Archive for March, 2010
For centuries, doctors in lab coats have been an important part of the comedic landscape. This is especially true in the world of animated programming.
Lab Coats have a long history in the annals of comedy. Somebody, a long time ago, decided that a doctor in a lab coat could be just as funny as a clown in makeup or a straight-man wearing a suit.
This is especially true for animated shows. For decades animated shows have cast doctors in the role of comedic fodder, usually as slightly inept professionals who are always there with a funny line or a comical diagnosis. For a perfect example of this type of character you have to look no further then Julius Hibbert, the resident physician at Springfield Hospital on the hit animated show The Simpsons.
Modeled after Bill Cosby’s character on the Cosby Show, creators even went as far as to give Dr. Hibbert a pension for colorful sweaters and children who resemble Cosby’s on-screen progeny. Dr. Hibbert is a smart man, though he has a tendency to laugh even at the most tragic news. Most of his comedy comes from either comedic diagnosis, or clever one-liners, which vary form person to person. He is a doctor but also seems to be a pediatrician and a surgeon (he has performed surgery on Homer Simpson several time). He seems to be a good father, fairly ethical (though a tool for the HMO circuit) and has hairstyles that reflect famous black actors depending on which decade you see him (dreadlocks, a Mr. T flattop, etc.).
On Family Guy, the resident doctor is a much more inept doctor than Mr. Hibbert is. His running joke is that when giving diagnosis he always mentions whatever bad stuff is on his mind before getting to the actual information (for example: when telling Peter Griffin what his cancer test said he starts by noting “No, no, this isn’t very good at all…”. After a brief pause he then holds up a picture that his son drew “This doesn’t look like me at all”). He seems to kind of know what he’s doing, though he has a tendency to be too stupid to be believable at most times (putting his hand in a used needle draw thinking it’s where he keeps his rubber gloves).
Not often do you see a lobster- like alien wearing a lab coat, but that’s exactly what you saw if you were a fan of Futurama which aired on FOX in 2000-2003. The running joke with Zoidberg, besides the fact that he was broke and…ummm… had claws… was that he was a terrible doctor usually giving wrong diagnosis or, because it was the future, curing them in weird ways. Frankly, he was hilarious, and just the latest in a long line of funny doctors on animated TV shows.
Author Kim Green has worked in the medical field and has had the opportunity to wear different styles of lab coats and medical scrubs – Medelita is the company she prefers to buy from.
In recent months I’ve utilized live video streaming services to watch live coverage of the Olympics, concerts, award shows and TV shows. And this seems to be only the beginning of what the internet has in store for us.
I’m not afraid to admit that I’ve spent my fair share of time sitting in front of my computer recently intensely watching live coverage through my live video streaming services. During the recent Olympic games I spent at least three hours a day in front of my computer watching hockey, curling and skiing action (don’t hate, once you get into curling your hooked) live through the internet. This does not count the highlights I watched through the websites video sections.
I’ve also become a big fan of watching live concert footage online. The AT&T Blue Room website has become a big force in the online concert world with full weekend coverage of such coveted music festivals as the Coachella Music & Arts Festival, Lollapalooza and The Bonarroo Festival. With their live streaming you can now see your favorite bands from the comfort of your own living room (and without having to spend $10 on a beer).
One of my favorite live video events in recent months, though, has been the live coverage of the Grammy Awards on Grammy.com in early February. Through the website for the first time you could watch live coverage of the winners being announced in the 80+ categories that don’t get coverage on the performance-heavy live television broadcast. It might sound weird to watch the winners of the Best Engineered Album getting announced, but I found it pretty interesting. Also, because most of the big Grammy Award categories usually end up being won by artists who I either don’t listen to or completely loathe, this is an opportunity to watch artists that I actually like win awards.
With the internet becoming as common as cable TV is most American homes, networks have begun to put just as much effort in their online broadcasts as they do on their television side. The last couple of years have seen CBS put every single one of the NCAA basketball tournament games live online so that fans can watch games from work or out of market. Since studies have shown that productivity at American businesses goes down nearly 50% during these tournament days it seems that this strategy is working.
Networks have also begun putting their shows on demand streaming from their websites just hours after their original airtime. The fact that networks load their streaming shows with commercials online (and no, you can’t fast-forward through them) means extra revenue and extra exposure for the show.
Author Kimberly Green gets her high speed satellite internet service from todocast.tv since she’s been happy with their live video streaming services
While watching curling at the Olympics I noticed teams wearing clogs on the ice. Is this the best choice to wear when you’re on the ice?
Was it just me, or did the curling teams at the Olympics wear clogs. They weren’t like wooden clogs or medical clogs, but they were more like a dress clog. Like they almost looked like dress shoes but at the same time they were clogs. I’d never seen those before. I never would have guessed curlers wore any type of special footwear, though I’m guessing that when your playing a sport where you’re sliding on the ice with precision you would need something special.
This got me thinking about what kind of shoes you would need to best maneuver on the ice. I know that curler wear a special type of rubber sole that they slip onto the bottom of the clogs when on the ice, but I’m guessing those don’t give you any special advantage. Essentially these rubber soles are so you don’t scuff up the ice, I’m guessing they don’t have much to do with giving the curler any extra advantage.
