I've had this idea floating in my head for a while now - I even wrote a paper about it - but I thought I'd share it... along with a little personal drama.
You see, my boyfriend [of the last 5.5 years] and I broke up yesterday. However, don't worry about me, friends, I will be all right. I'm a pretty tough girl.
I seriously thought this would depress me, but it actually made me laugh!
Even though I consider myself a bit of an expert when it comes to relationships, I am still a geek. One of the first things I did when my pre-engagement disintegrated completely was look up how to handle a break up. The first credible source I found was this MSN/Cosmo article.
"Obsess over the break up...for 15 minutes."
This part struck a cord with me! I had been so prideful thinking: "Man, f*ck this break-up sadness sh*t. I don't give a f*ck!" However, though it is remarkable to stand strong through an ordeal like this, it is necessary to release that stress lest it eat you up inside.
So, I decided to come home and think about the epic fail of a relationship for a couple hours. I typically de-stress by listening to music that relates to the situation...
But there really isn't an app or website for songs relating to a specific situation, is there? Someone should totally do that! I should be able to click on "Break Up - Empowered" and hear Katherine McPhee's So Over It and other songs that make me feel empowered about a break up!
Just a thought... App Wizards, feel free to get rich off of it. I just could use it right now.
In the meantime, here are a few songs that have helped me recently:
So Over It - Katherine McPhee
Survivor - Destiny's Child
So What - P!nk
Return of the Mack - Mark Morrison
Exhale - Whitney Houston
Cry - Rihanna
Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye
Real Love - Mary J. Blige
Not Gon' Cry - Mary J. Blige
Smile - Lily Allen
Label or Love - Fergie
It's My Life - No Doubt (my anthem lately)
"If your phone doesn't ring, it's me."
Share a moment when a song fit a situation perfectly on Facebook!
The article goes into the various reasons why Superstar Beyonce Knowles should not be considered an inspiration for today's young women based on the way she puts herself out there. I'm sure Beyonce fans - who oddly don't have a name like Little Monsters or Beliebers - were outraged by the article, but I can see where the author's head is.
Honestly, although I've been a Beyonce fan once or twice in my life, I've never considered her an inspiration. Here's a list (in no particular order) of 10 people/characters that inspire me!
Paul Lynde
In a previous post, I mentioned how much I love game shows. One game show I simply had to watch growing up was (the original) Hollywood Squares because of its center square: Paul Lynde.
At a time when being homosexual was controversial (even in Hollywood), Paul Lynde made no secret of his sexuality in a humorous way then even the biggest homophobe could laugh at. Although, he never officially came out, he still had the courage to at least address the issue. Furthermore, the media had enough respect and admiration for Paul Lynde that they avoided outing him in order to preserve his career.
His courage and wit make him an inspiration in my life. His death in 1982 was a true loss in Hollywood.
Fun Fact: American Dad's Roger the Alien was based on Paul Lynde.
Conan O'brien
From Saturday Night Live to late night television, Conan O'brien has been a funny man for decades now. Not only is his career admirable, but the personality that gave him such success is something to be admired.
First, one of the reasons I find Conan O'brien so funny is that he acknowledges his hits and misses. He knows that all of his jokes aren't going to land - at least not the way he wants them to - and he's not afraid to point it out. In fact, he's very transparent with his audience.
Second, the way he handled the Tonight Show incident with NBC & Jay Leno was very admirable. Not only did he stand his ground on not moving the show back an hour, but when he left NBC his fan rallied around him (myself included), pledged our allegiance to #TeamCoco, and he didn't let us down.
Thanks to TBS, Conan was back on late night television, funnier than ever, within months of leaving NBC.
His humor and tenacity makes him one of my most inspirational people!
