As
the Ten
on Tuesday series
continues, I present Ten "Pop Culture Phenomenon" that I just do not Understand.
Please keep in mind I do not mean any offense if you are passionate about any
of the phenomenon on my list, except perhaps for Stephen A. Smith, if you are a
fan of his we may need to have a talk. I am fully aware that many things I
enjoy are baffling to others (e.g. sports on the whole or specific teams, I
Love Lucy, The West Wing, etc.).
Truly only
in spirit of fun, I present my list:
10.
Analyst, Stephen A. Smith
To
call this man a phenomenon would just further feed his larger than life ego,
but he makes the list all the same. I am not sure where Stephen A. Smith, and his ever-present
look of complete disdain/boredom (I do not think his eyes open all
the way) came from, but I really wish he would go back to wherever that is
- he especially needs to stop invading my morning drive to work by appearing on
Mike and Mike in the Morning on
ESPN Radio. Fortunately the end of the NBA season tends to mean a reprieve from
Stephen A. Smith. If anyone has information on his background, please let me
know.
9.
Book, The Great Gatsby
I
have read this book twice, once as a junior in high school, and then once for a
boy (the relationship did not work out). This guy was an English Literature
major as an undergrad, and just raved about The Great Gatsby. I
explained that I liked very few things that I read for that class, but
attributed most of it to a less than stellar class experience. So I decided to
give it another go. Nope, still do not like it nor do I truly understand it
especially the ending (or lack thereof, in my opinion). I am contemplating
seeing the movie in an attempt to grasp the appeal felt by many, but that will
definitely be a Redbox (read: $1.25) investment.
8.
Reality TV Stars, The Kardashians
In
the spirit of true honesty I will admit with my head down that I have watched
bits and pieces of the reality show, Keeping up with the Kardashians. It
is very "train-wreck-like" in that I don't really enjoy it, yet I
cannot stop looking at it. I think I just really struggle with the concept of
"being famous for being famous," or whatever explanation they
offer for their prominence in the magazines that I often see at the
grocery store/Target check-out. I refuse to let them invade my "Off the Path" project - I have
not put many parameters on that project, but that is definitely one!
7.
Food, Sushi
One
word: texture. My family/friends will tell you that I have always been a picky
eater, although I hope I can get credit for trying really hard to get better,
but sushi is not something I can stomach. I will forever be a person who lets
texture determine my food choices - scrambled eggs are another "absolutely
never going to happen!" I will go to a restaurant that serves sushi so
that Danny can eat it, and proceed to find something else on the menu or drink
water. I am a good water drinker - it is what I do at all those breweries I have visited.
6.
Books, Movies: Harry Potter, Twilight, Lord of the Rings
I
have a rationalization for why I have not gotten into Harry Potter
and Lord of the Rings, but come up short on Twilight. HP came
out when I was in college, at a time when reading for "fun" was not
happening; an ex-boyfriend ruined LOTR, enough said. The only
plausible explanation I have for Twilight is that I have never been into
the whole horror movie genre (e.g. vampires, werewolves, etc.) Plus I have
taken a lot of grief over the years for the lack of pallor to my skin tone - so
perhaps seeing all those white/pale-faced people just hit a little too close to
home. The only series in this group that stands a chance is Harry Potter.
I have a stack of books to get through by the end of 2013, and once that is
done I will beg, borrow, or steal some one's Harry Potter books, and hope
for the best.
5.
"Quarterback," Tim Tebow
Oh
Tim, you got a raw deal. As it has been well-documented, at least in my own
mind, I am not a fan of college football. So I did not follow Tebow's career at
the University of Florida, although I was aware of all the hype around his
scrambling first, throwing second predilection. My first two years of
college, my Hoosiers who contrary to popular belief do in fact have a
football team, had a quarterback (Antwaan Randle El) who I think
was very "Tebow-like" did find success on the NFL level as
a wide receiver. I thought for sure that was what would happen to Tebow,
until Josh McDaniels went and blew the Broncos entire draft on this kid. That
was the beginning of the end for Tebow since I do not
know how anyone lives up to such lofty expectations? I also remain
embittered by the fact that Danny has witnessed two Tebow 4th Quarter
comebacks, the second of which was against my beloved Bears. After being cut by
the Jets earlier this year, it looks like Tebow will be reunited with McDaniels in New England. Back-up to Tom Brady, interesting thought...
