Always Look On The Bright Side of Life...

To say that this has been a stressful year for us Scott's would be a bit of an understatement. Sometimes when things get a little overwhelming, I try to remind myself that there are plenty of really great things right in front of me so that I don't succumb to those stress eating demons. Because no matter how bad of a day you are having, you have to remember that there is always something in your life (big or small) that will cheer you up. Recently things have been particularly difficult, so to cheer myself up, I am going to list some of the things that make me happy.

-My parents porch up north. This thing is just perfection. It is the epitome of a "Happy Place". I'm sure being with my parents adds to the comfort of it but it's spacious and relaxing and I dare you not to want to take a nap the second you sit down on it.

-A really great Iced Coffee. Currently my favorite is the McDonald's one. Weird, isn't it?

-5pm on a Friday. It's completely cliche' but for goodness sake, it is so freeing to leave work, knowing you don't have to come back for a couple days. I practically sprint out of my office every Friday to get to my car.

-My Sister. You see... growing up, Natalie and I didn't get along at all. I thought she was a pest (she was). She thought I was a goody-two-shoes (I was). We were like night and day. Polar opposites. But then something happened. I can't pinpoint what or when but we became friends. Two peas in a pod. We love the same things and we laugh at the same things. Let me tell you, that girl is hysterical (not to mention generous). Not a time goes by that I am not in tears from laughing whenever we are together. She's my perfect "pick me up".

-Waking up at your usual alarm time and realizing you don't have to get up. So simple but such a damn good feeling to be able to go back to sleep.

-The Tower of books in my room. There is something about the giant stack of books in my room (that is almost to the ceiling now) that gives me comfort. Knowing that I've read them all and that they all made me happy one way or another puts a smile on my face. They are like old friends.

-A Tom Proctor Cheeseburger. I talk about it all the time, but honestly, you won't find a better burger anywhere. He's a master.

-The Library. All those books, just waiting to be picked out by people and read and enjoyed. The smell of them. The library is a magical place.

-A hug from my Mom (or just hearing her voice). No explanation needed really. She's my mom. She's supposed to reassure me and make me feel better. Mine is particularly good at it.

-Reading. Duh. Of course. There is nothing like being stressed and then immersing yourself into someone else's world. You don't have to think, you just have to experience. It's the best.

-Going places with C and Fred. I've talked about this before. It's part of what makes this whole unemployment process so bittersweet. I love that we are all together on the weekends. We don't have a lot of money (duh) but we are real creative at finding free/fun things to do.

-Cookies. Who doesn't love a cookie? Chocolate chip, Oreos. Whatever. I'm game for any kind.

-My Friends. Whether it's an extended texting session or a much needed girl's night, they are calming and therapeutic.

-A sunny, 73 degree day. Having the windows open, not needing a fan. It's the perfect temperature and will instantly put me in a good mood.

-Having a freezer full of ice cubes made. Huh? I know. this one sounds weird. I grew up in a house where there were 2 giant bins full of ice cubes, plus about 20 ice cube trays at all times. The Proctor's make an art out of filling ice cube trays. I don't have as many as my parents, but to see that they are made and ready to be used in a glass of ice water makes me happy.

-Reading to Charley at night. He doesn't always pay attention, but I know he enjoys me spending time with him before bed every night and sharing stories with him. I hope that's one of the things he remembers most when he grows up.

-My Doggy-Brother, Jagger and my Puppy-Nephew, Tiger. Of course I love my own dogs too but these two get SO excited to see me that it instantly makes me happy. I love love love them.

Blogging/Writing. Whether or not anyone reads my stuff, I am OK with it. I enjoy writing and it helps clear my head. Even though I just do it for fun, it makes me feel like I accomplished something. So, if you are reading this, thanks!

I think that's a pretty good list. What simple things make you happy or cheer you up?

Bloggers Block Begone!

It's the middle of August already, you guys. How did that happen? I'm convinced the Universe has this month set on ludicrous speed simply because it knows how much I am dreading my kid starting Kindergarten. Please note that *I* am dreading it. Charley is very excited for it. As long as he gets his Spongebob backpack and football ice pack, he will be a happy camper. Let's hope the enthusiasm stays with him on that first day when we drop him off. Also, go ahead and send me all sorts of "no crying" vibes so that I don't start bawling at his feet when he walks in the classroom that first day.

Since it is mid-August, that means the Olympics are over. I know, I know, we are all sick of hearing about them but there is something about watching that level of greatness compete night after night that inspires me. I love knowing how motivated people are (probably because I'm so lazy) to do well for their country and I love watching their families cheer them on. Now, I'm not saying I'm going to go out and train to do a Carly Patterson dismount off the balance beam or anything, but it just makes me happy seeing people excel at something they've worked so hard for. It's neat. It's also entertaining and provided me with two weeks full of laughter and happy tears.

