Age is just a number...

Ever since I heard about Younger coming to TV Land this past spring, I knew it was a show I had to watch. The premise seemed so clever and it had a chick lit feel to it, which I always appreciate. And given that it was written, directed, and executive produced by Darren Star, who is well known for Sex and the City, I was definitely on board.

Synopsis:
Younger follows 40-year-old Liza (Broadway's Sutton Foster), a suddenly single mother who tries to get back into the working world, only to find out it's nearly impossible to start at the bottom at her age. When a chance encounter with a 20-something guy at a bar convinces her she looks younger than she is, Liza tries to pass herself off as 26 -- with the help of a makeover, courtesy of her best friend Maggie (Debi Mazar). Armed with new confidence, she lands a job as an assistant to the temperamental Diana (Miriam Shor) and teams up with her new co-worker and fellow 20-something Kelsey (Hilary Duff) to make it in the career of her dreams. (Courtesy of TV Land's website.)


I'm keeping this as spoiler-free as possible.....

Soon after watching the first episode, I found out that a bunch of my friends were also enjoying this show. There were some I e-mailed with weekly to talk about (and, of course, dissect) each episode. While the series started off being more on the raunchy humor side, it soon smoothed out into focusing on Liza's career and romantic life. That's when it became even better than it already was! Liza is a sympathetic character who is easy to relate to. Toss in an interesting blend of friends, a hot romantic interest (played by Nico Tortorella), insight to the publishing industry, and a boss that makes Miranda Priestly seem like a kitten and you have one amazing show that I looked forward to watching every week.

What I really loved was how Liza felt torn about the lie she was spinning, especially when it became a hindrance to her career. I could imagine what it would be like to convince people you're in your 20s, only to want to be able to share that you know what it's like to be 40 (or close to it). There's another 14-plus years of living you've already done and can't even boast about. That added a lot of substance to the story in contrast to her not knowing how to use Twitter (which seems kind of unrealistic since all age groups seem to be on there). It seemed like she was seen as a joke to people who actually believed she was in her 20s. Only people who actually were in their 20s took her seriously (with the exception of Maggie, since she knew her true age).

There was a good level of humor in the show. It wasn't overpowering, but once it got past the sexual jokes, it was witty and had me laughing out loud. Like when Liza told the guy she's seeing that she looked like Punky Brewster, she had to quickly correct it, lest she give away her age. She also slipped up about seeing Nirvana in concert. I also enjoyed the tension that was building up in relation to her big lie, both for her love life and her career.

As for the supporting characters, I want to talk in detail about the main players...

Josh (Tortorella) was definitely well cast as Liza's romantic interest. He's a mix of adorable and sexy. He has a rebellious appeal that I would have been attracted to in my 20s. His immaturity could be annoying at times, like when he was with his friends, but he also was sincere and seemed older than his age when he was serious about something.

Maggie (Mazar) reminded me of Rosie O'Donnell when she was in Sleepless in Seattle. However, she was much edgier and seemed like a true friend to put up with all of the craziness in Liza's life. She became Liza's cheerleader while also staying true to her own identity.

Kelsey (Duff) is definitely girl crush-worthy. She's beautiful and confident and also a true friend to Liza, even though she unwittingly threw Liza under the bus a couple of times. I just hope she realizes she deserves better than her boyfriend, whom I didn't like from the first time he appeared on the show. Her fresh-faced, actual 20-something excitement kept the momentum going on the show.

Lauren (Molly Bernard) came off as really annoying in the first few episodes, but then I enjoyed having her around. Not sure I'd condone having a "Hot Mitzvah," but she definitely adds to the humor element. Most girls would feel threatened if their best friend (Kelsey, in this case) was hanging out with someone new, but she seemed to embrace Liza and even helped Maggie out when she was in a pinch. I don't see her as someone I'd personally hang out with, as she'd probably wear on my nerves quickly, but she'd probably grow on me eventually. She seems to know what's hot and new right away and was definitely an asset for Liza to have around.

