The Weekend Five: Alternative Job Choices

Tomorrow I will embark on the first day of my career, and I am extremely excited to begin working full-time in a job that relates closely to my Bachelor’s degree. In the past, I have discussed my earlier struggles with selecting an undergraduate major and career path, but when I talked about the roads I didn’t take (psychologist/teacher/journalist/anthropologist/etc.), I may have left a few out!

This week’s post will dive further into some of those alternative career choices I decided to forgo, some of which may even inspire you! Feel free to include your own in the comments section below.

The Weekend Five: Alternative Job Choices

1. Camera crew member for The Bachelor.
I love to work behind the camera – why not transfer that passion to the small screen? As a camera crew member on The Bachelor, my main purpose would be to film pensive scenes of the bachelor du jour as he skips rocks across a nearby lake, runs on a treadmill and watches the sunset while hoping to meet his future wife. I would also have the opportunity to interview women with too much Botox as they simultaneously complain about other women in the house and pine for a man with whom they have been on two group dates. It’s just like high school all over again (minus the Botox)!

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2. The Bachelorette.
After spending sufficient time behind the scenes of The Bachelor, I could easily get my foot in the door for my own chance at “love” on national television by becoming The Bachelorette.  Not only would I have access to unlimited evening dresses, but I would be able to discuss superficial topics with guys from all over the country while we fly in a helicopter over some beautiful canyon or glacier. If anything, this job would allow me to put my passport to good use!

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3. Macklemore’s personal shopper.
Imagine getting paid to run around through thrift stores and pick out quirky, vintage clothing and accessories. Wouldn’t you feel pretty “pumped up” about the situation? I would have so much fun sifting through garments and putting together crazy outfit combinations so that Mackemore could go and get some compliments.

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4. Voice recording for 1-800 numbers.
For some strange reason, I really enjoy talking in a somewhat robotic telephone voice. I can still imitate the automated phone messages that my high school used to send my parents if my sister or I were marked absent in any of our classes. If that isn’t reason enough to hire me for this type of position, then I don’t know what is.

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5. A “source” for the tabloids.
I always wonder who these “sources” really are, and why they would spill secrets to the tabloids if they were really the celebrity’s “friend.” Although I don’t keep up with celebrity gossip in the way that I used to, I still occasionally will peek at the trashy magazines in the grocery stores. Every time I read a quote from a “source,” however, I take their words with a grain of salt because that unnamed source could be anybody: the garbageman who drives by the celebrity’s house twice a week, the waitress that served the celebrity once, some guy who has the same last name as the celebrity… So really, if anyone can do it, why can’t I? It would be like a fun exercise in fiction writing, and perhaps a stepping stone to my eventual career as an author.

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What are some of your weird “alternative” jobs?

The Weekend Five: Blasphemy Day Edition

September 30th is Blasphemy Day, a day in which people are encouraged to speak openly against religion. Of course, I don’t like to bring political or religious issues to my blog in respect to my lovely and diverse readers, but in honor of the so-called holiday, today’s Weekend Five will focus on some of my less popular opinions and interests as they relate to pop culture. (See, it’s loosely related to the idea of blasphemy!)

This post isn’t meant to offend or cause arguments, but rather to share with readers! Feel free to post a comment with your own words of blasphemy.

The Weekend Five: Blasphemy Day Edition

1. I’m not a fan of The Beatles.
I say this with the slight fear that all of my friends will read this and subsequently disown me. The Beatles made a huge splash in music, and the band has a strong following to this day, but I just can’t get into it. While I like a few of their songs (namely Here Comes The Sun and I Wanna Hold Your Hand), the rest of their work is just background for me. I appreciate the impact they had on our culture — and I couldn’t resist snapping an Abbey Road-style photo with friends while in London — but I will probably never choose to listen to several of their songs in one sitting.

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2. I have no interest in video games.
I should preface this by mentioning that at least half of my friends in college are engineering majors and that video games are very important to them. Of course, this makes it slightly awkward when I casually mention that I’ve played Halo maybe once (and had no idea what was going on). Growing up, I was never allowed to have video games, so my only gaming experience consisted of Super Mario Brothers on the Nintendo-64 or in the waiting room at my dentist. Because of that, I never really developed an interest when I was older, and now when people are playing it in social situations, I usually find myself staring at my phone instead.

