Infomercials: They Aren't A Joke Afterall

Those that know me crack jokes over how whenever a new infomercial comes out, I have to buy that product. Dating back to all of the infomercials from the late Billy Mays, that is where it all started. I would see products like the Hercules Hooks, and the Mighty Putty, and they would all intrigue me and so I would say to myself, "I have to buy this now"!

So, I would purchase it online, because I do not trust talking to random customer service reps over the phone and giving out my information, so I wait until the online purchase page says its secure than I purchase. It would arrive a couple weeks later and I would give it out as a gift. Sometimes, if you purchase the product directly from the manufacturer's website it will say that it will take six to eight weeks to arrive. I would just buy it from merchants like Amazon.com or eBay.com if that was the case.

A product that came out over an infomercial about six months ago, that I always wanted to try, was the Shake Weight. They made it seem so awesome and convenient if you really want to weight lift but you didn't have time to do the dumb bells and bench pressing and all that. Six minutes a day and you're done it says. It seemed too good to be true so I always wanted to buy one. My brother found out and kept making fun of me, saying that it was the ultimate "hand job" tool and that it was made for homosexuals. I just looked at him and said, "I will show you that it works".

Christmas comes, and what is under my stocking? None other than the Shake Weight. I waited until later in the day and then I opened it up, and I tried it. It actually works, and it operates on what is called Dynamic Inertia. That is the movement of muscles on an even plane and the contracting of the muscles. Holding a position multiple times provides ten times the muscle cooperation than dumb bells can do in a lesser amount of time. It comes with a DVD and I intend to use that soon as well to get more exercises out of it. I look over at my brother now, and flex and then smile, because now I'm showing him that it works. Infomercial products actually can work and it is a surprise.

I think the next on my list will be the Magic Bullet, you know, the blender slash juicer. What do you think?

Dating websites, A Fraudulent Ploy to Gain Trust

Websites like eHarmony and Match.com are just websites created for business purposes to make a quick buck for the company representing them and to give the customer hope that there is a possibility of something amazing happening.

The person puts up his or her credit card information and then their personal information, and plans on being billed monthly or signs up for the six month plan. The company will give you a good deal for the holiday season or whatnot, and than you'll figure since you're saving quite a bit of money why not pay for a monthly package. It is all a ruse set up by not only the credit card companies themselves, but by the companies representing the top dating websites.

It is all a fradulent ploy to gain trust on the part of the customer, and then once we pay, the cancellation services are far too difficult to go through with, that they sucker us in and keep us there whether we are satisfied or not. This is why the free dating websites, the ones that do not require a credit card, like OKcupid and Plentyoffish, are the ones that come with all the success and the top success rate at that.

Look at the advertisements for eHarmony.com; do you see the fact that it is all the "beautiful people" in the advertisements. All the good looking men and women getting together at a bar or whatnot. What about the average looking people, it almost seems unrealistic the more the beautiful people are on the advertisements simply because since they're so good looking, they could go out to a bar or club and find love, they don't need to use the internet. Smart people see through this and know it is all a marketing ploy.

Coming from experience on this end, stick with the free websites and do not give out your credit card information ever. Stay the course, and be patient and you'll be alright. There is plenty of fish in the sea, remember that! Do not give in to the marketing hijinx. Stay the course!

I was told what RSVP meant but randomly forgot. I think when people tell us what RSVP means we tend to forget simply because we are used to it being called and referred to by its initials that we take for granted the fact that maybe, just maybe it means something. I know that might not make much sense, but it can.

Words like RSVP, and yes I will refer to them as words, they are apart of us and we always know what they mean when we mention them. It is late at night and i'm writing this while tired, but I just had to get it off of my chest. Just like SOS, RSVP goes a long way and we automatically know what they each mean and what they each are referred to. Interesting eh?

Alcohol, Bad for the Brain, Bad for Everything

We all know alcohol is bad for you, that is a given. We also know that alcohol can damage your relationships with other people in your life as well as your relationships with even animals or children. Drinking alcohol is what makes someone do some crazy things, be it crashing a vehicle, or streaking naked in the middle of a parking lot. It will make you tell the truth, for it is the ultimate truth serum in a liquid form, but over all it will cause you to lose your job, your vehicle, and even your family. Drinking is not worth it in the long run.

