Making it Work

I do apologize for my last blog, as it was a bit... salty. It's been a rough two weeks with work and I've been a bit of a Negative Nancy BUT it's Friday and I have some reassurance with work things so things are on the up and up.

So, this time around let's say we have a more positive entry, shall we?

Last night was Project Runway night (among other shows). I love Project Runway. There really isn't much about it that I don't like. Heidi is fun and entertaining to watch. She says some of the funniest things even though I don't think she realizes that they are funny. She doesn't seem snotty or self-centered (cough, cough Tyra! cough, cough, Padma!) She seems rather genuine and sweet. Plus (for the most part) she has a good fashion sense. I enjoy Michael Kors and his acronyms. For example DTM (dyed to match) and MOB (Mother of the bride). I like the creativity of the designers and seeing how they can really something out of nothing. My most favorite challenges are when they are given odd materials and it seems like they will never be able to make anything wearable out of it - and then they do! It never ceases to amaze me.

But do you know my most favorite part about Runway?

I love him! Words cannot describe. I would love for Tim Gunn to be my very best friend in the entire world. I feel like I could go to him at the end of a very long, very hard day and tell him my woes and he would have some fabulous words that suddenly would make everything ok. Or, I could go to him with a very big problem and he would tell me in his very recognizable voice to , "Make it Work" and I would know exactly what I needed to do in order to solve my problem. Having Tim Gunn as my friend would make my life that much better. Of this I am certain.

If Tim and I were friends, I would most definitely take him shopping with me. I can just see us now walking through fabulous stores while he picked out clothes that were both stylish and timeless. He would tell me in his sing song voice how stunning certain things were and how unflattering other things were. I would never have to wonder again if a certain piece would work or not work, he would be right there to help and guide me. So not only would my life be better for having Tim Gunn in it, but so would my wardrobe (did I mention he would also have to fund entire said wardrobe??).

And not only would we shop together, but he would also give me fabulous swag from Liz Claiborne, because that's what friends do, right? When one friend has the "hook-up" said friend shares with their friends. It's the polite thing to do.

And because Mr. Gunn is so well connected, he would introduce me to all of his fabulous friends including Heidi, Michael Kors and Nina Garcia (but only after we have been on said shopping trip). He would tell me secrets of Project Runway (did Irina's model really use double sided tape??) and I would get front row seats at the Project Runway runway show at fashion week. Ok, who am I kidding, he would score me tickets to the front row of all the fashion shows as fashion week. Now, my social life would be that much better just by having Tim Gunn as my friend.

Yes, I can see Tim and I having a wonderful, long lasting friendship, but alas it is only a dream. And a girl can dream, right? So what about you? Do you have any celebrities or TV characters that would like to be friends with?

You're On Notice

I admit it. On occasion I have been known to be a bit... negative. I don't always look at the silver lining or the bright side of life. It is in this aspect that I love to vent. Usually when something really irritates me, I have to vent and so it is in this spirit that I bring you - You're on Notice - meaning "you're on my list".

Teen Pregnancy Shows
This is becoming an epidemic I fear. First you have the Secret Life of the American Teenager. Then you have Sixteen and Pregnant and Teen Mom. Now there is some whacked out Lifetime movie called the Pregnancy Pact. All shows center around pregnant teens. Now I am sorry, but when did teenage pregnancy become "cool"? I must have missed that memo but I'm here to tell you that it's NOT (and it's a good thing this wasn't cool when I was in high school or I would have been a real loser!). What is cool about struggling to make ends meet? What is cool about having a child on your own and changing your whole future? I think that they try to show how hard it is to be a pregnant teen, but really I think there are some kids out there who think that it would be cool. I will go on the record saying that I have never watched any of these shows and really I refuse to (I have personal reasons, obvs). Ok, ok, I will be watching an episode of Sixteen and Pregnant as one girl is from my Alma Mater and they taped at the school. This wouldn't be a big deal except that my Alma Mater is a CATHOLIC SCHOOL. An ALL GIRLS Catholic School mind you, run my NUNS. What these people were thinking, I will never know, but I will checking it out. Stay tuned for that entry.

Progressive Car Insurance
Their commercials drive me up a wall. I can't stand that stupid lady with her ugly hair, red lips and annoying voice. I swear, the commercial alone is enough to make me NOT want to buy their car insurance. Now, that is poor advertising.

