Fanfare please!

Kieran likes Criminal Minds! It's very early days yet, but he's even started watching it without me and reminding me that it's on! This is a monumental day. I watched an episode with him yesterday afternoon and he was getting just as involved as me trying to guess who was the killer! Such a proud day.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia cast

In other news, HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope everyone had a lovely festive period, whichever one you choose to celebrate! I made a few resolutions for this year, some typical diet-y ones, some to try a bit harder and only one that I'm certain I will stick to. Start watching more TV series, and I'm already well under way.


I had a bit of a grumpy weekend last week, so I took to Netflix to watch my usual 'comfort shows' like The Office or Parks and Rec. Something I know that I love and that makes me happy just by the theme music. But something stopped me. I've been promising to try It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia for about a year now so I did it! I got through about 3 seasons in two days and I absolutely love it.

No spoilers, but I already love Charlie, have a little crush on Dennis and think Mac is a douche. I can't wait to get through the next six seasons. (I'm such a binge-watcher!) so if anyone else has any suggestions about what to watch, as always, leave them for me on here, twitter or tumblr!

Before I disappear completely, I thought I'd post a few TV related pictures/videos that have happened in my absence.

I can't decide which is more exciting! Firstly, I got a tattoo for my 22nd birthday three weeks ago, Alice from Alice in Wonderland is forever plonked on my right arm now, I am happy.

Secondly! As you may know, I go to the University of Sunderland (boo Sunderland, I know!) BUT, as of September, the TV studio acquired something pretty nifty. Yep, the old Blue Peter set. The actual one they used to use is now at our disposal whenever we want it. How brilliant is that! So here is me and my friend Kay looking a little bit too excited to be in there.

And lastly, here is a very, very cringy video. I do Broadcast Journalism, so one of the projects was to find a story and put together a little TV package. Argh, my news reading voice will get better one day, I promise

I am the absolute worst blogger

But I have a perfectly (kind of...) acceptable reason!

Since my last post, I started a new job AND went back to university for my second year in September and oh my GOD has it kept me busy. I thought first year was hard, but in comparison, I just strolled through that. So between spending every waking hour at work, at uni or catching up with my boyfriend, I've barely had time to watch TV, let alone blog about it. But I'm back, because I have six sweeeeet weeks off for Christmas.

So, what's new I hear you cry? I watched some TV. Criminal Minds (upto season 8) - Done and Parks and Recreation - Done. Everyone bleated on and on and on (and on..) about Breaking Bad, but being as stubborn as I am, I was unwilling to give it a chance. I watched the pilot, it didn't thrill me, so I didn't continue (sorry guys!)

But on my last post, I said that I was just getting into Parks and Recreation and I. Am. In LOVE. I love a TV show where you see a little bit of yourself in every character! I think that's the only way I get into a show, when I really connect with them. That's a little bit strange, but it's true. I am Leslie Knope. I see that know after people telling me a lot. I'm a little Ron and April, I'm a lot Ben, a little Chris Traeger and a bit of Ann, why not. I'm just so excited for it to continue. So if you haven't watched it yet, I can not recommend it highly enough. It's on Netflix, so TREAT YO'SELF (2013).

Criminal Minds season 9 has begun, but I have a bit of a confession. I am a binge TV watcher. I can't just watch an episode then wait a week for the next. I am starving myself of new CM episodes until there are enough for me watch in a row and be happy. But I hear that Paget Brewster is back for an episode so I'm going to have to start powering through because I am excited.

What else is new... Arrow. My boyfriend is obsessed. In a big way. He loves anything to do with comics, so when they made a TV show, he was a bit reluctant in case they wrecked Green Arrow, but he's hooked, so I've bought him the first season on Blu-Ray (but shhh!). I've given it a preliminary watch to suss it out, I'm not loving it, but we're going to give it a run through after Christmas. I'm a dedicated girlfriend and TV watcher (It doesn't hurt that Stephen Amell is a beaaauutiful man.)