Here's what I learned from the 2012 London Olympics:

• Ryan Lochte is a tool. From his Grill, to his peeing in the pool, to his awful interviews, I was so not impressed with this dude.
• I used to think Michael Phelps was a bit of a conceited hole but then I watched his journey in London and totally got a new perspective of him. He's just really awesome at what he does and he knows it. He's also not perfect and he knows that too. He's also a really great interviewee and "gets" the enormity of being "the most decorated Olympian ever". I think that's cool.
•  I want to be BFF's with Missy Franklin. That girl is 17 years old and has herself 4 gold medals and 1 bronze from her first ever Olympics. She is so happy all the time and has a wonderful relationship with her parents. I love that.
• How cute is Nathan Adrian?? Seriously, guys. He's SO cute. 
• I really enjoyed watching Fencing. I like how animated the athletes are. They get so excited or angry!
• As well as Archery. No, not because of Katniss (maybe a little because of Katniss). It was really interesting to watch their techniques and surprisingly nail biting when it got to the final rounds. It was also fun to see who had giant red indents on their faces from the bow string. LOLZ
• Women's Beach Volleyball was so much fun to watch. Misty May-Treaenor and Kerri Walsh brought so much life to that court. You can tell they love each other and that they love the game and that they worked so freaking hard for that gold medal. I bet they would be so much fun to hang out with.
• Gymnastics was all sorts of exciting. The girls kicked ass but I felt sorry for the boys. They kind of got the shaft since they didn't perform up to the girl's high caliber. Not even that one boy's magic towel could help them in the team all around final. I also enjoyed watching the Russian girls mess up, cry and shoot the other participants evil eyes after their performances. Those girls mean business!
• NBC really did make me feel like I was missing stuff but I don't know that they could have done much different to fix that. I will say that they royally screwed up the closing ceremonies by interrupting it to make people watch their new show Animal Practice. If ever there was a way to turn off potential viewers to a new sitcom, that was the way to do it! 
• Jeff and I love watching the trampoline competitions. NBC only showed us about 10 minutes worth of that so we were disappointed... until we saw who was going for the gold medal. Dong Dong of China. DONG DONG! Spoiler Alert: He won. 

With summer coming to a close, we get to look forward to Fall TV.  Here are the new shows that I am going to give a shot in the coming months:

Revolution (NBC, Premieres September 17th @10pm)- This is a J.J. Abrams show, so you know I am all over it. It also stars Billy Burke (AKA Charlie Swan/Hot dad from Twilight). It takes place in a post apocalyptic future. 15 years after an unknown source disabled all forms of technology. No television, no electricity, no cars etc. The series focuses on a group of people trying to figure out why it happened and how to reverse it. Oh! Also, Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet) from Lost is in it!! Here's a preview:

666 Park Avenue  (ABC, Premieres September, 30th @ 10pm)- This one seems a little creepy. It's about a hotel and focuses on the owners and tenants within it. It's basically a "if you could have anything you ever wished for, what would you do to get it?" situation and would you be willing to pay the consequences? It's all supernatural-like and stars Terry O'Quinn (guess what? he's from Lost too!) and David Annabel (Reunion, Brothers and Sisters), as well as lots of others but those are the two I am watching it for. Here's a preview.

Elementary  (CBS, Premieres September 27th @10pm)- This stars Johnny Lee Miller. I ADORE Johnny Lee Miller. It's a modern take on Sherlock Holmes and stars Lucy Liu as Watson. Here's a preview:


The Mindy Project  (FOX, Premieres September 25th @930pm)- This one stars Mindy Kaling (Kelly, from The Office) as an OBGYN who is trying to navigate through her personal and professional life, all while surrounded by witty co-workers and friends. I think it looks cute. Here's a preview:


So, that's that. We'll see how long these new shows last. I also might give Nashville a shot, as well as Matthew Perry's new sitcom,  Go On (even though I think he is cursed and it will probably get canceled).

