We had a time

[rachg82]

I'd like everyone to think back to where they were in 1994/1995. Go ahead, close your eyes. Picture the scrunchies, the doc martins, the flannel. And just for fun maybe throw in some knee-high socks, mary jane shoes, and babydoll dresses (Oh, 7th grade memories!). Recall what your favorite show was at the time. No, not Melrose Place. (hee) Well, okay, you can think of that one too if you want, but only to fondly remember Kimberly flinging off her wig and blowing up the apartment complex. (Good times.)

No, right now I want you to think more along the lines of Angela, Rickie, Rayanne, Brian, Sharon, and Jordan. Think back to the best teen show ever. Are you with me? Good. And if you aren't, I have good news for you. Hulu.com just got the rights to My So-Called Life (which I'm of course choosing to see as a shout-out to my recent post mentioning it. Heh). Every brilliant episode of its first and only season is available for online viewing, totally free. So if for some reason you've never watched the show (because you were either too old, too young, or living in the Congo at the time perhaps studying apes), now you have another chance.

I actually own the DVDs, but I was still all "OMGYAY!" when I heard the news. I even broke out said DVDs and watched a few episodes last night. Heh, what a dork. But honestly, that show just never gets old. I watch the Christmas episode probably every December, and still start to tear up the minute the ep starts.

It's one of those funny things too, because while you can get angry over the fact that the show was cancelled, at the same time it's almost a blessing that it never had the chance to diminish in quality. It never had a sophomore slump; it never started to suck. It's like this timeless, untainted gem. Always there to revisit and fall in love with all over again.

So, to those of you who never had the opportunity to catch it when it originally aired, get thee to hulu.com, post-haste. Trust me, you won't regret it.

And for everyone who did watch it, feel free to leave comments waxing nostalgic about your favorite My So-Called Life memories, and what kinds of embarassing clothes you were wearing back in the early to mid '90s. As for me, I think I pretty much tipped my hand above. Hee.

Speaking of things that make me happy, I felt inspired for my entry today to share with everyone the following listy list.

5 Random Things That Bring Me Joy:

including the following subjects --

-being a shipper
-the best video I've ever seen on YouTube
-Jerry Springer the Opera remixed
-Drunk!History
-Lauren Graham.



1. First things first, as anyone who's read my journal over the last. . .holy shit, 7 years. . .knows, it's that I am a shipper. I don't deny it. In fact, I revel in it. I'm sorry, noromos, it's just my nature. Of course there's always shows where I don't ship any particular pairing, and it's almost never the only reason I watch a show (well, almost never. *gives sideways glance at Gossip Girl.* Oh, hi there Blair/Serena slashy subtext! Tee hee. But I swear I watch that show for other reasons too! Or at least I did until I got kind of bored with it toward the end of last season. But I digress) But in general, every few years at least I find a new pairing to go absolutely batshit over. Which is really funny, considering in my real life I'm not that much of a romantic sap. I mean, I'm like perpetually single. And when I do date people, it's over in like less than 3 months. I'm not exactly living in a real-life version of Romeo & Juliet over here. Which is probably of the good, because we all know how that one ends. But you see my point. There's something about fictional pairings though that just GET me. I turn into this big, crazy, flaily GIRL. Full of squee and estrogen. And I love it, you know?

So, in honor of my shippy ways, I give you my three current favorite pairings (complete with a vid for each to showcase their wonderfulness, because hunting down fanvids is also something that gives me joy):

-Moose and Squirrel. (a.k.a. Mulder & Scully) My once and forever OTP, y'all. They'll probably always hold the #1 spot in my heart, no matter what kinds of shenanigans Chris Carter got up to with them in the final two years. The amount of fanfic I've read about those two alone would probably cover the globe, for real. Not to mention that I started reading the fic back in like 96/97 when my family still had dial-up, so they were always like "WHY IS THE LINE ALWAYS BUSY?! Rachael, what the hell are you doing in there!" Haha.

(this first vid to be showcased is by XFYellowbee, and has been one of my favorite Mulder/Scully vids for a while. I like how it focuses on their partnership as well as the luuurve.)

-Booth and Brennan. I'll start with a confession. When I first started watching the show, my viewing was sporadic because they'd always be either moving the show around or putting it up against Gilmore Girls or something, and a lot of the episodes I'd catch were reruns at first. And I remember back around the time season 3 was starting (or had already started, I'm not sure), they played a rerun that I caught, but which I didn't at the time know was a rerun. I'm pretty sure it was "The Girl in the Fridge," from season 1. Anyway, so I remember watching the scene where they're talking about sex games and such and thinking to myself that they were supposed to be a couple already. I mean, not like "I wonder if they're together," but convinced it was the case. Then found out, whoops, nope! Then a few months later during the writer's strike, they played the pilot again and I started watching that. By this time I'd come to my senses enough to figure out they weren't together yet. But then during that scene in the firing range where Booth's all getting in Brennan's face all sexylike, I thought to myself "wow, so looks like they're about to get them together, eh? They're not gonna wait ten thousand years like the X-Files? Good for them." Then fast-forward through the episode a little, and I figure out it's the *pilot*, and I was like "THAT'S what they were already like in the pilot, for God's sake? Oh God, I'm doomed."

