Putting the Bang in "The Big Bang Theory"

As I sit here wishing away the pain that is my low-grade migraine, I realize that I am falling back in old habits of not posting on my beloved blog. Most of my Monday has majorly sucked the big one, so this is a step toward making it better. So without further ado, here we go. 

I love TBS's "The Big Bang Theory." Love the comedy, the relationships, everything about it. But most of all, I love Kaley Cuoco who brings life the the character Penny. In the show, she's a Nebraska gal who moved to Cali looking for her big break as an actress after a rough breakup with her loser boyfriend. Of course, her on-screen Nebraska ties make me love her even more (even though she's a true California girl). 

Anyway, she was recently on Jimmy Kimmel talking about her appearance a the SAG Awards. She decided to rock some bangs to cover up a mishap while filming the show. http://www.upi.com/blog/2013/04/28/Kaley-Cuoco-explains-her-questionable-SAG-Awards-hairdo-I-had-a-black-eye/6491367189009/ It is definitely not traditional Kaley, but she received so much flack about this hair style. There's a video clip of her on Kimmel where she reads some of the reviews...they are funny. I was watching the TV Guide scroll yesterday and they were doing a segment on Meryl Streep, and they talked about how Meryl said, "my appearance has never defined me, my acting has" and I think this is how Kaley should approach the bang situation. She is definitely one of my top 5 favorite actresses, no matter how she wears her hair to an awards show. 

It just made me think about the things women do to keep up appearances...coloring our hair, getting our nails done, accessorizing to deal with those bad hair days, you name it. Always doing what we can to make sure we're looking our best. Wouldn't want anyone to comment on our unwashed hair, or God forbid, our decision to wear bangs to cover an unfortunate black eye. 

It also makes me think kids who want to be movie stars when they grow up. That was never a dream of mine, but life in the lime light isn't always what it's cracked up to be (in my opinion). Your right to privacy is non-existent. You are criticized every second of every day. Everything is blown out of proportion. The paycheck may be nice, but is it worth it? Maybe some people like the constant attention, but I just don't think that's a lifestyle I could handle. I enjoy my life out of the public eye. I would hate to see a headline like, "Local authorities called to Sup residence after screams heard by neighbors." When what really happened was an intense game of Mario Kart in which Cassie hits me with a blue shell as I am inches away from the finish line...I would be screaming "Hooker" or "Whore" at her or something. (Yes, we are serious about Mario Kart...especially if wine has been consumed. I can see a new headline now: "Actress promotes drunken driving.") Maybe I wouldn't be playing Mario Kart if I were famous.......nah, yes I would. Mario Kart rules. 

And as I finish these last few words, my low-grade migraine has been demoted to a headache. You see? My blog is medicine. You're welcome. 

-S

That sums it up

"It is terrible what happened in Boston, but we can't look back, we must look forward," an out-of-breath Hamerlak told The Associated Press moments after crossing the finish line. "The show must go on."
The London marathon concluded just as any marathon should. Runners crossing the finish line, spectators cheering on their loved ones, people enjoying the London atmosphere......no explosions, no bloodied bodies, no life-loss, no suspects on the run. This quote from an article I read on Fox just resonated with me. We've got to press forward. Awful things happen every day....it's been a rough week for America. I heard a quote once that I've carried with me for some time "Not every day is good, but there is good in every day." At the very least, you can consider yourself blessed that you woke up to live another day. That's better than the alternative, right?

Take a second and find some good in today. I've already found so much good in mine: the sun in shining, I bought pretzel bread from Hy-Vee and damn it is tasty, I slept in.....and I've only been awake for 2 hours.

-S

Resilient

Resilient. One of the most fitting words to describe the people of America. We look at devastation and heartbreak head-on and come together to reflect on the events, remember those who lost their lives, and hope for a better tomorrow. I came across a video this morning that was too touching not to share.
I'm not a die-hard hockey fan, although I do enjoy going to the occasional Lincoln Stars hockey game, but the actions of the Boston Bruins (players and fans alike) during the singing of our National Anthem just made me gain back the faith in humanity that I lost on the day of the Boston Marathon bombing. Check it out: http://msn.foxsports.com/nhl/story/boston-bruins-return-to-ice-vs-buffalo-sabres-as-community-heals-after-marathon-bombings-041713
Heartwarming, right?