So that's it! I hope I get some time to watch more TV now that I don't have essays and other projects coming out of my eyeballs. If you think of anything brilliant that I must watch right now, let me know here or here

Now, firstly I do have to explain that I am in no way a 'fan girl' of absolutely anything. I  never 'ship' anybody or have an 'OTP' because quite frankly, I don't know what any of it means. BUT, last night, I was watching Season 6 of Criminal Minds and I tweeted something the lovely Garcia had said that made so much sense to me. It said "'In here, I'm Mozart. Out there, I was like a monkey playing the trumpet!' I couldn't love @Vangsness any more than I do." I never expected her to see it or anything like that, she's a busy lady.

But she favourited it! I was fast asleep and just happened to wake up and glance at my phone, thought "That can't be right, maybe its a fan account" then I went in further and it was actually her! Celebrities only ever see or acknowledge my tweets when I'm embarrassingly declaring my love for them (Dawn O'Porter and Gizzi Erskine did!) So that's super exciting that she saw it and must've thought "That's so nice, I'll favourite that!"
So today, I have a day off and I start my new job in a few days, so I am going to cram as much Criminal Minds into today as I can!


I'm always, always looking for new things to watch, so suggest something to me!

Because Kieran watched Community for me, I decided to give Parks and Recreation another go for him. I watched the first series last year and it was fiiiine, I wasn't super into it.

But last night, we fired up Netflix and got half way through the second series, and I didn't hate it! It really wasn't too bad. I have a friend who has always said "You are exactly like Leslie Knope!" and I never understood it, but I get it now. I mentioned it to Kieran and I think he was a little taken aback because he realised his girlfriend is definitely Leslie Knope.

Obviously these are just my opinions, but I couldn't make my mind up on some of the characters, like Ann. I wasn't sure on April, but 8 episodes in, she grew on me. I LOVE Leslie and of course Ron is pretty cool. I think, while I'm bored during the summer break, I'll get all up to date on P&R and form a proper opinion!

I have a few more shows to get caught up on, like How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory, I sort of fizzled out half way through the last series because I got bored waiting for the next episode to come out!

As always, if you're reading this and can think of a TV show that I should be watching, suggest it! I think I have Dexter on the list, as is 666 Park Avenue! (If anyone has watched that, let me know if it's worth doing, because I haven't heard good or bad things about it yet!)

CRIMINAL MINDS!

Shemar Moore was MORE than keen on his tweeting last night, he let us know that they're ready to start filming season 9 and that there WILL BE A SEASON 10! I do love Derek Morgan. I can't be the only one that wants Kevin out of the picture and for Derek and Garcia to hook up? Surely it isn't just me!

On another note

Being the hugely influential person I am... and the rather stubborn man my boyfriend is, I have an announcement! After months of trying to gently (Not really very gently at all) get him to watch Community, he did last month. He got through all four seasons in about 2 weeks because he loved it SO much, so I would like to collect all of those brownie points now for being right! There aren't many better feelings than telling someone about a TV show and them loving it just as much as you do. (I knew he'd love it because he is secretly Jeff Winger) But I'm just so glad he enjoyed it so much, because it did put a smile on his face, plus, I have someone to quote Community to ALL DAY LONG and doesn't mind now because he understands what I'm talking about now.

Also, a friend from uni just finished watching the US Office after I recommended it to him and he absolutely loved too and may have shed a teeny tiny manly tear or two, so it's a good time!

I think I'll talk more about those two another time, because I love them both an awful lot.

I made a promise!

I did say I wanted to make this blog more about TV because there is quite frankly nothing I know more about than TV, so I'm writing one right now to distract myself from tidying things up.

Since February, I have been ALL about Criminal Minds and quite frankly I'm annoyed I didn't give it a chance sooner. My brother and his girlfriend would watch it and I'd sit with headphones on thinking it wasn't my cup of tea. But then series 8 started and I didn't have said headphones and I heard Rossi speak and thought "God that's Fat Tony from the Simpsons!" so I watched and saw Reid and thought "God he's gorgeous!" then saw Morgan, thought the same, I loved JJ, I loved Hotch, Blake and ESPECIALLY even my baby girl, Penelope Garcia and I was hooked. in.

