It has long been debated (at least by myself and the 14 teenagers I student-taught back in 2004) which is the greater show of the '90s: "Seinfeld" or "Friends?"

It seems everyone has their own, and generally very strong opinion on this. For example, I often would get sidetracked while diagramming sentences on the board by a student yelling:

"Oh come on, what about Festivus?"

To which, I threw down the chalk and exclaimed:

"Oh yeah, well what about the 'I Hate Rachel Green Club?'"

We didn't get much done that semester. And this is the main reason why I haven't ever used my second degree in education.

But I digress.

Of course, Friends gave us classic pop culture fodder with things like Joey's "turkey-eatin'" pants, the Rachel hair-cut and the still up-for-debate statement  "But we were on a break!" (to which every woman will say Rachel was right and every man still has Ross's back).

But as much as I love "Friends" (could I be any more of a fan?) I must admit that recent events have finally proven that "Seinfeld" is the be-all, end-all of pop culture gurus from the 90s. Not only did the show sire the phrase of "double dipping," but an episode involving just such an activity became the basis for a real-life scientific study.

According to a NYT article, a study in the Journal of Food Safety inspired by the "Seinfeld" episode researched just how much microbial transfer there was from mouth to chip to dip. In the episode, George is accosted at a party for his double dipping ways by another party-goer who is creeped out by it.

 I happen to have a personal stock in this double dip debate. See, I have long said that one of my biggest pet peeves is people who are creeped out by double dipping. I just find it funny that people will stuff all sorts of unpronounceable ingredients in their mouth via pre-packaged food and fast food and do insane things like let their pets lick them on the mouth, and yet, they get squeamish with a communal bowl of dip?

Well, as it turns out, I was wrong about two things. According to the study,

"On average, the students found that three to six double dips transferred about 10,000 bacteria from the eater’s mouth to the remaining dip. Each cracker picked up between one and two grams of dip. That means that sporadic double dipping in a cup of dip would transfer at least 50 to 100 bacteria from one mouth to another with every bite."

Well, now that I have successfully ruined your bowl of salsa for Super Bowl Sunday, my job is done. And I think what we can all take away from this is that "Seinfeld" is our greatest pop culture producer ever. And with that said, I'll leave you with this:

"Are you still master of your domain?"

With the government getting ready to release yet another anti-drug campaign spot (this time about the evils of prescription drug abuse) I can't help but wonder who their target audience is.

I mean, I have tell you, most of the teens and 20-somethings I know find these spots hilarious. Buying weed means you support terrorists? You can get so high you shoot your head off? Your dog gets depressed when you're stoned?

Kids today are much more savvy than that. Most of the time they know much more about drugs and their effects than their parents. And chances are, if a teenager is bound and determined to try drugs, watching a 90-second commercial made by the government and starring cheesy actors isn't going to stop them.

Now this is not to say we should just say "eh, kids will be kids" as they become meth heads. But I don't think trying to scare kids into not doing drugs is going to work. Plus, the people making these PSA's are so far removed from the demographic they are trying to reach out to, it's comical. I'm sorry but showing a bunch of ethnically diverse kids in an urban setting saying no to drugs does not mean you are connecting with real urban kids.

The biggest influences on a young person's life are their parents and their friends. Getting them away from drugs starts and ends there. Period.

So my BF Ryan said he saw my BFF Jill kissing my ex-BF and I was all like "What?" and he was all like "Duh" and I was all like "Nah" and he was all like "Dude" and I was all like "Wow."

Translation for all those that don't watch "Gossip Girl" on a regular basis:

Boy: Jill kissed your ex-boyfriend.

Girl: I find what you say hard to believe.

Boy: She has liked him for a long time. It was inevitable it would come to this.

Girl: I still find that statement hard to believe.

Boy: How can I put this clearly? Jill was kissing your ex-boyfriend.

Girl: That is a shocking revelation to me.

Welcome to the wonderful world of the ever-changing English language. And just like bell bottoms and tube tops, certain trends in the English language tend to make a comeback, no matter how much we don't want them to. 

Yes, that's right folks. It seems the "Valley Girl" lingo is back (although some could argue it never really went away, we just tried to ignore it because it made us want to drill a hole in the part of our brain that understands speech).

According to an article on the Discovery Channel Web site, it seems text messaging has brought the world of "like" and "whatever" back from the grave. Yep, according to the article, kids are now texting their friends in a manner such as this (and I am not kidding, these are real text messages from the study):

"umm and he was like you know alright and so then he took my blood pressure and he was like it's a little bit high did you eat a lot of salt last night? And I was like dude, I had pizza."

