Procrastinating = Backstage

I have met many a celebrity in my day…and get your mind out of the gutter! I’ve never done any “favors” to get myself backstage; just my wit, my charm, and a little procrastination.

I hate to reveal one of my biggest “how to get backstage” secrets but here it is. At a Dane Cook concert in College Park, my friend and I stayed after the show to see if we could get backstage. We had never done this before, but we were willing to try it out, and boy oh boy, we were determined.

The security guards (a.k.a. rent-a-cops) kept telling us to leave the arena and we kept telling them that we were waiting for our friend who worked backstage.

After a few more attempts by the guards and a little procrastination to vacate the premises, the tour manager came out and said that Dane would love to meet the few of us fans who stayed back after the show.

It was awesome! We hung out for a half hour, even though we were only supposed to stay ten minutes (again, procrastination at its best). It was one of the coolest experiences I’ve had. So now you know my secret, try it out and let me know if it works for you.

Italian kids vs. American kids

I received an e-mail from my father, who happens to be a typical Italian man, that was forwarded from my Uncle Nicky and sent to all my cousins and aunts and uncles…okay, you get it; we’re a big, fat, Italian family.

The e-mail was about the way Italians think and live compared with how Americans think and live. I couldn’t help sharing a few points that were so true that it should be rules that my family lives by.

American kids: Always pay retail, and look in the Yellow Pages when they need to have something done. Italian kids: Call their dad or uncle, and ask for another dad's or uncle's phone number to get it done.

American kids: Will greet you with 'Hello' or 'Hi'. Italian kids: Will give you a big hug, a kiss on your cheek, and a pat on your back. American kids: Call your parents Mr. and Mrs. Italian kids: Call your parents Mom and Dad.

American kids: Will leave you behind if that's what the crowd is doing. Italian kids: Will kick the whole crowds' ass that left you behind. American kids: Think that being Italian is cool. Italian kids: Know that being Italian is cool.

I love being Italian and whenever I’m bored or want to procrastinate, I just look at my pictures from Italy, or look up websites that could help me book another trip. And with the economy influencing travel prices, I suggest you do the same.

Getting Down to the Wire

One year ago I was sitting in the same chair at my same desk in my same student apartment saying to myself, "It's one more year of freedom."

Now, I am sitting here in my chair, at my desk, looking at my cap and gown saying, "Where did the time go?" I sound like an older relative after they haven't seen me in a year or so at a family reunion.

My original graduation date was one year ago, almost to the day. However, I chose to take a second major after I found a passion for journalism. With each day that went by, I did work...or what I thought was work, since I've never had a "real" job bacuase my parents always said that school was my job.

But what now? I can't procrastinate anymore, and I can't add another year to my college career. Nope. As my father says, "The real world is gonna be knocking on your door pretty soon." How do I answer it? Where did the time go?

It's almost time to face to music, and the song that will be playing is Pomp and Circumstance.

Last Chance

The Last Holiday starring Queen Latifah was on TBS one evening, which I caught halfway through the movie. After about twenty minutes I turned the channel and made a note to go rent the movie the next day.

Although it was predictable with a happy ending that I won’t give away, but you can probably take a guess as to the outcome, it tells a lesson that my father has taught me all my life: live each day to the fullest because you never know if it could be your last.

It’s a story about a religious woman who has held back in indulging all of life’s pleasures, from food to men to vacationing; basically living life. One day through an accident at work, she is forced to go to the doctor and get a CAT-scan. Yep, prognosis negative.

Apparently, she only has three weeks to live. So what does she do? She packs up and goes on a European vacation and does more in a couple of weeks than she had ever done in the rest of her life. It is a feel good story and I recommend to all. Hopefully you will walk away with more of an appreciation for life.

Arizona Says “No He Can’t”

One of my favorite television shows is The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I’m not big into politics, and watching the news can get to be a little boring.

The reason why I like the Daily Show is because is gives an account for current events and politics accurately, while spicing it up with some humor.

Take for instance this latest controversy surrounding President Obama and Arizona State refusing to award him with an honorary degree. We could watch one of NBC’s field reporters go to Arizona State and talk with the President and alumni, while throwing in some history of the university and the honorary degree system and its past recipients…but I respond much better to the Daily Show’s take on the matter.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Arizona State Snubs Obama
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Something I didn’t know about Comedy Central

I love watching comedians, and I happen to have a sick sense of humor. People like Chris Rock, Wanda Sykes, and my personal favorite, Dane Cook all share this sense of humor, among with many others.

Comedy Central often features these comedians multiple times a week, but there is one problem that I have come across for a long time: the censoring of some of these comedic performances sounds like an episode of Jerry Springer.

I can never get the full effect from a comedy act when half of the words are bleeped out. But recently I found out that after 1:00 in the morning, profanity and vulgarity are no longer censored out no matter how cruse it may be.

