Karina Lombard

Karina Lombard

Obsession Level: So We Meet Again...

By now you know about my obsession with the L Word.  When I first started watching the show it was with two friends.  One had never seen it before and the other was an addict already.  It took me being forced to watch a few episodes before I actually began to like the show, but soon I was looking forward to Girl's Night when both friends would arrive, snacks and beverages in hand, and we'd settle down to watch.  There was, of course, a lot of chatting that went on during the show about who liked who, who was the least liked character (always Tina), etc.

The one who had watched the show for ages loved Bette.  She absolutely adored her.  Bette could do no wrong in her opinion.  One night, after talking about Bette for a while, she decided to question me and the other friend about who we liked.  We both declared that we didn't know who we liked, but we could definitely say who we didn't like.  She kept insisting that wasn't good enough for her and that EVERYONE who watched the show had a favorite.  It was impossible to avoid.  

The other girl finally admitted to liking someone.  I think it was either Bette or Jenny.  I didn't want to admit who I liked, though, because I thought I'd get mercilessly teased since no one had mentioned liking this character at all.  I was intrigued by Marina.  I finally did admit it, and luckily I wasn't teased, but I was asked to explain why since she doesn't seem to be very well-liked.

To me, she's fascinating.  There are a lot of plot turns that revolve around her and sometimes you want to hate her but for some reason she makes it very difficult to hate her.  Needless to say, I was not happy when she left the show, but I was thrilled with her cameo appearances later.

After watching the show a few more times, I decided to look up the actress and see if there was anything interesting that she had been in.  I didn't remember ever having seen Karina Lombard before.  

What I did find out was interesting.  She was born in Tahiti to a European father and a Native American mother.  At about the age of one her parents split up and her father took the children to Europe where she grew up in various countries and was educated in Swiss boarding schools.  She speaks something like five languages fluently.  That explains a lot.  We could never figure out where she was from since her accent didn't really "go" with any one country.  Now I understand why.  She was mostly a model, but she's done a little acting with roles like "Girl on beach" being the most common types with a few bigger roles sprinkled in.  She's also a singer, but she sings in French.  

I also found out that she was on Legends of the Fall.  I had seen the movie once, but I guess I hadn't noticed her that time.  That meant, of course, that I had to go back and watch the movie...and yep, there she was.  She plays Isabel Two.  

After indulging also in watching quite a few interviews with her (thanks YouTube), I think this could really develop into a new obsession for me.  She hasn't done a lot, but I'm sure that I'm going to be exploring what she has done!  

The Obsession How-To Guide

The Obsession How-To Guide

A Step By Step Instruction Guide to Understanding Obsessions and Developing Obsessions for the Non-Obsessive Individual

 This is not going to be a regular obsession post as I'm not really inspired by anything during today's lunch/blog break.  Instead, I was inspired to do something a little different today for your entertainment and reading pleasure.

First, the back story as to what brought me to write this.  I was having a conversation with a friend and we were discussing possible future purchases for home entertainment collections.  My friend suggested that rather than continue to feed my obsessions, I branch out and offer a wider a variety of viewing material to people who may be interested in watching a movie at my house.  She suggested that people might not be interested in the same things/actors/actresses that I was interested in, yet they found themselves with very little to choose from if that was the case and they wanted to watch a film at my house.  

I had never considered this before.  No one has ever voiced a problem with my obsessions before.  Yes, there are many recurring themes and faces throughout my movie collection, but it is a surprisingly large collection with a wide variety of genres to choose from.  

Needless to say, I mulled over the idea for a bit before completely rejecting it.  If I'm going to purchase movies for my collection, then the only really important thing is that I like my movies.  (Yes, there was a little toddler voice inside my head that said that.)

That being said, it did make me think.  There are, perhaps, many people out there that aren't obsessive like me.  They probably don't understand what it's like or how it happens.  What if these poor souls are obsessive but don't want to admit it?  What if they want to exercise their obsessiveness but don't know how to go about it?

Well, here's your handy dandy guide to both understanding obsession, living with it, and developing it.  ENJOY!

I read somewhere the other day (or saw it on television?) that internet addiction is chemical and genetic, like addiction to drugs or alcohol.  Basically, it's another great thing that science has found that we can blame our parents for.  Thanks science, parents everywhere love you.

So if that's the case, then I thought that obsessive traits could also be genetic (and therefore you can blame your parents for all your obsessions).  

Step one to the entire process which follows is this: Stop denying your obsessive personality.  Embrace it.  You are who you are, and unless you are stalker-type obsessive you're not hurting anyone.

