The new design is up, but there are many broken links, pictures and videos that I need to fix. Most of the posts since 2005 should be okay, except for the video links that I need to fix manually.
So… sorry, not everything is working, but the text is still there.
One of the biggest problems in our western society is that a lot of people strive for an image that they cannot achieve. More than ever people turn to a fictional, often digital, world to become someone else. A few days ago, I have watched the movie “The Surrogates” in which people just sit in a chair to control their alternate, perfect persona. What a scary thought, but it this really so far fetched?
We love our celebrities and love their fame and attention they receive, but we probably enjoy even more seeing them fall from grace and suffer some sort of misfortune, because it reminds us that the perfect image that they’re trying to represent is not so perfect or desirable after all.
Can you imagine your private life being publicly ridiculed by millions of people? Many people cannot even take any criticism from just one person. Can you image who horrible it must be to be in a situation where everyone laughs about your demise? Yet we take pleasure in labeling people as a hot mess and hasbeen. Sometimes 15 minutes of fame are just that.
The coverage of the Olympics this year is, as totally expected, abysmal. Every 2 years, I get my hopes up that the coverage of events would at some point happen live. After all, this is 2010, right? All European broadcasting stations have had live coverage of almost all events spread across numerous channels since as far back as I can remember.
The excitement of watching sports event is to watch them live, not to watch canned “USA-Plus” coverage of only US athletes with some added international highlights. Could you imagine watching only highlights of the Super Bowl where they only broadcast the goals? Boring.
Here is a good article that sums up my feelings:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2010/02/nbcs_olympic_coverage_manages.html
So, humm, the whole story with Obama didn’t turn out so well, no? Remember the campaign slogan “Yes, we can?”. We can end wars, get a health care reform, fix the immigration system, end “don’t ask, don’t tell” and change the political culture in Washington DC?
Except for a few nice speeches, I haven’t actually noticed any difference on my life, except for the fact that I did not want to hide in shame to have a president like George W. Bush.
Looks like the political culture of a lot of lobbying and stalling without a whole lot of action has prevailed, because Congress hit a new all-time, low-point in approval ratings. Did actually ANYTHING that he promised get done already? Last time I checked, we were still present in Iraq and from reading all the political slobber in the news, no one can give us any ETA when and if health care reform will happen. And no word yet on any issues about gay rights and immigration reform. Oh well, I have only been waiting for 10 years for my Green Card.
Ah, it was too good to be true. And don’t give me that “have a little patience, it’s only been a year” excuse. Either things get done or they aren’t.
The only breaking news I do remember is that a few billion (or trillions, who cares, a lot of money for us plebs) were given to corporations that just screwed up everything they can with the highest level of incompetency. Oh and that it’s now totally okay for corporations to donate an unlimited amount of money to lawmakers. A few years ago, this was called bribery.
Call me truly disappointed.
At times, I get so angry about the news and what is considered to be news that “we” just have to know. In Europe most the news coverage is based on facts without the sappy, pseudo-emotional undertones. Who really gives a shit, if Tiger Woods gives an “emotional” apology? It is not even just about celebrities, because anyone can become a idol here, as long as they just suffered some “unspeakable” misfortune, so that the entire nation can collectively wipe their fake tears and secretly think that our normal, non-drama lives are not so bad after all. I am just so sick to hear about people’s hyped-out tragedies, like the contestant on American Idol whose grandma is suffering from Alzheimer’s and is not expected to live that long anymore. It is all in the hopes that we, the audience, should feel emotionally connected to fairly non-extraordinary events that happened to us or people around us a million times before. It is not about the facts, but with the sappy, teary music in the background that shows grandma helplessly stumbling around around the house in slow motion. Please spare us.
Or it is the spoiled 18 year old brat that is feels entitled to receive a brand-new $60,000 BMW for her birthday and whose only happiness in life revolves around her looks and what others think of her. How shallow and lifeless. Blame the parents. When did people become so consumed by standards? Look at the “Housewives of Orange County” and you will see how truly generic they are – not only in their looks, but also with their empty personalities that only revolve around looks, money and petty, homegrown problems.
