It's Just Twitter...

If you’ve been on Twitter for long enough and are anywhere near as active on it as I am, you’ve probably read this phrase in a Tweet before.  It’s Twitter’s equivalent to “get a life”.  Apparently, there are tweeps out there who are taking things waaaaaay too seriously in the twitterverse. 

This phrase is usually used when someone gets offended or gets “in their feelings” about something that was said over twitter.  The idea is that, anything said or done on Twitter, or on any social media site, should only be taken so seriously.  For the most part, I agree.  Heck, considering the fact that none of us make it out of this thing alive anyway, life itself shouldn’t be taken that seriously.  Ok, all half-joking aside, most people will agree that if you get your boxers all in a bunch over something on Twitter, you have more issues than a magazine stand.  It ain’t that serious.  You need to get a life… One other than Twitter, that is. 

Ever-so-slightly off subject is the fact that there are some people who read the tweets of those they follow and assume that they know all there is to know about said person.  This train of thought is just as flawed as it is in real life.  (This is assuming, of course, that Twitter is not real life, but I’m getting ahead of myself here.)  You may see your co-workers 5 times or more a week and know how they behave at work, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you know them.  I see my salsa friends a few times a week, but if I only see their persona on the dance floor and barely shoot the breeze with them between songs, I don’t really know them.  Just like you only see one aspect of a person’s life in the context of the environment that you normally see them, you only see one aspect of a person’s life on social media.  Don’t think that you have anyone “all figured out” just because you follow them on Twitter.

Again, while I do agree with all of the above, there is a counter argument to this.  I can feel the Devil’s Advocate in me itching to break out even as I type this.  The idea that it’s “just Twitter” only goes so far.  Anyone who follows my blog or knows me outside of the digital world knows how much I loathe overused and misused words or phrases.  Guess what?  “It’s just Twitter” is one of them.  Far too often, I’ve seen this phrase used as an excuse to fall back on when someone tweets something that someone else found offensive.  “It’s just Twitter”, they’ll say.  It’s become a license to tweet with reckless abandon, not giving a flying flock of birds who gets offended because, at the end of the day, “it’s just Twitter.”  I couldn’t disagree with this mindset more.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying anyone should walk on eggshells and be overly concerned with the thoughts and feelings of others, but I can’t condone the opposite, either.  Many tweeps, especially those on “Team F*** Yo’ Feelings”, would probably argue with me all day on that, being quick to say things like “It’s my twitter, I’ll tweet what I want” or “If you don’t like what I tweet, unfollow.”  Yes, it is your Twitter with which to tweet whatever you like, and those who don’t like it should learn how to use the unfollow button.  However, try saying “it’s just Twitter” when you mess around and get fired from your job or fail to get employed at a prospective job over something you’ve tweeted.  If it’s “just Twitter”, why are Twitter timelines considered legitimate enough to be entered as evidence in court cases?  Good luck convincing your employer, the Feds, or your significant other who caught you “harmlessly flirting” that Twitter isn’t “real life.”

I’ve also seen in quite a few Twitter bios and tweets the phrase “don’t judge me by my Tweets.”  I have to fight with all my being to keep from scoffing at such a statement.  I could understand if Kobe Bryant said to the media “Don’t judge me by my performance last night.  I had an off night, I’m better than that.”  I could understand if I meet a random person who treats me disrespectfully, then says to me the next day, “I'm sorry, I was just having a bad day that day.  I’m normally not like that.  Please don’t judge me based on that.”  Situations like that are circumstantial.  The person in question may not have had control over the situation and may just be out of character at the moment.  But for someone to say “don’t judge me by tweets” when that person deliberately and purposely tweets what they tweet?  Get outta here with that.  We all have our bad days, Twitter or not.  We may go on an uncharacteristic rant or say something out of line every once in a while, but what you consistently tweet is you, just like what you consistently say and do in "real life" is you.

