Lying

Reading over my last post, I realize that I don't make much sense. But, give me a break. It was, like, midnight and I'm not used to this "blogging" thing so I'm allowed to screw up, okay? I'm not normally an idiot...okay, well, not ALL of the time. Just sometimes. I'm really bad at defending myself, as you can see, so let's just move on.

So today I was talking to my sister about random things...which I sometimes do. I mean, sometimes it's just fun to TALK...ain't it? It doesn't matter what it is...sometimes it's just nice to have a release. Almost like exercising. But with your mouth. (Yeah, I realize that sounded dirty).

So as I was walking around our basement talking and simultaneously dribbling a ball, my sister is lounging on the computer pretending to ignore me. But, really, she wasn't ignoring me. And I can always tell because I sometimes look at her and she twitches her mouth when I say something weird or gives a slight smile when I say something funny. See, my sister is in the middle of her I-hate-the-world-and-everyone-in-it phase and she usually acts like I'm the biggest loser in the world. But, really, she adores me.

So, I was talking and talking when I stumbled on this idea. (And that's another thing about talking rubbish, sometimes between ridiculous ideas and misused words, you actually can fall upon a really cool thought). Anway, my thought was this: Lying.

Lying is so strange because I think it depends fully on your audience. Only if your audience believes it can it take the full form of a successful lie. And if the audience rejects the lie, then the lie is out of business, done, it's run out of town. So, I was thinking that who's better able to detect a lie for what it is? Someone who has known you all your life? Or a complete stranger? See, the obvious answer would be someone who's known you, who is familiar with your quirks and habits. They're probably better equipped to notice when you're lying more than a stranger can.

Aha. But that is where I disagree. I think people who know you well and like you have more reason to BELIEVE in your lies than a complete stranger. A complete stranger can call you out on your bullshit without any consequences. Whereas a family member or friend might get hurt that you lied to them, disappointed about what you lied about. So, I think sometimes our loved ones develop this sort of unconscious mechanism in their brains that shields them from the hurt of figuring out that their son/daughter/mother/father/friend is lying to them.

Plus, a loved one has more reason to TRUST you than a complete stranger does. I mean, to a complete stranger you may appear like a serial killer so they'll probably be on their guard from the beginning.

Moral of the story: don't lie to your loved ones, they're hopelessly blind. And loved ones? Don't be stupid, okay? Recognize when someone is blatantly lying to you.

It's Thursday!--Let's talk about sex.

Okay, so some of you might be scared of that topic. And some of you might be excited. Me? I'm excited. But, that's only because I'm hiding behind a computer and can be relatively anonymous while talking about this subject. I also don't have to face a physical audience, so that helps. Trust me, if I were talking about sex in real life, face-to-face, I'd be beat red by now. Alas, that's the magic of the internet, though. We can say things we'd normally be too afraid to say in real life.

Anyway, as a young person in today's society, I've noticed that the media throws around a LOT of conflicting messages about sex. Is it good? Is it bad? How young is TOO young? It has consequences, it can get you pregnant and alter your life. You can end up with STDs. But, really, it's a beautiful, beautiful thing, a natural part of life. Should you wait until you're married? Or is that too 1950s of me? Yes, so many questions, and no right answers. But, there's always ONE thing that every TV show, every movie, every romance book agrees on about sex: you must be hot to do it.

Think about it: When is the last time you saw fat people making out in a movie or TV show? And not just in a funny way, but in a serious, "this is sexy" kind of a way? When was the last time you read a romance novel that had described its male character as a balding, middle-aged man, with a huge nose? I've never come across it. And if you have, kudos, my friend, but you have to admit that was probably a one in a million kind of a book/movie.

I know that we all want fantasy nowadays. We don't want an "ugly" character in a romance. It's just a turnoff, right? But my problem is that nobody in real life looks like Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt. We just don't. The average guy going to a movie to see Angelina Jolie is probably going to be a little balding and maybe have a bit of a beer belly. It's just NORMAL. Also, this average-looking guy probably has a wife or girlfriend and has an active sex life. So, why don't movies/shows get made about the AVERAGE guy? Why is it so "disgusting" to see overweight people make out on screen, when obviously it happens in real life? What is our obsession with optimizing looks in order to portray a "beautiful" love story? Especially since beauty is in the eye of the beholder?

Why do some things scare me so much? Seriously, I'm sitting here freaking out about watching my uncle's wedding movie. Like, that shouldn't be a big deal...but, for some reason, it is. Maybe it's the fact that I haven't seen or talked to a lot of my extended family in so long. It's just weird. Like tapping into an alternate life, an alternate ME. But, at the same time, I'm also ITCHING to watch it because I miss all my family so much and it would be so nice to see some of their faces and get to watch this happy ocassion. I don't know what the hell I'm talking about right now. So, let's move on to a new topic, shall we?

I finished an ENTIRE 300+ page book from beginning to end today. Yes, I don't have a life. What's your point? I just couldn't put this book down. It's the third book in the Evernight series written by Claudia Gray. It's called Hourglass and if you haven't picked up this series yet, then I STRONGLY suggest you go out and BUY these books. They may not have much literary merit but they really know how to entertain. If you need a break from college or high school reading then these are the PERFECT distraction. Now, they are in the "Twilight" mold and yes, that did turn me off initially but after about 100 pages into the first book, I was totally blown away. Just give it a chance.

I don't have much else to write about....so I guess I'll leave it at that. See you tomorrow, maybe?

Disney Channel? Get a Clue.

So, the other day I was lounging around with my seven year old sister (as I often do) and we were watching the Disney Channel (also as I often do) when I came to realize something. There's this trend I see in children's television. Well, it's a trend not only IN children's television, but I find it most disturbing in that category. I really could care less what adults watch. They're older and presumably wiser. Anyway, getting to the point, the trend I noticed was this OBSESSION with celebrity life seeping into these kids' shows and movies.

I don't know why this irked me so much but it did. Just think about how many children/teen shows are out there that have something to do with fame of some kind. There's "Hannah Montana," of course, but there's also iCarly where Carly (the main character) gains popularity through a web show. She even goes to award shows and gets sponsors and meets celebrities. Then there's "Sonny with a Chance," an entire comedy, based on the backstage life of working on a television show. Oh, and how can we forget "Jonas"--the Jonas Brothers' show where they play...you guessed it, insanely famous popstars! And if that wasn't enough, the Disney Channel came out with an original movie recently titled "Starstruck" that I caught the other night with my sister. It centers around a famous singer and depicts him dealing with tabloids, the paparazzi, screaming fans, and how his life is oh-so-hard.

Now, this whole fascination with the life of the rich and famous seems harmless and fun. No violence, no inappropriate sexual content, not even any harsh language. But, what bothers me about this whole trend is the concept. Entertainment about the entertainment industry? What? Why is that so popular? Why would kids want to see stuff about celebrity life? What makes it so fascinating? Obviously, it's a sort of escapism for adults. Something they can watch and fantasize about, knowing it's just mindless fun and something that holds no real value. But, kids? What are they learning from these shows? How to be true to their fans? How to handle tabloids and the press? I wouldn't mind ONE show about being a star and handling fame...but it's EVERYWHERE. And none of them have any substance to them or pertain to real life at all. Why not create shows kids can actually RELATE to? Shows that depict problems that they go through on a daily basis. That way, they get something out of watching T.V. and don't turn into fame-obsessed, tabloid-reading, E-news-watching zombies when they grow up.