People don’t have any respect for each other anymore and just seem to care about their own lives and I think partially to blame for it is the media. When did it become an exception to hold the door for another person that is right behind you? I work at a college and most of the students don’t seem to grasp that concept anymore. When did it become acceptable to ignore the cashier at a grocery store by just nodding while yapping away loudly on the cell phone? What could possibly be that important?
Sometimes, I wish I could escape people. I am initially very friendly and have a positive and tolerant mind for all people who are not on the same wavelength with me, but more and more often, I catch myself just wanting to escape from stupid people. To me, there is nothing more boring that shallow and selfish people.
I am getting even more aggravated when it comes to how people treat the environment. Just a few weeks ago, I wrote an angry letter to a company who is now promoting to steam your crap in one-way plastic containers that make up more of the volume than the food itself. Ah, who cares? We just throw everything away and have the mentality that, if it lands in the trashcan then it is just out of sight and out of mind. The industry wants to make us believe that “electric cars” are the new shit in being environmentally friendly. What they don’t tell you is that the batteries in those cars are one of the most toxic trash that mankind can produce. When did we start believing that electric energy is actually “green”? Is it generated from a shitload of natural resources or, well, nuclear energy! If you happen to live around one of those power plants, then you probably don’t consider it so “green” anymore.
Or just look at “diet” products. Yea, substitute sugar for some chemical stuff and you’ll stay slim forever, but, unfortunately, you will die sooner, because your kidney or liver will just give up. But, of course, no one ever tells you that. I had to find out after I ended up in the hospital and discovered that aspartame is just an acronym for a neurological toxin. Lovely.
In the end, what gives? None of us will be remembered for being anything special than being just another ordinary human being living on this planet that just strives to survive and attempting to lead a fulfilled life, have a family, a special someone to share their lives with and maybe to make a difference in the lives of the people in our own micro environment. Who will really remember us in 50 or 100 years? Probably no one. Sounds depressing, but, well, it is reality.
But, again, that’s all in line with the world we live in, eh?
I am still in deep winter hibernation. I wish I could be a real bear and just curl up in a ball in a cave and wait until the temperatures warm up. Or I could just move to a warmer place. No, I actually don’t mind the season, because they provide a different pace of life. Summers are packed with social and sports activities and the winter is just sitting by the fireplace with a warm cup of hot cocoa and reading a book.
This winter is different thought, because we actually did get some snow. And lots of it. And I am just ready for that now-greyish matter that piles up on the side of the streets to melt away to expose some color.
Well, I would never think that I would ever say this, but in this past year, I have aged. Maybe not visibly, but I feel older. I can’t do a lot of things anymore that I used to do without thinking about it. My bones are aching in the morning when I take the first footsteps towards the coffee machine. Small illnesses, like colds tend to linger around longer. Hangovers are much more intense. And I am becoming increasingly more grumpy. If there is one thing that you can not escape as soon as you take a step outside of the front door then it is people. People are everywhere. You just can’t get a break. It is probably just the time of the year, but I am most comfortable to be at home right now – in solitude. Just like a (small) bear curled up underneath a pile of blankets.
Overhyped, overplayed news that are dripping with pseudo-compassion with news anchors repeating everything without adding an value of information.
Entertainment news that show us that celebrities are no different from all other people. They cheat, they do drugs, they die, they have kids, they gain weight, they age and they marry and divorce. Who would have thought?
Single-minded people that cannot think beyond cultural, political and personal boundaries and cannot understand that others might have a different mindset. We don’t have to get along great with everyone.
People that have no consideration for others: Aggressive drivers, people that have to use their cell phone at store, people that don’t hold open doors, people that think that they are the center of the universe.
Co-dependent people who exclusively measure their own happiness by the appreciation and/or attention they receive from others.
I agree that the name is quite unfortunate and reminds me of holding my breath at the thought of the contents of the container to dispose female hygiene products in our mixed-gender restroom. iPad. Ew. I would have preferred iSlate or iTablet.