Bethenny Frankel (of The Real Housewives of New York)
It's a bit of a guilty pleasure, but who doesn't love The Real Housewives? The Real Housewives of New York was the first one I ever saw and it had me absorbed in the drama. The cattiness of wealthy/powerful women can be appalling! However, there always seem to be one woman on those shows who rises above the immaturity and tells it how it is. On RHNY, that housewife was Bethenny Frankel.
Along with seeing through the mess the other women made all the time, Bethenny is also a self-made success. She comes from a hostile family environment and continues to be a lovely, classy, sane successful woman.
Overcoming obstacles and remaining her wonderful self makes her an inspiration to me!
L (of Death Note)
Aside from being one of the greatest anime characters of all time, L is an individual whose mere description is something to model yourself after!
He's world-renowned, brilliant, and not self-righteous. It took a lot for the protagonist, Light, to gain L's trust (for good reason, as his eventual trust was misplaced), and no one ever learned his real name.
His intrigue and logical talent makes him inspirational!
Vegeta (of Dragonball Z)
At first glance, this one is a stretch. How could that foolishly prideful prince be inspirational? Beneath his hard exterior, Vegeta has a heart and beneath his pride is a lot of will.
Vegeta taught me at a young age to always give everything my best and always think highly of myself regardless of the accomplishments of those around me. He "takes orders from no one" and acts for what he deems important.
"You may have invaded my mind & my body. But there's one thing a saiyin always keeps: his PRIDE!"
Oscar Wilde
Much like Paul Lynde, Oscar Wilde was gay when being gay wasn't the most popular thing to be. (In fact, it was illegal in his day.) Oscar Wilde was a skilled writer, a man who made his way through the world exploring many different things, and maintained an enviable level of style!
When a homosexual relationship he'd been having came to light and he was facing prosecution, he never denied being gay. Instead he made the argument that it shouldn't matter who he loved and brought humor to the courtroom.
Aside from being courageous, Oscar Wilde also has an interesting world view as you can tell from the many quotes we see from him today.
"Children begin by loving their parents; after a time they judge them; rarely, if ever, do they forgive them."
Tupac Shakur
I once wrote a five-page paper about how misunderstood Tupac Shakur is, so forgive me for being brief here. Unlike 99.99% of the rappers today, Tupac tried to make statements through his rhymes. He grew up living a hard life and watched those around him live just as hard; he hoped to inspire change as well as entertainment through his lyrics.
Growing up listening to his music & over time realizing how educated he really was, inspired me to examine the content of the music I was listening to. So often people are more concerned with a dance-able beat than a world-changing rhyme when it comes to rap. While his contemporaries rapped about shootings and riches, Tupac spoke the way he felt about serious issues facing the African-American community at the time.
(Confession: I seriously cannot listen to Brenda's Got A Baby. It makes me uncomfortably sad.)
Olivia Munn
I know Olivia Munn wasn't the first woman to trailblaze her way into the Geek world, but she was my inspiration when I began to embrace the geek in me. Before any bimbo in glasses called herself a geek, geeks were typically young men who were interested in science, technology, comic books, etc. As you can imagine with any male-dominated group, women were not exactly welcomed with open arms.
Women like Olivia Munn and Morgan Web actually made female geeks look right. It was okay - even a little sexy - to be interested in things boys were interested in. In short: We don't all have to be Barbies to be cool or attractive!
Plus, she often pointed out the juxtaposition of her being a hot chick, a geeky boy's holy grail, who was geeky herself.
Whitney Cummings
Whitney Cummings is one of my favorite comediennes! She's relatable, beautiful, and out-spoken. I love the way she blurts out the truest things unapologetically. She's also the creative mind behind two hilarious shows: Whitney (which I'm almost certain is based on my life somehow) & Two Broke Girls.
I love her style and her sense of humor. I also admire the way she's put her creativity out there for the world to see. That's what makes her an inspiration!
After I read the Beyonce Is Not A Role Model article, I immediately went to Facebook to find out who my inspirational people are. (Sadly, I couldn't think of them all instantly.) These are the ten people I chose to call inspirational. I hope by sharing they can be of inspiration to you, too!
