Shameless Girls

I'm not sure my body can control any more excitement after the return of HBO's Girls and Showtime's Shameless. These are my definitely my two favorite shows outside of anything that is reality television (I'm such a sucker). Both premieres expanded the characters I always wanted expanded and kept the others exactly where they should be.

For example, have we ever seen so much Shoshanna in one episode like we did in "Truth or Dare?"Not only did we just see her, but we got to hear what really goes on in her head from eating off a fluffy pillow to being smitten by Adam calling Hannah his best friend. Speaking of, I love that Adam and Hannah are back together but do you think it will last? I hope so but in the world of Girls nothing can stay together for too long (see: Marnie). I've never been quite sure about Jessa because she is such a free spirit that it frustrates me when she is sad or not using rehab to her full potential. I need time for that review.

As for Shameless it was a little bit of a slow start to the season but it can only pick up! I miss Steve/Jimmy already, crave more Lip at home than Lip at school and wish Debbie all the best with her new arcade boyfriend.

I also think the marketing team of these shows are both absolutely brilliant to have the shows available on YouTube. It's good to see companies understanding their target audiences and their bank accounts.


What did you think of last night's premieres?

Also, you go Judd, Jenni and Lena! Read here why.

Pieces & Poems

Do you ever find yourself missing a piece of yourself? I do. For me, it is how creative I was in high school. I was always out taking photographs, reading new books, finding new music and, mostly, writing poetry. I loved poetry so much that I barely went a day without writing a poem or two. I kept my poems in a leather bound journal with JOURNAL scripted on the front and a golden touch on the side of the pages. Once that journal was full, I began writing on the pages of a suede journal I had found on the street in New York City (thrifty, I know). However, once I left high school I never looked back at the suede journal again. It is almost as if I hit the stop button on my poetry.

My poems were about everything from Bob Dylan to a boy I spent the weekend with at the Jersey Shore to Jackson Hole. I remember my poems hanging up in my then-boyfriends room, published in the student poetry journal and recognized by Rutgers University and poetry festivals (yes, they have those).These moments were thrilling and wonderful and are very much missed, yet each time I set myself down to write I cannot think of a single word to even start with. Which brings me to ask do you think some pieces of us just stay in the past because they were so wonderful in those certain moments? Or maybe we just put our energy towards something else to create new pieces?

On that deep note, I leave with the work of one my most loved poets, Richard Brautigan:

ALL GIRLS SHOULD HAVE A POEM

            For Valerie

All girls should have a poem
written for them even if
we have to turn this God-damn world
upside down to do it.

            New Mexico
            March 16, 1969

In Defense of the Relationship.

Lately, I have found myself reading many articles and blog posts that include extensive thought processes and definitions of what it means to be single in today's society. Many of these pieces include lists of why it is okay to be single and that being single will lead to one or many of the following outcomes: independence, self-awareness of needs and wants and the ability to not blame others for your mistakes. These articles are very inspiring and true, but also portray being in a relationship as the destination your independence and self-worth go to die. While I completely agree that being single is a great time to bare yourself to yourself and learn personal ins and outs, I do not agree that being in a relationship prohibits someone from feeling the same things.

For a very long time, I thought there was nothing better than being single. In fact, I refused to imagine myself being with anyone ever again. When my girlfriends brought up their idea of the perfect guy or what their future wedding would be like, I would simply roll my eyes, say that "my man only needed to have a beard and like beer" and "I was never ever going to get married."  This was not due to any horrible ex-boyfriends or  daddy issues, it was because I loved being single. Being single means complete freedom emotionally, mentally and physically. It means having absolutely no distractions or limits. I had the independence, the self-awareness of personal needs and wants, and the ability to take the weight of my mistakes - but never as much as I have had within the past year while being in a relationship.