No, I can’t claim to know the whole you, the real you, based on your tweets, but unless someone is hacking into your Twitter account or is holding a gun to your head and making you tweet something you don’t want to, what you tweet comes from you.  Therefore, while you may not be projecting your entire life or personality onto Twitter, what you Tweet is the real you, albeit only a portion of you.  It may be the extra goofy side of you, the unadulterated and unfiltered side of you, or the “I don’t put any of my personal business online” side of you, but it is some side of you.  If what you are willingly tweeting (you’re typing it, seeing your words on your screen, and hitting the send button yourself) isn’t actually you, then why are you putting a fake you on Twitter?  I guess we can’t count you among those who are keeping it “100”, can we?

At the end of the day, yes, we should keep things on social media light-hearted, taking things with a grain (or more) of salt.  No matter how much information a person puts on their profile or in their tweets, you don’t know that person inside and out.  However, we also have to remember that just because all of this is on the world-wide web, that doesn’t make it any less real.  No, social media should not be your life, but it is still a part of real life and should be treated as such.  

The Dancer In You... The REAL You

"When a body moves, it's the most revealing thing. Dance for me a minute and I'll tell you who you are". - Baryshnikov

It is often said that dance, like other forms of art, is a form of self-expression. I mentioned in a previous blog how, even as a dancer, I wasn't quite sure I knew what this really meant. Of course, there are times when we feel joy, sadness, fear, rage; emotions that can be translated clearly and vividly through our movements. But what about those times when you're just dancing for fun? What about those moments when you're not really feeling a particular emotion? What exactly is it that we are expressing with our bodies at that point? Are we expressing anything at all? Or is it the physical equivalent of someone who is "talkin' loud but ain't sayin' nothin'"?

Although dancing can be used to project emotions or tell a story, I've come to the conclusion that the self-expression aspect of dance goes a bit deeper than that. Pictures are said to be worth a thousand words, but I believe our bodies in motion can express things that words can't even say. This may be a stretch, but I think sometimes our bodies, through dance, say things that our minds have always wanted to say, but never had the words for it; something so raw and primal that to attach a word to it would be horribly understating the idea.

I also believe, just like with other visual arts like drawing and painting, dance is a gateway into our imaginations; a portal through which our ideas and dreams can escape into reality. Speaking of escaping, dance can also be a way to escape reality. We can be momentarily free of all the stress and chaos going on in our lives. We can also step out of our normal selves and become another character, or that person we always wanted to be, but are afraid to be for whatever reason.

"The dance floor is the place where one can become a totally different person; however, the person you become is invariably the window into who you really are". - Ana Masacote

On more than one occasion, I've had a non-dancer friend (Wha? Friends who don't dance? Who has those?), after seeing me dance, tell me that I seem to transform into a completely different person. At first, I wholeheartedly agreed. When I dance --especially when I'm in that "zone"-- you see no traces of the shy, self-conscious, insecure person I once was. Through dance and other areas of my life, God has helped me grow out of that. However, I'm not a finished product by any means. Add that to the fact that it's not hard to digress into my old self from time to time, and it will seem as if the "dancer" me and the "normal" me are two different people.

However, I noticed something interesting as I watched others dance. In the case of the dancers whom I had the chance to know both off and on the dance floor, I discovered that their dancing matched their personalities. In many cases, their dancing was an amplification of their personalities. I then began to consider my own dancing, and sure enough, my observation was true for me as well. Those that know me in person know that I am a very calm, even-tempered person. I'm not above having moments of extreme emotion, but for the most part, I'm very relaxed, mellow, and laid-back. The more I danced, the more I realized that my personality is reflected in my dancing. Though I can adjust to be flashy and flamboyant when needed, my dance style is normally tranquil, fluid & "smooth" (hey, that's what people always told me... I didn't make that up ;-) ). Even the tempo of music that I prefer dancing to fits me. Something just a few BPMs slower than medium-speed, something I can just cruise and glide along to, milking the beat for all it's worth, hitting every little break and nuance in the music that I can. That's pretty much me in real life -- going with the flow, enjoying the small things and intricate details as they come my way.

