Archive for September, 2009

I know I might be behind in the times, but recently I picked up a brand new show that has made the list entitled: Things worthy of me gushing about.  I guess when I say brand new, I mean brand new to me.  Since obviously the world revolves around me here on this little slice of the Internet.

Anyway, I love How I Met Your Mother. I was thinking about it recently, and wondering exactly why I loved it so much. Then it hit me.  I’m going to say it. Yes, I know what most people (who watch the show) are dreading right now: it is the FRIENDS of our generation.

A friend of mine disagreed with me - after all, Friends was around when we were in college, etc. But even though the show was on during the time we were growing up, it didn’t really speak to us until we could get some of the jokes and situations later on. In fact, for most of my friends and peers, Friends was on the air and spoke to the twenty something year olds who were at least ten years older than us. The show, after all, started airing even when we were in elementary school or junior high.

With HIMYM, everybody in the show is around twenty seven. They hang out at a bar and not a coffee house. Which, on a separate note, why DID they hang out at a coffee house all the time?

Anyway, here is the general overarching breakdown of characters at the beginning of each show - all of them are young, twenty-somethings, figuring out their lives and relationships but depending on each other for fun, zany times.

Now the REAL breakdown of the similarities and character archetypes(bear in mind that I’m still on season 3 of HIMYM so things probably changed) –

The guy who gets a lot of action, who is there for a majority of comedic antics

The married couple that are oh-sooooo-cute (but you know, not without their quirks and relationship problems that somehow manage to work out and make you go ‘awwww I wish I had that…why don’t I have that? Now I want to drown my sorrows in junk food and other equally destructive habits’)

The attractive female friend … who tends to have relationship issues on top of her other issues

The dark haired beta male that you’re supposed to like because gosh, he’s just such a nice guy

Okay, so I left out Phoebe. And yes, there are tons of nuances that are different about the two shows - but hey! Either way, at least we know that the formula for a mad-cap comedy about twenty-somethings means throwing in a few regular characters in a neutral social setting.

Maybe I ought to start writing television shows.

- Celebrity deaths (Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, Patrick Swayze)

- Celebrity scandals (Kanye at the VMAs)

- Athlete scandals (Serena Williams outburst)

- People hate Mondays and love weekends

I always thought that motorcycles were…okay.  Although I can certainly appreciate why people drool over them or talk about them with gusto, it was never something on my passionate “must have and do” list.  I’ve probably squealed over a Honda Metropolitan once or twice on my college campus because it had a cute design, but it I never developed the itch to learn how to ride one.

With much urging from a certain someone, somehow I found myself signed up for a motorcycle class.  The reactions alone were quite amusing, mostly because they ranged from one side of the spectrum to the other.  I had friends who delighted in learning this news, as though I had announced that I was going to pledge for their super special fraternity.  Then there were the friends that sighed and said “Oh, Shay” with maternal concern.  And a popular reaction from my remaining friends was one of abject horror, as though an appendage sprang forth from my forehead and I pointed at it saying, “isn’t this neat?”

Either way, despite all of the feedback from people, a part of me was quite excited about learning.  The other part was a little apprehensive.  After all, it’s not as though I’m handed a 300 lb piece of machinery that could easily mow down objects, given improper usage.  The only thing that has ever come close to that would be the lawnmower, and even then I don’t push it around very often.

The class started early in the morning - ridiculously early in the morning.  Around 5am I pulled myself out of bed groggily, got ready and grabbed all of the necessary gear for five hours of exercises that started at 6:45am.

If you ever want to have a humbling experience, take motorcycle lessons.  Unless, of course, you just happen to be one of those people who are lucky enough to have finely tuned motor controls because of endless hours of honing them through video games.  In which case, I kind of hate you.

The five hours were pretty tortuous.  Not only did a heavy morning fog make the experience quite chilly and dreary, but it also started to rain.  Yup, that’s right.  I got about five hours of sleep to wake up at five in the morning to ride motorcycles for five hours.  The number five might be the bane of my existence.

