Allison and I went to see "The Crazies" last weekend. And this was in the lobby, so we had to poke our faces through the holes and get some dude to take a picture.

By the way, "The Crazies" was awesome. If you liked "28 Days" or "The Hills Have Eyes", you'll love it.

So this is pretty exciting! I got a library card today! Carson and I went to the Chan library to do some research for his Cub Scout stuff. He had to look up what happened on the day he was born, the day he turned 5, and on July 20, 1969...do YOU know what happened on July 20, 1969???

And while we were there I thought, "Hmmmmm, I haven't had a library card in forever!" So I got one! It may sound dumb, but I was kind of excited about it. Books are good, mmmkay? Example of someone who doesn't read books? Monique, the actress/comedienne. Someone asked her about her saying "God Bless us, everyone" at the Oscars the other night, and the dummy actually had no idea that is a line from "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. What? What adult hasn't heard of that? Oh, I know. Entertainers. Most of whom dropped out of middle school to pursue their dream and are less educated than most 14 year olds. This is why you should never listen to entertainers when they tell you how to live or tell you how to vote. Because they have money, privilege and no education. Do YOU have money, privilege and no education? Do you have ANYTHING in common with Bono, Sean Penn or Gwenyth Palrow? No, you do not. Neither do I. (But I did love Sean Penn in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High")

So when a dumb-****** celebrity tells you how you should think about global warming, what kind of car to drive, health care or who to donate your money to, firmly whisper to yourself, "They can kiss my a**!" Because they really don't know better than we do.

Oh, and very importantly, doesn't "Hot Tub Time Machine" look amazing???

Carson and I went to Spirit Mountain in Duluth on Saturday. It was awesome! Sunny and warm, around 40 degrees! Okay, the warm weather made the show a little sloppy, kind of like skiing in mashed potatoes, but it was still awesome!

Check out an action video! Ignore the parts where I fall once or twice!

Yay! It's Friday! Gotta love the weekend!

Carson and I are going to Spirit Mountain on Saturday. Watch this page later for action photos and videos! We get to go up on a bus so we can sit and play DS together all the way up and back. Just love time with my boy!

So after this weekend, I'll have completed four weeks of P90X. If the whole "P90X" thing bores you, I'll save you the time and trouble of reading this. Instead, watch this 6-second video.

Cuz now I'm gonna give you a little review of one month of the P90X.

NOTE: I'm not paid to talk about it at all. I paid for the whole program out of my own pocket so I can say whatever I want and if they don't like it they can suck it.

I saw the infomercial over a month ago and was really tempted to order it cuz like most people, I'm always trying to lose weight. I keep saying I'll do it and then I lose 5 pounds and gain it right back. And I say I'm going to get in shape and I don't. I mean, I run marathons and half-marathons, but there's a big difference between "running" a marathon and "competing" in a marathon. My grandma can "run" a marathon, but even competing in your age class is a tough challenge.

When I saw the commercial on TV, I mentioned it on the air the next day and so many people called and texted to say they loved it that I thought, "What the heck?" I ordered it off the internet that morning. The whole time, Crisco was trying to save me from myself. "Dave," he said, "Don't waste your money. You'll never use it."

Part of me believed he was right. But I also knew I couldn't order it and talk about it and then drop it a few days later without everyone giving me a rash of s**t. When it arrived on a Friday, I started it the following Monday. I knew if I waited, I may never get to starting it. I'd heard too many people say theirs was still under their bed in the shipping carton.

I was kind of nervous because I heard it was SO hard. And it is. In fact, the first few days, I was yelling, "You're kidding me!" at the TV every few minutes. I honestly could NOT keep up with what they were doing. But I also knew that if I wasn't being challenged, it wasn't working. So I stuck with it. I couldn't keep up with their pace at all for the first couple weeks. It wasn't until the end of week three that I could finally stay with them MOST of the time!