Diana (Shor) is the character I love to hate from this series. She's just so awful and I don't know how Liza puts up with her at all. I have to give credit to Miriam Shor that she plays an awful character really well. There was only one time she was nice, but I felt it was still self-serving in a way. Every cutting remark she made to Liza was just cringe-worthy. I really hope someone puts her in her place next season.

There are also some characters that were on for several episodes. The one I (also) love to hate from that group is Swedish author Anton Bjornberg (Thorbjørn Harr). He is just so creepy in the way he was coming on to Kelsey, whether she invited the attention or not. He disappeared from the series after an incidental episode, but nothing else happened with that story line, which makes me wonder if he'll try to come back next season. (Hope he doesn't and they just write him off in some way to give viewers some closure.)  The one I like a lot was Charles (Peter Hermann). He plays Diana's boss and even though she has a crush on him, it's obvious that he's more interested in Liza. I could see there being a romantic conflict that involves him next season, should the writers put that in somehow. I really like the romantic tension between him and Liza and it made me want her to tell him her real age so that he wouldn't just think of her as Diana's assistant.

If you haven't seen Younger yet and are still interested after reading this. you can find all the episodes here. There are only 12 and they're about 20 minutes long. Perfect for binge watching!

Finally, I want to applaud Pamela Redmond Satran for writing the book, as it makes a great TV series. I haven't read the book, but I was told that the two are pretty close other than a few name changes.

I'm already eagerly awaiting season two!

Disclosure of Material Connection:
Some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

The city never sleeps...and neither did I!

As you may already know, I spent part of last week in New York. I was mainly there for Book Expo America (BEA), but I went in early and spent some time with friends and even got to see a family member.

I took the Peter Pan bus to the city on Tuesday afternoon and somehow ended up with a seat to myself. That was a nice surprise! When I arrived, I navigated the subway system to get to my friend's apartment on the Upper East Side. Thankfully, she told me which train to take, which direction to take it, and where to get out. I would have been totally lost otherwise. (It helped that the train I was on was modernized to light up which stop we were at each time.) Then I walked several blocks to her place and somehow managed to get a random chunk of hair stuck on one of my luggage wheels. Only in New York, right? I found my friend's place easily and we had fun catching up for a few hours. She showed me around the top level of her building too. Then it was time for my night on the town.

After getting out of the subway on 50th, I headed to the Gershwin Theater to meet up with "Will" as he was getting out of the show he was seeing (Fun Home, which he really liked). This was my first time seeing him in SIX years, but it somehow felt like no time had been lost. It's amazing how that happens! Of course, the first thing we did was take selfies in Times Square.

Then we headed over to Christopher Street and got ice cream before going to Marie's Crisis Cafe. It's a piano bar where everyone stands around and sings Broadway music. If I weren't so tired, I could have easily stayed all night. Franca, the girl playing piano that night, was so much fun. She was really good on the piano and used an iPad to access all her "sheet" music. She took requests too. That has to be an awesome job....to play Broadway songs all night for a bunch of gay men.  I got to hear (and sing along with) most of my favorites from Little Shop of Horrors, Grease, Avenue Q, A Chorus Line, Rent, Les Miz, etc. She didn't play anything from Wicked while we were there, but I wouldn't be surprised if she did at some point that night. The guys there were awesome. They were getting into the roles for each song. There was this nice woman sitting by me who kept saying that she had to leave soon but didn't want to. Then there was this other woman across from us who reminded me of my mom (who would have loved being there too). I still get show tunes in my head from that evening, as does "Will." We text each other about the songs. (I got one from him recently about "It Sucks to Be Me" from Avenue Q. And I was singing "One" from A Chorus Line while doing some housework.) Needless to say, I got back to my friend's place pretty late. I was impressed that she was still awake. 

The next morning, I headed into Times Square to meet up with "Will" again. We hung out at Shubert Alley to see "Stars in the Alley,"a free outdoor show to introduce the 2014-2015 Broadway season through various songs. It was crowded and we were pretty far back, so I had trouble getting clear pictures. However, I now know that my iPhone camera has a zoom feature. Why I didn't know this before is beyond me! I tried to get some pictures of Darren Criss (was on Glee and is currently in Hedwig and the Angry Inch) and Christian Borle (was on Smash and now is in Something Rotten).

