The biggest decisions you have to make while on a plane

Posted in GSOY (Gratuitous Story of Yourself) by

When I fly, I feel like everything has to be planned out. The hours I spend in a confined plane without Internet have to be thought out, not just hasty decisions made on the spot. I feel like even typing this out makes me sound a little crazy, but I feel like its the only way I can deal with flying. What do I mean exactly? Here are some examples of big decisions you have to make on a plane to make your travel experience streamlined and pleasant.

flight cabin

Complimentary Bevs
Why is it that I only drink tomato juice when I’m on a plane? Better question, does anyone drink tomato juice NOT on a plane? This is usually my bev of choice, sometimes I’ll opt for an apple juice or water, but the big kicker is – do I want coffee? Aren’t planes supposed to be the best way to catch up on sleep? Like what else are you gonna do besides read/watch a movie for 6 hours? But coffee? You smell it wafting through the stale airplane air and somehow it smells even better than usual.

Snacks
One has to be extremely careful of what they pick to eat on a plane. Dnt be the douche that brings McDonald’s number one special on the plane. Because the smell of fries will overtake the smell of coffee any day. Don’t eat any type of tuna fish or banana… Stick with like granola bars or candy or something. But of course that’s never what I want to eat on a plane. I usually want to eat those fries.

Bathroom Probs
This is the biggest problem for me. It’s why I always choose aisle seats. I hate having a window seat and then needing to go to the bathroom and having to ask my row mates if they can’t pause everything they’re doing and move for me. And you have to pick a good time to get up too – because if that turbulence hits while you’re in that phone booth sized bathroom, it’s not a pretty sight. Oh and also you could open the door that otherwise indicates the bathroom is vacant, only to have an awkward run in with you male flight attendant. Because that happens.

Talking to your neighbors
On my most recent flight, I was sitting next to a lovely couple probably around my age or in their early thirties. They set up their iPad and had splitter headphones in order to watch homeland together. HOMELAND!! All I wanted to do is ask them: DO YOU THINK BRODY IS A TERRORIST OR NOT?!? DO YOU SHIP BRODY AND CARRIE AS MUCH AS I DO??? (Not yelling of course. Sorry I got excited) There was a perfect time for me to ask the girl about my Homeland questions but then I realized it would’ve been weird for me to be all up in their space and essentially be like, “so I was watching your every move and noticed you’re watching a television program I’m highly interested in.. Want to talk about it for the next 5 hours?’ No. I can’t be that girl.

Forms of entertainment
Speaking of forms of entertainment, I have to have everything I’m planning on using directly in front of me. None of this going into the overhead compartment and digging out a book, magazine, iPod, snack. Etc. you have to have your shit together. And if you make the wrong decision and don’t want to read that book anymore, tough noogies, you’re stuck with it.

Flying can be tough, y’all.

Playlist of the Month: On the Road Again

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This is a special time of year for us here at Cookies + Sangria. Both of us consider the time we left our study abroad countries as an “anniversary” of sorts, and we’re both at 7 years now. It’s hard to believe, frankly. Although the whole “college girl who goes abroad and learns about the world and herself” thing is a bit of a cliche, that’s exactly what happened for us.

We’ve both spent our fair share of time on the road and in the air since then, and we still love a good travelin’ song. Hopefully you do, too. Bon voyage, nos amis!

Check out the full playlist on Spotify!

Molly’s Picks:

Travel Light by Johnny Flynn and Laura Marling

When I was an astronaut I didn’t have my boots, When I was a coal miner I didn’t have the news, When I was a record store I didn’t have the blues, I travel light and that’s the life for me.

This is one of my personal travel anthems, and it doesn’t make a half-bad life anthem, either. Originally recorded by Diane Cluck and Jeffrey Lewis, I much prefer the Flynn/Marling cover.

Shambala by Three Dog Night

Everyone is lucky, everyone is so kind, On the road to Shambala

In Nicaragua, our driver had a CD with about 5 tracks on it. We listened to it about 900 times over the course of a month. This was one of those songs, and it always brings me back to that hot, dusty village. Maybe an odd pick, but for me it sums up those perfect travel experiences where everyone you meet on the road is helpful and kind.

California by Joni Mitchell

They said “How long can you hang around?”/ I said a week maybe two, Just until my skin turns brown

On more long-term trips out of the country, it’s a weird, ambivalent thing thinking about your homeland from abroad. You’re sort of enchanted with everything you see, and you’re sort of ready to pack up and head home, too. Not that home is perfect: Joni was writing during Vietnam, and I was traveling a lot during the worst of the Iraq mess. Travel can magnify your home country’s flaws and make you miss it terribly all at the same time.

