What's your guilty pleasure(s)?

One of my idols, Ms. Grace, recently asked folks to state what their guilty pleasures are/were.

Never one to miss an opportunity to totally embarrass myself, I noted a few things in her comments, then realized I need to do this list justice. So, this is the condensed, yet somehow expanded, version of my guilty pleasures list:

BANDS I LOVE, BUT WOULD NOT SPEND $$ TO SEE IN CONCERT

1. Journey - put any of the Steve Perry song's on the radio, I will sing it. Loudly.
   
2. Backstreet Boys - used to (like only five years ago) drive down the street with their music blaring as I danced behind the wheel. Yeah, I know. I only do this in private now.
   
3. New Kids on the Block - Jordan was such a hottie
4. Go Go's - they had the beat...way back when.
5. Barbra Streisand - all my mom's fault
   
6. Hall & Oates - close race between Maneater and Kiss on my list as my favorites from them
   
7. Britney Spears - can't help it...she puts good dance tracks.
   

SONGS THAT STILL GET ME MOVING WHEN THEY COME ON THE RADIO (which sadly, does not happen enough in my eyes)

1. I've been waiting for a girl like you - Foreigner
2. Careless Whisper - George Michael
   
3. Turn the beat around - Gloria Estefan
4. Lover girl - Teena Marie
5. Round and Round - Ratt
   
6. Friends in low places - Garth Brooks
7. Achey breaky heart - Billy Ray Cyrus (remember him? Yeah, didn't think so)
8. Relax - Frankie goes to Hollywood
9. I'm too sexy - Right said Fred (come on, you dance to this one too...)
10. Straight Up - Paula Abdul
11. Poison - Bel Biv Devoe
12. Come go with me - Cover Girls
    

TV SHOWS

1. American Idol - and I watch ALL the audition footage
   
2. Bridezillas - I am totally addicted. And you might as well throw in Platinum Weddings into the mix too. Though I don't watch that Bride -vs- Bride show. I do have standards you know, though I will admit they are not high.
   
3. Project Runway - Heidi rocks.
   
4. Real World - I *was* a junkie for this show, but I have spent the last four years getting it out my system. So no longer on the current list, but think it deserves an honorable mention.
   
5. WWE - same as Real World. Had to move on though I wish to thank Ricky the Dragon Steamboat for all the memories. And it does make me cringe to think I used to walk up to my friends and yell 'SUCK IT' which crossing my arms in an 'X' in front of my crotch. Oh Lord. Did I really just admit that?
   

FOOD

1. Funyuns
   
2. Hamburger Helper
3. Cheetos - they have these new flavored sticks out which are so damn good.
   

MISCELLANEOUS

1. Leg warmers - I have been secretly wishing that look would stick
2. Cruising - yes, cruising. Drop the convertible top, plug in your favorite mix tape and cruise up and down main street with 100's of other people. Don't think anyone does this anymore, but it was how we spent our typical Saturday night growing up and was so much fun. Concord, Antioch, Walnut Creek, Santa Cruz, Salinas, and Monterey were some of our top destinations.
   
3. Blogging.
   
   I am sure there are many more, but they are escaping me now so this list will have to suffice.
   
   I also think the time has come to own these simply as pleasures, not guilty ones. One of the ladies in Grace's s comments summed it best when she said...'My little secret is that I am not guilty about any of my pleasures anymore. Life is short and often difficult...and if one can find harmless pleasure in cheesy music or bad TV or decadent ice cream, I say hooray and pass the Chunky Monkey'.
   
   Exactly. No harm. No foul. Just good plain fun.
   
   Photo credit: Sean Rowely
   
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