I think that out of all the commonly misspelled words, rediculous bothers me most. I guess it's because it looks so outrageously wrong to me. Things like judgement (should be judgment) or definately (should be definitely) aren't a big deal because they don't stand out to my eye so much. Rediculus is just so ... ridiculous.

Do you think the media was capitalizing on the grief surrounding Sept. 11 to capture bigger ratings? A lot of people do, but, I think that's pretty silly. It's Sept. 11. What else is the media supposed to do? Media is a reflection of society. New York and D.C. were filled, from dawn to dusk, with memorials and speeches, so doesn't it make sense that the television news media, from dawn to dusk, reported on those things and the people affected by the terrorists. I, for one, really like the personal profiles. It's important to attach some faces to the numbers. Luckily, no one I know died that day, so it's hard for me to imagine how devastated the families of victims must be. Watching some of these news segments gives me an idea.



Also, it can't really be about ratings. If every major network and every cable news channel is reporting on basically the same thing, the ratings game will be pretty pointless. People will just watch the channel the usually watch.



I just really think that for the most part, if people didn't want to see it, it wouldn't be on TV.



I get really sensitive about people dissing the media without really thinking about the topic. At Rutgers, there were always anti-Targum protestors, saying that the newspaper never reflected so-and-so's point of view and calling for boycotts. I always wanted to give in and stop publishing for a few weeks because those people would realize how utterly lost they'd be without the newspaper they hated so much.

Letterman tonight? Love Bill Clinton. The man has it still. He's just so on. But thank God he mentioned that bracelet he received from Colombian Indians. It was really bothering me...



And did anyone else think he sounded a lot like Dr. Phil?

My landlady is adorable. She's like 95, speaks very little English, and just came down here because she can't figure out how to open the microwave. Someone gave it to her and she has no clue how to use it, so she put the food in, cooked it (for too long) and then couldn't figure out how to open it...



As I was leaving she said, "God bless you." Too cute.

It's funny how inarticulate local news anchors are during live news breaks, when they actually have to stray from the teleprompter.



(I said don't blame the media, I didn't say not to judge them.)

This is really worthing looking at.



I have mixed feelings about all of the hoopla surrounding this anniversary. I have mixed feelings about possible attacks on Iraq. I have no mixed feelings about the fact that we all need to take some time to think about what happened. I hear people saying they're going to stay away from TVs and the Internet because they don't want to get caught up in everything. I want to get caught up in it. We're all so far removed and it's unbelievably important to take everything in. As far as I'm concerned, I can't watch enough programming, have enough details. I want to know everything. I want to memorize the death toll, I want to remember how many lives were lost, to find out exactly what is going on in Afghanistan and with the Taliban, to hear about Iraq and why the weapons inspectors failed. Isn't lack of information part of why this happened in the first place?



And, God, do not blame the media. It's so easy to blame the media. It's bullshit. Think of something original.

I don't understand how Connie Chung became famous. Why is she such an icon? She is so embarrassing. Have you ever seen her interview people? She has this overly earnest, big-eyed, head-nodding crazed look. It scares me, quite frankly.

There are sites on my links page that gross me out and annoy me on an almost daily basis. Yet I do not take them off the list. Am I simply too lazy to upload a new version or do I like to be outraged?

1. Parchment paper is really ... cool.



2. Enrique Iglesias makes me long for the days of Ricky Martin. I'd rather listen to "Livin' La Vida Loca" on repeat for hours than deal with Enrique.

I'm not sure I'll believe it until I actually move in...



or that first rent check ... :-)

Ben and I looked at a kick-ass apartment today. Ben's the only one moving now, but if we do decide to live together it will be sometime during the next year, so I've been sort of extra interested in his new place.



Anyway, this is a one-bedroom flat in a 12-unit building that looks more like a house than a gross apartment building. Everything about it is pretty much perfect. It's on Dolores St., which I love, right across the street from the top of Dolores Park, where I play tennis every week. It's pretty spacious, newly painted and clean, but it's not a charmless new unit, it's got a lot of Edwardian features and hardwood floors (Looked at another really nice place off of Castro St., but it was carpeted and looked like a condo). Also, there is a very cool roof deck and the entry are is pretty cute.



Yay. And the landlord called him just now and said the place is Ben's.



Perfect. Walking out the door in the morning and seeing Dolores Park - nothing could be better.

It's time for me to de-American Idol myself. It's getting to be too much.

... but now I realize there will be no more American Idol. Hmm, that kind of sucks.

Holy crap. Could that have been any fucking better? The Fox executives are probably crapping in their pants because of how that worked out. For a Kelly fan, this finale could not have been any better, but regardless of whether you were rooting for Justin or Kelly, that was such a kick-ass finale.



Ah!



This makes up for Michelle Kwan not winning the gold medal.

Sweet Jesus. It's Valentine's Day, not ValentiMe's Day.

I've voted for Kelly twice so far. I've tried to vote on and off for the past 45 minutes but couldn't get through until now. A good sign?

So, I guess you're right (you little bitch), someone who reads this blog is likely to think that all I do is watch TV. That's not true! Although now that cable is back, I have been spending more time than usual glued to Food Network and TLC. I finally watched Trading Spaces for the first time. I stayed away because there was so much hype, but now I've fallen prey to its charm. I love it. There are several design ideas floating around in my head because of those crazy kids now...



I actually do other things. I could tell you about my recent travels - to the faux Western town in Old Sacramento or up the coastal highway to Bodega Bay and through the woods to Guerneville. But that's way boring compared to the finale of American Idol, which you know I'll be watching, laying on my bed, screaming when someone hits a flat note or jumping up and down when Kelly belts out a high one.



Yeah, man. I went for seven months or so with just 5 channels. I deserve to fall asleep to a re-re-repeat of the VMAs, to wake up to A Makeover Story.



Ha.