Elias by Dispatch

Distance is short when your hand carries what your eye found

When I left Spain, I learned one of the secrets of traveling: if you do it right, it means that wherever you go, you will always miss someone. I missed my friends and family in the U.S. during my months abroad, but when I came home, I missed my friends and “family” in Madrid. It’s worth making personal connections with people you meet on your travels, even if you have to accept that you may go the rest of your life without seeing them again.

Clean Getaway by Maria Taylor

He felt just like love. Except no fear of losing, and it wasn’t tough.

It’s so amazing when you travel that wherever you are is just plain home to someone else. Rather than making you feel empty that you’re anonymous, it mostly just feels free. This one reminds me of moving to a city where I didn’t know a soul but my own, which is always good to do in your early 20s (before, like a used car, your shock absorbers start to go).

Honorary mentions: I love Safe Travels (Don’t Die), but it’s more relevant when somebody else is doing the traveling. Chicago is another travel song I love, but like most Sufjan Stevens tunes, it means about 3 different things to me and will probably find its way onto a different Playlist of the Month anyway.

Traci’s Picks:

3×5 by John Mayer

Today skies are painted in a cowboy cliche. Strange how clouds that look like mountains in the sky are next to mountains anyway.
This is a travelin’ song if I ever heard one. Driving down the road, taking in nature, the sights, but it doesn’t mean anything if you don’t have someone you care about sharing it with you. Not to mention the instrumentals are a perfect background for his picturesque lyrics. It just feels like you’re on the move.

Going Home by Marc Broussard

You know I was born to roam.

In the same vein as 3×5, this jam has a general driving/travel theme in the lyrics, and the music feel like you’re on an old-timey train – like Hogwarts Express – going through the US to your love.

Cathedrals by Jump Little Children

In the cathedrals of New York and Rome, there is a feeling that you should just go home – and spend a lifetime finding out just where that is.

When I studied abroad, I discovered this song and it really hit me. I had this weird emotion where I wanted to be back home in America, where everything was familiar, and where my friends and family were. But at the same time I wanted to explore every single city in Europe – a place where I was slowly calling home too.

Chocolate by Snow Patrol

This could be the very minute I’m aware I’m alive. All these places feel like home.

Gosh, if there was a scene in my autobiographical movie, where I was running through the streets of a foreign country with a handsome man and exploring everything, it would be set to this song.

Heads Carolina, Tails California by Jo Dee Messina

We can pack up tomorrow. Tonight, let’s flip a coin.

Ok, this song is admittedly corny, but we played this on our road trip from the east coast to LA constantly. The idea of just packing up and not knowing where to go next was an idea that I would never dare to do, but our semi-planned drive across the country was the closest thing I’ll ever get to flipping a coin and leaving.

Best SNL Sendoffs

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Remember the pomp and grandeur of high school and college graduation? Saturday Night Live sendoffs are nothing like that, thank God. It’s more like that last get-together before all your friends took off for freshman year of college, or the final walk-through of your college house the week after graduation. It’s informal, and everyone is trying to be light-hearted. In most cases, you are genuinely happy for the opportunities ahead for your friends. But underneath all of it, there’s that knowledge that you have reached the end of the life you’ve gotten used to. A few tears, some laughs, and a lot of gratitude – here are a couple of my favorite goodbyes from cast members leaving Studio 8H.

Seth Meyers and Bill Hader

I wrote this post last week hoping against hope that I would be able to add another great goodbye from this weekend. I wasn’t disappointed. This included Stefan’s club attractions brought to life, Anderson Cooper, Amy Poehler, and the wedding of Stefan and Seth, who were sent off by all of the great Weekend Update regulars of the past several years. I loved it, and keep seeing new callback club characters every time I watch it. Which has been … some times.

Kristen Wiig

I cried watching this. I cried re-watching it. Then, I cried just thinking about it as an emotional Kristen Wiig took the stage as an SNL host this month. Everything about this was perfect. Poehler and Dratch even show up, which is exactly how I plan to leave every job ever.

A note: a few articles after the fact talked about how Jason Sudekis was clearly pissed off because he wasn’t clapping and dancing. I disagree – am I the only one who sees the man fighting back tears? I recognized the need to hang back, as another person who is terrible with permanent goodbyes. Seriously. When I said a prayer over my grandmother’s coffin, I think I told her “I mean, we’ll still get coffee sometimes or something.” When I visit graves of loved ones, I pray “don’t worry, we’ll totally keep in touch.” I get it.

