Tuesday, November 10, 2009

five guilty pleasures.

bloggers form a community that follows its own rules of conduct. cross-linking and mutual commenting are some requirements, but there are other little quirks are well. one curious habit among bloggers is to give each other awards and challenge each other with memes. essentially these circulating questionnaires are innocent – they are the modern version of chain letters and friend notebooks.

as of late i have pondered my relationship with the blogosphere: the virtual communities' rules strengthen little bubbles for socializing, and awards play a part in this creation. oftentimes it seems the grasp on reality among bloggers becomes warped by the internet community: the internal communication takes place on another, reality-ridden level altogether. the bloggers i feel the need to extend more than a virtual shoulder pat towards are a rare few, but i know many socialize offline, as well, and meetings are not uncommon. many of these habits seem to feed the bloggers' need for peer support, but also create the illusion of there being an enviable blogista world out there somewhere that readers cannot become a part of, but bloggers should. let me assure that there isn't one.

nevertheless, approaching people one feels affinity towards is something i will concentrate on, and i will continue to hold the ones i find endearing close. i also think forming offline bonds with genuinely interesting people can be extremely satisfying, and believe i've made real friends through blogging. grand, now ain't it?

one of the more recent acquaintances is kamicha, who gave me the divine award that comes with a meme. i am to list 5 guilty pleasures of mine.

as kamicha, i hardly live my life regretting or feeling guilty over what i choose to do. as a self-proclaimed hedonist i have many habits i probably could or should feel guilt over, but my rationalizing skills save me from falling into self-induced emotional torture. pleasures, especially, are not something that i feel guilt over, but since i do recognize some discrepancies, i will try to list them here.

1. elitist contempt. my only real guilt inducing pleasure is to read discussion forums, especially the forum of helsingin sanomat. the sheer stupidity and ignorance of people is entertaining and ego-elevating. cheap thrills if there ever were any... the guilt is derived from the time i waste there because there's nothing newsworthy in many people being ignorant and prejudiced and needing reassurance by laughing at people makes me rather stupid, right? however, i do not comment, because that takes the guilt level a notch too high to my liking. generally speaking, i have no interest in communicating with people who are not capable of the standard i expect – my life's just too short for stick-figure explanations. and there are aplenty of people that deserve my precious benevolence (haha, sound smug enough yet?) and more than a few i consider worthy of pure admiration. therefore, this is one habit i am seriously working on rejecting.

2. shoes. although i cannot really say i feel guilt over shoe purchases, i have felt momentary regret (and nausea) over the revelation that i have spent ridiculous amounts on shoes i cannot walk in. here's an example of a pair i bought, pondered over for a while and arranged a strategic meeting with two friends i knew would never say "return them!" to back me up. stupid, because they require a completely flat surface for (very. careful.) walking and were, let's just say, several hundred euros. as one of the friends said i can always use them as bookends...

platform sandals by miumiu.

and for this to be a genuine guilty pleasure, i am willing to confess that this pair is not alone: this row of shoeboxes is just what came out of a closet we sold. there's more in other closets and in the storage. woops.



3. cheese, eaten plain. generally speaking, i don't feel guilty over eating: i eat as often as i want and what i want, and you won't find me divulging deploringly the amount of chocolate or pizza i crammed into my body – it is a part of women's socializing culture i fundamentally do not understand. nonetheless, i was brought up to believe that my favorite food, cheese in any form, should not be eaten plain, but accompanied with bread. the reasoning behind was simple: in a family of six, cheese consumption was significant and expensive, and i alone could have finished a block a day.

i am also aware that cheese is one of the most consuming food products: in many cases it is ecologically as devastating as meat production. another reason to feel guilty for my love of cheese. hence, i still feel slight guilt whenever i eat cheese plain. which is daily. gulp.

4. intoxication in great company. sitting down for a bottle (or two) of wine or five pints is something i definitely love in the right company. although i don't feel guilty after drinking because i'd screw anything up or thought socializing wasn't worth the expense, i do realize that leaving after a few less would be better considering the next day: i hate days that just pass by inefficiently if choose the leisure mode for the night before and not for the day following. the fun compensates the hangover guilt, though.

5. clothes. well, yes. the necessity argument is without basis in my case. every single purchase i make, whether old, new, borrowed or blue, raises issues of guilt. and comes with a significant dose of pleasure. much of this blog is about this particular guilty pleasure, so i'll just leave it at that this time.

there you have it. to act according to the blogger code of conduct, i shall pass this on: jaakko is simply divine, and so are salka, anna, petra and anu.

10 comments:

Sugar Kane said...

Well, thanks for making this list, now I don't have to, seeing as we share a taste even in guilty pleasures...

Although, if your shoe shame gets too harsh, feel free to bring any guilty shoes to me!

About blogging and the surreal sense of community: I'm really picky about people in real life - and I also think that if I don't really enjoy someone's company, they won't particularilly enjoy mine either.

For some reason, I tend to lose my sensibility on the Internet, and have random girl/boy/blogger crushes and make myself believe I have something in common with people I in the real world wouldn't give a toss about - and who wouldn't seek my company. After a while, I realise there's no real bond with me and majority of my "New Best Friends", and get really disappointed.

That said, when I do trust my intuition, I can find amazing people and make real friends very quickly - even on the internet. As with you, madam.

Salka said...

