Augusta, Marty and Colorado

Ah! Time to catch up! I've been so busy lately, that my blog has been neglected. But, I'm back and ready to catch up. About three weeks ago, I went to Augusta, GA to have my reporter portfolio tape made. The one from college wasn't great quality, and let's face it, I made it 4 years ago. It needed to be updated. I have to say, I'm pretty proud of it. The company, Talentapes, did a great job. To see it, go to www.talentapes.com/jenniferheckman (please ignore the picture of me, it was taken from the video and a better one will be up there as soon as I'm back to my own computer and send them one).

2 weeks ago, Bryan and I were going through the paper looking at the dog classifieds. He really wants to get a big dog like a german shepherd or a husky. There was an ad for a puppy expo at the VFW Hall, se we went. It was a few breeders that had puppies for sale. Well, they were all small dogs and Bryan loves yorkies but he says he'd only get one if it were socially acceptable for a man to have one. Anyway, we're looking abd I have no intention of getting a dog. I've always wanted to get Libby a friend, but I didn't plan on it any time soon. Bryan holds up this little dog and says, "Look, he looks like a Muppet!" Well, it wasn't long before the Muppet was on my lap on the way home. He's a maltese/yorkie mix. They cal it a morkie, but I can't bring myself to say that. Anyway, meet Marty.

He's pretty darn cute. He's 5 months, and only 2 pounds. I don't think he'll get much bigger. Of course, I had to bring him with me to Colorado because Bryan's watching Libby and I didn't think it was fair for him to have to house train Marty while I was gone. My dad has said repeatedly, that he should just stay with them. Yeah, because they need 5 dogs in their house.

Today, I head back to Knoxville. I've been in Colorado almost a week and the week before I was in MS with Bryan. I haven't been at my apartment in 2 weeks. I'm ready to get home.

Today, I'm thankful for all our veterans.

She had style, she had flair, she was there!

That's how she became The Nanny! I'm just going to continue on my theme of TV shows featuring single, over 30, independent women. I love The Nanny. I got the third season in my Easter basket and have been watching it the past week and it makes me laugh out loud. Just so you know, I don't just sit at home and watch TV. I am super busy all the time lately (which is why my blog doesn't get updated like it should, although I'm not as bad as Beth :) Anyway, I know The Nanny isn't a show that gets a lot of credit, but it should. I literally laugh out loud all by myself when I watch it. As a HUGE I Love Lucy fan, I really appreciate the nod The Nanny gives Lucy. The facial expressions, the scenarios, they are all just great classic comedy. I highly recommend everyone watch this (although I understand some people can't get past Fran Drescher's voice), it's the best way to laugh at the end of a long day.

I think I watch reruns of sitcoms so much because there aren't any good ones on TV today. I cannot get into reality TV. 1) It's not reality. 2) If it is reality, I watch TV to get AWAY from reality, so what's the point? This really got me thinking: are there any sitcoms on TV anymore? We don't have TGIF on ABC anymore, and I can't tell you what's on the Thursday night lineup. If anyone knows of a new sitcom on TV that I might like, I welcome all recommendations. Maybe it'll restore my faith in TV land. Again, I promise I don't just sit around all day and watch TV, but it is my favorite way to unwind and forget about the world for a 1/2 hour before bed.
These are my classic (and some not so classic, yet) sitcoms of preference:
I Love Lucy
Mary Tyler Moore
The Nanny
Designing Women (ok, this show is HILARIOUS and a trailblazer for shows like Sex and the City) I'm sure I'll blog about this later on.
The Golden Girls (seriously, how can you not like this show?)
Frasier (I like it because you have to be somewhat intelligent to get the jokes)
Gilmore Girls (for the same reasons as Frasier)

*** ALERT!!! As I'm typing this, a commercial for Nick at Nite just came on saying that they will start running The Nanny on May 10th. Coincidence? I think not.

Today I am thankful for the TV on DVD section at Target, Libby (such a warm welcome when I got home after a trying day), my friend Brett who let's me vent to him about stupid stuff, and the 80 degree weather that's supposed to stick around all weekend.

Who can turn the world on with her smile?

MTM! That's who. I love The Mary Tyler Moore Show. I used to always watch the reruns on Nick at Nite when I was younger. This was when they actually showed classic TV shows. Now, they show sitcoms from my childhood (like Family Matters). I don't think I'm old enough to be classic, just yet. Over time, I've acquired the first 4 seasons of MTM on DVD. As an adult, I can appreciate even more. This show made huge breakthroughs for women. It was okay to be in your thirties and single and put your career first. And let's face it: she was (and still is)adorable.From her cute pant suits, to her perfect dark flip and then later her cute bob, to her all-too-adorable studio apartment. I would KILL to have an apartment like that, fold out sofa bed and all. Maybe it's because she worked at a news station and that's what I aspire to, but if I could pick any TV character to be it'd be Mary Richards. Marlo Thomas may have been "That Girl" but MTM was the "It Girl" of the 70's.

So, with that being said: I resolve to be more like Mary Richards. Sweet, nice, confident and self-assured. I do know that there will always be parts of me that are more like Monica on Friends. Loud, competitive, OCD and a neat freak. But I will still try daily to take a nothing day and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile (and perhaps toss up my hat)