Some Vices I am Not Willing To Part With by Rambling Raven

I recently took some time and browsed the bookshelves at the local Borders. I was surprise to see how many books there were to help people overcome something. There were books on how to kick the sugar habit, the spending habit (after all we are in a recession, right), how to not be a workaholic, how to climb your way up the corporate ladder and how to overcome a slew of other habits and vices. I was tempted to buy a few of the books I saw. It wouldn’t hurt to eat healthier, exercise more efficiently and take control of my finances. Yet the more I browsed the shelves the more I realized that there are some guilty pleasures I am not willing to give up.

For example, I know that it isn’t healthy to consume a lot of empty calories but, dang it, on Fridays I will continue to have my traditional ice cream cone. I am a teacher, I go through hell and back five days a week. I deal with insane administrators, flakey co-workers and children who, on any given day, can give the brats from Children of the Corn a run for their money. I need something to calm my nerves at the end of the week. And since I am between romances right now, a caramel ice cream cone will have to do.

I am also not willing to give up my impulse buying of books. Yep, I am one of those people who can not pass by books without buying at least one, especially if it is on sell. I buy books at the grocery store, Walmart, Target, Amazon, teacher stores, Walgreens; you name it, wherever books can be found I more than likely have purchased one from that establishment. I have even been found browsing the craft books at Michael’s. I know I will never crochet an afghan but a book is a book, and that means that I must give it at least five minutes of my attention. Books are my thing. I am an avid reader. On any given day I am either reading from my Kindle, a professional development book, a book club read or one from a huge pile next to my nightstand. I average a book a week. I have no budget for books. If I want it I get it. I pray at the cash register that the amount goes through on the credit card but other than that buying a book calms me. I know that between those covers I am going to enter a world that will take me away and draw me into an adventure different from my day to day routine. Books are my window to the world. I read a wide range of authors and genres. I will read a cookbook, a memoir, a horror and a mystery all within the same month. Books have taken me to the streets of Hong Kong, the bathhouses of ancient Rome and dimensions beyond our world. I can’t help it; something goes off in the brain when I see a book I have to have. Strange I know. And I probably should seek help but why?  It gives me pleasure, at least it aint crack!

Another vice I probably need help with but will secretly keep, is my need for celebrity gossip. That’s right; I am one of those people who stand at the checkout lines going through every rag on the racks. I just have to know who is cheating on who, who was fired from what show, who showed up on the red carpet looking a hot mess, and who probably is on drugs or not. I secretly watch TMZ (don’t tell my friends), I click on celebrity news after I read the latest political and world news. I stand at the magazine racks at the bookstores and Walgreen and I brows every mag on the shelves. Are Brad and Angelina over with? Will Bey and Jay-Z last? Who just got out of rehab? Who needs to go to rehab? Which celebrities look anorexic, and which ones need trainers? I am a closeted celebrity gossip junky. It is a vice I try to hide from those that I know (I wouldn’t be able to stand the laughter). But I have to have my fix daily. I can’t wait until the Oscars so that I can see the misses and hits on the red carpets. Oh, and it’s nice to know who won what in the end.

So you see not all vices need to be overcome. I mean sometimes it is okay to indulge. None of it causes me to miss a bill (although the books can cause me to buy the store brand ice cream), or interrupt my relationships with others. Well, if some people know I am a closeted celebrity gossip junkie, I may lose some cool points with them. But who cares, I want to know if Brad and Jen are going to get back together or if Angelina is as crazy as the rags say that she is. I simply can’t think of a better way to pass the time waiting in line? And it is always interesting to see that the very rich and beautiful are just as screwed up as the rest of us.

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