TV is the Mirror of our Lives

I feel more and more like Rory Gilmore every day.

Let me explain.

I have always been a TV and movie fanatic. I like to think that from an early age, I knew a life of media and pop culture was to be my destiny.

Take for example, the early days of T.G.I.F. I used to live for that line-up of Boy Meets World, Step-By-Step, Full House, Dinosaurs (talk about a blast from the past!), Perfect Strangers and, in the later years, Sabrina, The Teenage Witch.

The best part about the half-hour sitcoms is that they were often mini time capsules of our life and times during that decade. One will never forget that late eighties Farrah Fawcett hair DJ Tanner used to rock, or those crop-tops Dana from Step-By-Step used to sport.

One of my all times favorite shows from the 90s is of course, Boy Meets World. In those days, there was a moral lesson to be learned every show, and Mr.Feeny never gave up on the budding young starlets. In fact, my love for the show was re-affirmed when I read a fabulous post on USA Today college entitled, "Everything I need to know in life I learned from Boy Meets World."

Now that I am older, I am hooked on Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Drop Dead Diva, The Office and of course, Glee. I find myself often relating to various aspects of each of my favorite characters.

I like to think I have Merideth's patience, Christina's stubbornness, Addison's strength, Jane's poise, style and confidence, Rachel's heart and Kelly Kappor's love for all things girly.

The point is, I can always see some of myself in many of these characters, and I often think, if they can do it, so can I.

It may seem odd to draw strength from actors playing people who don't really exist, but as Sean so fatefully said during an episode of BMW, "TV is the mirror of our lives."

**Please note that my own house style negates the need to add quotes to TV shows as AP Style would suggest in an instance where there are so many shows listed.

The Princess Diaries: Why I Love Wills and Kate

It’s no secret that I am obsessed with this dynamic duo.

I’ve been talking about Wills and Kate ever since their engagement was formally announced last November, and more so in the past four months as their wedding has been planned, performed and now, passed.

So, why the fascination-like, what’s the deal?

Well, there are several factors at play here.

First and foremost, I have always been an anglophile. Not to be confused with an anglophone -though I am one of those too by virtue of my US birth-but a person who has a fetish for the Brits.

I went overseas for the first time in my life when I was 15, and it was a trip with mumsy to jolly old England.

The minute we landed at Heaththrow and met my Aunt (who by the way was a total trooper driving in her wrong-side-of-the-road Volvo), I knew it would change me forever.

Those two weeks were the start of something new. Since my Aunt and Uncle were amidst their tour with the Air Force, we had the fabulous opportunity to stay in a charming English cottage in the most darling London suburb.

We spent our days riding the train into London, jumping on the tube, visiting the British museum and of course, found ourselves at Harrod’s far more than was appropriate.

As dramatic as it sounds, those two weeks were a turning point for me. I knew I needed more than an entire life spent in the States. I felt like I was destined to be an ex-pat; maybe not forever, but for spurts of time.

Back to the Duke and Dutchess.

When mother and I were across the pond, Harry and William were everywhere. On postcards, in the media and on my boy-crazy teenage girl mind.

Turns out that year was Will’s first year at St. Andrews, and Harry was only two years ahead of me in school. Most people bade me farewell with a “try and woo a prince,” or “if you see Wills, get a picture.”

Even here in the States, we have always kept an eye on those real-life princes. They are the fairly tale of my generation.

More importantly, let’s talk about my admiration for Kate Middleton.

Not only did she have the patience to wait just shy of a decade for her charming prince, she did it with style, class and the perfect stilettos.

Humble and unassuming, Kate has been all smiles ever since the pair announced their engagement and she began her stride into the life of a full-fledged royal.

You can always count on her pearly whites to flash during any and all official palace engagements; plus, she and Wills manage to be practically giddy when they sneak in a sweet smirk (or smooch!) during their everyday not-so-private life.

At the risk of sounding like the side of Starbucks cup, the way I see it is this: Kate is in love with William despite, and not because of, his status as the future King of England.

By all counts, she appears to be hardworking, humble, devoted, tenacious, smart, sweet and willing to go the extra mile for her hubby-which I think is an excellent relationship quality whether or not your husband is royalty.

If you haven’t noticed, the press seems to be unnaturally obsessed with how Kate does all of their grocery shopping-and I think this is why. The fact that Great Britain still has a King and Queen is, in and of itself, a little old-world (read: ridiculous).

Not to mention the fact that they employ hundreds (probably thousands) of servants, ladies-in-waiting, housekeepers, nannies and various other waitstaff for the upkeep of their homes and families.

This wouldn’t be a big deal or seem out of the ordinary, until you hear the story of how Prince Charles never put the toothpaste on his own toothbrush.

Yeah, that’s real.

Wills and Kate are determined to be different, and I love it. Kate does all their cooking, Wills has a career in the Royal Air Force (remember, they postponed their honeymoon because he had to be back at work on Monday?) and famously, instead of wedding gifts, they asked for money to be donated to their charities.

Basically, I could go on and on. Speaking as a former British colonist, I can say I whole-heartedly approve (and obsess over) this match.

May their rein as Wills and Kate be long and fabulous... and may Kate continue to single-handedly bring back the nude pump.