Another Wednesday, another open thread.
Today’s suggested topic: what’s your guiltiest of guilty pleasures?
As per usual: no hate, no trolling. Other topics are, of course, always welcome. Have at it.
Love, Sex and Dating For The Modern Nerd
by Dr. NerdLove |
Another Wednesday, another open thread.
Today’s suggested topic: what’s your guiltiest of guilty pleasures?
As per usual: no hate, no trolling. Other topics are, of course, always welcome. Have at it.
Enjoy my work? Want to help support the site? Consider becoming a patron!
If you want dating advice you can take on the go, be sure to check out and if you enjoy them, please don't forget to give a review on Amazon and Goodreads.
And thanks, I can't do it without you.
Conreezy says
The music of the Spice Girls. I hate myself for even typing it.
embertine says
Britney for me. The fact that my computer's spellcheck knows who Britney is bothers me a little, too, but at least I don't feel so alone. Now, if you'll excuse me, my laptop and I have a little Oops, I Did It Again to listen to.
Conreezy says
I’m with you. I’ll sing “Sometimes” karaoke because it’s funny to everyone else, but I’m actually really enjoying it.
embertine says
I unironically like 'Born to Make You Happy', even though it goes against everything I believe about relationships.
StarlightArcher says
Oh god, I love the Spice Girls. Them and Lady Gaga. I like to blast them in my car and freak out the people next to me at stop lights.
Zachary says
Frozen.
lyanna_stark says
Frozen, seconded. Aso, Brave. I've watched both an embarrassing amount of times for a college student.
embertine says
I regularly sing Disney tunes in the office. I REGRET NOTHING.
HermitTheToad says
Phil Collins!!
I like 'Son of Man', 'Two Worlds' and 'You'll be in my heart' from Tarzan as well as 'Look through my eyes', 'Great Spirits' and 'On my way' from Brother Bear.
Also '12 years later' and 'To the Spaceport' from Treasure Planet (such an underrated movie) are the perfect soundtracks for every kid's adventure fantasies. They're so beautiful.
ziddydee says
I have a pandora station that is just disney songs and showtunes.
Korilian says
At my office we actually had a Disney tuesday (its an alliteration in my native language which made it all the more glorious). All disney music, all day long. I’d also say Frozen, except I don’t feel guilty about it in the slightest.
LurkingGhest says
Yep, except in my social circle it's weird to NOT like Frozen. There aren't even that many parents, so most people don't have the kids excuse. I think it's because a lot of people I know love some combination of childhood cartoons, anime, musicals or opera.
Marty Farley says
$3 Walmart romance novels. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Twilight-Rifftrax (half counts?) Disney movies.
http://media0.giphy.com/media/cQwaKZ3oNqptm/200.g…
ggobsessed says
Ohhhh, Romance novels!! Also, diet coke. And pizza. And ice cream. Mostly diet coke though.
@kleenestar says
Interior decoration and home organization. Magazines, blogs, how-tos, you name it – I love it.
embertine says
PAINT CHARTS
inertia says
I buy crafting supplies faster than I can use them….
Especially knitting suppllies like yarn. I have enough to make about 15 sweaters…. I see something that I love and I have to have it.
"that yarn is made out of extruded milk protein? awesome have to have it!
celette482 says
Damn pinterest.
Marty Farley says
Can't knock it too much, I'm batting 2/2 on delicious meals made this week thanks to that website! (Grilled Goat Cheese and Cucumber Sandwiches, Chicken and Cream Cheese chili. OH YES.)
celette482 says
Oh, I love it soooo much and I use it all the time. Still, it's the most stereotypical thing I do.
Conreezy says
Is Pinterest a stereotypically female thing?
eselle28 says
Generally, yes. It can theoretically be used for any interest, but it's stereotypically the haven of married women in their 20s and 30s.
celette482 says
Oh hell yes. Us ladies with our shoppin' and our materialism.
I use mine for wedding planning and cooking because I like to see photos of food before I decide to make them and most cook books don't have full color photos for everything.
But people use it for clothes and absurd weddings and home decor and EVERYTHING
enail0_o says
Pretty, pretty Japanese desserts.
embertine says
*siiiiiiiigh* This is why I don't have Pinterest. I already spend too much time on baking blogs looking up how to make matcha & coconut macaron layer cakes.
Oooh, baking blogs. Definitely one of my guilty pleasures.
Marty Farley says
And free sewing patterns! Who wants a bag/apron? ๐
Conreezy says
I really had no idea it was seen as a woman's thing.
I have a clothing board. And a shoe board. And a bathroom ideas board. And a bedroom idea board.
But then I have two sword boards, just to man things up a bit.
TheWisp says
Let's plays. I mostly watch one commentary group, but I watch them a lot.
Christina Davenport says
Which group? I'm hooked on Helloween4545 right now, but Peanut Butter Gamer and JonTron are a couple other favorites with a smattering of Proton Jon. The Kaizo Mario let's plays are hilarious.
TheWisp says
To be honest, I've never heard of any of those guys ๐ I'l have to look into them!
I mostly watch BrainScratchComms, and occasionally The Great Clement.
