Zombie City

Have you walked by someone laying dead in the street today? Probably not. But there were more than a handful that did. If you haven't heard this story in the news then please visit this link...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36788569/ns/us_news-life/

I must say I am truly disturbed by this sad story. Now, I'm sure so many who hear this story are also upset, think it's wrong, wish they could've helped, etc...

But why did it happen? Anderson Cooper 360 claims that people didn't want to help because they didn't want to be the only one to help. That they would possibly stand out if they helped. I believe that's very possible. However, in my opinion, it's much deeper than "bystander syndrome".

I lived in New York City. It's a beautiful place. It's rich in culture, art, music, great food, architecture, and many other fabulous tourist worthy attributes. However, the people that live there permanently aren't the best thing about The Big Apple. Now if you're reading this and you're from NYC, I apologize. And perhaps I'm talking about those that have transplanted to the city. Anyhow, what I noticed while living there is that people aren't personable there. You don't look at other people on the subway. You don't hold doors for people. You don't ever have a public conversation with anyone who is a stranger. Typically you're there to excel at some career. Because you're driven enough to move to NYC you might tend to be a bit selfish and possibly cold.

I am not a cold person, but NYC didn't make me more outgoing. If anything I left more introspective and quiet. I feel that because of this self absorbed, self driven, fiercely introspective attitude...people don't pay attention to one another. Yes, they donate to good causes. They get out there and run the NYC marathon so they can raise money for charity. But do they ever look into the eyes of someone they don't know and ask if they can help them with anything? Do they ever help the young man who has dropped his groceries in the grimy puddle on 14th Street? Do they call the police when a man lay dying?

Probably not.

Salad Boy

If you're single then chances are you've used nicknames. No, I'm not talking about the whimsical names you give your friends you've known for years. Not names like "bop it" because at your 16th birthday party your best friend walked into a tree. The names I'm talking about are nicknames you give those crushes that you hope will work out, but often never do.

Some of the names I've had in the past include "sweater boy", "piano man", "bouncer", "sports guy", and most recently "salad boy". Why do we use these nicknames? Usually because unless your crush has a defining characteristic, your friends don't care enough to keep the men you talk about inside their already cluttered mind. Heck, they have their own romances to be worrying about. So...we nickname them.

But what, might you ask, is the story behind "salad boy"? Why call him that? Because..."salad boy" represents a growing trend among men. A sad trend. And the by product of a lost art. This lost art is chivalry. The reason this man is called "salad boy" is because he went on a (non defined but quite obvious) double date with me and my roommate and her boyfriend and he didn't pay for my $7.00 salad.

Whoa. Don't freak out now. It's not that I can't afford a $7.00 salad. In fact, I can afford a few salads. I try to budget my money quite well. It's "salad boy" saying things like "man, your salad was $7.00" that really burns my butter. Then hitting on me and expecting that I will reciprocate the feeling when you don't want to show you care enough to purchase a cheap, and very tasteless, salad.

To end the fantastic evening, "salad boy" doesn't walk me to my car. So, I put "salad boy" aside. Why? Why not give salad boy a chance? Because women deserve better. Women should NOT let men get away with treating them poorly. Men need to man up and learn how to be the men they use to be.

How? Open doors. Ask women on real dates instead of "hanging out". Ask women out the beginning of the week for a date that is later in the week. Send them a thoughtful message once and a while. Don't argue over petty things. Pay for things (but don't expect to pay for everything all the time. If a woman bleeds you dry then don't date her. Good women will offer to pay). But also know that good women will NEVER offer to pay on the 1st date. That means they're either pushovers, too "strong" of a woman, or don't like you romantically.

Bored Easy?

I have found that everyone, no matter who you are, will get bored with something easy. We are cyclical creatures that can't go on doing the mundane for too long.

You might think you're doing the same things everyday...but you're not. Something is always developing. Either you're doing better at your job. Or, your personal relationships are progressing. It's when you aren't changing in any point in your life that you should start to worry.

I heard once that it's good to always be learning. Apparently if you stop learning then you're not continuing to exercise your brain and thus are more apt to get mentally "mushy" as you get older.

On that note...

Drugs.

I am sick of what they're doing to society. It saddens me to see the goons that continually walk though the mall without a sense of perspective or priorities. They lost their true physical appearance and the worst of them somehow garnered a child in the process. A child they can barely take care of and one who will grow up thinking addiction is normal.

Who is going to stop this problem?

I'm glad that our government is trying to do something about healthcare. I'm glad that children are now given breakfast in elementary school, and more reality shows are geared towards physical fitness.

But let's make a better change.

Start telling youth that it's NOT okay to do drugs or get addicted.