Even if you don’t stay up this late at night, look up the Comedy Central schedule online, and record your favorite performances to enjoy later.

Stuff White People Like

I heard about the website, stuffwhitepeoplelike.com, and I wanted to see what all the hype was about. Was any of it accurate? Was the list only five items long? Was it just one big joke?

A of all: it is accurate. B of all: the full list at 125 and still growing. C of all: it’s hilarious!

Coffee is number one on the list and I thought to myself: everyone drinks coffee. But then I thought of all the times I have been to Starbucks over the years, and it was like a light bulb went off in my brain. How many non-white people have I seen in Starbucks?

Yoga is also among the list of things white people like…so true. 80’s night along with ugly sweater parties are on the list, which can go hand in hand with the other. Out of all the friends that have had a 80s themed party, how many can you name that aren’t white?

Knowing what’s best for poor people…I think they are called Republicans though. Then again, other than Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice there aren’t too many black Republicans out there.

But my absolute favorite thing on the list is number 116: white people like black music that black people don’t listen to anymore. “All music genres go through a very similar life cycle: birth, growth, mainstream acceptance, decline, and finally obscurity. With black music, however, the final stage is never reached because white people are work tirelessly to keep it alive.” The reason why this is so funny is because it is so true.

Since it is NHL playoffs season, I suggest that hockey should be added to the list.

Christian

My mother is an avid watcher of the television show, The View. A rerun that she caught showed her the story of two men who bought a lion years ago from Harrod’s department store.

After raising the cub themselves, the lion, named Christian, got too big and the men were forced to send Christian to Africa. After one year, they wanted to see Christian in Africa, and…well, the video has been white hot on YouTube and it tells the story better than I could.



If the story wasn’t enough, they had to put it to Whitney Houston??? If this doesn’t tug a little at your heartstrings then I don’t know what will!

Today's Big Thing

As a Redskins fan living in Baltimore, I have tried to warn people of the dangers of being a Ravens football fan.



My friend told me about this website, Today’s Big Thing, after she was procrastinating for a while. It has cute animals, funny videos, music, technology, sports, entertainment, and, of course, the day’s ultimate “big thing.”

Every day something new is posted, and this is one of my favorites! They may not all be masterpieces, but most of them are downright hilarious.

Loving My Life on the D-List

The first time I saw comedienne, Kathy Griffin was on a little show called Seinfeld. Her loud obnoxious voice turned me off from the get-go. But pretty much any and all BRAVO television shows get a chance with me.

I figured that My Life on the D-List would be a flop, like Griffin’s career at that point because I didn’t find her ranting and bitching about celebrities to be very funny.

After a couple of episodes, I made a discovery: Kathy Griffin’s comedy is not about one-liners or short set-ups with a quick, catchy punch line; she is best at telling stories in her own humorous way. Her life wasn’t particularly exciting, especially not enough to conjure up a reality show, but the way she made her less-than-spectacular lifestyle seem funny is what made her interesting to watch.

Watching her beg for publicity by doing anything, whether it be embarrassing or humiliating, and then raving over her page sixteen tabloid picture as if it were an Emmy made me want to keep tuning in to see if she really could get herself off of the D-List.

It’s like rooting for the lovable underdog and through her show, I have become a fan. Way to go Kathy for getting off the D-List!

Abdul on Idol….and Who Knows What Else

Like millions of avid television viewers, I have been a frequent watcher of American Idol. And like millions of kids that grew up in the 90’s, I loved Paula Abdul. She could sing, she could dance, and she had it all. I still have “Straight Up” on my iPod to this day.

But before American Idol, no one say Paula as a person on a frequent basis, rather than the former pop star/dancer duo. Now, with American Idol in its ninth season, people have seen her twice a week, for the most part.

Her bickering with Simon Cowell is quite entertaining, but what I’ve always found most interesting is her critiques for the contestants. During the first few seasons, people criticized her for only wanting to give positive feedback; but lately, people have questioned how alert she is during judging.

Take last night for example, when she told Adam Lambert that he was so high up in the clouds that he should be racking up frequent flier miles. Watching Simon’s face says it all with that look of utter puzzlement. I basically mirror his facial image every time Paula opens her mouth.

As confusing as she is and no matter how useless her critiques are, American Idol will never let her go, and I can’t blame them. She is one of the most amusing aspects of that show. Kathy Griffin says it best in her comedy special on BRAVO:

Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make Me a Match

Patti Stanger comes from generations upon generations of matchmakers in her family. So it was only natural that she went into the family business. Over the years, she has really herself apart from the rest of her family.

For two seasons on BRAVO, Patti has allowed the filming of her business, the Millionaires Club. Her job: to find all the millionaires out there who cannot find love some eligible, well-rounded, successful bachelorettes to date, and, possibly one day, marry.