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3. Squidward is my favorite character in Bikini Bottom.
I will never forget my (now ex) boyfriend’s reaction when I told him that Squidward was my favorite — “I can’t believe I’m dating a Squidward sympathizer!” I haven’t seen an episode of the Nickelodeon show in a long time, but Spongebob himself always made me extremely uncomfortable because of the chaos that followed him. I always pitied Squidward for having such inconsiderate neighbors. Sure, he’s a bit of a grouch, but can’t he just play his clarinet in peace? I would be grumpy too if a sponge with bad teeth and a barely functional starfish were constantly at my door, throwing me into situations I didn’t want to be part of.

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4. I think Nicholas Sparks’ work is overrated.
As much as I cried reading A Walk to Remember and watching the film adaptation of The Notebook, I’m just not a huge fan of his other work. Not only did I not enjoy the novel version of The Notebook (le gasp!), but I find the love stories in most of them to be too melodramatic and maybe even formulaic for my taste. I’ll admit that I love romantic comedies as much as the next girl, but I have trouble thoroughly enjoying a book that uses the term “making love” more than once in the same paragraph.

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5. I liked the newer Star Wars trilogy.
I’m not going to get too specific about my Star Wars history, but in spite of everything that every real Star Wars fan has ever said, I will admit these three things:

a) I liked the new movies.

b) I think C3PO is charming and adorable, even though most people I talk to seem to dislike him.

c) I don’t care what they say about George Lucas not being able to write a love story — I enjoyed the love story of Anakin and Padme (even though she seems a lot older than he is). Maybe this has something to do with the fact that Hayden Christensen is extremely attractive, but I’m sticking to my opinions and don’t feel the need to defend them.

What are some of your unpopular opinions or likes/dislikes that you would like to share? (No political or religious posts, please!)

Battle of the Grand Gestures vs. The Little Things

I’ve always wondered what really happened after the final scenes of a romantic comedy. Sure, the two lead characters share a romantic kiss atop the Empire State Building/in the rain at the big football game/as the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve/in the middle of someone else’s wedding, but then what? Will they ride off into the sunset with the promise of spending the rest of their lives together, or will they break up in a few months because of all of the conflict and dysfunction that led up to their change of heart and so-called “happily ever after” moment?

Of course, because most of these movies are fiction, the world will never know. Nevertheless, the entire romantic comedy genre still seems to have a huge impact on the way many of us conceptualize love and relationships. After all, at one point, nearly every (straight) girl has wanted to snag a bad boy who would change his ways for her… because it happens in the movies all the time. Plenty of girls and guys I know have enjoyed the whole “tortured love story” routine, dating someone they fight with every day and have no practical future with because – if things did work out – wouldn’t it be romantic to overcome all odds to be with your soulmate? Because sprinkled in between all the fighting and chaos are the occasional grand proclamations and outpourings of affection, complete with horse-drawn carriages and fireworks.

However, based on observation, I firmly believe that it’s the little things that take place day to day that matter far more than these enormous gestures. After all, you can only declare your love for someone atop the Empire State Building or pay a marching band to play Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You so many times before you: a) get sick of New York, or b) run out of money.

Unfortunately, the grand gestures that the movies teach us to expect and crave are generally only used for apologies. We never really see the characters doing nice things for each other just because. While I understand that movies aren’t long enough to depict real relationships in their entirety, I do think we need to take the grand gestures with a grain of salt and realize that relationships are more than a few pivotal moments. They consist of the little moments as well — the ones that seem perfectly inconsequential — and the way you treat one another in general on a daily basis.

Realize that doing kind things for the person you care about shouldn’t be reserved for apologies, and that the grand gestures aren’t the only important parts of a relationship of any kind.