Everyone tries it, some can tolerate it more than others, but we still try it because we want to and because we not only think we can handle it, but it will put us in a whole new social group. It will give us something to talk about with new people, and we will be accepted within newer social circles by drinking. People look down upon others if one goes to a party or get together and does not at least have one drink. Sure, you are the driver, but thats the only credible excuse there is. All others are not accepted nor allowed.

When one drinks, they will get caught eventually. The bills will have to be paid, and the credit card statement will say you bought something at a store and then you'll have no choice but to explain yourself. That is when the lying comes into play, then during that time period you are basically in the doghouse permanently. All in all, drinking is bad and it is your own personal dungeon and it is up to you how you will escape. Alcoholics Anonymous meetings only help so much, it is the withdrawals that will get to you over time. If you can channel it into a positive direction and start drinking tea instead of alcohol or soda instead of soda with alcohol you will be fine. All it boils down to is willpower, and if you can harness it, then you are good to go. Drinking is better used sparingly, and I, along with most other people, hope it remains that way.

Random Poetry; Two verses

Winding Down
Sitting here, statuesque figure
plush blackened interior reclining
breeze billowing amongst the outward
children playing, laughing, excitement.
Fancy automobiles stationary,
Bell ringing, reminding one to get ready
Sitting here, statuesque figure
winding down,
just winding down.

Lift It Up
Pulsating muscles, flexible body tones.
Maneuvering vivaciously down and up,
Breathing softly then transforming into the green Hulk
Lungs going wild with rapid breaths.
Holding steady as long as one can,
the muscles exploding as if to give up.
Pushing oneself, focusing on the goal.
One more rep is all it would take to succeed
Muscles explode in two, unable to proceed to last stage.
Head sinks in shame, next time you will complete.

Pornography Industry Degrading to Women

I used to watch pornography all the time. I used to enjoy it. A growing boy trying to understand what women like, its definitely common to become consumed into that type of world. I used to take notes and visualize me in that scenario and what I would do sexually to my future partner. Overtime I realized that not all women liked it nor did it the same way they do in pornography. I realized that in an embarassing way because I used to believe that women enjoyed it that way therefore the woman on the screen symbolized what all women wanted. Boy was I wrong! I was glad I was wrong, I am glad that I got to grow up and become mature enough to realize that it is the total opposite. Women want a guy that is a gentleman, someone that will be gentle with them, make them feel good about themselves. I think the pornography industry preys on young women and in a sense preys upon young men and lonely older men that have no partner. They expect us to sign into the website, pay our monthly fee and then enjoy what their product has to offer. Showing images and videos of women of all races and ages and body sizes engaging in sexual acts and doing any type of position or category involved in pornography. Basically performing in any type of act that the producer or cameraman wants them to perform. I used to enjoy it because like I said, I was a growing boy taking notes and enjoying the product in my private time but overtime I realized that its just a gross way of earning money and it also goes against everything we learned about the woman's right to choose and laws for women. Sure it is the model's choice whether she wants to engage in these sexual acts but it doesn't make it right on any count. Sure everyone needs money, especially in today's economy, but to prostitute yourself for money over the internet in front of a camera showing off your body to who knows who, just makes you seem like a desperate human being that craves attention. Sure I still look at pornography from time to time, but I believe in a woman's right to choose and I respect all women and think they can do amazing things in this world. I wish all women the best of luck in this tough man dominated place we call Earth, but at the same time I know that women can be smarter and more successful than men. Hopefully they realize they are more than just a means of entertaining a man and that they are more important. For then and only then will they truly realize their full worth. To all women, I love you and respect you and know that each and every one of you are above the pornography industry. I believe that with all of my heart and soul.

Athletes, Actors, Overpaid and Greedy!

