Overrated?

The new year is upon us and as one of the most overrated and overhyped holidays (in my opinion) is about to ascend, we must decide what we are going to do for the big night. There is so much involved in this decision and it can be very stressful. What am I going to do? How much money do I want to spend? What am I going to wear? And most importantly, who I am going to make-out with at the stroke of midnight?

There is always so much hype for NYE when all it really is is just another night out with added pressure to have a good time. And who wants that pressure? No one. But most of us succumb to it anyway. So on this New Year, there are a few options that are tried and true.Whether you have decided well in advance what you are going to do or are just gonna wait until the last minute, there are always a few ways you can go.

1) Stay in. The cheapest of them all. And you won't end up with hangover the next morning. Always a plus. Curl up on the couch in your sweats with a movie or two, or even a good book. Head to bed around 10ish and wake up in the morning with all your missed "Happy New Year" texts and no regrets. I have done this a few times and actually really enjoyed it. I have zero qualms about staying in. 

2) Go to a party at someone's house/apt. In my opinion, this is one of the best options if you want to go out and actually be social. Assuming the party is being held by a friend or a friend of a friend, you will know some people there and have the opportunity to meet some new people there as well. Additionally, you won't be paying a fortune. And because you are in someone's home, you can all watch the ball drop on TV. Just don't drink and drive, so plan accordingly.

3) Go on vacation. Get out of the cold and go somewhere tropical. My family used to go away for Christmas and New Years when I was younger and we did it again last year which made me forget how nice it is to be away. It's always fantastic to be dressed up to party at a resort with all-you-can-drink alcohol and a late-night buffet, all while being tan and not having to wear tights or a coat with your dress. And hey, you aren't in your state/country so feel free to live it up even more. What happens in _______, stays in _______. Amiright?

4) Go to one of those $100-200 open bar deals at a bar. This is something that everyone should do once to get it out of their systems. I did it one time that was enough for me. My first legal drinking New Years I bought one of those deals with some friends downtown in Chicago. From what I remember from that evening I had a good time, but those kind of events can be annoying because you go to a bar that you might frequent often but are paying like five times as much simply because its New Years. Is it really worth it? One time it is; so you know you don't have to do it again.

Whatever you do this year, make sure it's what you want to do and you aren't suckered into it. You want to ring in the New Year stress and drama free and have a good time doing it. Remember that 12:01 is officially the New Year so start it off right and have no regrets moving forward. Happy and Healthy everyone.

You don't know what you're missing!

As the year comes to a close and a lot of shows are in re-runs right now, there is no better time to catch up on some shows you may have missed this fall (or even last spring) and want to catch up on before they start again. I have said many-a-times that I watch a lot of TV shows and am shameless about some of the trash I watch. However, I do watch a variety of shows: comedy, drama, reality, etc... I have very eclectic taste. But good taste. When new shows premiere, I will usually give them an episode or two as a try-out and if they can't keep my attention, I drop them. I always like when I am pleasantly surprised by a new show; whether it cracks me up or keeps me in such suspense I am on the edge of my seat. There are also very few shows I feel the need to watch that very evening and sometimes even...dare I say it...live. With commercials and all. They are that good that I don't want to wait until the next day to watch. That is rare, but it has happened. Below are what I think are the top 5 shows that premiered this year (Jan-Dec) that I think everyone should be watching in 2012.

1. Revenge (ABC, Wed 10 EST) By far the best new show on TV this year. I can't recommend it enough. I enjoy this show so much that I watch it live almost every Wednesday if I can. And each time it ends, I cannot wait until the next week. It's one of those shows that you almost don't want to watch so you can save up a bunch of episodes and watch them all at once without interruption. That good. Plus the scenery of the Hamptons, the wardrobe, and the eye-candy don't hurt either.

2. After Lately (E!, Sun 11 EST). I don't watch Chelsea Lately even though I find Chelsea hilarious and feel we'd be best friends. I just don't have time to watch it every single night. After Lately is a reality-based sitcom loosely based on the behind the scenes antics that happen at the Chelsea Lately offices. This show actually makes me laugh out loud which is very rare for me. Her cast of writers is brillz and they all feed off each other so well. I also love the fact that Chelsea wears workout clothes in almost every scene. Man, we would be BFF's.