Gman says
I'm Addicted to the "Achievment Hunter" Group, absolutley love thier let's plays. My favorite staff member is Gavin Free, the british dude that also runs the youtube channel "SlowMo Guys". So much entertainment from these guys – hadn't seen something on TV in ages because of them ๐
Sergio Navarrete Suárez says
Ok, ok, I like to listen to Adele once in a while, I don't feel proud saying it.
I don't listen to Maroon 5 anymore, leave me alone!
celette482 says
I refuse to believe that there is a person under 40 (okay, I'll limit it to the English-speaking world, but only JUST) who has not belted an Adele song at least once.
rebootI730 says
Over 40, sang "Skyfall" for days after seeing the movie.
Which leads to another guilty pleasure: James Bond movies
celette482 says
I certainly did not mean to leave out the over 40s. I think my mom likes "Someone Like You"
But I'm not sure James Bond movies are a guilty pleasure. Are people embarrassed to like James Bond movies? I always thought it would be more embarrassing to have never seen one? What are our parameters here?
rebootI730 says
Given my age, gender, etc. getting excited when a new Bond movie is out is a little embarrassing, but I am a sucker for a silly spy story with improbable gadgets in exotic locales.
celette482 says
My parents were excited about Guardians of the Galaxy, and not in a hilarious Old-Folks-Be-Out-of-touch way but "Hey, let's go see the new Marvel movie!" way. Popcorn flicks know no age limit.
rebootI730 says
Some of the crowd I run with are huge film snobs with an exception clause allowing for geek mass market media. I will own seeing James Bond movies (and not to do a feminist or post colonial critique), but will get teased for doing so.
And then for singing the theme for weeks after ๐
slidebytheside says
Only James Bond movie I ever saw was Goldeneye, which was pretty much made of feminist and postcolonial deconstructions.
eselle28 says
Audience is an interesting issue. This is something that I suspect isn't an embarrassing admission in this crowd but might be in another one: Guardians of the Galaxy is, at least so far, my favorite movie of the year.
celette482 says
Oh yeah. But I run in pretty geeky circles everywhere. One of my bridesmaids who did not know for a fact that I'd seen the movie (I don't think) sent me a picture of someone who stuck an asparagus in a pot and drew a face on it to be Groot. She knew i must have seen it.
And yes, hands down. Second is Cap 2. This one was just funny and fun, reminded me of all the action-comedies of the 80s that no one makes any more.
rebootI730 says
Geek mass market media is pretty much the only mass market media my film snob friends do not sniff at.
celette482 says
I don't know this for certain, but I think if you are a USian and say "I hate all the Marvel movies" your passport will be taken away and you'll be deported to an ice floe. (You can dislike some, but you have to like at least one- it's the 28th Amendment)
eselle28 says
My parents haven't even seen any of them and do not recognize the names of most of the actors involved, including Robert Downey Junior. I found this out when my mother was puzzling over why several infants she knew had been named Scarlett and I suggested it might have something to do with Scarlett Johannson.
celette482 says
Presumably then they cannot hate them.
eselle28 says
They don't like at least one, however!
(And hush, I'm trying to get a free Antarctic vacation here…)
celette482 says
that's morally unacceptable, hand over your passports and say hello to the penguins.
slidebytheside says
X-Men 1 was okay, but the rest[1] you can keep.
[1] Although, Days of Future Past was an interesting exercise in debooting a franchise.
LurkingGhest says
I think this must be true. I know someone who is a rightwing evangelical and thinks Star Wars/Trek are evil because Jesus is not compatible with aliens, but for some reason she likes at least some of the Marvel movies.
dahllaz says
Cap 2 is my overall favorite, but Guardians is so much damn fun. It's been a great year for Marvel movies.
slidebytheside says
re Adele: I would be the first. Overwrought torch songs just don't do anything for me.
Georgia_D says
Me too. I can't stand her in the slightest!
rebootI730 says
Reading and participating in this blog and commentary. And Pringles. Not sure what it is about Pringles.
embertine says
Ahahaha, all of this. And knowing that this blog isn't aimed at me, that I'm not really learning anything I need to from reading it, and STILL I cannot keep away. Still healthier than downloading pictures of Santiago Cabrera from Twitter. WHAT HE IS BEAUTIFUL
rebootI730 says
Glad I am not alone in this! I do not need it, I learn nothing, but it is oddly addictive for me
enail0_o says
Some of the general social skills stuff is helpful to me, but that's not why I'm reading it.
enail0_o says
Good one, reboot! ๐
Gentleman Johnny says
Definitely seconded. Most of my "guilty" pleasures (see below) I totally own up to. This one is always sort of "So there's this online <mumble> dating blog </mumble> for nerd guys that I follow. . ."
nearly_takuan says
Yup. Occasionally someone I know will link me here and I'll just act like "oh, huh, that's an interesting site."
ziddydee says
yeah internet comment discussions are definitely my biggest guilty pleasure. I've actually had to stop myself from commenting for months at a time to scale the addiction back.
eselle28 says
Terrible pop music.
celette482 says
Of what era?
I have an unhealthy for an adult NSYNC collection but I'm woefully under-informed on most modern pop. I do however listen to an embarrassing amount of current pseudo-alternative (maybe that is what passes for pop these days)
eselle28 says
I'm talking Demi Lovato and One Direction type pop.
