Watching Lately - An Ode to Netflix

I'll never give you up, Netflix. Never. You're like a warm blanket, comfort food, a hot date, an exciting adventure and the best class I've ever taken all in one. (On a related note - Hulu Plus can suck it!)

Obviously we are constantly rotating through all the seasons of The Office. {and by 'we' I mean 'I', averaging 4-5 episodes a day, working on my next project - an in-depth analysis of the show to help me grieve its end.}

But besides that, here are our latest faves on the 'Flix. (hate that I called it that)


Happy - an interesting, inspiring documentary that I watched when I was sad a few weeks ago. These filmmakers travel around and interview people about what makes them happy. They even go into the psychology and biology of happiness. It's really cool. It's basically just the Gospel - serve, have enough but not too much, live with purpose, etc.






 Breaking Bad - the Beard and I needed a new show to watch together that was "new." The Beard somehow gets bored of watching The Office over and over. How? Anyway, we caved to Breaking Bad fad. Wow. I kind of hate it, but can't stop watching. It's so engaging and crazy every single episode! You hate and love everyone. I've cried, laughed, dry-heaved, sworn, screamed, smiled and grimaced. The great thing is that there are tons of episodes and you never want to stop, so it's a great marathon-watching show.




 Freakonomics - The Beard just finished listening to the audiobook at work, so we decided to watch it on a whim. It's so interesting! Very cool to see things a different way - even if it has some depressing thoughts about education. See/read this especially if you like Malcolm Gladwell, stats, and social experiments. 






Aziz Ansari: Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening - I really love stand-up, but the Beard kind of hates it. We were able to compromise on this one because he loves Tom Haverford from Parks & Rec, and that's basically Aziz in real life. This stand up is hilarious, but be warned - way, way, way too much cursing and sexual innuendo. But if you can't figure that out from the title... maybe put down the laptop and go read a book?

The Truth About Zombies - Very interesting scientific approach to zombies. It ranges from epidemic research to survival techniques to Haitian Voodoo. Max Brooks, the author of the best zombie book ever "World War Z" (coming soon with Brad Pitt yayayayaya!) is a narrator and perfect. The Beard was unimpressed.

"How can you call yourself a 'Zombie Expert' with a straight face?!"

Portlandia - Obviously you can make fun of hipsters to no end, and obviously I'm gonna like it. I've never been to Portland, but my Oregonian coworker says it is spot-on. Season 2 just went up a month or so ago, so if you like awkward humor, sketch comedy, and making fun of those multiple varieties of hipster that make our lives miserable, check it out. 

On my "To Watch List"

• Vampire Diaries at the persistent request of my sister
• Firefly because I'm a nerd and want to watch it
• The Queen of Versailles - Rainn Wilson tweeted about it so it went right in my queue
• America: The Story of Us - I've watched 3 of the episodes and they are AWESOME. I use them in my US History classes all the time. I want to finish the series.
• ESPN 30 for 30 - Guess who put all of these in the queue?

Anything else on Netflix I should watch?

Workout Wednesday: Yoga

I always thought Yoga was for Hindus, Californians and skinny girls who hated sports. Two of my good friends in high school, Danielle and Michelle, were super into yoga and were just so graceful and flexible as a result. So when I signed up for my Gold's Gym pass my freshman year, I thought maybe I'd mix up my weightlifting with some yoga. Unfortunately it took a whole year for me to actually try it out. And I've been hooked ever since. Especially when I can do Star Wars yoga.

Yoga is in essence a spiritual practice that links the mind and body in harmony. It releases tension, increases flexibility, realigns joints and strengthens core muscles. You really can vary your yoga practice to target whatever physical needs you are trying to meet.

Your basic yoga tends to be more strength, core, and flexibility building. I leave sweaty and I'm almost always a little sore (in a good way!) the next day.

More intense or intermediate yoga practice includes more balance poses and emphasis on vinyasa, or flow, which becomes a very mentally rigorous challenge. This yoga emphasis is especially great when I can't stop thinking or worrying about something, because it forces you to let it go and focus on not falling on your face. I've never tried bikram or any other intense forms, but I've heard great things. I'm still a noob, anyways.

Relaxation yoga is awesome. Most yoga classes end with some relaxation poses and nap meditation time. You release tension in your neck and shoulders that you didn't even know you were holding. You're breathing deep and free, your body feels like tingly jello and you don't walk - you glide.

A good yoga practice includes a little of all three. Every instructor is going to design their class differently, and it's just about finding what works for you.