3. Happy Endings (ABC, Wed 9 EST). This show is about a group of six 20-something friends living in Chicago and all their shenanigans. Kind of like a new take on Friends. Kind of. Its quick witted and humorous with relevant topics. As much as I like this show, the one thing that bugs me is that it is so NOT filmed in Chicago and its like they don't even make an effort to make it look like they do. The character Max does however, have a great Chicago accent which I do appreciate. Also, in my opinion, the star of the show is Penny who is the "single girl" worried she will never find a man. Um...relatable? I think, yes.

4. Teen Mom 2 (MTV, Tues 10 EST). After the first batch of Teen Moms was so successful, I wasn't so sure MTV would be able to strike gold twice, but I will admit that I was wrong. This whole new crew, now on their second season this year, brings the drama every week. Leah, Janelle, Kailyn, and Chelsea all have issues of their own, some that can be followed in the tabloids, and some new ones that are revealed on the show. One thing is for sure, this show serves as good birth control for me. Let's just hope it does for the teenagers that also watch. Yipes.

5. Switched at Birth (ABC Family, Tues 8 EST). I am a sucker for ABC Family original series and movies. I was a little upset when Huge was canceled, but ABC Family redeemed itself with this one. The title pretty sums up the series as it is about two girls that were switched at birth and how their families are now trying to co-exist together and make a transition into welcoming each other into their lives. One of the daughters is also hard-of-hearing which makes for extra dramatics. The actress who plays her does a phenomenal job, as do all the other actors that use sign language in the show. Well done.

If you have Netflix, I highly recommend putting one, if not all of these, on your queue. Or go on the network website to see if you can watch. Or catch a marathon on TV if its on. It will soooo be worth it. You honestly don't know what you are missing.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but give them a whirl. They will not disappoint. Trust me. If you have time, get watching on these final days of winter break or hunker down one cold weekend and start. With new eps starting again soon, you will thank me.

RIP Reggie

I was never a dog person. Ever. I am still not a dog person. When I was younger, I was kind of attacked by a dog and it traumatized me greatly. When I say attacked, I mean a very large dog of a family friend jumped on top of me and I freaked out and never forgot the fear that I felt at that moment. This created a fear of dogs that lasted up until about middle school and just became a dislike for dogs later on in life (not to mention the fact that I was super allergic to many dogs as well which I obvi used as an excuse to mask my fear/dislike). However, the fact that I really wasn't fond of dogs did not stop my parents from getting a dog when I was a sophomore in high school.  My brother had wanted one forever, and they finally got him one. A Wheaton Terrier we named Reggie. I was so upset that they got a dog for real that I hid out in my room for about a week. That's right, I was 16 years old and hid from a little puppy. I ate all my meals in there with the door closed. I mean, really? What did I think I was accomplishing? I also even pretended that I was allergic to Reggie (mind you, he was hypoallergenic). I faked sneezed and excessively blew my nose for a good couple days even though my parents never bought it. I couldn't believe they were actually keeping Reggie even though I held my ground. After avoiding Reggie for about two weeks I finally embraced this little bundle of fur. Even I couldn't argue how freaking adorable he was. As annoying as his constant barking was, and the fact he was not yet potty trained, I began to love him. I fought the urge as long as I could as to not make my initial stand against him looked ridiculous. But it was ridiculous and my family still makes fun of me today for my immature behavior. Especially since I have grown to love Reggie so so much.

Rewind to almost 14 years later, Reggie is old. He is not his old spunky, spry self. Still as adorable as ever, Reggie is just not who he use to be. The time finally came where we had to decide if he needed to be put down. His health had deteriorated and he just wasn't the same dog anymore. As someone who is fortunate enough to have gone through little loss in life, I am not totally equipped to handle situations like this. I was obviously inconsolable. I went from the girl that didn't want the dog, to the girl who couldn't handle losing the dog. I mean, a sobbing mess. My, how times have changed.