In this past season, Patti has extended her matchmaking abilities to millionairesses and gay millionaires. “I’m not the manufacturer, I’m just the distributor,” says Patti. As God’s messenger, Patti says she works for the big man upstairs to try and distribute happiness and love.

She uses the technique of tough love with her millionaires, but the 99% success rate in matchmaking can speak for itself and usually keeps the millionaires biting their tongues and swallowing their pride to let Patti work her magic.

The best thing about Patti is she tells it like it is and has a no holds bar attitude…but she certainly knows what she’s doing, which makes her a perfect addition to the BRAVO family.

Catfights Reunion

After a crazy, yet, wonderfully entertaining season of the Real Housewives of New York City, the catfights returned on BRAVO for the traditional reunion episode. Let me just say that the ladies did not disappoint.

Since the show ended there has been divoce, break-ups over e-mail, dates with A-Rod, and a claim of a Rhianna/Chris Brown incident in reverse reenacted by one of the housewives.

After sixteen years of marriage to Count Alexandre, Countess Luann DeLesseps got an e-mail from the Count asking for a divorce. Since then, the Count has, allegedly, been dating an Egyptian princess.

Model, turned author, Kelly Bensimon was caught in a lovers spat where she, allegedly, physically assaulted one of her ex-boyfriends. She tearfully denied the claims and said "the grass isn't always greener on the other side [of fame]."

Housewife, Bethenny Frankel, has got it all. Her book has been on the New York Times best-seller list since it came out and she has also been happily dating several eligible bachelors.

The other housewives have had thei ups and downs too, but what I really tuned in for was the catfights. After a record-breaking seven-hour reunion tapiing, BRAVO had to turn the reunion episode into TWO reunion episodes. It doesn't get much better than this!

VH1 Love Breeding

Fine, I admit to having a problem. I am addicted to trashy reality shows on VH1…it’s shameful yet true. But I’m not the only one with a problem.

VH1 has been breeding these “Love” shows like rabbits in mating season. First there was Flavor of Love, which spawned I love New York 1 and 2, which spawned Real Chance of Love, which spawned I love Money and New York Goes to Work.

But wait! There’s more: Rock of Love 1 and 2 starring Bret Michaels led to Charm School and eventually Daisy of Love.

Is it me, or has this reality breeding become ridiculous? Seriously, how am I supposed to find time in my schedule to watch all of these shows?

Everyone Loves a Good Prank

I’ve pulled many pranks in my day and they usually end with hilarious results. One night at 1:00 in the morning, my dad and I decided to go to our next door neighbors (very good family friends as well) and clear out the bar on their deck that they set up for a college graduation party the next day.

The next morning, my neighbor was bitching to everyone on the block until my dad offered anything that he had in the house. When he showed him the recycling bin full of his own liquor, he flipped me upside down, carried me next door, and ratted me out as I was laughing hysterically.

Everyone still talks about my awesome pranks years later. But I’ve had pranks pulled on me too, and I know that it doesn’t feel so good on the other side of the joke.

I was aimlessly searching through funny videos on YouTube and I found a radio feed from some disk jockeys in New Jersey who helped a girl pull a prank on her very strict, traditional father. It’s a little long, but once you get the set-up the laughs start rolling in.



I’m surprised the father took the prank so well…actually I’m surprised the guy didn’t have a heart attack!

Charlie Bit Me!

I love listening to a person with a foreign accent. For some reason, I become very intrigued by everything they are saying.

Combine that with the fact that kids say the darnedest things, and you get brothers Harry and Charlie from Great Britain.



“Charlie Bit Me” spread like wildfire on YouTube and probably was the reason why videos like “Baby Hahaha” from my previous post are so popular on the Internet.

Big brother Harry is the star, for the most part, but one of my favorite parts of this video is when Charlie gives a little giggle after Harry yells and says that being bitten really hurt.

I could watch this video over and over again…and believe me, I have! But can you blame me?

Funniest Baby on the Internet

It’s the little things in life that can go a long way. And personally, I am very easily amused.

My roommate sent me this video right before it started circulating all over the Internet and YouTube. She said that it could make anyone who was having a bad day, a mediocre day, or even a great day feel better.



She was absolutely right and now the video has over 82 million views. Looks like I’m not the only one who enjoys seeing someone else as easily amused as I am.

Seriously, this baby has the best laugh! He sounds like an old man. I only hope that my future children will be that happy.

You’ve Got Seattle

Once again, I found myself sitting around flipping through channels while avoiding work like the plague, and then I found one of my favorite feel good movies on one of my favorite networks, BRAVO: You’ve Got Mail.

Anytime you want to watch a movie that just puts you in a pleasant mood, I would recommend You’ve Got Mail starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. Another good one is Sleepless in Seattle…also starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. I decided to do a little research on the two movies through the Internet Movie Database.

