Everyone Loves a Boston Girl

TV usually makes me feel like a waste of space. I never feel good about myself after sitting on the couch staring at the TV all night and I always feel much more relaxed if I do my work to some nice background music instead of the TV. However, I obviously need to keep up on my pop culture/be able to carry on an “intelligent” conversation about what and who is on TV. And there are a few shows this season that I just love watching. Aside from The Hills, which I’m not even sure I love, but feel I need to watch because, I mean, who are you if you don’t know what Lauren Conrad and the gang are up to, I have a few favorites.

Big Shots- This is basically a super cheesy, what the hell is wrong with me that I actually highly enjoy this, kind of show. But I think it’s just been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a show that is not some form of reality television; and it’s so trashy, I love it. Big Shots is basically the male version of Desperate Housewives; but probably still more for women as I can’t imagine too many men caring to watch. I heard its ratings are sucking so it probably won’t be on much longer; but I’m enjoying the mindless trashiness of it while I can. This says a lot about me, I think. Sad.

The Next Iron Chef- I am SO addicted, and there’s only been one episode so far. I obviously love Iron Chef and I think this show was such a great idea and will get more people hooked. I can’t get enough of Alton Brown anyway; and I LOVE and am so so excited that Michael Ruhlman is a judge. That man is my idol and a huuge role model, and yay, now I can see him on TV every week. This show is basically Top Chef, but ten times cooler. Who do I want to win? Really, I’m a big fan of Gavin Kaysen, mainly because I think his age is an inspiration. And I could totally stand looking at him on Iron Chef every week. Good enough reason, right?

The Office- Best show on TV ever. Period. I honestly don’t think a show that matches my sense of humor this closely has ever been made. OK, real period now.

Throw in a smattering of Donny Deutsch, Martha Stewart, and the mindless reality shows I happen to catch, that’s what I’m interested in this season. It seems like so many people are super into shows like Law and Order and all those crime shows, but I just don’t think I can get into them. Nor do I really want to try considering as there are a bazillion variations and would probably take over my life. So, I’ll stick to my top three for now. Is there anything big you think I’m missing out on?

“I hate television. I hate it as much as peanuts. But I can’t stop eating peanuts.” -Orson Welles

Trying to determine how crazy tonight is going to be. We’re trying to get to the bar early to ensure we get a table, but who knows. I have a feeling it is going to be absolutely ridiculous. But it should be more than exciting!

I’m going a bit against the grain and wearing my Trot Nixon Red Sox shirt. Hope I don’t “upset” any fellow Boston fans. Obviously I am cheering the Sox on 100%, but I also still support and love Trot 100%. So, I want Trot to play like an all-star but for the rest of the Indians to suck. OK? Actually, I’m fairly certain Trot’s not even in the line-up tonight, but whatever. I still support.

The rest of my weekend will be occupied with dog sitting, my little Cissy and the puppy. I’m scared. The puppy is a huge mess and will probably drive me crazy. It’s only for 2 nights and I’m sure I will be fairly compensated, but we’ll see how I deal.

My aunt also confirmed some other dates and then threw in “oh, by the way, Thanksgiving falls in the middle of that; we’re you planning on going home?” No, actually I was planning on hanging out in the city by myself on Thanksgiving Day, you know, like I usually do. Umm yeah. I told her I was planning on going home and staying over for a couple nights since my sister will be home. “OK, well the pen fits easily in the car,” she said of the puppy’s pen. Umm OK. Will definitely have to check with the parents on how they feel about having an untrained puppy stay in their house for the holidays. My “aunt” is my mom’s best friend so they can figure it out among themselves. Or I can spend Thanksgiving alone with 2 dogs in a house with lots of expired food (My aunt and uncle are so busy and so rich that they don’t seem to even look in their cupboards or fridge. It’s a game I like to play when I go over…how much of the same food is still there from last time I visited. Bread sticks that expired in 2003 are still front and center, going on 3+ years. Interesting…I hope when I am rich and famous, I still eat food and clean out my cupboards). Wish me luck.

And GO SOX!!!!!!

OK, so I’ve discovered I might have a problem. A really big problem. My obsession with all things pumpkin was taken to a whole new level today. I am absolutely ridiculous. And I might need help before things get even more out of hand. My mom and neighbor (grew up next door to her, kind of like a grandmother, but not as old) came to take me out to lunch in the North End. Lunch was had. And then shopping ensued. Mom bought me lots of stuff. And most of it involved pumpkins.

Pumpkin-related things I got today:

-Pumpkin Spice Coffee from Polcari’s Coffee in the North End. Thank you, Phantom Hater, for alerting me to this. My mom made a comment about the store as we were walking by and I freaked out, “omg, they have pumpkin spice coffee!!!” So, of course we went in and she bought me some. And I got out my old non-Tassimo coffee maker (see! I’m not that much of a Tassimo snob!) and am drinking some right now. So so sooooo good.

