Reality TV is bad...

and if you watch it, you should feel bad. Reality TV is really, really lowest common denominator stuff. There is the stuff that shocks the conscience. What kind of human being puts their promiscuity, lies and idiocy on primetime television? Better yet, who are these 40 million mouthbreathers that can't get enough of Flava of Love, etc.? The internet also lends itself to highly voyeuristic outlets many of which I enjoy. Postsecret. Fmylife. textsfromlastnight. The difference between these and the more out there tv shows is that the internet is anonymous. ON THE INTERNET, NOBODY CAN PROVE THAT IT WAS YOU, RICK ADAMS, THAT REALIZED IT WAS A TRANNY HALFWAY THROUGH, BUT DECIDED TO FINISH. Essentially, I'm arguing the difference between (1) telling your friend you had explosive diarrhea and (2) having your friend in that stall with you reeling from the noxious fumes as your bowels spasm. Both are objectively gross but one is still much worse than the other. If you watch realityTV that as its premise chills and just stalks people as they make idiots out of themselves, you basically endorse the creation of snuff porn. Flagships of this category: Real World, Flava of Love, The Moment of Truth, Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire

From there we go to the other category. These aren't grotesque so much as they're a bit silly. The reality isn't reality and the drama is ridiculous given the low intensity nature of the interactions. Depending on the level of exaggerated drama, some of these lapse into the murder porn of group 1. You're not a terrible person for watching them but you may be an abject failure who subconsciously realizes that these shows are as close as you'll ever get to grandeur. Flagships of this category: Survivor, Man vs. Wild, American Idol, America's Next Top Model, The Apprentice

The final category is reality tv that is a-ok and is viewed by champions of men. The only show in this category is The Biggest Loser.


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Reality TV and Me :-)

It's safe to say I'm a reality TV addict at this point.  

It began senior winter, when I was sharing an apartment with two good friends. That term, Flavor of Love 2 came out, and my roommates decided to make the show our "bonding" time.  We would all get together, cook & eat, crack jokes, and have ourselves a grand old time.  Little did we know we would become so attached to the shows characters that we'd go on to watch "I Love NY" and "Charm School" later that same school year.  It just seemed like an "innocent" guilty pleasure back then...

Fast forward to 2009...  

I'm 100 pounds heavier - 302 lbs, can't see my feet when/if I walk, my bed has permanent dent in it, and my floor is covered with ice cream containers...

You believe me?  That's completely untrue.  

Okay, here's a sampling of the Reality TV shows I've watched this year.  Keep in mind it's ONLY MAY!

I Love Money 2 - Favorite.  I swear by this show. So funny and surprisingly exciting

Real World Brooklyn - Watched (this is the 1st season I've watched in entirety)

Making the Band 4 - Great season, lots of group fighting and music

G's to Gents - Watched the 2nd half of season

For the Love of Ray J - Meh, but watched it

American Idol - Watched.  Adam or Allison should have won. The End.

NY Goes to Work - Barely watch this!  Only if I happen upon it

Taking the Stage - Never got into it really.  Just a way to waste time

Tough Love - ...my addiction to Reality TV was NOT strong enough to get me to consistently view that garbage.

I really need to block MTV and VH1 programming.  What's more, I didn't have cable growing up, so my penchant for cable reality is definitely a recent, unexpected development.  This past Monday, while watching New York working at a nudist resort, my Dad walked in and asked, "What are you watching?  Where do you find this stuff?!"  

It's time for a change, right? Hmmm, maybe I'll wait until the series finale, or better yet, the reunion special! ha 

The appeal of reality shows for me is the fierce competition combined with shameless behavior.  After 22 years of seeing perfection and poise on basic TV 24/7, it was a welcomed surprise to see multidimensional characters - real people unashamed to go  in front of the camera without a filter.  You learn to appreciate the flaws and discover every person has some good in them, even if it's only their intentions.

I am happy to say now that American Idol is over, there aren't any reality TV shows piquing my interest at the moment.  

I've even starting watching NBA basketball again! (a childhood favorite)

And don't judge me.  WHO KNOWS what YOUR guilty pleasure is...