Jimmy Fallon

We were just teens in the early 2000s, when this blog would have probably been hosted on Livejournal and called Cookies + Juiceboxes. And man, did we spend our fair share of study halls and lunch periods discussing the merits of Jimmy Fallon. So, how much did I love it when Jimmy went out on a parody of a classic high school flick right before we graduated high school for real?

On a related note, for all of you cringing at the YouTube video clearly snagged off of someone’s tv screen, let me tell you this. When I was in high school, we would have watched this as a camcorder video made of someone’s home VHS recording of the episode. And it would have been posted on Kazaa. And that’s if we were LUCKY, because we usually had to wait for someone to get off the phone so we could use the internet. I mean, we were practically accessing the internet via a tin can and string. You kids don’t know how comparatively okay you have it.

Gilda Radner

On my well-worn childhood VHS tape of The Best of Gilda Radner, there was the classic sketch “Dancing in the Dark.” I didn’t learn that it was also used as a farewell until years later. As fate would have it, Gilda’s dancing/comedy partner Steve Martin was hosting SNL the day she died, and this is how he said goodbye. Radner passed on early on a Saturday and there was time to assemble a tribute by showtime. Of course. In fact, she even would have been ready for prime-time.

A note: I wrote this post last week, as well as another mentioning Gilda that will be posted later in the week. I didn’t realize it at the time, but today marks the 24th anniversary of her death. The subconscious is a funny thing. Not funny “ha-ha,” like this classic song I’ll throw in for good measure:

Phil Hartman and Chris Farley

[http://www.buzzfeed.com/stacylambe/the-top-5-snl-departures?sub=1578360_309810]

Sorry for all of the tragedy and heartbreak in this post. I didn’t mean to. I still remember how shocked I was by both of these deaths.

All sorrow aside, this is by far the most ’90s thing you’ll probably watch all week.

Do you spy Sarah Silverman looking exactly the same 20 years ago as she does now? I think she bathes in the blood of virgins.

The only place I could find this video online was a Buzzfeed article with the exact same thesis as mine. No surprise there — Buzzfeed is always one step ahead of me. When I order a special at a restaurant, and they “just ran out,” I am almost positive that Buzzfeed ordered the last one. It’s like that.

Amy Poehler

As always, among the best of the best.

They Were In That?

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Celebrities had to start off somewhere before they became mega-famous, right? And for a lot of stars, they may have been in big movies a long time ago, but we had no idea they were in them. And it totally fucks with everything you thought you knew. Here are a few actors who were in that one thing that you never knew they were in.

Channing Tatum

You know him, you love him, but did you ever put together that he was the hot guy Amanda Bynes was bro-ing with/mackin on in She’s the Man? Wonder if those two still keep in touch…

Hugh Bonneville

You know him as the honorable Lord Grantham from Downton Abbey, but when I saw he was in the Masterpiece Classic, I literally thought: ‘Oh my GOD that’s Bernie from Notting Hill.’ He play’s Hugh’s buddy Bernie in the film, and if you recall, he was the friend during the dinner when they first all met Anna (Julia Roberts) and he had no idea she was a huge movie star. 

Andrew Lincoln

This Brit plays Rick Grimes on The Walking Dead, a show I don’t even watch and honestly have no interest in watching. But Again, to me he’s an actor from another Brit-featured rom com – Love Actually! This shot tells it all.

Mischa Barton

COACHELLAAAAA

Speaking of Notting Hill, long before she went on a downward spiral both as Marissa Cooper and IRL, Mischa was a kid actor, including her scary stints in The Sixth Sense and the girl who worked with ‘Leonardo’ multiple times in Notting Hill

Alexander Skarsgard

All around hottie with a body (ew, hate that I just typed that), Alexander comes from a family of actors, so naturally he started out young. In fact, he’s barely recognizable as a young lad in Zoolander. can you believe he was the dude who screamed ORANGE MOCHA FRAPPACINOS?!? I used to yell that shit all the time. God, I was obnoxious.

Jay R. Ferguson

Does anyone else find Stan really obnoxious but endearing at the same time? Well in the 80s, apparently he was endearing enough to have a pull out poster in Bop magazine. The dude was a teen heartthrob! What?! Jay was in Evening Shade and The Outsiders TV movie based on the Rob Lowe film.

Teen Heartthrob, smizeing

Diego Klattenhoff

Despite the fact that he was an adulterer on Homeland, I actually kind of liked ‘Uncle Mike’. The episode he had with the brooding Dana and actually acted like more of a Dad than Brody proved that there was more to him than a soldier or a betraying best friend. I miss Homeland. Anyways, did you know that he also hooked up with Rachel McAdams in Mean Girls? Check out Regina George and Shane Oman – special appearance by Amy Poehler!

