So, I wrote the other day about one of my favorite TV shows, Survivor.  And that I really particularly liked the winner of this season.  Cochran, a 25 year old Harvard law school graduate, was on the show this time as a favorite.  This was his second time playing.  A self-proclaimed super Survivor fan who has loved the show and even written his thesis on the jury system of Survivor, his first time on Survivor he was the biggest underdog there.  A fish out of water among the super-toned, six-pack abs, tanned and good-looking people that usually star on the show--he was bullied constantly, made fun of, and made to feel like the weak link the entire time.  I even remember thinking that CBS owed the world a PSA regarding bullying every week during that season of Survivor, because it was so painful to watch.  Ultimately he betrayed his tribe by flipping to another alliance, though one couldn't blame him after how awfully he was treated.

Of course, the first time around Cochran was insecure, afraid to take off his shirt, afraid of what people thought about him.  This time around, he just didn't care.  He played a confident game, and what I think was one of the most strategic games I've seen-- and with a lot more class than many of the other notorious strategists of past seasons.

So, why am I even going on about this at all?  I don't know anyone who watches Survivor or even cares about it.  Well, something that Cochran said in the reunion show really stuck with me.  He was comparing his second time around with the first, explaining what he felt was different.  How the first time, he was afraid that people would peg him as the socially awkward geek that he was, and how that had changed the second time around.

"Instead of those eccentricities and quirks being a source of embarrassment and anxiety for me, I accepted it as a reality of my existence and that's immensely liberating because I got to focus on the game this time instead of worrying about how I am perceived which really ruined my game the first time-- being able to focus on the game I've loved for half my life."

The reason this really stuck with me, is that this is something I think a lot of us must come to terms with in ourselves.  Owning who we are and not apologizing for it.  All of us must wake up each day and face the world.  Face people who think we are strange, or even stupid.  We must go to work, deal with difficult co-workers,  handle reality, and pay our bills.  But going through this while trying to be someone we aren't?  Or feeling incredibly insecure and caring about what others think about you every single day?  No thanks.  Liberating is the perfect word to describe owning your quirks, your social awkwardness, your "un-coolness" (all of which describe me).

Survivor

I can't believe I left Survivor off of my favorite TV shows back when I was covering them a few weeks back.  I have followed Survivor mostly since season 2, though there were a few seasons in the middle that I got bored with and gave up on.  Tonight was the Survivor: Caramoan finale, and I have to say-- this season has been one of the best ones I can remember.  It seems that each season my favorites get voted out way too early, but this season had so many greats that I loved following it each week!  I felt like the winner really deserved it this time around.  The one thing I don't like about this show is that people lie so much, and people end up getting hurt in the end at the cost of playing to win.  The winner this time, however, was someone who played with a lot of strategy and a lot more class than previous winners.

So, I was canceled again for work tonight.  Bummer, oh well.  Hopefully I'll get in my next two days of work before going out of town, but I'm a little bit worried.  Well, we will see.  I'm excited to be with family for a bit.

Ok, I have held off on watching Duck Dynasty for awhile now.  No particular reason, I just didn't watch it cause it didn't interest me.  Now I think I have jumped on the bandwagon.  The other night when I was canceled from work, I turned on the TV for background noise and came upon a Duck Dynasty marathon.  I watched it for three hours straight.  I can't believe that this show sucked me in!  It is hilarious, and everything Si says makes me laugh.  Anyway, it's a funny show about a family that seems really close and loves and respects each other.  How can you go wrong with that?  (SN- despite the long hair and beards, these guys are still pretty handsome!)

So, I picked up an extra day of work this week since we've been canceled so much.  I figured if they canceled me this time around, hopefully that extra day would help make up for it.  Sure enough, I'm canceled tonight.  I was kind of glad, actually, because I was charge nurse last night and it was particularly stressful.  We had to support team a patient and it was so much more stressful than when I'm the floor nurse.  I'd rather have my own patient support teamed than to be the charge nurse during someone else's support team.  It was particularly frustrating, too, because of the stress of dealing with co-workers when you're in a position of leadership... it is just really frustrating.  Left work this morning feeling really discouraged about my job.

A Week in TV Shows: The Mindy Project

The reason I think I liked the Mindy Project so much, is I felt like I finally found a show I could relate to.  I feel like Mindy is every woman, really.