-Pumpkin Fudge. Ummm amazing. I am really big on all things chocolate and usually wouldn’t bother with any type of fudge that doesn’t involve rich chocolate and maybe some peanut butter, but this stuff is a-mazing. Go to Dairy Fresh Candies on Salem St. and try it for yourself. I wouldn’t steer you wrong. Trust me, I know my fudge. And I know my pumpkins.

-Pumpkin Gnocchi. Another weird one, I’m aware. But the lady in Salumeria Italiana casually mentioned something about how good it was and when I heard the word pumpkin, I flipped. And my mom looked at me and said, “Do you want it?” Yes, of course I do. By this time my mom was aware, if I saw something pumpkin, I wanted it. Even if it was a type of potato pasta. I’m sure it is delectable. But I’ll keep you updated.

-Pumpkin Butter. I read about it on Cave Cibum’s blog, drooled a bit, and when I was at Trader Joe’s today, I just happened to stumble upon it (I swear I wasn’t looking…). So, I obviously bought a jar figuring it would round out my pumpkin-filled day. I might put some on my toast tomorrow morning. Yay. Yay. Yay.

So, you see? I have a huge, mildly ridiculous issue. Sas and I were thinking about going to the Greatest Bar for the play-off game #1 tomorrow, but I just remembered that they have a super-good pumpkin beer at Boston Beer Works. Somebody seriously needs to stop me. I wonder if I will be incredibly sick of and disgusted by all things pumpkin in a few weeks. I really hope not because I am stocked right up. And I suddenly got a huge urge to make a pumpkin pie…



P.S. The #1 most popular search at MarthaStewart.com right now is for pumpkins. Maybe I’m not so alone!

So you’re a single person in Boston. If you ever want to change the “single” part, search online personals, and find love in Boston today.

It’s always a good feeling when you leave class feeling like you got a lot out of it. Especially when you’ve computed each class out to cost over $200 (uhhhh. sickening). Tonight in class we watched and discussed Shattered Glass, which is such a powerful movie. Usually I hate watching movies in class because I fall asleep and I think they’re a waste of time. But I loved this. I think everyone should see it, but especially anyone in the writing and publishing industry. It astounds me that the events of the movie took place only 9 years ago, and that Steven Glass was able to get away with completely fabricating so many stories. If you don’t know the story, Glass was a 24-year-old reporter at the New Republic who wrote some amazing stories. The only problem was that many of them were completely made up. I once made up a single source in a college paper because nobody was returning my calls. I felt extremely guilty and paranoid that I was going to be caught; and my paper was merely being turned in for a grade, not being published for the world to see. So, I have no clue how Glass did this for so long. I cringed as I watched him get deeper and deeper in his lies. He actually made a fake website, business cards, brochures, voicemail boxes, etc. so that he wouldn’t be found out. Yeah, he had some serious issues. I want to be successful too, but I think I’ll try it the old-fashioned way.

I think the movie was even more powerful to me because it did an really good job of showing editor/writer relationships (duh, that’s what my class is called). As someone who was incredibly saddened by the death of Michael Kelly (a fellow UNH alum), I thought it was amazing to see how he stood by his writers and was so loved by them all. Plus, I heart Hank Azaria. It was also powerful to see Chuck Lane do the right thing and make it through his adversity. And Steven Glass is clearly doing OK as he got a 6-figure advance on his fictional (ha) book; I hope his conscious drives him crazy though. And that the Bar doesn’t admit him. He totally creeped me out.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve struggled between whether I want to be a writer or an editor. I started college as a journalism major, switched to English focusing on writing, and entered graduate school focused on editing, but taking my share of writing classes. I’ve finally come to the conclusion that I can do both; but it still seems as though people always want me to choose. And maybe I will have to at some point. But I really, really hope not. We had a guest speaker in class tonight who, at age 21, got the first article he ever submitted accepted at Esquire. Now he’s probably in his late 40s and has written for so many high-end publications, it’s mind-blowing. Makes me feel like I am wayy behind in some areas of my life. So, yeah. Better go get started on that whole career thing.

Chels wrote a blog yesterday about how she knows she’s growing up. It made me start to think about all the ways I know I’m growing up. Then a major one hit me. Sas gave me a cute little Victoria’s Secret lingerie baby doll nighty for my birthday. Not only do you know you’re growing up when your friends are giving you lingerie for your birthday, but you know you’re really growing up when you show your mom your birthday presents and hold up the little nighty your friend gave you. And your mom says, “Oh, that’s so cute!” instead of saying something like “You will not leave the house wearing that!”

Also, when you do laundry at your parents house, drop a little thong on the way upstairs with the laundry basket, and find it on your bed the next time you visit home. In the past mom probably wouldn’t say anything or would discretely tuck it in the dresser drawer in your bedroom, but this time she says “Were those underwear I put on your bed yours?” In the past I might have denied it or got all flustered, but now I say yes. Her response: She starts laughing and says, “Phew. I was going to say, I wonder who your dad is having over when I’m at work!” Glad I didn’t deny it.