Social Suicide

We all have secrets.  We all have things that we're ashamed of.  There are things we love very much.  The intersection of these three facets our lives represent our "Guilty Pleasures." 

Everyone has their own Guilty Pleasures.  You know what I'm talking about.  Everyone has left a Vin Diesel or Arnold Swarzenegger film hiding their smiles amidst people talking about how that was "2 hours of their lives they would never get back."  Who hasn't curiously found themselves wanting to belt out "Why'd ya have to go and make things so comp-licated!?!?" in a particularly quiet moment alone in the car?
 
There's a thing about secrets, y'know.  They tend to beat up the insides of you.  Like little gnomes inside the chest hurling their bodies against the walls of your heart in not-so-feeble attempts to get out.
 
So, I'm going to exorcise a gnome or two.
 
I am one who is very susceptible to Guilty Pleasures of the Cinematic kind.  I love movies and I imagine I always will.  I'm afraid this is yet another situation in which my imperviously positive attitude fails to serve me so well as to give me an aire of culture.  What can I say?  I'm eager to be pleased.  Such is obviously the case when it comes to my first Guilty Pleasure.
 
The Pest. 

This movie, starring the hyperactive comedian, John Leguizamo, is quite possibly the worst, most idiotic rip-off/spoof ever inflicted upon celluloid.  -That's assuming it actually was realeased into theatres.  I'm not optomistic.   The humor in this movie is slap-stick, base, vile, disgusting and absolutetly nothing is out-of-bounds.  And I loved it.  I'll admit it, I own this movie.  And yes, I'm ashamed of it.  If you've ever seen my DVD collection, you might have noticed that many times its the one placed backwards, or away from the others.
 
Sigh.

Dungeons & Dragons  
 
Yes, yes, yes.  I am the biggest geek alive.  I play Dungeons & Dragons.  It started when I was a geeky adolescent.   And seeing as how my voice still cracks, I see no reason why I should now stop.  I took a looooooooooooong break from it.  I hadn't played since I turned 15, but this year, when a few residents mentioned it to me, I must admit I was intrigued and let it be known that I had played before.  We only played a few times and I loved it.  We had a blast!  There were 6 of us, dressed in Abercrombie and Baylor Athletic sweats, playing the roles of our characters.  I, of course, was the mischievious Rogue, constantly picking the pocket of our unsuspecting Palladin and then offering to take him out for a drink after this mission was over. 
 
Escapism at its best; and to be honest, exactly what my soul needed.  It was fun to be someone else, untethered by expectations of what I'm supposed to be and represent for the purposes of the Department and University.   It offered nothing more than a short respite, so I never felt guilty of abandoning my post. 
 
So while you may laugh at me for being a geek.  I'll just have fun "firing Magic Missile at the Darkness" while a friend asks if there's any hot chicks in the tavern... because he want's to "doooo them!" 

Newlyweds
 
This is the one tv show on earth to which I am completly and utterly addicted.  I love this show and, as completely pathetic as it sounds, I think I've developed something of a genuine admiration for Mr. and Mrs. Nick Lachey.  (For those of you living under rocks, Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson, both Pop singers are newlyweds and have their own reality show on MTV.) 
 
I love watching the genuineness of Nick and Jessica's relationship.  She is genuinely kind of dumb, in the very sweetest and good-hearted kind way.  And Nick seems to posess the nearly endless reserves of patience that can only be sustained by a real and enduring Love.
 
While I cannot help but admit that Jessica is gorgeous, I must say that the one on the show that keeps me coming back is Nick Lachey.  Call it a man-crush or whatever, I have a deep admiration for anyone who can so love such a woman as Jessica Simpson so unconditionally even though her carreer seems to be taking off while his is becoming stagnant.  Tough issues for a guy.  Their love and candor are what makes this show the single redeeming star in the reality religion that has swept our television networks.

Singing
 
I love to sing.  It is sincerely one of my very favorite things to do.  I sing in the shower.  I sing while I work.  I sing when I'm happy and I sing when I'm sad... and I sing when I'm bored.  Oh, and when I say I sing, I don't mean it in the sweet little lovey-dovey bluebird-on-my-shoulder type of way, either.  I am usually belting that crap out.  Hard-core.
 
All of that being said, I don't want to give the idea that I'm that good, or that I take myself seriously.  I'm not, and I don't.  I know I'm pretty alright.  My mom has a beautiful voice and my dad can carry a tune around a campfire at least.  So any talent I have, I come by it naturally.
 
But, I am a little squeamish about it.  Okay I'm way squeamish about it.  I don't really like to sing in front of people that much.  Yes, I had the lead in "Yankee Doodle".  And yes, I sang the solo parts for Perfect Gentlemen in High School.  But those were different.  We practiced for hours and hours and hours for both of those things.  And I was always accompanied or singing harmony.  Totally different.
 
One on one, though.  It can be a little awkward.  I've made situations totally weird because I couldn't or wouldn't sing.  To me, its just something I don't like to share with just anyone.  I like to think and pray about it.  Its something I do with such emotion and the way I sing usually requires such confidence that, should anyone shoot me down in my attempt, it would hurt badly.
 
But I do love to sing, and sing loud.  Especially when I'm by myself.  Its truly a Guilty Pleasure of mine.
 
Sharing is Caring my friends.