Mandy Patinkin

Okay, not over Homeland yet. Good old Saul. Of course Mandy Patinkin is an accomplished actor, both in film, tv, and on stage, but if you only associate him as Saul, it may be weird to think that he was also this guy in The Princess Bride

People Like Us: How I Learned to Work the Streets

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Welcome back to People Like Us! Today, we’re featuring Eva Gross, or as she also likes to go by, E.W. Gross. Eva and I met when we were forced to be roommates while studying abroad in the Netherlands. Turns out that whoever is in charge of assigning roommates should also be matchmakers, because we became instant friends, and have been BFFs ever since!

jumpin in front of dunder mifflin

While she majored in Writing, Literature and Publishing in college, Eva’s had a slew of unique jobs – from development associate at a legal center, a baker for thousands at a camp in Colorado, and a writer for a web series. And now she’s gracing us with her presence on Cookies + Sangria, sharing a fantastic story about working on a food truck in Los Angeles.

Follow Eva on her official blog or on our joint jumping picture tumblr – Jumpin’ Jams.

~~~~~

I’m a writer at heart and a baker by profession, which is a weird but fortuitous combination, as I’ve conveniently insulated myself from ever being a truly starving artist. Literally or metaphorically.

When I moved to Los Angeles in the fall to pursue a writing career, I naturally thought I could bake to pay the bills while I tried to trick important people into reading my screenplay (as I’ve been told is the way to fame).

Like many these days, I went through a long stretch of unemployment. I turned down a few jobs I maybe should have taken, including a graveyard shift baking job, and was at a point of sheer desperation when I stumbled upon an interesting Craigslist ad. It was for a pizza maker, experience with dough preferable. It wasn’t ideal but I was intrigued. Ok, their website was really cool. I judged the book buy it’s social media cover.

So I replied to the ad. We set up an interview with a small but important caveat: I was to meet the truck in a parking lot. TBD. I met them after the lunch rush in a company’s parking lot in Santa Monica. I had to pass a security guard who must have thought I was attempting some sort of heist when I couldn’t answer his simple question of where my interview was taking place.

Before long I found myself aboard The Urban Oven, a chalkboard clad gourmet pizza truck roaming the streets of Los Angeles in search of the perfect lunch crowd. On my first day we met along a stretch of street in front of the Variety building of Mid-Wilshire along with six or seven other food trucks. I was given a tour, which was quick for obvious reasons as there wasn’t more than seventeen feet worth of space to explain. I was also given the rundown on food truck culture.

And this is where it gets really interesting.

Turns out there is a tenuous bond between food truckers as both competition and brethren.

Precedent allows for a barter system called the “food swap,” an exchange of meals in good faith. I ate many a Vietnamese fusion sandwich, Bahn Mi and giant, chocolate-coated ice cream ball in payment for our pizza of the day.

My first day on the job I was also informed that more competitive trucks, in the eternal struggle for parking, would actually attempt to “nudge” another truck out of the way. Or at least just a tinsy bit forward so their own tail wasn’t in the red.

Then, of course, there’s life on board the actual truck. Things can get a little hectic when your work area is roughly the size of your own personal space. I was hit in the head with a pizza peel on more than one occasion. When it gets busy, pizza and people fly, bump and jostle each other in a commotion that from the outside can look a bit insane. It just somehow works.

Which is, of course, the basis of the food truck craze in general. It just works. The owners of these trucks risk their livelihood daily on location, parking and menu choices. They are in the unique position to serve the homeless and Jason Bateman alike. These passionate people are what make the food truck phenomenon irresistible. As Scott, the owner of The Urban Oven, says often “It’s the American dream in action.” I would add it’s the American dream reinvented, moving forward and sometimes even defying traffic.

A Final Farewell to Dunder Mifflin

Posted in Entertainment, GSOY (Gratuitous Story of Yourself) by

After nine seasons, Dunder-Mifflin will finally close its doors and carry on without the documentary film crew following their every move. The Office is one of my all-time favorite shows, right behind Friends and Gilmore Girls. While those two shows have been off the air for a while now, I can clearly remember watching the final episodes of the series and completely breaking down. Like, an irrational, ridiculous puddle. To this day, it’s hard for me to get myself to watch either of the finales, since I just get way too emotional about it. TV is real to me, you guys, ok?

I was a little late coming into The Office, only tuning in at the end of season three. But as soon as I watched the first few episodes I was hooked. Like the level of obsession where I would watch every episode over and over again, go online to fan sites, crazily watch charming interviews of John Krasinski and I may or may not have watched a fan video or two.