Be Well,

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REALLY tho?

AGHHHH!!!!! Reality TV

I didn't get into the Survivor thing. Never watched Real World. Didn't follow American Idol.

I DID get really hype about Flavor of Love and I Love New York (just the first seasons for both). WHY?! Because EVERYONE was a character! O man. I CHEERED for certain contestants. My friends and I would RUN back the house or stop at a common area with a TV JUST to catch the episodes. If we couldn't...YOUTUBE!!!! We DISCUSSED the show. WTF?! Discuss WHAT?! Nonsense. We were emotionally attached to NONSENSE!!!

THAT, my friends, is entertainment and media today. SAD!

For the most part, reality TV really means unrealistic competitions and celebrities/randos at home on camera. How REAL is anything on those shows? Reality TV is definitely a misnomer.

Competing for LOVE? What do those challenges have ANYTHING to do with finding your soulmate or even a DATE?

Competing for MONEY? Again, the challenges very rarely accurately simulate real life challenges to get that paper.

Competing for a CONTRACT? See Competing for MONEY.

Celebrities and Randos at Home? I mean, we all love some Celebrity Voyeurism. I get that. Seeing the lives of the rich and famous. Are they like REAL people, too?! What kind of homes and toys did they get with all that moola?! But, I'm not sure why people are so fascinated with Average Joes and what they do. I guess we're all just nosy, nosy people.

We consume these shows probably with more fervor and regularity than scripted shows. At least with scripted shows we know it's fake and can chalk up overly dramatic scenarios to it just being TV. But these reality shows are just as bad if not WORSE with the drama! I can't even tell if shows like Laguna Beach, The Hills, and whatever spin-offs and racially different incarnations (I'm lookin at you, Harlem Heights) are real or scripted.

Fun shows like America's Best Dance Crew don't really CHANGE society. They make us more aware, maybe, of whatever it is they're promoting (in ABDC's case, dance). But shows like Cribs and America's Next Top Model give people a REALLY skewed view of how things work. People start thinking that having BLING BLAO is a necessity and money is a RIGHT, instead of a privilege. People get the wrong idea of how certain industries work and what it TRULY takes to be the best at anything.

SMH. On a larger scale, reality TV is truthful lies. Degrades society like it's a luxury to be wasted. THIS IS SOCIETY, PEOPLE!!! We have worked TOO hard at being civilized just to eminate the few that are bottom feeders. We have worked TOO hard believing that we reap benefits from hard work just to watch other people swim in cash for doing very little in a short period of time.

Again. Not ALL shows are like that. But enough people are stuck on the bad shows to really worry me. An besides, why should I, would I sit in front of a TV and watch SOMEONE ELSE'S life happen while my days just whiz by?

So I'm going to leave reality TV alone and enjoy my scripted melodramas and overacted comedies.
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Trash T.V. at its Finest!

Ask anyone who knows me...and they'll tell you that I love my Trash T.V.!

Hand me the remote and prepared to be amazed by the crap that I can stand to watch. I love to watch “reality” t.v. and that drives my family insane! Reality t.v. is horrible, they say, this is why our society is full of idiots and everyone else in the world thinks we’re stupid. Do I agree with that? Nah…we were bound to be stupid with or without t.v. We can no longer add and subtract simple math (Cashiers- I’m talking to you!) thanks to computers, and most of us would probably starve to death if we ever got lost in the woods (No need for survival instincts in a technological world!). Can’t blame all of that on reality t.v.!

So what’s my pleasure? I have one show that I watch at this moment which is Cheaters. Love that show-there’s so much to love (and hate)! It’s a show about…well...cheaters... The premise: Significant other (we'll call him Bobby) has all the signs available to a person that his girlfriend (we'll call her Sarah) is cheating on him. She works late, disappears for hours on end without a call, has lost interest in a sex life with him, often smells of men or has strange 'bruises' on her neck (hickies, my innocent dearies). Yet Bobby still needs to know whether or not she is cheating- so he hires Cheaters! A private detective then follows Sarah around for a few days until he catches the deed (sometimes they place hidden cameras if Bobby owns the house they live in) and then they show the video to Bobby and ask him would he like to confront them. OF COURSE HE WOULD! So....while Sarah and her new man/woman are in the midst of a passionate session, in swoops the entire Cheaters crew with cameras ablazing to confront them. Amazing. From here- many things can happen: Sarah becomes the victim and blames Bobby and asks him why he couldnt simply ask her if she was cheating rather than destroying her trust of him (lmao) and having people follow her, a fight breaks out between anyone and everyone involved, Bobby cries, Sarah is forgiven. ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN!