Options for practicing yoga:

• On Netflix, I like 10 Minute Solution Yoga and Crunch: Candlelight Yoga.
• YouTube Yoga is pretty cool, actually. Check this tumblr for a list of YouTube videos that target anything you want. Perfect if you are stuck at home/too lazy to go anywhere. 
• The Everygirl just did an awesome feature for beginners, so check it!
• On your own! Once you have learned the basics, you can do it yourself! I sometimes do yoga on vacation or when I'm feeling really tight and inflexible, without a video or instructions. 
• I personally believe classes are the best, because they are different every time, they modify poses for beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, and you work harder when there are other people around you trying. 

What to Wear:

Tight/form-fitting clothes. You don't need to pour yourself into the thinnest spandex you can buy, just lose the baggy basketball shorts. When you lift your legs in the air or turn upside down you don't want to be tugging your shorts away from your bum and your high school choir t-shirt from suffocating your face.

Victoria's Secret yoga pants are my favorite. I like the capri, but I also have the ankle boot cut and the yoga booty short too. Leggings are also a great option.

A sports bra with a tank or slim v-neck or a racerback sports tank are my favorite top options. Athleta has some seriously cute stuff. Almost makes you WANT to work out. Almost...

Pull your hair into a top knot or Katniss-style side braid and use a headband to keep the hair out of your face when you are upside down and changing positions.

Other Tips:

If you love yoga, buy your own mat. There are always yoga mats in the back of the aerobics room, but having your own is way cleaner/better. I got one on Amazon with a bag for pretty cheap and I use it all the time.

Get to class early, find a spot near a mirror so you can check your form during poses, and stretch a bit before class starts.

Do yoga on an empty (but not rumbling stomach).

No one cares if you fall over or can't hold a stretch the whole time. Seriously. No one cares.

Tune in next week for a Workout Wednesday Guest Post by my good friend Tayler about why she runs like a crazy person!

My Little "Bro"-ny

When you get married and move in with someone, there is a learning curve. Not only do you need to learn to schedule sleeping, showering, eating, laundry, and all those basic life things, but you also learn all of the weird little things that are part of your spouse's identity. Often these things weren't super obvious when you were dating. SURPRISE.

For Ryan, I imagine he had to get used to the way I spaz run/yell when I realize I'm running late or excited, my enthusiastic Just Dance every day after school, and how vital it is that I never get cold. I turn into the White Witch.

For me, I would have never guessed I would ever know so much about the online gaming community. I knew The Beard played StarCraft when we dated, but usually he did that after he got home from hanging out with me. Once we were married and living together, it became part of my life too. I can now proudly say that I know the entire timeline of Blizzard Games, I've played League of Legends (and I'm terrible at it) and I understand the legacy of Tassadar.

But here's the most disturbing thing. My Little Pony - Friendship is Magic. Yes. You read that right. Apparently, and I still can't explain this, the active demographic of viewers for this show are males age 15-35. Gamers.

Does this make sense to anyone? No. Because it's inexplicable. Before you ask me, no, there aren't any sexual innuendos, secret meanings, coded messages, etc. It's a real cartoon aimed at little girls. But somehow these men started watching it and love it.

They fondly refer to themselves as "Bronies."

I watched part of an episode on Netflix with the Beard on Saturday. It's a pretty cute show, all about the magic of friendship, being nice, being yourself and all that jazz. Still, though, I don't understand why these Bronies keep watching it and more importantly, HOW IN THE WORLD DID THEY START WATCHING IT?



This is a real thing, you guys. I don't understand it. I can't explain it. But I love The Beard. Even if he watches little girl cartoons. I watch 60s Star Trek and love Hannibal the Cannibal, so I guess I can't talk...

Mockumentary vs. Documentary

In the past 6 months I have watched more documentaries than in my previous life combined. With my great love of Mockumentaries like The Office, Parks and Rec., Arrested Development, etc, I suppose the taste continues to their real counterparts - documentaries.

Netflix has an AWESOME collection of documentaries and I watch them for both business and pleasure. For history teachers, documentaries are gold. When a new unit is coming up, I watch documentaries to brush up on information and to look for potential documentaries that I'd like to show my students. Ryan and I also watch documentaries for fun pretty regularly.

Here are some suggestions and warnings for you:

Loved (fun):

It Might Get Loud - a rock-n-roll documentary (think real Spinal Tap, with less humor) that is pretty awesome. Watching Jack White play makeshift instruments is absolutely mesmerizing. Definitely worth a watch.

Exit Through the Gift Shop - ok, we haven't ACTUALLY watched this one. It's been in our queue for ages, and we really will get around to it. But I've heard great things from multiple sources and can't wait to watch it.

Loved (to learn):

National Geographic: Stress, Portrait of a Killer - super enlightening documentary about what stress does to our bodies and the change in stressors since primitive times. Really cool.