In 2009, my friend Meghan and her sister Katie and I even drove down to Scranton, Pennsylvania for one of the official Office tours. Super dorky, but whatever. We got some free swag, and got to check out the real places that the characters reference on the show. We even had some special guests on the tour, Jennie, the gal who runs the awesome OfficeTally website (again, I’m a total geek for this show!), and Robert Shafer, the guy who plays Bob Vance of Vance Refrigeration!

Lazy Scranton the Electric City
The Steamtown Mall ft. Boscov’s Department store (where Pam & Phyllis bought their outfits in Casual Friday)
The actual sign seen in the credits is on the side of a busy road, so naturally dangerous to stop there and take pix. This sufficed.
Being AZN with m’pals Dwight & Big Tuna
Giant heads!
I have this quote on a shirt I got from Poor Richard’s Pub
Meghan, Katie, Phyllis, and me with Bob Vance of Vance Refrigeration
The building featured in the opening credits!
Coopers Seafood Restaurant, where Michael & Holly had lunch, and where we did too.
While visiting Lake Scranton, this couple was taking wedding pix, so natch, Bob Vance took pix with them.
Here’s a doozy: Poor Richard’s is actually inside this bowling alley
Super dark in there, but it does kinda look like what we see on TV!

I’ve even creepily visited the actual studios in Van Nuys a couple times, including right before they shot the finale, where we left a janky note thanking the cast & crew, and also made friends with the security guard who gave us insider info on the cast’s filming schedule the next day!

Someone came prepared and made a flat Stanley cut out. Should’ve thought the visit through.

And despite the fact I will admittedly say the past couple of seasons haven’t been as good as it was in the beginning, I have stuck by it with every passing episode. Now that we’re down to the final one, I’m in this weird middle of being totally in denial and completely okay with it ending. Luckily, the writers have played out this season in such a way that it doesn’t leave us wanting more. In fact we’re getting some happy and satisfying endings to our beloved characters, that it’s like they’re saying, ‘Here ya go, fans. This is The Office, wrapped and tied up in a nice shiny bow.’

That being said, these last few episodes have been absolutely gut-wrenching, to the point where I’m a complete mess. Even the promos for the actual finale felt like a punch right in the babymaker and I just couldn’t stop crying. Ever since the writers and producers realized there was a strong fan base for the show, they’ve been really great at making sure there is complete continuity on every episode, adding to the realistic documentary style. Little things like the everyone using the same mug they’ve been using since the pilot, or small character traits like Toby randomly mentioning he writes a series of crime novels or Stanley telling Pam everyone’s changed over the years while eating a giant pretzel.

The arcs of the main characters have especially hit me hard coming into the final stretch, like Dwight and Jim slowly becoming friends instead of all out foes. And of course there’s the iconic Jim/Pam love story. Despite the fact they’ve gone through a bit of a rough patch this season and there’s been a bit of uproar about it, I didn’t really mind. These two have had the epitome of a perfect relationship, and since this show is supposed to be a real documentary, they just had to have a rift at some point. Real life isn’t always about ‘will they or won’t they,’ which is why Pam and Jim went on their first date at the end of season three six seasons later, they’re still together.

And in the last few episodes, I admit I was a little hesitant about how Jim would just give up this awesome job just because he loved Pam so much. But in the penultimate episode, where he showed her the video, it all made sense. Just as he was showing Pam this montage of all their greatest romantic moments to remind her of why he chose her over Philadelphia, the writers were also showing us why we fell in love with these two in the first place. And in honor of keeping tradition of being awesome to the fans, turns out the video was based on a real fan video made circa season 3 with the very same song.

Excuse me while I start crying again just thinking about it.

This show took chances to show a realistic lifestyle at a boring paper company. The fact that they even decided to  break the fourth wall a little by having Pam interact with a crew member (aka ‘Boom Brian’), is extremely ballsy. They could have easily just pretended the documentary was still filming way after we as viewers could see. So what better way to end it than by showing the Dunder-Mifflin folks what they’ve collected over the years with romance, breakups, firings, babies, and sad departures all caught on camera?

All this goes to say that as much as I do/don’t want The Office to come to an end, I’m glad it’s ending the way it is. More often than not, network politics get in the way and fans of shows aren’t treated with the kind of ending and closure they deserve (see: Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars, Party Down, etc.). Luckily NBC (finally) did something right by working with the show’s producers and actors and collectively deciding this would be the last season. It gave them a chance to end the series the way they wanted it too. In fact that the writers/producers all talked to the actors and asked them how they wanted their character’s stories to end, and incorporated it into the storyline. What other show would do that? Judging by the way the last few episodes have played out (and even how they dealt with the departure of Michael Scott), us fans are in for a satisfying, bittersweet ending.

