Glued to the Tube

I am addicted to TV, I didn't realize just how bad it was until I started planning out my week. Without really noticing it, I arrange my daily life around my favorite TV shows. I know, it's quite pathetic. I usually do all of my homework at 4 [it takes me anywhere from a half hour to an hour, depending on how much busy work is dished out at the local prison]. Next, I eat and shower, then prepare to watch TV. My schedule:
MONDAYS:
7:00-House
8:00-Heroes
9:00-Secret Life of the American Teenager
10:00-[any neglected homework]
11:00-Kyle XY [I rarely stay up this late, but Kyle is on at the same time as Heroes!]
TUESDAYS:
8:00-Scrubs
9:00-Law & Order: SVU
WEDNESDAYS:
8:00-Lie to Me
9:00-Real World [I'm a loser for watching, but it's addictive!]
THURSDAYS:
9:00-Burn Notice
FRIDAYS:
7:00-Everybody Hates Chris
9:00-Psych
10:00-Best Week Ever
TV is basically my brand of heroin. If my cable went out, I might actually die... I don't know what I'm going to do once Track season starts...but then again we only have a few meets and practices aren't that long. Wow, I just realized I'm another statistic--just another kid out of millions who prefers technology rather than physical activities to pass time. I'm totally okay with it. It's fun making pop culture references that only I understand.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly...

I was just on USATODAY when I came across this article about Obama choosing a gay Bishop to give some sort of speech at his inauguration. G-A-Y, this three letter word seems to stir up controversy whenever it so much as leaves the lips of any random person.
Well, I looked at the comments and realized that they all had nothing to do with Obama or the article, in fact they were a continuous argument over homosexuality and its ongoing battle with religion. The commenters sort of polarized--one group was completely fine with it, the other wanted to force the fear of God into them and their supporters.
Personally, I'm Switzerland when it comes to arguments like this. But I am curious to know: Why is it such a big deal, to either side? People will be people, and we should just let everyone be...putting our personal biases into the way we treat people is no way to live.
I've also noticed that it's mostly the super religious people who have a problem with the situation. I'm not branding religious people as intolerant and overall ignorant, but the trend is hard to deny.
I also think that some Gay Activists should cool their jets a bit when attacking religious people or anyone who doesn't agree with them. People have the right to believe what they want, and they aren't afraid to exercise that right. For every Pro, there is a Con. For every birth, there is a death. You can't have one without the other and you can't expect and en masse sway belief without one going the other way.
As Americans, it is our constitutional right to practice religion, but please, don't use your faith to try to dictate how someone else should live their life. And just because you're advocating for a lifestyle that not everyone agrees with doesn't mean that you should alienate anybody who doesn't agree.
Tolerance, from either side, is a beautiful thing. Let's not perversely cheapen it by resorting to violence or slander against a person you disagree with.

Runner's High

Earlier this year I made a New Year's Resolution to get fit--not only for my health, but because Track is coming up and I don't want to start out the season on horrible shape. Yesterday I decided to get right on that and exercise. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be and I actually liked it! I planned it all out by time, not distance: I would run for an entire song straight [which is on average 3.5-4 minutes long] then walk for about a minute, run for two songs straight, walk for two minutes, run for three songs straight, then walk for three minutes. After the running, I worked on my upper body and all that cool stuff. Then, I did the running routine again except in reverse order. About half way through this I was about ready to give up: my legs ached, my lungs burned and I had a huge headache. But I kept pushing through until it stopped hurting...a runner's high. It was an amazing feeling, you should try it sometime. Endorphins rock. I think it's funny that you have to get through the worst in order to get to that feeling. Of course, when you're all amped up on your accomplishments, you forget about the inevitable pain you will experience the next morning...

Bingo

It's true: old people LOVE bingo. Yesterday, Martha and I went to St. John's Nursing Home and chilled with the residents. It was pretty cool. First, we learned how to work the bingo ball-machine thing, then the reward process, and how to transport the residents. The scariest thing was transporting them from their rooms to the dining area where the games were being held. I pushed their wheelchairs REALLY slowly and tried as hard as possible to not hurt them, but of course there were a few bumped feet or banged up knees :( There was this one woman who I helped and she just made the experience a memorable one. She was very confused about the whole bingo process and so I pulled up a chair and sat next to her. I would point out the number if she had it and then she would put her chip on that number--we made a pretty good team. After many rounds without winning she began to give up. I felt really bad and I encouraged her to keep playing, that she'll get lucky in the next round. The whole time I was telling her this I just kept thinking "PLEASE, just let her WIN!!!"....She never won :( While we were waiting for our ride, one of the residents came up to us and said "You be sure to come back now, I really enjoyed your company". It felt really good that they liked that we were there. I definitely plan on making regular visits.

New Year's Resolutions

New Year's Resolutions: Do they really work? Or are they just there as a reminder of what failures we were the previous year? Either way I still make a few each year. For 2009, my resolutions are simple and achievable. I want to be more outgoing, stop procrastinating, get fit, be A LOT nicer, and I want to be less apathetic. The last one might be a bit of a challenge because I am indifferent to almost everything--it's actually pretty sad. I should also volunteer more. I'm trying to become a youth counselor for my J10 project, it could be very interesting. I have high hopes for 2009!