Resolutions

We are entering the third full week of January and I am just now thinking about resolutions. I’ve never been one for New Years resolutions. I would rather make weekly or monthly goals because I feel like cutting things into smaller bits makes them more manageable. Like cutting a steak, I like to cut down things that will improve me.

I can say, this year I’m going to work out and eat better, but unless I have specifics it won’t happen. For instance, starting today I’m going to work out for 30 minutes, five times this week, only eat out once a week and do my dishes before I go to sleep. These resolutions only apply for this week. If it works out, I will reinstate them for the week after. That’s the only way I’ll be successful because I know myself.

I love to bargain with myself. If I don’t work out on Monday I will tell myself that I will work out on Sunday, but I won’t. I know I won’t yet I let myself not work out. That’s why I set small, reachable goals for the day or week. I don’t have the self discipline to work on year-long goals.

I also am highly motivated by rewards. So if I don’t buy any food all week, I can get a pizza on Saturday. Or if I beat my mile time, I can buy a beer. I’m basically like a dog. If I know there will be a treat in my future, I am more likely to do a task. You could say, isn’t being healthy the reward or eating well? Yes, but that takes so long. I would rather have a pizza. It’s not rocket science, but it works.

Cheers to anyone who follows through with yearly resolutions, I salute you!

I’ll see you at the end of the week and we’ll see how well I did.

I’m why we can’t have nice things

My super hip boss has a mini motor bike he uses to get around the office. On Monday, some of the guys at the office asked if I had ever ridden it, and if I wanted to. I, in my infinite wisdom, said yes. Don’t get it wrong, there was no peer pressure involved, just a group of people who wanted me to feel included. So I hopped on and made it two feet before I smacked into the wall and fell over.

After my embarrassment wore off I realized my finger and knee were hurting pretty bad. During the next couple hours I watched my knee grow a nasty bruise as my finger swelled to three times its size. It stayed that way for a couple days and even now I’m typing this with one finger on my left hand. You might think this is a pretty extreme outcome to a casual ride on something made for children in an enclosed space.

Well let me take you back to the summer of 2011. I was back home from college and my friends Jordyn and Erin wanted to go to the roller rink for their birthdays. I used to roller skate a bit back in the day so I was down. As soon as I put on the skates I realized the last time I had wheels attached to my feet I was 5. This was made even more apparent as I started to go around and around to bad covers of Dave Matthews. I wasn’t terrible but I definitely wasn’t comfortable. Soon I sort of got the hang of it and found a rhythm as long as I didn’t slow down or stop.

Jordyn was a natural. She was spinning and going backwards, your basic Yamaguchi. I lost sight of Erin for five minutes, to be fair, I couldn’t take my eyes off the ground ahead of me. On a quick and daring glance up, I saw her sitting on the side of the rink. Worried something was wrong I made my way over to her. Of course I wasn’t able to slow down so I was planning on every so gracefully gliding into the wall.

Instead, I hit the bump where the hardwood turns into carpet and fell backwards. The next few minutes are a blur, but I’m told I put my arm back to catch myself, then started laughing at my fall. Erin tried to help me up but my arm stayed behind.

Jordyn was in nursing school so she went into full caretaker mode, asking me what hurt, if I could move, if I had hit my head. Though I felt fine, I couldn’t support my arm enough to stand up. The manager from the rink ran up and started asking me to sign things. Since I couldn’t feel my dominant hand I said, “I’m not going to sue,” over and over while another worker made me a splint out of newspaper and skate laces.

I was finally able to stand up and with skates still on, Jordyn wheeled me out as Erin carried my shoes. I was finally able to get into the car and Erin began to drive. Every turn and bump were excruciating but I didn’t start crying until I realized I couldn’t go into work at a restaurant that night.

After half an hour of waiting in the ER, the doctor told me I had dislocated my elbow and I wouldn’t be able to work for 6 weeks. He then gave me some pain meds and popped my elbow back in as I named every bone in the body.

I would like to reiterate both of these activities, roller skating and mini moto bikes, are meant for children, and I managed to spectacularly mess both of them up. I’m not even going to go into the time I dislocated my knee cap falling down three stairs. I assure you, the stairs are not steep or slippery, I’m just uncoordinated. I will find a way to hurt myself doing the most mundane tasks. What made me think I could do something cool?

I’m the reason we can’t have nice things.

Je suis Charlie

I’ve never written anything political on this blog, and I don’t intend to make a habit of it. But I write this blog for myself and today there are things I need to work though. Return on Friday for another episode of my podcast.

Today is a hard day to be a journalist. A satirical magazine, Charlie Hedbo, was attacked and 12 people were killed.

I don’t want to talk about the religious or political implications of the attack, I just want to mourn with my fellow writers and creators.

Argentinan comic Bernardo Erlich said it best, “The world has become so dangerous that humor is a risky profession.” 12 people died writing about the hypocrisies of the world, and that makes me sad. If writers aren’t awarded the freedom to say what they want to, nothing will ever change. Journalists, comedians, comics, and filmmakers are able to make people thing differently about themselves and the world, and if that is taken away, we open ourselves to even more abuse, injustice and evil. Where will we be in 20 years if we allow that?

