I just came across the coolest site. Wil Wheaton, of Stand By Me and ST:TNG has apparently been working semi-religiously on his own web site, with his own blog, into which he pours his daily thoughts and feelings. Maybe it's one of the wonders of the internet that enables someone to reach out like that. In any event, it really got me thinking.

In the absence of a royal family or true aristorcracy, the general populace of the US seems to have this almost morbid fascination with the lives of celebrities. The entire tabloid industry was founded on this concept. So someone is put in a movie or a tv show, and while they're in the spotlight, it seems they're almost deified. Their photo is plastered everywhere, and their name drips from the lips of millions. The downside is that most people fail to realize that they are just as human as they ever were. The way I see it, acting is a job, just like any other. Sure, it has the wicked tendency of catapaulting you into the spotlight, and exposes you to the scrutiny of the masses, but it's still another answer to that annoying little "occupation" line of government forms. I would tend to think that one of the biggest downfalls of it would be Jane Public's tendency to think that the celebrities she idolizes owe her something. Or worse yet, the knack for confusing the character with the actor. I have this wierd aunt who watches soap operas and yells back at the TV like it's another room in her house where people are making horrible decisions. We live in a world where a lot of things are fake. It seems with every passing year people have more trouble differentiating between fantasy and reality. You know what else I think? It takes some serious guts to put yourself out there like that, especially when so many people notice you. Me? I get about 6 hits a day, if that. I'm not exposing myself to the world, really, just a handful of people who insist on spending their time here. It takes guts to voluntarily put yourself in the eye of the public. My goals are far less exposing. I want to be a nice, eccentric English Professor, in some small liberal arts college, or may, if I'm feeling particularly adventurous, at a university in England that's 2 days older than dirt.

Meanwhile, back in my much smaller existence, things are going well. I'm currently planning the first meeting of my pagan study group. I started this project because the pagan club at my school flaked out, and because, for being a pagan group, they were more concerned about the opinions of everyone else but the pagans. To me that seems a little backward. I'm really hoping to make this a group where people can trust and bond with one another, but also where we can pool our collective resources and make a positive impact on the world beyond our spheres. I'm thinking of bringing up my other brain candy to them, but that will remain to be seen. In any event, I'd like to include an element of community service. I've found that actions change peoples opinions of wiccans far faster than a boat load of anti-propaganda. So maybe we'll don t-shirts (I'm Pagan. I'm Human. I'm Trying. ?) and go volunteer at a homeless shelter or something. Something subtle. Something useful. I put up a blog for that group tonight, so there's probably nothing on it yet but here's the link anyway.

In doing so I happened to notice all the new templates blogger is offering. Maybe this will satisfy my yen to reinvent this site, at least until my computer arives from back home. Probably not, but it's just about the best I can do.