Well here’s a shocker, they were both directed by the same person, Nora Ephron. Let’s explore the plots shall we: romantic comedies where a boy meets a girl, but forces keep them apart until love finally conquers all and they live happily ever after.

Sounds a lot like my blog about Project Runway vs. The Fashion Show. They are just imitations of each other. However, both movies have intrigued moviegoers and in my opinion, The Fashion Show will be a pathetic clone wannabe of Project Runway.

I would just like to see something that hasn’t been done before. Plots and stories get done over and over and over again until it becomes mundane. But, for the time being, I will enjoy the well-made copycat.

Role Models

I recently went to a cookout on campus with the tour guide organization for my university where I was asked to deliver a speech after four years of giving tours and as a graduating senior.

It was fun, the organization gave me some graduating gifts, but what was really interesting was the entertainment that was provided on the big field in the middle of campus. I just watched the hilarious movie Role Models, starring Paul Rudd and Sean William Scott.

Evidently I wasn’t the only one because the medieval reenactments using long boards of cardboard and duct tape for swords and proper robes and attire could be found midday Friday on campus.

Any hit taken, and you lose that limb. Apparently the movie meant more to some people than others, but during the cookout spectators gathered, including myself, to watch the battle ensue.

I only hope that the next time someone reenacts scenes from the movie, it will be a troubled, feisty little boy who spits out streams of profanity with hilarious results.

C-A-P-S CAPS CAPS CAPS!!!

Alright all you fare weather National Hockey League fans, head to Sports Authority and grab those red Ovechkin jerseys! That’s right, the NHL is once again popular.

The last time people talked this much about hockey was during Wayne Gretzky’s reign or when The Mighty Ducks series came out.

Back in the mid 1990’s, my brother had surgery at Children’s Hospital in Washington, and something that neither he nor I will forget was when the Washington Capitals came to visit the sick kids. My parents rounded up all the players to surprise my hockey-loving brother, and they filled his room.

As a nine-year-old, I thought it was one of the coolest things to see all these broad-shouldered guys packing the hospital room and shaking all our hands and giving some less than toothy grins. That was it for me; I became an instant and forever fan!

I remember the good old days when I went to Washington Capitals games with my family, looking around and seeing a sea of red…mostly from the empty seats. But it has been great seeing Caps making a run in the playoffs. The best part: we actually have a chance to win it all!

Even though thousands of people seem to be jumping on the NHL bandwagon these, I’m just happy to see Maryland fans coming together and supporting the best team in the area. And win or lose, I am proud of the Capitals for kicking some serious butt!

Dirty Jersey Housewives

Writing about my reality television passion, The Real Housewives of New York City is sadly coming to an end on Tuesday when the housewives meet for a re-cap of the season. Fortunately, it will be a two part re-cap that will continue into Thursday, because apparently there is too much drama for just one-hour.

After the first part of the re-cap a new group of housewives will be added to the BRAVO family: the ladies from New Jersey. After a one hour preview of the new season, I’m not so sure if “ladies” would be the right term to describe them.

Three of the New Jersey housewives are related through marriage, and the most outgoing of the three, Caroline, claims that “before she knows somebody, [she] does not like them. I would say she is the bitchiest, but enter stage right her younger sister Dina, a woman who says, “If you think I’m a bitch, then bring it on!”

And the mother of the year award goes to mommy of three of the cutest, yet brattiest girls this side of the turnpike, Teresa. Claiming her husband is “juicy,” Teresa takes her girls shopping at least a couple of times a week and usually buys them whatever their hearts desire. When she hesitated in the preview, her daughter, who looks to be about five years old, said she would rip her hair out.

Although they sound entertaining, I haven’t even gotten to the dirtiest Jersey-est housewife of them all: Danielle. Living in a mansion spending her days tanning by her pool and working out in her own personal gym, she looks for pity by saying that her divorce settlement has still not come in. Two words: boo hoo! One thing she doesn’t have to worry about is love though: she will soon be going on a blind date with a man twenty years younger than her whose phone sex has driven her crazy.

What great role models! I almost don’t even want to give these women the ratings, but I don’t think I will be able to resist. This should get interesting!

Really LOST

Anyone who has read this blog can tell that as much as I love the channel BRAVO and, pretty much, anything it runs as far as reality television, I also love my favorite mystery, thriller show that comes on ABC every Wednesday at 9:00: LOST.

Apparently, my photojournalism professor has never read my blog though. I will be graduating in a few weeks from Towson University, which means that I am slowly withering away from a widespread disease. ..no, not the swine flu…senioritis!

Why, then, did my professor on our last day of class, which lasts three hours every Wednesday evening, choose to keep us 40 minutes late? As a bonus for keeping us, she has canceled the class during finals week, since there is no written final in that class.