Darren Criss as master of ceremonies

Christian Borle performing a song from Something Rotten

After the show, "Will" and I went out for lunch, where we were finally able to just sit and chat for a while. It was so wonderful to catch up with him. We went to a Broadway souvenir shop, but everything was insanely pricey. ($12.50 for a MAGNET?!?) Then we parted ways so he could go see Something Rotten and I headed to Battery Park to meet my mother-in-law at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, where she is the Chief Development Officer.

When I arrived in Battery Park, I somehow managed to get myself totally lost and Google Maps was NOT helpful at all. I felt bad because I knew my MIL had a meeting at 3:00. However, she came out to help me find my way there and told me her meeting ended up getting cancelled. Besherte! So I got a nice tour of the museum, even though it was brief because I was heading to the book parties afterward. It was still amazing though. I really liked the personable feeling of the displays. There was more to them than just a card stating some facts. Each item and picture had a whole story behind it that was captured in an emotional way. I think if I had a more in depth tour, I would have been a sobbing mess afterward! Overall, I was very impressed and can see why she is so happy there. I got to meet some of the staff she works with, and everyone was very friendly.

(Side note: Today is my MIL's birthday and she's here for the weekend so we can all celebrate together!)

For the next part of my trip, check out my BEA post. (Hey, I could have just said "yada yada yada.")

When I got back to my friend's place after a very busy Thursday morning and afternoon, we just chilled out and had our favorite kind of pizza and really good watermelon. We were in tears laughing about some funny stories about my kids. I even got to meet her boyfriend. (I always feel weird saying "boyfriend" now that we're all adults and out of college, but "significant other" sounds too stiff and "guy she's dating" sounds too casual.) He was really nice and if I weren't so exhausted, I probably would have enjoyed chatting with him even more.

With my friend (and fabulous host for the week)

The next morning, I woke up early to catch the 8:30 a.m. Peter Pan bus back home. I first went to the wrong bus terminal area, but then found the correct one. I definitely got my exercise schlepping around an extremely heavy suitcase full of books.

Overall, it was a wonderful and very memorable visit. I can't believe it's already been a week! Thanks again to everyone who made my trip so special, and that includes all the people I wrote about in my BEA post.

A view of the ball from New Year's Eve.

Times Square...I love all the Broadway signs!

Self-ish

Sometimes I only get the chance to blog once a week. And since I can't always get up the motivation to think of a topic, it's nice to have other friends to blog with so we can take turns. I enjoy being challenged to write about stuff that might not normally come to mind and also reading everyone else's thoughts on the same topic. Blog Project 3.0 has been going on for over a year, even though one of the group members changed after a few months. I love blogging with this group and I hope we can continue to inspire each other.

This week, Darwin Shrugged chose the topic: Write about a guilty pleasure and why you enjoy it so.

First, read what everyone else had to share on this topic. I will be only posting links to posts on this same topic from my group. So check back if you were hoping to read their blogs and don't see a link yet.

Darwin Shrugged
Froggie
Moma Rock

I recently saw a post from Humans of New York (on Facebook) where a mother of three kids talks about how she takes a little time for herself each day, even if it's just flipping through a fashion magazine in a café. Her post definitely resounded with me because I find my "me time" to be a guilty pleasure in itself. It's really more than that...I thrive on spending time by myself. I could be shopping, watching a girly movie or TV show, reading, taking a bath, etc. Even before I met my husband, there were times I would just shut off my phone and lights and have a movie marathon.

I think the reason I like watching movies and TV shows that are mostly geared toward women is because it gives me some time by myself. There are some shows I know my husband won't watch and I call them guilty pleasures, even though the act of watching them is more of the guilty pleasure in the long run. My husband tries to pull a guilt trip on me by saying he'd watch a chick flick with me even though I won't watch an action or sci-fi flick with him. I try to just focus on things we like to watch together. Orphan Black has the perfect blend for both of us to enjoy. We also like watching comedies and some psychological thrillers or Oscar nominees. There are way too many movies out there and if he waits for me to watch most of those with him, he'll be waiting a loooooong time.