Over the last few days as Reggie's health really took a turn for the worst, we remembered some of the great times with him....
The time he ate my inhaler and I noticed his chest was beating really, really fast and he had to be rushed to the ER....
Or the time that he decided to go on a little adventure after a big snowstorm around the neighborhood and some random people found him and brought him home...
Or the fact that he never learned how to play fetch. We'd throw the ball, he'd run and get it and bring it back, but then would never let go...
Or the fact that we'd mention the word "car ride" and he'd run to the garage door ready for an adventure even though we used it against him many times...
Or the time he pooped on the putting green in the basement because he thought it was real grass...
And even the time that I was playing with him in the backyard and after stepping on a nail, sat down to get it out, not realizing I sat in a big pile of his poop. When I got up and realized something was on my shorts, I of course, smelled it, and then started screaming, crying, dry-heaving, and finally laughing at the gross ridiculousness that just occurred. Oh, did I mention I didn't have underwear under my shorts so I just couldn't take them off right away? Yeah, I know he was laughing inside during that one along with everyone else.

There were so many things that Reggie did that we will never forget. He was our only family pet and we had him about half my and my brother's life so he was obviously a big part of it. Even though I haven't lived at "home" for years, I still considered Reggie my dog. He was just another part of my family that I was excited to see whenever I visited.

Reggie, even though I fought your presence at first, you changed me. You didn't quite make me a dog person. Not even close. But you made me love YOU. And you loved me back. No matter what. I don't know if I can emotionally handle ever getting a dog again because of the pain of losing you, but if I do, it will be another spunky Wheaton like yourself. RIP Reggie. We will miss you.

29 going on 4...

I am turning 30 very soon and it constantly makes me think how old I am. Ugh. However, there are many habits that I have that actually make me feel quite young. Almost too young though. How young you ask? Well about 4 years old. You see, I have three habits that my friends and family make fun of me about because they are not those of a late-twenty year old, or any adult of any age. These are habits that I guess I never really grew out of. I don't see them as odd habits. In fact, they often define me and people who I am not close with often find these out pretty quickly. My close friends and family know about them already and although sometimes make fun of me about them (and sometimes get irritated by them), understand that if I when I don't get my way regarding these, I can become a raging, crying bitch.

So, what are my toddler habits?
1) I go to bed extremely early. On a weeknight, if I am not asleep by 9:30-10:00, I get very frustrated and upset. I am usually in bed and watching TV by 8, so I can relax a bit before I actually hit the hay. If I fall asleep after 10:30 I am not a happy camper the following morning. On nights when I go out and happen to stay up super late (hello 3 am!), it will ruin my sleep cycle the entire week unless I make up for it (i.e going to bed at like 7 the next night which I have been known to do on many occasions.) It sucks even more because I am not a napper. This childhood gift never stuck with me and I am not someone who can just lay down to take a nap. I so wish I could though. I am super envious of those people that can. But I know myself enough to go to bed early and although I get made fun of, most of my friends respect it and are even a little jealous of it sometimes.

2) I get cranky if I don't eat every few hours.  I love to eat. I love food. I also know that it fuels my body. For someone as active as I am, food is very necessary. If I don't eat something every 2-3 hours I get very cranky. I also get a headache and can get very snippy. My mom and I like to call it "being hangry." Hungry-angry. Get it? Get it? I am not a pleasant person to be around if I am hungry. I will bitch, moan, and complain until I get a snack. I am not proud of this, but I can't help it; it's not fun being light-headed and hungry.

Additionally, I also eat dinner early. This may age me to be about 65, but I usually eat dinner at like 5:30-6:00. To some, especially in NYC, that is "Early Bird" early, but since I go to bed so early, I like it like that. Since my friends eat dinner at a normal time, if we go out to eat, I usually have to have what we call a little "pre-dinner" so I can make it to the meal. When I go to Florida and visit my grandparents, they eat dinner at like 8:00 and I am miserable waiting to eat that late. Because they know I get hangry, they make sure I have a big snack in the late afternoon to tide me over and keep me nice.