So, thank you, Dunder-Mifflin and co. Thank you for nine wonderful seasons of laughter and tears. Thank you for making this journey worthwhile. My Thursday nights will never be the same.

It Doesn’t Get Better: Life After Graduation

Posted in GSOY (Gratuitous Story of Yourself), Miscellany by

Hey kids. Congrats on making it through about 17 years of school. Now you’re being released into the real world. How does it feel? Awesome, yet awful at the same time. For most, you’re probably not going to ever have to write another paper or take another test ever again in your life. Now it’s time to figure out what you’re going to do with that degree, where you’re going to use it, and who’s going to be there when you figure all that out.

I remember I once had a co-worker who was 30-something when I was a Senior in college. She was having a discussion with our boss about her 20s, and she said something like, ‘Oh I would never want to live through my 20s again. My 30s are much better. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing back then. It was horrible.’

22-year-old Traci thought she was being ridiculous. 27-year-old Traci thinks she’s absolutely correct.

Sorry to rain on your graduation parade, but I’m just going to give you a heads up on what to prepare yourself for in the near future.

Your first job out of college probs won’t be the start of your career

Listen, in this economy (insert gag sound for using that annoying phrase) you’re just lucky if you can get hired. While it’s not liked there aren’t any jobs available, it’s just that more people are applying for the same jobs and it’s just that more difficult to stand out from a plethora of applicants.

I had to work retail for a few years before getting the job I have now. It was half not hearing back from the places I applied to and half me not knowing what I wanted to do with my life. I say, if you have a job that pays you money, but you’re still working towards your ultimate dream job, then it’s all good, homie.

Don’t be afraid to take chances

Not knowing what you’re doing in the future, or even in the next year can be scary. But you’re young. This is the right time to be an adult and be decisive. If a life changing opportunity comes up and you’re afraid to take it – don’t be. Now is a better time than any for trial and error.

In 2009, two of my best friends told me they were taking a road trip to LA and moving out west. I was in this place of ‘what do I really want to do career wise’ – and the only answer I could come up with was something entertainment related. I didn’t have the same resources in Boston so LA was the only logical choice. I went into it with a ‘fuck it who cares if I fail at least I tried attitude’. 3 months later, we hopped in a car and drove cross country and I haven’t looked back ever since.

Dorm life is over

Pack it up kids. Maybe one of the most heart wrenching things about graduating is that you won’t be able to see your BFFs every day like you’re used to. No more dining hall run ins, no more late night visits to the convenience store. Your clique as a whole will never be the same. There will be at least one person who moves away, or in some cases, everyone disperses back from whence they came. You’re never going to all live in the same place again ( of course I’m generalizing here, idk what your college life is life, but I’m gonna go ahead and make an ass out of you and me and say your friends are leaving you). It’s somehow different from high school, relationships and friendships have different dynamics when you’re in college, but it’s always up to you to make an effort to stay in touch. Good luck with that.

You’re going to fuck up

It’s inevitable. But get over it, learn from your mistake, don’t do it again and go on with your life. As the years go on, you also learn that there’s no time to waste on feeling sorry for yourself so point your energy to something more productive.

Be grateful

Okay, so life is confusing and overwhelming and annoying and you just want it all figured out already. But don’t get jaded. Think about what you can be thankful for. The fact that you’re even reading this blog post means you’re doing something right in your life. I know this post was originally intended to be cynical and depressing, but guess what, just like life, there’s always a silver lining. You just need to get through all the murky shit to see it.

Best of: So You Think You Can Dance Auditions

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One of my favorite parts of summer TV is coming back today, and I could not be more thrilled, since So You Think You Can Dance is probably my fave reality show of all time. I started watching halfway through the first season, but that season doesn’t really count anyways (sorry Nick Lazzarini) because no one was really watching, and the fab Cat Deeley wasn’t the host yet. Now about to enter its 10th (!) season, there have been hundreds of amazing dancers that have wowed the judges and inspired thousands watching. Here are a few memorable auditions from the past 9 seasons to get you back in the dancing mood!