This morning I learned of the explosion at the fertilizer plant in West, Texas. http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/17/17800341-5-to-15-killed-160-wounded-in-devastating-texas-chemical-plant-blast?lite Though not an act of terrorism like the events earlier this week, it was equally unsettling. Innocent lives lost and many, many more injured. A devastating loss to a small Texas community. But, you know how people will respond: reflection, remembrance, and hope....resilience.

I know this is so cliche, but you really can't take a single day of precious life for granted. You never know when something is going to happen. Tomorrow is not guaranteed, it's a gift. But, I also think that you can't go through life worrying that something might happen. Just make today a good one.

-S

WTF World?!

Okay, so today is a 2-post kind of day.
Immediately following my first post, I heard about the Boston Marathon bombing. My heart rate picked up, my thoughts instantly turned to Christopher Dulak, a good friend of mine who is an avid marathon runner. Thankfully, he is out of the country (just completed the Paris marathon about a week ago) and is safe from harm.
As I viewed the clip of the bombing on MSN, my eyes filled with tears. What the hell kind of world do we live in? We are constantly living from tragedy to tragedy and just hoping we aren't in the wrong place at the wrong time. These runners woke up this morning thinking, "Focus. One mile at a time. Set a good pace...etc," not, "I hope no one shoots me or blows up the place...don't die." It's just revolting that once again, innocent lives have been lost. What can we do to change things? Someone tell me.
So many emotions....sadness, anger, disgust, fear........and yet, hope.

My most sincere thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved. Another sad day in America.

-S

$1,078?!!??

$1078.00 was the average price of _____________ in 2012. Any guesses? 

You might be surprised (I was flabbergasted) to hear this is the average amount people are spending on prom! Wow. Anyone else think that is ridiculously high? According to this article http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/story/2012-04-12/high-school-prom-spending/54224068/1

that amount is up from the average $807.00 spent in 2011. 

I've been out of high school for nearly 10 years now, and my first reaction was, "there is no way I would ever spend that much on prom! Are you kidding me?" Then I started doing my own breakdown:

Dress: $120.00 (10 years ago, the plus size gals didn't have much of a selection, so you bought an expensive dress or you wore whatever else you could get your hands on)

Manicure: $25.00

Hair: $25.00

Tanning package: ? Have no idea what I spent, but couldn't use it after 2 trips to the salon...bad reaction to the bulbs (God intended me to be pasty white for a reason, I suppose). 

Boutonniere: $10? Not sure. Pretty sure my mom paid for this.

That's just the things I can remember, but I'm sure I'm being modest. I know I didn't spend over $150 on a dress. It does add up quickly, and you don't even realize it. That's a lot of money for a high school student (assuming he/she has no assistance from the parental units). 

To you high school girls out there, let me tell you now.......it never ends. When you're in college, you'll go to formals. Then your girlfriends will all start getting married. Then you spend even more money on bridal showers, bachelorette parties, bridesmaid dresses, wedding gifts. Then those friends have babies. Then you buy gifts for their babies. Not to mention that almost every woman is programmed to think, "I have nothing to wear to _____, so I'll have to buy a new outfit." Or, "I always wear this dress, I think I need a new one." Or, "There are too many pictures on Facebook of me in that outfit. Time for a new one." It's a vicious cycle! Wow, it's kind of depressing when you stop and think about it.

Maybe you should start being a bitch to everyone you meet so they don't ask you to be in their wedding. God knows I have served my time as a bridesmaid (though each occasion was extremely fun). 

A blessing and a curse. Just found this article extremely interesting and eye-opening. Enjoy. 

-S

It's Friday

Can I get a hell yeah?

It has seemed like such a long week, and I'm ready for some R&R. It's a sloppy mess outside, but at least the sun is shining. Can't complain about that.

