Best. Shows. Ever.

As I have stated numerous times before, I love TV. And I watch a lot of it. It's no secret. Sometimes there is just not enough time in the day or enough room on the DVR to watch everything. Rough life, right?

I am pretty much also an equal opportunist when it comes to TV genres. Yes, I love my reality TV, but I also watch dramas and comedies as well. I can get just as excited to watch the trashiest show on TV followed up by the season's best drama. That's just the way I roll. Over the past few years, there have been many that I follow through and through and some that I just couldn't stick with. Then there were those that I picked up along the way and had to marathon-watch from the beginning to catch up. (Always a fun rainy day/weekend activity.) With all that being said, here is, in my opinion, some of the best shows on television. Ever.

1) The Wire. Cops + War on drugs + Streets of Baltimore= Best TV show ever. Period. The Wire premiered on HBO in 2002 but I never watched it. I had heard so much incredible stuff about it so had to get my hands on it. I borrowed the full series from a friend last year and basically watched all 5 seasons in less than 4 weeks. I was on a mission and I couldn't stop. It was so freaking good. It zeroed in on real world problems in a very realistic manner. Seasons 1 and 4 were by far my favorite. I have since purchased the series myself and watched it again. (This time I did it in 5 weeks though.)

Sidenote: This show makes crush hard on tough ass drug dealers. Attractive. Wealthy. Powerful. I mean, WTF? They do illegal things like selling drugs and murdering people yet I still want to "hit it." What's my problem?

No Bake Deliciousness

I am not a huge sweets person, but every once in a while I get a great urge to bake. However, I hate using my oven. (I have lived in my apartment for about four years now and have used my oven three times. Ah, the trials and tribulations of a single NY woman.) Also, since I live alone I don't like to bake because there is no one else to eat what I make and therefore there is always the chance that I will lack self-control and eat the entire batch of whatever it is I made. I would never just make a pan of brownies for fun because you know what, I would eat ALL of them.

I know this about myself and would not put myself in that situation (ahem, Miranda). Not okay. I don't want do this to myself. But I am not going to say I have or have not done this before. So therefore, the only time I will make something is if I am bringing it somewhere. But hey, that's not going to stop me from licking the bowl! Those calories never count anyway.

He's Just Not That Into You

I decided to watch the movie He's Just Not That Into You this past weekend when it was on TV.  Although I have seen numerous times, I felt the need to DVR it and watch it again.  I already know how true the title of the movie is and that it might as well be called "The Story of My Life" but whatevs. I also remember when the phrase "He's just not that into you" was first spoken on television. It was the episode of SATC when Berger was at dinner with Carrie and Miranda. While Miranda was talking about a guy she liked who she hadn't heard from, her and Carrie began making excuses for this dude. They ask for Berger's opinion on the sitch, and he gives it to her straight with the now famous line "He's just not that into you." Carrie was mortified and Miranda was enlightened.  It was some of the best advice she had ever gotten. Coming from another guy, Miranda felt relieved, felt a giant weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and wanted more information. Why had she wasted her time thinking about a guy who most obviously wasn't thinking about her? And why were her friends making excuses for this guy who obviously didn't like their friend?

This happens way too often to women of all ages. We meet a guy, we like him, we go out one or more times, then things come to a halt.  Instead of believing that he really just isn't interested anymore (because he's obviously too big of a jerk/pussy to tell us), we make excuses for why we haven't heard from him. "Maybe he's sick?" "Family emergency?" He's probably really caught up at work." "Wait, is my phone even working?" or some of the ones from the movie of friends telling other friends why the guy didn't call:

• "He likes you too you too much. You're too pretty and too awesome. He can't handle it."
• "I am sure he just lost your number"
• "He's not asking you out because he's intimidated by your professional success."
• "Trust me, he's just getting out of a serious relationship"
• "Trust me, its because he's never had a serious relationship"

I am guilty of thinking these or saying these to some of my friends (especially the first one), and meaning them.  I mean, why would someone NOT be into me? Or any of my friends? You are the company you keep after all, and I am awesome, so obvi they are as well. He can't NOT be into me. It has to be one of these things above and/or he has terrible taste in women. But the truth is, he really isn't feeling it. He doesn't like me. And that's fine, but its just a huge blow to the ego that straight up sucks. And its even harder for us when we hold on the idea of this whole thing working out anyway. I mean, I really this guy, but if he actually does like me, he WILL call. If we can only just be honest with ourselves and to each other, we would feel so much better. And we deserve that.

So why do us girls make these excuses for these guys? And why do our friends help perpetuate them?  I am friends with some intelligent, fun, smart and amazing women, but sometimes we get so caught up in this shit; we lose ourselves a bit. We actually don't believe why someone wouldn't be interested in us. It's like we need to hear it straight from his mouth which will never happen or just get that epiphany that Miranda got from Berger. That shouldn't have to happen. We know we are fantastic and deserve the best, yet we wait around for this guy or decide that we are the ones that are going to take the lead. Sorry ladies, if he really likes us, he will take charge and pursue us, not the other way around. It will happen. (At least that's what I keep having to tell myself.) Why would I want to hang out with a guy that doesn't reciprocate those feelings? I deserve the best and I know this so I am not going to waste my time with any excuses anymore. I don't have the time, energy, or patience for it. And I am better than this! If he likes me, he will take action. Period. End of story.