3) I have to pee ALL the time. And yes, I have been tested for diabetes. Many time. I don't have it. And yes, I have actually tried the "Gotta go...Gotta go...Gotta go right now" medicine. It didn't work. It seems I just drink an obscene about of water and it goes right through me. And I don't even touch caffeine because of its diuretic effect on my bladder. Good thing I am naturally perky (must be all that sleep!) that I don't need it. And lets not even discuss my urination habits when I am drink beer because its plain embarrassing. It becomes an issue once I break that seal for the first time. But hey, its part of my charm.

One plus of having a pea-sized bladder, is that I know many of the clean places to pee all over the city. I have no shame walking into a bar, restaurant, hotel, etc... and pretending I am eating/staying there and walk right to where I believe the bathroom is. If it's not where I think it is, I ask. Most people think Starbucks are good places to pee. I try to avoid those since a lot of homeless people use it to "shower" or shoot up. I have, however, had to pee so bad one time (in 2004), I went in a Starbucks that had a line 6 people long and started to cry because I had to pee so bad and they let me go ahead of everyone.  They probably thought I was nuts and if I'd cry over having to go to the bathroom, I might be capable of doing something strange in my time of need, but I had to go that bad.

Overall, these child-like habits aren't as bad as others that I could have stuck with but they still sometimes can be annoying to myself and my friends and family. I know my body enough to try not to make them an issue and most people close to me know of my needs. They know not to call past 10, they know to ask if I need a snack, and they know to ask me if I have to pee before we leave to go somewhere. As I get older, I have already accepted these things about myself a long time ago and decided that instead of changing them (because that won't happen), I just need to be more flexible.

Going Home

The holidays are a time when people spend time with their families. Many of us return to our parents houses to celebrate, visit, and hopefully relax. Most of the time it's the house we grew up in, but sometimes our parents have moved out and live somewhere completely different. So even though you may say you are going "home," is that really still your home? Is your home the place where you grew up? Is home just the place where your family is located now? Or is home where you are currently living?

By now, many people my age have their own places.  Whether its an apartment or a house (my real "grown-up" friends have houses already), they have a home that they lay their heads every night. Is that that what you consider your home? If so, when you go to your parents' house, do you still call it home? I certainly do. And I don't think that will ever change. (Unless of course my parents move. Which btw, better not happen unless its a second home in a warm locale. Hint, hint mom and dad. But the house I grew up in better always be my home and it is actually a dream of mine to raise my kids in that house.) 

There's something about going home that just feels right. The beep from the alarm when I immediately open the door. The smell of my house. The dog coming up to me with that look of "I know you. Where have you been for so long?" And then all the hugging and kissing hello that will happen again even though we did it at the airport. Gosh, I love going home.

After all this, I will then go upstairs to my bedroom. It is basically unchanged since I left for college over 11 years ago. This is where I will once again notice that my childhood bedroom is the same size, if not a little bigger, than my entire apartment in NYC and laugh to myself at this sorry indifference. I will look around to double check that my mom has not changed anything without my permission (or as she calls it: decluttering. Ugh).  My "Wall of Fame"/"Shrine to Myself" is still up with all my trophies, medals, plaques, team pictures even though I know it drives my mom insane. My bulletin board still has everything on it. And all my tchotchkes (troll dolls included!) are still in their respective places. Phew. It's as if I was transformed back to the year 2000 and I love every second of it. After all, when I come home, I like to pretend I am young again: laying in bed with mom and dad, going family grocery shopping on Sundays, and not having to open my wallet when I go clothes shopping with my mom. I will never be too old for any of these things. Ever.

As much as I love having my own life away from home, I miss it sometimes. I miss some of the comforts of suburbia and I miss the close proximity to my family. (Talking on the phone like five times a day just isn't the same as being there.) However, the fact that I left the nest, so to speak, and left Chicago to take on something different is something I am very proud of. I mean, I live in freaking New York City, and I am thriving there if I do say so myself. Despite all this, its always good to go home now and again, sleep in my own bed, and be taken care of as if I never left. This will never get old and as long as my house is always my home, some things will never change.