US Entertainment Gone Weird

It’s hard for writers and production companies to come up with a new product to keep us entertained, it really is. But why has ‘true life’ become such a staple in entertainment viewing? From the production view, it makes things a whole lot simpler than they had it before – no scripts, no need to scout locations, no need for lots of things that would go into a normal sitcom, Comedy show or drama production. Well, that’s if you really believe that all these shows are as un-scripted as they would like us to.

Not a day goes by that there isn’t a new ad asking for us to ‘tune in to the latest’ whatever type of show, with only your time and entertainment at stake. So for the companies making these shows it’s a good deal. What about the people on these shows? We’ve all seen an episode or two of the ex-politicians show from Chicago, and really, who could honestly think that all those people actually exist? I mean, there are only so many dwarf lesbian couples cheating on each other in the country, right?

Then we have the shows revolving around ‘celebrity’ lifestyles. Kim who? Why has she got a show? Because she had a sex tape released, and her step-dad used to be famous. Back that with a bit of cosmetic surgery and jobs done. Not because of talent, or a previous stab at fame. Whoever heard of her before that? Not many, I guarantee. But who cares about that anyway? Who cares what she does on a daily or weekly basis? Apparently a lot of people, or the show wouldn’t still be on air. So it’s really our own fault for this lack luster programming lineup we find ourselves with, so buckle up and prepare for more cheap tacky TV from all and sundry, as with everything in the U.S., profit is king.

Good Stress vs Bad Stress - Avoiding more wrinkles!

For years I have worked for other people, having to do what they tell me to. I've had to listen to the belittling comments about "why haven't you finished yet? It is enough to add wrinkles to my outward appearance that I was considering Wrinkle Removal. Ha Ha Ha - wrinkle removal at my age of 36? You are asking yourself - Is she kidding right? No I am not kidding. The amount of wrinkles and gray hair I received from this one job are more then those I've received from being a parent.

I worked as an accounting clerk for a local travel destinations company in Vancouver, before leaving it to have an raise my children. Adding to the stress of an unreasonable boss, was the two hour drive I had to take to and from work. When I arrived home from work every day I was tired, hungry and almost always GRUMPY!!! I am surprised I wasn't addicted to the pain relieving medication I would take on a daily basis for the headaches.

The stress was beginning to really take its toll when I found out I was pregnant with my second son. The stress of it all was beginning to affect every aspect of my life. A normally bubbly and energetic woman, I was becoming very moody and depressed. My peaches and cream complexion was beginning to give me troubles to. I wasn't used to having problem skin and acne.

Eventually the stress had taken so much of a toll on my life that my husband, a wonderful and supportive man, told me to see my doctor about going on stress leave. Once I was home, and did not have to worry about work and commuting to work - the stress just seemed to fly away. It's funny how if you take the cause of the stress out of the situation, your problems just disappear. I am not saying I don't have stress now - but it's a stress that I don't need to run away from.

The Rules of Friendship

It has recently been reported in the papers that the secret of personal happiness is to have at least ten friends. How lovely it is to have friends - to be loved - to have people to call on in your hour of need - to have such social support is obviously fabulous and I basked briefly in a warm glow of contentment, knowing that I indeed have at least ten friends.

I had to keep checking on my fingers because some of them I counted twice. These were mates who had seen me drunk and yet they still kept in touch. Then there were those who I could never even ring unless I was in full make-up and perhaps could only be classed as acquaintances, but I used the "Do I always remember their birthday and do they always remember my birthday" rule and usually they ended up in the group.

However then I looked at the word "happiness" and it occurred to me that it may be that it was not so much that their contact brought me personal happiness but that it made me forget my own troubles. Now you think what a sweet person I am - I worry about the well-being of all my friends. Oh no! It is more to do with the effort one has to put into the relationship in terms of being polite! When it comes to family members you can say what you like to them in the knowledge that they will probably forgive you in the end - because you love them but the love between friends is not so all encompassing. Hurt feelings will take much longer to heal and you cannot necessarily relax and say just what you think.