Random: I've decided I want to be more active on Polyvore. Polyvore, "the web's largest fashion community", is a great way to express your fashion/beauty creativity online.
First, I feel I should have more of an online presence. For a person with a degree in Social Computing Informatics, I'm not exactly making anyone's Top 10 List of Pinners to Follow, etc...
Second, I need a creative outlet to keep me from going insane from everyday monotony. In high school, I spent hours watching E! or The Style Network. I developed a great sense of style; the only problem is...
Of course, you can look good for less, but it's not as fun!
I got the idea to take a stab at becoming notable on Polyvore. Making sets and collections is fun anyway, and I could put a little effort into it.
So far, I have participated in a couple of contests:
And joined a group:
I've read a little on the subject, and it seems popularity really relies on participation. So I suppose it's time I get started!
For more of my insights on random things (on & offline),
"Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive." - Elbert Hubbard
Many people reach the middle of their lives and begin taking stock: How much time do I have left? What have I accomplished thus far? Have I ever truly felt alive?
This internal struggle - commonly referred to as a mid-life crisis - usually manifests itself outwardly through risky/outrageous acts, spontaneous trips, and expensive purchases.
As painful as a mid-life crisis is, this is not the only crisis of the modern world some of us are bound to face...
Before you can even reach the "What Have I Done With My Life?" crisis, you must first encounter the "What Am I Going To Do With My Life" crisis: The Quarter-Life Crisis.
The overwhelming panic of being thrust into the "real world" clueless of what the future holds can be a terrible experience for us in our early 20s to 30s: What am I going to do with my life? Did I go to school for the right thing? Or have I screwed it all up already? Is happiness even a real thing?
Unlike a mid-life crisis, young people typically don't have the option to spend their savings on something to help cure their crisis. So what do you do?
Here's how I've been spending my quarter-life crisis...
Becoming A Warrior
Lately, my interest in martial arts has become a small hobby. Israeli Krav Maga, in particular, has piqued my interest, and I've been practicing a few techniques I found online. Feeling my punches have been weak (and my stamina should be better), I've also begun doing strength-building yoga from a book I bought a while back.
Becoming A Feng Shui Master & Fashion Stylist
My quarter-life crisis has brought out my creative side. Around Christmas time, I mentioned I bought a book about feng shui, and I love interior decorating! I've been watching a lot of HGTV and pinning a lot of home decor on Pinterest.
When I grow bored of interior design, I turn to exterior design. I watch Fashion Starand create outfits on Polyvore (inspired by music that I like).
Connecting To Culture
I've begun watching a period anime, Samurai Champloo, with deep plots in each episode and the smoothest music! This show has simultaneously educated me about Japan in the Edo period and reminded me of what hip hop used to mean before... what it is now...
This thought of culture has me into spoken word again, too. I actually got the urge to write a poem after a hard day at work while listening to the above song. (That melody soothes me.) I've also started listening to poetry on YouTube - which I strongly recommend on a bad day.
What are your suggestions for coping with a Quarter-Life Crisis?
Confession: I LOVE game shows!!! Below the surface, game shows can be quite thought-provoking. There are shows like Jeopardy that test your trivial knowledge, shows like Friend or Foe that act as human experiments, and shows like Deal or No Deal that are just simply entertaining. Here are some of my favorites:
Jeopardy
Wheel of Fortune
Press Your Luck/Whammy
The Newlywed Game
Hollywood Squares
Friend or Foe
The Weakest Link
Lingo
A must-have when choosing a television provider
After years of watching game shows (especially during my huge GSN phase), I'd thought I'd seen it all! But today, I came across something so bizarre I had to blog about it.
Three's A Crowd was short-lived game show of late '70s/early '80s (oddly reappearing in the early 2000s) created by Chuck Barris, father of The Newlywed Game and The Dating Game. Like its greatly more successful predecessors, Three's A Crowd was all about relationships...