I get the feeling that liking pop music from a decade or more ago is generally pretty excused, even if it's music that was really condemned at the time. But I do agree that music snobbery has reached a point where everyone's a little embarrassed about their tastes.
celette482 says
I have a demi lovato song on regular rotation. No one direction though. I miiiiight have a Justin Bieber song. I might. But it was for a different purpose, I swear.
eselle28 says
I'm looking at my phone, and I don't see a single Bieber song there. I suddenly feel a little bit better. Lots of Rihanna and Taylor Swift, though, and two Miley Cyrus songs.
celette482 says
No Miley Cyus. Yes Rihanna, though going back to my college days Rihanna, and yes Taylor Swift but I live in Nashville, it's in the move-in contract. I do have some miley cyrus as interpreted by Postmodern Jukebox. Holy shit, I AM a hipster
Starfury says
Nashville? Whoa. I live about an hour away from you…
celette482 says
Did you have to sign the "I will listen to some version of country music" clause too?
Starfury says
I didn’t really need to, it just floats around in the air. The closest I come to it on purpose is “Hey Brother” (which remids me of The Walking Dead for some reason) and a Taylor Swift song.
celette482 says
Actually no. Here's the thing, with today's hipster hate, I submit that there's no way to actually enjoy music without being slightly embarrassed about it. Either it's legitimately awful or it's good and you feel bad because you're worried people will judge you for being a hipster music snob. Either way, all music is a guilty pleasure.
rebootI730 says
Crappy dance club music, especially when driving
eselle28 says
Oh, yes, I have lots of that as well. Anything easily digestible with a good beat makes it on my commuting playlist.
embertine says
That "Totally Addicted to Bass" song.
eselle28 says
That one too, even after reading and agreeing with Jenny Trout's critique of it. I remind myself that it's okay to like problematic things sometimes.
embertine says
Isn't that "All About That Bass"?
eselle28 says
Oh, sorry. Reading too quickly is another vice of mine.
embertine says
Although THAT song is about literally jonesing for music, so it is not entirely problematicousnessicity*-free
*totally a word
Autumnesque says
With you there.
I own up to it, but how volubly I own up to it varies depending on the audience and my own level of brazenness at the moment.
Al Goehring says
Gucci Mane mixtapes.
Robjection says
This song.
Chiclet says
Eating popcorn for dinner. Don't look at me like that, I'm an adult, I can do these things.
embertine says
Apparently, there is such a thing as cheesy popcorn. I think that could legitimately be considered a dinner item.
enail0_o says
Corn is a vegetable, so it's legit. Also, chocolate is a bean.
embertine says
And margaritas are one of your five-a-day!
eselle28 says
Pizza is a well-balanced meal because it includes items from all the food groups.
embertine says
Plus, it is its own plate, so it is efficient as well as delicious.
eselle28 says
I may have eaten cold pizza for breakfast within the past month. I had just moved and was hungry and there was nothing else…but man, was it good.
@kleenestar says
Cold pizza is my favorite breakfast. My husband makes endless fun of me but OH MY GOD SO GOOD.
celette482 says
Circles are the perfect shape. Therefore Pizza is the perfect food.
embertine says
And if it's a pepperoni pizza, it's circles within circles. I actually feel like eating pizza is a religious experience now.
celette482 says
It totally is. When you cut it into slices, you get a triangle, which is another really significant shape
We should form a rival to the Spaghetti Monster- the Pizza Being
eselle28 says
I feel I'm being touched by its cheesy appendages at this very moment.
slidebytheside says
Also educational: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm9LgDf8Ibk
Marty Farley says
https://changinginthecity.files.wordpress.com/201…
Nichole says
I eat popcorn for dinner all the time! Well, not ALL the time, but you know what I mean. It's so easy and delicious! Sometimes I eat an apple with it, ya know, to make it a "well rounded" meal ๐
enail0_o says
My worst guilty pleasure (and probably one of the few that I actually feel ashamed of, other than that I FEEL NO SHAME) is dumbass fluff "news" articles. 9 Ways Dish Towels are Destroying Your Health? World's Most Expensive Tapioca? Bring it on.
Other than that, I have a disturbing love of generic alternative music (I don't' mean the good stuff, I'm talking about the totally bland crap), cooking reality shows and advice columns (hello, this site!). Also, I started watching The Quest (fantasy novel-style quest as a reality show) b/c I thought it would be cheesy and laughable, but turned out to find it totally, unironically entertaining and fascinating. All the contestants are so into it! It's just like the sort of game I'd want to make, if I had a huge budget and the producers of LOTR at my disposal! :D.
celette482 says
I felt that way about Sleepy Hollow- started out as an ironic hate watch and turned into our favorite new show.
Also, please tell me these are real fluff news stories. ARE MY DISH TOWELS SAFE??? I MUST KNOW!!!
eselle28 says
Yeah, these days I like Sleepy Hollow unironically and without embarrassment. I've recommended it to many friends.
The Outlander is quickly working its way up from a "look at the hot guy and hope he takes his shirt off" watch to a genuine favorite as well.
celette482 says
I AM SO MAD THAT I DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO STARZ.
That is all.
