How to Survive Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving, the holiday that brings families together and allows people to appreciate the things in their lives they should be thankful for. And our favorite Gossip Girl characters did just that. For once all the scheming and complicated love circles were put on the backburner so the Bass, Van der Woodsen, Waldorf, and Humphrey family could be brought together. But allow me to be a little frank here; how many of us have Thanksgivings that include dealing with the FBI, running away with your maid, or unlocking safes that contain gold bars, diamonds, and files on you and your sister? Uhhh….not my typical Thanksgiving. I do believe that most families’ holiday seasons involve gathering relatives into one household with the intentions of enjoying each other’s company only to erupt into sibling brawls and drunken arguments. (Or maybe this is just my family?). But what else is expected to happen? Take for example a college student. You have just spent five months living on your own. No parents nagging you to do things. No siblings invading your space. And now you have to come home to the insistent yelling of your parents, your dog chasing the cat around the house, and your little siblings whining at you to change the channel on the TV. But either way, the holidays for everyone is a little stressful because how much time can you really spend with your family? So to secure your sanity for this Thanksgiving I have given you a few tips that I have used through the years.

1. Before the eating time begins, get out of the house for at least 30 minutes. For the past three years my best friend and I have made it a ritual to meet at this certain park. We’ll sit and chit chat for 45 minutes to an hour just to get out of our house and when we return we’re reading for another a second dose of hell. But other ways to get out could be to go for a walk, offer to run to the grocery store, or make an excuse to run to a friend’s house. This little big of time allows you to clear your head and gives yourself some alone time to just breath and get away from the madness.

2. Offer to give a helping hand in the kitchen. Doing this can eliminate awkward or forced conversations with your lonely uncle or brother’s weird girlfriend.

3. Joke with everyone you talk with or be as awkward as possible. When they ask you how college is, respond with “Awesome, I never go to class and I’ve picked up the new habit of doing cocaine”. Doing this makes the other person feel more awkward than you and allows you to laugh secretly to yourself. (However I would save ludicrous comments like this for people who won’t think you are completely serious).

4. Right after the big feast take a good long nap on the couch. Don’t worry, its not rude it was just all the tryptophan in the turkey. And if you’re lucky, when you wake up all the relatives will have left the house!

5. If all else fails, just take a few shots of whiskey, rum, vodka. Just a little something to loosen up a little bit and make you not really about how absurd your family really is. Or if you aren’t the binge drinking type of person slip some Kahlua into your coffee, Jack Daniels in some Ginger ale, or some smooth vodka into your cranberry juice. Just keep everyone away from your drinks. Oh and in case you were wondering no, I am not promoting drinking, I am just trying to protect your sanity.


So maybe these will work maybe not? If you have some of your own personal tricks send me a comment and I’ll make sure to keep them in mind for the Christmas season. Or just tell me what you’re thankful for. Because I am surely thankful that I no longer live with my parents…

You know you love me,


xoxo
g.

"Even moms have boyfriends, and I don't"!

So first lets do a little recap of what happened this week…

Starting with troubled Jenny. Jenny’s guerilla fashion shoot at the Bass party may have proved to be a success, however capturing prospective business managers has not been as easy. Jenny and Agnus failed to agree on details for their design label. Then the feudal between the two was toped off when Agnus found out Jenny signed with manager without her knowledge. The discovery lead to Agnus setting Jenny’s beloved dresses on fire, while poor little J just sat by and watched them char. You may be able to design clothing but you aren’t very smart little girl. The outcome of this debacle was Jenny looking towards the emancipating herself.

Next in the Humprey Family is Daniel. This week the aspiring actor was offered an article with a New Yorker editor on an undercover story to exploit Bart Bass. Dan made some pursuit of the story and even dug up some dirt on the old man but like always he came to his consciousness and threw the story out. I guess he is just too good of a person to destroy the Bass and Van der Woodsen family.