I mentioned earlier that I sometimes struggle with being introverted and insecure at times. I've grown by leaps and bounds in those areas. Shoot, a younger me would have cringed at the thought of being on a stage doing anything, let alone dancing. It blows me away every time I consider the fact that one of my biggest fears was speaking in front of people, yet, I look that fear square in the eye every Thursday and Friday when I teach my salsa classes. Despite my growth, I still have those flaws. There's a common misconception about dancers and other performers that we seek and crave attention, but that could not be any farther from the truth for some of us. For me, it shows in my dancing. When I'm just out social dancing, I have no problem. If I'm dancing socially and I notice that people just happen to be watching, I turn it up a bit. Not to attract more attention to myself, but to help me tune out the attention that's already on me. You see, I really just don't like being the center of attention. If I'm performing on stage, or if I'm put on display for the purpose of entertaining others... I can still dance, but it takes mental effort to distract myself away from the fact that others are watching me. I also seem to lose much of my sense of spontaneity. My movements aren't quite as free and energetic; I end up being more controlled, possibly by my fear of looking stupid. Again, my battle with that fear is becoming easier to battle the more I dance, but I have a feeling it will be a life-long fight.

"I don't look at dance as a separate part of my life but as an extension of it. Rather than take on a different persona, I prefer to indulge the current one but add a touch of artistry to it". - Magna Gopal

My observations have brought me to the conclusion that, for those of us who are at least somewhat proficient in dancing, we do not become different people at all; rather, we are the same people with more tools at our disposal with which to express ourselves. Being able to dance and have above-average or better body control is the equivalent to giving a speaker or writer a deeper vocabulary, or giving a painter a larger set of colors to splash upon the canvas. Dancing, like everything that I just mentioned, loosens the reigns that usually exist on our normal selves, allowing us to show the world more parts of ourselves that we otherwise aren't able to or are afraid to. The dancer in you is, in many cases, the raw, uncut, unabridged, unadulterated you. The dancer in you isn't a different "you", it is the real "you".

A Lover AND A Fighter: Round 2 - Deep Waters

"Alright, everybody on the wall..."  This was our instructor Jake's signal for us to line up so that he could match us all up for rolling sessions.  First up for me was House, one of the guys who was actually on Bangkok Boxing's fight team.  House just happened to be his last name, but darn if it didn't describe him perfectly.  Dude was huge, and mostly if not all muscle.  It was about to be a big house vs a one-bedroom apartment.  However, I thought to myself, "I've rolled with guys much bigger than me before.  I'm down for the challenge.  Besides, BJJ is designed so that the smaller guy has a decent chance, right? Let's do this."  

Things didn't start out so bad.  The first melee of trying to take each other down had us rolling halfway across the mat, almost rolling over others in the process.  For me having a significant size disadvantage, I did a decent job of keeping him from keeping a dominant position on me at first, but of course, that didn't last long.  I don't remember him keeping me in full mount for too long, but whether it was full mount, side control, half guard... heck, it really didn't matter.  I could not breathe.  

Normally, when I'm on the bottom, even when I'm rolling with a guy bigger than me (I'm 165 lbs on a good day, so it's not like that doesn't happen often), I'm normally able to stay calm and bide my time until I can improve my position or sweep him altogether.  Not this time.  When House was in top position,  he used every ounce of his weight to put as much pressure on me as possible.  I'd never seen him fight, but I could tell that he definitely isn't one of those "lay and pray" fighters when it comes to grappling.  I spent every moment on the bottom just trying to give myself space to get air in and out of my lungs.  I survived as long as I could, but to my embarrassment, I ended up tapping from pure suffocation.  To my dismay, Jake yelled "TIME" not even 10 seconds after I tapped.  I guess that's the downfall of not being able to look at the clock during a round.

Looking for some kind of way to feel better about what just happened, I asked House how much he weighed.  "About 230 lbs" he replied.  He had about 70 pounds on me.  I didn't feel so bad after hearing that, as I realized I was a Lightweight/Welterweight tweener who had just finished grappling with a Heavyweight.  Still, it irked me that I tapped from not even being in a legit submission move with only seconds left to go in the round.  As I chatted with House between rounds, he explained to me a concept that I already knew, but being on the business end of it drove the point home for me.  When you're in top position, your goal is to make your opponent as uncomfortable as possible.  It's probably going to be a bit harder for me to do than it was for him, since I'm not working with nearly as much weight, but if MMA fighters who are lighter than me can do it, surely I can learn to do it.  

