Freaks and Geeks:

How I do I even start talking about Freaks and Geeks? If you know me then you know that I have extreme FOMO and I love being in the loop. I am thus very drawn to cult classics, because people are always talking about them. It is therefore only natural that I discovered Freaks and Geeks.

Freaks and Geeks is a 1999 T.V series about a group of high school students in the 80’s who are trying to navigate their lives through the complexity of high school interactions.

It is honestly one of the most realistic television series I’ve ever seen; reflecting the troubles of growing up. It has extremely relatable yet quirky characters; featuring two different groups of teenagers: the Freaks with cool and charismatic Daniel Desario and tomboy Lindsay Weir and the Geeks with Lindsay's shy younger brother Sam, gentle Bill Haverchuck, and self-proclaimed ladies' man Neal Schweiber. The show chronicles the normal teen/adolescence problems any teenager goes through including acceptance, drugs, drinking, and bullying.

Freaks and Geeks has a devoted cult following. The series appeared on Time magazine's 2007 "100 Greatest Shows of All Time" list, as well as placing 3rd on their list of the greatest television shows of the 2000s. It has become a cult classic after being tragically cancelled after only one season. 

What could be better than a young James Franco, Seth Rogan and Jason Segel?!! Seriously, nineteen-year old Jason Segel is one of the best things I’ve seen on TV.

My top 10 memorable moments:

1.       The title sequence. (Joan Jett's Bad Reputation) 

2.       Nick and Lindsey’s first kiss. (Perfection)

3.       Lindsey’s first time being high and being convinced that her life was a dog’s dream.

4.       Sam streaking through the school.

5.       Nick singing “Lady” to Lindsey.

6.   Lindsey kisses Barry. (Even though he was only in one episode I could totally relate to Barry’s existential crisis)

7.   Daniel showing off his punk look to impress a punk girl.

8.   Bill kissed cheerleader Vicky.

9.   Daniel tries to get away with cheating on a test and tells Lindsey to “be cool” when she blows their cover: 

10.   Daniel joins the Geeks for their Dungeons and Dragons night, where they all bond over Daniel’s creation of Carlos the Dwarf.

 http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2012/10/10-reasons-to-stop-what-youre-doing-and-watch-freaks-and-geeks-on-netflix.html

http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2013/01/photos-freaks-and-geeks-reunion-exclusive_slideshow_item1_2

Do I dare disturb the universe?

This may be my last year at Rhodes. I guess that has made me quite nervous about where my life is going. I’m no stranger to the occasional existential crisis moment. (You know those moments in the Journalism department where you just want to crawl into the foetal position and cry?) This feeling of uncertainty has, ironically, given me some clarity when it comes to other parts of my life and what I want from them.

I may not know what I’m going to end up doing with my life, but I now know that it has be intellectually stimulating. It has to be creative. And yes, it even has to be challenging. I want to be challenged and I want to keep learning. I want to learn how to live alone. To be alone and comfortable in my solitude. I want to go to bed and feel comfortable with the empty space around me. I want comfortable in the silence.

I want to be with someone who is interesting and who will also challenge me to think about things differently. I want someone who has their own life and who will respect my life apart from them. I want someone independent. Overall just someone who respects me.  I’ve become complacent with the people I’ve let into my life. I’ve been disrespected and misused. I’ve not been clear about what I want. A few mistakes tend to lead you back on the right path.

So from this point forward, I hope to take more risks. Because knowing is better than the uncertainty. I’ll order something new off the menu. I’ll go to that talk on financial management. I’ll sign-up for that society I’ve always been interested in. I’ll go out and not drink. I’ll go to that community outreach project. Or that underwater club event.

I’ll approach that person I’ve never considered before. I’ll have the conversation that I have been avoiding. I’ll cook for my loved ones. I’ll give that certain person a chance. I’ll let that certain person go. I’ll not be afraid to embarrass myself.

I’ll dare to disturb the universe. 

Penny-ness:

After a lot of begging from my friends I finally watched Happy Endings; ABC's comedy about a couple who break up at the altar, and follows the fallout that affects their group of friends. 

They deal with finding love, a good job, and the perfect pop-culture gag. The show has an excellent cast and lot of zany physical comedy. It a shame that it got cancelled after only three Seasons, but the jokes are still a large of my friend groups' every day conversations. ("Shut your whore mouth.") 

Before watching, a lot of my friends my friends said that the character of Penny Hartz reminds them of me. After watching I can see what they are getting at. I’m the Penny of our group of friends and I’m not complaining.

Penny, played by Casey Wilson, is the social glue of these friends. Always quick to offer advice to either Alex or Dave about the ups and downs of dating; despite the fact she has very little luck with her love life. Her relationships are normally very short. Penny and Max have been best friends since college and provide each other a shoulder to lean on. Penny and Max dated before he came out as gay. Penny speaks Italian when drunk. She hits her head often and is very clumsy.

Sounds familiar, right?

 Yeah, Penny Hartz is my spirit animal.