Marty Farley says
Does Outlander count if we are not embarrassed about liking it, at all, even vaguely?
eselle28 says
I think there needs to be some level of embarrassment for something to be a guilty pleasure. I'd consider things like Sleepy Hollow and Outlander to be…misidentified guilty pleasures, or maybe things that grew out of being guilty pleasures? I tuned into Outlander to look at sex scenes between pretty people, which comes with at least a minor bit of embarrassment for me (I'm still working through my hangups about enjoying romance), so I'd say at that point it was a guilty pleasure. It stopped being one when I decided it was actually a really good show.
enail0_o says
I consider something a guilty pleasure if I have to turn off a certain part of my brain to be able to enjoy it, or if I know a lot of people whose opinions I respect would think poorly of it on first glance.
enail0_o says
Sorry, I made them up. But I can make up whether or not your dish towels are safe, too, if you like.
celette482 says
Please do. Otherwise I'm setting them on fire and my fiance will think I'm crazy and not marry me and then my life will be ruined forever and also I'll be in prison for arson.
enail0_o says
They're safe, as long as you don't hang them in different places in the kitchen in rainbow order counterclockwise, in which case, they cause cavities.
Gentleman Johnny says
I thought Supernatural was going to be a guilty pleasure but the first seven seasons or so (Netflix) really had some cool stuff going on under the sexy 20-somethings soap opera hood. Its a very loving treatment of a working class, road side America culture that's vanishing. Its a great treatment of the traveling do-gooders in the spirit of The Fugitive or The A-Team.
embertine says
But seriously though, what IS the world's most expensive tapioca? I imagine it has something to do with Gwyneth Paltrow….
enail0_o says
I'm going to say it's made with ground pearl dust and finished with gold leaf.
embertine says
Still like gobbling handfuls of lukewarm frogspawn though, I expect?
enail0_o says
…it depends. Do I like gobbling handfuls of lukewarm frogspawn? If I do, then yes, much like.
embertine says
You just made my entire digestive system cry. Downvote! Downvote on you, downvote on your cow, downvote on your whole family!
celette482 says
I'm thumbs upping both for tapioca hate and for Mushu love.
embertine says
And yet polenta, which is EXACTLY THE SAME THING, is delicious. Go figure.
celette482 says
Nope. Polenta is corn, which as previously discussed is food. Tapioca is made of the tears of children.
embertine says
Wow, you're right, it even says so on Wikipedia.
enail0_o says
Wait, I have a cow now?? …and it's already getting downvotes. Poor cow. ๐
Dr_NerdLove says
I donโt know what The Quest is or what channel itโs on but I NEED TO WATCH THIS NOW.
enail0_o says
You do, it's fucking awesome. One of the contestants wrote a ballad about the fantasy world and everyone is shown unironically listening to her sing and enjoying it in one scene.
I don't know what channel either, but I don't have any form of cable and I get it, so it must be a pretty common channel… thought it could be a Canadian one (not a Canadian show, I don't think, though, so it must be out there somewhere).
Google tells me it's on ABC. Everyone needs to be watching this show, I can't be alone in this.
Gentleman Johnny says
http://abc.go.com/shows/the-quest
I'm going to check this out over the weekend!
thebearpelt says
Crappy reality TV shows and crappy pop music.
Patrick Sanders says
Journey.
celette482 says
I think it's written in our DNA to sing along to Journey when it comes on the radio. I cannot help myself, that's for certain.
Gentleman Johnny says
Don't stop belEEEEEEEEEEEEvin'!
Dr_NerdLove says
Let me make this better for all of you:
@MikeyWithNoName says
I own both Dead Or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball 1 & 2.
One of my jams is "You Spin Me Round" by Dead Or Alive (unrelated to the games).
I cried when I watched Tuck Everlasting and A Walk To Remember.
I have a Tumblr and some other stuff…
i.imgur.com/FZclfFO.gif
inertia says
I liked Tuck Everlasting
inertia says
I am not ashamed of this, but I don't think a lot of people get it, even fellow Canadians….
I love Watching the sport Curling.
I get wrapped up in the strategy.
enail0_o says
You are a better Canadian than I.
embertine says
I am British and I ADORE curling. It is nearly as ridiculous as cricket, and therefore has a special place in my heart.
Conreezy says
Cricket is awfully ridiculous, with it's five day games.
MapWater says
As a Scot, I love me some Curling. It's great fun! I just wish I didn't get weird looks from Aussies that ignore the fact one of their big sports is Lawn Bowls. Hell, I like Bowls a lot too, but talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
Gentleman Johnny says
Curling is awesome! There's something very zen about the whole thing.
StarlightArcher says
I'm a Texan and I love Curling! Which is why I tend to be shunned when I go out in public- especially during pigskin season. The winter Olympics are always a weird time for me and the general public. I want to talk about luge, skeleton, curling and mogul skiing, and most of them react like I'm speaking gibberish.
ggobsessed says
Dude, curling is AWESOME. And I am not even Canadian (but i did go to McGill, where curling was an actual….thing. At least when i was there,)
wjmorris3 says
My guilty pleasure might be the odd news stories that look like they belong in The Onion. Makes me look and say at least I'm not that person.