When New Girl came out a couple years ago, I started DVR-ing it from the beginning.  I was excited to have a show that featured a young, single woman navigating life's ups and downs.  I really wanted to like it.  I watched it for awhile, and I always felt really uncomfortable while watching it.  Now, I love the idea of an awkward, silly woman who doesn't care what others think of her.  It kind of describes me.  But I always found her brand of awkward to be... far fetched.  Exaggerated.  Every "adorkable" thing she said or did always came across to me like nails on a chalkboard.  If you like New Girl, that's totally awesome and fine and I'm not judging you.  Ok, maybe a little.  ;)

I already loved Mindy Kaling from the Office.  So when I saw that she was coming out with a show where she was the start, I was even more excited.  I had read her book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?  And the whole time, couldn't believe how exactly like me she as in almost every way.  Except I'm not that funny, though I like to think I am.  So a show that features a single woman who is independent, "chubby" (by Hollywood standards, mind you-- not mine), quirky but believable, a romantic yet still skeptical?  Totally on board.

Mindy is a thirty-something year old ob-GYN, working in a practice with two other doctors- Danny and Jeremy.  The premise of the show starts off that Mindy was a nerdy teen who didn't have a boyfriend for years-- but merely thrived off of romantic comedies.  Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks are her idols.  Until she finally met The One, or so she thought, after becoming a doctor.  He leaves her for a younger, thinner, prettier girl.  And so we watch as Mindy at times makes a mess of her life, but her friends are always there to pick her up.  The show revolves very much around the practice, as it does Mindy's personal life.  Though she's silly and child-like at times, we see her professional side as well.

I feel like the Mindy Project is the smart, level-headed feminist woman's New Girl.  A lot of people would get angry to hear that, but it's my opinion so there.  It definitely goes along with the popular theme of lame and awkward being the new cool, but in a much more believable, hilarious way.  At least in my opinion.

A Week in TV Shows: Parenthood

Parenthood is by far my favorite TV show.  My sister recommended it to me because it is very much about the four adult Braverman siblings navigating family life as adults.

The Braverman family is one that reminds me very much of my dad's side of the family while my grandparents were still alive.  They are very close-knit, and everyone is in each others' business.  They don't go through problems on their own.  There is always a cousin or grandma or aunt or uncle to help you through it.  There have been many times during this show where I have cried and cried.  You grow to love each person, and feel like they are your family.

The family is headed up by Zeek and Camille Braverman, who have four adult children Adam, Sarah, Julia, and Crosby.  We watch as the Bravermans along with their spouses navigate life as parents (hence the name, Parenthood).  The Bravermans face many of the same issues as many other families from teenage drug use, disrespectful kids, and even a son with Asberger Syndrome.  I think there must be very few people who can't relate to something on the show.

Unfortunately, the past two seasons of Parenthood have been very short as NBC never seems quite sure if they're going to continue airing it.  I am hoping that they will come back for another season this fall.

A Week in TV Shows: Big Bang Theory

Starting off, I have to say that after yesterday's awful episode, I am feeling much, MUCH better.  Still pretty sore, but I'll take that over debilitating back pain any day!

Big Bang Theory is one of my favorite shows.  I started watching it a couple of years ago when I visited Lindsey at her grandparents' condo when she was visiting there.  I had heard it was hilarious, but didn't think I would really like it since I'm not really into a lot of nerdy stuff.  I remember the line from Sheldon, "But I'm the whimsical elf that everyone looks to for a good time!" and I thought that was so hilarious and was hooked.

It is a show about a group of four nerd friends- Sheldon and Leonard, who are roommates, and Howard and Raj, who are best friends, as well as their beautiful friend Penny.  All of them work at Caltech, a university that is probably supposed to parallel UCLA.  Sheldon, a pHd theoretical physicist, is OCD and somewhat asexual, and was a child genius.  It is often referenced that he's not crazy, because, as he says on numerous occasions, "My mother had me tested."  He frequently belittles his friends for not being very smart, though all of them have advanced degrees as well, and has a list of rules they all must follow in order to be his friend.  He even forced Leonard to sign a roommate agreement, in which he often amends for his own selfish benefit.

Leonard, who somehow puts up with being Sheldon's roommate, is a fun-loving nerd who so badly wants to be normal.  He's sort of the "cool," most normal one of the group.  He is also a pHd experimental physicist, an area of physics Sheldon often believes to be useless, and he never misses an opportunity to remind Leonard.  He is constantly in love with their neighbor, Penny, who lives across the hall but is technically out of his league.  The plot of the show often surrounds these two and their drama.  Leonard is that nice-guy boyfriend you really wish you could find in real life.

