Today I discovered a "reality" show called "The Hills". Apparently, its been around for a while, and according to my niece (who at 17 fits squarely within the demographic of the watchers of this show), it is quite popular with her peer group.
Although I remain unsure as to the exact reason it sucked me in like mobile home in a tornado.
Caught in the vortex I watched the entire fifth season. Everyone is really good looking, has a ton of money, and no one works. I mean, there is nobody making UPS deliveries. Lets just say, there is no discernible form of vocation by any member of the cast I could see from the fifth season.
The people on this show are vapid, and superficial, and on an individual level really uninteresting. Yet still, I find myself watching 16 episodes all day Sunday...and I don't regret it.
It's my own fault.
I have recently decided the concept of an American democracy is a myth, and that the government is a mere puppet of the banking industry and Wall Street.
The other day Gioconda's father tried to engage me in conversation about Health Care reform.
" Barack Obama isn't your president, Bank of American is your president. We are just all pawns," I told him. He looked at me like I was crazy, but it ended the discussion, a discussion I really didn't want to have.
I do believe this statement. In fact, I no longer think I am going to engage in the voting process. This is a big deal for me, I have always believed it was my obligation as a woman, as those many before me who gave so much so I could vote.
But really not so much...
In truth it is a huge relief to completely release myself of the idea that it even matters who is elected president.
It just feels liberating to give up on the concept of a democracy. I don't have to care anymore, because I know it just doesn't matter. I know all the arguments about disengaging from the process.
"What if everyone took your approach?" Gioconda said when I informed her of my choice to no longer vote.
"Then I guess Well's Fargo would be the President, because I would have voted for Chase," I replied.
"Do you want your daughter's to feel this way about their government?" she asked.
Maybe.
I just don't see how my life has been improved by giving a shit about politics. I used to care so much, maybe even too much. But now, Rush Limbaugh doesn't even bother me.
Instead of reading the New York Times editorials today I watched 8 consecutive hours of "The Hills".
The consequence of apathy...
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
A trip and a fall
Today while picking up the dogs (Mia and Stella) at the dog day care my legs became tangled in the leashes and I fell.
I estimate it took me a good 45 seconds to actually complete the fall. There was the initial trip, a brief unsuccessful attempt at recovery, and then a series Frankenstein steps, until I landed on my right knee, which lunged my body forward resulting in a face plant into the front door.
I almost took out a water bowl.
Of course there were about 5 witnesses.
"Are you alright you hit that door pretty hard," a lady picking up a Standard Poodle said.
I quickly made a swipe of my nose, (the imprint of which remained on the door), thankfully no blood, yet my sight was compromised by tears welling up in my eyes due to my orthopedic injuries.
Although I wanted to remain on the ground I jumped up quickly.
"I'm ok," I announced to no one in particular and then limped to my car as fast as I could.
Gioconda says there must be a genetic component to my falling as I come of a long line of fallers. In the mornings I feed all the animals and although there is not any real climbing, there is walking on uneven ground, which is always a hazard for me. Ok, lets be honest, if I am in an up right position it's a hazard for me.
"If sometime I don't come back in the house you know to come looking for me, right?," I'll remind Gioconda every now and then.
I'm relatively confident I don't own an animal which if given the opportunity would eat off my face or disembowel me, however, the pigs are opportunistic and unpredictable- and I don't want to take the chance of having any body part gnawed off, so I keep it out there just in case.
Personally, I find the humiliation of falling more horrific as the pain.
Given the choice I would gladly sustain a painful injury in front of no one, rather than take a non- injury fall in a crowd, a crowd like the one at the dog day care today.
"I am so never going back there," I told Gioconda.
"That's just silly. You are already the person who fell," she replied.
Perfect.
I estimate it took me a good 45 seconds to actually complete the fall. There was the initial trip, a brief unsuccessful attempt at recovery, and then a series Frankenstein steps, until I landed on my right knee, which lunged my body forward resulting in a face plant into the front door.
I almost took out a water bowl.
Of course there were about 5 witnesses.
"Are you alright you hit that door pretty hard," a lady picking up a Standard Poodle said.
I quickly made a swipe of my nose, (the imprint of which remained on the door), thankfully no blood, yet my sight was compromised by tears welling up in my eyes due to my orthopedic injuries.
Although I wanted to remain on the ground I jumped up quickly.
"I'm ok," I announced to no one in particular and then limped to my car as fast as I could.
Gioconda says there must be a genetic component to my falling as I come of a long line of fallers. In the mornings I feed all the animals and although there is not any real climbing, there is walking on uneven ground, which is always a hazard for me. Ok, lets be honest, if I am in an up right position it's a hazard for me.
"If sometime I don't come back in the house you know to come looking for me, right?," I'll remind Gioconda every now and then.
I'm relatively confident I don't own an animal which if given the opportunity would eat off my face or disembowel me, however, the pigs are opportunistic and unpredictable- and I don't want to take the chance of having any body part gnawed off, so I keep it out there just in case.
