Monday Gripes

There are a few things that have been bugging me lately, and I think it's time I got them off my chest. I figure there are two ways I can deal with them -- either I can journal about them privately, or I can share them with a few million of my closest friends. Guess which one I choose :) In no particular order, here are my Monday gripes: Anna Nicole Smith. Or, rather, the media's obsession with Anna Nicole Smith. I think it's tragic that the woman lived a miserable life and then died. I do. As a mother, my heart breaks for the loss of her son. No mother should have to endure that. It breaks for her tiny daughter, too -- especially since half a dozen men (only a slight exaggeration as of this morning) are claiming paternity. Yeah, I'm sure they all adore the baby. The fact that she stands to inherit several billion dollars has nothing to do with it. But come on, other things are happening to mankind all over the place. I hate to break it to the news media, but Anna Nicole's sex life is not the most important thing in this world. Paris Hilton. Do I really have to explain why? People who travel 55 mph in the fast lane on the freeway while talking on their cell phones. Rachel Ray. Not Rachel, exactly, just Rachel's voice. It's like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. Does she have to shout all the time? Pulling up next to an SUV or a truck at a stop sign -- especially when the driver keeps edging forward as if my car is difficult for him to see around. Have you ever driven a car and tried to see oncoming traffic over a vehicle that's twice as tall as your own? Don't get me wrong. I don't mind SUVs and trucks all the time. In fact, I'd probably drive one if I were going to buy a new vehicle right now. They just bug me when I'm next to them at an intersection and I can't see. The fact that I can't find an e-mail program that does everything I want it to do. Okay, so I'm picky. I'll admit that. Any news story in which the media implies that the death of a straight-A student is somehow more tragic than if that child earned Cs or Ds on his report card. Every child has value, and every loss is equally tragic. The fact that if ever I fall or trip, I always reinjure the same leg -- the one with the bad knee. What's up with that????? Not that I want to injure the other knee. Not really. Having one gimpy knee is bad enough. Still . . . . Maybe what really bugs me is the fact that I fall at all, and then, when I do, it's usually because of some careless move on my part, like missing a step. And finally -- the fact that I can never think of a clever way to end my blog posts!