"Haha and marc asked if i wanted to get dinner tomorrow and im like…I have clas (sic)…and hes like at night? and im like yup…and hes like what about lunch in the afternoon…and im like oh i have class then too…"

Now I'll admit that I spent a fair share of my younger years talking in just such a manner, but if it has moved to the realm of texting, I think we're all in trouble. So long, English language. It was like totally nice knowing you and junk.

Okay, maybe I'm being a tad over dramatic. And even the researchers in the article say that this new phenomenon could actually be good.

But still, I can't help but fear that soon Shakespeare's "Hamlet" may look something like this:

2B or not 2B. That is the FAQ.

 I've never been one who is big on conspiracy theories.

Okay, that is a complete and total lie. I'm absolutely fascinated with them. Did we really land on the moon? Is Suri Cruise the reincarnation of Ron L. Hubbard? When will Paris Hilton go back to her own planet?

In fact, I have stacks of books about conspiracy theories. And while I'm not one to actually believe in most of them, it's still fun to think that the world operates on a much deeper level than we know and if it wasn't for our stupid government, all those great secrets could be ours.

Okay, now that I've exposed myself as the complete and total nerd I am, there are times, however, when something seems just scary enough to probably be true. Although it seems a little far-fetched, there are some schools of thought now that the hugely popular social networking sites like Facebook are actually grooming us to prepare for the day when Big Brother finally takes over.

 A good (albeit le-e-e-ngthy) article on the Web site Alternet explores how Facebook is selling out it's mainly Generation Y users and how Facebook's popularity reflects a society that is becoming downright complacent with spying (insert "dun-DUN-DUNN!" here).

It seems Facebook caused an uproar (which apparently died down a little too quickly and has since vanished) after they "had designed a sweeping 'news feed' program to disseminate personal information that users post on their web profiles. Suddenly everything people posted, from photos to their relationship status, was sent to hundreds of other users in a feed of time-stamped updates. People complained that the new system violated their privacy. Facebook argued that it was merely distributing information users had already revealed."

I think the part that scares me the most is that while 700,000 young people organized online protests when this first happened, the protest has quickly died out. Seems Generation Y's attention span is something akin to that of a gnat.

And getting back to the conspiracy theory, is this all just part of a larger plan to get us used to governments and corporations spying on our every waking moment? Are we soon going to be living in a Will Smith-esque futuristic world where loud speakers and televisions are everywhere and our every movement is tracked? And if so, and much more importantly, will Will Smith be single in this scenario and desperately in love with me?

Make fun I do, but things like this should give us pause. Maybe we need to rethink this whole "my life is an open book online" thing we've started.

Makes me wonder what ever happened to the good 'ol days when Myspace was just simply a way to spy on who was leaving comments on your boyfriend's page.

Being the resourceful and clever reporter that I am, I'm constantly on the look out for fabulous story ideas. Searching day and night and night and day and day and (too much?) I often find my best ideas in obscure places.

Take this morning, for example. I found a great idea for a story right in my very own e-mail inbox. It was from Advocate editor Chris Cobler and although most, lesser reporters would have simply overlooked the story potential that was there between the lines, I, however, did not.

The e-mail went something like this:

"Aprill,

Here is a story idea. Please do it by Friday."

But enough patting me on the back for my genius. The story idea Chris passed onto me was to do an article on "You Know You're From Victoria When..." See, he had stumbled onto a local resident's Facebook page, which held within it a rather clever list of just such a thing and thought it would be interesting to see what funny and clever things the rest of us Victorians could come up with.

For example, my list would include:

You know you're from Victoria When...

A roach ate your dog.

Six cars waiting at a stop sign is considered a traffic jam.

The four seasons are Hot, Ridiculously Hot, Wet and Hot, and January.

A parka in 55 degree weather is normal.

Whataburger isn't just a fast food joint, but a way of life.

You have been hugged by Brother Gary Moses (love you, Gary).

And so, I am inviting you, dear readers, to give me your best "You Know You're From Victoria When..." quips to go in the article. You can either leave them as a comment on this blog or e-mail them to me at abrandon@vicad.com.

From the time I was little (I mean, we're talking kindergarten here, folks), I always knew that I wanted to go to college, get a fabulous job and live the good life. And although that dream of becoming a supermodel / doctor / FBI agent didn't quite pan out, I pretty much achieved it (as long as you consider the good life as "only having to eat Ramen Noodles less than three times a week").