The Weekend Five: Brutally Honest Reality TV Shows

As I’ve mentioned in several of my previous posts, reality television is my guilty pleasure. Although I love high-brow entertainment as much as the next college-educated girl, I can’t help but become engrossed in some of the more ridiculous shows that have graced our pop culture, as well. Because of this, today’s Weekend Five will focus on some of the shows that don’t technically exist but should. Feel free to add your own in the comments section below!

The Weekend Five: Brutally Honest Reality TV Shows

1. Self-Entitled Rich Girls Trying To Take Themselves Seriously.
This show would feature a fashionable heiress just trying to make her way in the world by starting her own clothing line. With a football-player boyfriend and a miniature dog she can carry in her purse, the heiress spends her free time shopping, drinking coffee and complaining to her friends about how her boyfriend still hasn’t proposed. The show’s real breakout star, however, is her gay best friend whose snarky responses are the main reason to keep watching.

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2. True Life: I Was Irrelevant Two Seasons Ago.
This is the show that keeps on giving. The stars? Oh, just a group of seven or eight familiar but useless reality TV personalities who stopped being interesting a long time ago. Why do they still have a show? I guess someone is still around to watch it.

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3. Living Vicariously Through My Five-Year-Old Daughter.
Each episode features a mother with a “talented” five-year-old who excels in some area, mostly because of her mother’s pushing. The moms are a colorful group of competitive, washed out individuals who claim to be the authority on their daughters’ areas of interest (pageants, dance, cheerleading, you name it!). Watch as the moms get into catfights and exploit their children for money. Warning: do not look at this show as a how-to guide for parenting.

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4. Moral Degradation and the Rise of the Snooki.
This documentary series explores the downfall of 21st century society and its inundation of fist pumps, big hair and gratuitous partying. Narrated by Morgan Freeman.

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5. I Didn’t Know I Was a Pregnant Teenage Hoarder.
Experience the drama that ensues when a teenager learns that not only has her collecting become a serious problem, but she also happens to be pregnant! Watch as she goes through therapy, raises a child without the help of the father (Kevin Federline) and graces the covers of Us Weekly.

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What brutally honest reality television shows would you like to see?

The Weekend Five: Lessons Learned From Teen Soap Operas

As my not-so-crazy teen years progressed, so too did my love for crazy teen soap operas. Although a few of my friends categorized our favorite TV shows as dramas, deep down we all knew what we were watching: watered down, modernized versions of the stereotypical soap operas that we made fun of the older generation for watching.

Nowadays, these shows provide more for me than mere nostalgic entertainment; rather, each far-fetched plotline has something new to teach us. This week, we will uncover the deeper meanings behind some of these shows, and learn more about the true lessons that teen soap operas have to offer.

The Weekend Five: Lessons Learned From Teen Soap Operas

1. When you go to a benefit dinner, school dance or any other event that requires formal attire, you are asking for trouble.
Forget the fact that these fancy events seem to take place every week in your town, or the fact that your classmates all own enough evening wear to avoid repeating an outfit. In teen soap operas, whether you’ve gone to cotillion or a save-the-dodo-birds dinner, something bad is bound to happen. Maybe Tori Spelling will get totally sloshed at the prom, or perhaps two grown men will get into a fistfight over a financial dispute. Either way, it is best to avoid these events — it seems all drama will come to a head here.

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2. It is important for every combination of two people in your group of friends to date.
Remember that time when you were in high school and you thought that you and a certain lacrosse star boyfriend would get married? Meanwhile, your best friend dated a loner from the wrong side of town. One day, you fell in love with the lacrosse star’s completely immoral best friend, until he sold you for a hotel, and then you decided to date the aforementioned loner. Your best friend tried a relationship with the lacrosse star when things with the loner didn’t work out, but now her half-sister has gotten to him. Sound familiar? It happened on Gossip Girl, of course, but these dating patterns don’t end here! By this logic, you should take a page out of Blair and Serena’s handbook and date everyone you know.

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3. Every school assignment you ever receive will have something to do with a major theme in your life.
Whether your teacher pairs you up with someone you wouldn’t normally work with, or the book you’ve been reading for class utilizes some kind of symbolism that unlocks a clue to the murder you’re trying to solve, school is important. After all, it wouldn’t get so much airtime if it wasn’t!

