progress on evil plan

wow, it's a busy week with taxes, schoool, lab reports etc...
so much to do! but thanks to "Patrinka", I am making progress on my evil plan:
http://www.darksites.com/evilplan.php
The hardest part is deciding where to base my operations.... so far leaning towards floating fortress.

ecdyGreensboros 2 go 2 DCLX

I wouldn't normally leave 60- 85 degree weather to go to 40-60 degree weather but it's DCLX so breaking out the long underwear and heading to DC tommorow right after my exam: DCLX is a lindy exchange: www.dclx.org

white smoke in the room for Cardinal McCarrick

the Pope told his aides to be joyful during his last hours. I feel he was ready and happy to be passing on and because of this I am not feeling that sad about it. (I am actually a little happy for him.)...but I am happy he did not go suddenly/ randomly since this allowed for us to pray for him in his final hours and we were able to feel the peacfulness he conveyed(or at least I felt that).
I just heard the american Cardinals don't have a chance at being elected the new Pope. THAT IS SUCH A BUMMER! I personally would like Cardinal McCarrick to be the new Pope. Listen up Cardinals! vote for Cardinal McCarrick as he is the coolest one of you. He says good prayers, he says a good Mass, he's funny, he goes to happy hours every week in DC, he's makes sure he hits all the Churches in the DC Metro area and cool events, and he's good looking. (we like our dentists and our Pope's good looking). Stop the madness and realize American's are the best!check out how they elect the new Pope- it's all secret stealth stuff:
http://rl.channel.aol.com/natgeo?id=20050401132909990001

Lindy hop, Basketball & Music: Jump of cultural importance

Found an interesting article today that fellow Lindy Hoppers may want to check out. Below is an abstract. The author: Caponi-Tabery, Gena.
Title: JUMP FOR JOY: THE JUMP TROPE IN AFRICAN AMERICA, 1937-1941.
This article discusses the crucial cultural importance during 1937-41 of jumping, a mode of expression powerfully celebrated in African American dance, music, and basketball. Originating as an emblem of freedom, creativity, and joy in African American culture, the jump became a positive symbol of upward social movement. At the advent of the Lindy hop, or jitterbug, in the 1930's, dances often immediately followed basketball games as part of a single event, a pairing that perhaps explains why the jump was a common element in both. Jump tunes evolved from the African American jazz tradition, with Count Basie's 1937 "One O'Clock Jump" beginning the jump craze in swing bands across the country. As the music made people want to jump, jumps or aerials soon became part of the popular Lindy hop. The jump shot in basketball grew from the fast-break style of play that was first allowed in African American college games before being accepted by white teams across the United States. A long-standing part of African American tradition, the jump first became internationally recognized as African American with the popularity of the 1830 song "Jump Jim Crow" and its accompanying dance. The song and jumping dance faded out even as "Jim Crow" came to signify white supremacy, but Duke Ellington's musical "Jump for Joy" reclaimed the jump as a protest against Jim Crow in 1941.