WaywardSon01 says
Yeah I sometimes indulge in that too. I also like posting on blog comment sections a lot and like it when my comments rack up high scores. I kinda like the boost to my ego those little rising numbers gives me, I don't get that sorta validation a lot. :p I also like metacommentary and ribbing upon my own foibles whenever possible ๐
embertine says
Well, in that case I feel obliged to upvote you. ๐
adamhunter1223 says
I plunge into the depths of tumblr to find the worst of the worst. Insane social justice warriors telling people to use gender neutral pronouns when talking about animals? Awesome. Quadgendered, bacteriosexual, otherkin with 'they/their' pronouns and 5.8×10^3 Triggers? Love it. Culture police telling people that taking a Spanish class if you're not Spanish or Hispanic is cultural appropriation and they need to stop? Bring. It. On.
Marty Farley says
O_O This WOULD be my guilty pleasure if I ever knew these existed. Share links, please?
When I finished my year in Japan, I got a yukata from my fellow teachers as a good-bye gift. The one time I wore it I got accused of cultural appropriation, and to this day I get too exhausted trying to figure out if that's true.
adamhunter1223 says
Just go to tumblr and search cultural appropriation, die cis scum, or social justice warrior. Cultural appropriation is particularly hilarious. Also, this blog: http://fuckyeahsocialjusticesally.tumblr.com/post…
Bas Kleijweg says
Cultural appropriation as we know it was theorized by Lipsitz, ergo it is a Western concept, thus it would be neo-colonialism to impose that philosophy on a gift that was given to you by Japanese folks.
adamhunter1223 says
Also, since I didn't say it earlier: anyone who tells you you can't wear an article of clothing you got as a gift can fuck right off.
Gentleman Johnny says
Well, since appropriation requires you to take something, I'd argue that anything given freely is not appropriated. Its certainly less culturally appropriative than taking martial arts classes.
Conreezy says
I have a similar thing with Nazi/alien conspiracy theories. The weirder, the better.
Gentleman Johnny says
Oh, I love conspiracy theories! I read Illuminatus Trilogy in high school. I just haven't had time to really keep up. Fortunately, the big ones are surprisingly consistent over time. Back when I would GM games, you'd better keep a flow chart because I made great conspiracies.
Conreezy says
I just looked up the Illuminatus Trilogy. I might have to pick it up.
WaywardSon01 says
Project Runway: Before even "Suited for Success" from MLP: Friendship is Magic (and no, it's not a "guilty" pleasure. Screw you haters (yes even you DNL :p) but that show's just plain fun! :D) this show got me to appreciate that fashion is just as much about artistry and creativity as animation or literature. Even if it does have a hint more drama and vapidness, fashion has its place in the world of respectable artistic professions ๐
Full Moon o Sagashite: Unbelievably girly, but a good bit more substantive than most shojo manga/anime and as corny as it sounds helps me out in my darkest periods of depression.
Song of the Lioness: Again, VERY girly series and the romance is hit or miss. At best, the romances are actually pretty refreshing in certain ways, usually it's okay but kinda hogs up pages from what could be taken up by exciting adventures, and at its very, VERY worst it brushes up against the worst cliches of Twilight. However it IS still an exciting and well crafted young adult series from before the days of Harry Potter and still WAY more substantive than a lot of its contemporaries…and frankly even a lot of YA fantasy series geared to girls that came afterwards. And for the record, no I have not read the other Tortall Universe books, but I intend to :).
Kushiel's Legacy: …the best way to describe this series would be "Fifty Shades of Grey if it A) Was set in a fantasy version of the 17th century, B) had well-written prose, C) a better (though still kinda unrealistic) depictions of BDSM, and D) was actually GOOD…." Still doesn't change the fact that one of the main reasons I like this series is I'm a kinky bastard into some very hardcore shit :p. Speaking of which…
Ultimatesurrender.com: No elaboration needed. WARNING! NSFW for all who are curious.
inertia says
I like to watch Project runway, I could do with out the drama, but I like to see what they make.
enail0_o says
Me too. Actually, any skill-based reality show except the singing ones (why is everyone so off-tune, even the good ones??) is kind of interesting to me, if only they wouldn't focus so much on drama.
Marty Farley says
So You Think You Can Dance is pretty darn good about avoiding any hint of drama after you're done with the call back part of the season. There are a few goofy clips of asking the contestants silly questions and stories, but I don't think I have ever seen any kind of dancer-on-dancer hate.
enail0_o says
Yes, my wife got me into SYTYCD a couple of seasons ago, and now I'll actually clear room in my (admittedly, not very busy) schedule to watch it. HOW DO THEY DO THOSE THINGS???
Gentleman Johnny says
I miss Who Wants To Be A Superhero. It was the opposite of drama. People would get asked who they think should leave and they'd say "no one". People would sacrifice themselves to help their team mates get ahead etc.
inertia says
Of the Singing Ones I can only really like the voice… I recognized siggers in the first three seasons from before they were on the show… Dia Frampton, Julliet Simms, Joe Kirkland, Tony Vincent. The First three from the indie musci scene and Tony Vincent I had seen in We Will Rock You
Marty Farley says
Yeah I fast forward through all of the confessions and mute the dialogue for the work room except when Tim Gunn is talking. Ya know those awful statements about how they don't pay models to think? Well, they don't pay clothing designers to talk-GO BACK TO SHOWING YOUR FANTASTIC RUCHING TECHNIQUE.