Then theres Miss Serena. This smitten kitten got quite twisted around Aaron Rose’s finger. We saw him sending her flirty text, photographing her, and even projecting her face on a billboard at Time Square –things that could make any girl weak at the ankles. But is this boy genuine or is he just playing his cards right? That question was answered when another girl showed up to Aaron’s house to model but then ending up “hanging out” with him. Aaron later confessed to Serena that he just likes to date multiple girls at once. Sounds like what we have here is an asshole who just knows how to get the girls. Oh but don’t worry, he said she could date other guys too (thanks Aaron just what a girl wants, an opportunity to date other boys when in reality she just wants to have a monogamous relationship with one!). Spell-bound by his charming good looks, Serena agreed to continue their open relationship. This decision was made against the will of Blair though.





Blair, although received no love action in this episode was surrounded by it –by her mother Eleanor and her new boo. Wallace Shawn who you may recognize from the movie Princess Bride and was the voice of Rex the Dinosaur in Toy Story played Eleanor’s love interest. If you read the books then you would find the characteristics between the fictional character and the character portrayed in the show very similar. Although his lack of good looks and frugal personality did not impress Blair, he was able to win her over by outwitting her in one of her schemes.





















Who didn’t make an appearance this episode though was Serena’s brother Eric and mother Lily. Nate and Vanessa were also absent. He must have been sleeping in Central Park and she must have been curled up in The Gallery. But besides all this action the next episode will definitely include everyone. It is a Thanksgiving episode. And you know when the Holiday’s come around so do the claws.


xoxo,
g.

Cruel Intentions

A rather eventful episode this week. Who knew these Upper East-Seders and Brooklyn babies were so absurd. But then again I guess you should never underestimate a New Yorker. So now that we have Nate and Jenny homeless, Chuck and Blair still yearning for each other, and Serena and Dan aimlessly searching for each other each character is on his or her own to make decisions. In this episode I saw the characters having to make decisions between right and wrong.



Nate had to choose between telling Dan and Rufus about Jenny’s fashion scheme or to run off with the 15-year old girl. Chuck surprisingly chose not to deflower a little freshman girl. Jenny flip flops between possibly ruining Bart and Lily Bass’ event for her own selfish reasons-not to mention defy her dad. And then we see Blair choose not to use blackmail against the freshman’s mother, a decision that could potentially limit her chances from getting into Yale.

In every situation you see the character’s internal hesitation; their mind maliciously turning trying to leverage how one choice out weighs the other. And in reality people operate the same way. You find yourself having to make a decision sometimes on your personal morality in seconds. Do I go to class or sleep in another hour? Should I submit a friend’s paper as my own? Do I hook up with this random person or not? Should I go out tonight and potentially get very drunk or stay in on a Thursday night to study?

These are decisions that as a college student you have to make quite frequently on your own. You no longer have mommy or daddy breathing down your neck to force you to make the right decision. So its up to your to figure out what is the right choice to make. Some decisions could affect you in the long term or just the short term so you have to figure out what your priorities are. And if you knowingly choose the wrong decision, you must be willing to accept the consequences.

So considering the decisions our favorite GG characters made, did they choose the right decision or did they accept the consequences to their wrong doings? I think Nate was acting on his emotions and thinking short term with running off with Jenny. But he does accept the that his decision was wrong by apologizing to Dan about kissing his sister and leaving the Humphrey house hold. Chuck and Blair surprisingly act on good intentions. And Jenny, she knowingly chooses to do defy her dad but with confidence that her actions will be beneficial to her.

So for next week I wonder if we’ll see the same virtuous path of these notorious characters. Tell me what you think. How do you make your decisions? Do you plan ahead for situations? Do you act irrationally and blame poor decisions on alcohol or on the influence of others?


xoxo,
g.

J, the New Queen Bee

Spotted: Little Jenny locking lips with the beautiful Nate Archibald in downtown Brooklyn. (Yes but let’s remember that this isn’t the first time these two have been caught in a make out session. Does anyone remember the masquerade ball from last season. Nate accidentally kissed Jenny thinking it was Serena. Perhaps he came back for seconds…) Opps! Look like shes dropped out of school, quit working for Eleanor Waldorf and is all grown up!

Yes Miss Jenny Humphrey is interesting and all but shall we talk about all the other love triangles.