Kiitos haasteesta! Ja wow, mikä kenkäkokoelma, mä taas en itse kykene säilyttämään yhtäkään paria, joita en käytä, tosin tuossa ne odottavat eteisen lattialla, että jaksaisin viedä ne kirppikselle tai jotenkin muuten uudelleen sijoittaa :)

Vaikkakin olen aina ollut sellainen "kaikkien kaveri"-tyyppi, on musta vanhemmiten tullut valikoiva, mutta blogimaailmassa se ei välttämättä niinkään päde sillä luen paljon erilaisten ihmisten kirjoittamia blogeja, tosin eniten tykkään lukea sellaisten ihmisten blogeja, joiden kirjoittajalla on edes jotain samoja intressejä kuin itselläni, eikä se siis tarkoita pelkkää vaate- ja kenkäihkutusta :)

En tiedä, kuinka paljon tämän blogi-ilmiön vanhetessa asiat ylipäänsä muuttuvat, muodostuuko ns. virtuaalisia kuppikuntia, ja ainakin mua harmittaa tavallaan tietty ns. taisteluasemiin vetäytyminen, jota on ollut jotenkin aistittavissa yleisellä tasolla blogiskenessä? Tai ainakin "isoimmissa blogeissa"? No, aika näyttää, millaiseksi tämä blogiskene muodostuu, kehityshän on pelkästään luonnollista! (meni ehkä jo vähän aiheen ohi, mutta menköön, nyt ei vaan irtoa järjellisempää tekstiä!)

Jaakko said...

jaahas, haaste. danke schön. mul tänää töis varmasti aikaa et mikä pössis ja kattelen. otan ihan oman läppärin jos vaikka muutaman kuvan liitän mukaan. hmm.. täytyy oikeen alkaa funssaamaa et mitä ylellisii juttui mul olis jaettavana.

ja sun kengät on aina yhtä mahtavan näkösiä ku ne on pinottuina ja laatikois ja jalas kans tietty mut must on vaan fiksuu ja ainoa oikee tapa säilyttää kenkii laatikoissa. siks ne laatikot on olemassa, härre gud.

Anna said...

Kiitos kulti! Pitääpä jälleen myös kehua, miten hienoa on ollut tutustua sinuun (ja muutamaan muuhunkin ihanaan, kuten Sugar Kaneen) tämän blogittelun myötä. Ryhdyn pohtimaan haastetta - joskin ottaa varmaan tovin ennen kuin saan aiheesta juttua kasaan kaiken hässäkän keskiellä.

Mieltymyksemme ja pienet paheemme tuntuvat olevan hyvin samankaltaisia. Yllätys yllätys. :) Myöskään minä en kylläkään koe syyllisyyttä hedonistisista taipumuksistani, mutta ehkäpä jonkinlaista pahelistaakin saan aikaan.

Sun kenkälaatikkopinot on tosiaan aivan mahtavan näköiset! Laatikko on tosiaan ainoa oikea paikka kengille!

Anu said...

Hmm, onpas varsin kiperä haaste, mä kun en tapaa tuomita tekojani tuolla tavalla... tai siis tapaan, mutta yleensä myös hankkiudun eroon syyllisyyttä aiheuttavista tavoistani mahdollisimman nopeasti.

Mitä tulee nettikavereihin, mä olen netissä yhtä nirso kuin muussakin elämässä. Tunnen parhaista nettikavereistani lähes kaikki myös muualta.

petra said...

oh shoot... and thanks! i think this process will take some time. denial is so much sweeter, you know.

stellagee said...

sugar kane, you have to create your own list, don't be rude now... i am a peculiar people lover: i have very few close friends, but i enjoy the company of really different kinds of people almost equally. the only type i cannot handle (and who cannot handle me) are extremely insecure people who take themselves very seriously – the ability to laugh at oneself is probably the only requirement i have. when it comes to blogs i am way more picky: because i work online i cannot devote time to sites i do not enjoy and only a select few blogs actually make my list... and yes, meeting you ma'm has been and continues to be a pleasure.

salka, olkaatten hyvä! heh, mun kenkäkokoelmani on aika pelottava, legendaarinen, huvittava, ahdistava ja mielihyvää tuottava kaikkinensa. ja tietysti noista suurinta osaa mä käytän – kaikkia ainakin välillä. jopa miumiu-kirjatuet ovat olleet jalassa muutaman kerran vaikka aika hasardiahan se on.

blogiskenen muodostuminen on täällä kai aika lapsenkengissään vielä, mutta olen ihan kiinnostuksella seurannut tätä ilmiötä. isommat blogit väistämättä joutuvat osaksi kaikenlaisia juttuja ja on mahtavaa tajuta, ettei kuulu siihen joukkoon: säästyy monelta pahalta. yhteiset asiat tietysti auttavat bondaamisessa ja mä koen ihanaksi sen, että kirjoittamalla ja lukemalla voi löytää ihmisiä, joiden kanssa todella synkkaa.

jaakko, odotan innolla sun glamoröösien paheiden listaa. ja joo, kengät kuuluu laatikoihin, silkkipaperissa tietysti.

anna, likewise! ja odotan myös sun listaa innolla. noita laatikoita tosiaan on vielä ihan aimo määrä kaappien syövereissä...

anu, mun oli myös hyvin hankalaa muodostaa tuota listaa, kun tosiaan tulee järkeiltyä ne suurimmat jutut itselle tai sitten luovuttua niistä...

petra, denial, rationalizing, procrastination – some of girl's best friends.

Anonymous said...

Haha, bookends! I think my library would like to do those, too.

And guess who else is loving cheese, plain cheese =)

Varpu said...

Haha, laitoin itsekin juuston omaan listaani!

Ja Hesarin keskustelupalstalla on jo tosiaan melko legendaarinen status, sanoisinko.. olen monta kertaa päättänyt etten enää ikinä mene sinne kun tulen vaan vihaiseksi, mutta kuinkas sitten taas kävikään :D

stellagee said...

kamicha, :D, cheese is güt.

varpu, juusto on parasta.