Greek
Ok, Greek isn't totally on my list, but I do have a gripe. The college is supposed to be located in fictional Cypress Rhodes, Ohio and I guess the producers took a little creative license with the word "fictional". For if you live in Ohio, you know that if you return to the state after Christmas break, the grass will not be green, the sky will not be blue, the trees will not have leaves, the sun will not be shining and your friends will not be dressed for the spring. It snows in Ohio and it's gray and cold in the winter. Clearly, this is not Ohio. Why didn't they just make it California which is obviously where they film.

People Who Don't Yield
Yeah I know it has nothing to do with TV, but I was thinking about this today. To get on the expressway from my house there are two directions of traffic that get on and one is supposed to yield to the other. These people that are to yield never do and.it.drives.me.crazy. So I speed up and don't let them over as I feel it is my duty to teach them how to yield as they never learned to do so. If no one else is going to do it, I might as well.

UK
Really, UK (as in the University of Kentucky, not United Kingdom) you're losing right now? To South Carolina? Don't you have a number one seed to protect? Pull you're head out of you're you know what and PLAY!

And you know what the worst part of this entry is? I had a really big issue of something that was on "my list" and I can't even remember what it was!

I guess it really wasn't all that important then, was it?

It's All Greek to Me

Tonight, one of my very favorite shows is coming back - ABC Family's Greek! Gosh, I love this show to pieces. I remember the very first episode I watched - it was a new series and the premiere was during the week of my honeymoon. I had wanted to watch the show, but forgot about it until Friday night of our honeymoon. We were relaxing the room because we would be leaving the next day and they were showing a repeat performance on ABC. My husband and I both being Greek in college decided to give it a try and we have been hooked ever since. Isn't that the most romantic honeymoon story you have ever heard?
Anyway, if you haven't caught on by now, the show is about college Greek Life. It follows one sorority - Zeta Beta Zeta and two fraternities - Omega Chi and Kappa Tau. The show plays into several Greek Life stereotypes, but it also does a really good job of showing different aspects of Greek Life - some positive, some negative, and some very true! I can't tell you how many times my husband and I have looked at each other and say, That's so true! At the same time there are plenty of times when I laugh and say that would never happen in a million billion years... at least in my experience.
It's so funny though because it kind of points out some of the silliness of sororities - the singing, the competition with other sororities, the cheesy "family" moments etc but it's not making fun. There were plenty of times in my sorority days that I would roll my eyes at the goofiness, but looking back on it, those were some of the best times of my life (I'm getting a little gushy here, aren't I?). Most, if not all, of my best college memories stem from my sorority and my husband's fraternity and watching this show brings that all back. It makes me long for my college days... until they start talking about recruitment, the stress of competition with sororities - and I don't miss it quite so much. The fact that these things were once the most important things in my life is a little laughable (especially when we are facing potential layoffs at work). But this show brings back my college days and for an hour out of that day, I feel as carefree as I did back then, and that's nice.
The best of the show though it not just the Greek element - it's Rusty. Rusty is not your "typical" fraternity guy. He's smart, dedicated to school, kind of nerdy, etc. Rusty struggles maintain a balance between school and his party-ing fraternity and he does it well. Rusty I think shows that you don't have to be "typical" fraternity guy in order to "fit" in. You can be yourself and you'll find that group of people that is right for you. Along with Rusty comes Dale - who is the true comic relief of the show. You have to check out the show if only for Dale. He.is.hysterical. He's a conservative religious sort of guy who is naive to the ways of the world. Dale is played by Clark Duke who is friends with Michael Cera. So if you love Michael Cera, you're probably going to love Clark Duke and Dale.
Speaking of Greek Life - tomorrow I am meeting my sorority family for dinner. It's something that we try to do at least once a month and I enjoy keeping ties to my sorority family. We keep family ties that most sorority sisters don't even go that far. I will try to explain - there is me "the old one"; then there is Jessica, my little; then there is Shelley, Jessica's little, my grandlittle; then there's is Katelyn, Shelley's little, my great-grandlittle and Kaitlyn, Shelley's other little and my other great-grandlittle. Then both Katelyn/Kaitlyn have littles who are my great-great grandlittles. So you you see, it gets a bit ridiculous (see: silliness and goofiness of sororities) but they are my friends and I love them just the same.