But, anyway, I think it’s quite an attractive product. People are complaining that it is essentially an oversized iPod touch and, well, it is one. My $299 Sony eBook reader does only one thing: Display books on a monochromatic, non-backlit screen. The iPad can play videos, mail, Wifi (optional 3G), view photos, create documents, runs 1000s of applications, play games, has a calendar. And that is plenty functionality for me and probably enough for me to purchase one. Sure, it’s not perfect (no multitasking, no video chat, no full MacOS), but what product is? It *is” groundbreaking, because there currently is no other product/tablet out there that offers the same functionality (and battery life!). Revolutionary, not so much.
It’s been quite a while since I have updated my journal. Nothing new has happened and I am actually content that nothing new has happened. I spent most of the holidays relaxing and recovering from the pre-holiday craze with the first two seasons of “The Tudors” underneath thick blankets next to the fireplace. I fought a bad cold over New Year’s and was in bed at 12:05am after watching the not-so-entertaining celebration on CNN with Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin.
I am hibernating. I am dreading to leave the house and feel most comfortable and secure at home, again underneath thick blankets and with the relaxing crackling of the fireplace. I enjoy the solitude to collect my thoughts, relax and make plans for the future.
Life is good.
The fascination to be famous, to be recognized and admired by many, bores me, but I think that many people are just so tired of being themselves that they feel the need to become someone else. Virtual reality (remember “Total Recall”?), in the form of video games and reality shows. There are so many “celebrities” out there that I have never even heard of. I admit I know some of them from the various reality shows. My guilty pleasure. But would I go out and want to see and hear them in public? Never. It’s mindless background entertainment that I tend to forget 5 minutes after watching. Most of them have no special talent, no special abilities and really nothing that makes them special, except for a camera following them around. And people love them. Hundreds of housewives sit jaw-dropped and head-nodding in the local high-school auditorium to hear the mundane everyday blabber of a Kate Gosselin. Thousands of teens go crazy about “Twilight”. More people stand in line, sometimes for a week, to be the first to have a certain gadget. Or remember that fool from the “Balloon Boy”? Last week, while browsing through the bookstore, I noticed that “Nene” from the trashy housewives of Atlanta had a book out. What could she possibly (ghost-)write about that I would be (or anyone) interested in?
Why is there such a need to be different, to stand out and to be special? Why can’t people be just content with the way they are? Or is it just our modern way of hitting someone with a club over the head, because, well, the only the strongest will survive?
I am trying to relax and put last night’s event aside. I tried calling Bob this morning, but to no avail. I don’t know what to expect when I come home, but I decided that I won’t bring up the topic – at least for a few days until everything settles down. I guess the first step would be to contact a realtor to get an estimate of the current market value of the house. I already looked online at a few nice suburban lofts that will allow pets.
I tried to remember a few things that he said last night. He said that he got into a fight with someone over me(?) at a bar and that no one saw anything and that it wasn’t anyone that we know. But who was it then, why and how? I might never find out, but this just creeps me out. As I treated his hand last night, he started to crying and sobbed something about feeling worthless and abandoned. All I could do is guide him to bed, tuck him in and telling him that I would be right there when he needs me. I feel so bad for him and I have no idea what to do. Things were going great in the past few weeks… Last week, I took him out for his birthday and treated him to a fabulous fondue dinner and we just got along great. Maybe I am doing this all wrong. I just want to be a good friend and wanted to reassure him that his fears of complete abandonment are unfounded. I wanted to be supportive and attentive, but maybe that set off the wrong signal of hope or reconciliation.
I am stunned and confused. Bob is very gentle and down-to-earth man and I have never seen this side of him, especially not grinning ear-to-ear that it felt good to beat someone up. I looked for his clothes this morning to check for any more “damage”, but I couldn’t find them. I also browsed the news and couldn’t find anything in the local news (which is, I guess, good). I am not quite sure what to do at this point, but I guess I will have to set some things in motion this week. Not only am I concerned about him, but I am worried that something might happen to me, my property or the pets as a potential retaliation from any potential victim. I am just worried. Scott is away on business and is worried as well. Maybe I should take a timeout and just spend a week away from home?
I might be able to keep the house for another year on my own, but it will be tight. We will have another chat later this week. Not today. I will let things settle down.
Thank you for all your concern. I appreciate it a lot!