For example, one of my friends of thirty years standing has started to suffer from Hair Loss. She only has tiny wisps of hair over a large part of her crown but she had grown her remaining wispy grey hair down to her shoulders. When I met up with her the phrase 'Absent minded professor' kept screaming through my brain. "How well you look" I said. This was essentially true but "Aargh, What has happened to your hair?" is what I wanted to say. We sat down in the restaurant, the candle-light gleaming off her shiny pate "Aargh! What has happened to your hair" I wanted to say but what came out was "Shall we have a starter or go straight to the main course?" Finally she said that she was sadly beginning to lose her hair and that it was genetic and still I said "Oh I hadn't noticed, I thought you were looking really well!"

So you see that night I did not give a thought to any of my own problems but if real happiness comes from honesty and truth, I failed.

I lost my phone!

It was a wonderful day in London. A day full of joy and happiness. But I didn’t even think that something bad is going to happen.

I was in my way back home, I thought of my friends who were all with me today. A sudden thought crossed my mind to check the time, “Oh! No, it’s getting late for my train. I have to be in the station within five minutes”. But not a big deal, as I was somewhere fifty yards far away from the station.
I got my tickets loaded myself into the train just in time. I was late for a photography workshop that I was attending, so I was glad I made it on as the trains are only every half an hour. The train started moving. Won’t it be beautiful to see the dark streets with the moving lights in the front of the vehicles?
I heard a sound of a ringtone it’s from nowhere but my coat. That was my mobile. That was a call from my father from Birmingham. It has been a long time since I spoke to my father.
Now I think about the mobile. Oh! It was gifted to me by my father before two years, when I started my career. Now it is two years it is great.
What does it not have. Camera, Audio player, SMS, MMS, Internet, Mailing, Video Capture. It was a cute black colored one with all accessories.

This is when my bad time started. I just fell asleep keeping the mobile in my hand. I didn’t notice that my mobile slipping down. I didn’t know what happened to my mobile after that.
I was still sleeping even not knowing that the train has reached its station. Suddenly a passenger nearby me woke me up to inform me that the train has reached the station in which I have to get off. By an instinct I started to search my mobile. “Oh! What a bad luck I lost it” I wouldn’t have worried about paying the penalty of getting down in the next station. But now I am out of the train. I don’t know what would have happened to my mobile.

Please god please get my mobile back to me. My mobile has a “T” symbol in the right side panel. People, if anybody sees a mobile they should hand it into the police. As someone who has lost their phone, I now know how it feels to loose their phone. It’s not nice.

The rising cost of learning to drive

Yet again at my local filling station yesterday diesel is up another 1p. It's now reached £1.27p per litre and that's the cheapest in the area by far. As a Driving Instructor I find this most frustrating and of course I will have to pass this increase in expenses on to my already hard pressed customers. Other factors have already pushed that up. The rising cost of lead has doubled the price of things like car batteries, and the general cost of the maintaining the nuts and bolts of the vehical has to be paid for by my clients.

To add to their woes the Driving Standards Agency has announced that they are going to close our local test centre as part of a policy of building new multi purpose test centres, capable of handling all the local area exams.

There has been no consultation about this decision and even after questions were raised in the house of commons by our local MP, this arbitrary decision is still to go ahead with no regard to the needs of learner drivers in this area whatsoever. In fact I received a letter yesterday to inform me that the test centre will now close six weeks sooner than was originally reported.

As things are at the moment we have to travel 7 miles to our nearest centre, but when this closes we will have a 50 mile round trip the the next nearest one. This will greatly increase the time needed and the expense as lessons will have to be considerably longer.

In the last year the theory test has increased in price by £9, the practical test by £8 and with the driving test in this country being one of the hardest in Europe, learning to drive now has become a huge undertaking.

I live in a rural town where driving is an essential of modern life, most people having to commute to work. Because of this not driving is not an option and yet the very agency that I thought was there to serve and help the new driver, seems to be ignoring their needs and creating unnecessary hardship.

(I saw this fringe comedy show last week, and promisied them a shout out. So here it is. Shout!)