On a serious note...
Yesterday I came across a disturbing article that one of my Facebook friends posted that made me lose some faith in humanity. I hadn't even heard about Dr. Kermit Gosnell until yesterday. Before I go on, I just want to caution you, this subject matter may be disturbing to anyone with a heart. Consider yourself warned.

Dr. Gosnell ran a "women's clinic" in West Philly. The popular practice here was late-term abortions. I'm talking 6lb babies being delivered and executed. With scissors. The articles and reports that I've read have literally made me sick to my stomach (I'll post a few below). It is churning as I type. I just can't believe we live in a world where people think it's okay to do this. Dr. Gosnell has been referred to as a modern-day Hitler. Rightfully so. Each article I've read as encouraged readers to get the word out, so that's exactly what I'm doing. I'm not looking for a political or religious debate on abortion. Simply sharing with everyone what's happening in the world we live in. I will continue to follow the trial to see the outcome.

http://www.dennyburk.com/why-the-media-dont-want-you-to-see-the-horror-of-gosnells-crimes/
http://www.policymic.com/articles/34339/dr-kermit-gosnell-s-abortion-trial-why-isn-t-the-media-covering-it
http://news.yahoo.com/why-dr-kermit-gosnells-trial-major-news-story-104719415--politics.html

-S

Renovation & Rejuvenation

It's time to bring back the blog. I've created a whole new blog from scratch, and ditched the "supinlincoln" label since I am no longer residing in the capital city. In May of 2012, I moved back home to start a new chapter in my life. It seemed only right that I have a fresh start with a new blog. A whole new me...well, not really. We'll call it Sheila 2.0.
So, why even blog at all? I have a head full of thoughts. If you don't care about my thoughts, that's fine. Stop reading. This is just my way of getting thoughts out of my head and on "paper" so I can start thinking about other things. I've never been a quiet person, and I've always had a lot to say. Most times, I reserve my opinion on certain topics either because I don't want to be attacked by an even stronger opinionated person or because my education on the subject matter is limited. I also don't like to be wrong (it happens so rarely...ha ha). Everyone has something to say, and a blog is one avenue to be heard.

Every morning at work, I check MSN and 10/11 to catch up on my news. I like msn.com because they have lots of pictures, and I'm a visual person, so a picture is going to capture my attention rather than a headline. Anyway, I came across this article about how my generation (Generation Y, a.k.a. Millennials) is getting married later in life. I find this a constant topic of conversation among my circle of friends. Only a few of my friends are married, and we're inching closer and closer to our 3rd decade of life. I remember thinking when I started college that I would find a guy and then get married right after I graduated college. It seemed like the order of life was, go to college, find man to marry, graduate college, get married, find job, buy a house, start a family. It just hasn't happened that way. I think more and more of my generation has put marriage, or searching for a soul mate on the back burner. I've been told countless times, "you'll find someone when you're not looking" so I've started searching for something else...a house (along with a hundred other people in this town who are doing the same thing, that's a whole story by itself). But, I thought this article had some interesting points for my fellow GenYs. Here's the link to the article: http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2013/04/i_married_young_what_are_the_rest_of_you_waiting_for.html

Changing directions, I have to comment on the recent storm that blew through Boone County the past few days. I've always been fascinated with weather. Never in my life have I witnessed the events that transpired Tuesday after I got home from work. After scraping a nice layer of ice off of my car windows, I made it home and put my car in the garage. An hour or so later, I heard the roll of thunder. An icy/sleet mix had been falling from the sky all day, but then the thunder and lightning came. I'm not talk a low rumble of thunder and the occasional flash of lightning. I'm talking thunderstorm grade. Then, I hear the hail. Dime-sized hail began pouring from the sky, not mixed with rain or anything, just hail. Lots of it. For a solid 15 minutes. It was crazy. I felt like I was watching "The Day After Tomorrow" all over again, except it wasn't crushing vehicles and killing pedestrians. :) So, I am now geared up for severe weather season. There is no need for my friends to purchase weather radios, as they receive texts and phone calls from me when the threat of severe weather is looming. Just one of the perks (if you can call it that) of being my friend. They are so lucky!

-S