My Thoughts on Queen Anne Boleyn

I've been watching The Tudors on Netflix. Most of these thoughts are based on the character in the show, not necessarily based in historical fact. Although, I must say she was a very interesting person and I think she and I would have been frenemies had we lived in the same time period.

1. She was the original duck face. Snookie had no idea she was channeling Anne Boleyn when she started
2. Her guttural cries when her brother was beheaded brought me to tears. Maybe she did have a heart after all.
3. She was a better Queen than Henry was King. This is the real reason she was beheaded. Henry didn't like competition. Anne was a bitch, in a good way. She got things done.
4. Girl knew how to F%@#.

Please be aware that I have only just finished season 2 and have no concrete opinions on most of the subsequent queens quite yet. However, I don't think any will be as awesome as Queen Anne Boleyn.

Top 5 TV Show Characters I Can Relate To

When I watch TV I have a habit of inserting myself into the show. There is always a character that I either see myself as or can relate to, or looks alarmingly like me. I know this is how the writers want it to be, they need to draw people in by making the characters easy to relate to. However, there have been entire seasons of shows that have mirrored my life, or at least in my head they did.

So, below are the top 5 characters that I relate to.

1. Jessica from True Blood. This is only because she is my celebrity doppelganger. So much so that my ex was drunkenly convinced that I was a vampire.
2. Robin from How I Met Your Mother. One of my exes was a Barney and we happened to have been seeing each other the same season Robin and Barney were together. I also would love to be a news anchor and don't want kids.
3. A mixture of Bree and Lynette from Desperate Housewives. I'm secretly a soccer mom, even though I'd rather be the powerful career woman like Lynette, but I'm also a wine-o control freak like Bree.
4. Carrie from Sex and the City. I have had my own Mr. Big and being a sex columnist is my dream job. Although I am not even close to making her style mistakes.
5. Deb from Dexter. Curses too much, works too much, often runs from commitment. We are like soul mates.

I felt like the end of the year deserved some lists of Top things and this is what I came up with so far. What characters resonate with you guys most?

Skins

I love the Brits. And Netflix. And semi-trashy but super entertaining television. What do you get when you combine all three? Skins. It is like The O.C. minus the beach, but with much more sex drugs and cursing because there is no FCC in the UK.

As a post grad, sometimes you just need to watch something entertaining and that makes you feel better about your own life. Skins will do just that. It is funny, and dramatic and full of so many plot twists I could hardly keep up. Not to mention the adorable British actors. It has something for everyone, the little nerdy kid, the crazy anorexic chick, the musical black chick, the sheltered indian dude, you get the idea.

Please give the show a try in your very sparse but valuable spare time. You will not regret it!

Rating: 5/5

Layers of Post Grad

By Allison Sass

I saw the movie Inception last night... yes I know, I am behind the times, but I saw it in theaters for $1.00, so I'm gonna say it was worth the wait.  The movie involved the process of having dreams within dreams within dreams, you know the feeling when you think you wake up from a dream but you're really in another one?  I couldn't help but  think about how much this idea parallels post grad life.

Sometimes I think about my post grad life in terms of layers.  Layer 1 is sort of the broad acceptance of the fact that I am no longer a college student/ a semi-real adult.

Layer 2 focuses on my desire to succeed in post grad life, and all that accompanies success: healthy relationships, a career, making use of my college education. I often reach layer 2 when I focus too much on layer 1.

Layer 3 is what I like to think of as my post grad inner child.  In this inner most layer, I become lost in thoughts about what life could be like if only I were a few more years younger, lived closer to home, and had time to rethink the direction of my life.

It's so easy for me to get lost in these layers, consumed by what could be or should be... but then I get a kick. In Inception, the "kick" is that feeling of falling that wakes you up out of a dream, the jolt that brings you back to reality.

In the post grad world, my "kick" is my paycheck, my freedom, or the thrill of finding another article relating to water conservation that I can blog about for my company (don't mock me, this is my life).  These "kicks" bring me out of my post grad layers and back into reality. But, much like dreaming, I know I'll fall back into my layered fantasies sooner or later. Let's just hope these kicks keep on coming!