If you’ve ever walked on ice it’s not the easiest thing to navigate. If you’re fairly good with balance- I’m not the best but I’m decent enough to where I spend most of the time off my butt- you can usually maneuver nicely on it without catching your balance every moment. It takes a little more skill to be able to slide on it, but once you’ve done it a few times you kind of get the hang on it. I’ve played broom hockey a few times (think hockey with shoes on instead of skates) and I’ve found that tennis shoes are usually the best way to go if you are wearing shoes on the ice. I once had to play broom hockey with slip on work shoes and that was not a fun experience (I had bruises for weeks). I imagine the clogs that curlers use have a snug fit but have enough mobility to be comfortable when you’re sliding.
When you think of a shoe that is comfortable on the ice I would assume you would have to take the same standards you would put into effect when buying a ice skate. For those of you who have ever worn ice skates (I would assume that is probably about 80% of you reading this article… I mean c’mon, who hasn’t gone ice skating) know that they are supposed to be tight. You don’t want your foot moving around too much because you want control over where you are pointing the blade. If your foot moves too much then your turns won’t be straight enough and you’ll end up on your fanny for most of the day. You are essentially looking for something that is fight in the ankle and mid foot area, but also with enough room to wiggle your toes. That’s at least what I would assume you would want in curling clogs. Maybe I’ll try them out and let you know later.
Author Kimberly Green has worked in the medical field and absolutely feels professional clogs and medical clogs from Medelita.com are the best around!
Since I was a child I’ve admired the magic of spring training baseball. It’s all about a renewal and new beginnings. And it’s unlike anything else in sports.
When I was a kid my dad used to take me and my brother to spring training games down in Florida for the weekend. This was always a weekend of sun, fun, catching multiple games a day and meeting a lot of young players who would go on to be superstars. I came to treasure these times not only because it was great family time, but because it would ignite a lifelong love of spring training. It not only meant that the sun was coming out again, but that it was a new beginning for everyone in baseball.
During the off-season you would always here about baseball players getting ready for the season. In the dark days of December you would read about their workout regimens, about how they would spend their mornings learning how to mix HCG, then going out to train at their indoor gym all afternoon long. What spring training meant is that everything was starting anew and that the training regime would now begin to pay off on the actual field. It was like the beginning of spring and a sign that things would begin changing.
My favorite thing to do at spring training was watch the pitchers. Unlike just about any other position in sports, pitching is about finding your rhythm. It’s about getting back that fastball that you last left on the mound four months ago. Spring training for a pitcher is about making sure your speed and control doesn’t slip. It’s about trying to perfect your art.
During spring training, outside of bullpen work managers don’t like to have their pitchers on the mound for too long. It is possible to wear your pitcher out if you push them too hard out of the gate. You watch managers bring their pitchers into spring training games for about 2 innings at a time and just when a pitcher is about to hit his stride you take him out. It’s all about coaxing a pitcher to slowly get to his full potential. Start them at 70% and slowly build them up so that when they are ready for opening day they are at a full 100%. This is why managers get paid so much and are much smarter than the average sports fan: they know about patience and they about finding the best way to get the most out of their playoffs. Its reasons like that why there is nothing quite like spring training baseball.
Author Kimberly Green knows 3 people who have been successful using HCG for weight lossonce they learned how to mix HCG the proper way
Kids clothing costs money. Sometimes, it seems, too much money. So why would you go for the cheaper option when buying kids clothing that can be reused is the much smarter option.
I heard a joke the other day from one of my friends: What do you call something that costs a lot, gets used for about a month, and then sits in a box for a few years? Kids clothes and baby clothes. Hahaha.
Ok, well, it’s not a funny joke, but I don’t think she meant it to be funny. I think she just needed an outlet for the fact that she had just spent hundreds of dollars on new designer baby clothes only to box them up two months later. I could tell by the look of subtle desperation in her eyes.
Anyway, any parent knows that baby clothes can be a pain to pick out. There are lots of cute designs and cute colors, but you have to also temper this designer need with the fact that a baby is only going to wear a certain outfit for around a month before it gets thrown in the closet until the next baby comes along. And while there are plenty of options for finding great baby clothes, the thing to remember is that all the baby cares about is comfort. It’s you that cares about design.
What many parents don’t think enough about in baby clothes is durability. Most parents who are buying clothes for their first baby have a tendency to think short term instead of long. Most families have 2.5 children, some even more. That means that while baby clothes initially only need to last for a few months, unless you’re made of money and you’re planning to have multiple children you are going to want to use them over again. You want them to be able to survive not only multiple babies but also multiple storages. You want to be sure that they will be ready for use again after sitting in a labeled box for a year or two.
This multiple use makes baby and children’s clothes more of an investment then a onetime money pit. Like with most clothing you get what you pay for. If you buy cheap one time use baby clothes then you will have to purchase all new ones for your next child. This is why spending a little more on durable, name brand children’s clothing might be a smart investment. It’s the equivalent to buying a cheap brand of silverware instead of a brand name trusted brand. After a while, you’re going to wear them out and buy a new pair. This means that your cheap investment becomes an expensive investment over time. Just another thing to think about when buying baby and children’s clothing.
Author Kimberly Green always buys her kids clothing from reputable places such as Naartjie.com
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