Fifty Shades of Gray Area

Today I was working on a reaffirmation exercise in which I congratulate myself for things I don't do and have never done... like never having a cavity or never breaking a bone or never smoking or cheating...

What do I mean when I say I've never cheated?  I'm talking about relationships... I've never cheated on a girlfriend... Never slept with or even kissed a girl outside of the relationship I'm in...

But then I thought... have I been an accomplice to cheating?  What about spending time with a girl who's in a relationship with another guy... even if I don't sleep with her or kiss her... but I seduce her with words and smiles and strategic "incidental" contact? 

That's when I realized that cheating is really very complicated.  I don't think any of us can say exactly when cheating begins.  Exactly what it is. Let's say cheating is when you do anything you wouldn't be comfortable doing if your significant other were watching... but then that rules out vomiting for me.

There's an element of betrayal but that could be different for different people.  I've dated girls who feel betrayed if you happen to notice the number of eyes another girl has on her face.  But I hope I've reached a point in my life where I will avoid dating any more girls who are pathologically insecure... girls who are almost desperate for an excuse to accuse you of infidelity so as to reinforce their conviction that they are not pretty or what-the-hell-ever.


I don't have any groundbreaking insight... it's just on my mind.  Being an accomplice to cheating is pretty bad BUT in my opinion not nearly as bad as doing the cheating yourself.

And cheating is when you do something with someone else and you know it would hurt your partner if they knew and you know it would hurt you if it happened the other way around.

Are these reasonable opinions?  How would you modify them?

Gambling is a Strange Addiction

Ordinarily the negative aspects of an addiction are apparent.  Alcoholism and drug abuse and nicotine all do obvious harm to your health.  The thing that makes gambling tricky in a unique way is that sometimes you win.

In my case I've been winning a lot.  Fifty times in a row to be specific.  And while I realize it cannot last... psychologically I feel unbeatable.

Literary Top 39 Books

These are my favorite books in countdown format.  I cannot call them my top 40 because there are only 39 that I really love but I’m open to suggestions if your favorite book is not listed, perhaps you can help me find that 40^th one to complete the list.

39.       Namesake

38.       Paradise Lost

37.       Catcher in the Rye

36.       Winter of Our Discontent

35.       Skystone

34.       A Confederacy of Dunces

33.       Plainsong

32.       Great Expectations

31.       The Robe

30.       Sister Carrie

29.       TheGreat Brain

28.       The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

27.       The Liberation of Lord Byron Jones

26.       The Da Vinci Code

25.       Cry, the Beloved Country

24.       Grapes of Wrath

23.       Braveheart

22.       The Wolf King

21.       Watershed Down

20.       Fountainhead

19.       Flowers for Algernon

18.       All the King’s Men

17.       TheBrothers K

16.       As I Lay Dying

15.       The Crucible

14.       LittleShepherd of Kingdom Come

13.       Magnificent Ambersons

12.       Of Human Bondage

11.       All the Pretty Horses

10.       Ender’s Game

 9.        Destiny                             

 8.        Hunger Games

 7.        Jude the Obscure

 5.        The Little Prince

 4.        Game of Thrones

 3.        Wicked

 2.        To Kill a Mockingbird

 1.        Adam and Eve ~ Though he Knew Better

Super Blog XLVII

There are only five NFL teams that are still undefeated in Super Bowl appearances.  And two of them are playing today.  The last time they faced each other was last year and the Ravens won 16-6 on Thanksgiving Day.. and my prediction for today's game is for the Ravens to triumph again 20-14 but what's unique for me is that I've never watched a Super Bowl before in which I wanted so badly for both teams to lose. 

First there is Ray Lewis, defensive phenomenon for Baltimore.  Many people find him inspiring... but to me he's absurdly egotistical.  Almost nothing he says sounds sincere to me... whether he's extolling dedication to teamwork or proclaiming the goodness and amazingness of God... it all sounds incredibly fake... all I can hear is "LOOK AT ME LOOK AT ME LOOK AT ME!"  So I really don't want the Ravens to win.  What do you think?  Here's a tribute video to help you decide:

Ray Lewis Tribute

On the other team is head coach Jim Harbaugh and I can't stand him either because of this incident from 2011 moments after the 49ers defeated the previously unbeaten Lions.  Usually coaches shake hands after a game, but in what became known as Handshake-gate, Jim basically approaches this handshake as though the defeated coach must be as excited about the outcome as the 49ers... which is stupid and disrespectful... here's the video:

Handshake-gate

I guess the best scenario possible is for the 49ers to humiliate Ray Lewis and then when Jim Harbaugh tries to whoop up his handshake on the Ravens head coach, John Harbaugh, his big brother will beat him up on national television.