"Glee"thal affection!

*

Glee is FOX's latest addition to the line-up of fall programming and, without question, truly reigns as the best new thing on TV.

Personally, I don't even watch television that often. I've lost hope for decent programming, as most television developers succumb to lazy standards and produce cyclical seasons of talent contests (dancing or singing - take your pick and style) or love-triangle (circle, hexagon or octagon in many cases) "reality" shows in which the most popular, insane, or memorable cast member is provided his or her own show for the next season. It's all a mess!

Glee, however, is not. Its brilliant humor, witty writing, and handsomely fit cast showcase the massive amount of thought and creativity that went into this show. 

The program revolves around several high school students and their teacher who staff the glee club - an organization whose members sing popular songs while remaining at the bottom of their high school's social hierarchy system. As Jane Lynch, playing the ardently aggressive cheerleaders' coach, puts it so hilariously, they are in the "sub-basement" of the school. 

Collaboratively, this program's dynamic cast vividly dominates the show's energy with their ability to charm and entertain. Each character resonates adolescent reality and provides audiences with a group of fictional friends to root for each new week.

Really, there is nothing more to say. I'm officially at a loss for words at the moment, most of which is a result of my exhaustive week preparing for residents and check-in, but I also cannot elucidate the right way to describe Glee because it just that darn amazing.

*Picture from http://musicmaven.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/glee1.jpg

Heaven is 30,000 feet in the air.

Often labeled as overly analytical and critical, I am never one to falsely praise our country's transportation systems.



I mean, come on. We drive way too many cars, burning way too many fuels that we just don't have. Towns that rely on fuel-efficient vehicles, bikes, bus systems, and other forms of alternative transportation are typically college towns that serve as liberal havens and do not wholly represent the entire American circumstance.



So, basically, we suck at getting from point A to point B. At least, we suck at doing it sustainably, inexpensively, and - overall - well.



However, I will admit, despite the inefficiencies clogging our transportation systems today, not every component of each individual transpiration system is in bad shape; there's always the exceptions.






This time it's Continental Airlines.



Last Wednesday, on my 7:25 a.m., four-hour-long flight from Denver to Newark, they provided me with not just a complimentary beverage, not just a sack of peanuts, but an ENTIRE breakfast. I'm talking the works: a muffin, cereal (milk was made available), raisins, and another drink by our choice (remember, they already gave us the milk?!).

I have to admit, I was in culinary heaven. Airlines refuse to budge and provide any other form of sustinence than a small glass of pop, but a full breakfast? I couldn't believe my own eyes.

Sure, about five minutes into the glorious feast, we experienced turbulence, spilling my coffee evenly across my entire lap.

But honestly, it was worth it. I am flying Continental as often as possible. That's right - advertising on my blog! I oppose it normally and morally, but in this case, it just fits.

If you're going to choke the earth with toxic fuels and unsustainable choices, why not do it in style and edible comfort?

That's all for now.

RA training has been an exhaustive process, but more on that later, I'm sure.

Karaoke - it's more than just guaranteed humility.

Sporting a drink in one hand and an overused microphone in the other, the average bar patron who participates in karaoke nights never really embodies what I would call glamour. But as I’ve always believed, the best entertainers are not always the most glamorous (or sober).

 

 

Truly, karaoke is a quintessential component of bar culture, and no matter how many notes I sing out of tune, I’ll never grow tired of the one social activity that allows me to reconnect with my favorite teen pop songs from the ‘90s, one color-changing line of lyrics at a time.

 

 

I recently familiarized myself with how much I adore karaoke all over again when I went to The Shack this past Friday with a couple of friends from high school, including my former German teacher, Frau.

 

 

Frau has always been an important person in my life since I met her my freshman year. The first day of class, she confessed a scandalous history in which she provided the details regarding her ex-husband who ran off with an Italian woman half her age. From that moment on, I knew Frau would be one of my favorite people in the world.

 

 

To this day, she has maintained her title and when she invited me to this so-called Shack before I headed back to Ithaca, I couldn’t refuse. After all, I had not been able to attend her retirement party and would be leaving for school in less than a week. It was only fair.

 

 

While at the restaurant, I, along with a clan of blonde-haired women and a rather large man whose singing was comparable to that of Sinatra, carried the night away with karaoke favorites like “Rehab,” “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” and “Landslide.” A few of the other bar inhabitants that night decided to take the more sexually explicit route and charmed us with such memorable hits as “Your Sex is On Fire” and the very straightforward, “Something In Your Mouth.”

 

 

All in all, it was a delightful evening, full of appetizer sampler platters, inebriated laughter, and third-rate dancing.

 

 

 

New item for Christmas wish-list: karaoke machine!

A New World, A New Voice

Greetings, readers!

In a growing world of technological innovations, 24-hour news coverage, and Lady Gaga, who has time to sit down for a few hours and reap the benefits of a good, ol' fashioned conversation?

Not many.

Perhaps our current environment of fast Internet, busy schedules, and any kind of food you can imagine "on the go" is responsible for this lack of genuine human interaction, but the sad truth is, there's really not too much we can do it about now. This is our current culture, our current behavior, and we must adhere to it and get over the fact that traditional social activites are behind us.

And so, with the world of Facebook reigning as the nexus of all friendship developments, I decided a blog would be a harmless addition to my life - a way to confess, condemn, commend, and create.

I'm not necessarily the most reputable or interesting person in the world. I'm 19 years old. I attend Ithaca College in central New York, but hail from Arvada, Colorado. I love learning and living life and hope that I can share with you all that I observe and experience in this short time we have on earth.

So what's there to gain from this blog? Who knows? But it's a way to make up for all those conversations you and I aren't having!

Accordingly, please read on, my friends. I hope you enjoy. As my title most appropriately notes, all things in this blog have a purpose, in one way or another!