Nate and Jenny last season at the Masquerade Ball.

So Serena has a crush on Aaron the artist. If you read the books then you would know Aaron was actually Serena’s weed-smoking hippy stepbrother. (Bizarre how they switch the storyline around.) Well Johny Depp look-a-like asked her out on a date but of course beauty queen Serena rejected him because she secretly loves none other than Dan Humprey… and Dan Humprey will always love her. But something tells me that her nostalgic love connection to him might make this mystery boy reappear.

Sad-faced Aaron the artist wishes Serena goodbye.

Blair and Chuck also had their own little soiree. Blair devastated by Chuck’s games and temptation was seen directionless and in need for some good TLC. I might add that the first 15 second clip I found to be incredibly funny. Especially after the maid mentioned to Blair that “God was always watching”, In hope to cure her sexual urges Serena pointed her to the direction of Dan. Dan being the sweetheart he is assisted her in seducing Chuck. Dan’s magic almost even convinced Blair to tell Chuck those three irresistible words, “I love you”. But turns out Blair and Chuck are even too conniving for each other. Neither one could admit their feelings and accused the other of playing games. I guess we’ll be seeing some more games coming from those two.





But for next week get ready to see more drama. J has found her new enemy-Eleanor Waldorf. And I sense some rivalry occurring. But not just with Eleanor. Now that J has a new boy, a pretty lady by the name of S might get a little jealous. So until then throw on those Burberry scarves and leaver gloves because it’s cold outside. Or if clothes aren’t your cup of tea just grab a warm body and snuggle up to them.

You know you love me,
xoxo
g.

Dream Sequence

May I say first that I am so happy I am in college and do not have to go through the tedious process of college applications again! (At least not till grad school.) Ugh...thinking about the essays, SATs, and the waiting makes me cringe in my new Michael Kors boots. My college selection process didn't involve meetings with the Dean of Admissions or intense interviews but if it did I probably could not have handled the situations with as much grace as Miss Serena Van Der Woodsen

But how was it that you chose your perfect school? Was it school reputation, focus on academics, party scene? Although Brown, Yale, and Harvard were not on my list of To-Do applications other local schools were. But while going through applications I noticed that no matter where I got in my heart was set on UNC. And look at me a now, I'm a full -fledged Carolina Girl. UNC has pleasantly fulfilled all of my expectations and I can say I have been very pleased with my decision. It's still the beautiful campus I was attracted to. It has lived up to the rigorous academic classes that I heard about. And it's party scene...woooo is still the most notorious in North Carolina. However, college is more than late night cram sessions and 8:00 am hangovers, it's about personal growth. In college you learn about history and literature, about people, and about yourself. Adults informed me that college was the time of their lives, and I believed them but didn't understand them. Now that I'm here, I'm beginning to comprehend the level of awesomeness that they were speaking about. You have freedom and virtually no responsibilities other than your school work and perhaps a job. But beyond the studying and partying, college gives you the opportunity to accomplish your dreams or get closer to the dream-accomplished finish line. Your dreams may be to be a more outgoing person, to be apart of a sports team, or become a successful entrepreneur. Whatever they may be college is the place to accomplish those dreams and UNC has the resources for you to do so.

My dream was once to get into UNC, and now I'm here. Now it is my job to partake in my dream -to become a career woman. It takes work. It takes inner confidence, self-determination, and focus to accomplish the goals that you set for yourself. College is a great place to be but figure out what you want, set your mind, and in return you will get what you want.

Don't wait on your dreams. Act on them.

xoxo
g.

DTH over NYT?

This week, as most of you probably noticed, there was no Gossip Girl. Heartbreaking and devastating to my Monday routine….I know. And I noticed that the public was equally upset. While talking with girls in my class at friends in my sorority every person felt as if they were deprived of some right to have their weekly dosage of trashy television. As devastating as it is to wait another week to find out what scandals B and S are up to, it is also upsetting to see how not having a weekly TV show stirs up emotions.