I always strive to make this blog a place for positivity and hope and it is hard to find any of that in a situation like this. The thing that has brought me solace is the global response. People all over the world are holding vigils to send the message that this won’t make journalists back down. The world isn’t going to stop drawing, writing, filming and singing because of this. We’re not always going to agree with each other, but we have to listen to each other. It’s too dangerous not to.

There is no freedom without freedom of speech.

December is a rough month

While I normally love December because of the fact that somehow there’s chocolate everywhere and people try to be nicer to others, it is a terrible time for job applications. Employers focus on their families and friends and crap like that and they don’t post or respond to job openings. I’ve been looking at the same four posts since November 21st.

Strangely there are a ton of posts for unpaid internships, maybe they think we’re desperate in the cold winter months, and they might be right. I saw a post for two hours a week, for a month. Yeah, that seems worth it.

Anyway, the point is that this dark, gloomy month isn’t conducive for ending unemployment. There is good news, January is right around the corner. In January employers are excited for a fresh start and begin looking for new faces to join their team. So I’m going to think of December as a bit of a break. I’m still going to look at the normal sites to see if anything has changed, but I’m not going to worry about it as much.

Enjoy the lights, time with family and the free food at all the parties you’re going to attend. Also if you celebrate holidays were gifts are called for, maybe spend some time online shopping. Stores are far too busy and stressful this time of year. I’m getting off track.

 

Show Recaps: Newsroom Series Finale

Updated on 12-15-14: The post originally said Neal went to Peru not Venezuela. It has been updated to reflect that.

I watch a lot of TV, I mean a lot. Some might say too much. That is why I thought I would try to make my habits productive by writing about the the things I watch. Everyone needs an outlet.

Warning: Big time spoilers. Don’t read unless you’ve seen the episode I’m about to recap. Unless you don’t care in which case, welcome. 

I am in a complicated relationship with Aaron Sorkin. I started watching The Newsroom because I loved West Wing and Sports Night and was excited to see Sorking writing for TV again. I wasn’t in love with the characters and felt like the dialogue was just copied and pasted from his other work, but he had gained my trust and I believed he had a reason for every annoying character and unbelievable plot line. I knew it would all come together to create something beautiful and I could say “I told you” to all the haters.

After three long seasons of defending him and standing by him through the Jim, Maggie and Maggie’s roommate saga, he really let me down last week with the unexpected death of Charlie. A very naive part of me is still holding out hope that Charlie’s death will round out the series and explain to me why I sat through 24 episodes. Was it really only 24 episodes? Oof. He is on thin ice with me and it will take a lot to win me back. Let’s see if he can in the series finale, “What Kind of Day Has It Been.” Here we go!

I’m going to break this recap up by characters, because it seems like the easiest way to tackle the episode.

Flashbacks

The flashbacks weren’t technically a character, but Sorkin used them as one. It felt like these were put in in case someone hadn’t watched the first season or had forgotten how far they had come. The only real realization that was made was that Sloan had feelings for Don three years ago. These really just served to show how much Charlie had to do with making Will get his shit together and report the news. Something I thought we already understood.

Pruit

We get it, he’s skeevy and doesn’t care about the news. This is Sorkin’s not so subtle attack at people like Chris Hughes. This whole season was about how social media is attacking responsible reporting, and Pruit is the embodiment of that. Poor B.J. Novak.

Maggie and Jim

This is my favorite story line because it’s a chance to go to the bathroom, grab a snack or do some dishes. It was one of the most painful throughout the series. Anyone who didn’t know they would end up together was seriously kidding themselves. I’m happy they’re both flourishing professionally, especially considering the condescending way Maggie was always talked about. Maybe they’ll work out with long distance, maybe not. I don’t really care.

Sloan and Don

Don went from my least favorite characters to a pretty decent one. I begrudgingly found him charming in this last season. His relationship with Sloan was more interesting than Maggie and Jim’s but still annoying. Again, we knew they would get over their commitment issues and the strange HR rep to be together. It was nice to see that Sloan always fought for her stories and will continue to talk down to Will.

Neal

Aw Neal, even after escaping to Venezuela, you’re still one of my favorite characters. Yes he’s a little kooky but he was passionate, many times to a fault. Wasn’t it funny that Will couldn’t understand the internets and the new guys couldn’t figure out how to not get hacked. Crazy kids. Weird no one talked about Neal not going to jail, they didn’t even make a cake like in Back to the Future (I understand that was a getting-out-of-jail-cake but you get it.) I hope things go well for Neal and he stops making stupid decisions.

Mackenzie

Although the birth vs death imagery at the beginning was too on the nose, I’m excited for Will and Mack to have a baby, it will be totally normal. I’m also happy to see her in a position of power but I’m glad I don’t have to watch her fight with Pruit, because oy. All in all she changed the least out of anyone else. She fought, in the middle of work, for what she believed in and didn’t let Will get away with anything. She was consistent and I liked that.