Consider Your Readers At ALL Times

By Allison Sass

As recent grads, it's likely that most of you have at least thought about blogging, for either personal of professional reasons. Blogging is the thing to do right now, and I love it (obviously). I think that blogs are a great way for people to connect and share their opinions.

If you start a blog that you hope will attract a large fan base of readers, it's important that you are respectful to your readers. You might think, but this blog is MINE and if decide that I want to whine and put down others, I can do what I want. And.. you can. But don't expect to still have loyal readers when you're through.

Yesterday after work, I came across an article about a Marie Claire blogger downing a new television show that revolves around a romance between two overweight individuals. In her blog, writer Maura Kelly says, " I find it aesthetically displeasing to watch a very, very fat person simply walk across a room." and blames the new t.v. show for promoting obesity. Did she not stop to think that many of her loyal readers might be struggling with their own weight related problems?

What saddens me the most is that this blogger isn't just a cynical recent graduate with a hatred for the world, or an angsty teen. She is in her 30's and supposedly an accomplished writer. The fact that Marie Claire  published this blog on their website gives this well-respected women's lifestyle magazine a tarnished reputation.

The moral of all of this? Think long and hard about the audience you are attracting with your blog, and whether your blog is straight up offending them. It's one thing to talk about taboo subjects- it's entirely another to call your readers "fatties".

 Technology is great, and our generation embraces it more than most. It's also great to have an opinion, all good bloggers do! But please remember state it gracefully, keeping your readers in mind.. or else you'll find yourself in a Maura Kelly comment bashing situation, with noone to blame but yourself.

Stay classy, post grads.

Connectitude, Linkativity, Transformitation

By Shikole Struber

Don Draper isn't the only TV show character to give tips on the job world. Barney Stinson of How I met Your Mother is also a career guru, in his own way. He might've been onto something when he suggested creating your own words. Everyone seems to be doing it these days. The Jersey Shore cast "smushes" and the new song "Bottoms Up" mentions getting "slizzard." Barney's words are a little more job appropriate though, the most noted being:

Possimpible - Where the possible and impossible meet. When you go beyond the possible and beyond the impossible

Barney also promoted the Video Resume. Which is not a bad idea if you do it right. There are some helpful do's and don'ts of a video resume here. And for your viewing pleasure, Barney\'s Video Resume.

Good luck job hunters. And remember, nothing, and everything, is possimpible.

Eat, Pray, Love: Movie Review

By Allison Sass

When I saw the preview for Eat, Pray, Love, I was ecstatic. The movie (based on the best-selling book by Elizabeth Gilbert) seemed to combine my hopes and fears about relationships and life in general into one tidy package.

The movie itself follows Elizabeth Gilbert on her journey overseas to Italy, India, and Bali where she takes a year out of her life to explore pleasure and devotion. Gilbert was recovering from a failed marriage and failed post-marriage affair, and needed time to figure out who she was, without male attachment.

On her journey she comes into touch with her deepest emotions through meditation and the amazing people she meets in each country.

While this movie has all of the ingredients of a major chick flick, I wouldn't consider it one. It is more of a "journey" movie, focusing on the process of self discovery. It is a fantastic film for post grads who might be wondering if they are allowing their lives to pass them by. It certainly inspired me to examine certain parts of my post grad life.

At times, the movie was slow-moving and it's fairly long (almost 2 and a half hours). Aside from the length, I would recommend this movie to post grad guys and girls alike!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

5 Best Movies about Post Grad

By Shikole Struber

You are not alone in your quest of fulfillment! There are plenty of movies that follow the lives of post grads on their adventures and misadventures. Try watching these in all the spare time you have while unemployed.

1. Accepted. Great message. You should learn what you WANT to learn in college and go on to do what you WANT to do.



2. Into the Wild. Drop it all and hitch hike.



3. Lost in Translation. Marry an older man. Travel with him to Japan. Try to figure out what you want in life.



4. The Graduate. No one knows what they want to do after grad. Until they screw and older woman and fall in love with her daughter.



5. Post Grad. Graduate. Move back home. Sounds familiar...