What It Feels Like to Be A Teacher

I’m taking a break from the Blog Every Day in May prompts today because I am f-uh-reaking out about finishing my dissertation prospectus while preparing to start teaching a new course on Tuesday.

I feel like the following clip illustrates the highs and lows of teaching kind of perfectly. Plus….Zooey Deschanel. Incidentally, this is from my favorite, favorite episode of New Girl, “Pepperwood.”

love, elizabeth

The Voice Drinking Game

Season 4 of The Voice premiered on NBC tonight and in honor of that, I present the thing I did tonight instead of my homework…The Voice: The Drinking Game. It’s going to be a fun season, I think. Two new coaches (I will not miss Christina Aguilera and her clown wigs, by the way) and the “steal” rule that was implemented last season – super excited. If you missed the episode or don’t have cable, you can catch it on Hulu.

Are you a fan of the show? What would you add to this list?

love, elizabeth

5 TV Women I Would Totally Be Friends With

1. Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation

Favorite quotes:

"Ma'am, next time we speak...we shall be dancing on the grave of a possum.”

"You're like a man-genius with a taut, narrow frame, like a sexy elf king."

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2. Dinah Laurel Lance from Arrow.

Pros of being friends with Laurel Lance: She’s a lawyer so if you ever get in legal trouble, she’d be handy. Also, she’s politically active and cares about the disenfranchised so she would motivate you to stay true to your personal convictions and remind you of who you really are. Plus, she has really cute clothes.

Cons of being friends with Laurel Lance: I feel like hanging around Laurel would probably increase your chances of being kidnapped by a corrupt kingpin and held for ransom or dangled off a building or something.

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3. Jessica Day from New Girl

Favorite quotes: “I mean you're like aging ballerina, child chess prodigy, professional magician crazy.”

“I like moving slow. I like being weird and taking my time. I'm not like you. I don't just jump in the potato sack with the first potato that I meet with diabetes!”

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4. Olivia Benson from Law and Order: SVU

Favorite quotes: “You did the one thing you're supposed to do when somebody threatens you; survive.”

Fin: “Who's side are you on?”
Benson: “The victim's. Which is where we should be.”

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5. Rayna James from Nashville

Pros: Famous and talented. Older than me and would probably give great advice, especially about things I’ll probably be dealing with in the next few years, like motherhood. Good taste in music.

Cons: Busy, has a lot of political problems, is really stressed out, complicated past with ex-boyfriend/bandmate.

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What about you? What television character would you totally be friends with?

love, elizabeth

Girl Confessions!

Time for another post on all things pop culture or otherwise too silly to get their own post. Sooo much to talk about today…

1. Lady-bachelorhood. Kyle’s flying back west for a few days to see our family in Colorado. Cons: I have to walk the dog by myself in the cold, almost-November weather. Half the bed will be totally empty. There will be no one to insist that I come to bed at 3 am when I’m still studying. Who will watch scary movies with me so that I can pretend they’re funny and not scary? Pros: I can listen to whatever terrible 90’s dance pop I feel like without any background sighs/snorts/derisive laughter from el-husbando. Like this. Or this. Zero guilt if I eat string cheese and Wheat-Thins for dinner every night.

2. I hate myself for claiming romantic feelings for inanimate objects when I have a perfectly good husband for that but…I’m having romantic feelings for these boots.

I can’t help it. I’ve been saving the gift card from my birthday (thank you, Mama!) for the arrival of adorable snow boots…and here they are. And they’re 60% off. I’m so glad this love will not go unrequited. I’ll let you know when they arrive. Be forewarned, Ohio winter. I come shod in cuteness.

3a. Omg, can we PLEASE talk about Nashville? Please tell me I am not the only person who is obsessed with this show! So gooooooooooood…I came for the Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights), I stayed for the soapy plot points, the original songs, and for Maisy and Lennon Stella. If you don’t have cable, do not fear. The Nashville is available on the Hulu. And no one even paid me to say that.

3b. So let’s talk about Maisy and Lennon and why they’re the best thing ever. First of all, watch their adorable covers of I Won’t Give Up and Call Your Girlfriend. I would love them at any age but it’s amazing to me that they’re only 12 and 8. Here’s a clip of the sisters on Nashville. I dare you to not be utterly charmed.

4. This new obsession with horror movie franchises. Guys…it turns out that I love cheesy slasher films.Trust me, I’m just as surprised as you are. Now that I’m almost done reviewing all 10 of the Halloween films, I’m plotting my next series. On my hit list: Friday the 13th (there are 12 of these movies…so I guess this is going to be a long-term commitment), Nightmare on Elm Street, Child’s Play, Children of the Corn, and Leprechaun (I am particularly looking forward to Leprechaun 4: In Space). Did I miss any big horror franchise that you’d like to see recapped?

