The Nielson Company’s “Three Screen Report” is now saying that the average American is watching 151 hours of television a month, or about 5 hours a day. Couch potatoes everywhere are uniting around the remote to enjoy hours and hours of mindless, inexpensive fun. It’s so easy to get sucked in, so this increase is no surprise to me: just flick on the screen, flip through a couple channels and you are set for the night (or almost a third of your day, apparently).

But what boggles my mind is not the amount of TV we are watching, but the quality. Have you turned on your TV lately? Oh, wait – of course you have. For at least 5 hours a day. 90% of the stuff on there is mind numbing or trashy crap. Even I am embarassed by the dribble that’s currently clogging my DVR.

Knowing that people are spending more time watching any of these 10 horrid TV shows makes me nervous. With this stuff taking over our lives, our country is in for some (more) real problems. Read More »

The first date… those three words alone are enough to fill my soul with terror. The person likes you enough to go out with you, but did they just agree to be nice, or do they really like you? Do they mean to be friends? Have you just completely misjudged their advances? What if they act really overzealous? What if they act really uninterested?

It’s clear that there’s a lot to worry about when you meet up with somebody for the first time, so try to cross at least one thing off of the Worry List by having a low-stress meal. These five things are not the way to go for first date fare:

1. Mexican.

Refried beans are soooo delicious, yes, but the effects are musical, and you really don’t want that to happen at an inopportune time.

2. Sandwiches/burgers more than three inches thick.

Honestly, these are the most annoying things ever, and they will embarrass you when you least expect it. When you finally maneuver the thing so that it’s possible to put it in your mouth, everything inside it will inevitably spill out onto either your hands or your lap. (Editor’s Note: Sounds familiar to the bedroom festivities later. Ayoooo!) You can’t eat them with a knife and fork, either, for fear of looking like an extreme neatnik. Read More »