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4. There are a lot of awkward ways to respond to an “I love you,” and chances are, you will use at least one of them.
The most common offender is a simple “Thank you,” to which your friends will later laugh and quip, “At least you were polite.” You can also opt not to say anything at all, or you could find an equally awkward way to reply. Teen soap operas teach us that we are all very likely to stick our feet in our mouth when it matters the most, but that we will also fix our situations with a grand gesture within a few days, and all will be right in the world again.

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5. The most meaningful moments of your life should be scored with a delicate balance of indie and pop music.
One would think that the songs on the radio are the most important songs to play on a teen soap opera, but that isn’t always the case. Teens love listening to obscure bands they can brag about later on, so inserting songs by more mainstream-indie groups such as Death Cab for Cutie and Keane allows for a much better transition to ultimate hipsterdom. The next time you’re about to experience a first kiss, I dare you to turn on Somewhere Only We Know. The moment will instantly become more meaningful, and you will become slightly edgier.

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What have you learned from your favorite teen soaps?

Appealingly Quirky: How Much Is ‘Too Much’?

Move over, Pop Princesses: it’s time to make room for the Queens of Quirk. America has always been fascinated by its share of quirky leading ladies and heroines (think Lucille Ball, Audrey Hepburn, and Amelie), but in the past few years, eccentricity has become all the rage. Hilary Duff may be a mere tabloid figure these days, but every entertainment magazine I pick up seems to flaunt Zooey Deschanel as the new It Girl. Ladies, say hello to babydoll dresses, funky headbands and Bambi eyes.

As someone who enjoys wearing dresses, listening to The Smiths and deconstructing seemingly trashy television, I should appreciate this trend. After all, doesn’t it make room for people like me, people who sometimes stray from the beaten path and occasionally align themselves with some of the misfits? The answer to that question isn’t as simple as it may seem.

On the surface, the quirkiness craze allows us to broaden our acceptance of what’s “cool.” Young women are, in theory, valued for deviating slightly from the norm, creating their own fashion statements, and listening to music that is either (a) from a different generation; (b) not played on the radio; or (c) both of the above. Supporters of the Quirky Girl frenzy might even argue that this trend encourages us to be unique and unafraid to show our non-cookie-cutter side.

Of course, when we examine this further, we find that there are a few things wrong with our arguments. First of all, “quirky” ceases to be truly quirky when it becomes a trend. If every girl dresses like a 1950′s housewife and gets the same haircut, she is no longer “deviating from the norm,” as suggested earlier. Quirks are defined as individual peculiarities of character, and so, by definition, cannot be included as  part of a trend — they belong to the individual! However, the “Quirky Girl” trope tends to follow a few pre-defined quirks, which are not necessarily natural to the girl who displays them.

And let’s face it — most guys who say they’re attracted to “quirky girls” are not actually attracted to them in the Dictionary.com sense of the word. They’re attracted to quirky girls in the same way that many girls are attracted to nerdy guys (a.k.a. good-looking guys who happen to wear glasses and admit to occasionally reading for fun). Guys who claim they’re into the quirky girls are mostly just looking for pretty girls who use Instagram too much, own a vintage bathing suit and occasionally trip over things. The truly quirky girls who don’t fit the (ironic) stereotype aren’t in as high of demand as the Zooey Deschanels of the world.

I’m not trying to say that one lifestyle is better than another — I think that as long as you’re not hurting anyone, you should do whatever makes you comfortable! (I will admit that I was listening to a mix of Regina Spektor and Perry Como as I wrote this, thus fulfilling the pseudo-quirky role I wrote about earlier.) However, I urge you to choose your clothes, music and interests because you like them, not because of the pressure to like them. If some of your likes aren’t particularly offbeat, it’s not the end of the world.

The Friday Five: Television’s Most Notorious Villains

All our lives, we have heard stories of good versus evil — not just in our childhood books of fairy tales and our adolescent superhero comic books, but also in our contemporary literature, our favorite films and of course our must-watch television shows. This week, we will explore the darker side of some of today’s hit TV series and the villains who wreak havoc for our beloved heroes.