Travis Wall, Season 2

Travis is somewhat of a SYTYCD legend, as he started out as a contestant in season 2 and became the runner-up. But he solidified his mark on the show by becoming a choreographer, earning Emmy noms for his work on SYTYCD as well as a group piece on Dancing with the Stars. Among the Emmy nominated dances, season 7’s Fix You by Robert and Allison, which will make my cry every time I watch it.

Donyelle Jones, Season 2

Donyelle had this light about her when she danced, and it made for a compelling routine every time she took the stage, eventually finishing in third place. She and frequent partner Benji (who went on to win) were like my OTP back in the day, but alas, she married her longtime boyfriend, and he turned out to be gay. Oh well.

Hok Konishi, Sesaon 3

Hok tried out in season 2, nearly made it to top 20, but since he’s originally from England, he wasn’t able to get a visa. He tried out again for season 3 and ended up landing in 7th place.

Joshua Allen, Season 4

Ok, so Joshua is a hip hop dancer. However clearly in this audition, he has so much potential that it’s clear why he won season four. I mean, that Russian? Hello? Where did you come from?

Ellenore Scott, Season 6

Ah, season six. Otherwise known as the ‘lost season.’ This season was overlooked by many, because for some reason, FOX and show producers decided to air it in the fall of 2009, right after the summer season had ended. Rude. But Ellenore was one of the best from S6, and made it to the top four.

Billy Bell, Season 7

Billy made it to the top 20 on season 6, but had to drop out because of a mysterious illness. Because the judges loved him so much, they allowed him to come back for season 7, and placed 6th. Also, season 7 was the one where they were all dropping like flies, because Alex Wong got hurt and Ellen DeGeneres replaced him, Ashley Galvan was also injured and forced to leave the competition and all-star Allison hurt something too. Dropping like flies.

Lauren Froderman, Season 7

LoFro! The winner of S7 came into the auditions not really prepared and went on a whim, and it worked out well for her.

Melanie Moore, Season 8

Another one of my faves, she is so elegant and sharp and bubbly all at the same time.

Kyre Batiste, Season 8

Ok, but how cute is this guy. AND his grandma!

Amber Williams, Season 8

Amber didn’t make it too far, but all I can say is FIERCE. I’m sure she’s doing well even without SYTYCD on her resume.

Leroy Martinez, Season 9

One of the most inspirational auditions ever, Leroy was just a bundle of joy and I wanted to hug him through the TV screen.

Cyrus Spencer, Season 9

Cyrus ‘Glitch’ Spencer: Real life robot? Probably. He did make it all the way to the final 4, so possibly not human.

Eliana Girard, Season 9

Damnnn girl, those legs! Ballerina Eliana became the first co-winner along with Chechon, and totally deserved it.

Ninja Twins, Season 9

“We consider ourselves socialites of LA. We’re like the Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie… but we’re broke.” Hilarious.

Secret Couples That Aren’t So Secret

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Because Hollywood is so Hollywood, it’s notorious for its brief, fickle, incestuous relationships between actors. Celebrities get married, and they break up 72 days later (looking at you, Kimmy K). But then there are couples you don’t really hear about that often and fly under the radar. Surprise, surprise, these are usually the ones that have lasted the longest. Or at least longer than most. Check out some celebrity couples that you may have never known were happily married.

Adrian Pasdar and Natalie Maines

Heroes reunion with Zaquinto!

How you know him: Nathan Petrelli on Heroes

How you know her: Dixie Chick

Status: Married since 2000, have two sons

Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally

Tammy alert!

How you know him: Ron Swanson, creator of the Pyramid of Greatness, lover of meats.

How you know her: Karen on Will & Grace, also Tammy 2 on Parks & Rec

Status: Married since 2003

David Cross and Amber Tamblyn

Cutting the cake on their wedding day!

How you know him: Tobias Funke, the never nude on Arrested Development

How you know her: Joan of Arcadia and Tibby on Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants

Status: Married since 2012, together since 2008. And since you’re wondering, she’s 29, he’s 49.

Taran Killam and Cobie Smulders

attractive couple is attractive

How you know him: One of the funniest cast members on SNL, impersonator of Andy Cohen, Michael Cera, and Robyn.

How you know her: Robin Scherbatsky/Robin Sparkles. Proud Canadian.

Status: Married since 2012, together since 2004. Have an adorable three-year-old daughter Shaelyn.

John Slattery and Talia Balsam

sterling’s gold.

How you know him: Silver fox Roger Sterling on Mad Men

How you know her: Roger Sterling’s ex-wife, Mona Sterling

Status: Married since 1998, have one son

Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone

can you feel that steam heat?

How you know him: Air marshal on Bridesmaids, the guy in the Target music teacher commercials

How you know her: Megan in Bridesmaids, Sookie St. James-Belville on Gilmore Girls, and possibly the best SNL host ever

