Please Everyone Watch Cougar Town Tomorrow Night!!

I have literally been looking forward to tomorrow night for months!  Why, you ask?  Could it be I have special Valentine’s Day plans? Hell no!  I have been waiting for the third season of Cougar Town FOREVER!!!!

“Ewwww, Cougar Town?  Isn’t that that show about old ladies who sleep with younger guys?”  That is probably what most of you are thinking, but the answer is NO NO NO!!!!  It is in my opinion, the best show on tv right now.  It is definitely my favorite comedy show of all time (tied with Arrested Development).  This show is so amazing…..it makes me literally laugh out loud and cry in the same episode.  I love all of the characters and totally want them to adopt me into their Cul-de-Sac Crew.

So, for those of you newbies out there, Cougar Town DID start out as a show about Jules (Courtney Cox), who was recently divorced, dating younger guys.  That only lasted about six episodes.  Around episode seven of the first season, it really became about Jules’ group of friends and family and all the hilarious misadventures they get up to.

It is by the same lovely people who brought you Scrubs, and I know a lot of you out there are Scrubs fans.  This show has several familiar faces from that series popping up on occasion and is just as funny (in my opinion a lot more funny) than that beloved series.  You all know how fickle I am about tv shows.  I break up with them at the drop of a hat, so professing my love for a show is not something I do every day.  I own both seasons 1 and 2 on DVD, and I have literally watched disc 3 of season 1 at least six times.

It is hard to describe what I love about the show, because it is just so perfect that it is difficult to pick out one thing.  I think I would have to say it is the running gags and inside jokes that are in all of the episodes.  Grayson’s guitar, Big Joe/Big Carl, Jules’ finger guns, Penny Can, and my favorite–Ellie’s imaginary tip of the hat that no one seems to understand.  But don’t let that fool you into thinking that you can’t pick up on the show right now.  I have heard that they specifically created the first episode of season 3 to kind of introduce new viewers, so PLEASE WATCH TOMORROW!!  Watch with your valentine if you have to, I promise you will not be disappointed.

Here are a couple of videos to show you how awesome it is.  One of them is the season 3 highlight reel, which contains a lot of spoilers, but for some reason I am not too worried about it.  Even if I know what is going to happen I know it will still be hilarious!!

Here is a scene from the end of my favorite episode.  I totally want to hang out with all of these people!!!!  And I LOVE that they make Travis and Smith carry the keg 🙂

Here is a video of Grayson’s top ten moments:

And finally, here is the season 3 highlight reel:  I think I’ve watched it 4 times 🙂

So anyway, that is what I will be doing tomorrow night at 7:30 on ABC.

Jen

P.S.  Sorry, I haven’t posted in so long, hopefully this will be the first of many posts on here.

 

My new car

Hello friends!  It’s been a *really* long time since my last post.  September was craaaazy busy at work, and I was too tired to do anything in my free time.  I’m going to try to post more in October.  First up — my new car!

Way back in July, I was taking my old car (Pam) on my way to the STL area on a Friday afternoon.  I was going to Florida by way of STL because I was flying out with my younger cousins the next day.  About halfway between Chicago and STL, my air conditioner went out so I rolled down the windows.  Then I smelled something burning and realized the car temperature was WAY in the hot zone.  😦  When I frantically called my dad, he said to get off at the next exit.  Luckily I made it to my exit – unluckily, Pam died at the stoplight just off the interstate.  When I got it towed to a Ford dealer, they said it wouldn’t be an easy fix.  UGH.  But my mom is awesome and drove about 2.5 hours to come pick me up and get me downstate so I could fly out the next morning.  My parents told me not to think about my car issues while I was gone, and my dad looked into cars in the area I’d had to abandon mine.  When I got back a week later, my parents took me up halfway, helped me pick out a new car, and I drove home in a different car than the one I drove down in.

2011 Blue Ford Focus

Isn’t she pretty?  

Here are my top 5 favorite things about my new car (in no particular order):

1.  Stereo controls on steering wheel!  Very handy since I’m a huge radio surfer.

2.  USB / mp3 jack outlets!  I can plug in my iPod instead of having to make new cds everytime I get an awesome new song!  I LOVE this feature.  The mp3 jack was actually the first thing I told my dad I wanted in a new car.  I didn’t even realize at the time how awesome the USB feature was, but it even charges my iPod when I use it!

3.  SYNC.  I can talk on the phone through my car!  All I have to do is push a button (on the steering wheel), and tell my car what I want it to do.  And it works for more than the phone.  I can push a button and tell it I want to hear a certain artist on my iPod.  It’s pretty awesome.

4.  Sunroof / Moonroof!  I had a sunroof in a car I shared with my sister in high school and I’ve always wanted a moonroof.  Now I get both!

