Life In the Interim: Part 1 - The Beauty That is Mid-Day Television

I've long considered writing about my life living in the interim. To be clear, the interim, as it applies to me, is the 10 months between now and my admission into graduate school in the Fall of 2009. It's an interim year because 10 months is not a long time. It's too short to get a real, long-term job, and it's too long to not do anything.

While I wait for job interviews and offers, I have found myself observing some beautiful, little-known experiences that get lost in organized schedules like school and work. Having time to myself whilst waiting to hear from the inevitable job, I have, what I will probably later look back on, lived the life of the post-grad bum. If it was not for my graduate school applications and associated writing samples and other documents, and I guess this blog, I would probably feel like a waste of an individual for what I am about to discuss.

I wake up around 8am every day. By the time I've pulled a shot of espresso and had a bowl of cereal, I've already checked Facebook 3 times. When I've reasonably assured myself that nobody is going to update their profile with new pictures (the only thing that matters in Facebook), assuming it's Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, I attempt the crossword puzzle. Once Thursday-Sunday arrives, I find that I am not old enough to understand the often culturally charged clues that people like my mom can easily figure out. When I have to start cheating by using the internet, I am filled with self-guilt and must step away. I pull another shot of espresso, check Facebook, and sit down in front of the television.

It's 9am.

At 9, you have to start with the History Channel. Most likely, there will be a show about Nazis or UFO's on. Yesterday, it was both. I have grown to appreciate World War II as more than a great war to reproduce as a 1st person shooter video game. World War II was truly the epitome of the human potential. As much as Nazis could be seen as monsters especially when we consider the certain "front men" that would shape the history of the Nazi party, their ability to gather top scientific minds enabled some truly sci-fi experiments in terms of aeronautics. It was like LOST and the Dharma Initiative alive and well in 1944. These experiments pushed the envelope and before we say, "but they were NAZI scientists", we have to remember that we hired them to work for us in the United States after the war where they continued to design what the Government would cover up as UFO sightings. Yes, the government used a tactic called "mis-information" even back in the 50's to cover up strange aeronautic experiments as UFO sightings. Strange how some things don't change.

History Channel specials usually last for about 2 hours. When it's 11am, all hell breaks loose on the TV. This is when things start to get trashy. I could talk all day about Jerry Springer, but I would like to focus on "Rock of Love II" for the next few moments.

MTV and VH1 have never disappointed my taste for trashy. The great social experiment started in "The Real World" (you know, placing type casted individuals into a house with booze and hot tubs and filming their attempts to earn our confidence that they're normal, it's just their roommates that are crazy) has been replicated on so many levels that it's sick how we continue to consume the same images and dramatic solo-cam dialogues despite the change of scenery or theme. In "Rock of Love II", the same type cased women as "Flavor of Love" and "The Bachelor" meet again, this time wearing rock-n-roll apparel to win the love of the "ultra-sensitive, looking for love" Brett Michaels. Brett spends the show jet-setting with 5 busty women, free to flirt with all of them. Of course, they all act as fake as their hair color when they are all together with him, trying to show that they're different from the other girls by being civilized and totally okay with watching their competition kiss and be overtly sexual with Brett Michaels. This tension becomes immediately present as soon as the girls are left to themselves. Each girl is completely selfish and connives and manipulates the other girl's stories until innocently, they accidently drop the bomb on Brett during one of the "civilized" periods.

During elimination time, the girls dress ultra-slutty, which I guess = rock-n-roll, and act mortally wounded when they aren't selected to remain in the PG-13 rated orgy that is competitive sex. Of course, the girls that are eliminated are the ones that Brett himself identifies and innocent and genuine. He, despite the drama that happens regarding girl X, keeps her in competition because of his physical attraction and her ability to play the wounded puppy the best. What's left at the semi-final round of elimination will be two women with no substance what so ever. But, this must be the point, because if the girl were truly the one, there would be no Rock of Love II, and presumably, Rock of Love III.

While watching "Rock of Love" I kept looking over my shoulder to make sure that nobody had snuck up on me. It's one thing to watch these shows, it's another to get caught by your mom, who would probably take my interest in human affliction as lethargy (which it probably is) and offer me a great book to read. Maybe next time I'll let her catch me and take her up on her offer.