Oh, and I would share with you a picture of my sorority days, but I don't want to embarrass myself here (any more than I already have) just yet!

When Art Imitates Life

This entry is actually going to cover a few things, so please bear with me. I just have a mish mash of things I wanted to write about so instead of writing ten million little entries, why not just jumble it all into one? Sounds good, yes? I thought so.

First up... tonight is the finale of Jersey Shore. *Tear* Like all good things, this too must come to an end. I knew that it was going to happen. I knew that eventually we would have to part ways and say good-bye and yet... it seems too soon. I feel as though there are still too many parties to be had, drinks to drink, fights to fight and girls to well you know. Where will I get my weekly Jersey fix? Where will I learn cool and important phrases like "the grenade" and "the grenade launcher"? In good news though, I heard from a co-worker of mine that Mike, "The Situation" is going to be in my hometown February 2nd. Woo hoo! Too bad he is going to be a skeezy bar that I would never be caught dead in. Not that I would want to be meet The Situation either...

Moving on... with Jersey Shore leaving the line-up it makes more time to watch Project Runway. Ah Tim Gunn, how do I love thee, let me count the ways. Well, actually that's another entry for another day, but I do love the show and I am excited that it's back (not too excited that Ping got to stay though).

Speaking of shows coming back, mark your calendars because Greek comes back on Monday! Again, another one of my favorite shows because I can relate to it (yes, I was a sorority gal) and it stays pretty true to the reality of Greek life.

So on to the bulk of this entry, life imitating art. A few months back, the husband and I were fortunate enough to visit friends of ours that live Sacramento. We had an awesome time out there. We got to go to Napa and do wine tasting, shop at outlet malls, eat at In and Out (pretty good), go to a farmer's market (best kettle corn EVER) and we got to visit San Francisco as well. Visiting SF was truly life imitating art for me in so many ways.

For example:

Lombard Street! This has been featured in several TV shows including Full House. (Really the whole trip to SF was like a walking Full House tour)

Alcatraz, again seen in lots o' movies. Ok, none that I have seen, but I've been told so.

And the part that really imitated art?

We ate here:

So you might be thinking, what in the world is Taqueria La Cumbre? Found in the Mission District of San Francisco, Taqueria La Cumbre is the first restaurant to serve the Mission Style Burrito. Those would be the burritos that you get at Chipotle. So next time you are in line at Chipotle to get a burrito, you can thank this little unassuming place.

So how does this imitate art? There is a show on the Travel Channel called Man vs. Food. The host travels to different cities, tries the food at two different local restaurants and then takes on a food challenge in the city. You know like eat a 20lb hamburger in an hour some ridiculous thing like that. Anyhow, my friends that live in Sacramento had seen an episode from SF and they came to this place! They decided they had to go, but they wanted to share the experience with us! And boy am I glad they did! This place was phenomenal and I would surely go back if ever given the chance again. If you ever find yourself in SF and like Mexican food you should totally check it out. Don't let the place skeeve you out (because I was a little skeeved myself) because the food is amazing. Maxim even named in the most bitchingest burrito, so there's that too.

Don't believe me? Don't you see how happy I am to be eating there?

(Ignore my half closed eyes. I have decided that I don't have very wide eyes or something like that.)

And that is how my life has imitated art.

Can You Keep a Secret?

I have a secret to share. I am embarrassed to say it, but what the hell, right? I like... One Tree Hill. Shameful, I know! It is by far one of my favorite guilty pleasures.

Why am I so ashamed? Because, well, it's lame. Ok, I said it. The show is lame. The lamest, but I love it so. I'm not really sure why I like it as it's lame as previously stated, but I like it! The drama, the silliness of the drama. It's just so easy to get lost in the goofiness. Why is it so lame? Because the things that happen would never, in one hundred million years! Seriously? How many high schoolers do you know get married in high school and not because they aren't pregnant? I'm going to go with slim to none. How many high school students do you know have severely absent parents? By severe, I mean they aren't there. At all. I can think of three occasions on the show where this happened. How many people in your graduating class were extremely accomplished by the age of 22? By extremely accomplished I mean own their own clothing line, own their own record label, write a best-selling novel and almost become an NBA star? Again, I am guessing slim to none.