People ask if they should get it and it really depends. If I hadn't talked about it on the radio, I would have probably slacked off by now or never gotten started. But I know Steve, Lena, Crisco, John and YOU would never let me forget it if I didn't! If you order it, e-mail me and I'll e-mail you back and keep your ****** accountable for the $139 dollars you spend on it! daveryan@kdwb.com

I've lost 11 pounds on it, not from P90X alone, but combining that with eating less and cutting out most alcohol. I still have drinks on the weekend, but gone are the two tubs of wine I'd drink every night before bed.

If you're thinking about getting it, I say do it on three conditions:

1. You need to be in decent shape before you do it. If you're more than 20 pounds overweight or really bad with cardio, it's probably not for you.

2. If you are sure you can start it right away without waiting till "after spring break" or "after graduation" or whatever will let you put it off.

3. If you promise yourself you'll follow through on it, even on days when you'd rather take a nap or watch "The Biggest Loser."

It takes a little over an hour a day, and you can take one day a week off.

It's hard, but it's not THAT hard.

What sucks about it? Not much really. The guy who leads it is really motivational, but you get the feeling he stands naked in front of his mirror and flexes a lot. And there's a definite vibe that he's sleeping with every woman in the DVD. But big deal. He's not wearing a wedding ring!

So there's my P90X update. If I had something else exciting going on in my life, I'd write about that.

One thing that was kinda cool...Some Girl Scouts came by to take on Steve and Crisco in "Smarter Than a Girl Scout". The girls won. They also want to let you know that you can visit a Girl Scout Cookie Booth and buy a box of cookies to be delivered to someone who's homebound with Meals on Wheels. Meals on Wheels is ALWAYS looking for volunteers. Info at meals-on-wheels.org

Have a great weekend!

Test your personality! Draw a pig and see what kind of person you really are! It only takes a few seconds and you don't have to be a good artist.

Remember when getting a computer used to be a big deal? I mean it still kinda is. But I got one last night at Best Buy cuz I haven't had a new one in like 5 years, and I'm kind of dreading setting it up. I know it's going to take a couple hours to get all the software installed and run all the cables. So I'm putting it off.

You know what else I'm putting off? My Morning Show Science Project! I have the idea, but it's a lot more work than I thought it would be. I'm feeling kinda lazy right now. I'll get to it later. Do you know how many ideas I thought of, then rejected? Lots. That's how many.

One more thing. I'm down 9.5 pounds on P90X after three weeks. But I think I kinda blew it since Friday with a little pizza, vodka, beer and wings. But I'm back on the wagon today. Promise. This week starts serious cardio for just one week, then it's building muscle bulk and size. Watch out for the gun show!

This is the e-mail I received from a Hmong listener who is concerned about how our show treats Hmong people. I have included their complete e-mail.

(I removed their e-mail address to protect their privacy)

From:
Sent: Friday, February 19, 2010 5:17 PM
To: RYAN, DAVE
Subject: Dave Ryan In The Morning Show Is Insensitive and Racist

Dave,

I have been a fan of your show for some time. But in the past year I have become extremely offended and put off because of your ignorance about the Hmong people and your insensitive remarks regarding the Hmong. You and your staff continue to prove time and again how ignorant and unaware you are about the diversity in your world, about your fan base.

Your bit "Hmong Say What?" had absolutely no humor and did not bring the Hmong people closer to your show as you may have attempted to do this morning. This morning on my way to work, I was greatly insulted by what your show had to offer. If you cannot be educational about the different cultures in your community in a positive manner, please do not try anymore cultural and Hmong jokes.

I am appalled that someone like you who lives in a state with 50,000 Hmong can be so ignorant about the Hmong. Please do some research and have some facts handy when you start off your show each morning. Maybe you are running out of ideas for your show, but it does not excuse your unprofessionalism and the fact that you have no clue that your show reaches a diverse group of listeners. You should pause and think about your games before you do them. I am surprised that someone like you, in your capacity and in an industry with the ability to reach a mass population, is not careful about the bits and games you put on when it involves people of color and the various ethnic and cultural groups.

