competitive dancing, part 2

We're back in the world of competitive dancing, this time, with our son.  In seventh grade he and several friends tried ballroom dance and loved it--a bunch have stuck with it.  Yesterday morning he came in at 6:00 am and asked for help with his make-up.  Nick later said, "If I'd known 15 years ago that one day my son would come into my room at 6:00 am to ask for help his his make-up . . . " (I won't print the rest).

I'm getting used to the hairspray, mascara, and fake tans. Sort of. I noticed that most kids from most schools didn't look tan (unlike the kids from our kids' school), so I might protest silently.  I suppose I should get used to competition culture, because we have several competitions this year.  I didn't mind going to yesterday's meet--it was 10 minutes from home and I like watching dancing.  But I now understand why each school holds its own: to benefit from judge bias (and to make money so teams can compete at all the other meets).  In the team events, the host high school won both of the events they competed in and the best thing about their performances was their costumes.  Their formations were pretty good too, but they didn't deserve to win.

Then I got to thinking that judge bias factors into every competition, though it's not always clear what the biases are.  We like to think that judges are fair and awards are earned, but judges are biased and sometimes award winners are lucky.

exercise

Whenever I log on it's a little like turning on Wii Fit Plus and seeing, "It's been 23 days since your last visit" (I do other forms of exercise, thank you).

Speaking of which, I tried jogging a few weeks ago for the first time in 20 years and discovered that I'm in worse shape than I imagined.  I can walk for miles, and three times a week I bike 7-8 miles on our exercise bike (I can read while I exercise--yay!). But when I tried jogging, I felt like I was going to die every step of the half mile or so (I felt virtuous--and sore--for days afterward).  Clearly, jogging is much more efficient than my usual forms of exercise.  A few days later I had to try again to see if I could go further (I did), and last week after missing my Zumba class, I decided to try once more.

Yes, I finally tried Zumba and discovered that it's really just aerobics, but I enjoy aerobics, so I think I'll go back.  Our university has a free class for employees and spouses, right during the time my preschooler is playing at the neighbor's house. I teach til 10:50 and Zumba starts at 12:10, which is fine--good time to work in my office--but then I have to bring a change of clothes and change in the locker room (yuck) before and after Zumba or walk across campus in my workout clothes (I feel conspicuous) or find a parking spot near the athletic building (which is impossible). Not as convenient as working out at home.

For anyone who happened to read my "skim milk" post many moons ago, I have bad news and good news. The bad news is I haven't lost any weight; the good news is I quit gaining weight. So, I'll keep drinking my skim milk, eating my brownies, and riding my exercise bike.