GUILTY PLEASURES

Everyone has them..No one likes to mention them to others..not even to themselves...

I consider "Guilty Pleasures" to be one of the joys of existence, and without them, we would be seriously BORED.

What is the definition of a Guilty Pleasure? In my mind, it means something personally enjoyable, that you would prefer not to broadcast to the world, especially to those who know you, because somehow whatever it is, you perceive that it's somewhat "beneath you", or the image that you like to project to others..

Consulting the Urban Dictionary, I found that someone described it perfectly...

"Keeping a secret collection of ABBA and Carpenters and listening to their albums when no one else is around"....Is that great or what?

Here are some of mine

1. Catching up on the " National Enquirer" on the sly, after PURPOSELY searching for the Longest Line to wait in at the Grocery Store. (Gotta have time to speed read the best spoofs about Tom Cruise and Cher...) Now that's the kind of stuff worth going grocery shopping for....Of course I CAN'T BUY IT..."Heavens No!"....Just need to hit on the most bizarre stories in the shortest amount of time. I used to look around me...now I just stick my nose in it and indulge!

2. Strawberry Popsicles...I have one ( okay, sometimes two, but they are the "natural fruit" kind ) almost every evening, (substitute for the evening wine I gave up, I guess) and if I am out of them, I have been known to DRIVE a mile to fetch another box...(Oh paleese...like I'm really gonna walk...)

3. REAL HOUSEWIVES Of or From ANYWHERE...My favorite is "Real Housewives of New York", but I Have and Will watch every single version...Is there anything more mindless and trashy? I can't think of anything...These women are horrific in every way!!!I don't know why I absolutely adore them...It really does embarrass me, but it doesn't stop... Season after Season after Season..If I'm not home, it's always on the DVR....Of course, there are other shows I succumb to as well...Just about anything reality that is aired on Bravo hooks me line and sinker..

4. Going to Neiman Marcus and trying all of the expensive perfume samples...The problem with this, is that once you smell the best, you don't want anything else...(Moral of the story, never get used to the best, unless you can ALWAYS afford the best...That, many would tell you, is an ongoing theme in my life...Now I'm pretty much unemployed...You figure it out..) When I was already unemployed a couple of months ago, but was on an already paid for luxury trip to Las Vegas, the minute I was up a few hundred dollars, instead of losing it like I would normally do and continue playing, I left the slots, and went straight over to the Jo Malone shop in the Wynn Hotel where I was staying, and bought 4 bottles of perfume with the winnings...I obviously must have done some pretty powerful schtick, and the manager suddenly adored me so much, that he threw in Not One, Not Two, but THREE extra gift bags filled with all kinds of Jo Malone goodies...(Hey...a little comedy here and there NEVER hurts anyone, and surprisingly sometimes it comes back to kiss you on the cheek..) Now if you are not familiar with Jo Malone, and you are financially able, you simply must acquaint yourself with her beauty/fragrant line...You will only find it at Neiman Marcus, unless you are at the Wynn Hotel or in London, the only two places where there is an actual "Jo Malone" Boutique...Hmmm...takes my breath away to even think about it...

5. Disney/Pixar films...If I don't see them in the theater, I will rent them and enjoy them as much, if not more, than the children do..."Ratatouille" should have been up for "Best Picture"...This "Best in Animation" category is hardly sufficient when movies of this quality emerge...

6. Having the habit of ALWAYS staying after at a Broadway production at the STAGE DOOR, so that I will be able to speak with and get an autograph from the stars of the shows...My son still tells people about the "child abuse" that was administered to him by me, because I made him stand outside for over an hour to wait for Vanessa Redgrave (one of my favorite actresses), to emerge from her dressing room. The problem was that it was about 22 degrees..Only one other guy stood with us who was an actor/student at the Actors Studio in New york...We both spoke of her wonderful performance in the film "Julia", her Oscar acceptance speech, where she was "Booed" off the stage due to her controversial political views that she couldn't help but share with the world while holding "Oscar"...I was very young when that was on, but I remember thinking how very brave she was, because she just raised her voice higher as the crowd's "Booos" got louder and the orchestra started playing the "get off the stage...NOW!" song .....To sum this particular little backstage story up, Vanessa finally comes out, and the first thing she does is to come over to me and takes my hands and says "Oh my dear, you must be so very very cold...."...After she got through looking at me, over to my son, and back to me with a look that said "Are you obsessive or what?"..she signed my program, though it was so cold the pen would not work, and we had to search for another...I did get to tell her that her role in "Julia" practically changed my life, but I did not tell her that no one even knows the movie "Julia" anymore, (pity) and that it was so old, that I had to Order it through Barnes and Noble..; NAW...just left that to myself...TIP...If you ever get a chance to see it, you simply must...still holds up today...

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST ....

7. "Intelligent" talk shows, WHEN they feature a movie star as the guest...i.e. Larry King, Charlie Rose...Who am I kidding? It's a friggin talk show with a celebrity on it...Just more of the same "Enquiring" mindset that is obviously very much a part of my makeup...

Now...what are yours? That's what the "comment" section is for...I dare ya..

ENQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW..