an open letter to the individuals who decide what videos are to be shown on the televisions at the gym:

-people go to the gym for a number of reasons, and many expect to be active when they go. while I enjoy artists such as sarah mclachlan and norah jones, something a bit more uptempo might be a bit more appropriate when we're benchpressing and jogging on the treadmill.
-none of the patrons at the gym are under 18 years of age. it may also be nice to not be forced to listen to music aimed at the "tween" demographic. also, many of these videos appear to be a few years old and from teeny bopper artists that never made it big during the big bubble-gum goldrush of a few years ago. i really don't think these artists are going to find a second wind with the gym crowd.
-r.e.m. is one of my all time favorite groups, but ten years ago the entire world, in a rare display of solidarity, got together and decided that "shiny happy people" should never ever ever be heard again.

that is all.

do you know the truth about cicadas? have you ensured that your children will not get eaten alive by these huge monstrous beasts? don't say i didn't warn you.

all kidding aside, i really don't remember anything special happening the last time the cicadas emerged. it's not like these things were piled up all over the grass, dancing in the streets, and eating my rocky road cereal. i don't think anybody even mentioned them. to top things off, even though i'd seen the word before, i've never heard anyone even say the word cicada before this year. i was convinced it was one of those crazy words that was pronounced completely differently from the way it was spelled.

i guess the media needs something inconsequential to latch onto, and it's not shark attack season yet, so there you have it.