I'm not talking about beauty.  I'm talking about what offends you.  Two interesting situations came up recently.  I'd be interested in knowing what you think.  (As always comments are being moderated.)

Situation 1 

I was shopping yesterday at a grocery store in the Brookfield/Elm Grove area.  While waiting in line, I scanned the magazines at the checkout.  I noticed that one magazine was almost fully obscured from my view by a black, rectangular piece of something like light plywood.  I couldn't tell what magazine was behind it, so I pulled it out. After seeing what was on the cover, I did a quick check of the other checkout lanes.  The magazine was covered up in all the lanes that it was in.

The magazine was "People".  On the cover, a picture of Clay Aiken holding his new baby.  The headline, printed in bold letters, was "Yes, I'm Gay". 

Situation 2 

The Spouse's company has been running a series of radio ads.   A recent ad, written by one of the ad agency's employees, used the word "gypped." In the ad, it was  used as a synonym for the word "cheated."  After about a week, a message was left on the company's voice mail.  The caller, offended by the ad, called the Spouse's company "idiots" and "bigots," with one or two expletives thrown in for good measure.

The problem?  The word "gypped" is a racial or ethnic slur against gypsies, which the Spouse discovered after googling the word.  Here are some of the links found:

Defective Yeti and Houston Chronicle

The Spouse didn't know this and, that night, asked me what I thought of the word "gypped," without telling me about the offended caller.  I answered that I might have just used the word "cheated," but the basis for my answer was because I wouldn't use "slang" in the ad, not because I knew it was offensive.

The Spouse's company has pulled the ad. 

Another interesting point is that someone at the ad agency flagged the ad for the reason outlined above, but after discussion, the powers that be at the agency decided that the flag was just an "overreaction". 

The statue of the "Bronze Fonz" was unveiled Tuesday.  Here's a link to a short jsonline article.

I don't care what anyone else thinks; I think it's art.  Why?  Because when I look at it, it inspires feelings in me.

Laughter: Because it's a Bronze Fonz for goodness sakes!

Nostalgia: Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley were some of my favorite T.V. shows growing up.  I think the shows were on Tuesday nights at 7 and 7:30 respectively. Much better than the rather short-lived spin-off Joanie and Chachi (But then again what pre-teen/teenage girl didn't have a crush on Scott Baio?!)  Funnier than Mork and Mindy, IMO.

Melancholy:  Oh, for the days when my only concern was getting my homework done, so I could watch T.V. before I went to bed.

So, some may look down their noses at it, seeing it as just a cheesy statue, but it makes me smile, it makes me think, it makes me feel happy, it makes me feel wistful.  I'd say that's art.  (As a bonus, I don't have to contemplate what my "perception" of the piece is.)

Christmas card photo op?  Hmm...

I saw this video on "The View" this morning.  It made me cry.  I must be getting sappy in my old age.

Christian the Lion 

I did a very brave thing last night.  I went to a Zumba exercise class. 

It was a brave act on many fronts.  First, I probably haven't done any real cardio exercise since Ms. Kemp's aerobics class at Burleigh Junior High.  Second, I attended the class with my sister-in-law who is a decade younger than I am.  Third, the class was open to anyone 16 or older, so there was the nagging fear that I would be Zumba-ing amidst people more than two decades younger.  Fourth, have I ever mentioned that I have an artificial hip joint? 

What is Zumba?  Zumba is best described as latin dancing aerobics.   Here's a clip from The Today Show, featuring the man who created Zumba.  The first few minutes of the clip showcase testimonials.  If you want to just watch the demonstration, you can skip ahead to about 3:45 in the video.

Needless to say, I was a bit nervous about the class.  I had only two goals:

1. To Not Hurt Myself; and

2. To Not Throw Up

I am proud to say that both goals were achieved. 

Both my sister-in-law and I really enjoyed the class.  We both like to dance, and it was a lot more fun than regular aerobics.  What I really found beneficial was that I could "tone down" the intensity of the moves to a level that was comfortable for me and still work up a pretty good sweat.   Apart from a few twinges on either side of my waist, due to all the hip-swiveling action,  I emerged relatively ache-free, although I do admit to downing some Tylenol as a preventative measure before I went to bed.

Interested in giving it a try?  I know that a few health clubs do offer Zumba classes, but the instructor who taught my class will soon be opening a studio in Brookfield on Bluemound Road.  It will offer yoga, pilates, and dance fitness classes, in addition to Zumba.  The studio is still undergoing construction, and the website is not up and running yet.  I'll post the information when I confirm that the studio is open.

As with any other type of exercise, check with your physician before beginning an exercise program, especially if you have any health problems or concerns.

I did, and my ortho doc gave me the greenlight, so long as I didn't do any hardcore jumping.  I of course was happy to comply. :-) 

If you read my blog about the new television show Cashmere Mafia, you know that I was a fan of the HBO television series Sex and the City.  While on the net a couple of days ago, I caught a trailer of the movie version of Sex and the City, which is set for release on May 30. I posted the clip below.

If Carrie is dumped by Mr. Big at the altar, I will have to beat on the HBO movie writers with a pair of stiletto Manolos, after downing a Cosmo.

John James Preston?

Watch the trailer on YouTube. 

I have had a crush on Johnny Depp ever since watching my first episode of "21 Jump Street," and now, it has been officially announced that he and Christian Bale will be in Wisconsin to film the movie "Public Enemies." 

Unfortunately, Brookfield will probably not be on the list of filming locales.  Sigh. 

I have a new guilty pleasure: the television show Cashmere Mafia. 

For all you Carrie Bradshaw fans who need a fix, Cashmere Mafia is kind of like Sex and the City but toned-down for network TV. It airs on Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m on ABC.

Like Sex and the City, the show is about four women and their friendship.  But these particular women became friends in business school (think Wharton), and fifteen years later, they are all Prada-wearing, Blackberry-wielding, take-no-prisoners business execs in New York. 

The clothes are fabulous.  The banter is pithy.  But I am not completely sold on it yet due to one storyline that just bugs me.

One of the women has been married for 15 years.  For years, she has known that her husband is "stepping out" on her, but she puts up with it.  Then, she finds out that he is currently having an affair with someone she knows, and instead of kicking him to the curb, she stays with him because she doesn't want to be alone.  She then plots to even the score by having a fling of her own.

So, basically, this strong, intelligent, successful woman becomes stupid when it comes to her cheating spouse.  That's the part I can't stomach.

The third episode airs tonight.  I'm still hoping that she'll dump him.

(The spouse dislikes the fact that all the men on the show are portrayed as "dogs," but he says he will continue to watch with me.)

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Speaking of intelligent, successful women, did you hear that Oprah is starting her own cable television network?  The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) will replace the  Discovery Health channel in 2009.