Unfortunately, the show took an odd turn this past season and let two of it's main characters go - Chad Michael Murray and Hillarie Burton. I mean really? Can you say suicide? Coincidentally, I have no interest in watching this season. I have no interest in watching a show that changes so drastically. Ok, ok, once the season hits The WB I'll be watching with bated breath. What can I say? I'm a sucker. So despite all the silliness and the things that would never happen in one hundred million years, I'm still a closet fan.

The One Where I Get Serious and Personal

Ok, so I am going to be about as serious as I can be, so don't go thinking this is going to be a heavy entry or anything like that. I mean, this is still about TV, so how serious can it get, right? Recently I was thinking about two shows that I love for different reasons and aren't really all that much alike - Friends and Sex and the City. I was thinking about them in conjunction with one another because both touch on a topic that is near and no so dear to my heart, infertility. Yes, I admit it: My name is Emily, and I'm infertile.

Hi, Emily.

There is nothing to be ashamed of.

Anyhow, not too long ago, The WB was showing episodes from the later seasons of Friends, in which Monica and Chandler both find that they are infertile. While there are some tender and serious moments, it is mostly used a punch line. A way to make to make them seem "real" but still comical. I am here to tell you that when you are going through it, at first, there is not much that is funny about the situation. In fact, it downright sucks, but as you learn to deal and cope with it, you begin to find the humor in the situation. For example, my mom always worried that I would come home pregnant in high school. Turns out she really didn't have to worry all that much! Anyhow, I just don't feel the gravity of the situation. Watching it and having been through it myself, I don't find myself drawn to Monica and saying, "I totally know what she feels like". I guess you could say it's not a "real depiction".

On the other hand you have Charlotte York Goldenblatt on Sex and the City. I really have to commend the writers of SATC because I feel like they hit the nail on the infertility head when the wrote that plot line into the script. The night a friend of mine told me she was pregnant, I didn't at the time "know" that I had problems, but I had a feeling. I came home that night and watched the episode in which Miranda tells Charlotte she is pregnant. I.cried.my.eyes.out (and this was before the artificial hormones!). Because everything Charlotte said and did, I identified with. I knew, just like that she did, that something was wrong with me. And that my friends, is a tough pill to swallow.

This past Christmas, I completed my SATC set with parts one and two of season 6. I used to have them on DVD, but then I gave lent them to someone never to be seen again. Since they were new, I watched all episodes again which I hadn't done in a long time. The last time I watched them, I was in college and the "real" world didn't really apply to me. Now I watched it with a fresh eye and a little bit of experience (ok not much). Again, I was amazed at the accuracy of how they portrayed Charlotte's journey to baby. One of my favorite episodes, is when Charlotte gets a new dog and they take her to the dog park where she gets "gang banged" by the other dogs. The dog of course gets pregnant and this fires Charlotte up, because according to her everyone can get pregnant but her, and her dog got pregnant and it was her first time. There is humor in this situation, but also truth. Every time someone tells me they are pregnant, I want to scream because, "they weren't even trying" or "they got pregnant on their first try". It really does seem like everyone is getting pregnant but you. The most poignant episode though was when she got pregnant and had a miscarriage. She says that she can't go to Brady's birthday because it's too hard. I have been there. I have not had the experience of miscarriage (I can only imagine the pain of trying and trying only to be let down in that manner), but I have been there in the sense of not wanting to go to baby showers, or baby birthday parties because it's hard to smile and say I'm happy for you, when really you are sad and upset that it's not you. But like Charlotte, I try to rise above and still make it to those events because life does go on.

I could go on and on about the similarities I see in my journey to baby and that as depicted on SATC, but I'll stop there. Infertility is not a fun subject, but I try to make the best of it, just like Charlotte and Monica. I laugh about it, I cry about it, but I don't let it become who I am. Because I am much more than just infertile.

And that is about as serious as I ever want to get.