The contestants were trios consisting of a man, his wife, and HIS SECRETARY being asked awful questions Newlywed Game style. Do you realize how bad an idea this is?
"Join us next week on Three's A Crowd - if we're still here!"
In a way, combined with The Dating Game and The Newlywed Game, Three's A Crowd is the ending of a terrible love story...
Girl meets Boy
Girl marries Boy
Boy cheats on Girl with Secretary.
I can't imagine how so many people thought this was a good idea that this actually lasted on television for five months, was syndicated, and revived years later. But the part that freaks me out is the people who are actually playing the game like this is normal!!! Wives, if you're husbands' secretaries can answer any of these questions, you need a divorce.
This show was so bad that due to the feminist, conservative, and religious groups protesting it and "the sometimes-evident lack of fun the contestants were having" caused Creator Chuck Barris to step away from television production all together.
And I thought The Newlywed Game was tough on marriages...
When you've had a rough day, nothing feels better than shopping! Hard day at work? A pair of new shoes will take care of that! Love sick? Dr. Alexander McQueen and Nurse Chanel have just the thing for you! A new wardrobe can instantly make you feel better.
See how happy they look? Better than Xanex.
One problem: It is insanely expensive!!!
Shopping addiction is an expensive affliction! A few bad days can put you in serious debt if you're not careful. But I have a solution!!!
For those unfamiliar, Pinterest is a pin-board style photo-sharing website that links to blogs and websites. (A good amount of useful information is shared there, too.)
My Pinterest account currently has 22 boards and over 3,300 pins. One of the boards is called: "OMG! Shoes." Yes, I created a separate blog solely (get it?) for shoes. It's merely one of the blogs I use to dream of a better tomorrow where I actually own or have visited the things and places I've pinned.
I'm no shopaholic, but it makes a bad day a little better to nice (expensive) things. Of course it would be infinitely better to own these things, but until I become a billionaire I'll work with what I have.
P.S. Pinning clothes and outfits is a great way to discover your sense of style.
Whoever said money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping. -- Bo Derek
Don't You Agree? Share your thoughts on Facebook & Feel free to follow me on Pinterest!!!
I read somewhere: "If you grew up in the 90s, you know Batman the Animated Series/The New Batman Adventures is the truest form of Batman." I'm not sure if everyone agrees with that, but I do! From the art to the dialogue, even if this isn't the truest form of Batman, there is just a certain allure to this show that has yet to be surpassed.
Though, there is one thing in particular that I love most about this childhood favorite: strong female characters!
Every time I watch something action-packed, I look for the strong female character. Whether they're heroes or villains, I admire strong women who challenge the "delicate flower" stereotype. However, the creation of strong female characters isn't always done the best way...
But the villianesses of Batman: The Animated Series/The New Batman Adventures are more than men in drag. They hold their own as criminals while maintaining both their femininity and individuality. The following ladies of crime are far from stock characters...
First, prior to becoming a villain, Pamela Isley, was a botanist. (Yay! Women in science!) As one of Gotham City's Most Wanted, Poison Ivy fights to protect the environment and often experiments with natural ingredients to use as toxins. Saving the environment; one less Batman at a time.
Harleen Quinzel was another successful woman - a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum - turned bad girl. Granted, she's not a solo act, but what other woman could hold her own in The Joker's freak show? Harley is a fantastic character because her relentless infatuation/love for "Mr. J." (regardless of how he treats her) gives her character relatable and depth.
Selina Kyle is a socialite with a thirst for adventure by day. But by night, she gets her thrills stealing from vaults and museums. Personally, I like that her entire reason for being a criminal is boredom. Aside from that, what sets Catwoman apart from the other women of this series is her relationship with Batman. He's head-over-heels for her, so each encounter is an inner struggle between his fight for justice and his heart.
Is there a television show you watch solely for the characters?
.jpg)