Personally, I find the humiliation of falling more horrific as the pain.
Given the choice I would gladly sustain a painful injury in front of no one, rather than take a non- injury fall in a crowd, a crowd like the one at the dog day care today.
"I am so never going back there," I told Gioconda.
"That's just silly. You are already the person who fell," she replied.
Perfect.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Nothing New
Gioconda and I are really different.
Its not just that nothing bugs her and everything bugs me, it's not just that she is fed by being around other people and I feel utterly and completely drained by even being in the same room as other humans....even if no one is talking to me...
I am very sensitive to any subtle, or not so subtle, rude behavior on the part of others. Gioconda has no perception of any person at any time being unpleasant to her.
"Ok, you know that salesperson (valet, waitress, fill in the blank) was just fucked up to you, right?" I say about five times a month.
"I didn't get that," she'll always respond.
Sometimes people are so completely mean to her I can't help but wonder, really, what would it take for her to notice?
On the girls birthday we took a trip up north and went to the San Francisco zoo. Although we had a terrific time, it was our experience the workers at the San Francisco zoo are particularly unpleasant. I have worked in the tourism industry myself, and I am fully aware working with the public is no picnic.
So here's the solution to that...get another job...go to law school if you don't want to deal whoever decides to drag themselves and their horrible offspring to Disneyland on any summer day when the temperature exceeds 100 and there is a two hour line to ride on Its a Small World...
Since I am cynical and typically expect the worse, the fact the workers at the zoo were clearly not thrilled to have us visit didn't phase me. Gioconda found it shocking.
"Everyone here is so unfriendly," she blurted out after being scolded by the lady selling tickets to the train ride as she was lining up on the right instead of the left.
"How could I possibly know where she wanted me to stand ?," she said almost ten full minutes after the interaction.
Guilty confession, it made me smile a little bit inside.
Gioconda and I are really different, I hold onto everything for a really long time, she holds onto nothing for no time at all. Not only did Gioconda notice people were rude, she held onto it for at least 15 minutes.
It didn't last. We went to the zoo back in January, it is now April and in that time there has been dozens of smirks, eye rolling, curt and abrupt responses to questions- and she hasn't noticed.
A few days ago we went to an event which was really crowded. I asked the host at a restaurant in the area how long the wait would be and he snorted" An hour to an hour and 1/2." And then he shook his head disapprovingly.
I wanted to punch him in the head.
I have considered the possibility, which is really much more like a probability, Gioconda may not have noticed the tone, or the slight head shake which was actually what put me over the edge.
It was last Tuesday and I could still sock the pompous dick in his pie hole.
Its not just that nothing bugs her and everything bugs me, it's not just that she is fed by being around other people and I feel utterly and completely drained by even being in the same room as other humans....even if no one is talking to me...
I am very sensitive to any subtle, or not so subtle, rude behavior on the part of others. Gioconda has no perception of any person at any time being unpleasant to her.
"Ok, you know that salesperson (valet, waitress, fill in the blank) was just fucked up to you, right?" I say about five times a month.
"I didn't get that," she'll always respond.
Sometimes people are so completely mean to her I can't help but wonder, really, what would it take for her to notice?
On the girls birthday we took a trip up north and went to the San Francisco zoo. Although we had a terrific time, it was our experience the workers at the San Francisco zoo are particularly unpleasant. I have worked in the tourism industry myself, and I am fully aware working with the public is no picnic.
So here's the solution to that...get another job...go to law school if you don't want to deal whoever decides to drag themselves and their horrible offspring to Disneyland on any summer day when the temperature exceeds 100 and there is a two hour line to ride on Its a Small World...
Since I am cynical and typically expect the worse, the fact the workers at the zoo were clearly not thrilled to have us visit didn't phase me. Gioconda found it shocking.
"Everyone here is so unfriendly," she blurted out after being scolded by the lady selling tickets to the train ride as she was lining up on the right instead of the left.
"How could I possibly know where she wanted me to stand ?," she said almost ten full minutes after the interaction.
Guilty confession, it made me smile a little bit inside.
Gioconda and I are really different, I hold onto everything for a really long time, she holds onto nothing for no time at all. Not only did Gioconda notice people were rude, she held onto it for at least 15 minutes.
It didn't last. We went to the zoo back in January, it is now April and in that time there has been dozens of smirks, eye rolling, curt and abrupt responses to questions- and she hasn't noticed.
A few days ago we went to an event which was really crowded. I asked the host at a restaurant in the area how long the wait would be and he snorted" An hour to an hour and 1/2." And then he shook his head disapprovingly.
I wanted to punch him in the head.
I have considered the possibility, which is really much more like a probability, Gioconda may not have noticed the tone, or the slight head shake which was actually what put me over the edge.
It was last Tuesday and I could still sock the pompous dick in his pie hole.
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