Christine says
Actually, they do pay those designers to talk–as in, the contestants have to do whatever they are told to do. It's the producers and editors who include the discussions and comments that we are not interested in (including the stupid designer vote added). Just don't blame the designers. One of my friends was on a reality show (not Project Runway), and she said they are conned and manipulated into doing and saying all kinds of things that may or may not be included in the final version. I love Project Runway for the inspiration of creating something within the constraints (time, money, etc.), and I watch it when I need some extra motivation for something I'm working on.
WaywardSon01 says
Yeah, the drama is easily the worst part of Project Runway. It's why, as a sci-fi/fantasy fan my two UNguilty pleasures that take the best parts of Project Runway and tone down the worst are "Face/Off" and "Jim Henson's Creature Shop Challenge" (though they need to add immunities next season in the later case, since it's too easy for a good designer to get sunk by a weaker designer's mistakes in that show.)
WaywardSon01 says
Oh and one I forgot to mention: The original Conan the Barbarian stories by Robert E. Howard. So sexist, so racist, so blatant cheestastic male power fantasy….And yet…so awesome.
Aggrax says
I tried reading Kushiel's Legacy back in High School, but couldn't get through it. Been meaning to pick it up again. I really liked the authors other two-part series, Banewreaker and Godslayer. Both were interesting deconstructions on the general Tolkien plot a lot of fantasy tries to follow.
WaywardSon01 says
It is kinda dense stuff with a lot of politics and issues of sex and romance, but if you're up for a slower-paced read and are more intrigued by political maneuvering and spy stuff than pure action sequences (though it has some good ones there too), I'd say it's a pretty good series.
Nichole says
Yes, Project Runway! I love that show so much, I just wish they would quit the designer vote. It's dumb, because we already know what everyone thinks from the workroom anyway, and it seems like they only do it to have the judges vote the opposite to create controversy. Love the Tim Gunn vote though!
MapWater says
Unabashedly self-indulgent progressive rock. I love it to pieces. Admittedly, this is less guilty pleasure and something I'm told I should feel guilty about but fuck that noise. I've yet to meet someone in person who loves it as much as I do, outside my own father.
Some more legit guilty pleasures would be Dan Brown's books, Matt Reilly's books, the Witchblade comic series (and the anime *sigh*) and way too many Let's Play(s)(ers)
Bas Kleijweg says
Hate sites from all sides of the political spectrum, as long as they hate me. Knowing that you're pissing people off simply by living is strangely invigorating.
Megan Guiney says
I know right? As an atheist and a woman, i'm oddly transfixed by Orson Scott Card's blog as well as Return of Kings xD
Gentleman Johnny says
Some days I feel like I need a better caliber of enemies.
SandwichSlut says
The movie Armageddon.
slidebytheside says
Michael Bay before his head got big. I liked Deep Impact better, despite the absurd geography.
MapWater says
I dig Armageddon as well. And The Rock if we're talking Michael Bay.
Nichole says
I love your name, and yes, Armageddon!
slidebytheside says
Completely random aside: the first thing I noticed about the Christy Mack pic is that she shaved the side of her head.
LurkingGhest says
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! There's a lot of hate for this show. I can usually find people who like Aqua Teen Hunger Force or The Venture Bros, but everyone seems to think this show is annoying and stupid.
Blurgle says
Baseball clips on Youtube. Brawls, injuries, fans catching foul balls, home runs, Munenori Kawasaki, anything.
Gman says
Then let me help you with this:
http://youtu.be/oLnB4UVNoUQ
Gman says
Another great baseball clip that I just remembered (final one I promise, admins please don't ban I am not going to spam post):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orI26C05udY
Blurgle says
I saw that one, but I like the squirrel videos better. The beeswarm videos are good too.
Mitchell says
Iggy Azalea’s music.
Nichole says
LOVE. HER. She's all I've been listening to on Spotify for over a week!
rebootI730 says
Not a guilty pleasure, unless following political corruption trials is a guilty pleasure, but, although this would be outside the geek/nerd genre, I would be very interested in reading a DNL write up of the corruption trial against former Virginia governor Bob McDonnell. The defense is playing on a whole bunch of toxic gender stereotypes and other weirdness with the wife going under the bus in his defense. Personally I think they were both in on it, but find it fascinating that they picked this defense strategy.
A link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/bob-mcdonnell-…
slidebytheside says
Bob's a lawyer himself (of course), so he knows exactly what strategy will work best against the prosecution's fairly circumstantial case. It's all legal gamesmanship.
rebootI730 says
Exactly. This ain't his first rodeo so the narrative they are telling is one they think the jury will believe based on some pretty toxic gender narratives
slidebytheside says
Lawyers cynically appealing to popular stereotypes? Completely shocking, and the basis for an episode of Law & Order next season.
@blackmathnerd says
Ariana Grande's music. Could put me in a trance by listening to her voice.
That and I still read Naruto works.