Project XX - these period-specific documentaries are awesome. I showed some of "The Great War" edition in class. They include real footage, cultural elements and actually HELPFUL commentary. They don't even feel like a dry, educational documentary.

Hated:

Waiting for Superman - this documentary chronicling the *failure* of the public school system in the US is so frustrating. As a teacher I can definitely sympathize. Our system is a bit of a mess. There are issues to be dealt with. But the spend far more time criticizing bad teachers and districts, very little time on good teachers and districts, and absolutely no time at all speculating about possible alternatives. In the end, you're left with this empty-handed discontent. What was the point of that?

Bowling for Columbine - after the recent Ohio school shooting I decided to watch this famous Michael Moore piece. I didn't even finish it. I can't stand the guy. I get his style. I get the drama. School shootings and violence are a problem. But this is sensationalist, muckracking, yellow journalism. Again, the only positive outlook is when he compares the awful United States to more successful, less violent nations, showing that it IS in fact possible to be peaceful. If you're not going to make this for a positive reason, shut the front door. I don't want it.

What about y'all? Agree? Disagree? Suggestions? I'd love to hear some more that I should look up.

Let's Get Down(ton)

I succumbed. I was finally seduced by the hype of the illustrious "Downton Abbey." I think I expected it to be much better because of said hype, but I enjoyed it.

Reasons Why You Should Watch Downton Abbey:

1. Season 1 is on demand on Netflix. This is great because you can knock out the entire season in one weekend like I did. Much preferred. Season 2 concluded on TV this past Sunday, so hopefully we'll see that up on Netflix in a month or so, as it's already on DVD somehow. [Magic.]
2. You will hate more people than you like on this show, but somehow still love it. I found myself cursing at the screen constantly, "Mrs. O'Brien! You little *(^%%$!!!!" and "I can't believe Thomas is such a *^*&9!"
3. One of my teacher friends commented "You just feel smarter when you watch it." Agreed.
4. Oh, you love bodices AND flapper style? What a coincidence.
5. Unrequited love, the likes of which hasn't been seen since Jim and Pam. I'm an unabashed "shipper."

Until I can watch Season 2 on PBS or Netflix, I'm kind of looking for something new (in addition to Psych, which we recently started watching casually). Suggestions would be appreciated. Otherwise I'll be forced to continue watching old Reno 911 and Gossip Girl episodes until my IQ dissipates irreversibly.

Mad to the Bone

Ryan and I recently became 100% addicted to Mad Men. Here's how it happened.

Over Christmas break, we started Friday Night Lights (which is awesome by the way. At least before Season 3 while the show was still actually ABOUT football and not abortion). We powered through it in less than 3 weeks. It was great. Everyone had gone home for the holidays, and we sat on the couch with no curfew and nowhere to be for hours and hours. We loved it.

After that, we watched all of Parks & Rec (Ryan hadn't seen many of them), and obviously plenty of The Office. We even tried a little Veronica Mars and a few episodes of Dexter. But nothing was OUR show yet.

Arrested Development came closest. Classic. I can't say enough good things about Arrested Development. If you've never seen it, I don't know why you're reading my blog and not watching it right now. Between Hulu and Netflix online streaming you have no excuse.

But then we were married, with tons of boring married time to fill. Kids? Psh. No. We're looking for a TV show. I noticed that Mad Men recently became available, so we decided to give it a try.

AND IT BLEW OUR MINDS.

The style. The class. The chivalry and chauvinism. The drama. The love. The betrayal. The hope. The comedy. The irony. The heartbreak. The sarcasm. All of it unreal. It's really like no other show I've ever seen. I gush about their clothes and makeup every single episode. I still melt when I see Don Draper opening doors and lighting cigarettes and taking coats from women. (When did we lose such courtesy in society?) Sterlings' smooth charm and biting wit is fantastic. Even the annoying characters (Pete Campbell) leave you with a false sense of friendship, like  you know them in real life and their douchebaggery is occasionally excusable.

True. All they do is drink, smoke and cheat on their wives. But it's in a suprisingly conservative manner. Oh? There are consequences for drinking too much and adultery? This show demonstrates a part of that. Definitely glamorized. But awful things happen to these men for their awful decisions on occasion, much like real life. (Not smoking, though. Science really hadn't caught up with it yet. I feel like I got secondhand smoke just from watching it.) It shows semi-real life in a watchable and interesting way, sparing no characters or emotions.

But my favorite part? Her.