                                         

If someone had asked me to define myself on a piece of paper a year ago, it would have been a bunch of bullet points of ideas that I would hope to become but maybe I was not actually there yet. Today, those bullet points would still be a ramble of things, of aspirations, thoughts and definitions not hopes and guesses. I would also be able to name some of my flaws such as the tendency to be a ball of anxiety and self-doubt. These two powerful emotions can lead to poor consequences especially in a personal and professional life. Recently, I have learned to be patient and think things through before jumping to conclusions; adjust my negative thoughts to positive thoughts and realize there is a lot less to doubt about me than I thought.

In the past nine months, I have done more for myself than I ever did in my life. I have graduated college with a bachelor's degree, landed my first job and moved to my own apartment in New York City. I have finally put money into my empty and two-year-old bank account, "Wanderlust." I have learned to smile in the mirror and tell myself I look really good today and may even look better tomorrow (and fill the parenthesis with this rather than "probably not though.) I even write in my old journal that I adored in high school.

What I am getting at is that the feelings these articles and blog posts talk about do not come from being single or being in a relationship - they come from you. It is your duty to have independence, self-awareness of personal needs and wants and responsibility, but only if you let yourself. Simply put, do you. Always.

That Kind of Night...

This weekend seemed like a dream. It was one of those weekends that people always tell you your twenties are about. It was filled with Citi biking, wine glasses, homemade dinner and Central Park strolls, each filled with girl talk and laughter. Nothing will ever beat a night in with a bottle of wine, brainstorming blog posts in journals and listening to Volcano Choir with a best friend. Those kinds of nights are definitely the ones I cherish the most. And as the weekend rolled into the work week, I feel a simple peace with myself that enlightened confidence. 

What are the nights that bring out the best of yourself? While you think of the times that will always spark a smile, watch and listen to the beauty that is Comrade. 

Hello Again

Good morning, readers! I'm not sure if there are any of you out there as I took a long hiatus. But, I am back and am planning on sticking around for a while and I hope you all do too.

Happy Saturday! Today in New York it is an absolutely stunning fall day with a big blue sky and crisp, chill in the air. My street is decorated with yellow leaves the color of something not found within a Crayola box. For me, it is only natural to wake up early and experience the whole day for days like this. I started the day doing the laundry I have avoided for an ungodly amount of time. For some reason, I always feel extra grown up when I do laundry in the building. It may be because I'm usually doing my bright colors next to new moms washing their childrens' stuffed animals or because of the new dad swearing next to me about shrinking the sweater his wife told him not to shrink.

Today I didn't feel so grown up as I locked myself out of my apartment and ended up having to use a credit card I found in my cardigan to break into my apartment. Oh, the sweet joys of apartment living.

After hanging all of my laundry to dry in the shower (oh, the sweet joys of being 22 and broke), I went for a run down the West Side Highway and swallowed down a cup of coffee to Greenberg playing the background. The day will continue to my first attempt at Citi biking and the Union Square Holiday shops. Wish me luck on my maneuvering two wheels through New York...anyone have an extra helmet? A life vest? Knee pads?

“A good relationship is when two people accept each other’s past, support each other’s present, and love each other enough to encourage each other’s future. So don’t rush love. Find a partner who encourages you to grow, who won’t cling to you, who will let you go out into the world, and trust that you will come back. This is what true love is all about.”

Being Alone.

What a lovely surprise to finally discover how unlonely being alone can be.

Is it bad to be alone? Never before had this thought cross my mind, but a recent conversation has left me questioning whether or not I should feel strange about my comfort with the A word.

I have always been someone who likes to keep to themselves. After a long day at work my favorite thing is to walk home by myself, make dinner for myself and go through my daily blogs that I have missed. On the weekends, I like to walk around new parts out of town and try new restaurants or go to concerts - and if I do all of these things alone, it does not bother me. In fact, I have never even thought of it has strange. Would I like to have someone walking with me, eating dinner across a table or dancing circles around me at a concert? Of course and I do have these people, who make my heart wiggle in all the right places.

Is it okay to like to be alone?


Is this an insecurity?


Help?