Otherwise you'll end up like the man with the sunken eyes who can't decide if he wants a taco or a burrito.

Kids Are Fat Without A "PH"

I recently read an article about Michelle Obama and how she discovered her daughter was considered "overweight".

Ok, no it may not have been the brightest idea to publicize what her doctor said about her daughter. On the contrary, parents need to stop force feeding chemical ridden-sugar surged-genetically modified-starchy-salty-junk to their children.

Maury Povich should never be able to find that many fat babies in this nation. Good for Michelle Obama for finally telling parents the cold hard news. No you shouldn't feed your child soda, Mcdonalds, or doughnuts on a regular basis. How can you ever justify giving your six year old a burger with more than one patty?

Children are growing beings. They need nutritional food. Furthermore, agriculture in the U.S. has geared itself towards producing this awful food so parents are not only uninformed but can't afford good food once they know what to purchase.

So send your children OUTSIDE to play. Give them an apple instead of a bag of chips. Don't assume just because it says "Whole Grain" on the box of Fruit Loops that it's good for your child. And please become an example to your children by eating better yourself. They emulate you and your habits.

Below is the link to the article and a video of Michelle talking candidly about being the 1st Lady. I think she's doing a swell job so far despite what her husbands plate entails.

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/parenting/is-it-okay-to-talk-about-your-daughters-weight-if-it-s-for-the-national-good-579635/

GPS-Guiding Perfect Stupidity

I've decided that if you're purchasing a GPS during this current technological age, you're an idiot.

You're probably asking...why?

Well now you're a double idiot.

A run of the mill GPS system costs around $200.00. I found one that was upwards of $500.00

Are you kidding me? One of the specs on this overpriced talking junk actually read "built in GPS antenna". I sure hope there's some kind of built in antenna so some rude british woman can mock me as I turn right.

The biggest reason why you're not intelligent a person if you buy a GPS is because it's offered or "built in" to most cell phones.
And here's a kicker...if you buy an iPhone with a new plan you're only paying roughly $200.00. But instead of just having the coolest GPS (with a little blue dot that follows you as you drive), you also get a camera, phone, ipod, and other useful apps.

Oh, you're not an iPhone person? Ok. Chances are if you own a cell phone then you can have cheap/free GPS.

But by all means, please pay hundreds of dollars just so that brit can call you a wanker.

PBS

So, the genius Gov. of Idaho has decided that it would be intelligent to get rid of PBS in Idaho. Right, let's remove something educational from a nation that is already failing at intelligence daily. Below is the link to the article. Below that is what I said in response online. I want to also thank Nate, the person who wrote this story, for letting the public know how truly greedy Gov. Otter is.

Enjoy the article!

http://uvsj.com/articles/2010/01/30/news/42.txt

-My Comment-


I can't believe Gov. Otter would even consider phasing out such an important part of local media.

There is a quality to public television that cannot be found in mainstream media. A quality of higher intellect and the rich art of well produced programming.

Public TV isn't cookie cutter nonsense media created purely for ratings and cash flow. PBS is a place where artisans of media can showcase their talent.

I watched public television as a child. My grandmother, my mother, and myself all watched the Lawrence Welk Show. My preface was to tune into Reading Rainbow rather than other popular cartoons. And as an aspiring reporter, I looked to Charlie Rose to teach me the art of a good interview.

Don't deprive the community of healthy programming geared towards an educated society.

Furthermore, local fundraising is a viable option for garnering money for the affiliates. Research VPT (Vermont Public Television) as a good model.

Diet Soda & Twitter

Over the course of the last year I have decreased my attention span to nothing. There was a time in which reading was a much loved past time. Now I only do it in airports. I've also become excessively addicted to diet soda.

All kinds of diet soda.

Diet Coke.

Diet Sprite.

Diet Dr. Pepper.

Diet Cherry Coke.

Diet cranberry seasonal Fresca.


And so on....

It takes until 1pm in the afternoon for the affine to kick in and by then I become wired until 2am at which point I go to bed and think about how I am supposed to start my diet day back up again.

I have become a zombie. Society is filled with living diet zombies. Living diet zombies who are addicted to things like Twitter.

Yep. I really like Twitter. I really do. Why? Because its minimal. It's controllable. You only have to see updates from the people you want to see them from. There are no games, gadgets, widgets, popups, pop-outs, popovers, scroll-overs, do-overs, friend requests, relationship (I don't care if you really don't love me you need to tell everyone you do anyways) requests.

Seriously. It's just quick and simple and available for those that have self-induced "CDHD".

What's CDHD you ask?

Caffeine Deficit Hyperactive Disorder

So, please stop depriving me of knowing your inner most thoughts. Sign up for Twitter and we can be "Tweeps".