I Feel Lucky
Performer Mary Chapin Carpenter
Composer Don Schlitz

Now eleven million later, I was sitting at the bar
I’d bought the house a double, and the waitress a new car
Dwight Yoakam’s in the corner, trying to catch my eye
Lyle Lovett’s right beside me with his hand upon my thigh
The moral of this story, it’s simple but it’s true
Hey the stars might lie, but the numbers never do

I feel lucky, oh oh oh, I feel lucky, yeah
Hey Dwight, hey Lyle, boys, you don’t have to fight
Hot dog, I’m feeling lucky tonight

. . . . .

When It Rains
Performer Gretchen Wilson
Composers Vicky McGehee, Gretchen Wilson, John Rich

When it rains, I pour, a couple more, rounds
‘Til the hurtin’ and the heartache start to drown
I turn out the light, I turn up Dwight
And I lock my door
When it rains, When it rains, I pour

“The Puck Stops Here” Tom Emmer billboard is ridiculous. Here’s why:

In the picture on the billboard, Emmer is wearing the typical old-man softball uniform: 100% polyester white baseball umpire shorts and an old school, 3-button softball jersey. He is leaning forward with one arm extended, as though to shake someone’s hand. The other hand is resting on his thigh, but yet has A CARTOON HOCKEY STICK photoshopped into it…?

Adding a hockey stick to a picture of a man in a softball uniform makes no sense. That’s the best they could do? The billboard is by far the worst billboard I’ve ever seen for any product or political candidate.

I don’t have a picture yet, but I need one. You can find this billboard on Highway 10 in Blaine, Minnesota and 35E in Saint Paul.

I’m not a political person, but please don’t vote for Tom Emmer. This billboard is ridiculous.

My boyfriend and I loved the knit hats Team USA wore as they walked out during the 2010 Olympics Opening Ceremony. The hats feature a winter scene in red and white with blue moose and tassels. The hats were designed by Ralph Lauren and cost $75.00. That’s right – 75 USD for a knit winter hat with moose on it. Even if it is Ralph Lauren, I’m not paying $75 for a stocking cap. Sorry America.

I also loved the mittens the Canadian Olympic team was wearing as they walked out during the opening ceremony. They are simple red mittens that say “Vancouver 2010″ in white on the back of the hand and have a white maple leaf on the palm of the hand. The Team Canada Olympic mittens are only $10 (Canadian $) at the Hudson Bay Company website. I’m American, but I will definitely buy the Team Canada mittens for 10 CAD. O Canada!

Zumba with a Purpose to benefit Toys for Tots with a $10 donation on December 12, 2009 from 1-3pm at Gold’s Gym in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. This Toys for Tots benefit will feature a group of local Zumba instructors and, keeping in the spirit of Toys for Tots, Marines.

Click here for more information and enjoy!

As I mentioned in my past Rencsi.com post Sticky Shoes During Zumba, most athletic shoes are designed for forward movement only. Running shoes and walking shoes have heavy traction and robust soles to resist sliding and turning and this is exactly what runners and walkers need. This is not what we want in Zumba class.

Zumba incorporates the twisting, turning, and sliding movements of Latin dance. While the body is moving, the heavy traction of popular athletic shoes causes the Zumba dancer to stick to the studio floor. The foot stays put and the leg, knee, and hip twist, turn, and slide.

Think of a basic Cuban salsa move – you step to the side, shift your weight to that foot, shift your weight to the other foot, and bring your feet together and repeat and repeat and repeat. The thick, wide soles of most athletic shoes are designed to prevent the lateral movement of salsa, one of the basic dances in a Zumba class.

It’s no wonder some exercisers experience knee pain from Zumba!

The good news is knee pain does not have to end your Zumba workout. There are many styles of athletic dance shoes available that will allow you to turn and slide freely. Here are some articles to help you find the best shoes to wear during Zumba. Enjoy!

Zumba FAQ – What are the best shoes to wear in a Zumba Class?

Do I need Zumba shoes?

Coming Soon: Z1 Zumba Shoes

Where to Buy Dance Shoes

Good Dance Shoes for Zumba

Best Zumba Shoes

Sticky Shoes During Zumba

According to The Phrase Finder:

It is “roll” as in list of names (from Merriam-Webster online):

Main Entry: roll
Pronunciation: \’rOl\
Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English rolle, from Old French, from Latin rotulus, diminutive of rota wheel; akin to Old High German rad wheel, Welsh rhod, Sanskrit ratha wagon
Date: 13th century

1 a (1) : a written document that may be rolled up : SCROLL; specifically : a document containing an official or formal record. The rolls of parliament. (2) : a manuscript book b : a list of names or related items : CATALOG c : an official list: as (1) : MUSTER ROLL (2) : a list of members of a school or class or of members of a legislative body

Vegetarian Eggs
Chickens need protein. Chickens in a pasture eat bugs, like wood ticks. Commercial chicken feed may contain animal protein sources like meat or bone meal, dried whey, and fish meal. Vegetarian eggs are eggs fed feed with only vegetarian ingredients, like soybean.

