Number 6!

Number 6 on my to-do list for 2011:

Be a grown up. (aka get my own place!)

Here's my story:

Like most northeastern gals, I did the requisite post-college drill: after graduating from a small northeastern college w/ an obscure degree (um, hello French Lit....), my pals and I moved ourselves into a TINY (but hip) Boston apartment, paid an exorbitant monthly rent and resigned ourselves to double beds in 10 x 10 rooms.

Fast forward a few years (during which time I moved into a mouse-infested but rocking 12 person house -- ask me about the legendary parties we used to hold) and I'm in TX, where everything is bigger and, some would argue, better. It's certainly a lot cheaper. Yet even with extra space and cheaper rents, I'm still living like a 23 year old. I don't own anything but bedroom furniture, a desk and about a million books. I still sleep on the same double bed I bought right after I graduated. My bed spread and sheets don't match, and don't even ask me about my bathroom towels....

Some people would call my room/style eclectic, but I don't think they'd mean it as a compliment.

So.... 2011 is gonna be the year I grow up, suck it up and do the things that most 28 year old college grads do. Like, get my own apartment. Buy a couch, a TV and a kitchen appliance other than a blender, martini glasses and cookie cutters. I don't know when I'm going to do this. I don't have a lease and my roommate Amy (shout out one of the best roomies EVER!) doesn't seem in a hurry to kick me out. But it will happen this year. It has too.

And since we've taken a trip down memory lane in this post...

Here's a somewhat recent photo of my first roomies out of college -- Katherine (aka Kma) and Emily (aka Eminem). I have some photos of us when we were 21 and 22 but they are awful, or at least they are of me. 'Twas clearly one of my "ugly stages."


When I moved out of the apartment I shared with Em and Katherine, I moved into a super fun house with 11 other roomies -- 2 girls and 9 guys. It was an AWESOME group of people. Think The Real World, but with MIT, Ivy League and liberal arts grads. Here are photos from some of the crazy parties we used to throw. Yes, that dance floor was my living room. The other room was our front hall. Like I said, we threw good parties.

Surprising: People still read the newspaper. Not surprising? Republicans like Fox News!

So I just read an interesting article about how Americans get their news. The Huffington Post reports, per a study by Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, "People are spending an average of 57 minutes per day getting the news from television, radio and newspapers." 57 minutes -- that's a long time. The big kicker -- it hasn't changed in a decade. That's right -- per the study, people are still getting most of their news from these traditional sources. In fact, the Internet and online only accounts for 13 additional minutes of news a day.

I'm curious to know the division between TV, newspaper, and radio. Newspaper reading is way down (the research found a drop of more than 10% just between 2006 and 2010), and I suspect TV talk shows are dominating a lot of the TV air time. Me? I get all my news from two places: online (NYTimes.com, Slate, Huffington Post -- fine, I'm a little biased) and NPR. The only print news I read? The Week, which is sent to me (duh) every week. (Side note: it is THE BEST MAGAZINE EVER!)

More interesting tidbits from the study:

- 40% of Republicans watch Fox News (Snore. I thought it would be higher.)
- Only 9% of Rush's audience thinks Obama is doing a good job. And oh yeah, three quarters of his audience, Hannity and Glenn Beck's identify themselves as Tea Party members. Seriously???

As a secret numbers geek, I love having data to support my stereotypes. Good stuff, right? :)

What about you? Do you read the paper -- not online, but actually ON paper -- everyday? Watch the news on TV? Share, share, share!!!

Emmy Red Carpet, 2009....

My faves (and not so faves). So without further ado....

WINNERS:

Mariska Hargitay. Simple dress but she still looks smoking. Her hair is a bit sloppy, but perfection is hard to find.

Entourage cast: Hot. I am especially digging Perrey Reeves' look.

Holly Hunter: Y'all know I love things that sparkle. So obviously, I'm loving this dress. Fits her like a glove too.


John Krasinsk: Um, hello John. Yum. Where's your hotel room?

Heidi Klum: WTF? She's about to pop and still has a hotter body than me. This dress is AMAZING on her.


Debra Messing: Debra Messing looks smoking in this dress. I love the one-shoulder look, too.


Blake Lively: She's a terrible actress but I love her anyways. Plus, this is a great dress....sexy and fun.

LOSERS:


January Jones: January's fashion choice is quite, er, chilly.

Josh Segal: So I admit that I have a secret crush on Josh Segal (I like dorky guys!) but even I've gotta draw the line somewhere. This suit looks like something he got off the rack at Big & Tall. On sale -- or clearance.




Sarah Silverman: Great color....and that's about it. Ew.


Shar Jackson: Omigod, omigod, omigod. What the hell was she (or not) thinking???

As seen on tv....

Did you hear that Billy Mays is getting a television show?

Don't know who Billy is? Trust me, you do. Watch.



I guess this is actually sort of old news. The show launches April 15 on the Discovery Channel and follows Billy (as well as Anthony Sullivan) during the taping of some of their two minute commercials.

Is it just me or is it sad that we now have a TV show about infomercials? Reality TV is getting to be too much....