Guilty Until I Prove I Am Innocent

I like knowing what is going on in the world. I also love ignoring all things realistic and going about my day as though my biggest concern is a new pair of shoes and where to find the best dinner! (Believe me, with my new vegetarian lifestyle and my direct intention to not buy leather, that is a daunting task!) I am American as much as the person next to me, even though at times it does pain me to admit it because of the way Americans are portrayed to the rest of the world. While I try not to be a "typical" American its hard not to fall into the ways that come so natural to us. One of these things I speak of is probably just human: The need or strong desire to be nosey about what your neighbors are doing. As this nosiness can be a mild voyeurism for some, curiosity for others, or a simple way to pass time, it can overtake you before you realize it and you are HOOKED! Since moving to Los Angeles I got hooked on keeping up more and more with the celebrity gossip, and I even know most of it is total B.S. in an attempt to get media time before upcoming movies, etc. I refer to this as being nosey about my neighbors, because well, lets face it, they are basically, for all intents and purposes my "hometown neighbors!" And I did not have this strong desire to know what every popular celebrity was truly doing before I moved here.

Because I am striving to actually have an online "manifesto" for my family, friends, and some strangers to read I am going to take this fully to the next level. I am attempting to give up my addiction to celebrity gossip. I truly believe that the celebrity gossip has somehow taken off on its own tangent, and I believe that the media uses it as a tool to distract the populous from the things we really should be thinking about such as: The WAR, global warming, the election and politics in general as well as helping those less fortunate than us (in our country and abroad), and so on.

This is week One. I only read my favorite gossip website (not naming it so that others won't seek it out to read) one time since last Friday. I think that is pretty good for an addict. What is the phrase ... One day at a time?

I usually read my news online. I cannot stand newspapers because 1. they make my fingers get all black and smelly. 2. TREES Hello? Ever heard of conserving our forests? 3. We have the Internet, television and radio, there is simply no need to be printing daily papers. I don't like "local news" I think its terrible. Also, no true offense intended, but the anchor people on the local stations here in L.A. are less than professional. I do not like sitting down to the evening news and hearing about Britney Spears' meltdown, or Nicole Richie having a baby. That isn't news! Its terrible that Ms. Spears is having a bad time in her life, yay to Ms. Richie for having the ability to pro-create.... there is a war going on and people are dying and our government is getting away with a lot of B.S. because for some reason the issues going on with the rich and famous seem to trump real issues like bombs and refugees.

I no longer will seek out superfluous gossip "news". Not to say I don't enjoy some "light" information about celebs... but let's all admit we can make a difference if we focus on more important things.