Becoming an Adult

Some days I wonder if I will ever feel like a real adult. Late twenties are a strange time where everyone is sorting out what growing up really looks like. A group of friends can be in such different places: married mothers, struggling grad students or working city girls. At the same time we are struggling to figure out what we want from life, the world is changing significantly so the life you envisioned may not be attainable anymore. Maybe my reading style has just changed but it seems like the popular books featuring women my age focus on the struggle to sort out how to reconcile the girl you were with the woman you are becoming, while sorting out a career, relationships and friendships. These books don’t end up with the heroine in a perfect career with an adorable boyfriend/husband and the perfect bag. They don’t even discuss Manolos; they are focused on relations between friends as they grow up. There is no neat ending but just the sense that they will manage what is in front of them. These books feel truer to real life than some other books, movies and TV shows that have explored similar themes over the years.

Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close, explores a group of college friends as they graduate college and begin attending the weddings and showers of their friends. The book is less one complete story than a series of vignettes of the different situations of the women in the ten years following college. It examines single life, apartment hunting, career dissatisfaction, affairs with older men, inappropriate relationships, marriage, motherhood and the difficulties of growing apart from friends as life changes. I really enjoyed the writing and found myself smiling at a lot of lines that remind me of my life.

Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan is the story of four very different women who room together from their first year at Smith College. It begins with an exploration of adjusting to life on an all women campus and reconciling your college identity with the person your family and friends from home remember. The book continues with the struggle of the four to find their place in the real world, through different jobs and relationships. I really appreciated the honesty of their friendship and how sometimes it hurts to hear things from the people who know you best. It really captures the feeling of meeting strangers and discovering they will be your lifelong friends.

Rent This: Comedy Movies

If you are feeling up for some giggles, here are some comedy movies I have enjoyed in the last few months.

Our Idiot Brother: When Paul Rudd appears in a trailer, I am already interested in seeing the movie. When you add in so many other funny people (Elizabeth Banks, T.J. Miller, Steve Coogan, Adam Scott), you can’t help but enjoy this good-hearted, silly movie. I would watch this entire movie again just for the ending because it makes me giggle just thinking about it. Paul Rudd is the idiot brother in question, who has to take turns living with his sisters when he is paroled following his conviction for selling marijuana to a uniformed police officer. He doesn’t believe in lying and is always trying to improve the lives of the people around him, in ways that often make things worse.

Take Me Home Tonight: Many of my favorite movies to watch over and over again take place in one night, with a series of silly events leading to a fun romantic conclusion. Take Me Home Tonight follows this formula with a group of recent college graduates, most of whom are trying to figure out where their life is headed, gathering for a summer party in their hometown. Topher Grace is the lead character, who is stuck working at Suncoast and trying to hide it from his high school crush by pretending to be a finance guy. The movie is fun and you can’t help but root for Topher to win the girl despite his missteps along the way. The supporting cast (including Parks and Rec’s Chris Pratt and Anna Farris) are hilarious in the side storylines.

Paul: Two British nerds come to the US to attend ComicCon and go on a roadtrip of all the alien hotspots. They get more than they bargained for when an alien trying to escape federal agents and return to his home planet hitches a ride on their trip. This movie features Simon Pegg and Nick Frost from Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz and is directed by Greg Mottola of Superbad. It combines the silliness of the first two movies with the bromance of Superbad.

Cedar Rapids: An innocent Wisconsin insurance adjuster (Ed Helms) heads out to the big city of Cedar Rapids for an annual insurance convention. He quickly finds himself getting corrupted by a notoriously wild conventioneer (John C. Reilly) and enjoying a flirtation with an attractive fellow adjuster (Anne Heche). One of my favorite parts is when his roommate (Det. Bunk from The Wire), who is the calm in the storm of Cedar Rapids, uses a little acting to get Ed Helms out of a jam. Cedar Rapids is both funny and sweet, with an under layer of comedic darkness.