4.
Singer, Taylor Swift
Taylor
Swift recently came to Denver, and some of the radio stations were giving away
tickets to her concert. One caller, who admitted she is 18 years old, was told
by the DJ that she is too old for Taylor. While he was (probably) not serious,
perhaps that explains why I find her lyrics to be self-aggrandizing and her
voice un-enjoyable. As someone who has been dumped by many a boyfriend, I will
tell you that I don't want to hear about her troubles anymore than I want to
revisit my own; thank you.
3.
Basketball Team, The Miami Heat
Just
as I do not watch college football, I can no longer get excited about the NBA.
Although I sure did want the Heat to lose to the Pacers in Game 7, for no other
reason that I do not like feeling as though the most expensive payroll
guarantees championships. The Heat is comprised primarily of the "Big
Three" (Lebron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade) who made a
ridiculous spectacle of themselves when they were brought together in
Miami, and according to tell I heard on my morning commute two of the Big Three
(Wade and Bosh) seem to have forgotten to show up in the Eastern
Conference finals. I have always preferred to watch players I can respect as people,
which is why the recent retirement of Grant Hill was bittersweet. Although a
current player who emulates Hill's heart, both on and off the court, is Kevin
Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder. There is a player/team I can randomly get
behind!
2.
Twitter/Instagram, #Tags
The
other night over grilled, individual pizzas Danny and I received a lesson on
#tags (pronounced: hash tags). It started with a discussion of the Mariah Carey
song, #Beautiful, which before that night I had not heard, and went from there
to places that cannot be properly explained other than you have to know these
two lovely, very humorous ladies. Just as people were appalled that I
could plan a wedding without Pinterest (which come to think of it would
be number 11 on this list), I should probably have an active Twitter account to
spread my Bears writing for On Her Game; but both Pinterest
and Twitter freak me out. I have an annoying habit/tendency to over think
things, and I believe that is my problem with #tags. Perhaps in time, I will
overcome this fear, and fully immerse myself in Twitter. Better yet, I will ask
my sister Stephanie for a lesson, although last I knew I was still waiting
for approval to follow her... This is probably an indication that I should
check my Twitter account.
1.
Venue, Wrigley Field
As I
was creating this list, I struggled for a couple of the "filler
phenomenon," but I knew from the start what would receive top billing. Now
many think my grievance with Wrigley is that it is home of the Chicago Cubs,
"rival" to my beloved White Sox; but actually I take issue with the
stadium itself not the typically bad team that plays on its field. I find
Wrigley Field to be the main reason why the Cubs fail to compete year after
year. The owners have no incentive to put money into the roster in any
significant way since people continue to fill the "friendly
confines." Although I hear from a friend, aka my Cubs ticket
connection, that many games last year failed to sell out because the ticket
prices were too high - apparently there is a limit to what people will pay to
watch lousy baseball. Who knew?
I
will end with an embarrassing personal story that may have sealed the fate of
Wrigley from my personal perspective, even if it wasn't really the stadiums
fault. Back in high school I had a crush on a boy who was an avid Cubs fan, so
I bought two tickets and asked him to go. He turned me down, so my Dad agreed
to go with me so that tickets would not go to waste. This was also the
(first and) last time I ever tried to use my love of sports to impress a boy
since it did not work! My sister, Denise was also there with a group of her
friends who had tickets in another part of the stadium. As my Dad went to get
the car, I waited in the rain to meet them. I was standing there with my
souvenir cup in hand, and someone put a dollar in it! I was mortified because
all I could think is, "this is why that boy turned me down - I look like a
vagabond!" On the bright side, I was a dollar richer because I was
too stunned to give it back. Sorry Wrigley, you pay the price for having a
thoughtful patron who gave an awkward high school girl a dollar.
Is
there pop culture phenomenon that you don't understand?