Being a one-track minded kind of gal, I never paid too much attention to other types of lifestyles. And although the movie "Rent" fascinated me and made me think the whole starving artist thing was glamorous (especially if you're doing it with a guy as hot as Roger), simply put, I'm just the kind of person who needs security in the form of a consistent job and reliable shelter.

But then my good friend and colleague, Leslie Wilber, (who is a lady and a scholar, despite what is written on bathroom walls across the nation) sent me a New York Times article about a lifestyle that enthralled me. Featuring hardcore vegan, anarchist, punk rockers, the article highlighted how they lived in their aptly named "punk houses." Living in trailers, warehouses, even tree houses, they reject all that is mainstream and live for their music / art / passion.

For someone whose entire life has centered around deadlines, bills and an addictive need to be connected to the Internet, this punker life seemed like the ultimate dream to me. No worries, no rent, total freedom. To just be free to write and read and have conversations that don't end with, "Man, I hate my boss" (just kidding, Mr. Cobler).

In fact, the article got me thinking. I have at least three former college friends who have struck out after graduation and decided that the rat race wasn't for them. One friend worked in an accounting office for about a year, saved his money, quit and ran around Argentina for six months just soaking up life.

Another one dropped out his fifth year, got a high paying job in some engineering office, then quit and decided to travel across the U.S. in his beat up car.

And lastly, my friend Curt, always a hippie at heart and one of the most intelligent people I know, is currently working as a bartender in Arizona and has yet to get a job anywhere close to his field.

Secretly I admire all three of them. Being in our 20s, now is the time to do that crazy crap. To their faces, of course though, I tell them they are stupid (if only out of jealousy).

As much as I'd love to sell all my earthly belongings (minus a pair or nine of my favorite shoes) and set out for the open road, there are several things I just don't quite get, like

1. How does one even begin to sell all their earthly belongings? Where do you go to sell it? Is there a "So You Want To Be a Hippie Now?" re-sale store?

2. How do you get around paying off those other pesky bills you have, like student loans and credit cards?

3. How do you find these communal punk houses in the first place and will they even let you stay there?

Hmm...I think I may be a little too literal minded to be punk. Which sucks. I can just see myself now, hanging out with some anarchists and I'm the only one worried about if the dishes we are eating off of are really clean.

But maybe someday. Who knows? I'm still young. And maybe I can find some like minded creative types such as myself who also want to leave it all behind and live a Bohemian existence...all the while still connected to the Internet.

It was an accident how I came by my first piercing when I was 18. Having went to the tattoo parlor with a friend to lend her moral support, somehow I managed to get duped into getting one as well.

It happened something like this:

Hot, Bald Tattoo Guy: "So, are you going to be getting a piercing as well?"

Me: "Oh no, I couldn't."

Hot, Bald Tattoo Guy: "Are you sure? We have a nice selection of eyebrow rings and..."

Me: "I'll take the pink one!"

Thus I returned home and scared the crap out of my mother, who said, and I quote, "That had better be part of a horrible fishing accident hanging out your eye or you are in so much trouble."

Luckily my mother eventually calmed down and grew to like...er...well, not loathe my piercing and from then on I was hooked. Soon after I got my navel and then later my nose pierced. After that, it was onto something harder: My very first tattoo (which if you're wondering where it's at, all I'll tell you is that it's on my biggest asset...Buh-dum-CHING!).

Anyhoo, I was told repeatedly by teachers, professors, mentors and numerous relatives that it would be hard for me to find a job with my extra body ornamentation. Luckily for me, I have yet to have an employer take offense to my nose ring (the only piercing that has lasted all these years later).

But with more and more 20-somethings deciding to get some ink or pierce a part of their body, (some studies even estimating as many as 50 percent of those aged 18-29) some companies are now having to figure out their policies on body art. In a world where us young-un's will go out and get our tongue pierced just to celebrate the fact that it's Tuesday, the generational gap is hitting corporate America hard.

According to an article on the Diversity Inc Web site, many young people feel the need to hide their tats and piercings from the boss: http://www.diversityinc.com...

An older, yet still relevant story on the Fox News Web site goes more in-depth to this phenomenon: http://www.foxnews.com/stor...

All in all, I feel lucky that my employers thus far have taken no issue with my need to put extra holes and added color to my body. While I know not everyone agrees that tattoos and piercings belong in the workplace, I think eventually companies and Generation Y-ers are going to have to come to a compromise. I have a feeling our need to express ourselves in creative and oftentimes painful ways isn't going to go away any time soon.

Maybe if we can steer clear of shaving our heads and getting a giant dragon on our noggin, our boss can overlook that small (yet adorable) little stud in our nose.