American Idol

I'm not one of the obsessive freaks who allow American Idol to rule their lives for the duration of five months. I do not phone or text in votes each week. However, I do watch the show regularly for its entertainment value.

First, I like Simon.
a. He's British = brilliant accent.
b. He's an ass = tells it like it is.

These are generally types of people I like.

Second, I like competition. So of course I like experiences where I can attempt to predict the winner or the losers each week. This helps my ego on a repetitive basis.

Third, as mentioned in a previous post, a lot of television sucks. This is at least interesting on a weekly basis.

The only drawback I find is that the show takes over your tv-viewing life. It's on for over four hours this week. That's a lot of time to dedicate to sitting on my ass. Not that I can't handle it, because of course, I can. It's just a lot.

Oh, there's a second drawback. The audition phase. Lasts way too long. Shows way too much ridiculousness. Seriously, does it bother anyone else that we broadcast to the world a high number of fellow Americans who have no disregard for making a complete idiot out of themselves on television? What does this say to those abroad? Seriously, it's bad.

Interestingly enough, I will be tuning in to watch the remainder of the season and see who will be the "next American Idol." Frankly, I hope it's not actually an American. My favorite female contender is from Ireland while my favorite male contender is from Australia. So, perhaps they will win it all, but can they really be called the "next American Idol" if they do?

Food TV

I watch the Food Network. A lot. Seriously, my roommate thinks I am a freak because I spend a great deal of time watching people cook things. I like food, and I am interested in learning about food - how to cook something new, how to cook something differently, where to go for good foods.... I mean, the information is endless.

It dawned on me tonight that one of the reasons I watch so much of this channel goes beyond my interest in food and food knowledge, so here are just a few reasons:

1. I pay a cable bill for over 200 channels each month. In total, I probably only watch 15 channels or less. The reason here is because most television shows are just plain crap. Most shows are not even worth the time. Whereas, watching even a half hour of the Food Network gives me at least one idea of something new to try or one new fact about food.

2. I can only take so much news. This has two subpoints.

2a. Much of the news is depressing. It's true. We live in an often depressing world. Murders, rapes, violence, corrupt business owners, cheaters in sports... I mean, you can only take so much of this in one sitting.

2b. Much of the news relates to celebrity gossip. Frankly, I just don't care if Britney Spears is in or out of rehab or if Madonna is adopting children or whatever. It does nothing for me to know any of this. In fact, it disturbs me that more people know the intricacies of celebrities' lives than people know the candidates to be the next President of the United States.

3. The Food Network has a diverse repertoire of shows - instructional recipes, competitions, travel.... the possibilities are endless... there's always something interesting, and I rarely feel the need to channel surf to find something better. I am never disappointed.

4. I want to cook, perhaps professionally. This is one of my latest "ideas" for my future. So why not watch the Food Network? Why not dream that one day I could make something in my kitchen that would bring other people pleasure?

So, if you're not a Food Network fan, try it. I think you'll find something you'll like...

Right to Bear Arms

The first month and a half of what promises to be an intriguing 2008 has already provided a great deal of debate and drama in the political arena. I believe it has been quite healthy, though some presidential candidates have ideas that may seem a little unnecessary.

I would contend that the most ludicrous of all ideas belongs to that of Mike Huckabee, who has made it clear that he believes the US Constitution should be amended in order to fall in line with the standards of God. I find this ludicrous because, well, correct me if I am wrong, but wasn't the country founded on the principle that church (and all things church like G-O-D) should remain separate from the actions governing the country? Amendment 1. We even so cleverly call this "separation of church and state." Right. So, ludicrous in my opinion.

Anyway...

I have been thinking about the Constitution lately as it pertains to Amendment 2. On December 15, 1791, the founding fathers of our country ratified Amendment 2 - Right to Bear Arms, which states "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

I live in Memphis, as you know. Memphis has a history of crime, often crimes that involve guns. Just this week, a 17-year-old sophomore shot a 19-year-old junior in a high school gym class, for reasons I do not know. A few weeks ago, another high school student was shot in school. The other day, a 14-year-old middle school student brought a gun to school. (Let's ignore for now that fact that the ages of these students are alarming and clearly there is an issue in the Memphis City Schools as it relates to the quality and standards of education.) In April, Virginia Tech experienced a massacre. This week, Northern Illinois experienced a school shooting.

I mean, it seems like every day, I turn on the news (both local and national) and there's another senseless shooting in SCHOOL, not to mention the countless thousands taking place every day outside of schools. It gets me thinking:

What the heck is going on in society?!?!?!

Where are all of these guns coming from?
Why is it so easy to acquire a gun, both legally and illegally?
Why do people care so less for their own life and the lives of others that they find it necessary to kill?

I understand that "Guns don't kill people, people kill people" (thank you, Professor Fleming of Logic class circa 2000) but people are in fact using guns to kill other people quite often.

I find this depressing.

Where is the political discussion surrounding this issue?
What can be done to lessen the number of shootings?
What can be done to save lives?

I understand a great need to feel protected and safe and often people purchase guns for this reason. However, it just seems too frequent that the option to buy and use a gun is the immediate answer and pointless murders keep happening all too often.

I keep finding myself thinking: should we really have the right to bear arms? What if we didn't? Would things be better or worse?

I'm not necessarily in favor of amending the Constitution, however, I think this is a serious issue that needs to be examined from a great deal of experts. We need to try to prevent these senseless murders. We need something.

Bringin Bloggin Back

I took a pretty lenghty hiatus from the blog world. Seriously, like an entire year of my life. It's quite sad actually because 2007 was pretty eventful for me and I had a lot of good stories to share. I'm recommitting to this endeavor, however, so gear up for some noteworthy observations in 2008.

Oh yea, Happy Valentine's Day.
What a joke.