Will 

This is the least annoying I’ve ever found Will. He did a speech but it wasn’t long and contrived and he got to play a tune with Charlie’s grandson. All in all not a bad time. Again, I didn’t need to be reminded over and over how much he had changed since Mack joining News Night, but I’m glad he’s happy. What more is there to say about Will? He was more mellow this season, which was a nice break, but because of that he didn’t bring much to the table. I guess he went to prison and hallucinated, but that all felt so forced. Let’s not forget Jeff Daniels beat out Jon Hamm, Steve Buscemi and Byan Cranston for Best Actor.

Charlie 

Oh Charlie, you deserved better than this. You were the puppet-master that brought all of these annoying characters together, but you always had your heart in the right place. While you didn’t grow much during the series, did anyone? You made me laugh and think, and I will remember you for that. I’m sorry you were killed off in your prime to prove that News Night had come so far in three years. For one of my favorite characters I couldn’t find myself at all moved by his funeral.

All in all it was exactly what I expected after last week’s episode. Everyone pretty much ended up where I expected them. I wish the show had ended after last season’s finale which actually evoked some emotion. Here’s to you ACN and News Night. You tried.

Well I got sick

It is December, which officially means cold and flu season. I wash my hands, eat fairly well and drink a lot of water but every year I get a cold around this time. Some people never get sick, but I always do and I don’t even take public transportation.

This year is a special case. My boyfriend came home for Thanksgiving and since he hadn’t had a day off in a month and a half, doesn’t eat well and works outside in snow he couldn’t escape a nasty nasty cold. We’re talking bordering on flu. I’m not a doctor but seeing how miserable led me to that conclusion.

Of course he stayed with me and I eventually was taken by the sickness of the year. I’m especially upset because I even got a flu shot. Before you say anything, I know there are different strands of flu and that’s why the shot is so unreliable but you would think that inserting a sickness into my body would do more for than get me a sweet Band-Aid.

So here we are, day 7 of being sick and it isn’t fun. Remember when you were a kid and being sick meant watching TV all day and not going to school? Sure, you felt like hell but it was fun. Not to mention having a parent to bring you food or the remote. Being sick as an adult is the worst. You have to miss work, which means not getting paid that day unless you have sick days but even then you feel guilty you’re not at work.

Then you’re on your own and have to do all the cooking and cleaning yourself while also still feeling like hell. My boyfriend was here at the beginning of the mega-cold so he helped out a lot, but now it’s just me and I want curry. I want some delicious, warm chicken curry because cooking sounds terrible but it’s cold and I’m lazy. I understand these are all very minimal problems, I’m not a monster, but I am sick and I feel like whining.

Beerview: Double Mountain IRA

Beerview: Double Mountain IRA

I like beer, and I like to try new beers. I’ll tell you about the good and bad ones I find. I am not qualified an any way to talk about beer, but I’m going to anyway.

I love this beer. I’m not even going to play coy because I really love it. It has a well-rounded, full-bodied flavor that goes with anything. I had it for the first time with Vietnamese food. It paired surprisingly well with peanut sauce and tofu that I had to try it with a burger and of course it was perfect there too.

Double Mountain is a relatively small brewery in Hood River, Oregon and I didn’t expect such big flavor to come from them. I realize it isn’t fair to assume that a brewery in a smaller town can’t produce big flavor, I’m from Fort Collins so I really should know better, but it’s so nice to see such unique flavors coming from the mountains.

The first time I had this beer, with a delicious peanut curry stir fry, my dad tried it and liked it so much that he switched beers with me. He had a pale ale at my suggestion because that’s what he tends to but he really liked the this Red. Why? Because it has a flavor unlike any other red out there, or unlike any beer out there.

I can’t recommend it enough, so go out and get some so I can stop pretending to be your friend. We obviously don’t have anything in common until you’ve tried it.

Rating: Five fucking pints. (Like there was any question)

I’m back baby!!

Posts this week

Hey everyone (Dad) I am writing to let you know that I won’t be posting as much this week because it is a holiday and I have decided to take a break.

I will most likely write a few posts, but I don’t want to commit to anything, safer that way. Things will be back to normal with three posts next week!

Happy Thanksgiving!

funny-thanksgiving-pictures-23

Beerview: Deschutes’ Cinder Cone Red

Beerview: Deschutes’ Cinder Cone Red

I like beer, and I like to try new beers. I’ll tell you about the good and bad ones I find. I am not qualified an any way to talk about beer, but I’m going to anyway.

I love me so Deschutes. They always come out with interesting and delicious flavors, some I’ve written about before. So when I saw their Cinder (Something) beer I knew I had to try it. I like red ales and Deschutes, so why not.

It’s not bad. That’s pretty much my only analysis of this beer is that it’s okay. It was tasty, but nothing to write home about, just a blog post on the internet. It has good flavor, good body and a nice warming affect every beer should possess, but I don’t see myself buying a sick pack if there are other options.

I would say it’s a perfectly acceptable beer, and you should try it if you have the chance, just don’t go out of your way to get it.

Rating: 2 Pint Glasses