Throwback Thursday: Hi-Tone

Happy Belated 🎈🎁Birthday🎂🍰, Ritchie Valens!

When we visited the Selena🌺 shrine🌴 in Corpus a couple of months ago in commemoration of her 2-decade anniversary, I mentioned how Selena is my cousin’s fave 🎬film🎥, and my buddy pointed out how his is La Bamba.

Trivia: Did you know that the *star* of La Bamba, Lou Diamond💎 Phillips, is Pinoy, like yours truly?

Along with this classic, I got a package💽 that included The Buddy Holly Story, about one of the legends📀 who perished with “Hi-Tone”🎤 in that fatal flight✈️ crash.

 
My favorite 🎼jingles🎵 for RV, who achieved the 🇺🇸American 🌈Dream, include:

• Donna (who doesn’t like a song tribute to your true 💝love?)
• We Belong Together (which Selena sang a rendition as a child)

Recently, my student (tomorrow’s birthday boy) actually starred in his ’50s📻 school play as Ritchie!

R.I.P.✌️ Richard Valenzuela👼 (May 13, 1941-February 3, 1959)

Healthy Life for YOU and Your Loved Ones

~*~ Happy 85th Birthday to the Late & Great REVEREND DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. ~*~

Our world most certainly has come a long way since the death of MLK over 45 years ago, and his legacy lives on. Now we’re a more integrated and global. Thanks to Dr. King’s dream of GOD’s people appreciating, welcoming and embracing diversity, those of us out there who are living in that vision are more open-minded to other cultures.

Throughout the Reverend King’s Birthday week and Martin Luther King Day and week, I’m posting quotes from this legendary advocate on Elaine Dispo – Rant Sports. Another relevant philosophy that I wish to draw to your attention comes from John 13:34-35:

… Love one another. As I have loved you…

Let us love GOD, His creatures and ourselves. With Valentine’s Day on the way in less than a month, I’ve encouraged my Pretty Fitsters to love themselves and those under their care.

• VS for VDay: Love Your Body, Pretty Fitsters and Youngsters

Here, I discuss the importance of living the Pretty Fit Way, which comes from leading a healthy and happy lifestyle for ourselves and our children. That being said, we must not consider exercise as a chore (here’s an idea: dance cardio during your chores), but rather, as an activity that we enjoy. Of course, the same goes for our kids, so we want them to choose workouts that they look forward to doing.

My GODdaughter Reyanna the Birthday Girl and I about to workout with her Zumba game on the Wii

When I mention our loved ones, I’m not just extending them to people, but to our own animal companions as well. For those of us who are pet parents, if we want our fun, furry, fuzzy family and friends to live long lives, then we also must ensure that they have health. I’ve had health scares for my big, almost eight-year-old cat, Asia, for the past few years. Exactly two weeks ago today, on New Year’s Day, I found our latest one (a growth on her front right paw), Upon taking her to her and my little sweet Annie’s clinic — Windmill Animal Hospital (which I consider as the BEST animal healthcareever) — Dr. Price concluded that Asia’s condition (corn) came from being overweight and prescribed her this metabolic diet for her to shed pounds without deprivation. 

Asia‘s latest doctor’s visit

Therefore, I have that typical New Year’s Resolution: to lose weight — not for myself, but for my older cat! Now this goal isn’t some form of vanity; it instead very much is an effort to lead her to a more active healthy life. Despite my disappointment in Asia’s sedentary nature and failed attempts to get her to exercise, Dr. Price pointed out that she may not be as playful as Annie because of her extra body mass preventing her from that ability, not necessarily resulting from an unwillingness. Since my Double A-Team can’t verbally voice their desires, I must look out for their best interest without them telling me.

Looks like Annie wants the diet more than Asia does

Meanwhile, one way that I’m taking care of myself is by making progress with my dissertation. If any of you are connected with college administrators in the state of Texas, please network them to me as I’m seeking approval from NCAA-affiliated schools to recruit participants in my research. For my study, I plan to survey student-athletes, so here is my memo below:

To: College Administration
From: Elaine J. Dispo
Date: January 1, 2014
RE: Approval to Recruit Participants

My name is Elaine Dispo, and I am a Ph.D. candidate at Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU). I am seeking to
recruit student-athletes to participate in my dissertation study, The Relationships between Student-Athletes’
Perceptions of Their Intercollegiate Coaches’ Leadership Practices and Student-Athletes’ Satisfaction, Athletic and
Academic Performance.

Participation is completely voluntary, and participants are free to stop participation at any time. All data collected
will be anonymous and confidential. Participant data will be coded such that individual identifications to particular
persons, teams or schools will not be possible.

Please sign this memo below indicating your approval to recruit your student athletes, upon approval of OLLU’s
Institutional Review Board. Thank you for your consideration.