Cage-free Eggs
In a perfect world, all God’s creatures could co-exist and share the land. Unfortunately, even “cage-free” chickens may not have a pleasant existence, but they are free to roam in an open area like a barn and have unlimited access to food and water.

I will spare you the details of the caged-life of a commercial layer hen. Please, if you can, buy cage-free eggs.

Brown Eggs
There is no difference between brown eggs and white eggs other than the fact that brown eggs come from “brown” or “red” hens and white eggs come from white hens.

While white to brown is common in commercial eggs, eggs can come in a wide variety of colors. There is even a non-commercial chicken breed called the Araucana, an ornery, white chicken that lays blueish-green eggs.

According to the American Egg Board at IncredibleEgg.org:

Egg shell and yolk color may vary. Color has no relationship to egg quality, flavor, nutritive value, cooking characteristics or shell thickness.

Shell
Shell color comes from pigments in the outer layer of the shell and, in eggs from various commercial breeds, may range from white to deep brown. The breed of hen determines the color of the shell. Among commercial breeds, hens with white feathers and ear lobes lay white-shelled eggs; hens with red feathers and ear lobes lay brown eggs.

White eggs are most in demand among American buyers. In some parts of the country, however, particularly in New England, brown shells are preferred. Commercial brown-egg layers are hens derived from the Rhode Island Red, New Hampshire and Plymouth Rock breeds. Since brown-egg layers are slightly larger birds and require more food, brown eggs are usually more expensive than white.

People were taught to use two spaces following a period in the days of the typewriter and those double spacers became parents, teachers, and professors who taught word processor/computer-era students to use two spaces after a period. It’s a vicious cycle.

I have even seen two spaces following periods in text messages – a form of communication where spelling, grammar, and punctuation are often completely eliminated!

It is a hard habit to break and though one space after a period is now considered standard, the most important thing is to be consistent.

MLA (Modern Language Association)
MLA Handbook FAQ – How many spaces should I leave after a period or other concluding mark of punctuation?

Since word processors make available the same fonts used by typesetters for printed works, many writers, influenced by the look of typeset publications, now leave only one space after a concluding punctuation mark.

Chicago Manual of Style
Chicago Style Q&A: One Space or Two?

There is a traditional American practice, favored by some, of leaving two spaces after colons and periods. This practice is discouraged by the University of Chicago Press, especially for formally published works and the manuscripts from which they are published.

APA (American Psychological Association)
The APA style guide is not available online, but I used this APA Style Essentials summary. One must use the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.

Spacing after Punctuation: Space once after commas, colons, and semicolons within sentences. Insert two spaces after punctuation ending sentences.

Please note: In the quote advising those following APA guidelines to use two spaces after punctuation ending sentences above, there are not two spaces after the end punctuation of the first sentence…

And finally, I have to give props to the OWL.

One of the main gripes I hear from Zumba enthusiasts is that their regular gym shoes stick to the floor during class. Sticky shoes during Zumba can cause blisters or foot, ankle, or knee pain or injury.

While turf shoes are designed to allow you to comfortably train on a variety of surfaces, they probably still provide too much traction for Zumba or other ballroom or hip hop dance classes. On the bright side, turf shoes do feature a more narrow footprint – more like cross-training shoes and less like running shoes.

A better bet might be a wrestling shoe. While wrestling shoes are light and flexible, most wrestling shoes will only be available in mens’ or boys’ sizes and are only available in a high-top style. Wrestling shoes are not designed for impact and therefore do not provide a lot of arch support or sole cushion.

My recommendation is stick to athletic shoes designed specifically for dance or aerobics. If you’re not sure that a certain style is a dance shoe or aerobics shoe, look for a circle on the sole of the shoe at the ball of the foot. Not all dance shoes or aerobics shoes will have it, but it is a good way to tell if the shoe is going to allow you to turn on the ball of your foot or if you will stick to the floor instead.

If you can’t afford to buy athletic shoes just for Zumba, wear last year’s gym shoes. Be sure the traction on the sole has worn down on the ball of foot, but be sure the shoe can still provide cushion and support.

Also see my “Sticky Shoes During Zumba” and “Good Dance Shoes for Zumba” and “Where to Buy Dance Shoes” posts or check out my “Recently Written” posts about Zumba shoes to the right at Rencsi.com.

Tonight TMZ showed a clip of a cameraman meeting Joe Montana, former quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers football team, on the street. (If you didn’t know that, don’t feel bad, neither did Harvey.) Max is wearing a San Francisco 49ers t-shirt – perfect for the occassion… Enjoy!

See also “Who is the blond guy on TMZ?” at Rencsi.com and “Follow Max Hodges on Twitter” at Rencsi.com.