Why I Don't Watch American Idol

I'm probably going to catch a lot of flack for this...but I hate American Idol and other reality shows. I used to watch the Biggest Loser and the Amazing Race and I've seen a season of American Idol and Survivor. I also used to watch Bad Girls Club but soon got so sick of the drama that I quit. I also stopped watching Biggest Loser and the Amazing Race because of the drama as well. The Biggest Loser was a great show in its infancy but soon people started playing games and sequestering themselves into rooms to talk about the other contestants. Dancing With the Stars used to be interesting until the stupid public kept eliminating talented dancers to save those that acted as the comic relief but really couldn't dance. And in the end, the person who usually won wasn't the person who deserved it the most. I actually wanted to be on the Amazing Race at one point but I soon got sick and tired of hearing the couples yell at each other and bicker. If I want something real, I'd rather watch something like 20/20 or a "news of interest" type show.

Perhaps I'm becoming one of those people that are just out of the loop because when I look at the covers of magazines in the checkout aisle, I barely know anyone on the cover. I also wonder why these people are famous. What special talent do they have? Why do people tune in to the Kardashians? Why do I care about what goes on in their lives? Same with Paris Hilton--why exactly do I care what she did last night?

I also find it appalling that people are obtaining fame and recognition for things such as acting badly and teen pregnancy. Why the need to glorify this? Raising a child is tough work, and even rougher for a teenager. However nowadays teens can have children willy-nilly and not suffer the same consequences because they'll just go on a TV show. I'm not trying to get on a high-horse and condemn anyone who has been or is a teenage mother. I know a lot of smart, ambitious, intelligent women who were teenage mothers. However, I think that it isn't something that a teen should aspire to be. Hold onto your childhood for as long as you possibly can. You have the rest of your life to devote to adult things such as raising children.

As a singer, I think that most people assume that I will be into American Idol. After all, it's a singing competition and singing is what I do. At one point a specific person would ask me on a weekly basis if I was watching the show. Every week I would assure them that I was not watching it and could not foresee myself watching it in the future. They would recount with: "Oh but you should...it's REALLY good this year." I'm sure that it is. I'm sure that there is a wealth of worthy talent on the show. In fact, I love a lot of the singers that have been on the show. I greatly respect Kelly Clarkson, I love Crystal Bauersox, etc. But there is also this side of me that thinks singers should put in their dues and time like other musical acts have done. One of my sweetest friends, Beaux has had a band for many years. I've known him since 2006 (I like to say: "I knew him when he had short hair and took his shirt off at shows--because now he has long hair and never strips anymore). His band was opening for Jani Lane and I liked them right away because they were good. I never like the opening band but they used a freaking didgeridoo! Beaux doesn't really care about fame or fortune, he's a philanthropist. He was named USO Entertainer of the Year and he and the boys in the band will be spending their summer visiting various bases to entertain the troops. They also donate money to save the silverbacks who are losing their homes due to man's progress. How many American Idol contestants go on the show to give back to the community?

So shoot me if you will but I just can't get into reality shows. Especially when they turn down talent like the female singer in Lady Antebellum. She didn't even get to the round where she saw the judges and she has a great voice. On the other hand, you could say that acts like Britney Spears hasn't really paid her dues either but I'm not much of a fan of hers or other manufactured talent. However, I will make an exception for Justin Timberlake because he is hella talented. In a nutshell, that is why I don't like reality shows. Too much drama...

I've Been Banned from Tyrrell County

Okay so it's only a self-imposed ban but clearly they do not want my kind there. My frustrations with this county go all the way back to the Friday before Easter. The Pep & I took a trip to Ocracoke Island, all by ourselves. Little did I know that Tyrrell County was a speed trap. Thankfully, my faithful little pup by my side growled at the officer who came to the window to reprimand me for my heavy foot. Good girl!

Fast forward to the present where my court date arrives. Yesterday I started figuring out exactly what time I had to leave in order to be at the court house on time and what time I would need to leave to be back in Raleigh for my doctor's appointment. I start thinking about the process as I've experienced it in Raleigh's court house. In Wake County, people start lining up by about 7:30 and the D.A. and magistrate start talking to people about 8AM. Then court starts at 9 for those that request a trial or are not allowed to have their ticket reduced. So mentally, I'm figuring all of this in. Tyrrell County Courthouse is 2 hours and 38 minutes away. In order to be there by 8AM, I'll need to get up at 4AM and leave by 5AM. Because who knows how the traffic will be and if I have to find a place to park, etc! Anyways, it seems it will be a busy, busy day.

