Dear Abby

This is not a letter to Dear Abby - this is a confession. While I have never written to Dear Abby with a problem, I am addicted. I read the column everyday almost without fail. I have a sickness. I am also addicted to Hollywood gossip, local news sites and checking my email. I check all of these everyday to the point of obsession. While I am teaching at San Jose State or De Anza, I check my classes email about 20 times a day - no lie. It's my main form of communication with my family, friends and students. My husband sometimes gets mad at me for checking so many times a day, but I can't help it. How much easier is it if an instructor is readily available when you need them? And how much does it suck when you are stuck on an assignment and can't get in touch with them? That's why I do it (well, the email part anyway). I also look up celebrity gossip online at least twice a week if not more. I need to know what's going on with my peeps. Did Brad and Angelina break up? Did Ben Affleck make another horrible movie or loose more hair? Did Lindsay Lohan get into yet another fight with Paris Hilton? Did Britney and Kevin break up yet (because you know it's inevitable right?). Although I wish no ill will towards anyone, there are just some things you can see coming from a mile away. But the point is, I think I have a sickness! I NEED to know what is going on in my world. And it's not just trivial stuff - just yesterday I read that North Korea sent test rockets into the ocean (can someone say, "Hello next world war?") and Bush has taken it as a provocative move. Duh, of course it's provocative. Kim Jong Il (if you've ever seen pictures) has the biggest hair I have ever seen. Seriously, this guy has some height issues amongst many other issues - can we say "inferiority complex?". Now, I don't want to talk about politics because I am bound to piss someone off. But my point here is that I HAVE to see the news. I get up early enough to watch at least a half hour of news in the morning, then I check my local news websites, and of course Dear Abby, check my email and then I can get up and take a shower. Unless I know what the heck is going on in the world I can't function! I think this all started with the whole 9/11 thing. Shawn and I were talking about this the other day, how surreal the whole experience was watching the second plane crash into the towers. Ever since then I have been glued to the TV in the mornings and can't leave the house without seeing something on the news. The mornings that I am running late and can't watch, I have to check the news websites the first chance I get.

I know, I know - I need to stop, but I don't want to (I sound like a 5 year old don't I? - yikes - Amber, was that a blast from the past? "5 year old" comments - lol - I was soooo mean back then - sorry babe!!!). Some days I long for the times when I was in Russia, Peru or Kazakhstan. There was no communication with anyone or anything and I was happy. I was happy to know what was going on in the lives of the people around me. Or even in the Internship (for those of you that read my blog, I am sure that you are aware that it was called the Internship before it was called the Honor Academy - therefore it will always be known to me as "The Internship") when there was NO tv, no newspapers and the only thing we listened to was Christian CD's. Dave Hasz used to make fun of us for not knowing what was going on in the world - uh, hello Dave - get us a TV and we will watch CNN (jk Dave!!!) It was amazing though how much we didn't know about what was going on in the world. As soon as I got home I began asking everyone to tell me what the heck has gone on in the last year. It was kind of weird, like coming out of a coma. Anyway - that's my blurb for today. I will most certainly update again tomorrow - but not before watching the news. :)