And if you don't believe that the dude really isn't into even though you and your friends are making excuses for him, maybe some random stranger on the street will set you straight.

Every night, the same

Manhattan really is a city that has everything right at the tip if your fingers. You walk out your door to a million options of food, clothes, entertainment, etc... However most people that live in the city have their favorite neighborhood haunts that they frequent more often then they would like to admit. Everyone has their "go-to" place. Mine is the little Greek place right around the corner from my apartment building.  I go at least 2-3 times a week to grab dinner. The girls behind the counter know me there and when I order my salad, they know before I even have to ask, to throw in an extra dressing on the side. Sounds great, right?  Well sometimes I get self conscious going in there because I wonder if they think its weird I buy food from them so often. I feel like they are like "oh, this chick again...does she ever cook?" Well yes, it's me again, and you are correct, I barely cook unless you count throwing a Lean Cuisine in the microwave or tossing a bunch of veggies in a bowl for a salad. Whenever I walk in there, it makes me think of the Sex and the City episode where Miranda calls for Chinese takeout and starts to order her food and the take-out girl interrupts her with the rest of the order, knowing already what she is going to say. She then follows it up in the most stereotypical Asian-American accent with one of my favorite lines of the entire SATC series, "Every night, the same. Haha...hahahahaha."

Needless to say, Miranda gets pissed. She thinks the take out girl is making fun of her. Of her sad, pathetic, single life. Well guess what Miranda? I know that feeling. And the girls at the place I go to don't even laugh at me (at least not in front of my face.)  However at the end of the episode when Miranda goes down to the restaurant to confront the take-out girl, she realizes that is just how the girl acts toward everyone. Miranda realizes she was being paranoid and the girl wasn't laughing at her after all. I am not saying I feel pathetic when I go to order my food, because really, there are probably other people that eat there like 5 -6 days a week compared to my 2-3. Maybe I am being overly sensitive/dramatic. Who knows? But probably yes. I do know, they make great, cheap food that is reasonably healthy so I need to just stop being so paranoid and appreciate the convenience.

Sorry Carrie, we can't be friends

Sex and the City is now syndicated and on E! and Style Network multiple times a day. Even though I own the whole series on DVD (yes, the pink velvet book...thanks Mom...best Hannukah gift ever), I insist on watching old episodes on TV. Even without the graphic sex scenes and the swear words, I am still entertained. However, now that I am older and actually live in NYC, I can relate to it more than I did the first time I watched it. Being more mature than I was in my early twenties and having more life experiences, I now realize how irritating and cringe-worthy Carrie Bradshaw is. Ugh. I have known girls like her, and needless to say, we are not, and will not, be friends.

When SATC came out in 1998, I hadn't heard of it. I was a junior in high school and honestly, I didn't know anything about NYC or 30-something year old ladies and their sex lives. And I didn't really care. I mean, they were so old and I probably couldn't relate.  It wasn't a show that really caught on super fast within my group of friends and it wasn't until the summer going into my senior year of college that I really got up to speed.  One of my friends and I hunkered down in each others basements nights on end watching episode after episode until we caught up to the current season. The final season of SATC was going to air that year and I wanted to be able to watch it in real time. By this time, everybody was talking about the phenomena that was SATC and I wanted to be able to add my own two cents.  Sadness creeped up on me when the last episode ended even though it had only been a part of my life for such a short time. I was going to miss it.

Rewind to a few months later, and little ole me, who cried at overnight camp (that was only a week long and less than an hour from my house), moved to NYC. Was I going to live the life of a SATC lady? Probably not. I wasn't rich. Wasn't skinny. And didn't know a soul in NYC. However, soon enough, I had friends (still no money) and we were spending crazy nights out on the town and having brunch (Ess-A-Bagel counts, right?) in the morning discussing the previous night's shenanigans. There happened to be four of us and of course, because SATC was still uber popular, our conversations would always end up relating to an episode and of Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte. How would they would act in the situations we were in? Basically a WWCSMCD? Let me tell you this, I would never be a "Carrie" if I wanted to keep any of my friends.  She was needy, whiny, self-absorbed, insecure, obsessive, and the list goes on. As the main character of the show, she was the most unlikeable and the most annoying to me.  I would NEVER be friends with anyone like Carrie. Ever. And I don't think I am the only one. This article makes points that I could not have stated better myself about the show and about Carrie.  I am pretty sure that many of you who are fans of the show can't deny what he says. The author is really spot on.

Anyway, many years later, I still live in NYC. I have a totally different life than I did when I first moved here (new apt, a real job, new friends) and I couldn't be happier. Do I now live the life of the SATC ladies? Absolutely not. But do I want to? Kinda, sorta, sometimes...but mostly its when I pass the Christian Louboutin store on Fifth Ave and have to walk by very fast as to not leave a giant face print on the glass. I do however, have fabulous friends and we have fabulous times (on a WAY lower budget...but nonetheless fabulous times). And sometimes our morning-after stories could outdo any episode of SATC.