Archive for Life Lessons
What I Learned From Watching 82 Episodes of Gossip Girl
Posted by: | CommentsI have this problem…when I watch TV I can’t start a show in the middle of a sequence. For example, I have never seen an episode of Grey’s Anatomy because I would have to start at the beginning and work my way up until now. Therefore, I have to be REALLY committed to a show if I decide to watch it.
The joys of Netflix Instant Streaming has enabled this problem and has allowed me to watch every single episode of The Hills, Weeds, Roseanne, The Secret Life of an American Teenager, Switched at Birth and now Gossip Girl. In the past few weeks I have watched over 82 episodes of Gossip Girl. My friends told me that I shouldn’t admit that to anyone and here I am documenting it for all to see.
Gossip Girl has been on for a few years now so when you sit down and watch every season from start to finish you notice things you might otherwise miss.
Like what, you ask?
1. Technology has changed. A LOT.
We all know that there is a new phone, tablet, must have tech device rolling out every other month. Everyone always wants the hot new thing but I never realized HOW fast it changed. At the beginning of the show all of the characters had LG phones (hear that? NOT smart phones) and they had to text their submissions to Gossip Girl. Keep watching and you will see that soon the characters have new phones and are able to submit pictures to Gossip Girl and by the end they have iphones and are sending Videos! Videos! For real, Chuck Bass was carrying an LG Dare?
2. Product placements on shows have gotten weird.
Because I work in the world of PR I always seem to notice the product placements in shows. In the beginning seasons of Gossip Girl there weren’t any product placements other than mentions of designers and hotels. By season four they have piles of Vitamin Water on their coffee table and Lily Humphrey/Bass/Vanderwoodsen is shopping at Gilt Groupe in an un-comfortably obvious way.
Is it just me or is that WEIRD?
3. People are so predictable
My favorite part of this show is how they scheme everyone. They can map out step-by-step how a person will react in any situation. I have a couple of friends who can TOTALLY do this and I suddenly realized how valuable this skill really is. I mean, would Blaire be marrying a prince if she didn’t know how to scheme? Would Charlie be living in a penthouse? Would Serena have a booming career? No, they wouldn’t. I want to marry a prince and live in a penthouse. My new years resolution is to learn how to scheme better. Wish me luck.
4. I want to be Chuck Bass.
No explanation needed.
5. I want to be Blaire Waldorf.
No explanation needed.
Do you have any good Gossip Girl stories? Who is your faveorite character? Which vitamin water would you drink if you could drink any vitamin water? (See how awkward that is?)
2011
Posted by: | CommentsSo much has happened in 2011 that I have been trying to figure out how I would recap it. I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to focus on, ignore, celebrate, pretend didn’t happen, etc. It seems there were the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows.
Oh 2011, you were so bi-polar.
I considered creating a 2011 recap post with a bunch of pictures from the year. I started thumbing through Facebook to find pictures I could use and most of them looked something like this:
(last New Years Eve. Yes, those are potato chips in my hand)
And this:
(This was taken in March. I was pretending to be Marilyn Monroe–see the resemblance?)
I am really good at photo opps. Clearly.
This year Aiden and I moved into our first house and took my first full-time job. I traveled to New York, Chicago, Nashville, Palm Springs, New Orleans and San Diego. I wrote a ton, created more powerpoints than I ever imagined possible and watched over 70 episodes of Gossip Girl. (not an easy task) I grew my own food, got over my fear of public speaking, ate sea urchin, rode in a petty cab and survived Aiden’s first day of kindergarten. I met Drew Brees, Giuliana Rancic, Bob Harper and sat on Melissa Peterman’s lap. I welcomed old friends who came back home, I threw fits, quit speaking to people, made new friends, made up with old friends and became more demanding than I have ever been in my life.
A couple of months ago I went to Camp Mighty and attended a session that talked about intention and how we fit intention into our lives. It occurred to me that this past year I was not at all intentional with the things that I did and the way that I spent my time. I had absolutely no goals or direction other than survival. I was simply existing, wading through the days and hoping good stuff would happen. (and good stuff did happen)
When I was in college my entire experience was centered around this larger purpose of graduating college. I had this big lofty goal and all I had to do to achieve it was meet with my guidance counselor twice a year and check courses off of a list. At the end of that list was diploma and with that diploma all of my dreams would come true. Right?
After college there wasn’t any big lofty goal. I wasn’t the only person who spent their first year after college wading in the un-known—none of my friend’s seemed to have a center purpose for their lives either. Ok, there were a few of them who had long ago made it their goal to become President and were now sitting in the background of episodes of c-span but those are a rare breed.
I haven’t set one single goal and because of that I haven’t had any steps in place that were leading in any kind of direction.
2012 is going to be my year of intention.
My goal for 2012 is to set some goals.
I want to ask for lofty things that probably won’t happen but I can at least start building my life to move in the direction I need it to go.
What are your 2012 goals?