Blast from the Past

The other day, my husband and I took a personal day from work due to a death in the family. We slept in a little late, then watched a little TV. I must say there is not much on TV in the mornings on a weekday and somehow we found ourselves watching Sesame Street. I am in no way embarrassed to admit that. Anyway, the skit that was playing was with Elmo (go figure) and a repair man named Luis and some woman, who I am sorry to say I don't know what her name was. Suffice to say it appeared as though she owned a laundry mat or worked there, as the whole skit revolved around a broken washing machine. Luis and the woman wanted to scrap the whole thing, but Elmo insisted they should try and fix it, so they did. Luis did something and ta-da! It was fixed. Only after a few seconds of running it started to shake and rattle and the whole thing was moving all around. So they decided that maybe something was stuck inside. So they take a look and voila! There was the most random assortment of junk that I don't know how someone would not know it was in the washing machine. (Oh yes, this is a children's show, I must set all common sense aside.) However, among the junk was a treasure. A treasure that took me right back to my childhood. It was a clear cup with a little man painted on it. That's right... the Teeny Little Super Guy. You don't remember? Here have a look!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLWNgt-x4Gk&feature=PlayList&p=FCF54AF01426DED5&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=52

I loved this Sesame Street skit when I was a child! It was one of those things, I totally forgotten about until I saw the cup and then I of course found videos on YouTube. When they pulled the cup out, my husband and I looked at each other with wide eyes. So many questions! How did the cup get in there? Why did they decide to put the cup in there. Surely children watching Sesame Street have no idea who Teeny Little Super Guy is. Surely the producers and directors don't think that people my age are watching Sesame Street (only we were). My only guess is that said producers and directors were smart enough to realize that people who grew up with Teeny Little Super Guy are now parents and are watching the show with their little ones and would delight and marvel at the little reference to their childhood. Well played Sesame Street. Well played.

This Cake is for Today!

My husband informed me this week that I am like, "the worst blogger ever" which I beg to differ. Surely there are other bloggers out there that are worse than I. Bloggers that don't write ever, or their content really sucks. Ok, so my content sucks, but that is neither here nor there. What my husband fails to realize is that TV has been rather... well boring lately. With shows on hiatus and whatnot, it is hard to feel motivated to write. However, it appears that many shows are now back in the regular rotation so I guess that means..... A NEW ENTRY! Hooray!

Now where were we? Oh yes, Cake Boss. Cake Boss is a hybrid show that TLC pulled out over the summer that mixes two very hot topics - specialty cakes (as in Ace of Cakes) and New Jersey (are New Jersey-ites upset about the exploitation of their people?). So immediately, I fell in love with the show because it mixed two of my favorite things. Then the second season started and it was such a disappointment. I don't know if the issues that I am seeing now were in the first season or if I was just blinded but now I am almost offended as a viewer as they stuff they expect me to believe.

The overall concept of the show is good - or at least it should be good when you mix creativity and talent with Jersey, but alas it is not so. The show and it's content all seems a bit too contrived. The things they expect us to believe insult my intelligence. For example, in one of the first episodes of the season, Buddy is asked to make a cake for an engagement and the cake is to include the ring. The guy proposing makes a big deal about giving Buddy the ring and how he is trusting Buddy with this big responsibility. Later, the ring is upstairs and while Buddy isn't looking one of his sisters takes the ring and starts showing it to everyone. Uh oh! I wonder what is going to happen? Will the ring get lost? Will Buddy have to pay for a new ring? Oh my! As can be expected, Buddy later goes to put the ring on the cake and alas, the ring is missing!! How can this be? Buddy launches into a tirade and lo and behold his sister comes waltzing in with the ring and says that she took it to have it cleaned. What a nice person! How totally, contrived by TLC!

And here lies my biggest gripe about most reality TV, it's not really real. Is most of reality TV in fact reality? I'd say probably not, but at least with some of them it doesn't feel so set up. I feel like earlier episodes of the Real World and Road Rules and now even Jersey Shore are for the most part real - just people living their lives on TV. Then along comes the reality show fad and suddenly things aren't so reality based. TLC has a history of this with Jon and Kate. The first few seasons you saw a family who struggled to make ends meet and did things that a normal family did. Then TLC planned trips for them and gave them free swag and suddenly life really isn't life anymore is it? No it's just TLC and their puppets. This is what I feel has happened with Cake Boss. Suddenly it's not enough to just watch a guy and his crew make some pretty awesome cakes. Instead you have to have some made up drama and silly fights and really, it's just old. When in the first five minutes of the episode you can call exactly what is going to happen in the episode, it's not really reality now is it? No, it's just another sitcom if you ask me.

So while the episode of Cake Boss was new on Tuesday, it wasn't so "new" if you know what I mean. Buddy made some cakes, Buddy got pissed because people weren't doing it the way he thought is should be done, Buddy worries his idiot cousin won't deliver the BIG.IMORTANT.CAKE on time!!!! and then he does.

And that is all I have to say about that.