Sometimes I drift off at work a bit. It’s not like I actually fall asleep or anything…I just let my mind wander. But sometimes on a break or during lunch I’ll hear or read something online that sticks with me. This week has been crazy because Rugrat has been with me, and needless to say my concentration at work hasn’t exactly been 100% because I’m wanting to spend time with my daughter.
It’s been awhile since I’ve had enough downtime during the day at work to actually write down some random comments, but today is the day.
What I usually do is just jot something down and then finish these thoughts once I’m home (hence this being posted on Christmas Eve instead of, say, yesterday). And for whatever reason, people seem to enjoy my random take on the world…
It’s been four days since the season finale of Survivor Samoa and I’m still bewildered and upset. I mean, Natalie won?? Seriously?? I understand that social politics play a major role in games like Big Brother, but it’s a rare occassion when a jury on Survivor is so envious and jaded that they take personal feelings and put them ahead of the end goal: choose the person who outwitted, outplayed, and outlasted everybody else. Russell should have won…hands down. I can’t even fathom those who feel otherwise. I mean, there are those who felt that Natalie was a nicer person and that her riding on Russell’s back was a great strategy. WHAT?? Since when has doing NOTHING been a great strategy?? And that argument holds little to no water because Mick received no votes. I mean, the guy won two immunity challenges and was just as nice and sweet and boring as Natalie was. Russell, however, not only found THREE immunity idols (TWO without having any clue, whatsoever) but was single-handedly the one responsible for the voting out of 90% of everybody else from the very beginning. He ran the show. Period. People don’t like him? That’s fine. Popularity has rarely been a major issue on Survivor. Sure, social politics play a certain aspect…that have to. But snakes win all the time because they, for the most part, play better games. It’s not about who is the most popular or honorable. It’s about who plays the GAME better…and there is zero valid argument out there that says Natalie played a better game than Russell. That’s not to say she didn’t play a good game…riding somebody’s coattails is certainly a valid stategy. But to say that her strategy was better than Russell’s? I just don’t see it.
I went out on Friday night with Sunshine to a bar with a few friends of mine from work to hear another friend from work play an acoustic set. I gotta be honest…she wasn’t that good. But that wasn’t the thing that stuck out for me the most. This hole in the wall (and literally…this bar was exactly that) had one of those machines that you pop in a few bucks and get a stuffed animal out of. A little out of place, I guess…but whatever. Upon closer inspection, though, I found that this machine contained a bit more than just stuffed animals. It contained a blow-up doll, a big-ass vibrator, and a porn dvd. Now, this got all of us laughing and we each took a turn throwing away $1 on the off-chance of getting that vibrator…but it got me wondering afterwards just why everything else in there was a stuffed toy. I mean, wouldn’t it be more fun to put a whole bunch of adult toys in there instead? If you’re going to go for it, you might as well go all the way…AMIRIGHT? I dunno…I just found it a bit odd. And no…neither Sunshine or I won.
Brittany Murphy was 32 when she passed away on Sunday. That’s way too young for anybody to die. Now, I was never her biggest fan so when I heard the news I just thought, “What a shame” and went on with my day. But then I saw the reactions on Twitter. Then I saw the references to drugs. See, Murphy died due to a heart attack. She has had a documented history of drug issues. People immediately went online and told the world that this is what happened when you did drugs. Perez “I’m a huge f*cking douchebag” Hilton actually had the nerve to not only blame drugs, but to also blame her husband for the death (tasteless, really). One celebrity actually blamed her weight loss on the heart attack and claimed that Hollywood’s need for rail-thin girls was the reason for the death. In actuality, there isn’t an official cause of death yet (although the coroner initially said that it appeared to be of natural causes). Regardless of what the reasons end up being (they’re awaiting toxicology results so it probably was a combination of prescription drugs…a la Heath Ledger), it just really sucks that so many people felt the need to judge Murphy before all of the details of her death had been researched. Let the poor woman rest for at least 24 hours before tweeting that “drugs kill”. Seriously. It’s something like last Sunday on Twitter that I really get a taste for just how wacked-out and morally inept the general public can be at times. It’s a shame, really. What if it was an accidental overdose? Are you still going to sit back and say that she’s an example for Lindsay Lohan? C’mon…just let the poor woman die in peace. It’s nobody’s business, anyway.
Rugrat arrived on Monday without any incident. However, her step-father called me once she was in the air to complain about Air Canada. Y’see, where she’s only 10 (11 next month), there is an unaccompanied minor fee associated with every trip of $100 each way. This is kinda crappy, but it is accepted as required practise until she turns 12. Well, the argument presented to me was that Air Canada’s fee is to pay for an employee to walk my daughter to the terminal and wait for the plane, then walk her from the plane to the terminal to assist with luggage collection (at least that’s what her step-father told me on the phone). Now, Rugrat’s grandmother accompanied her to the terminal and waited for the plane…and then I was there to greet her and pick up her luggage once she landed. So why are we paying this $100 fee? The website states that the fee is mandatory for all children aged 8-11, but her step-father (who’s a good man, by the way) told me that he was already on the phone with Air Canada and was told that because her grandmother was the one accompanying the minor through until the gate, then we should be getting our money back because no service was actually performed. I’m not really on the side of us getting this money back because I think the rules are pretty cut-and-dry, but it’s difficult to justify paying $200 extra on every trip when you’re getting conflicting information from the company itself.- It’s funny…when I learned that there wasn’t a real Santa Claus and I told my parents that, my number of gifts reduced dramatically the following year. My little brother told me a few years ago that he didn’t believe anymore and I told him flat out: the day you stop believing is the day your gifts will disappear!! I know it’s wrong, but he at least took my advice for one more year (lol). Rugrat is 11 next month…if she hasn’t stopped believing by now, she probably soon will. I don’t know if I’ll give her the same talk I gave to my little brother, though.
- Random Esquire wants to motorboat my girlfriend. Is it wrong that I don’t have a problem with that?
- Is it also wrong that I’m not only REALLY anticipating the 20th season of Survivor in February (it’s the “villains” vs. the “heroes”…as the shows most popular and most hated characters are invited back for one more go-round), but I’m also looking forward to all new episodes of American Idol, Lost, Glee, and Ghost Hunters International? Jeez…you’d think I’d have a life by now or something. Maybe it’s because football is ending soon…
Speaking of football, I think I’m going with a New Orleans vs. Indianapolis match-up in the SuperBowl. I just don’t think the Vikings can beat the Saints and there is no other team in the NFC that’s even remotely as good. And on the AFC side? The Colts are simply unparalleled. There are too many “pretty good” teams and not enough “excellent” teams in the AFC, so as long as the Colts continue on their path (even if they lose a game before the end of the regular season) I just don’t see anybody else beating them in the playoffs. In the end, I think the Colts might be SuperBowl champs when all is said and done. But having said that, it certainly wouldn’t surprise me to see the Saints come out on top, either. It’s gonna be a GREAT few weeks of playoff football.
That’s all I’ve got on my mind today. Hope everybody has a wonderful holiday…whatever that holiday may be.
Cheers!
