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!