Another reason I like to watch movies by myself sometimes is that I only have my own opinion to go with when they're done. I saw a movie with my mom and sister recently and afterward, my mom was complaining about some parts of it. While I enjoyed the movie, the stuff she pointed out took away from that enjoyment. However, I still had the gorgeous actor from one of my favorite shows to keep the good memories of the movie going in my mind.

There are times when all I want to do is read. Especially on Shabbat, when I don't have to worry about checking e-mail or taking phone calls. I'm thankful that my kids like to play together on their own, which affords me some reading time. My husband isn't as much of a reader, but sometimes he'll delve into a Jewish book. Most of the time, he wants to talk. I love talking and joking around with him, but I also want some time to read too. Then I feel guilty for wanting to read, especially when my book is really good and hard to put down. A friend of mine suggested a different type of book club where we wouldn't discuss books, but instead lay around on comfortable chairs and couches and just read whatever we feel like without worrying about anyone else needing anything. I keep telling her that we should actually do this! As much as I love to read, with everything that goes on during the week, sometimes I just have to carve out the time or it never gets done. When I'm at work, I usually read on my lunch break. The break room is nice for sitting in and reading, but I also like going outside in nice weather, as long as it's not too windy. I sometimes feel guilty about wanting to read when other people are in the break room and want to talk. I try to make polite conversation, but then I'm relieved when someone else comes in to take over so I can get back to my book. I do have social lunches sometimes, so I'm not a complete hermit!

A while back, I challenged my blog project group to write about their ideal "me day." I had way too much fun imagining what mine would be like. And it's not just because I have kids around me all the time at home. I just think it's nice to treat myself to something special that only I would enjoy. I even referenced an article about things that are more fun when done alone.

While I love my husband, children, family, friends, etc., I still feel it is so important to have my alone time, even if it's just when I'm exercising in the morning. I definitely think it allows me to retain my individuality while still giving parts of myself to everyone else in my life.

Cruel to be kind

Sometimes I only get the chance to blog once a week. And since I can't always get up the motivation to think of a topic, it's nice to have other friends to blog with so we can take turns. I enjoy being challenged to write about stuff that might not normally come to mind and also reading everyone else's thoughts on the same topic. Blog Project 3.0 has been going on for over a year, even though one of the group members changed after a few months. I love blogging with this group and I hope we can continue to inspire each other.

This week, Froggie chose the topic:  Great strengths that are also great weaknesses 

First, read what everyone else had to share on this topic. I will be only posting links to posts on this same topic from my group. So check back if you were hoping to read their blogs and don't see a link yet.

Darwin Shrugged
Froggie
Moma Rock


This topic was a challenge for me. I was first thinking about how when you go to a job interview, you tell people your weaknesses based on strengths. (Ex. "Too much of a perfectionist.") Then I gave it some more thought and came up with one that fits the bill....KINDNESS.

In this day and age, I think it takes a lot of strength to be kind vs. being mean. It's easy to be mean. I even have my mean moments (at least my kids think so). Kindness takes a lot of patience and vigilance. You have to think before you act. Would the world be a better place if everyone were kind? Sure. However, movies would be so boring without a villain. I was thinking about the recent version of Cinderella and how her mother tells her to always be kind. Even when dealing with her evil stepmother and spoiled stepsisters, she somehow maintains her kind demeanor. If I were her, I would have been exacting revenge on them any chance I got! Of course, it's a fairy tale so kindness wins out. However, my own level of kindness has not gone unnoticed and has been rewarded in some ways, even when I wasn't looking for such rewards. It's nice to get a shout-out from someone just for being my kind self. :)

On the other hand, kindness can render someone weak. It's so easy to be stepped on and treated poorly when you're always kind. Especially if you excuse such behaviors in an effort to not hurt the feelings of someone who could care less about hurting yours. It's also easy to be taken for granted, like that you'll always be kind. When you have a bad day and lash out about it, it's somehow a huge shock because you're almost expected to be pleasant all the time. It leads to passivity and the concept that "nice girls (or guys) finish last."