If you're unfamiliar with it, worry not, because I will explain it all. We're in the BAU (Behavioural Analysis Unit) headquarters in Quantico, Virginia. We have the SSAs Aaron Hotchner, Jason Gideon, Derek Morgan, Elle Greenaway (and later Emily Prentiss, Dave Rossi and Alex Blake) the Communication Liason Officer (And later SSA) Jennifer (JJ) Jareau, technical analyst and all round queen of everything Penelope Garcia and last but by no means least, Dr Spencer Reid. They're profilers, so this is the real nitty gritty of not what happened, but why did they do it, and how will that help us catch them. The team, Hotch in particular, is constantly under the scrutiny of Chief Erin Strauss who isn't a fan of how he gets things done, but maaaaan does the guy get things done!
They come up against some of the most prolific and elusive serial killers in the United States and, sometimes with devastating soul crushing results, they catch them, every time. There isn't a lot more I can say without dropping all mighty spoilers and verbally drooling over it, I just can't recommend it highly enough. So here's my experience with it!

SO, I watched season 8 along with them, got impatient and watched ahead. While doing so, a TV channel was showing season 2, 3 and 4 so I watched all of those. I wasn't going to watch Season 1 because, I'll be honest, I didn't like Elle from what I'd seen in Season 2, but Season 1-4 has just been made available on Netflix (so NOW is your chance!) so I really had no excuse. I have half of season 5, all of 6 and 7 to go, but I'm reluctant because, from bits I've caught watching with my bro, My precious Dr Reid goes through some problems and I might will cry for him. I have never been into crime dramas, never had any interest with the actual FBI/Police/CIA, but I literally can't get enough of it, I am obsessed and I would like to drop out of my Broadcast Journalism degree and join the BAU.

And then it hit me!

I've always been stuck with this blog. I always feel like I should be reviewing make up or showing you the new skirt I've just bought and things like that. But it's just not me! I absolutely LOVE to look at fashion/DIY/make up blogs, but those are not my most interesting habits. So I've been wondering, what am I passionate about? What do people tell me to shut up about because I talk about it so much?
And then it hit me. TELEVISION. I watch A L O T of television, so maybe what I could do is use this to talk about TV since everyone is fed up of me!

SO, expect a lot of Criminal Minds, The Office (weep), Made in Chelsea and Adventure time and a lot of other nonsense.


I promise, I will try not to spoil anything for anybody!

Something really riled me up today!

This is it! This post will probably spark a debate, probably in some of the people it was aimed at. Let me first say that I do not care in any way, shape or form. Firstly, Caroline Flack is 32, Harry Styles is 18. Not to be massively pedantic, that is not 'half her age'. Secondly, he's over 16, legally allowed to engage in a relationship with anyone above the age of 16 that he pleases. Thirdly, what a disgusting, offensive piece of 'journalism'!

My mum is 7 years older than my dad, only 6/7 years more than the difference between Caroline and Harry. Nobody ever had a problem with that, not my mum, not my dad, nobody in either side of the family. It never seemed like an issue to anybody. Much like this should never have seemed like an issue. Personally, I don't date younger people and that is a personal choice. I have absolutely no problem with anybody who does as long as it's all legal and above board. Love is love, as cliché as that sounds.

Whoever wrote this has definitely kept the younger One Direction fans in mind. I think the problem is not the age difference, but the fact that Harry is dating anybody at all. They bullied a young women (She's 32, come on, she isn't ancient) into ending a relationship with somebody. We don't know how much they liked or possibly loved each other, we don't know how serious that relationship could have gotten and we don't know that perhaps they could have 'soulmates' if you believe in that kind of thing. The One Direction 'fans' made both of their lives an absolute living hell. I wrote 'fans' in inverted commas because frankly, I wouldn't class anyone who had a part in this as a fan. Tomorrow, if Harry revealed that he had a new girlfriend who was the same age, ran marathons for charity, who was the sweetest, loveliest girl you could hope to meet, let's face it, they'd still find some fault to pick and they would do whatever they could to end it. Their 'if I can't have him, nobody can' mentally is bordering on mentally ill, in my eyes.