The Friday Five: Television’s Most Notorious Villains

1. The Evil Queen/Regina from Once Upon A Time.
Pictured left, the Evil Queen is the epitome of villainous. On this thrilling fairy tale TV show, in which all of our beloved (and not so beloved) fairy tale characters have been transferred into our world and have forgotten their former lives, the Evil Queen (known in our world as Mayor Regina Mills) does everything she can to manipulate others and maintain power. As the Queen, tricks a lovesick genie into assassinating her husband, takes advantage of a “heartless” huntsman, and kills her own father in order to curse the entire Enchanted Forest. Meanwhile, as her real world counterpart Regina, she schemes against those who pose a threat to her title, meddles in the relationships of the various characters, and uses magic to murder the town Sheriff (who rejected her in favor of her arch-nemesis, Emma Swan).

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2. James Woods from Family Guy.
Note: I am not talking about the actor, James Woods, but rather the character he voices on TV. Although Quahog, the town in which Family Guy takes place, has named quite a few of its landmarks after him, Woods is known to cause trouble every time he comes to town. Whether he’s stealing Peter’s identity or ruining Brian’s television show concept, James Woods is crude, selfish and just plain mean — which always leads to excellent television! Even after a previous episode killed the character off, James Woods has returned and will likely appear in future episodes, creating the same kind of mischief he is usually known for.

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3. Lemon Breeland from Hart of Dixie.
The seemingly perfect Southern Belle, Lemon may consider herself sweet as pie, but she usually comes across as demanding and conniving. Lemon obsesses over wedding plans and ruling the town of Bluebell, Alabama, in every society group imaginable, often ignoring her own fiance (the handsome lawyer George Tucker) and bullying the new-girl-in-town, Dr. Zoe Hart. From hazing Zoe in an initiation process to forbidding her friends from getting pregnant until she does, Lemon is known for becoming unhinged, especially when she doesn’t get what she wants. Although the show tries to show a more sympathetic side through flashbacks and emotional scenes, Lemon is usually portrayed as difficult to get along with, unauthentic, dramatic and completely unlikable. Don’t let the floral dresses and affected speech fool you — her ‘Mean Girls’ style makes her just as villainous as the rest of them!

4. The Situation from Jersey Shore.
Mike Sorrentino, better known as “The Situation,” has always prided himself on being a tough guy. However, throughout the multiple seasons of Jersey Shore (about five too many!), he has established several different roles and characters for himself. He has briefly been the sweetheart, when he seemed to genuinely have feelings for Sammi in the first season, and he often refers to himself as more of a father figure to the rest of the house, particularly in the second season. Mike has also revealed a more somber side, especially toward the end of his days in Italy, during which he separated himself from the group and lamented the fact that no one liked him. The Situation is known to become violent and manipulative, and often threatens in the confessionals that his evil side is about to come out. Always looking for trouble to stir up, The Situation and his multiple personalities could top this list as all five TV villains.

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5. Courtney from The Bachelor.
Perhaps my greatest inspiration for writing this post, Courtney is constantly in the middle of feuds with the rest of the girls (although, to be honest, who can blame her? They’re all competing for the same man’s affections), hogging attention with Ben the Bachelor on group dates, and saying things on confessional like “I want to rip her head off and verbally assault her.” This is the only season of The Bachelor that I have actually sat down to watch, but from the very beginning it was easy to see that she was going to be around for a long time. Why? Her presence in the house provides the perfect drama for serious viewers who believe that the show is actually about true love. After all, how could Ben not see through her crazy eyes and the fact that the other girls are so concerned about her behavior? Personally, I love seeing Courtney stick around, because it means we get to see her say or do something else that’s completely insane.

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Who are your favorite TV villains?

Relationship Dependence: The Blair Waldorf Story

Upon first glance, Blair Waldorf of Gossip Girl may not seem like the perfect role model. After all, toward the beginning of the series, the icy Queen B of the Upper East Side is primarily known for her sinister scheming, her self-centered nature and her lack of regard for the middle class. She wears headbands as a status symbol and holds court with her minions on the steps of the Met.

