Guilty Pleasures

... been thinking about what they are.

... was surprised about how many flooded into my brain when I heard those words "guilty pleasures" on a pod cast recently.

How many guilty pleasures do I have? If they are guilty ones, could I blog about them? Could I admit them out loud?

So I went out to Wikipedia - the source of all knowledge (not) for a definition.

A guilty pleasure is something one enjoys and considers pleasurable

despite feeling guilt for enjoying it. The "guilt" involved is sometimes simply fear of others discovering one's lowbrow or otherwise embarrassing tastes.

Fashion, video games, music,^[1] movies^[2],

and junk food can be examples of guilty pleasures.^[3]

Lowbrow? Embarrassing? Guilt? I wish there weren't so many things popping into my mind. Here are my top 4 - or at least the 4 that I am willing to share: :-)

• McDonald Fries - Large size, of course, with lots and lots and lots of salt - bad, bad, bad. At 64 I should have outgrown this "culinary establishment". But their fries are wonderful. No redeeming value, I know. Even their standing as a vegetable is totally destroyed by the fat and the salt. But the taste - Yum! You will notice that I didn't go in and buy a large fries ... for a blog picture or anything. If I bought them, I would eat them. As it was I had to hold my breath as I got out of the car to take the picture. The building smells like fries 100 feet in any direction.

• Dancing With the Stars TV Show - I can't stand reality TV, really, none of it. In my mind much of it is cheap TV. Most of it is so lame as to rot your brain just by clicking past it on the TV. But Dancing has something that keeps me watching. First of all I am quite sure it is not cheap to produce. And they have first line entertainers on it. Fun dancing, great music, magnificent costumes, many laughs, cheering for your favorite, unexpected injuries and personal dramas, growth and improvement of some contestants, suspense wondering who is going to be chopped this week ... it has it all. But when I admit I like this show publically ... why do I sometimes feel like I am slumming? Do you think my brains are rotting?

• Caramel Apples - I am not talking about Candy Apples - those are an abomination, a fake, a waste of calories! I am talking about the apples with the thick, rich, gooey caramel that covers every part of the apple skin and drips down the stick a bit - sometimes with nuts but they can be bare of all other toppings and still be divine. An apple is healthy treat, but oh soooo much better with caramel smeared all over it. And I am sure the calorie count is not as much as Cheese Cake or a Big Mac (or Cheese Cake smeared on a Big Mac). :-) Fall isn't Fall for me unless I have one of these delicious delights. Who am I kidding ... one?

• A vacation by myself - a month at the beach by myself would do me. No one to cook for, no chores, no schedule, blessed silence except for the waves crashing on the shore and the sea gulls squawking. No phone, no TV ... just a book, my knitting, my iPod Touch, my laptop and my iPad. Fries for breakfast, a Caramel Apple for lunch and Cheese Cake smeared on a Big Mac for dinner! I've never done this before - go on a vacation all by myself - but if I could I would. Of course, I would feel bad because I know even a week away would put a big burden on a lot of people I care about. Sometimes I am embarrassed even by the thought of this selfish desire. The stomach ache from my yummy diet would be justified for being so selfish.

So, now it is your turn!

Will you name one of your guilty pleasures for everyone to read?

Come on ... I dare you!