5. My newsprint copy of the LUSH catalogue just arrived, triggering some kind of Pavlovian Christmas response inside of me. If you didn’t know, I wrap everything I give in LUSH newsprint. I’m sure that’s not why they send me the catalogue but…yeah. Get your free copy here.

love, elizabeth

Smokin’

History Channel, I wish I knew how to quit you. I am so completely head-over-heels addicted to American Pickers, I may need to start attending meetings. Because besides the whole finding amazing historical treasures in barns and attics thing, there’s Mike Wolfe. Seriously, how do pack that much handsome into a glorified antiquer?

Also, thanks to Mike, I have some key new phrases to work into my everyday conversations. Phrases like…

“That’s killer.”

and

“These vintage wall sconces are smokin’!”

and

“I’m like a one-eyed dog in a meat factory.”

and my personal favorite…

“It was hotter than a goat’s butt in a pepper patch!”

Here's a clip in case you haven't seen the show yet...(it's on Netflix, too).

 

Do you watch American Pickers or any other reality shows? Anything on the History Channel?

love, elizabeth

Girl Confessions (and Parched Ovaries)

1. I was listening to this soundtrack in the car earlier. Singin’ in the Rain was probably the first musical I ever saw and this scene is one of my favorites. Especially when Debby Reynolds jumps out of the cake.




2. I feel like the dining room and office need some no-cost sprucing. When I figure out how to do THAT, I'll let you know! I feel like I need to throw away a lot and completely redo my filing system. Any by redo my filing system, I mean throw everything away and set the dumpster on fire. Yes?

3. Ever wonder what it would be like to be a Lego man in space? Wonder no more. This guy actually made it.


4. Remember when I asked if Downton Abbey was worth watching? Well…it is. It totally is.

Anna: Because I love you, Mr. Bates. I know it's not ladylike to say it but I'm not a lady and I don't pretend to be.

Bates: You are a lady to me.

I didn’t think I could crush so hard on a head housemaid and a valet but apparently, I can.

Source: google.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

5. I got halfway through The Pioneer Woman's book, Black Heels to Tractor Wheels and was very taken with the story, interested in hearing how she and Marlboro Man fell in love. Then I read this and nearly chucked the book across the room:

[After a conversation that Ree and Marlboro Man have about how many babies they should make in the future] “My ovaries…were doing backflips, as if they’d been wandering, parched, in a barren wasteland and finally, miraculously, happened upon a roaring waterfall. And that waterfall was about six feet tall, with gray hair and bulging biceps. They never knew they could experience such hope” (Drummond 150).

I’m sorry, what? I don’t even…WHAT? Parched ovaries? I love you, Ree, but…really? Also, please stop describing every outfit you wore on every date with your husband ever. I can’t remember what I wore yesterday.

Alright, your turn. Girl confessions this week?

love, elizabeth

What do you think about Downton Abbey?

Need some opinions. Pretty much everyone in the world has been telling me to watch this.

Are they right? What do you think?

love, elizabeth

Girl Confessions

More girl thoughts today…

1. I’ve pretty much cut foundation out of my make-up routine entirely. Instead, I’ve been using a lot of this. My skin is so happy.

2. Ryan Gosling just saved a woman from being hit by a car, further proving himself worthy to be my movie husband. I have talked about before.

3. I can’t stop messing with my blog header. It’s like a pimple.

4. I watched this episode of New Girl last week and I cannot remember the last time I laughed that hard. Seriously perfect dialogue. If you aren’t hooked on this show yet, Dermot Mulroney’s guest appearance will sell you. I embedded my favorite clip for you.

5. This video makes me want to time-travel. Although I’d probably be just as uncoordinated in the 1920’s.

6. When I went into Starbucks this morning and saw my husband behind the counter, I got all tongue-tied and shy ordering my caramel latte. And then he wrote this on my cup. Love of my life.

What about you? Got any girl confessions today?

love, elizabeth

Giving It Up

Happy Leap Day, everybody! The next time we have one of these, hopefully I'll be Dr. Elizabeth...hopefully...well, hopefully, a lot of things will be different.

Jenni's post today inspired me and I'm thinking of making a radical change in my life this spring. For some of you, maybe this wouldn't be so radical or so difficult but for me, it kind of is. I'm thinking about giving up watching television. I've been realizing what a HUGE time-suck this is for me and I'm sort of hopefully dreaming about all the things I might accomplish without it.*

*Right now, somewhere in Colorado, my mother is breaking into a joyful aria.