But as the show progresses, Blair transforms into more than just a not-so-nice It Girl — not only does she show us her vulnerable side, but she reveals an intellectual, ambitious side of herself as well. She applies to Ivy League schools before ultimately attending NYU and Columbia, strives to become a fashion editor-in-chief and interns at a high-profile magazine in the city. Aside from Brooklyn’s Lonely Boy Dan Humphrey, Blair is arguably the only character in the series with real aspirations and a sense of purpose.

The only thing holding her back? Her heavy, often narrow-minded focus on the men in her life, especially during the past two seasons.

Whether it’s her tortured love affair with the nefarious Chuck Bass, her passionless engagement to a European prince, or  her slowly evolving friendship-turned-more with Dan, Blair’s relationships have completely taken over in recent episodes, essentially turning her into a shadow of her former self. Although her character has matured considerably, she has not focused on school or her dreams in more than an entire season. Instead, she regresses to a feeble little girl who depends on her on-again-off-again-boyfriend’s love as her only way to survive.

We’re all allowed to be a little irrational sometimes in the name of love, but when it consumes our lives so much that we have little else to think about, it has become a problem. We start to define ourselves by the relationships we enter rather than the collective experiences we have undergone and the goals we have set. We go from “Queen B” to “Chuck’s Girlfriend,” and we lose sight of our personal dreams and opportunities.

The real Blair Waldorf will stop at nothing to get what she wants… except when Chuck is in her life. This is not to say that we should avoid relationships at all costs or become completely jaded and cynical about love before we turn 30, but we shouldn’t sacrifice every original thought we’ve ever had just so that we can be with someone. Instead, we should pursue relationships with people who are just as ambitious as we are, who are entrenched in their own personal growth as well.

It doesn’t matter if you’re dating the bad boy, the prince, the bookworm, or the lacrosse captain. What matters is that you maintain your sense of self along the way and find someone who will support you even when your goals have nothing to do with the relationship. After all, aren’t you worth the effort?

Happy Valentine’s Day, dear readers! You know you love me. XOXO.

The Friday Five: Types of Romantic Comedy Couples

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it’s likely (and natural!) that my blog will revolve around relationships even more than usual this month. After all, aren’t the images of love and ridiculous grand gestures exactly what the media wants to ingrain in our consumer-driven/chocolate-addicted minds? That’s why we watch romantic comedies in our oversized sweatshirts while choosing to ignore the huge gaps between art and real life. It’s also why we conveniently forget how formulaic most of the films in this genre can be, and instead breathe a sigh of relief at the end when the lead actor and actress finally admit their undying love for one another.

Face it — there are only so many variations of “couples” and characters that romantic comedies have the time and creativity to introduce to us. Maybe Katherine Heigl started playing her after Meg Ryan traded in for a new face, or perhaps Josh Duhammel has become the new Richard Gere (ew), but at their very core, most rom coms are more or less the same story, same characters.

This week, we’ll poke fun at some of the couples we encounter in romantic comedies. All of these couples can be well-written and fleshed out, but then there are the ones that the writers got lazy working on. Feel free to add your own in the comments!

The Friday Five: Types of Romantic Comedy Couples

1. The best friends.
Audiences have always rooted for this couple. Why? Because audiences identify with this couple. (After all, who didn’t root for Harry and Sally?) Most people have at least one close friend of the opposite sex, and therefore, the idea that two best friends could be soulmates gives them hope that if nothing else works out, they always have a relationship to fall back on. These movies usually turn out as follows: Flashback to the beginning of the friendship (often, but not always, during childhood or college), followed by a flash forward to current state of friendship, in which both parties may act as wingmen for one another. Person A enters a relationship with a secondary character and it becomes serious. Person B undergoes a life-changing experience that causes him/her to realize that he/she has been in love with Person A the entire time. Insert emotional outburst from Person B that erupts in a passionate kiss. Cue thunder and rain. Person A storms off after Person B gives a speech about how Person A is just closing himself/herself off to true love to avoid getting hurt by something as real as their long-lasting friendship. Cue montage of Person A acting distracted around his/her clueless significant other and staring sadly out a window or two. Finally, Person A breaks things off with aforementioned significant other and runs to meet Person B (who is about to make some huge decision), prepared with an apologetic speech consisting of all the things he/she loves about Person B and something along the lines of “I just didn’t realize my soulmate was right in front of me all along.” The two kiss again under fireworks or some other romantic surroundings and the scene closes. Sound familiar? That’s because it is.

