What an Outrage

I'm considering changing the title of my blog to This is an Outrage because all I seem to enjoy writing about are things outrageous in nature. What's ridiculous now? I'll tell you what:

LATISSE^® (bimatoprost ophthalmic solution) 0.03%. Brooke Shields promotes this thing like mad on television but in case you haven't seen it yet, it's a new prescription medicine that essentially extends your eyelashes. What the heck? Prescription medication for eyelashes? I don't care if your lashes are "too short" - get some fake ones if it is bothering you so much! Do eyelashes serve any other purpose besides protecting you from dust particles? No. I do not understand why anyone would want to take prescription strength medication for something so ridiculous..not worth the risk! What are the risks you ask? Discoloration and or/infection of your eyelids, conjunctivitis, corneal ulcers, eye or eyelid discharge, inflammation, irritation, pain, or swelling; severe or persistent burning, dryness, itching, or redness of the eye; severe or persistent eye fatigue; vision changes. It's not even a permanent thing - your eyelashes will be short again over time.

whoa there.

CORNEAL ULCERS? REDDISH-PURPLE SWOLLEN EYELIDS?

Well at least you'll have nice long lashes, right?

The World is Coming to an End

So this past Sunday I was celebrating Diwali with family and friends in Torrance. Serious Lakers discussions were taking place when all of a sudden I heard Bobby (who is 12) complaining about having to go to school the next day. Given he goes to the same middle school that I did, I started asking him which classes he was taking and who were his teachers. Surprisingly, my P.E. teacher (who appeared to be at least 64 years of age in 1998) is still a P.E. teacher. But, I digress. Anywho, this was the latter part of our conversation:

Me: So are you going to take marine bio as your elective next year?
Bobby: No I don't think I want to
Me: [shocked]What! Why not? You get to go on the coolest field trips to Catalina and Sea World and stuff.
Bobby:Really? I doubt that's the case any more.
Me:Why not?
Bobby:Since the economy is so bad, all of the schools are canceling field trips. We rarely go on them anymore. The only one I have been to was to the LA River and all we did was clean it. We got to pull a mattress out of there.
Me:
Dang this bloody economy! THE CHILDREN ARE SUFFERING!

Blog Action Day 2009: Climate Change

So today is Blog Action Day and this year's topic is climate change. While there are a lot of theories both in favor and against the belief that global warming is a legitimate environmental issue, I am a strong believer that this is something we should all be concerned about. The deadliest effects of climate change include economic downturn, the spread of various diseases, polar ice caps melting, warmer waters that can result in frequent hurricanes, and more frequent heat waves and droughts. You may be thinking isn't this already happening?? Yeah, I'm thinking that as well. It rained heavily for the last two days in California and today it was sunny and 93 degrees (and it's October?) If this isn't a result of global warming, then I don't know what is. Want more proof? There was a dang tornado in Moreno Valley not too long ago - how do you explain that? In all seriousness, climate change should be on everyone's minds. If you haven't already, I would strongly suggest reading Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth to get a better understanding of what is happening around the world in regards to climate change. It is disappointing that many people believe this is a political issue and that global warming is some sort of governmental conspiracy...it really isn't. The proof is in the pictures....the data is there. Neither aliens nor the Democratic Party caused this.

I had to calculate my carbon footprint in my Ecology and Evolution class in college a few years back using this site..check it out it's pretty insane:
http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/carboncalculator/

Countries by Carbon Dioxide Emissions via Burning of Fossil Fuels:
source: Wikipedia

Basically, we all need to cool it...especially the industrialized nations.

http://www.blogactionday.org

Fall Television Overload

After a summer full of syndicated shows from the 90s and random Food Network and Bravo marathons, I was definitely looking forward to the return of my favorite shows during the fall season. With the exception of The Office and Jeopardy!, most of the shows I religiously follow are actually on cable networks. That being said, this all changed in recent weeks. With all these new shows in the fall lineup, network television has become awesome again and let me just say, it hasn't been awesome since ABC had T.G.I.F. - what up Steven Q. Urkel!

Community - NBC

Being a huge fan of The Soup, I had to make sure to watch Joel McHale's new show Community. I love the storyline and the characters are hilarious. So far the first three episodes have been great and I think the show is going to be a hit.

My Rating: ★★★★

Modern Family - ABC

If you haven't noticed, I love comedies. That being said, after seeing the previews, I also decided to check out Modern Family. Although stereotypical at times with the different families, this show is awesome. My favorite character is definitely Phil (Ty Burrell) - the lame dad who tries really hard to be cool and with it. Dancing to High School Musical songs and texting his homies - you go poser dad you go! I make it a point to catch it whenever it's on.

My Rating: ★★★★.5 yeah I don't know how to make a half star

Flash Forward - ABC

When I saw the commercials for this, I was seriously blown away and wanted to watch, but I told myself no because I simply cannot follow this many shows! I don't watch shows casually either so I knew I couldn't add another to my television schedule..too much dedication into something I shouldn't really be dedicated to at all. Sure enough, leave it to my trusty friend Bonni to watch it and tell me how good it is. Great. I knew I was going to get sucked in. I decided to watch the first episode online and the 2nd one when it aired on TV - holy heck this show is bomb! If I could recommend one show you should be watching, it should be this. There's a new episode on tonight!

My Rating: ★★★★★

I plan on only watching these three new shows and nothing else! Don't recommend I watch any more please, or else I may have to call up homegirl Jenny Craig to help me out.