5.  Seat warmer.  My new car has leather seats, which was really hot in summer sun, but now that it’s getting cooler, I’ve used this a few times and it’s great.  Bring it, winter.  At least my butt will be warm on my way to work…plus, you know, the rest of me because my car does have heat.  🙂

Honorable mentions:

–  Sirius Radio.  Even though I’d love Sirius Radio, it’s pricey, so I ignored this feature until I stumbled upon it working around Labor Day.  Then for about 2.5 weeks it was the greatest thing EVER.  Unfortunately, it stopped working and I realized it wasn’t a fluke that I got it – it was a free trial.  😦

– Mileage readout.  My car tells me how many miles I have left until empty.  It’s a nice thing for when I’m getting low but don’t make time to stop before/after work.  Even when I think I’m really low, I still have like 75 miles left.

It sucks to have a monthly car payment, but my car’s pretty awesome so it’s ok.  🙂

Expect more updates soon.
– Jill

EEEK! Teacup Pigs Are Real!

The cuteness is too overwhelming for words

I first heard about the adorable idea of Teacup Pigs in one of my favorite books Let It Snow, which I have raved about before.  In Lauren Myracle’s story “The Patron Saint of Pigs” a huge part of the plot revolves around getting a teacup pig for one of the characters.  I thought the idea was great, but I thought I remembered reading an interview with Lauren saying that teacup pigs didn’t really exist, she’d just made them up for the story.

Well, I must have been halucinating because they are totally real!!!!  So if you have an extra thousand dollars lying around, you can buy your very own teacup pig.  The baby ones are small enough to fit in a teacup (hence the name) and the fully grown ones only get to be about a foot tall.

Look! They like cats!!!

My new goal in life is to go back to England and bring back one of these little pigs (maybe two….then I could become a breeder as my full time job!!!).

EDIT:  Apparently a lot of people have been commenting that these pigs are not really as small as they appear to be and that these breeders might not be on the up and up.  So I think I will just stick to cats for now.

Jen

P.S.  Is it wrong that I want to buy another copy of Let It Snow just because it has a new cover???

SYTYCD aka The Best Reality Show EVER

If you aren’t watching So You Think You Can Dance, you totally should be.  It is absolutely the best show on tv right now.  Next week will be the finale, so I’ll get you caught up…

Each season starts with auditions – much like American Idol.  People audition, performing solos in whatever style they choose from hiphop to ballet to tap.  Eventually if they’re deemed good enough by the judges, they’re given a ticket to Las Vegas.  During Vegas week these top performers are given difficult choreography in several different styles, and judges weed out contestants along the way.  Finally it’s narrowed down to 20 dancers – 10 guys, 10 girls – and we have (in my opinion) the real start to the show.  Each week after that a guy & girl are partnered & learn a dance in a random style.  Viewers get to vote for their favorite couples, and the next night the bottom 6 dancers (3 couples) dance solos to save their life.  At this point the judges have the power to send one guy and one girl home.  When there are 10 dancers left, the power to vote off individual dancers is given to America.  Right now there are 6 remaining dancers, with 2 to go home tonight:

Ade - contemporary

Brandon - contemporary

Evan - broadway

Jeanine - contemporary

Kayla - contemporary/jazz

Melissa - ballet

My absolute favorites this season are/were Brandon and Janette, who unfortunately got voted off last week even though she was amazing!  So now my female loyalty has switched to Kayla, with a little love left over for Jeanine.

The two I wish had gone home WEEKS ago?  Melissa and Evan.  (Everyone who disagrees, bring it on.)

And now to get you psyched, here are some of the best dances from this season.  What are you in the mood for?

Love?  (Jeanine and Jason, also voted off last week)

Drama?  (Kayla and Kupono, voted off 2 weeks ago) (You may have to turn up the volume to hear the music.)

Zombies? (uh-huh!)  (Kayla and Jason)

Fun? (featuring my two faves, Brandon and Janette! and a song I’m in love with right now)

OK, now you’re ready to watch tonight & next week.  And if you start to get into it, you’re in luck…there’s a new season starting this fall!!!  YAY!

If you’re already watching, who do YOU love?  Which dances from this season stand out to you?

— Jill

If You Like High School Musical…

This is the most amazing thing I have seen in a long time.  I know I say that about EVERYTHING, but I really mean it this time:

There are so many great things about “Glee” that I don’t even know where to start.  I love the main guy, his crazy wife, and all the high school students (even though they look old enough to be in grad school).  Plus Jane Lynch, Jane Lynch, Jane Lynch!!!  I wish we broke out into song on a regular basis in real life, so this show is perfect for me.

My favorite line:  “You’re very talented.  I would know, because I’m very talented.”

There are two incredibly sad things about this:

1.  It airs tomorrow at 8 on FOX and then doesn’t come back till the fall 😥

2.  I will be in the car at that time driving to Chi-town.  Arrrrgghhh!  Thank God for Hulu.

Jen