In the long run, I'd rather be known for being kind than for being a cut-throat go-getter. I have my ambitions, but I'm not about to step on someone to get what I want. I just have to find the delicate balance between being kind and not being stepped on in return.

What CAN'T you do?

Sometimes I only get the chance to blog once a week. And since I can't always get up the motivation to think of a topic, it's nice to have other friends to blog with so we can take turns. I enjoy being challenged to write about stuff that might not normally come to mind and also reading everyone else's thoughts on the same topic. Blog Project 3.0 has been going on for over a year, even though one of the group members changed after a few months. I love blogging with this group and I hope we can continue to inspire each other.

This week, I chose the topic: "I can't..." (However, it's not about self-bashing, but more fun-spirited, like "I can't believe how full my bookshelf is.")

First, read what everyone else had to share on this topic. I will be only posting links to posts on this same topic from my group. So check back if you were hoping to read their blogs and don't see a link yet.

Darwin Shrugged
Froggie
Moma Rock

*I can't imagine a world without The Mindy Project. I really hope another station picks it up for next season. Even if that station is Hulu.

*I can't drive home from work without chewing a piece of gum. I recently got back into the habit. Even if my drive home is stressful, it helps me to blow bubbles.

*I can't have Reese's peanut butter cups around without wanting to eat them. They're just soooo good!

*I can't resist my kids when they're being insanely cute. My daughter will have a huge tantrum and then the next moment she'll be smiling at me and saying something adorable. Hard to stay mad over the tantrum, right?

*I can't go into a bookstore and come out empty handed. This mainly applies to used book stores, as I'm spoiled by the prices there (and by the abundance of free books I get for reviewing at the blog), so it's hard to shop retail. My used book store has a huge sale going on and it's hard not to buy everything I see!

*I can't go a day without reading a book at least once. Like that wasn't obvious!

*Along those lines, I can't ever have too many books. You haven't seen ALL my shelves yet...

*I can't find the motivation to write even a short fictional piece. I know I keep saying this a lot, but it's true. It's enough that I get everything done that I need to. Then I'm just drained and want to do mindless Internet activities, like watching silly videos.

*I can't believe it's almost two months until my birthday. I know it's almost the end of my 30s, but I still love counting down.

*I can't wait for season three of Orange is the New Black! Now that Jane the Virgin is done until the fall, OITNB will tide me over. One of the actresses is also in JtV. Here's something to tide all you OITNB fans over until then. (And if you're new to the show, binge watch the first two seasons NOW so you can catch up!)

Book Review: Henna House

The book club I'm in usually has a hard time deciding between books. I tend to suggest a lot of books via e-mail between each of our meetings. Recently, I came across Henna House by Nomi Eve, perhaps through an Amazon ad or something along those lines. The synopsis drew me in and sounded perfect for my club to read and discuss. I sent them the suggestion and it ended up being chosen for our upcoming meeting. I'm so glad it did, as it was a moving and powerful story about women, family, and Judaism.

Nomi Eve’s vivid saga begins in Yemen in 1920, when Adela Damari’s parents desperately seek a future husband for their young daughter. After passage of the Orphan’s Decree, any unbetrothed Jewish child left orphaned will be instantly adopted by the local Muslim community. With her parents’ health failing, and no spousal prospects in sight, Adela’s situation looks dire until her uncle arrives from a faraway city, bringing with him a cousin and aunt who introduce Adela to the powerful rituals of henna tattooing. Suddenly, Adela’s eyes are opened to the world, and she begins to understand what it means to love another and one’s heritage. She is imperiled, however, when her parents die and a prolonged drought threatens their long-established way of life. She and her extended family flee to the city of Aden where Adela encounters old loves, discovers her true calling, and is ultimately betrayed by the people and customs she once held dear. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

Oddly enough, even though I suggested Henna House for my book club, I was initially hesitant to read it. I don't normally read historical fiction unless there's a blend with a modern day story. However, seeing that it was compared to The Red Tent moved me to give it a try. Once I did, I was immediately grabbed by the story and didn't want to put it down to get back to real life. It had a Khaled Hosseini feel and reminded me of A Thousand Splendid Suns in some ways. I could see why it was compared to The Red Tent though. While it wasn't biblical in nature, it was still about female rituals and one woman's journey toward love and redemption. Adela was so easy to relate to and I felt like she and I were the same person when I was reading the story. She made me see what she was seeing and feel what she was feeling. While some parts of the story were either gruesome or disturbing, it didn't keep me from reading on to find out what would become of Adela.

