doesn't take much

in addition to my previous venting about appropriate sunglass-wearing and inappropriate ugg-wearing, ive come across a whole bunch of things that make me cringe a little. many of the following are inspired by what ive seen on tv [i know, not a surprise] lately. with the tv on almost all the time at the apartment, ive been exposed to interestingly irritating things...maybe not even just irritating, but also, wtf are you thinking?...or omg, are you serious?! with my trusty notebook always handy, ive been jotting down some thoughts as they come. so here it goes.

1- CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE
i understand that lectures are usually not the most fascinating events. i also understand that while maybe 1/4 of the students are actually paying attention, the other 3/4 are idly moving thru various internet sites, usually myspace/facebook/youtube/aim. i dont really mind this reality...but what really irritates me is when people are so rude as to talk to each other while the professor is speaking. and its not even like a whispered comment, but its the regular volume full-on conversation about personal stuff. and these are the people that clearly don't get the hints when a whole lecture hall frequently turns around to send upset glares your way. ALSO, you know the feeling when you've strategically selected a seat with an empty chair in front of it, comfortably settle into your niche in a seat, feet up, notebook ready...then some stranger happens to stroll over to that ONE seat in front of you [even if their entire row is empty] and sits down, causing you to angrily plop your feet down and remain upset for the rest of the class. no? just me? okay fine.

2- TV GONE very very WRONG

Oxi-Clean guy, Mr. Billy Mays- you know this familiar face..and if not the face, im sure you can recognize the super-loud raspy yelling and constant lack of breath...and unusual enthusiasm about cleaning products. I have no doubt that this guy's products are effective around the house but i'd be interested in knowing exactly what makes this bearded man so trustworthy to sell such uniquely-named products such as: OrangeGlo, Ding King, and Kaboom. Is it his studly physique or perfectly-shaven facial hair or love of thumbs up? He shows up on maybe every other info-mercial...he must be doing something right.










Naomi Campbell...dancing...with lizards...to "Thriller"- If SoBe is trying to celebrate the whole Michael Jackson's Thriller 25th anniversary deal, why choose Naomi Campbell of all people to portray one of the most awesome videos/dances of all time? I'm pretty sure even the computerized lizards did the dance more justice than this model-turned-crazy-cell-phone-thrower. Who's she trying to be?! My girl Beyonce?! I highly doubt her lack of dance skills would make the King of Pop, MJ, particularly proud.





American Idol guys and the attempts to be sexy...or something like that.- We all see it and it makes me cringe every single time. It's the awkward squinting/ wanna-be-sexy-eyes that the male contestants try to utilize, thinking it helps their performance. I don't think your creepy stares into the camera will provoke me to pick up my phone and vote for you. It'll make me look away from the tv and start screaming, "uggggh..i hate when they do that!" Thanks a lot Constantine from Idol Season 4 for starting this trend. It didn't do much for him and it's not getting any of this season's hopefuls anywhere either.











Disney/Nickelodeon [over]actors & actresses- It is almost inevitable that a conversation discussing classic shows from back-in-the day will come up. You bring up Darkwing Duck, Power Rangers, Clarissa Explains it All, Are You Afraid of the Dark, Flash Forward, Babysitters Club, Alex Mac, Gargoyles, TaleSpin, Animaniacs, TinyToons, etc. The conversation usually becomes an argument about how pathetic new kid shows are. Disney and Nickelodeon actors have this unnatural method of acting with excessive facial expressions and over-the-top gestures [ex: Raven Symone]. Shows about rock stars and rich kids. And then...despite the lack of talent, these child stars become hit-selling singers and pop stars?! [ex: Lindsay Lohan] Wow, what's a girl gotta do to get me a gig on Disney?!




the new TRUTH commercials- With the faint memories of the DARE program in elementary school, the Great American Smokeout event in middle school then drug & sex programs in high school...the only exposure to the dangers of smoking is now depicted through the TRUTH campaign and other anti-drug commercials. There have been some pretty powerful commercials of teens going out to confront tobacco companies with body bags or lists of people who were diagnosed with some kind of disease or that cowboy with a whole in his throat singing some catchy tune on a busy street. But lately, ive been a little surprised at the most recent commercials. They start off similar to the previous ones then all of a sudden, the actors bust into some lame song and dance, singing about the magical amount and it must've been a typo. To me, this newly re-vamped campaign portrays anti-smoking as a joke. These commercials no longer keep it simple with a powerful demonstration...but now they've thrown in annoying songs and scary cartoon characters, leaving me a little confused and distracted from the actual significance of the campaign. Way to turn a major social issue into a ridiculous joke.

Cell phone texting- Text LUV to 555-4634 to find out if you want to know who has a secret crush on you. Text PSYCHIC to 344-3948 to find out what's in store for you. Text 555-9383 to get this frog princess as your cell screensaver. Blah blah blah. Not only do these commercials looks ghetto and unappealing, but I feel like they're a waste of perfectly good advertising space. Do people really think that paying a dollar to text to some random cell phone business will reveal some magical truth or you can receive some random graphic.


okay. im supposed to be on my way to a final review session, but ive managed to rush this post. if youre reading this, you probably should be doing something way more productive. =]