Despite the demoralizing experience, I'm ready to go right back at it on Monday.  Eager to put that behind me and make sure that I'm on the other end of the suffocation next time.

Childhood Appreciation - Transformers: The Movie

As my frequent readers and Twitter followers all know by now, geekery is a habit for me.  It all started, of course, when I was much, much younger.  A child of the '80s, I grew up during a time when cartoons were "still good".  Voltron, G.I. Joe, Thundercats, Jem... (Yes, I will shamelessly admit that I religiously watched Jem.  G'on 'head and pick up your gavel. I care not.)  Those were the good ol' days.  However, for reasons I can't quite put my finger on, one cartoon in particular grabbed my attention and has never let go.  Since 1984, I have been an avid fan of The Transformers.

Long before Michael Bay got his grubby lil' hands on the franchise (I'll be chuggin' haterade and tackling that subject soon enough), the creators of the cartoon --Hasbro and Sunbow-- gave us one of the greatest animated movies of all time, Transformers: The Movie.  As a little kid, it didn't get much better than your favorite cartoon being on the big screen.  You know Hasbro had to have made a killing off of it as little crumbsnatchers and pre-adolescents everywhere dragged their parents to the theaters to see it.

I enjoyed every minute of the movie as a child, and still do as an adult.  However, as with most things we enjoyed in our childhood years, there are certain things that slip past you.  From animation errors, to plot holes, to things that just plain don't make sense even in a fantasy cartoon universe, there are things that the writers and animators counted on our young minds either not noticing or not caring about.  Watching the movie again as an adult, I've had quite a few "Wha? For real?" moments.  The following is a collection of those moments, awesome movie quotes, and other random thoughts that have occurred in my geekish mind while watching "Transformers: The Movie."

********************

We soooooo didn't see this coming...

- How do you let a planet, let alone one bigger than your own, sneak up on you?  How do you not see that coming?

- The inhabitants of Lithone seemed to know Unicron by name, so they obviously knew who he was and how much of a threat he posed.  You mean to tell me they didn't have any radar capabilities to issue a "Unicron Watch" or "Unicron Warning?"  Put the kids through "Unicron drills", maybe?

- Was I the only kid who watched the opening credits and thought, " Wreck-Gar?  Who the heck is Wreck-Gar?  And Galvatron?  Whatever happened to Megatron?  What, no Optimus Prime?  Not even Bumblebee?  AM I IN THE RIGHT MOVIE THEATER?!?!"

- Seriously, though... Did they really just make a generic movie about robots and slap the name "Transformers" on it?

- Ok, cool.  He mentioned Cybertron.  I can rest a little easier now.

- Just as the narrator says "from secret staging grounds on two of Cybertron's moons", Laserbeak swoops in undetected.  So much for "secret."

- Just my real-time speculation, but the Autobot shuttle had to have left Moonbase 1 at least an hour or so before the Decepticons left Cybertron.  So tell me how they caught up to the shuttle, seemingly without a ship of their own?  Am I to assume they caught a ride with Astrotrain, who was nowhere to be found in this scene?  #WeNeedAnswers

- Megatron rips the Autobot shuttle a new one.  Obvious hull breech.  I guess Autobot spacecraft are outfitted with the latest in anti-vacuum technology.  

- Ok, I know Megs is a beast and all, but how're they gonna have ol' uber-tough Brawn go out "one shot, one kill"?  I mean, he did get shot through the heart, but since when do Cybertronians have hearts, period, let alone hearts in the same place as a humans?

- Really, yo?  Prowl gets done in by Scavenger?  The 'con that all the other Constructicons picked on?  At least when Brawn died, it was Starscream holding Megs as a gun.  Scavenger only had a standard-issue laser pistol.  Ugh.

"Such heroic nonsense."  - Megatron

- A point-blank fusion cannon shot to the head.  Couldn't have been more cold-blooded if Megs had said, "Put yo mouf on the curb..."