Joan. Joanie. The color and life of the show. She is the girl to go to. At one point she left the office (covered in blood, not her own, no less), and I was considering not watching anymore. Thankfully, she returned, all her charm and wit with her. I love her confidence. Her active mind. Her comfortable demeanor and earned respect with the big wig men. And I LOVE her curves. A girl after my own heart (and body). Who would pick a straight boyish physique over her red hot (pun intended) curves? I love her. She's fantastic. Watch it, if only for Joan.

A few weeks ago Courtney gave me the best compliment of my life. She said "You're totally a Joan." Tears to my eyes, you guys. Tears to my eyes. 

Life After Wales

Here we are, 7 months later. You might ask, "Well, what's been happening?" and if I said "Not too much!" you wouldn't believe me and you'd try to pump me for more information, right? Well that's what's happened when I've run into a few of you in the past few months and you've gotten on my case for not posting regularly. Because obviously this blog is the best thing that's ever happened to you all.

Here's a brief synopsis:

1. School. Sucks, but I figured it needed to be number one. I took some good classes these last two semesters, hated almost every second of it, and I'm counting down until April 13th when I am officially DONE. Forever!

2. In relation to being done forever, I landed an internship at Mapleton Jr. High for next year! I'll be teaching 7th grade Utah Studies and 8th grade U.S. History! I feel so lucky to have to opportunity to work at the best school with the best teachers.

3. Turned 21. Woot! No bad decisions yet.....

4. The Dream Palace. Our party-filled, bachelorette pad. Fall semester was filled with bonfire after bonfire, Netflix on our TV, and our latest love - JustDance2.

5. Working at the LAO. My home away from home.

6. Music shows, parties, hot tubbing, classy dinner parties with friends.

7. #Jimmering. This picture was on the front page of Sports Illustrated.com at one point. I'm famous!

8. Fell in love.

9. Friday Night Lights. Texas Forever. {Still loyal to The Office. Obviously.}

10. Had the best 7 months ever to be had in Provo.

I feel incredibly blessed and lucky to have all this. Best people ever, best opportunities, best life. It's hard to imagine things getting any better, but everything on the horizon is even more exciting. I have so much to look forward to. Life is beautiful.

And it's getting more beautiful. I woke up this morning to find blossoms on the tree outside the Dream Palace. Soon. Soon it will be summer.

Cinema

I love movies. I always have. When I was a kid/teenager, my family used to go to movies like crazy. Almost every Saturday afternoon we'd fill ourselves with tubs of popcorn and Diet Coke while enjoying the latest action, science fiction or comedy film. I particularly remember the comic book and Lord of the Rings movies. My dad would buy a chunk of tickets and we'd go with all our friends, passing the time with card games and making fun of people. I miss that.

Now, it's Netflix, 24/7. I made the decision to get Netflix this summer because I wasn't taking classes. I thought, "Hey, I'll probably get rid of it in the fall when school starts up again." No. I won't give it up. I'm never letting it go. I am almost CONSTANTLY watching a movie or TV show. Right now it's an episode of Reno 911! Hulu is also a companion of mine. YouTube is particularly awesome. I watched all of the original series after the new movie kicked my, well... it was awesome.

Ok, so let's just say I had to rank my top 5 movies. This would be it. But it is subject to change.

1. The Phantom of the Opera (2004). Anyone who knows me at all knows this. In 9th grade I was unhealthy about this. This movie simply astounds me. The music needs no explanation. I fell in love with the costumes, the scenery, the actors and actresses. I became completely enamored with the romance, action, and suspense. I will watch this movie at any moment of any day.

2. The Little Mermaid (1989). Cheesy. I know. But I watched this every day, sometimes multiple times a day, for a significant portion of my youth. It reminds me of who I am. I sing "Part of Your World" in the shower regularly. Oddly, I hate the ocean.

3. Anchorman (2004). This is the most hilarious, quotable movie ever. I think Will Ferrell is the best. Last week my dad bought me a "Stay Classy, San Diego" T-shirt. It's fantastic. Did anyone NOT like this movie?

4. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980). If I could list the Trilogy as one movie, I would. They are incredible. I've loved them for as long as I can remember. Han Solo is THE MAN. I have always identified with Leia. Naturally, I love the romance there. Sometimes Darth Vader is in my dreams.

5. Star Trek (2009). JJ Abrams has the Midas touch. I thought this movie would be entertaining but largely cult-classic material. It swept my Memorial Day weekend in '09. I was BLOWN AWAY. I loved it. I found myself incredibly attracted to Spock. This took my nerd-dom to a whole new level. I immediately began watching TOS and loved that even more. You can appreciate the movie better after watching the originals. Leonard Nimoy is phenomenal, and all of the new young actors absolutely NAILED their parts. Great movie.