Howard, the only one of the group who doesn't have anything beyond a Master's, is an aerospace engineer. who still lives with his mother well into his late 20s.  He is often belittled by Sheldon for not having a pHd.  He is somewhat of a pervert, and takes every opportunity to hit on every woman he meets.

Raj, an astro-physicist from India, is probably the most pathetic of the group.  He is incapable of talking in the presence of women without the help of alcohol.  But he is easy to love, and has the best one-liners.  He is very emotional, wants desperately to have a girlfriend, and spends much of his spare time watching chick flicks.

Penny, the hot neighbor across the hall who is waitress-aspiring-actress, is befriended by this nerdy group of four guys.  She finds them to be strange at first, but ends up becoming part of their group and finds them endearing.  We know that she has had a string of bad boyfriends before meeting them, and that she is from a small farm town in Nebraska.  Her on-again, off-again relationship with Leonard is one of the central plots of the series.

Big Bang Theory is, in my opinion, one of the funniest shows since Friends.  I look forward every week to a new episode, and own the first five season on DVD.  If I'm ever having a bad day, an episode or two of BBT always helps me feel better.

A Week in TV Shows: NCIS

NCIS is, by far, one of my favorite shows.  I didn't actually get into it until about a year and a half ago. You can pretty much find an episode playing on USA at any time of the day.  Thanks to DVR I have pretty much been able to catch up on all the seasons in that time.

NCIS, or Naval Criminal Investigation Service, is made up of a great team, headed up by Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs.  Gibbs is one of the most intimidating, badass agents you'll ever meet-- a former Marine whose first wife and daughter were murdered years before.  He has since had three more wives, all of whom resembled his first wife in that they are redheads-- and all of whom he has divorced.  Through the episodes we are given small and brief glimpses into Gibbs' heart.  We know he lives by a code of rules, which are often referenced throughout the series.  He spends most of his spare time in his unfinished basement, working on building a boat by hand.  And that he is fiercely loyal and protective over those he loves-- including his NCIS team, though he might not admit it.  He seeks justice for those murdered who served in the Navy and Marines, and will stop at almost nothing to get it.  He has low tolerance for bullshit, including the at times easily-distracted DiNozzo and McGee.

Tony DiNozzo is the suave, handsome special agent and former Baltimore cop with a weakness for beautiful women.  At times it is hard to take him seriously, as he often turns serious situations into jokes about sex or making fun of the nerdy "probie," Agent McGee; but he is usually put in his place by Gibbs with a slap on the back of the head.  DiNozzo is a skilled agent who loves his job, and although at times he acts like a smart-ass jokester, he too seeks justice and wants nothing more than to see murderers and criminals put behind bars.

Timothy McGee, also known un-affectionately by DiNozzo as Probie, or McGeek (and a variety of variations of his last name), is a computer nerd with multiple degrees, including a Master's in computer forensics from MIT.  He starts out as a very insecure agent, but we watch as he develops into a self-assured, skilled agent who uses his computer knowledge for many things from breaking through firewalls to catching criminals.  McGee is my favorite on the NCIS team (though Allison will argue DiNozzo is the best) because of his endearing nerdiness, not to mention he's cute and holds his own under DiNozzo's constant mockery.

Ziva David is a trained killer from Israel, and the daughter the leader of an Israeli counter-terrorist group.  It's easy to love Ziva because she is the picture of girl power among the male-dominated field agents of NCIS.  We often see the turmoil she faces, having her father absent for most of her childhood, and her younger sister killed in a suicide bombing, and having to shoot her half-brother before he can kill Gibbs.  There is often sexual tension between Ziva and DiNozzo, though they remain mostly just friends throughout the series.

These characters are just a few among the many that make me love NCIS-- including Dr. Mallard (or Ducky), the medical examiner, as well as his assistant, Palmer; and Abby, the forensic scientist who analyzes all bullet casings, blood and DNA samples, and anything else removed from crime scenes.  NCIS keeps gore and violence to a minimum in comparison to many shows of its kind, in exchange for excellent character development-- despite the fact that it is a very plot-driven show.

If you're looking for a good show and have lots (I mean lots) of spare time, NCIS is a good place to start.  You will quickly be taken by the plots and characters.  You'll come to love the opening theme, each time Gibbs tells the team to "grab your gear" just before an investigation begins, not to mention you'll probably crave a good cup of coffee since Gibbs just about always is drinking some.  Just make sure you don't have anything else to do first, or else it probably won't get done for a long time.