Last night, Charley told us he wanted to watch "that collection show". We had no idea what he was talking about. When we asked him questions about it (who is in it? what do they do in it?), he just kept saying "It's NOT a kids show!" and "No! not Pawn Stars!" Well, after we noticed that he had been watching the SyFy channel, Jeff figured it out: Collection Intervention. It premieres tonight at 10pm. After you watch the preview, you'll understand why my kid wants to watch this show and you'll love him even more because of it:


Fall is also bringing us a plethora of good new music:

• For the first time in 14 years, Ben Folds Five will be releasing a new album; The Sound of The Life of The Mind. It will be out September 18th and I CAN'T WAIT! They will also be here in concert (at The Fillmore) on October 2nd. This makes me giddy!!! GIDDY!!!
• The Killers will be releasing their new album; Battleborn on September 18th as well. Again, excitement overload on this one. I love their new single, Runaways and can't wait to hear an entire album full of new Brandon Flowers vocals. 
• Mumford & Sons new album; Babel will be out September 25th and I am anxiously awaiting that one as well.

See?? So much new music coming out!! It makes my ears happy!

Speaking of music, I have a new favorite artist in Ed Sheeran. He's a British singer/songwriter who is just starting to get popular over here. He performed a Pink Floyd cover at the closing ceremonies for the Olympics and I have been listening to him non-stop since then. I will now share with you my favorite song/video of his... The song is great but you'll see why I love the video so much:

This Guy.

Ladies and Fellas, I want to talk about Matt Bomer for a minute. You know I'm not one to cover controversial topics on this here pop culture blog, but in this instance I can't seem to help myself.

Since he first showed up on Chuck as Bryce Larkin, Bomer has been on my radar. His short stint on that show was so well done, it left me wanting more of him. When he was given the opportunity to be the leading man in White Collar, I was ecstatic and so happy with his portrayal of Neal Caffrey; art thief/con-man extraordinaire. And let us not forget his most recent achievement in Magic Mike... (which I have yet to see but have heard good things about). His guest spot on Glee was perfect and showed the world that he had an amazing singing voice to go along with his absurdly handsome looks. So far, in his career, he has managed to go from super spy, to con-man, to stripper, to over-the-top/conceited small town actor and back to being a con-man. That's a pretty decent range of characters for an actor to play and he played them all well. Really, really well. And guess what? He did most of those roles without anyone ever knowing he was gay.

A few months ago, during his acceptance speech for a Steve Chase Humanitarian Award, he thanked his partner, Simon Halls (a Publicist) and their three sons. Instead of applauding the fact that this guy is in a loving family, ladies everywhere were crying out about how "sad" and "disappointing" it is that he is gay. Why? Because this gorgeous boy loves another boy? That's just silly! Girls, let me tell you something... we never had a shot with him to begin with, whether he likes boys OR girls. His job as an actor is to make us believe whatever character he is portraying and if he happens to be an insanely good looking guy, then we are all the more lucky. His personal life should have no effect on us whatsoever.

Which brings me to this absurd story -----------> "Bret Easton Ellis: Matt Bomer Can't Star in Fifty Shades of Grey Film Because He's Gay." What. What? Let me give you a quick rundown. Bret Easton Ellis (the writer of the American Psycho movie) took to Twitter yesterday to tell all of his followers that Matt Bomer wouldn't even be considered to play Christian Grey in the film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey BECAUSE HE IS OPENLY GAY.  Because, according to Ellis, the audience for that film needs to see "an intensely straight actor wanting absolutely to screw Anastasia Steele". Uhhhh... he does know this is make believe right? He does know that whoever does end up with the role of Christian Grey is not ACTUALLY going to be in love with Ana Steele, right? Because that's what actors do... they pretend. Their job is to play make believe and portray characters on screen. It's not real life. The fact that Matt Bomer is openly gay should have absolutely nothing to do with his future job prospects. I'm not even saying I WANT Bomer to be Christian Grey. It's just the fact that this dude's comments are so beyond ignorant that I can't even see straight.

If his statements are true, as far as Matt Bomer not being able to play a straight character are concerned, that would mean that his whole career has been a waste and that he has tricked all of his fans into liking him even though "he can't play straight"... and the fact that he fronts his very own television show every week (which is now in the middle of it's 4th season, by the way) and that his scenes with co-star Hilarie Burton are enough to take your breath away, apparently says nothing of his acting abilities. Can you imagine if the casting agents for How I met Your Mother told Neil Patrick Harris that he couldn't play Barney Stinson because they knew he was gay? The show wouldn't be what it is today without him.

My point is: it's stupid. Comments like that are rude and ignorant and disheartening. It shouldn't matter that Matt Bomer is a gay man. He's a fantastic actor. His relationship status should have no warrant on his acting abilities. The fact that people say things like this makes me so sad. Let people love who they love. Why does it matter?

Can't we all just get along? Ha.

Alright, I'm done with my rant. I have a bit of Blogger's Block lately but I'll get back to our regularly scheduled pop culture posts real soon!