Rent This: Action Movies

It’s feeling like winter these days, dark, cold and occasionally rainy. All I want to do is stay inside cuddled up watching movies or reading a book. I thought I would share some movies I enjoyed for those of you that are feeling the same. As I have said before, I love a good big budget, totally ridiculous action movie. They are great for getting your adrenaline up while you sit down having a snack.

Super 8: This feels like a classic action adventure movie, not too violent or scary and driven by a cast of characters you come to care about. The movie follows a group of kids who witness a train crash while filming a zombie movie in their small town. Strange events begin to happen following the train crash and the kids can’t help but be involved in the investigation. There are some startling parts but overall, it felt like a movie with heart.

Fast Five: If you love fast cars, chase scenes, beautiful scenery, strong men, and a familiar plot, this is the movie for you. Like the previous Fast and the Furious movies, they are out to do a simple job where no one gets hurt that ends with them having to perform an even larger job to rescue someone or right some wrong. You will be cheering for the bad-ish (heart of gold, criminals who only steal from people who can afford it) guys to win over the DEA agents trying to stop them and you can’t help but admire beautiful Rio de Janeiro.

Thor: A Norse god is sent to earth to learn humility after nearly bringing his people to war with a rival planet. Thor has incredible action and beautiful scenes in space. Kenneth Branagh directs and you can definitely feel that someone has thought how to create drama within the core action story. It’s hard to feel very connected to the characters but it’s still an enjoyable movie and good back story for the forthcoming Avengers movie.

Gratitude

I don’t want to let a week go by without a post but I am thoroughly worn about by a week of traveling and hostessing so I am just going to make a little listicle of things I am grateful for.

Amazing fall days in Northern California (See photographic evidence)

Thanksgiving with family, old friend and new friends

The return of Mrs. Meyers Limited Edition Orange Clove scented candle

New casserole pans from Crate and Barrel for more entertaining options

Thanksgiving leftovers transformed into turkey potato pancakes

These are just a few things I am thinking about today, I am not sure how I would even begin to list all the things I am grateful for. I had a great trip to Seattle and Portland earlier this week and will do a travel post about my favorite things in both cities. I am grateful to have many wonderful friends and family all over the world. I am so happy to be just days away from my personal start to the holiday season, breaking out the Bing Crosby Christmas record and baking away.

Thanks for reading!

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)

I have some of the most amazing girlfriends to ever exist in the history of time and space. They are funny, smart, beautiful, interesting, silly and not afraid to have a dance party anywhere in the world. There are many days where I wish I could lasso all of them, buy a small town and start a community of my favorite people. I would totally invite Mindy Kaling to live in this new utopian community. She would fit in super well since she has all the characteristics mentioned above, not to mention as a bonus her love of Beyonce, reasonably priced fashion accessories, beauty shortcuts and her fun anecdotes about celebrities.

I just finished her first book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me, and I felt the same sort of joy and wistfulness I feel after spending an afternoon with a friend I know I won’t get to see again right away. The book is heartfelt, truthful, awkward in a funny way and had me laughing out loud inappropriately on public transit. The book starts with stories of Mindy’s childhood as the beloved, chubby, nerdy child of highly achieving immigrant parents. She finds her passion for acting and comedy at Dartmouth where theatre is in the top five things to do in the small college town. She then tries to conquer New York with her college best friends and a lot of confidence but struggles through entry level jobs before she ends up finding success in a two person play that she writes with her best friend. The buzz from the play brings her out to L.A. where she still struggles but finds her way to The Office. There are plenty of breaks in the narration of Mindy’s story to address important issues like best friend rules, the two products men need to look good and what is a good level of success to achieve.

It’s an extremely enjoyable quick read that everyone should buy immediately.

Mindy is out doing tons of press for the book so if I didn’t convince you, watch her talk about being mistaken as Sanjay Gupta on The Daily Show, listen to her talk diets with NPR, get interviewed by her bestie and keep up on other coverage on her blog or check out some other info I collected about her last month.