Murphy's Law and Other Random Thoughts

Here are some random things that I've been thinking about lately:

Murphy's Law of Rainy Day Workouts: You decide to do an indoor workout at the gym because it's raining hard. You change into workout clothes, stretch, then start working out. Within a few minutes of starting your workout, it stops raining.

Murphy's Law of Winter Running: Any day you decide to wear the shoes with the ice spikes the trails are clear. But just when you think the trails really are clear, and you wear the shoes without the spikes, they're covered in ice and hard-packed snow.

The View: I was wrong that The View is a show just for women. When I was at the gym a week ago Friday, there was a man on one of the machines next to me. He asked me if I was watching the TV in front of me, which was on a college basketball game. I told him that he could change the channel if he wished. He changed the program from college basketball to The View. Maybe his wife or girlfriend told him to get in touch with his feminine side. I can't think of any other reason why a man would voluntarily watch The View.

Weird Parents: My son tells me that I'm weird. I tell him that all kids his age (13 in March) think that their parents are weird. No matter what I do, I'll be weird in his eyes. I'll just keep on doing what I'm doing and one day he'll realize that I'm perfectly sane.

Bad Music: What was it about the '70s that made it the decade of bottom of the barrel music? Rick Dees' "Disco Duck, " The Captain and Tennille's "Muskrat Love," and Paul Anka's "Having My Baby" have to be among the very worst songs ever written. All three are from the '70s. What compelled these people to write songs that are comical because they're so bad? The video for "Disco Duck" is especially funny. Here are videos of those songs. If you can make it all the way through them, you're a stronger person than me.
Disco Duck: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irgJPqkuakM
Muskrat Love: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKw8j7GLSdw
Having My Baby: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ja4iuus8X4o
Even the Germans had bad songs in the '70s. A real classic is Dschingis Khan, by the group of the same name. It was Germany's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1979. The group formed about 2 months before the Eurovision Song Contest. The song was was about Ghengis Khan's military, sexual, and drinking prowess. It placed 4th in Eurovision out of 19 entries. Yikes! -Here's the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOsoNuKCEJY

Barry Manilow was a Man Ahead of His Time: While I was taking that trip to the Copacabana....OK, I was on YouTube and watched the video of Barry singing about what happened at the Copa. This particular concert was from 1981. Watch the people in the background starting at around 2:06. Pay attention to their arm movements. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oU8TAkl7Tbg  Now watch this clip from the German movie Traumschiff Surprise, which was made in 2004. Notice what the men are doing with their arms at 8-9 seconds into the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBhaXQ3UaDo Barry was not only 20 years ahead of his time, he was an international trendsetter.

Memory is Always Better: For the past month or so my son has been craving chicken nuggets from McDonald's. The last time I took him there was about 4 years ago. Imagine his excitement last weekend when he and two of his friends made plans to see a movie and have dinner at McDonald's afterward. When he came home, he said that he had chicken nuggets and fries for dinner. But he said that the chicken nuggets weren't as good as he remembered. I have the same experience when I go back to California and have Mexican food. I have memories of great Mexican food. But it never seems to be as good as the food in my memory.