Source: designfloat.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

I had to think about the terms of this for a little while and here's what I'm thinking...

- No television. The only exception will be news. Because I'm a news junkie and I'm waaaaay into the election coverage right now.

- I can still watch movies because, for whatever reason, I feel the need to plan movie-watching time. It feels a whole lot more deliberate to sit down and watch a feature length film for two hours. Consequently, I actually don't do this very much.

I'm going to start with a week. Can I go a week without it? And here's where the whole i'm-an-addict thing kicks in. But, Elizabeth, what about The Voice? Battle rounds are next week! You really, REALLY want to know what happens in the battle rounds! Sigh. You're right, TV-Junkie-Elizabeth. I really do. But can I live without it?

I can live without it.

Learning to live without is something that seems like an act of growth to me. It feels important to take something out of the equation so that other, better, healthier, more amazing things might happen. I imagine the outside world, a sweeping chasm of possibility in front of me and I think about how much I am confined by my television-watching habit.

So television and I are taking a break. And frankly, Hulu, it's not me, it's you.

Questions for you today...are you giving anything up, either for Lent or just because? What do you want to be different by the next Leap Day?

love, elizabeth

“I get awesome, instead.”

Well, the cold germs are making the rounds here in Kyle-and-Elizabeth-land. I’m doing my best to stave the onslaught but I suppose, in the end, it will be unavoidable.

Alright, time to make this cold run for its miserable snot-nosed life. Where did I put my multi-vitamin?

Which makes me think of when Barney gets sick on How I Met Your Mother.



What do you do to fight illness?

Stay healthy.

love, elizabeth

To You, With Love From Your Television: Grey’s Anatomy

Like I've said before, if you're getting the majority of your relationship advice from Hollywood, you're pretty much doomed to fail. And um, Grey’s Anatomy is no exception. Seriously, how can brain surgeons have these kind of sex lives?? When do they have time to perform, I don’t know, actual surgery???!!

And still… I was struck by the most recent episode. If you haven’t seen the show, Drs. Grey and Shepherd have been having some problems (shocker).

Source: google.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

But in a scene that’s sticking with me...

Meredith challenges Derek, “Well, then why are you with me?”
“Because of that!” he tells her, pointing at the post-it note on the wall over their bed. The one with their marriage vows on it. “Because I meant that. I promised I wouldn’t run. I promised I would love you.”
“Even when you hate me…”
“Even when I hate you!”

This just resonated with me so much. The truth is, anyone who is in a long-term relationship knows what it’s like to love someone even when you hate them. And if you haven’t felt that in your marriage yet, you will.

I have always said falling in love is a feeling but staying in love…that’s a choice.

So way to go, Grey’s Anatomy. For once, I totally forgive you for all the slow motion bedroom scenes, bomb threats, pregnancy scares, cancer episodes, and for killing off George O’Malley. Okay, maybe I’m still mad about that last one. I love you, though. Even when I hate you.

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“To love each other,

even when we hate each other.

No running. Ever!

Take care when old,

senile, smelly. This is forever!”

Meredith Grey

Derek Shepherd

What about you? Have you seen any glimpse of real love or relationships on television?

love, elizabeth

Putting Things Off

So maybe this post is mostly an excuse to mention my favorite summer show, Rookie Blue (and if you’re not watching it, get on that) but the episode that aired last night, “Best Laid Plans,” was a good reminder for me and I thought I’d share it here.

Source: hulu.com via Kyle on Pinterest

In the midst of the usual cop partner will-they-won’t-they tension (c’mon, seriously, just GET TOGETHER already!), Andy takes care of a woman who has been in a serious car accident. The woman tells her that she’s been saving this expensive bottle of champagne for the last six years, until she’s finally ready to celebrate her success. But when the woman dies (sorry, spoiler), Andy has her wake-up call. She’s been making plans for the future but she’s never really living in the moment. She’s been “saving the good stuff” as she says.

Source: healthyfitandtoned.tumblr.com via Kyle on Pinterest

I’m a pretty good procrastinator, in general. But sometimes I think I put off the good things, too. I think I have to wait until some time “really special” to do that thing I’ve been wanting to do. But what exactly is holding me back? Why don’t I do the really special things now? What am I saving the good stuff FOR? What am I waiting for?

Source: tumblr.com via Anna on Pinterest

 

In the spirit of this, I have a few things I’ve been putting off that I really, really want to do. So that’s what this weekend is going to be about. Expect a few posts to follow!

What about YOU? What really good things have you been putting off?

love, elizabeth

PS: If Andy and Sam don’t end up together, I’m breaking up with Rookie Blue. For the reals.

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