- Something tells me that wasn't young Daniel's first time smashing a hoverboard...

- Notice the Autobots who are assisting Kup (L-R: Hound, Huffer, Bluestreak & Sunstreaker).  Some of them may make an unusual appearance later...

- Speaking of Kup, was it supposed to be obvious to us that his name is short for "Cybertronian Pickup Truck"?

- You know you were like "Aw, snap! IT'S ON NOW!!!" when you saw Autobot City transform.

Kup making roadkill out of Kickback's head = CLASSIC.

Animation error:  Both Rumble & Frenzy have Frenzy's (or, Rumble's, if you go off of the toyline) paint job.

I personally thought Blaster's spinning back kick to Ravage's face was pretty darn awesome.  

Pretty much every Transformers fan's thoughts upon seeing Blaster's cassette crew for the first time:  "FINALLY!!!"

Kinda sad seeing Windcharger & Wheeljack stretched out like that.

"I got better things to do tonight than die."
- Springer

"Their defenses are broken!  Let the slaughter begin!!!" - Megatron (Um, kinda late with that statement there, bro.)

Ah, the mighty Dinobots:  Grimlock, Slag, Sludge, Swoop, and Sn... Wait.  Hold up... Aren't we missing someone?

I don't think people fully grasp how BIG the Dinobots really are.  I mean, Grimlock is so big that Devastator was able to kick him in the stomach.

And when's the last time you saw Devastator have to use both hands just to pick up one Autobot?

Bull-rush by slag, FTW.

Animation Error:  remember we saw Hound & Sunstreaker earlier?  Somehow, they both made it back to Cybertron in time to leave on Prime's ship of reinforcements and arrive in this scene.  Riiiiiight.

"Megatron must be stopped... No matter what the cost."  

- Optimus Prime 

*Queue "The Touch"*

Thrust's reflection in Prime's grill before getting trucked = CLASSIC.

Blitzwing:  "Slag this. Y'ain't finna Jerome Bettis me like that."

- Prime's laser rifle had to have been the most average-looking weapon a hero ever had, but darn if it didn't get the job done.

"One shall stand, one shall fall."

- Optimus Prime

"Why throw away your life so recklessly?"

"That's a question you should ask yourself, Megatron."

- Megatron vs Optimus Prime

Prime has a nasty overhand right.

Lesson learned from Megatron: always have a spare light-saber handy, just in case your WMD-esque fusion cannon ever gets dislodged from your arm.

"You, who are without mercy, now plead for it? I thought you were made of sterner stuff."  
- Optimus Prime

- Say what you want, but Prime's death is all Hot Rod's fault.

Megs apparently has impeccable aim in the clutch (aka at no other moment in the entire series).  Three shots to the already inflicted abdomen wound, and one to the face.  Find me ONE other headshot anywhere in all 4 seasons.  #DontWorryIllWait

"I would have waited an eternity for this...  It's over, Prime."  - Megatron

Prime: gim PP

"NEVER!!!"

Notice how cramped that space is in Astrotrain's cargo area...

- There are few moments in movie history where it is widely accepted that it is ok for a man to cry.  Prime's death is one of them.

The Autobot Matrix of Leadership:  The original "Matrix."  Have a seat, Neo.

My Matrix theory:  Hot Rod wasn't "chosen", he just happened to be the first 'bot to touch it after it left Prime's hands.  We could just as easily had "Arceemus Prime" or "Kupimus Prime."

- Animation Error:  Ultra Magnus puts the Matrix up to his chest, and it just sits there in mid air as he opens his chest, then he takes it off of the imaginary platform its on, then puts it into his chest.

Prime's optic lights dim.  Fades to grey.  Head drops.  #Sadness

"Wait!  I still function!!!"  
"Wanna bet?" 
- Megatron vs Starscream

That "this fool, here..." look that Blitzwing & Thrust give each other as Starscream announces that Megs has... "Departed." = CLASSIC

"Soundwave: Superior.  Constructicons: Inferior"

- Soundwave

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING 'INFERIOR'?!?!" 
"No one would follow an uncharismatic BORE like you!"  