Megan Guiney says
Kaichou wa maid-sama! (im mostly a shonen person), hate-reading Return of Kings as well as Orson scott card's blog, and rupaul's drag race… go figure xD
Gentleman Johnny says
Jack Chick tracts, I used to keep a collection in my desk at work. Clive Barker's Nightbreed, Six String Samurai, bad 80's pop music like Take On Me and We Built This City On Rock And Roll, Welcome To Night Vale and a few others but I'm not realy guilty about them.
LARPing (recently re-acquired) is probably the only one I'm a bit guilty about. Its just so over the top geeky, running around killing zombies with Nerf guns. On the other hand, there's something cool about healing people with the power of rock and roll magic.
Survivor: everything you need to know bout how people act in a scarcity situation, you can learn by watching Survivor.
slidebytheside says
Aaaah, Six-String… aka Elvis Costello battles Slash for control of the Downunderverse.
LARPing: you must open by playing the Mortal Kombat theme on a boombox at max volume. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egne2ZCMM_0
BiSian says
Heehee, I used to read Chick tracts. Luckily most of them are available online now so there's no proof!
Bas Kleijweg says
This seems pretty interesting to read: http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/08/20/ozys-anti-he…
Mel_ says
Not on topic (but then, this is the open thread, so…)–I saw this article and thought people here might find it interesting. A woman posted photos of herself made up and dressed in different styles across a week on OKCupid to see how the responses she got would differ (and they did): http://www.bustle.com/articles/36369-i-dressed-as…
Gentleman Johnny says
I'm conflicted about this article. On the one hand, I don't disagree with her conclusions. On the other hand, I feel like she treats style as something that happens in a vacuum. The overall gist of each reply set maps to about what was expected, by and large because the groups who use those styles regularly are trying to send that particular message (I'm like macabre things, I'm a party person, I like crystals and psychadelics etc). Especially on an OKC profile with a very short description, your pictures are a way of conveying information about you to the audience of anyone who drops by. So while she takes away from it "people are shallow", I take away from it "be conscious of what message your look is broadcasting and use that".
eselle28 says
I found the "people form conclusions about your personality based on your choice of clothing and makeup" bit to be the least interesting aspect of the article. But maybe that's because I've played with Tinder and have realized that absent much other information, I can use pictures to form reasonably useful predictions about people's tastes and personas.
What's most interesting to me is how many people thought it was their business to tell her what kinds of pictures to use.
Mel_ says
Yeah, that's how I was thinking it was relevant–especially given that there've been some conflicting opinions on how much the way you present yourself affects your dating chances. I figured it might be useful to see an example of how the exact same person can get very different responses based on a relatively simple change in appearance.
TheWisp says
Yeah, I thought her conclusion was BS. Clothing IS communication. Otherwise, there would be no correlation between types of people and types of clothes. Nothing shallow about judging people based on what they communicate.
ETA: I'm also surprised at the reactions to "I woke up like this", that was the most attractive in my opinion.
ETA2: Upon rereading, I was very offended that she called people who respond to one's look "horrible". Seriously? She's kinda a jerk.
eselle28 says
That's depressingly just what I expected. Strong preferences for classic and manic pixie dream girl looks, sexual advances for the nightclub look, and lots of policing and "helpful" suggestions by people of both genders.
Conreezy says
"Can you teach me about crystal healing?"
That made me laugh.
MapWater says
Interesting. Thanks for sharing that.
On a side note, I get the 'sickly' comment all the time. I suppose it's quite different since I'm a guy, but I've had more than one person on the train come up to me and ask if I'm feeling alright because I look 'sickly'. That's a real boost to self-image, I can tell you.
@Ospero79 says
The Eurovision Song Contest. I don't know if "guilty" is the right word, but as a straight man, I'm definitely in the periphery demographic. But I love everything about it – the number crunching and ridiculous number of pointless statistics, the truly ridiculous songs and performances as well as the actual musical gems you can unearth (and there's usually at least one per year).
I'll also chime in with the MLP:FiM people. Maybe I'm destroying it for its target audience simply by existing as an adult male fan (and yes, I've seen tumblr posts that expressed precisely that opinion), but I love the show.
Bas Kleijweg says
It's safe to say you don't. The cons are kid-friendly, the R34 stuff is behind proper filters if you have Safe Search on and the worst elements of the fandom typically hate the display of powerlevels. Bronybux help fund better quality merch and fan content helps the target demographic across the hiatus.
Grill power pegasisters versus MRA bronies is very much confined to the usual groups in the culture wars and have little spillover to the outside world, save to fill up space in a clickbait rag from time to time.
ziddydee says
My guilty pleasure is secondhand shopping. It is absolutely ridiculous how much money I spend on buying secondhand and thrift store clothes, accessories, home goods, etc. (at least I still keep it below a credit card debt point).
nearly_takuan says
Other than having become a fairly regular user/consumer of these forums, I like to listen to childish "funny" songs. The Barenaked Ladies' "Snack Time" is second only to "Maroon" in the albums of theirs I listen to a lot. The only Axis of Awesome songs I don't like are the ones with gratuitous vulgarity, even though I consider almost all of them stupid and childish. (Phone$ is probably their most sophisticated so far, and it's a single joke that repeats. I still like it approximately as much as the song it's a parody of.) Similar story with a lot of other one-joke bands: Paul & Storm, No More Kings, Jim's Big Ego, etc. Maybe the "worst" is Bowling For Soup because they're also excessively generic pop-punk.