Here are some clips from some "Best of" compilations. A dominatrix, a suicide attempt, a stabbing and a new baby being born! Enjoy!








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Stranger Things Have Happened

I have a way with people...



...a way with pissing them off without technically doing anything. Everywhere I go…I get into the most random or awkward situations without my prompting. For instance, I was in Italy for about 3 months…three damn months…and here is one of the many interesting situations that I was in…

-------Me v. The Stinky Feet Man-------




So a friend and I are on our way out to a club to meet up with the rest of our friends when I and a seemingly homeless man get into an altercation on the bus. We were running late because we got on the bus on the wrong side of the route and had to ride to the end of the route then stay on as it started over (meaning we'd be on for almost an hour!!). The bus REEKS…as if something has died and I look around to see what dead body the smell is leaking from. I then notice the source of the smell: this homeless guy has his shoes off and his dirty, crusty socks are airing out…I swear I could see that cartoonish green smoke rising up from the socks. My friend and I are so disgusted and sickened by the smell that I, who is on the other side of the bus and behind the guy, decide to open my window to let some fresh air in. A few minutes later the homeless man moves, which surprised me because he smelled dead, and looks around to see where the cool air is coming from. When he sees my window, he swiftly jumps up, closes it and heads back to his seat, as if he didn’t see my friend and I sitting there. I, still reeling from his scent hovering above me as he closed the window, open it back up. A few minutes later he again feels the air, gets up and closes it again, this time telling me something to the effect of leave it closed. I, being the self-righteous American that I am, look at him, shocked at his bravery, and basically say I’ll do whatever the hell I want and open it back up…this time putting a t-shirt or something in it to hold it open. He jumps up again, yanks the shirt out and throws it in my face, then closes the window.

Now, when he makes this aggressive move, I assume he’s going to hit me with his fists as this all happened in a matter of seconds. I’m sitting in the seat and at an obvious disadvantage if he does hit me, so I swing my fists up (technically an undercut) which shocks him and sends him reeling back to his seat. I open the window again and we begin cursing each other out in Italian (and some English because this is still early on in my trip and I don’t know all the words yet). These Africans, who spoke English, eventually intervene and tell us that he probably has a knife and could kill us – to which I reply if he was going to stab me he would have done so already…he’s not going to do shit (this is typical me and, yes I realize it will probably get me killed one day lol). The night ends with me and the Pazzo ('crazy man' in Italian) eventually laughing and joking. He even says goodnight on his way off the bus.

As we see him making his way into the bus station we notice that he has this HORRIBLE LIMP to the point where he can barely walk. My friend has always accused me of attacking a handicapped man…but I always defend myself in saying that he probably twisted his ankle when he got up while the bus was moving to attack me. He wasn’t too handicapped to attack me…and that’s all I have to say about that lol.


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I am a spoiled lil brat

I think I may just be one of THOSE only children.

I realized that yesterday...I get really upset when I don't get things MY way

It's not like I throw tantrums. I never did. But when I ask someone to do something, I expect them to do it. They may be hesitant, but some "pleeeeeeeeeease?"s should do it. When they refuse still, I get REALLY pissy. Like BAM! PISSY!!! I probably look like a disgruntled child when that happens. Eyebrows furrowed and everything.

I'm usually easy going...I am terrible at decisions (I think that comes from wanting people to like me) so my friends usually decide for me. Not everything HAS to be MY way. In fact, at lot of times, I conceded to other people.