 Now, don't you feel better about yourself?  Now that you've let go of the denial and have fully embraced your obsessive personality, you can move on to step two: Identify your obsession.

This step is not as easy as you might think.  Obsessions can come in many shapes and sizes.  If you're just accepting yourself as an obsessive person then you make take a little more time with this step.  It's OK, it's not a race.  Take as much time as you like.  Remember, this is a process you will repeat many times in your life.  

Once you have identified your obsession, or once you have encountered a new obsession, you may proceed to the next step.  Feed your obsession.

This can be done in a variety of ways, and some of them depend on the obsession.  Times have changed with technology, so feeding obsessions is now easier than ever before.  Though the tools used to feed obsessions may change, the overall methodology remains more or less the same.  You'll need to identify key aspects of your obsession before you proceed.  Once you are familiar with the process this will be automatic, however, until you reach that point I've provided some sample questions that you can explore.

1.  Is it a person, place, or thing?  
2.  Are there pictures or video available?
3.  Will you be looking for music?
4.  Are television and film important?
5.  Is it a food?  If it is, should you indulge often or feed your obsession sparingly?
6.  What possible sources of information are available to you?
7.  Is your obsession harmful to anyone or anything?

That should get you started on feeding your obsession.  I'd like to add here a disclaimer for questions number 5.  If your obsession is a food product, then I do NOT recommend feeding your obsession as often as I would for any other possible obsession.  It could be harmful to your health...unless maybe you also have an obsession for exercise.  Also, if you answered YES to #7 then STOP NOW AND SEEK HELP.  I am only interested in promoting healthy obsessions.

Assuming that you have identified your obsession at this point and have also verified that it is not harmful to yourself or any other living creature, you can move on.  Usually for me the next part of the process happens in various different ways.  You'll need to mix and match and personalize for them to suit your particular needs.

1.  The Internet

Now that we've entered a world of technology where everything is always at our fingertips, the first stop for me is usually the internet.  Here I can find out background information on whatever I'm obsessing over.  I can also figure out how best to proceed in order to maximize the amount of information I can find.  

2.  The Television Guide

If your search results tell you that movies or television might be a place to find out more about your obsession, then you'll likely want to skip on over to the television guide to see when something of interest will be airing.  In ages past obsessives like me had to sit in the floor on Sundays with the guide and go page by page hilighting things that would be of interest.  Now you can find most guides electronically.  Pinpointing any upcoming viewing will help you further plan your attack.

3.  YouTube

In times past we also did not have YouTube.  However, the times have changed and this is a very handy tool for any obsessive individual.  YouTube puts many things at your fingertips that you wouldn't have been able to see otherwise.  This will help you to catch up on interviews and appearances you may not be able to find on current television.  This beautiful stockpile of media also offers you plenty of appearances you would have missed, music videos if your obsession is musical, and a wide variety of other possibilities.  Pace yourself with YouTube, however, and realize that you don't have to watch all the videos in one day.  You can come back.

4.  Books and Magazines

Ah, yes...the go-to classics.  Books and magazines never go out of style, and most of the time you can find plenty of stuff to read that will help feed your obsession.  You can also find Blogs, e-zines, etc. on the internet to add to your reading material.  This way your mind gets a little bit of a work out in between the viewing/listening marathons that you'll be doing.

5.  Music

If your obsession is a musical obsession, in addition to the steps that you have taken prior to this one, you'll want to try to listen to everything your obsession has to offer.  Go ahead and pile all the hits into your IPOD.  Then you can have your obsession on the go!  

6.  Movies and Television

If your obsession can be found in movies or on television, be prepared to boob out in front of the tube.  Many channels play a variety of shows and movies that are sure to feed most any obsession.  If you can't find it there, Netflix and Amazon are prime places to find what you're looking for, and you can always slowly add to your home entertainment collection.

Congratulations.  You have now accepted your obsessive personality and you know how to feed it. With a little practice you'll be adding obsessions to your life frequently and helping them to grow with time.  We sincerely welcome you to the club!!!

If you are a non-obsessive person (or if you are still in denial) dealing with obsessive individuals in your life, then you understand better now the process they are going through, but there are a few more things you need to know.

1.  Obsessive people are not broken.  They do not need to be fixed.  Furthermore they do not want you to try to fix them.  Chances are your obsessive friends would find you much more interesting if you would embrace your inner obsessions (and everyone has them).  If you're interested in this, please jump back to step 1 and proceed from there.

2.  No obsession is "cooler" than any other obsession.  An obsession is an obsession and each person will be obsessed with what most appeals to them.  Your secret obsessions may seem cooler to you, but they're not.  Anyone not obsessed with them will always find your obsessions just as lame as you find theirs.  Get over yourself.  