The tone of this rant will seem heated but then again most of what I write is opinion based so why stop now? Athletes and actors and actresses are very greedy people. Do not get me wrong, acting is hard work, I have done my fair share of voluntary acting in the past and I needed the script by me at all times. It does take up time and the actors do earn their money, but no job in the world is worth millions upon millions of dollars for one good six months work. Athletes on the other hand, are even more overpaid and all they do is depending on the sport, score a goal or bat a run in. Sports are fun to watch and root for while watching, but when it comes to monetary gain, the athletes and coaches themselves do not deserve the money they're paid. Anyone could walk over to a basketball hoop and drop a basketball into it, anyone can grab a baseball bat and hit a fastball down the middle of the plate. The general public might not be able to do it as well, but how does performing those skills at a high level deserve to become more appreciated over what a lawyer does or what a doctor does, or even a construction worker that builds the homes we live in and the shopping mall our grocery stores are in? I can tell you that it does not deserve to be appreciated more. A soft spot in my heart is teaching and I think teaching young kids is the most rewarding career there is out there, and they do not get paid that much and they should, and to me they deserve to be overpaid and highly paid at that. It just makes me sick that the general public is to be blamed for athletes and actors over inflated salaries, when it is the agents and the leagues that type up the contracts and make it attractive enough for the person to sign their name on the dotted line. Do not blame the general public, we are the teachers, we are the construction workers and the doctors and lawyers who entertain ourselves by watching these same athletes and actors on the television. But put them on the same level as us, do not make them invincible and above our logic. Make it fair and we will respect them more. Sure we watch them but that does not mean anything, for it could be because there is nothing else on the television. If you make it fair we will not feel this way and guys like me will not be writing about it. Take that into consideration agents and leagues. Make it fair and we will respect them more.

Textbooks, Check! Tuition, No Comment!

Has anyone noticed how the school systems work nowadays? Preferably college. They give you a choice, either you pay your tuition which can be a semester by semester basis, or it can be annually like at a university. You either shell out the thousands per year plus room and board if you reside in a dorm, or you can pay hundreds per unit at a small community college. But what they do not tell you, is that textbooks are not included along with your tuition. Textbooks are actually supplied by an entirely different company altogether, one who is just as selfish as the colleges are. Not only are the prices for the textbooks substantial, but be it used or new, most of them come out to the same price anyway, not including tax, and if you decided to not buy it directly from the supplier of the college, you can go on the internet and find them even more expensive there. So either way, its a crapshoot finding a textbook at a decent price anywhere. I do not know where this world is going, but lately, even when it comes to education, scam artists you must be weary of. The whole textbook debacle is a scam because they know that when your back is against the wall, you, the student, will end up paying their prices without negotiation because once the class starts you're going to need their product to get a passing grade in class. One of two things can happen here, one is that colleges can lower their tuiton, and in this economy that will mean they're losing money. Or two the textbook suppliers themselves can either disappear altogether or give the colleges a discount and have the colleges supply a certain amount of their textbooks for every subject on the library shelves and make them available to the students of the school. I think the latter is a fabulous solution, but since the corporate world is nothing but money hungry nowadays that might be a tad bit difficult to muster up. Either way it is very messed up and they should be ashamed of themselves. The college tuition I can deal with, but the textbook companies have a lot to be scared about because the public will catch on eventually and they'll lose their business and by then they'll have to realize, that the only solution is to decrease. Then and only then will it change my opinion of them. From now on I'm renting.....I suggest you do the same.

My Newfound Quarter-Life Crisis

I don't know about the rest of my generation, but right now at 26 years of age I'm going through what appears to be, through rabid research and thought, a quarter-life crisis. I look around and I see people I went to school with pregnant, walking around with kids, and married, mostly all at once. I see expensive looking diamond rings on the female's fingers, and gold bands on the male's fingers and think to myself, "Man oh man I must be oblivious to where I should be in life right now". I know that I have an excuse, if you want to call it that. Having a somewhat mental disorder does qualify as a good enough excuse to not be at that same level as everyone else but still, it would feel great to have an inkling of hope. Women and relationships are tough to come by, especially great women and loyal women, and women that will not look past you and overlook what your life could look like with you. Same comes to employment, not having a good job and a secure job makes everything less meaningful and life less meaningful. Going to school is one thing, but with the economy the way it is right now and no timeline given of when things will be back to where they were in the golden years, school is just school, there is no guarantee of great employment after you graduate. Now that I am in the child care field and will be looking for some kind of child care employment after I get my Associate's degree, it turns out it will not be that easy due to the fact that in a couple years (in 2012) the state laws will be wanting all child care workers to have a Bachelor's degree or higher. Not only is that another obstacle added to a young person's life, but it is just more steps you have to follow and more hoops you need to jump through. Things are at a standstill right now, and hopefully they do not stay that way and things get better, and since I'm an eternal optimist, they will. I'm not the only young person my age in my generation going through this I'm sure. Is anyone else willing to admit that they feel this way too? How do you deal with it? Perhaps some advice would be the best strategy right now.