Also yesterday, I had an appointment at 5:45PM. I'm not sure why I decided to make this appointment as rush hour traffic is a nightmare. On top of that there was a a four-car pile up on the way as well. I'm unable to call and inform them that I'm running late because 2 weeks ago I had to do a factory reset on my phone which made me lose all my phone numbers. Since I'm about 10 minutes late for the appointment they have to reschedule me. I run home and begin changing the tail light casing in my car. I get the old, crushed casing out of its spot and attempt to replace it with the new one. IT...DOESN'T...FIT! After replacing the old, crushed one back again it was time for bed!

So the day starts by me oversleeping 1 hour and 45 minutes! Gah! Miraculously, I get ready in 15 minutes and am on the road by 6AM which should still put me at the court house by 8:30--which I'm hoping is not too late. While I'm on the road, I get to thinking that maybe my thought process was all for naught. I'm used to dealing with the Wake County court system. It's the capital and a hassle. Maybe this county will be small, like the one I grew up in and move swiftly! So I call a friend of mine and have them look up Tyrrell County. Turns out that the population of the entire county would fit in my home town of 4,000 people. This is looking good for me!

I arrive at 8:30 and don't even have to bother looking for parking because there's a spot available right in front and what's more, it's FREE! Instead of speaking to the D.A. before going into the court room, like Raleigh, we just sit in the court room. I think we doubled the population just by showing up to traffic court. We form two lines and when it's my turn, I inform the D.A. that I would like to use "Prayer for Judgment." Prayer for Judgment is a benefit that North Carolina offers its drivers who have a clean driving record to keep their record clean. If you have not received a speeding ticket in the past 3 years, you can request Prayer for Judgment and therefore you do not incur any points on your license. The D.A. informs me that in order to request Prayer for Judgment, I will have to have Raleigh forward my driving record and come back on a later date! Ugh! Why didn't they tell me this before? Again, I'm used to the way Wake County operates. They already have your driving record in front of them so you don't have to worry about any of that. Clearly, Hog Waller, NC don't play that... So the D.A. reduced my ticket and the only thing I saved were a few points on my record and $5. Which I didn't really save $5 because I ate up almost an entire tank of gas just to fight the ticket.

I start to drive home and I'm pissed because I wanted to use my get-out-of-jail-free card but because I'm refusing to make the trip again another day, I had to forfeit it and therefore cannot use it again for 3 more years. My friend Barbara said: "Are you planning on getting any more tickets?" Me: "No...but I can't drive the speed limit. It depresses me and stresses me out." She laughs at this. But if you've ever ridden in a car with me, you know that this is true.

I'm out of the court house by 9:22AM and home by 11:46. At 1:30PM I leave for my appointment with a doctor's office. I have a new patient consultation scheduled for 2PM but want to get there early as there is surely paperwork to fill out. I arrive at 1:47PM and sure enough I'm put to work filling out forms. There's one man and a woman seated before me. Soon 3 other ladies and a gentleman join the room and all begin talking about their experiences with this doctor's office and what I'm hearing ain't so good. For one, the lady in the corner announces that her appointment was at 1:45 and it is now 2:15. At about 2:45 I stand up, go to the receptionist's desk and ask for my paperwork back. I say: "I was a potential new patient and my appointment was at 2PM. It's now 2:45 and I was told the consultation would last 30 minutes. I no longer have time to sit through a consultation and be able to make my next appointment." The receptionist says: "My apologies, can we keep your paperwork and reschedule you for another time?" I reply: "I've taken time off of work and made an effort to be here early. I'm not impressed with having to wait 45 minutes for an appointment I already scheduled. You're not the only ______ racket in town. May I please have my paperwork?" And I leave (after taking the paperwork from her). Onto the next appointment. Which went really well. My primary care doctor hasn't seen me since I've lost over 30 lbs so it was good to catch up with her and hear praise for my hard work.

After several errands I go home to my animals and take a nap. I'm halfway into the nap when I'm awakened by my phone ringing. It's the doctor's office that I left without being seen. The voice mail message states that she's very sorry about the "mix up in scheduling." She would love it if I called her back to reschedule the appointment. Well now I'm thinking: "Mix up in scheduling?" How could there be a mix up in scheduling if she called to confirm the appointment yesterday? And of course, I cannot get back to sleep.

*Sigh* But tomorrow's another day and it's Friday. At least the debacle is over!