If she expected me not to bitch about it, she would be wrong. I completely missed the LOST episode that night. And if I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times, that watching every LOST show is imperative to stay connected to the show. It’s already confusing enough to keep up with. I know that I will just go on abc.com to watch the rerun, but if she expects me to focus for nearly four hours when I feel the ADD coming on after the first 60 minutes, she’s got another thing coming.

A Place for Everything, and Everything in its Place

A big problem I face every time I try and sit down to get some work done is the clutter that I have around me. All the mess on the desk, not to mention the disorganization of the files and notebooks I have in my desk drawers, really bother me and can be very distracting.

One day, instead of doing work, I decided to completely reorganize my desk in a way that I would still have some of my favorite things in front of me while I work. I also put away some of the disorder that would sidetrack my attention in a negative way.

After I did that, I still didn’t really feel like putting my nose to the grindstone, so I looked through my papers. After about two and a half hours, I had completely reorganized my work life in a way that I could find everything accessibly.

When everything was said and done, I knew I had accomplished a lot…without actually doing any much needed work. But the organization of all my crap has lasted for a while now, and it has made it a better environment to get things done.

The Urban Dictionary

One of my newest websites added to my favorites list is the Urban Dictionary. My name is Valerie, and according to Urban Dictionary, I can be defined as, “Valerie is a VERY sexy women who is also very intelligent. She has beautiful eyes and is sometimes considered to be a savage, but those people know as well as everyone else, that she is truly one of a kind. Don’t do anything bad to Valerie, because she WILL come back out on top.”

Okay, so this might not be Webster’s or anything, but I sure as hell love it! But it is mostly for getting a good laugh and for looking up slang words and phrases. Each day, another word or phrase is added to the list of urban dictionary vocabulary.

Since I have explored the realm of Twitter through this blog and my utter confusion at its purpose, I decided to see how Urban Dictionary defined it. The fourth definition had me in stitches:
“'T’ext ‘W’hat ‘I’m ‘T’hinking ‘T’o ‘E’veryone ‘R’eading. An online social networking site. It’s for everyone over 35 and trying to seem hip thinks that everyone under 25 is using, but they actually aren't.

Of course, I suppose definition number two defines it more accurately: “Social media messaging service for staying in touch and keeping up with friends from anywhere. Usable through a growing number of platforms including SMS, IM, and various desktop clients, as well as the Twitter website.”

Since this is a site just for fun, I looked up blog as well: “Short for weblog. A meandering, blatantly uninteresting online diary that gives the author the illusion that people are interested in their stupid, pathetic life. Consists of such riveting entries as ‘homework sucks’ and ‘I slept until noon today.’”

Taking a gander and even typing in your own name will, at the very least, give you a little chuckle. So check out urbandictionary.com.

The REAL Housewives???

If you’ve ever read my blog before, you know that I am obsessed with Bravo’s series The Real Housewives of New York City, as well as The Real Housewives of Orange County. I get my drama fix from watching these women have it out on national television rather than fill my life with drama.

But lets be honest, or in the words of Bravo, REAL! Some of these women’s favorite pastimes involve cosmetic surgery. I’m going to let the New York housewives off the hook for now even though they have indulged in some botox among other improvements.

But the Orange County ladies have as much of a problem as Joan Rivers. The face lifts, the boob jobs, the nips and tucks, and lets not forget their monthly treatments of botox here, there, and pretty much everywhere.

The video snippet that introduces each housewife at the beginning of each episode showed former Orange County housewife, Tammi, getting lip injections. That’s the first impression of every show when they think of Tammi. And it would be a crime to not mention Lauri’s facial surgeries which have taken over her actual face, which you can see from her before and after pictures.

Bottom line, they are actual housewives, but on a physical appearance level, real they are not!

Facebook vs. Myspace

In the last blog that I posted, I spoke about cheap imitations of television shows; the examples being two of Bravo’s reality shows, Project Runway and The Fashion Show. Two of the most popular social networking sites remind of that same scenario.

I have had accounts with two of the largest social networking websites: Facebook and Myspace. I eventually cancelled my Myspace account because it seems like the two sites are becoming ambiguously similar.

Both websites have all of the same entertaining, distracting aspects, from walls posts to profile pages to surveys that are designed for the sole purpose of procrastinating. Now that Facebook has changed it’s requirements for membership, anyone can join either network.

But there is a reason why I still have a Facebook account and no Myspace page, other than the fact that I like the gaming and family tree applications. Security has never been an issue when it comes to Facebooking…unfortunately, I cannot say the same for Myspace.

After several weeks of not checking my Myspace account because I was too bored to care, and was already jumping ship over to Facebook, I decided to login. Apparently, someone hacked into my account and changed a few things. Like that a favorite hobby was to meet strangers in public bathrooms, and that my all-time hero was Charles Manson…among other things.