Bonecrusher & Hook

"Hey! No one calls Soundwave uncrazamatic!"  
"Yeah, let's kick tailgate!!!"

Rumble & Frenzy

How convenient that Blitzwing's cargo space was so claustrophobic before, but is now big enough for the Constructicons to form Devestator inside.

I never noticed Ramjet beatin' down Scrapper in the background. NICE.

"The point is, he's dead, and the Matrix died with him!"
"The point is, you are a fool."
- Megatron & Unicron

On-screen positioning dictates that Bombshell became Cyclonus.  However, considering that Cyclonus was fiercely --if not stupidly-- loyal to Galvaron as Skywarp was to Megs, but Bombshell was always a thorn in Megs' side, it makes more sense for it to have been Skywarp.

- Whatever happened to Cyclonus' "Armada"?

- Starscream was no weakling, but I really don't see how he emerged from that brawl as the winner.  Either all the Seekers & Triple Changers were on his side, or he sat back and chilled while everybody else took each other out.  

"Coronation, Starscream?  This is bad comedy."  

"MEGATRON? IS THAT YOU???"  

"Here's a hint." 

Galvatron vs Starscream

- Galvatron took all of two minutes to do what Megs should have done two seasons ago.

- Again, a large planet should not be able to sneak up on anyone.  That is some serious stealth technology right there.

- I wholeheartedly believe that Jazz made the word "ginormous" popular in this scene.  Ok, maybe not, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

- OOOOOH!!! Spike said a wordy-dirty!!!

Wait, is that Snarl?  Bro!!! Where ya been? -_-

A little flirtatious banter between Hot Rod & Arcee, I see.

Oh. Okay.  Looks like Arcee's giving Springer a lil' play, too.  I guess when you're the Smurfette of Cybertron, you gotta keep your options open. 

I love the Star Wars imagery going on with Hot Rod on the escape shuttle.

Ultra Magnus usually seems like the uptight, no-sense-of-humor type, but the "speak English please, not nerd" look he gives Perceptor is priceless.

Hot Rod's transformation sequence after fixing Kup makes him look like he's bone-breaking.

- I felt the same way about Wheelie as I did about Jar-Jar from Star Wars.  The moment I head him speak, I hoped someone would kill him.  And soon.  Brutally, preferably.  

"I have nothing but contempt for this court!"  

- Hot Rod

- Hot Rod & Kup were doing just fine in vehicle mode, running the Sharkticons all over and stuff.  Eh, I guess the writers had to keep it interesting.

Speaking of the Sharkticons, they look less like sharks and more like...  Like... I'm not even sure what to call them.

Maybe I'm naive, but I never picked up on the "Asian Biker Gang" stereotype they used with the Junkions.

"Bah weep, gra-na-weep, ninnibon."

"Bah weep, gra-na-weep, ninnibon?"

"Bah weep, gra-na-weep, ninnibon!"

"BAH WEEP, GRA-NA-WEEP, NINNIBON!!!"

- Hot Rod, Wreck-Gar & The Junkions

Wheelie somewhat redeemed himself in my mind w/ those b-boy moves he pulled off while everybody was partying.

Galvatron is rockin' the Matrix around his neck like a huge medallion.  Now all he needs is some shell-toes, a Kangol hat and a pair of four-finger rings that say "MEGA" & "TRON".

- We all had to figure that Unicron had a robot mode, but I think it was a case of "You think you know, but you have no idea."

- Really, Galvatron?  Unicron created you.  Blasting him in the face is like throwing a grape at him.

"Me, Grimlock KICK BUTT!!!"  

- Grimlock

- Funny how Daniel gets washed up to just the right place in Unicron's ginormous body, just in time to barely save his dad from a hot acid bath death.

- Hot Rod's hit and run tactics against Galvatron were pretty nice.  And necessary.  

- Rodimus must have had some "fastball special"-esque strength when he tossed Galvatron, knowing he landed on another planet later.  

For real, though... Rodimus Prime transforms into a Winnebego?!?!  This is the mid '80s, not the '70s, right?

"Till all are ONE!!!"