The Hmong individuals that call in to your show are almost always born in the US and have no idea about their cultural heritage. I know this because I am an educated Hmong person and I know a lot more about my culture than the Hmong callers that call your show. For example, most of your Hmong callers even state to you right off the bat that they ?don?t know? about Hmong.

When you have games like ?Hmong Say What?? on your show you are basically saying to the communities at large that you welcome making fun of other people, their culture, their language and beliefs. And to prove your unprofessionalism, you lack the ability to filter your callers to make sure they are able to give correct and educated answers about their heritage and cultures; instead, you invite uneducated folks to call in to give all sorts of wrong information.

Please, I'm sure you have enough funding to get some intercultural training. It would benefit you to receive some diversity awareness classes. Please speak to your supervisor to get trained in.

Sincerely,

Kia Lor


From: RYAN, DAVE
Subject: RE: Dave Ryan In The Morning Show Is Insensitive and Racist
To:
Date: Monday, February 22, 2010, 12:04 PM

Hello Kia,

I have to say respectfully that I strongly disagree with viewpoint that we were insensitive about Hmong listeners. Our station and our show has been very Hmong-friendly over the years and have received great support from the Hmong community. We have many, many Hmong listeners come to our events like Booty Cruise and Gary Spivey events. We are welcoming, friendly, appreciative and I believe it comes through strongly on the air. I'm actually very proud of the fun and enlightening relationship we have with the Hmong Community.

Remember, our show isn't a serious show. It's not run by the government. It's not a public affairs program, nor is it meant to be educational. We simply have fun and welcome the Hmong culture, in fact encourage the Hmong culture to participate. That's why you'll hear features like Hmong Said What? I think young Hmong people are appreciative that we include them and they feel welcome and that we recognize their rich sense of humor.

If I had received other e-mails or comments like yours, I would definitely seriously consider changing our attitude, but in 17 years of working at KDWB, I have only received positive comments from our Hmong listeners who feel welcomed, loved, and appreciated by KDWB. In fact, I believe we are the only station in town that is as popular with Hmongs as we are.

Finally, to make a blanket statement that our show is insensitive and racist is quite inflamatory, especially when I consider that statement to be a complete reversal of the facts.

Ask around with the young people in your community. I believe they will back up what our show has stood for for years: Acceptance, inclusion and appreciation of the Hmong community


Dave

From: K L
Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2010 9:52 AM
To: RYAN, DAVE
Subject: RE: Dave Ryan In The Morning Show Is Insensitive and Racist
Dave,
Thank you for your letter.
However, I too have to say that I strongly disagree with your viewpoint.
The Booty Cruise and Gary Spivey events have nothing to do with emphasizing about Hmong people. They are entertainment events you put on for ?everyone? not just the Hmong people.
You do not know but there ARE talks among young people in my community? and the majority of Hmong listeners ARE offended by your bits involving Hmong people, the Hmong culture, and language. I know that it is not only I who have emailed you comments and suggestions for improvements.
This morning I was told that you acknowledged your ?Hmong Said What?? bit was unsuccessful, meaning that it was not well-received by the community. Thus, you probably received some emails criticizing your jokes regarding the Hmong besides my email. This should be a red flag for you. Perhaps it?s time to reevaluate some of those jokes of yours involving minority groups.
I do know that your show is not run by the government and it isn?t serious. However, as a show on a radio station with the potential to reach so many diverse groups of people, you have a responsibility to report accurate and correct information when you are trying to learn about the Hmong or any other group of people. When you start talking about people or culture, there is a thin line you must be aware of and should not cross. You may think you come off as welcoming and friendly, when in fact, you actually insult a whole population of people. That is exactly what you have done with your bit ?Hmong Said What??
Trying to translate a language using Google or Internet tools and then laughing about the invalid translation and having a caller on the air who is clueless about their own culture try to explain their culture/language is extremely inappropriate and offensive. You have crossed the line.
Instead of saying the ?Hmong Said What?? bit was unsuccessful, you might have been more effective by apologizing to the Hmong community because you offended and disgraced us. This is a mutual feeling among many of my friends and friends of friends.
Sincerely,
Kia Lor