FILA

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Say you: That picture looks vaguely familiar.
Say me: Guilty.
Say you: You really like that quilt.
Say me: It is 19 kinds of awesome. Sixteen square feet of tacky, 70's polyester goodness bought at an estate sale. Perfect for nights at the park. Take a gander:






And that's just part of the blanket. Seriously. How can you possibly not love that? ->


-Posted using (enter requisite phrase which brags about your cool gadgets and applications for said gadget here. And let me just say said gadget highly irritates me because once you post an entry to one blog--say, your family blog instead of your other blog, then there's no posting again. Even though you've told it to post to the other blog FOUR TIMES, it gives you a "server" error. Thus you're forced to re-type the entry which is a PITA, because there is simply no way to easily cut and paste using this application. Oh, I did. Cut-n-paste, I mean. But you have to save the original entry, and then start the new entry and then save the new entry and open up the original entry again....Like I said: PITA.

Say you: You digress
Say me: I did. Sue me. )

Soft Tech

Sent from iFrank.

Nom

  

I'm not one to throw out raving reviews of food and restaurants willy nilly.  I would like to think that I have a trained palette and discriminating tastes.  

Say you: A girl can dream. 

Say me: You digress. 

So, believe me when I tell you that pictured above is quite possibly the BEST chocolate malt I've ever had.  After running four miles today, I was completely entitled to scarfing some from The Boy.  We went here for lunch after our big finish.  Yes, he did the run too.  But seeing as he's only 16, he gets to eat 4 times the amount of calories for one day.  I, in my decrepit state however, am only allowed an extra 20.  So I only allowed myself a couple (read:  four) bites. It was heaven on a fork.  

Say you: Don't you mean "heaven on a spoon"?  

Say me: No.  I mean "heaven on a fork".  Because the malt was that thick.  Need I say more? -> 

Zumba

So.  

We can't even work out these days without being inundated by brands.  And I'm not talking about shoes and t-shirts with the swoosh, here.  I'm saying the actual workout is a brand.  

"Zumba", as you may or may not know is essentially a high impact aerobics class based on African, Middle Eastern and Latin rhythms.  There's a lot of wiggling. The workout concept was invented by some greedy business-minded aerobics instructor who happened to forget his regular music one day and was forced to improvise.  (Yes, I read the history section on the main site.  Sue me.) 

He trademarked the name and the concept (read: the wiggling), got himself a cool little logo and he he was off and running. He started selling it on infomercials and it ballooned from there.  

I think of all the Zumba instructors I see as mini franchise holders.  In a 10-mile radius of my zip code, the website listed 83 of them. They have to go to "Zumba Academy" to be qualified to lead a class, naturally.  I later discovered that there is an online network that provides music, choreography, and promotional materials that instructors are strongly encouraged to join at a cost of $30 a month (and you have to pay for six months up front.) They have to wear at least one official piece of clothing (and those cute pants, even on sale, are not cheap).  They have to renew their certificate annually, at a price, I've no doubt.   The early registration for the basic training costs $225; if you wait until the last minute it's $285.  There are 118 instructor trainings in the US between now and the end of the year.  You do the math.  


And that's just the trainings.  

The website has a store, naturally and Oh! the stuff one can buy!  Music! Shoes! Stretchy pants! Shirts! Flip flops (which are essential when you're working out)!  Bracelets!  Hair clips! A Magazine!


Don't get me wrong.  I love the actual workout; it's all I'm doing these days.  But these kinds of movements generally hit a crescendo.  It'll be hip for another few years, and then it will likely fall out of favor for some other NEW! YOU HAVE TO TRY RIGHT NOW workout. 

Like Turbo Kick.  Also a brand.  -> 

By the way, that's Traci up there.  On my personal Zumba Gestapo Scale of 1 to 10 with "1" being a regular agent and "10" being Hitler, she ranks an 8.15.  

Related articles: 

• Zumba Fitness, LLC Settles Trademark Infringement Suit Over Unauthorized Zumbamania Music (eon.businesswire.com)
• 4 reviews of ZUMBA FITNESS (rateitall.com)