That’s when I deactivated my account and said goodbye to Myspace. And I don’t miss it one bit!

Project Runway vs. The Fashion Show

So I’ve seen movies with very similar themes; for example, Pretty Woman and Runaway Bride…they’re both about a romantically troubled woman who eventually gets swept off her feet by a successful businessman, and they live happily ever after.

And coincidentally, both movies are starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere and are directed by Garry Marshall. I have recently come across two reality television shows that are almost indistinguishable…and they both happen to be on the same network: Bravo.

After five seasons of watching Heidi Klum say auf wiedersehen and Tim Gunn’s encouraging words, “make it work” on the hit fashion designing show, Project Runway, I experienced déjà vu during the commercial break of another one of my favorite Bravo reality shows, The Real Housewives of New York City.

Designer, Isaac Mizrahi and singer from the late, great girl-group, Destiny’s Child, Kelly Rowland are hosting The Fashion Show, which features 15 up-and-coming designers who want to make a name for themselves in the fashion world who compete for a cash prize and recognition in “the biz.”

Call me crazy, but The Fashion Show sounds like a less interesting version of Project Runway. And let’s take a look at the judge’s panel, shall we. Project Runway has runway model, Heidi Klum, editor-in-chief for Elle magazine, Nina Garcia, and fashion designer, Michael Kors. The “experts” judging The Fashion Show include a world renowned fashion designer, Mizrahi, but I’m confused as to where singer/songwriter Kelly Rowland comes in to play as a fashionista.

I’m going to remain loyal to Project Runway and just wait for the next season to come out instead of tuning in to the wannabe clone that is The Fashion Show.

Multi-Generational Facebook

At first Facebook was exclusively for college. Now, anyone can have an account.

My aunts and uncles have even friend requested me along with all of my cousins on Facebook, which I have reluctantly accepted and added to my limited profile. Call me old fashioned, but I’d prefer if the relatives from my parents’ generation would try to get to know me better through getting together with me, or at least calling me rather than checking up on me via the Internet.

It’s not as if I have pictures or information that I should feel ashamed of because if that were the case, I would delete them considering the influence a profile can have on a job prospect. But when my neighbors/babysitting clients tell me they don’t approve of my kissy-face profile picture because it might attract social networking stalkers that they saw on the last episode of Dateline, I get frustrated.

I liked Facebook a lot more when it was only for college networking. Facebook seems less special now that anyone can be a part of it. It has turned into another Myspace, which wasn’t all that special for the exact reason that anyone could be a member.

I’m keeping my Facebook page the way it is, but I can guarantee that if my parents decide to join, they will get their first taste of social networking rejection. Sorry Mom and Dad.

The Power of Networks

Have you ever been flipping through the channels on television and come across a movie that you already own, but decide to watch it regardless?

How about when you listen to the radio and there might be a song you’ve heard dozens of times, but because the radio station deemed it worthy enough to have it on the air at that particular time, you should stay tuned in and listen?

I ask myself why I choose to watch the movie with all of the possible censoring, the cutting out scenes of movies to fit into a perfect time frame and, most of all, sit through the commercials. Likewise, I wonder why I tune in to the crappy, static-filled versions of songs I have on CDs and my iPod.

I’d love to get an answer to why I am more interested in movies and songs on the TV or the radio than the same movies or songs on my DVD and CD collections.

Lost on LOST

From day one I have been obsessed with ABC’s hit show, LOST. Maybe it was the appeal of a mysterious island, or the idea that everyone in this world is connected in some way…or maybe it was because of the hot doctor on the island, Jack, the handsome southern bad boy, Sawyer, or the hobbit turned rock star, Charlie. Regardless, I’ve never missed an episode.

People have complained about how confused they were when they to jump into the series mid-way into a season. But this is a television show that you have to either watch religiously from episode one or you rent the previous seasons to catch up.

Stories and character’s backgrounds are told through flashbacks, which were a little hard to follow at first, but very soon I got the hang of it. I even stuck around for the four to six week breaks where they showed reruns while the writer strike was getting resolved. The flash forwards into the future almost had me channel surfing, but I stayed true.

Lately things are starting to get a little out of hand. The random acts of time travel that are inflicted upon by the mysterious island have me reaching for the Excedrin. Not to mention, people coming back from the dead and others visiting their estranged parents before and after they, themselves, were born.

ABC has insisted that they will be answering more and more questions that have been lingering throughout the show. The only problem is that ABC has created twice as many questions with the answers given.

This show has me mystified, but it also has me intrigued…so for now, I will remain an avid viewer. In the meantime, if you're lost like me, check out this video for the crazed, yet, confused fans.

Going Old School

I have a very strong bond with my family. But sometimes they forget what it’s like to be a young adult and they get upset when they don’t hear from me every day; this is especially true with my grandparents.

