7 Crutch Phrases you should burn from your vocabulary.

 Crutch phrases are probably one of the most obnoxious things ever.  You're smarter than that, you don't need a phrase that you say repeatedly to make your point.  When you use the same phrase over and over, you're not just annoying me, but probably a bunch of other people as well.   There's tons of them out there--and if you haven't noticed them.. you will now. 

**Remember, annoying crutch phrases include but are not limited to these seven:

"At the end of the day"-- This one really gets me.  Why at the end of the day? Can something be a valid teaching at the beginning of the day? What about the middle of the day? Why can't you make your point at any time of the day and still have it be legitimate?  The end of the day is a good time to reflect, but how about you nix the time frame and just move on with what you were saying. 

"Period end of story"-- How about, you just stop talking?  Rather than saying it's the end, just end.  That's okay too.  An abrupt halt will come across just as strong and you avoid this annoying cliche. 

"It is what it is"-- This little gem is code for "I screwed up, and I don't have a way of fixing it."  So you did your job wrong, and you don't feel like fessing up to it and finding a solution, you just go with "it is what it is."  Guess what? It's also not what it's not.  What's your point?  I find that 90% of the time I hear someone say this it's because they did their job wrong. 

"In all fairness"-- Alright, this one barely even makes sense.  How about we practice always rationalizing in all fairness, this way we don't have to dictate when we are or aren't using fairness in our judgement.  Then, everyone is on the same page and you don't have to say this every time you start a sentence. 

"Needless to say"-- So... if it's needless to say.. then why are you saying it?  It's like that little part in the Declaration of Independence when our forefathers stated "We hold these truths to be self-evident." So self-evident that we had to write them down? 

"I mean"-- This one is especially annoying when a sentence is started out by saying "I mean." So.. I'm just going to go ahead and assume you mean everything you're saying.  And if you don't mean it, how about you don't say it?  "I mean, I really want people to stop using crutch phrases."  Does that add anything to my point that I want people to stop using crutch phrases or would you guys just believe me if I said I really want people to stop using crutch phrases.  If you haven't heard this one used, turn on Keeping Up With the Kardashians for about.. 30 seconds.  Then you'll know what "I mean"

"Honestly?"-- You know when you ask someone a question and before they answer they say "honestly?" Well, I certainly didn't ask you that question so that you could lie to me, so yes, please be honest.  I asked you this question so that I could know what YOUR answer was.  

"You know what I'm sayin'?"-- Why yes, I do think I "know what you're saying."  You can ask every once in a while, but you don't need to end each sentence you say by asking "You know what I'm saying?" I can keep up with what you're saying just fine.  And.. if I can't, why don't I just stop you and let you know? This way you can string more than one sentence together at a time, and I believe I have enough intellect to still know what you're saying.

Keep in mind, these 7 crutch phrases are not the only annoying crutch phrases.  Any phrase you say more than three times in a conversation I'm sure has annoyed the person with whom you're having the conversation.   

Well, that's what I had brewing this time.  Don't forget to follow me on Twitter!  @mkbeer08

Tween Idols-- Destined for Disaster?

Brenda Song

It was recently reported that Disney Channel star Brenda Song is pregnant with the baby of Miley Cyrus's half brother Trace Cyrus.  

After reading about this "scandal" I just got to thinking about how many tween idols wind up in scandal and, in turn, are scrutinized for acting in a manner that does not coincide with the values of the networks they work for.

A few examples that came to mind were:

• When Jamie Lynn Spears became pregnant while working on Nickelodeon, and in turn her show was canceled.
• When Miley Cyrus was exposed on TMZ as a smoker of what she alleged to be salvia.
• Anything that Lindsay Lohan does.

• Demi Lavato punched one of her backup dancers in the face and was sent to an inpatient rehab for cutting, multiple eating disorders, and anger management. 

Now, I am just as guilty as the next guy of feeding in to the gossip of these young ladies and reading article after article of what kind of trouble any one of them has gotten into as of late.  But once I really got to thinking about it I really do wonder what about these unfortunate situations peaks my interest.  Clearly others are both literally and figuratively on the same page as I am--but why?  Does it make us bad people? Why indulge in the irony that is the behavior of these tween idols? Other than those of us who suffer from mild to severe schadenfreude. 

scha·den·freu·de

 [shahd-n-froi-duh]

noun

satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune.

I'm sure the pressure of the lime light is nothing any layperson could understand.  Therefore it's hard to say how we would act if given the opportunity.  I can't speak for the other People Magazine subscribers, but for me it is hard to sympathize with someone who makes the argument that their life is too hard when they make more money in a week than I'll probably see in a lifetime.   On Demi Lavato's Disney show "Sonny with a Chance" she made $12,000 an episode.  Her net worth is about $3 million.  

Meanwhile, there were 5,364 foreclosures in Minnesota in Quarter One of 2011. That's not to say that the people in those situations always make the right decision or something. I just think I'd rather be in the first situation, than the second.  So in that sense, It's easy to look at these tween idols and say "oh poor you." 

That being said, usually these tween stars are just kids themselves and before I sat down to write this blog entry I never actually sat and thought about that part.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen there is some sensitivity somewhere inside me.  The more mature you are the easier it is to gain perspective, which is, I think, a contributing factor to the "downfall" of these stars.  

 Alright, so where's this leave us?  I'd say tabloid stories, yellow journalism and gossip columns will always sell, and people (myself included) will keep reading it, but in the back of my mind and somewhere deep down my little heart (that has been rumored to be two sizes too small) just might grow for them.. perhaps not three sizes though.. 

 

So there you have it! That's what I've been brewing up.  Don't forget to follow me on Twitter! @mkbeer08.