What I mean by this is that you will not hear the same moans and groans about missing the 2008 Presidential debates or the 5-o’clock CNN news. Why, because youth are still not paying adherent attention to present day national and global issue. I do admit that UNC’s campus is much more up-to-par on current events than the students were at my high school in Raleigh, NC, but I still do not see any urgency within students to hear the daily headlines.

So perhaps you are saying to yourself, “No that’s not me”, I know what’s going on in the world, I read the Daily Tarheel. The Daily Tarheel, or the DTH as it is commonly referred to around campus, is the daily campus newspaper that is written and edited by UNC students. If this is you, well then you my friend are thinking ill. Although it is a great resource for hearing about campus events, what Chancellor Thorp has to say about space issue, or who slapped the Pit Preacher it fails to provide substantial news. The DTH is a local newspaper that reports news in the community. Although it has some blurbs on national and global news, the paper has the assumption that its readers are already familiar with national news. For example, last week Justin Bailey wrote an article reassuring students that Wachovia-sponsored One Cards would continue to work even as the fate of the giant banks were in the air. When writing his article, Bailey had the idea that the audience already knew that Wells Fargo bought out Wachovia and was simply calming fears.

You may argue that local news affects you as a citizen of the U.S. and student at UNC Chapel Hill; National news is a way for you as a student to connect your studies to real life. Economics, global issues and your English and composition classes all can connect to what is written or televised in the news. Real life issues puts the rhetoric your learn into practice. Reading about real life situations might even help you understand a topic in class.

These are the front pages to the The Daily Tarheel and New York Times of Wednesday, October 8. Please note the very different headlines.(The Congress in the DTH refers to the Student Congress.)

The politics of high school socialites may be more interesting than what Ben Bernanke is doing to the Federal Funds rate. But as the next generation we must educate ourselves on global and national issues so that we can lead our nation better than the generation before us.
So I give you this piece of advice. Pick up a New York Times or Washington Post and on your way to class in the morning. Throughout the day when you have 5 or 10 minutes here and there read an article. Or if you prefer electronic sources, read those yahoo or google newsfeeds. But if this is too much to do then just read the headlines- you’ll at least get the gist of things.

xoxo

g.

Little Diddy, bout Blair and Chuck

Fashion Week! A week of beautiful clothes, glamorous people, oh and did I mention fabulous parties. But only the most privileged and beautiful actually get tickets. but even more rare is being part of the show. So of course S would get such an amazing experience.

But Fashion Week was fabulous for everyone just ask Blair, Chuck, or Dan….

This episode was the epitome of bad karma for Blair but it serves B right. One wrong doing after another by Blair did nothing but make other people look better than her. First, Blair got rid of all the models. Jenny combated this by using the socialites from the audience including Serena as the models for the show. Second Blair put not one of Eleanor’s dresses but Jenny’s handmade dress on Serena for the finale. Blair thought she had won the battle until Eleanor was told that everyone loved the dress. So rather than Jenny looking like an incompetent intern, she saved the show and made it a huge success for Eleanor. Aw, but Blair was just trying to make others look bad so her mom will like her. Sorry Blair, but bitches don’t always win.

And what about Chuck and lonely boy? Or is Chuck the new lonely boy? Dan was trying to write a short story but needed inspiration for something more edgy. Who else to resort to but Chuck Bass or as Dan named him Charles Trout (clever). After going out drinking with Chuck on two occasions he lost his shoes and walked home barefoot, punched a guy in the face and ended up in jail; Edgy enough for you Dan? Dangerous and good quality for a story but the Dan discovered through he adventures that he did not want to exploit Chuck’s life. (Dan, that’s probably because you know you’re life would be a living hell if you did.) What we found out about Chuck was that his father hates him because his mother died while giving birth to him, or did she die in a plane crash when Chuck was 3? Make up your mind Charles Trout! Either way, Dan chose not to use such a tragic life experience as a storyline. At least someone has morals in this show.

But Chuck and Dan got out of jail. S is continuing her friendship with the socialite Poppy, and Jenny might quit school to start a fashion career. My oh my!! And what’s in store for B? Can she still seize her power from S? I guess we’ll see next week…

You know you love me,

Xoxo

g.