It wasn't until recently that I had a little glimpse of, what I'd call, big girl life - OR, since I seem to be liking that phrase so much, we will just refer to it as "BGL."
Now, you're going to think I'm totally goofy when I explain.
Try not to laugh.
Too hard..
But please laugh! I like to laugh at myself, so you're allowed to laugh at me too.
I bring you: Part One of the "Big Girl Panties" Series
If you know me in real life, you probably know by now that I've gone the past year without cable or internet. I had this "to-do" list {surprise, surprise} for when I moved, and two of the items included:
(1) Calling to get cable set up
(2) Calling to get internet set up
Now, I'm not sure if I just got so busy stalking TJ Maxx each Tuesday for bargain decor with which to adorn my little condo, or what the heck I was doing. But, literally.... And I'm not kidding when I tell you this... I looked up from my moving-daze after about month 6 of condo occupation and I realized I still hadn't done either of the above two to-do list items. No, it's not a joke. And the saddest part? I really didn't realize it.
In college, my scholarship paid for me to live in the on-campus apartments. Super nice. Furnished. I was blessed. Those apartments also came with cable. I had a TV in my bedroom, but only two of my college years included a TV in my shared-living room space. I coincidentally had roommates who also weren't TV obsessed. While I had that bedroom TV, it rarely came on. I took no less than 15 hours each semester, even braving one semester of 21 hours {CRAY, I know}. In addition to classes, I also worked no less than 25 hours a week during about 95% of my college years, and full-time during the summers. My days basically consisted of class, work, study, eat, sleep. Wake up, and repeat! I also attempted to have a social life, which I was probably TOO good at in college. So, my TV really never got used. I was always too busy doing other way fun things! So, suffice it to say, I didn't surprise myself when I went 6 cable-less months without realizing it.
Internet, on the other hand? I'm on a computer at work ALL. DAY. I have a shiny, nice, new MacBook Pro and an iPad 2, but those poor babies don't get much love. When I come home at the end of the day, the LAST thing I want to do is stare at a computer screen again. I'd rather read. Or cook. Or clean. Or walk outside. Or, well, anything else really. Yes, I admit it... I'm an old soul.
How on earth does this equate to being a big girl, you ask?! Well, I'm about to tell you. Hold your horsies, please!
Okay, so... I just basically had an epiphany yesterday morning. I was listening to my usual morning radio show {because, you know, I don't have cable so I can't just watch the morning news like a normal person} and they spent about 5-minutes talking about the Farmers Almanac's winter predictions, which had apparently been released that morning. When I heard words like "piercing cold," my attention was caught. I sort of blew it off and kept on, keepin' on {doing girly, make-up things}.
Then, it happened. I was on my way to work, listening to an entirely different radio show, and they started talking about how the Farmers Almanac's predicted a "piercing cold" winter that's supposedly going to ruin the Super Bowl for us all. And, because I'm not the least bit dramatic, I didn't freak out at all. Nope. I didn't start seeing visions of J. Crew vests, or Lululemon hoodies, or sweaters and scarves, and how I might need to stock up on all of the above essentials because, after all, the winter is going to be piercing cold. Which means I need about 12 different colors in all of the aforementioned items because Arkansas is obviously going to turn into the Arctic this winter. Nope, that's not me at all.
Okay, maybe... Just a little.
Yeah, that's pretty much EXACTLY me!
{Moving on...}
So, on a more reasonable note, I DID start thinking of what a girl might do for fun during cold winter months. Automatically, TV popped into my bed. But I'm just not the type of gal who takes the traditional route to anything and just simply calls up my local cable provider to sign on for a little cable package. {Now that really ISN'T me} What fun is it to do ANYTHING the traditional way? NONE. And I'm no fun-sucker.
Hence, I start researching. That researching really sort of happened in the form of me calling AT&T just to check out pricing and different internet options. A call that resulted in a 15-minute conversation and then me hanging up the phone realizing that I'd just signed up for high-speed internet, all under the spell of the sweetest little Indian man on the other line to whom I just absolutely could not say no. He loved me. I felt a connection. I could just picture this sweet little man on the other end of the line with a cute little smile and the slightest hint of curry {I HATE CURRY, but I LOVE that man}. I could NOT say no to this man, and the process literally seemed too seamless and easy that it was hard to walk-away. I'm usually TOO good at saying no, so I think my mouth was hanging open just a little when my phone hit the receiver and I heard dial tone. But he had that Indian charm, and I was powerless to that little man. So, Danesh, if you're reading, this is a shout out to you, bro! I'm fist-pumping you & pretend-pinching your little Indian cheeks harder than you know, you cute little thing.