And the rest is history, my friends.

(This one is by Ferryboat Productions. Lots of season 4 clips, in case you're someone who hasn't seen all of those episodes yet and perhaps doesn't want to be spoiled on any Booth/Bones deliciousness, i.e. probably keenai. *waves* Heh)

-Roslin and Adama. My most recent ship. I've pretty much already gone into my love for them in excrutiating detail in my last couple entries, but I'll try to expand on it a little more here. They are just so fucking sweet, it makes my heart hurt. They are Madame President and Admiral Adama, gods damn't. Military Strongman and Political Strongwoman, united together to rule the world. The journey their relationship undertakes is so pleasant to watch, and I really love that it didn't feel either rushed or delayed. It just. . .was. And is. At least until the show ends in another 12 or so episodes for me that is. *cries* Hee. I wish I knew how to describe what it is about them I love though. There's just something old-fashioned and beautiful about them. Maybe it's that they're an older couple, maybe it's the support they lend each other throughout all the tragedy they've faced together, I don't know. Maybe it's because of all that tragedy that seeing them love each other and give each other happiness for however much time they have makes you as the viewer happy. Who knows. All I know is they bring the joy for me.

(vid by madzebra101. Contains clips up through season 4, some of which are spoilery even for me, but I've passed the point where I care when it comes to these two. Heh. So weak! Note how the music in the background is the Roslin/Adama theme from the season 2 soundtrack. Yes, my ship is so full of win that it gets its own theme song, don't be jealous!)

Also: I'd like to give an honorable mention to Luke/Lorelai as they'd be the next pairing in line if I were to have made this my top 4 pairings instead of 3. But listing four pairings here would just be too much. Not even I am gonna unload that much shippyness in one post. But they have to at least get a mention, so there you go.

2. While we're on the topic of fanvids, I present you with my #2 item: the best fanvid I've probably ever seen on YouTube. The vidder is blimvisible (or lim, like it says in the video), and she is fucking incredible. As she puts it in her description, this vid is a "multi-fandom metavid." I take that to mean it's partly a vid about vidding (hence the shot of Batman looking up at the copyright symbol where the bat signal should be--i.e. copyright infringement issues--and the fitting "we're living in a den of thieves" lyric), but even more so it's also just an expression of what it's like to be in a fandom. Why someone does it, what we're all looking for, and what pop culture gives us.

It's fun to watch the vid and try to spot the fandoms, too. X-Files appears a couple times, and Angel does as well.

P.S. this vid is also featured at the end of another amazing video: "An Anthropological Introduction to YouTube" by mwesch, which you can watch here. It's like an hour long, but seriously so interesting and entertaining if any of you ever have time to check it out. I've watched it more than once, because I'm a major geek and because applying cultural anthropology to the interent is just fucking cool, admit it. (not to mention how neat it is that an anthropology vid got over a million hits on YouTube, am I right?)

3. "I Just Wanna Fucking Dance," by Alison Jiear. This is the remix of the original song from The Jerry Springer Opera. Which, P.S: comes close to tying with Avenue Q for the musical I'd fork out the most dough to see right now (after having gotten "Wicked" out of the way last April, which was INCREDIBLE, btw).

Anyway, I dare you to watch this video and not feel happy. It's impossible.

4. Drunk History. If history were taught like this, maybe people would pay more attention. Haha. This one's my favorite of the Drunk History vids (along with the Benjamin Franklin vid with Jack Black).

"Here's some leeches!" Hahahaha.

5. And last but not least on the list: every Lauren Graham interview ever. She makes me crack up like no one else can in interviews, especially the ones she does on Ellen. But because I don't have time to post them all, and because I'm sure I'm the only person who enjoys watching 3 hours straight of nothing but YouTube videos, I'll leave you with these two moments of Lauren Graham adorableness that never fail to make me laugh:

Lauren Graham's fabulous stunt. She's a crime-fighter just waiting to happen!

Lauren Graham singing about going topless. Lauren Graham, I *heart* you.

"" (Watch on YouTube)

So there you have it, folks. 5 Random Things of Joy. Hope the list brought a little happy your way as well!

Comments

[britishwannabe1.livejournal.com]

Fuck, being a shipper is just the best thing ever. It makes me so happy. B/B and MS are just so much love, I love partnership love. It's so awesome. LOL I love your story about BB in the pilot episode too. Thanks for the vid recs!

I swear, Lauren Grahm gives the best interviews.

[rachg82.livejournal.com]

I know, right? The one where she goes on about getting in trouble with the WB security guard and pretends to be Jennifer Aniston cracks me up in a major way. She is such a nut.

Everytime I watch the Bones pilot, I remember that. Hee. I was like "ooh, this looks good. I want to see them get together, I'd better keep watching." FAIL. Haha.

[britishwannabe1.livejournal.com]

he he thats so funny!

i love your story of your bones love. mine is considerably less exciting.

[keenai.livejournal.com]

It's kind of impossible not to ship Booth and Brennan, I think.

[rachg82.livejournal.com]

For real. I've seen one or two people out there who didn't though, and I was like "What the hell? Really?" It's like when someone says something like "I don't like chocolate," and it's like "I'm sorry, that does not compute."