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.