{Bless my heart, y'all.}
In this moment, I felt like a big girl. Once I'd realized, 6-months in, that I had neglected to get cable and internet service, I made a sort of pact with myself. My goal was to go without for one year. I did just that! It was one of those nerdy moments where I felt like I had accomplished something. Not monumental, by any stretch, but I'd held true to a self-made promise. Monumental to me. Well thought-out. Once I finally decided to take the plunge into the world of high-speed, I did so, not out of necessity, but out of pride. Pride that this service was going to be a treat for me. It was going to provide some nice winter entertainment and an avenue for me to waste time on the couch being bum and snuggling with my pups. Pride that I'd kept a promise to myself. Proud that I work hard and can afford luxuries like this. Luxuries that the modern-day American views more solely as a necessity.
Let me also just proclaim that I feel like I got a pretty darn good deal here. Since I'm obviously not a beacon of technology, I'm not sure how much I thought internet service costs. I'll equate this to being a kid and just assuming a happy meal costs "a hundred and fifty dollars." I'll be quite frank and just say that the moment I knew Danesh loved me was when he said {in his cute little accent} that there's "a forty-nine dollar installation fee" BUT that he's "waiving it." Music to my ears. Who has two thumbs and likes free stuff?! ME! Not to mention the phrases "no contract" and "just $34.95 per month"..... Phrases which coerced me to take the plunge.
Here I am... And Danesh has mailed my sleek, shiny new modem and told me ALL about exactly what to do to set up my new high-speed internet connection once said modem arrives on my door-step.
Naturally, this is followed by more research.
Enter, Hulu.
Remember those times when I say "if you're never heard of this, drop what you're doing and thank me later".....?! THIS is one of those times. Seriously. Slap ya mama. {Not really, mom! I know you're reading... Love you!}
Hulu is God's gift to the non-traditional gals out there like me {holla!}... It's like Netflix, only WAY better! It is full of TV episodes. TV series that I always get made fun of for knowing nothing about.
Nashville.
Revenge.
Downton Abbey.
The list goes on, really. And for a bargain price of $7.99/ month, Hulu allows you access to all of these shows. If that isn't a deal, I don't know what is! But WHY, dear friends, am I JUST NOW learning of the wonderfulness of Hulu?! I feel like someone has been hiding something really good from me, just to watch me suffer.
The moral of this? If Hulu is wrong, I don't want to be right!
This amazing Hulu-ness was going to be my ticket of watching tv series without actually having cable. SCORE!
{Allow me to interject and say that, along with my old soul, comes another quality... While I appreciate nice clothes and CrossFit gear and the like, I am just not the girl who feels like cable and internet are must-haves. I'm what some might call a tight-wad in that department. I can think of about a gajillion other things I'd rather be spending money on.}
And, because patience is my second strongest quality {right after my complete and utter non-talent for drama..} I, of course, couldn't wait to start my one-week free trial. And, don't THINK I didn't watch part of episode 1, season 1 of Nashville on my lunch break today!
I think I failed to mention that, when I purchased all of my furniture for my condo last summer, I also purchased a brand new 46-inch HDTV. Yeah, there's that...
Oh, and I bought a Samsung "Smart" Blu Ray player to accompany it. Duh.
A "Smart" Blu Ray player that has turned out to be NOT so smart, as fate would have it.
There I was, on my couch at lunch, stuffing my face and watching Hayden P. on Nashville... And I have this bright idea to check out my Blu Ray player and how to set it up with Hulu once my modem arrives.
Then, it happened. My Hulu-haze was interrupted once I discovered that Samsung had, in fact, created a DUMB "Smart" Blu Ray player. Oh, the utter disgust.
What happened next? You guessed it, more research.
What did I find? Another great invention my friends have obviously been hiding from me. A little thing I like to call Apple TV. A little thing I think Santa should put in the homes of every good girl and boy this year. And a little thing that just might have to come live with me.
While in a fit of rage {no drama, remember}, yelling and freaking out about how my DUMB "Smart" Blu Ray was SO dumb.... Running through my head the plan of how, now, I was obviously going to be forced to run out and by a SMARTER Blu Ray player so that I could stream Hulu or, obviously, Danesh and his great deal would go to utter waste and I just could not {no, could not} LIVE without Hulu on my TV now that I was going to have internet. Yes, it was in that fit that I discovered that Apple TV costs just $99 and allows you to stream Hulu, rent movies from iTunes, and OH-so-much more... And then, I just decided that I think I just have to have it.
And, because I make NO impulse decisions and I am about as patient as anyone you'll ever meet {are you getting that I'm lying, yet?} I immediately reached out to friends and family for reviews of Apple TV.
You know.. Because I'm a researcher and all.
So, here we are. I've thoroughly exhausted myself between my fit of DUMB "Smart" rage, a flurry of Apple TV reviews, and my absolute thrill that I think Danesh might actually read this some day. I'll continue to research. Heck, in my typical fashion, I'll probably be blogging this time next week about how I now own Apple TV and am just waiting with bated breath on my modem to arrive. This is just a mere day in the BGL. The more often I experience these seemingly catastrophic, hold the phone, stop everything events, the more I learn to laugh!
Stay tuned, friends...... xoxo
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