Hectic Week

The week has been busy. The kids are growing and taking more time during the day and the wife and I of course have a huge amount of work that we're trying to complete to get the house ready for sale. It's been busy enough that I haven't even had a chance to pick up the writing I've been neglecting. Hopefully that will change after Easter.

My hand is still bothering me and I finally went and saw a specialist, which only took three years. It seems that over the course of the last few years I've broken my hand a couple of times. I really didn't know it and I can't say I can recall any specific time when my hand bothered me to the point I thought it was broken. The result of it not being treated over the years has caused it not to heal properly and the joint beneath my thumb that connects my hand to my wrist is arthritic and I have some bone on bone rubbing going on. Nasty and uncomfortable for sure. He's suggested I wear something called a Spica Splint on my hand for a few weeks and if that doesn't work then it's time for surgery, which would be fusing the bones in that joint together. I'm looking forward to that for sure.

I didn't have much time to devote to picking out a winner for this week's Stupid Site of the Week, but one thing I couldn't shake was American Idol. I know that there are a lot of fans of this show out there, and if I offend you, know that's not my intention. But in my opinion American Idol is a symbol of many of the things that are wrong, selfish, and broken in our society and Television in general.

I'll preface this by saying that I don't have much of any respect for the music industry today. That's probably a separate rant in and of itself, but this show is the epitome of of why this is wrong. Talent is talked about and given lipservice, but it's not valued. Appearance, beauty, and popularity are valued and placed above real talent. What's more is that it encourages those who know that they obviously lack any type of skill or musical ability to demean and debase themself for the chance to look like an ass on TV so that they can have less than 5 minutes of fame. Unless you're so bad (Willian Hung), in which case we will worship you in a way that is a subconscious insult that shows how cruel we are, hiding behind euphamistic worshipping and the all important monetary love as we buy any merchandise that is produced from it.

What makes me even more upset about American Idol is the amount of coverage it gets from the rest of the media and everyone in this country. Talkshows, newspapers, magazines, websites, and news broadcsts devote portions, sometimes ridiculously large portions, to the events and drama that is produced. It's inane, unimportant, and gives nothing back unconditionally. Can I say it any better, it's a blight on societies soul and it will damn us all!