HOWEVER when it's something I really want done, there is no budging. I haven't had many people refuse my "pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease"s. Maybe I derive some kind of pleasure from getting people to agree with me, like some kind of victory. I can usually self-soothe into letting things go, but when it comes to getting things my way, I get and stay upset about it. Some people are shocked to know I'm an only child. Some can tell right away. Luck of the draw or does it show from time to time?

Enigma has told me NO and I WON'T...twice. (Not about THAT, you pervs) Because of my emotional attachment to him, I was even MORE upset than usual. I didn't know what to do with myself! He finally conceded on both things but it's not as satisfying as other people conceding. I'm not sure why. Maybe I felt I went overboard with my emotions? Maybe I counted those as strikes against myself with him?

I dunno.

Only child. Can you blame me?
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I Know ... The Secret

Have you heard about... "The Secret?"

A new found friend has given me a 10-track self-help CD called "The Secret" that supposedly changed his life and could work wonders in mine. Now that I've listened to the first 5 tracks, I'll admit that "The Secret" is...interesting and perhaps miraculous. I think I just need to open up a bit more to the concept and shed my natural cynicism regarding all things self-help.

So what is "The Secret?" In essence, it's the universal Law of Attraction:

Your life is a reflection of your thoughts. Your thoughts have universal frequencies that act almost like magnets. The universe obeys your thoughts unconditionally and sends back to you life experiences and objects that are in tune with each particular frequency. In order to manifest more positive things in life, we must focus on having more positive thoughts.

This means, rather than thinking "Please don't let me fail this final," meditate on "Please let me do well on this final." Apparently the universe polarizes negative and positive frequencies and only hears and responds to the "Fail" or "Do well" portion of your thought - the core.  So monitor your thoughts! 

Clearly, I'm not 100% a believer in this philosophy just yet, but I have 2 more hours of audio recordings to listen to before I'm done with "The Secret."

It helps that I really admire the friend who introduced me to "The Secret."  He's 10 years older than me, seemingly wise, and we are very similar in character and passions.  I can tell he became a fan only after personally testing it out and seeing results.

Have you heard of "The Secret" before? Are you or someone you know a practitioner?

If you'd like a copy of "The Secret," just contact our blog by email.

Be Well,

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*Highlights* - Good Non-NYC Bagels..

GOTHAM DAYS says:

GASP!!! GOOD bagels outside of New York City?!?!?

BLASPHEMY!!! and to think...from the mouth of a New Yorker!!!

I know.

But you should take my word on it..ESPECIALLY because I'm a New Yorker

The bagels from The Bagel Basement in Hanover, NH are SO CLUTCH!!!

Fresh bagels made daily. Plenty of flavors of bagels. (The Fresco is FANTAB, and the blueberry stays so soft) Several kinds of cream cheese. (I stand by the veggie cream cheese.) TONS of different things to stack between the bagel slices. (ALL so yum.) Of course there is the toasted or not toasted option. (Always toasted for me.)

SO YUM. The last time I had them were last October when I went up to New Hampshire for Homecoming. And I bought a bunch of specialty bagels back to NYC with me. Why? Because my little cousins LOVE THEM. I didn't forget the ankle biters this time either! Best souvenirs ever!

If you ever find yourself in Hanover, NH...either hiking through on the Appalachian trail (runs right through town), visiting Ben&Jerry's across the river, busing it up there for the fall foliage, or enjoying time at Dartmouth...make your way down to the Bagel Basement and try EVERYTHING on that wall sized menu.

They have muffins and such as well, but obviously bagels are their thing.

Oh yes. And MINI BAGELS!!! SO cute!

My NEED to get them everytime I go back:


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*Highlights* - Puke In My Mouth

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

This is how I feel about new school "dancing"....

which basically means some guy runs behind you and slams his crotch into your butt all night. Hate it... lol.

Catchy lil' song and video lol.

5/5 for TRUTH!



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*Highlights* - Kobe & Lebron Puppet Commercials

Watch and Laugh! These two NBA basketball commercials featuring superstars Kobe Bryant and Lebron James are quickly becoming a media sensation. Here's to hoping the two teams actually get to meet for a masterful basketball showdown! Which commercial do you like better? 

The dialogue and hilarious execution earns these two commercials 5 caps!

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