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2. The sworn enemies.
Katherine Heigl, this one is for you. Some romantic comedy characters love to argue for no discernible reason at all, and so when they find someone who loves to push the envelope, sparks begin to fly. The best part about this couple is that their banter doesn’t even have to be that witty — as long as the characters try to use words that the writer picked out of his pocket thesaurus, audiences will cling to the “sexual tension” and “unbridled passion” that the two share. After all, kissing someone you hate is a great way to shut them up, am I right? (Author’s note to Katherine Heigl: Meg Ryan has played this role in a much more likable way.)

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3. The uptight working woman and the man who helps her break loose.
I’ve always had a problem with this couple because it assumes that all successful, career-driven women: a) Don’t care at all about dating or their social lives and instead choose to sacrifice their happiness, which can only be fulfilled by a relationship; and b) Refuse to wear their hair in anything other than a really tight bun. All semi-feminist rants aside, these films usually pair up a carefree guy who has had few (if any) real responsibilities in his life with a workaholic leading lady who stopped responding to men’s advances or pursuing relationships because (as we learn in the second half of the movie) she had her heart broken and has learned to adjust by burying herself in Excel spreadsheets and expense reports. Usually in these movies, each character takes a little something from the other — the woman learns to let her hair down (literally – she takes it out of the ponytail/bun in a moment of weakness while her glasses are off, and the male lead finally realizes just how beautiful she is) and accept a relationship, while the man finally gets a job and learns to be more reliable.

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4. The player who finally finds the girl he is willing to settle down for.
This is the story of a guy who likes a girl but struggles to give up his womanizing ways. The girl recognizes this from the beginning and therefore plays hard to get, while the guy realizes that she is the first real challenge he has ever had in his life. This alone makes him fall madly in love with her, and as he finds himself doing thoughtful things for her in the hopes of getting what he wants, he realizes that she is worth more than her looks. In the end, he relinquishes his Heartbreaker title and lives happily ever after with one woman. (This couple is also one that I have difficulty supporting, because it leads younger girls to believe that the guy who cheats on his girlfriends will change for them — and unfortunately, that’s not usually the case.)

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5. The conspirators.
According to this couple’s track record, if you ever pretend to be in a relationship with someone, you will eventually fall in love with that person. These two characters fake a relationship for some other benefit (for example, they stage a wedding so that they can use the gifts to furnish their homes and pay off debts — thank you for that, My Fake Fiancee!) but in the process, they realize that they have developed feelings for one another. Finally, the whole sham unravels when one admits this to the other, before they ultimately reunite under romantic yet humorous conditions.

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Who are your favorite/least favorite romantic comedy couples?

The Weekend Five: Signs That It’s 2012

Although some of us might still accidentally write “2011″ next to today’s date, there’s no denying that 2012 is here. All end-of-the-world jokes aside, our entrance into the year 2012 allows for brand new opportunities and advances that we’ve never seen in any other year. Of course, with the passage of time, we begin to forget some pop culture of the past, and become less and less aware of the technological struggles we once faced. That’s why this week’s Weekend Five pokes fun at our brand new year. Enjoy, and feel free to add your own observations in the comments section!

The Weekend Five: Signs That It’s 2012

1. The hottest toy for children on the market is an educational version of the iPad.

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2. You still remember your excitement from receiving a Now That’s What I Call Music 3 CD when you were in elementary school, and yet you just saw a copy of Now 40 on the shelves.

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3. When someone says the name “Farrah,” you ask, “Fawcett, or the girl from Teen Mom?”

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4. Even though you own Beauty and the Beast on VHS, you’re still tempted to go see it in 3D now that it’s back in theaters with every other movie from your childhood.

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5. Several of your classmates argue that email is not a quick enough form of communication.

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What do you think? What are some of the 2012 markers that you’ve noticed?