It’s not as if they don’t have my phone number, but I hear about how unsociable I have been every time I go back home. But recently, through my procrastination attempts, I found a quick and easy solution. E-mail!

Recently, I started a ritual. A few times a week, I will take five or ten minutes (away from work) to write an e-mail updating them how I am and asking how they have been. Not only does it make me feel better knowing that I am checking up on them, but apparently, it makes my grandparents day to hear from me.

So it just goes to show you that a little procrastination can go a long way.

Stand by Me

Every now and then, there’s something that that could put a smile on your face whenever you think about it. Earlier today, my friend passed a video onto me of people covering the song, “Stand by Me.”

At first, it just looked like a possible homeless guy singing a strange rendition of the song on a California street with an empty guitar case for tips. When a blind man from New Orleans named Grandpa Elliot was edited in with his version, things started to get more interesting.

By the time the video was over, “Stand by Me” was performed by people in Italy, Spain, Amsterdam, an Indian tribe in New Mexico, and an African musical group in South Africa, just to name a few.

In five minutes time, thee message of support through struggle was being sung and performed across the world. The video speaks volumes, and it is important to listen to the meaning behind the lyrics.

Dirty Little Secrets

Every weekend, there is a website I visit where people choose to share their most intimate secrets: postsecret.com.

Everyone has a secret. Some are funny, some are embarrassing, and some are downright overwhelming. This website takes the therapist out of therapy and allows people release their secrets without fear of judgments.

In many cases people find support from other secret-keepers. In fact, the website’s community was invited to the first postsecret.com picnic and it’s amazing watching these people connect through a common ground: they all had a secret that they didn’t want anyone to know.

Sometimes the only way to let go of a hardship in life is to let it out. The beauty of postsecret.com is that it doesn’t turn anyone or anything away. It is a completely unbiased way of divulging innermost secrets.

People have even found comfort from bloggers reading the posts that send comments of compassion and understanding.

Every postcard I read, I think how lucky I am in my life and how much I shouldn’t take for granted. In a way, it teaches me to become less judgmental of others because you never know what is underneath the surface.

Nit-Twittering

I am all up for giving in to distractions, but there is a website that has gone far enough: twitter.com. Another social networking site that simply asks its members: what are you doing?

In 140 characters members can tell everyone on the Internet what they are doing at that very moment. Companies and even television shows have joined, along with businesspeople and average Joe’s.

My question is: who cares? What can possibly be conveyed in 140 characters that would be of any significance to me?

I understand that Twitter is a way for companies to do marketing, and it is another way for job-searchers to find prospective employment. But I suppose I choose the more personal route when it comes to communicating on a professional level. I believe that I will get farther through in-person interviews, phone calls and e-mailing.

If I want to communicate with my friends, I prefer the old fashioned way of e-mailing, instant messaging or, if I’m feeling really bold, calling them on the phone! If I want to send messages to people where the medium gives me limited numbers of characters, I will go old school and send a text.

There may be a circumstance when I want the masses to know. That’s when I Facebook.

One of the few advantages that I have found on Twitter is that I am able to market my work that is already on the Internet. Blog posts are easily advertised along with websites for people to check out.

Bottom line, Twitter seems to be a site that is geared towards people with iPhones who know the applications and are “tweeting” constantly all day. But for me, I just feel like a nit-Twitterer.

Get Up and Shape Up

Even though this blog is about procrastinating and being distracted in general, I have found a way to procrastinate while being productive at the same time. I am a firm believer that it is better to do something than to do nothing. If you have the free time (or want to procrastinate), exercise!

Not only will it give you something else to do besides work, but it’s good for your body and your mind.

Working out is statistically proven to release endorphins, thereby increasing happiness and improving mental health.

Of course, there are the obvious benefits to working out which includes getting in shape, losing weight and creating a healthier lifestyle. There are also long-term benefits that affect the body. Studies have shown that regular exercise can reduce the risk of heart disease, one of the leading causes of death in the United States.

One way to exercise and feel obligated to work out several days a week is to get a gym membership. Knowing that your money is going to something, you should probably take full advantage of the resources at your disposal.

But exercising doesn’t have to be expensive at all. In fact, it can even be free. Anyone on any budget can find a way to exercise, whether it is to take a walk outside, or buy an inexpensive work out DVD.

So, as Vince Vaughn says in Wedding Crashers, “No excuses play like a champion!”

The Real Catfights Obsession

Drama, drama, drama. That’s what reality television is based on, and it’s what viewers find most appealing. Let’s face it, if reality shows didn’t have full-on brawls, catfights, and backstabbing, they would not be as entertaining.

The Real Housewives of New York City has been my reality television show obsession since last year’s first season. Sure the Orange County Housewives were entertaining with their constant drinking, their spoiling of the brattiest children on television, not to mention their botox, lip injections resembling duck bills and plastic surgery in general.

