Things Other People Love That I Just Don't Get

TwoBusy says it's time for another one of those memes that we pass around. Here's my take on the above topic:

Reality TV: Let's see, I could either settle in for the latest Coen brothers movie on DVD or watch a young woman get scolded for not wearing the latest fashions. I could either read the latest Ann Patchett novel or watch a couple bicker while taking care of their sextuplets. I could either sit and stare at the geometric patterns on my wallpaper or watch a bunch of dim-witted gold-diggers try to get a bazillionaire to fall in love with them in one weekend. I just don't get the appeal. Oh, and plus? It's all so damned scripted. P.S. This includes "American Idol."

Football: Oh, look! He ran 3 whole yards before all those other guys knocked him down! Woo-hoo! And now he just ran another 3 yards before they knocked him down again! Unbelievable! Pass the nachos! Please, give me baseball or basketball or even, heaven help me, hockey, but please, a game where something actually happens.

Celebrity Gossip: He slept with her?! She has a tattoo of that on her what?! They said what to each other? I can't describe adequately how little I care about what famous people are doing in their personal lives. It's true, when I found out that Mel Gibson was an anti-semitic homophobic shithead, I stopped going to his movies (fortunately, it was just around the time he got jowly and gross), but for the most part, I'm not interested in the private lives of public figures. Do the job you were hired for, and the rest matters to me not one whit.

Exercise: I wish I knew what it felt like to get IN THE ZONE, but I don't. I've tried, really! I have. For me, exercise always has been and always will be a dreaded chore that is to be avoided whenever possible. I get no pleasure out of it at all. Let's put it this way: If it turned out that exercise was bad for you, you would not find me sneaking out for a quick spin on the stationary bike just for the buzz.

Sandra Bullock: Not only don't I think she's luscious, I find her downright ugly. The first time I saw her was in "Speed," and I said to Andy, "You just watch. This girl is going nowhere fast. Mark my words." See?

Sushi: OK, you can add this to the long list of ingestibles that most people would kill loved ones for and that I wish didn't even exist (mustard, scotch, coffee, cilantro, tunafish, hard-boiled eggs, chopped liver, lox, etc.). You see, when I don't like a food, I really don't like it. I gag at the thought of bringing it near my face. And sushi is right up there at the top. Want some raw eel wrapped in seaweed? Nah, but thanks for asking. (Yes, I know not all sushi is raw fish. I'm talking about the raw fish kind. Sashimi? Whatever.)

Matthew McConaughey: Op. cit., Sandra Bullock.

Comments

[Margaret]

"Reality"TV is ridiculous; why are people so addicted to it? I can't stand it. I've never had sushi, but I probably wouldn't like it, although I love coffee, tuna, hard-boiled eggs and mustard. You probably would really gag at my favorite Jack Daniels mustard. :) Matthew M. was mesmerizing in Contact; he has freakishly short arms though. Sandra Bullock isn't classically beautiful, more like a jolie laide.

[Elena]

I totally agree about Matthew M., cilantro, reality TV, and sushi. I even agree that Sandra Bullock is not classically beautiful--or even all that pretty for that matter. But I find her quite charming in one of my favorite chick flicks, "While You Were Sleeping." Besides, she's really more of a comedian, so she doesn't need to be that beautiful. OTOH, I think she is infinitely more attractive than the horrible Angelina Jolie.

[TwoBusy]

I'd love to comment, but I'm too distracted by the thought of watching a Pats game with Sandra Bullock while eating pretzels dipped in bourbon molasses mustard.

It's a good thought. Puts me in a happy place.

[Stephanie]

Eel isn't raw it's cooked. Ngiri is raw fish on rice block and sashimi is just the fish.

Reality TV: I watch the shows that require some sort of skill; The Amazing Race, Project Runway and Top Chef. The rest of 'em ... feh.

Celebrity gossip: It's none of our business what other people do, celebrity or otherwise. Period.

And while I do feel badly for Sandra Bullock, simply because her speech at the Oscars made me cry a little and he was tearing up, it's none of my business. I thought maybe she had found someone who loved her for her, which is what everyone deserves. But it's still none of my business.

[Tonya]

Reality TV? Bleck. Exercise? Bleck (even though I do a leeetle bit of it). But I DO love sushi (had a Japanese MIL, Nate's grandma, and I absolutely fell wildly in love with just about all Japanese food). Celebrity gossip? I don't seek it out, but I'll pick up a People magazine in a waiting room. Do love coffee and mustard. Hell, I even like chicken liver (fried). And...I like watching the Seahawks if they're doing well.

[Jeananne]

Ditto ... ditto ... ditto. Although I admit I love sushi, I won't eat it with friends who get grossed out by it. You made my day!

[Lori Paximadis]

Totally with you on the reality TV, although I do like What Not to Wear. They've toned down the over-the-top criticism quite a bit lately and are focusing less on fashion and more on how to identify stuff that fits. As one who is pretty hopeless at that kind of thing and now in a position where I can't get away with jeans and a T-shirt every day, it's helpful. American Idol makes my ears bleed.

How you feel about football is pretty much exactly the way I feel about baseball. :-)

[Kathy]

I felt that way about football until my sons started playing - now I actually understand it a bit more and realize there is some talent to it - although not as much as baseball (I truly believe that gifted baseball players are born with it and have had this confirmed by some pro coaches).
I used to think that about reality tv, until I have gotten sucked into some of them - So You Think You Can Dance has to be one of my favorite shows, but I think it is more for the dancing on the show and not the "reality" aspect of it. And I am SOO with you on the chopped liver and hard boiled eggs - the thought of both of those makes my stomach lurch...

[Rachel K]

Karen, have you seen The Blind Side? Sandra Bullock was fabulous in that. Other than that movie, she really doesn't excite me either.

[Rachel K]

On another note- did I miss your Passover posting? There must be something worth discussing about Passover Seder? :) i.e. hard boiled eggs!

[Kathy]

"Reality TV"

I would have agreed with you on this one until I discovered RuPaul's Drag Race, which is all those things you hate about reality tv, but it's campy and fun.

[Fred]

I agree with your list except for Sushi and Football. I would rather get kicked in the head than watch a whole baseball game. Ironically, I was chosen to coach my son's baseball team.

[Nancy Friedman]

You may not get exercise. But trust me on this: *not* exercising will get you. (And what's so bad about doing chores, anyway?)

[Wendy]

Hmm, I don't give a flying **** about reality TV. I LOVE exercise -- I get up early almost every day to go run, and I go to Pilates 2x a week, and would go more if I could afford it and/or had more time. I LOVE almost every food you so emphatically despise: mustard, sushi, tuna, hard-boiled eggs, cilantro, coffee (oh, yes!), Scotch, and chopped liver. Not crazy about lox. I don't like savory food that is sweet, like candied yams or Hawaiian pizza or Miracle Whip (gag). I think Sandra B. is attractive, and have no opinion on Matthew M. I despise Mel Gibson, but he is still pretty good-looking. As for celebrity gossip, well, it depends on both the nature of the gossip and the celebrity. I like football okay, but it's doesn't hold a candle to baseball or tennis.

[Wendy]

Update: I'm with you on Matthew M. Doesn't do a thing for me.

[steve]

Agreed on all counts - though Matthew is kind of cute to look at. But only to look at.

p.s.
Belated happy Pesach!