3.  You can suggest other possible obsessions, but be prepared for the obsessive person in your life to either reject them for lack of interest or to become obsessed with what you have suggested, thus leading them to restart the cycle.  If you don't like someone's obsession,  you can always suggest something to them, but there's no telling if that obsession will stick or not.  If it does, be prepared to let it run its full course.  Remember, obsessions are stronger in the beginning, and though they may be long-term, the intensity will die down a little after the initial cycle is complete.  

I hope  my little How-To Guide has been helpful to those who are obsessive, those who think they might be, and those who have to live with the ones of us who are.  Happy obsessing everyone!  

Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton

Obsession Level: Five Alarm Obsession

So, Dolly Parton is probably my longest running obsession.  My love of her started early, at about age 3 or so, and that was not just a few years ago.  I can't figure out how anyone can't love her.  Between her amazingly unique style, her beautiful voice, and her skills as a singer, writer, musician, and actress, she's all the way around IMPRESSIVE!  Not to mention that she's just a great person and her giggle is infectious.

My very first cassette tape was "Jolene" and I played it over and over in my plastic pink tape player.  I regularly received cassettes of hers from my parents as payment for straight As in school or other jobs well done.  I watched her on T.V. every chance I got, saw any movie that I was able to get my hands on, acted out scenes with her with my Barbies, and made her a part of almost all my "pretend" games.  

I read her autobiography, which I need to read again if I ever have time, since I'm sure that I was far too young at the time to really understand everything.  I even remember the point in life where I realized what some of her songs were about (since they covered themes that my brain couldn't comprehend at the time, though I made up very creative meanings for them), and I also realize the first time that I figured out what Best Little Whorehouse in Texas was about.  I'm sure I wasn't the only child who had an obsession with that "glamorous" life before I knew what they were actually "selling" at the Chicken Ranch.  LOL

I think maybe my only disappointment in regard to Dolly Parton had to do with my first visits to Dollywood and the Dixie Stampede.  Both are great places when you consider what they are supposed to be, but as a child I only knew that the brochures all had Dolly on them, and I thought they would be like meccas to Dolly where she must always be present and therefore be there for me to meet.  I was a little disappointed when I realized that I wasn't going to get to meet her, but I was easily soothed by a t shirt, which I still have.  It just goes to show that children are easily placated.  

I've been so crazy about her for so long that I've actually managed to drag people to her fan base, even people who "hate" country music.  You might not be a fan of country music, but I can't believe you wouldn't be a fan of Dolly Parton!  

I'm sure my obsession with her will be a recurring theme throughout  my posts here as I revisit obsessions with her movies, songs, etc.  

My Goals

Ok, so now  that I've finally figured out what I'm going to do for my Blog, I'm pretty excited.

Here's the background info.  I have a pretty addictive personality.  That's not to say that I'm addicted to designer drugs or substances, it's not that kind of addiction.  Rather, I get very interested in things very quickly. They are obsessions for me.  It might be a movie, actor, actress, T.V. show, hobby, food, song, singer, etc.  It could be anything.  When I'm really obsessed with something, I have to find out everything I can and bury myself in it.  Then, sometimes the obsession dies out, and sometimes it just goes latent because something else has come along.

Sometimes one obsession leads to another, and some of them are short lived.  I also try to explore the obsessions of my friends and family to find out if there's anything there that I like.

So this is what I'm going to do here, I'm going to talk about things that interest me and give my opinions on them.  Knowing me, there may be several blog posts a day on days like today where I have time to work on it. Other times they might be sparse.

I welcome questions and comments, but please be respectful of others, otherwise I'll be deleting your posts.  I'll be including pictures and such to make the blog visually stimulating.  I'll probably get those from Google images, so no copyright infringement intended.

If you read this, I hope you enjoy!

Introduction

Ok, so for ages I've wanted to blog.  I just thought it might be fun and offer a bit of stress relief.  I didn't, however, ever start blogging because I didn't know what to write about.  I'm a very boring person.  My life isn't that interesting, my hobbies aren't that great, I'm not really a "foodie" and politics aren't my thing.  Really I had no idea where to start.

Now I've decided that it doesn't matter.  I love things like movies, music, tv shows, and celebrities, so that's what I'll blog about.  I can just share my musings on things that I like.  Then, even if no one reads my blog, at least I had fun doing it!

If you've stumbled on to my blog, there's no telling what you might find here.  I welcome any readers and I'll be happy to read any of your comments.  All I ask is that everyone who posts here be respectful and don't insult each other.  If anything is out of control, it will be removed.

Thanks for stopping by!  Y'all come back now, ya hear?