Not to say that the Real Housewives of New York don’t partake in those activities, but there is one thing that the New Yorkers to that makes them stand apart from the ladies of Orange County: they skip the bitching behind the back, and go straight to the source of the problem- usually, the other Housewives and usually in public.

The group of type A, high-maintenance personalities features a typical Jewish, Long Island princess, a prim and proper Countess, a no-holds-bar business woman who wants to be like her pre-teen daughter, a mother with devilishly wild children and a pretentious husband, and, my personal favorite, a chef turned author who built herself from the ground up and has one-liners that could go on forever.

I am the type of person who likes to keep a minimal amount of negative drama in my life. But to get my fix, I tune in every week on Tuesdays at 10 to BRAVO to see the madness unfold.

The best part is that new viewers can catch up easily with hours of reruns before the week’s new episode. Or, if you are an avid watcher like me, you can just tune in to the reruns for hours of entertainment.

Little Miss Distracted

Sometimes people just have one of those days where everything seems to go wrong. I had one of these days recently after my car got a $75 parking ticket just before I was about to leave to go to a funeral. Not to mention, all my pictures for my photojournalism assignment had gotten deleted.

After a day like that, I was begging for anything to distract me. After looking through 30 plus pages on fmylife.com, I decided to turn to my DVD collection.

Movies let people escape from their lives for about two hours and spy on the fictional, and sometimes factual, lives of others. One of my favorite movies is the 2006 Oscar winning Little Miss Sunshine.
Talk about having problems, this movie takes a look at the very dysfunctional Hoover family as they trek on a long road trip together. It has everything from side-splitting laughter to tear-jerking moments and all that’s in between.

The bottom line is that after this cinematic experience, almost no one can walk away without thinking: well if the Hoovers can get through that, then I can get through this.

Join the Mafia

I’ve never been much for video games. Even when I was little and my older brother would ask me to play Sonic: The Hedgehog or Donkey Kong or, my least favorite of all, Mortal Combat, I would get my rear end lovingly handed to me every game. My only defense would be to smash all of the buttons on the control resulting in a miraculous victory. My brother stopped asking me to play after that.

So when my cousin asked me to play a video game online via Facebook, I rejected the application. After several Facebook chat conversations with him, he told me to try out Mafia Wars, mainly because he needed more people for his mafia, but also because he thought I would like it.

I figured I would try and be the procrastinating version of Oprah and do a little multitasking during my Facebooking, Instant Messaging, and E-mailing. That was how my addiction started and I have been hooked ever since.

The basics are that the user is a mob boss with a mafia that does his or her bidding and helps out with jobs, robbing other mafia’s properties, and fighting other mafias in order to make money and loot. Sounds pretty ordinary and, admittedly, boring at first. But as soon as you get snuffed out by a rival mafia, revenge is the sweetest form of victory.

So, I urge all of you, especially all the skeptics out there to give Mafia Wars a try. But as a warning, watch out for Donna Santini and her mafia; she takes no prisoners.

F*** My Life

At my internship one evening, I found myself to be very distracted. I had just spent a weekend home for the funeral of my grandmother. Needless to say, I was very distracted by the sadness of the past few days. Having finished my work for my boss and just waiting for the time to run down until I could go home, I remembered a website that my roommate told me i had to see.

One of the latest Internet crazes has been http://www.fmylife.com/. It's full of people's everyday life situations. Some are more comical, and others are just down-right shocking!

If you haven't visited the site, do it! It's for those times when you've had a really rough day and think to yourself: "how could this day possibly get any worse?" My dad always says that things in life could be a lot worse than what they are, and after reading a few posts on fmylife.com, I realized he couldn't be more right.

After a few minutes on the website, I was desperately trying to stifle my laughter in front of Baltimore's NBC sports anchor, producer, and other interns. With everything from fake proposals to playing Jesus Christ in a play while having an erection, fmylife.com has every embarrassing moment you could ever imagine. And if it doesn’t, then feel free to share with the world some personal humiliation and make a post yourself.

Waiting til the Last Minute = 60 seconds of Work

Shiny ball syndrome is something that everyone goes through once in a while. For me…it happens a little more often than that.

A friend once told me that if you wait until the last minute to do your work, then you only have 60 seconds of work to do. I might not wait until the very last minute, but I am certainly guilty of waiting until the stress is too big to ignore.

Everything gets done in the end, but in the meantime I have become an expert at the act of procrastinating! And in this day and age of having technology literally at the tips of our fingers, the distractions from work are so accessible and abundant.

I have chosen to embrace my expertise in this blog and share some of the most entertaining ways to avoid work.

The following is a video of me and my roommates procrastinating on a night when we all had a lot of work that needed to be done, but did not get done until the next morning because we were too busy filming. Enjoy!