Status: Married since 2005, have two daughters

Brian Benben and Madeleine Stowe

legit just found out this couple existed. i thought he was gay. oops.

How you know him: Dr. Sheldon Wallace on Private Practice

How you know her: Victoria Grayson on Revenge

Status: Married since 1982, have one daughter

Jay Mohr and Nikki Cox

ugh ew.

How you know him: Comedian, Jennifer Aniston’s love interest in Picture Perfect, douche agent in Jerry Maguire

How you know her: Unhappily Ever After, Nikki, Las Vegas

Status: Married since 2006, have two kids

Melissa Gilbert and Timothy Busfield

loving him was red

How you know him: Danny Concannon on The West Wing

How you know her: Child star/ Laura Ingalls Wilder on Little House on the Prairie

Status: Married this past April

Richard Schiff and Sheila Kelley

speaking of the west wing…

How you know him: Toby Ziegler on The West Wing

How you know her: One Fine Day, Lost, Aunt Carol Rhodes on Gossip Girl

Status: Married since 1996, have two kids

Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet

How you know him: Khal Drogo on Game of Thrones

How you know her: Denise Huxtable on The Cosby Show, previously married to Lenny Kravitz, mother to Zoe Kravitz

Status: Married since 2007, have two kids

The Great DiCaprio

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In December 1997, I went to the movies with my friend Mel and decided to check out this film called Titanic. At the time, it was slowly building buzz, and since we were 12 years old, we had nothing but free time on a Saturday afternoon. Turns out that viewing of Titanic turned into the first (of five) times I’d see the film, and an obsession with the film and Leo took over my life.

I was the epitome of Titanic fan girl. I cut out every single Titanic ad from the newspaper and taped it on my wall. I somehow had the script and would watch along with my VHS tapes. I then proceeded to make a checklist of Leo movies I needed to see, and thus began my sub-obsession with Mr. DiCaprio. Luckily, he turned out to actually be a great actor, not just another teen heartthrob that would come and go (looking at you, JTT).

So in honor of The Great Gatsby coming out today, here’s a look back at some of my favorite Leo performances from over the years, proving that just like a fine wine, he just gets better with age. And also, it’s a damn shame he hasn’t won an Oscar yet.

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)

*Spoiler in the video!*
A young Johnny Depp plays the title character who has to care for his mentally challenged younger brother, played by Leo. It’s crazy how Leo just transforms into this character, and at just 19 he got his first Academy Award and Golden Globe noms.

The Basketball Diaries (1995)

Looking back, my parents probs shouldn’t have let me buy this movie because it’s not reallly about basketball like the title sounds. Leo plays a teen drug addict, and I’m pretty sure I’m still scarred from watching it as a 12 year old.

Romeo + Juliet (1996)

Do this day, this is still one of my absolute favorite Leo movies. Everything about this adaptation was spot on, and actually made an old Shakespeare play fresh, new, and relevant. The California setting combined with the excellent soundtrack is something that only Baz Luhrmann could pull off, which is yet another reason why I cannot wait to see The Great Gatsby.

Titanic (1997)

Titanic is a story of… are you kidding me if you don’t know what Titanic is about or haven’t seen the movie you shouldn’t even be reading this right now. GTFO. Here’s a deleted scene from the movie, instead!

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Tom Hanks chasing Leo around the country? Yes. Sign me up.

The Aviator (2004)

Leo played the insane Howard Hughes in this film, and don’t get me wrong, he was amazing and all, but I watched this movie in the theater. I couldn’t believe how long it was. 169 minutes aka almost 3 hours, which to be fair, is shorter than Titanic. HOWEVER, i was not expected it to be that long and I couldn’t get my mind off anything else but getting out of the theater.

The Departed (2006)

Next to The Town, this is one of the greatest Boston films ever, and like anything Leo does, he puts on the Boston accent with ease, without overdoing it like a lot of actors tend to do. Plus how can you go wrong with Matty D, Marky Mark and Jack all in one film?

Revolutionary Road (2008)

This movie is not a happy one. Like Titanic with all its sinking into the ocean, was a comedy compared to Revolutionary Road. As amazing as it was to see Leo and Kate back together, it was still a really depressing film, so here’s a clip of Kate professing her love to Leo when she won the Golden Globe in 2009.

Shutter Island (2010)

So how much of a mind fuck was this film? Leo went back to good old Beantown for this movie, which was based on a great Dennis Lehane novel. Any time there’s a psychiatric ward involved, I know I’m going to be a little freaked out. This was no exception.

Inception (2010)

Speaking of mind fucks… Just when Leo messes with your head in Shutter Island, he does it again with Inception. Except like 10 times worse. I remember having to just sit in the theater for a good 2 minutes without moving while the credits rolled to figure out what happened. I still don’t think I know exactly what happened, and I’ve seen it like 3 times. DREAMS ON DREAMS ON DREAMS, Y’ALL!