now, tastes more like real life

I've been thinking lately about starting a side project blog which is like Emily's Tips for Trying to Get Your Life Under Control. By life I mean, spending, blog-reading, working out, eating, sleeping, keeping your TV shows all watched and paid attention to, reading, returning things to the library on time, returning Netlflix at a rate that means it's worth the subscription price compared to the occasional $5 movie at Blockbuster, and so on. Stunningly interesting subjects would be featured, like how I am slowly working my way through all my doubles of conditioner and shampoo so I get it down to the basics: shampoo, conditioner, exfoliating face wash, regular face wash, weekly conditioner, body wash, and so on (yes, those are the basics). How I'm so proud of myself for refusing to buy new intriguing cosmetics/toiletries because I should just use what I have. How I have developed a consistent breakfast routine. How I have finally developed a regular flossing habit.

Obviously this would be the most boring blog ever, so why did I even let myself consider it?

Perhaps it's the RealSimple syndrome - the idea that we need someone to tell us how to manage the miniscule parts of our lives, that we need to learn micromanaging tips from a greater being who knows how long it's safe to keep tomato sauce in the fridge after opening and how often we should wash our towels. (And I love RealSimple, so, full disclosure and all that.) That we need to have someone evaluate for us the best ice creams, knives, food processors, bootcut jeans, cashmere sweaters, ways for making an apple pie (this may also be related to the America's Test Kitchen syndrome), because the variety out there is so dazzling we need someone else to spell out the basics. This is the need-to-know century. We are the just-give-me-the-basics generation, only for us, the basics are not shampoo and conditioner, but all those things I listed above and then some (best facial moisturizer for winter, summer, night time, day time, breaking out, going to the beach, going camping, going dancing, and so on).

Maybe it's just the blogging syndrome - the overshare syndrome - the proliferation on the Internet of so much information that you can't even keep track of it, but it somehow seems vital and important. And then your own set of non-vital information seems incredibly valuable to some anonymous audience who might somehow benefit from learning about how flossing is really incredibly easy and how Kashi Go Lean goes better with soy milk than regular milk, and why.

Or maybe it's none of those things, or all of those things, together. All I know is that this is the dumbest blog article I've ever seen, and it pretty much seems to sum up all of the problems/trends/cultural shifts that I just mentioned, and then cram them all into a moldy water bottle that I just want to throw at someone's head.

The worst part is that about 5,000 people commented on the article as well. (Oh, and it didn't come from Lifehacker, which is actually a very good blog, but for some reason they chose to reprint it, which is almost as bad if not worse than deciding to post it in the first place.)

I'll stick to my RealSimple, thanks.