Elaine J. Dispo, Ph.D. Candidate, Our Lady of the Lake University

__ I agree to allow Elaine J. Dispo, Ph.D. Candidate at Our Lady of the Lake University, to recruit our studentathletes,
to fulfill part of her measurements for her dissertation research, upon approval of OLLU’s IRB.

 Thank you for any of your help, tips and references. May we make 2014 our year!!!

3:33 ~ make a wish!!! 

†R.I.P., Savannah Elizabeth, on her One-Year Anniversary†

Wrapping Up the 2013 Scene

Merry CHRISTmas and Happy Hanukkah that kicked off yesterday!

Merry TEX-mas, Peace & Joy to Y’all & my Dallas Mavericks

My gifts to y’all who I call Team: Dr. D (for my Ph.D.) are links to my last Pretty Fit posts and Rants of the year!

Elaine the MFFL’s Final 3 of 2013

• Victorious Mavs vs. Grizzles Review

Elaine the Camera-Happy MFFL

• Mavs with Past Raptors Preview
• Mavs’ Last 2013 *Slideshow*

Pretty Fit Elaine’s Thursday Tips 

• Holiday Trips
• Holiday Grub

Now I could make valuable use of this time to work more on my dissertation! Meanwhile, here are my Season’s Greetings for 2013, so enjoy!

Season’s Greetings!

2013 in Review

3:33 ~ make a wish!!! 

‘Tis the Season of GIVING

Merry One Week Until CHRISTmas, Everybody! May GOD Bless Us Everyone!

In the spirit of this ADVENT Season, when we prepare for the birth of JESUS, who gave EVERYTHING, including His own life, let us remember the Reason for the Season. Let us spread HOLYday cheer by giving.

One way we can give is through generosity to strangers, our neighbors, our fellow man. To honor my sister — who I’m proud to share has graduated with her Master of Science degree in Nursing and now works as a Nurse Practitioner for Psychiatry/Mental Health — on her birthday and my parents on their anniversary, I donated to the Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan relief through the American Red Cross.

Here are my past dozen Dispo Hoop Scoops on the Dallas Mavericks:

• Will B-Dub Face Former Team GS Warriors?
• Monta Must Step Up When Mavs Battle Warriors
• Mavs Have Close Call Clutch vs. Warriors
• Mavs Can’t Settle for Less, Stay Stuck in a Rut
• Monta Much Better Mav than Bucks’ Mayo
• Dirk & Rick’s Absence Still Didn’t Stop Mavs
• B-Dub Leads Team in Season Debut vs. Bucks
• Welcome Back, Dirk & Rick from Being Sick
• Sam Is Slammed but Remains Good Sport
• Mavs Moving Forward on Front Court
• Devin’s Delay in Coming Back to Play
• Mavs Return from R&R to Host Grizzlies

Here are my Pretty Fit posts, chockful of Yours Truly’s recipes and workouts:

Tacky Sweater by Adam Levine

• What I Ate Wednesday Debut

Christmas Cat Cookies by Yours Truly

Pretty Fit E on VDay

• Thirsty Thursday Holiday Cocktails

Pretty Fit E on NYE

Crock Pot Chili by Yours Truly

• What I Ate Wednesday Chili Day

Fro-Yo YOLO fo’sho’

As we celebrate this Season of Giving, I try not to surrender to the commercialization of CHRISTmas. Since my family and I are grateful for what we already have and won’t exchange gifts this year, I shall share with those who are in need. I started with my Angel Tree child who I chose from church and will continue with my Christian Foundation for Children and Aging sponsored child.

Some of the things that I thank GOD for are His will, grace and guidance, His people ~ including my dear friend and spiritual mentor Bishop Mike who soon will retire, my family whose blood is thicker than water, my bestie Melody who has been with me through thick and thin, my Team Dr. D for my Ph.D. ~ His creatures who are my loves ~ especially my Double A-Team ~ and great opportunities, such as hearing His calling for me to proclaim His word at Mass. For my sis and her hubby, both Mr. & Mrs. Cooley graduated from The University of Texas at Arlington this past weekend, and I could not have been prouder of Joanne’s MSN (UTA’s College of Nursing had the most thorough Graduation Commencement that I’ve ever attended — I was extremely impressed that each of the graduates’ dissertation, thesis or honors research titles and/or jobs were called out, along with their names, as they walked across the stage) and her husband/my “bro” Ryan’s Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science/Kinesiology, Summa Cum Laude (“with highest honors”).

As we wrap up 2013 ~ which I did deem as the Year to Follow Our Dreams ~ I pursue 2014 ~ which I call the Year of Courting ~ as the time to come closer to completing my doctoral degree at Our Lady of the Lake University. During my prayers about progressing through my dissertation, I listened to GOD’s message to me about making a difference in my research. Bearing in mind that my study is about coaching, I indeed hope that I somehow can change how coaches influence their players: not necessarily to just seek winning in their sports, but being champions as people.

11:11 ~ make a wish!!!