There I was: cold, drenched, tired and utterly confused.  In addition to having the spatial skills of a slow kindergartner, I also happen to be blessed with what some might describe as a below average frame; yes, in other words, I am somewhat small.  I struggled with heaving a monstrous bike while in neutral, then ended up mentally kicking myself because of the number of times that I stalled the bike.

Clutch?  Shift?  Right?  Left?  Brake!  Weave, turn, slow, press.  AGH.

To add a few tasty little maraschino cherries to the sundae of my distress, not only did I manage to stall the bike a number of times (to a point where the instructor had to pull me aside - twice - to tell me what I was doing wrong) I also managed to flub up a few exercises.

Oh, and while queuing up for an exercise, I managed to drop the bike.  Sweet.

Afterward, I was nearly in tears because I felt like the kid in class that sniffed glue and needed safety scissors.  You know, the ones that you don’t want to judge but at the same time you subconsciously stayed away from them in case some of the sub-parness would rub off on you.  There is nothing more dangerous than the contagiousness of mediocrity.

A part of me dreads going tomorrow morning and starting the same regiment again.  But another part of me wants to rise to the occasion, and not be defeated.  I should take some lessons from this incident and eat my humble pie, right?  We can’t all be perfect at things we do.  I should go in with my head held high, knowing that I tried something new and it was at least an adventure (of some sorts).

With that optimistic view, I do feel better.  Even if I am the kid that’s held back in class, at least I showed up with my weird glue-sniffing ways.  Pass or fail, either way at least I did it.  More than anything, I want to earn that little “M” on my license.

“M” for masochist, of course.

Have you ever seen an online survey that people fill out and send around like a bad cold and just felt like filling it out … irreverently?  If you haven’t, you are most likely one of those poor people who have at least encountered one.  You were probably reading your friend’s blog, or were tagged in the note.  Most of the time you probably read through the smart aleck answers and rolled your eyes.  Sure, maybe you chuckled at one answer or two…or smiled a silent mental smile in unspoken appreciation at some sort of witty remark.  But I guarantee you that you didn’t find it nearly as hilarious as the author did.

I know this because I did these surveys in said smart aleck manner back in the days of college and IM profiles (does anybody under 25 know what I am referring to?  Please don’t make me feel antiquated here).  And, since this is my blog and I can write almost anything I want…I’m gonna do it again.  Just like the old days.  Enjoy - or, more likely, thanks for attempting to bear with me.

Hey, at least you should be glad I didn’t tag anybody.

A - Age: is but a mere number

B - Bed size: enough for two, just me and you.  Yikes, even I admit that was pretty bad.  Eesh.

C - Chore you hate: what chores DON’T I hate?  Har aharhar har har.

D - Dog’s name: your mom.

E - Essential start your day item: see above

F - Favorite color: all, I don’t hate

G- Gold or Silver: both, if it’s for a grill

H - Height: lacking

I - Instruments you play: Uhh

J - Job title: Hey you

K - Kid(s): are they free?

L - Living arrangements: roof, bed, tv

M - Mom’s name: Mom

N - Nicknames: Hey you

O - Overnight hospital stay: no thanks

P - Pet peeve: I can’t list one.  I dunno.  Indecisive people?  Maybe?

Q - Quote from a movie: no you can’t make me

R - Right or left handed: I have two hands

S - Siblings: ya

T - Time you wake up: when I open my eyes and decide not to close them again for an extended period of time

U - Underwear: clean!

V - Vegetables you dislike: I could write something really politically incorrect, so I’ll just instead divert this answer by saying I could have answered it quite terribly

W - Ways you run late: I usually sort of jog

X - X-rays you’ve had: they won’t let me keep them

Y - Yummy food you make: does re-heating stuff count?

Z - Zoo animal: what?  As in to keep?  To eat?  Nice try, survey maker…yes I get that Z is quite a difficult word.  But couldn’t you have done something else that isn’t run of the mill?  Maybe … Z - Zeitgeist of your current era.  Or something.  I just like the word Zeitgeist.