@recesnap says
I like Tom Minchin's take on 'guilty pleasures': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mauSlegCuWw
@recesnap says
Or, in fact, TIM Minchin's.
MapWater says
Off-topic stuff is allowed to I need to whinge about something. Feel free to ignore or comment. I whined about this on the forums when they were around, but hey, I haven't kicked it yet.
I just don't feel like I belong, like I'm an imposter no matter where I go. I love my work but I'm the youngest there by about ten years – everyone is married, in a relationship, have children etc. Outside of work itself, I relate about as well to everyone as a rock does to water.
When it comes to friends, well, I do have better luck with them than my work colleagues but I don't have many close friends. Only two, and both of them are going through their own problems right now that I support them with but I don't feel comfortable unloading this crap on them (this is somewhere I'm not moving position on – both of them have enough on their plate I am NOT giving them my shit to deal with).
Of the 'subcultures' I belong to, well, I have a love / hate relationship with all of them.
Music lovers? Most of them are actual muscians in some way or another. My father is a rather famous muscian and I get bombarded with "Do you play as well?", "Do you sing?", "What kind of music do you play?" when I meet anyone in his / general musical circles. In actual fact, I play nothing. Zip. Nada. The moment I tell people this fact, which I'm honestly pretty happy about sharing, there's this awkward moment of "Oh. Disappointing." over half the time. There's an expectation I'm clearly failing at here. It doesn't help that my taste alienate me from a decent portion of people my age. Yeah, I do like a ton of modern stuff, but sharing it is a chore when nobody is interested from the off.
Nerds / gamers? To not get to vulgar, I'd rather not associate with them at large even if I know I am one. There's too much poison and toxicity in the groups I've been a part of, seen and see everyday either in person or online to see it being worthwhile to consider myself a nerd. I'm sure that makes a lot of people who hates 'labels' happy but it means I feel disconnected from nerd culture at large.
Whenever I spend time with any group I'm a part of, I just feel like I'm the tagalong. It's nice in some ways – I'm a loner by nature and it means people don't have many expectations of me when it comes to socialisation and such. But it also means when I do want to be social, I either don't know how or I feel like I'm imposing on others as some faker that just hangs around because he hasn't got anywhere else to go. The latter is definitely in my head, but telling myself that nothing.
Anyway, I'm just waffling at this point. I needed to write this and write this I did. If anyone can relate, share your experiences if you want. If you feel like you have advice, by all means I'm open to it. I'm sick of feeling alone even when I surround by people I know give a shit about me.
enail0_o says
One thing that helped me with feeling like that was realizing that a lot of people don't actually fit perfectly into that one box that you' think of them as belonging to either, that everyone's kind of faking it sometimes or trying different things out that aren't really 'them.' Not every Gryffindor is all about bravery, not every Hufflepuff is an enthusiastic team player.
MapWater says
I think a lot of my problem stems from being what I would call 'sloppy seconds friendship' in that I don't exactly hang around with anyone enough to be but an after thought. I'm certainly friends with people, but I'm in no one but my two best friends inner circles. I don't think I suit being a social butterfly or anything, but I get caught up in wondering if I'm doing something wrong somehow and pushing people away. Or I'm just not all that appealing. I'm inclined to say it's a little from column A and a little from column B, mixed with stubbornness.
inertia says
I never really fit into any group I floated between many groups from high school on wards so I have friends in many places…. but it seems to be a complete headache getting people together If I want to say do something for my birthday (which my 28th was yesterday) and 3/4 of the people who said yes last month bailed for the thing I planned for last weekend… It makes me wonder why I bother… Especially when my birthday is so closed to the end of summer when everyone seems to want to go away or go to the cottage or something…. it upsets me before, but then when it happens I know that the people who matter most are the ones that show up…. and then every one else wants to do something solo at some other point.
Some how when ever I seem to get down about feeling alone, the universe also some how gives me what I need. I run into someone I know… Have a really good conversation… and then I forget why I was feeling down, most of the time, or I get wrapped up in a creative pursuit and I feel better.
MapWater says
I find birthdays are okay for me when it comes to gathering people. Anything else I may as well go by myself so I've given up trying. That's probably incredibly self-defeating but I waste too much time trying to organise things that no one seems to be interested in so I'll just suit myself from now on.
I wish I could escape that funk so easily; I sink right back into feeling lonely even when little sparks of brilliance like that occur. That said, the funks always pass and I just return to being indifferent to it all. But I can't deliberately shake it – I need to weather it for the day or two it lasts.
HermitTheToad says
I too feel a disconnect with most people since I don't know how to initiate close relationships. I don't relate to the culture that most people around me would've grown up in, making things more complicated.
I sometimes think about who I'd reach out to if I needed help/comfort during a crisis or a difficult situation. It's uncomfortable to think that I'd be isolated in the near future and I wouldn't know what to do with myself then.
MapWater says
Outside about five people, I'd be pretty isolated. Three of those five are family, so that's not exactly a confidence booster.
mgm531 says
The Princess Bride. Gives me a warm fuzzy feeling every time I watch it. So many great movie quotes.