I had a brief look around twitter, the girls in question are generally around 12-16, obviously some older, some younger, but still children. No matter how 'mature' they think they are, no matter how 'in love' with Harry or any of the others they think they are, it's wrong. I'm going to be honest, Harry is not going to randomly fall in love with any of them, they're too young. I'm sure when he looks at twitter, he see's the way some of them go on and it disgusts him, much like it disgusts everybody else. He's 18 years old, he's going to date girls, some of them will be older, some of them will be successful women like Caroline and some of them will perhaps be creepy fans out to get their claws into him. All I'm saying is that it is so, so wrong to bully a grown woman just because she's doing something that you will never get the chance to do, and that you will never be able to stop an 18 year old boy from being interested in girls (or boys!)

Case in point, I love Aaron Johnson, massive crush, his fiancé is what, 44? They have a child and another on the way. Yeah, I was bitter, but I didn't reach straight for my keyboard and send the poor woman hate mail (like SO many people have done). If that's who he's fallen for, that's it. It's not like he was going to magically become aware of me and think "Yeah, I'll ditch my fiancé and children for her!"

I know Caroline was rushed into hospital a few days ago. I read an article which allowed people to comment on it. The sheer amount of people claiming that she 'deserves it' and that 'she had it coming' because she dated Harry was appalling. I hope to never encounter somebody with such a twisted way of thinking. I can hand on heart say that when I finish my journalism degree, if I choose to become a magazine writer, you will not see anything like the horrible piece of writing above, come from me. That's a total guarantee.

What WOULD Zooey Deschanel wear?

I'm the kind of person who will watch a film, look at somebody and get instant clothing jealousy. This happens most frequently with Zooey Deschanel. I dress nothing like her, yet all I want to do is know where she gets her spotty skirts, her cute blouses and super fun pyjamas. Well, I don't have to wonder any more. Recently, after watching New Girl and falling even deeper in love with her style, I found the most amazing website. What would Zooey Deschanel wear? It's a good question which we can now answer! You can click a picture that tickles your fancy and (hopefully) someone has submitted a similar, or sometimes the actual item of clothing she's wearing! Granted, most of the contributors are American and do link to American website, which is a pain in the bum for the UK, but nonetheless, having the picture there in front of you actually gives you something to google!

So these are three of my favourite outfits. I genuinely wish I could pull them off! So I think once payday rolls around again, I'll hunt about and give it a go! This could either go brilliantly, or tragically wrong! I'll keep you updated either way.

Allison Harvard!

From the moment I clapped eyes on her back in cycle 12, I have had what you might call a 'girl crush' on Allison Harvard! Not in a romantic way, just in a 'I want to be you or be your best friend and look at you all day' kind of way.

Can you blame me! Look at her! She's so beautiful, but she's so weird, I love that. Not only is she gorgeous and weird, she's an artist too! She has a little Etsy shop for all of her paintings, which I intend on buying and covering my house in them one day.
I will wrap this up rather quickly because it can't sound normal. But absolutely love her, she's brilliant and she should move to England (Or move me to America?) and be my BFF.

I'm a sucker for American Apparel hoodies!

Can you blame me? Look at them! I'm not sure how slow I am on the uptake, but I'm sure these two purples are new. I like them. It's about time they got some nice purples that aren't too near to the fuchsia family! Not only do they look ace, but they are the softest, comfiest hoodies to grace my wardrobe.

JUMPERS!

When did it become so hard to find a nice, thick, knitted jumper? Preferably a fair isle one, but stripy would do. I've been trawling the internet for days just looking for one, and just about every female clothes shop in Newcastle! What I have come to realise is that yes, there are a lot of jumpers out there, but the manufacturers seem to think; "Hmm, this jumper doesn't need to go past the belly-button" or "Yeah, it needs baggy sleeves!" No! They need to go past my belly button and they need to fit my arms!
I'm very successful at finding them on American websites for a very, very reasonable amount. But once you get your shipping fees and whatnot on top of that, not to mention the amount of time it would take, I'm better off continuing my search. Ho hum.

Palty!

Look at how amazing these colours are! They're called 'Strawberry Jam' and 'Milk tea'. Palty is a Japanese hair dye (I believe it's Japanese...) and they're designed to go over very naturally dark hair. I have searched high and low, and I can't find it in the UK! I am devastated! It's getting to a point where I would be willing to pay £20 for a box or get it shipped from Japan. If anybody knows of where I can get in here in England, please pipe up! I need my hair to look like strawberry jam or milky tea!

Things I want #1