The only critcism I have is that there were too many characters to keep up with between all the brothers, sister-in-laws, cousins, etc. I kept mixing everyone up and also couldn't remember why I had heard certain location names. This didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story. I've been recommending it to everyone and even purchased Nomi Eve's debut novel, The Family Orchard. While I've been to a Hindi wedding, I've never been to a henna ceremony and after reading Henna House, I'm interested to observe one in person. In the meantime, I can't wait to discuss it with everyone at the next book club meeting and chat with Nomi via Skype during that time.

Disclosure of Material Connection:
Some of the links in this post are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Bare-ing it all

Sometimes I only get the chance to blog once a week. And since I can't always get up the motivation to think of a topic, it's nice to have other friends to blog with so we can take turns. I enjoy being challenged to write about stuff that might not normally come to mind and also reading everyone else's thoughts on the same topic. Blog Project 3.0 has been going on for over a year, even though one of the group members changed after a few months. I love blogging with this group and I hope we can continue to inspire each other.

This week, Moma Rock chose the topic: If you could travel with any band for one week, which band would it be, and why? What sort of experiences do you think you'll encounter? This can be a band currently in existence or one that is no longer; the sky's the limit!

First, read what everyone else had to share on this topic. I will be only posting links to posts on this same topic from my group. So check back if you were hoping to read their blogs and don't see a link yet.

Darwin Shrugged
Froggie
Moma Rock

I will admit this topic was a challenge for me. I love music, but it's hard to choose a band to want to travel with for a week. Then two words in the topic stood out: "One Week." That made me think of Barenaked Ladies (BNL), whom I saw in concert twice. I love their music and got to thinking about how much fun it would be to travel with them. This would have to be prior to when Steven Page left the group, as it's not really BNL without him any more than 10,000 Maniacs is the same band without Natalie Merchant.

I don't know that my husband would want me going off with a bunch of guys for the week, but he has nothing to worry about since they'd be more like a group of big brothers than anything else. However, if I needed a chaperone, I'd invite my friend Cass, with whom I used to work at the cell phone company. We saw them in concert together and would e-mail lines from songs back and forth all day long to stay entertained at the office. I'd also ask "Will" to come along since he loves BNL and he used to play me their songs on the guitar. Since he's gay, the threat factor isn't there either.

I don't think I'm creative enough to come up with an agenda for the week, but this is some of what might happen:

*I'd learn all the lyrics to "One Week" to perform at their concert with them. I enjoy a challenge.

*We'd eat all the time, whether it was snacks or stopping for meals.

*We'd have pool parties at whichever hotel we were all crashing at for the night, as well as go to water parks.

*We'd have sessions to brainstorm rhymes and puns for new songs. I love how wordy their songs are and how they play around with the rhyme schemes. One of my favorites from their songs is "I could hide out under there. I just made you say 'underwear.'" ("Pinch Me")

*We'd have karaoke nights with not only their songs, but we'd also turn down the volumes on some classics from the 80s and 90s and see if they could fit the lyrics into a new tune or even change the tempo.

*We'd have nightly Big Bang Theory marathons since they wrote the theme song. ("We built the pyramids!")

*Just for fun, we'd do a scavenger hunt around a mall.

*While on the road, we'd have to stop and see oddities like largest ball of yarn

*We'd make it a point to go to a zoo and take pictures of chimpanzees to make postcards with.

*Finally, we'd visit their hometown of Scarborough, Ontario (Canada), and they'd take me to all their favorite places.

Since Moma Rock said "the sky's the limit," it made me think of this BNL "classic." Try NOT to sing along...I dare you! (This video has a special bonus too, and it involves some more fun play-on-words! Another pun I love of theirs is "I would buy you some art--a Picasso or a Garfunkel.")



Are you a BNL fan? If so, what is your favorite song of theirs?