Coupons: Some Just Ain't Going To Cut It!

The other day I was flipping through the Sunday paper while eating my bowl of cereal and drinking my cup of coffee, sitting on my porch surrounded by a white picket fenced house (ok, that last part was fabricated but I couldn't help but paint the ideal picture).

It was when I flipped to the flyers section and took out the coupon booklet did I have a little laugh. We have all probably used coupons at some point in our lives and revel in our savings, but there are some coupons that I cannot understand how they still exist.

Save 35 cents.

35 cents?! When I think of cents, I think of pennies, and when I think of pennies, I think of THIS.

I don't think I'd be compelled to cut out a 35 cent coupon even if I normally BOUGHT the product. For god sakes, 35 cents isn't worth tearing out the coupon only to wonder where the hell to put it, only to forget to use it when and if you do buy it. There's nothing worse than buying something only to realize later you had a coupon for it. (Shame on you for buying ANYTHING at Macy's without one of their daily coupons that can be doubled up with another and then credited with a Macy's card discount even though you don't have one by a friendly cashier).


But I wouldn't even feel compelled to buy a new product for a savings of a mere 35 cents. So I wonder, who is cutting out these coupons enough so that manufacturers are still producing them? I'll tell you who--the grandma's of the world who hit up 6 supermarkets in one day for 35 cents savings in each.

Maybe I'm the fool for not buying into these savings, or maybe I just have to wait until the time comes where I can sense it's worth saving cents.

Sorry Grandma...you know I love you!

Top 3 of the Week: Why It's So Much More Fun To Be a Girl

1) Shopping for Clothes
For some of us, it can be an overwhelming, but I embrace the plentiful options we have. Besides the obvious skirts and dresses, us ladies have so much more to select from than the men out there. After all, button down shirt, polo shirt, t-shirt, jeans, slacks. What else do you guys have to choose from? I wouldn't call myself a fashionista by any means, but the colors and patterns, the fabric and style that we can choose from makes me realize why girls like shopping so much more than guys.



2) Getting Treated
Ok, whether you agree with old-fashioned chivalry or not, in most cases, men will treat us ladies when we go out. So meeting a guy at a bar who wants to buy us a drink, or having a guy take us out to dinner without us having to open our wallet (even after we offer) is a nice feeling. Even having a door opened for us or having our chair pulled out for us at a restaurant, is a sign that it's nice to have a man take care of some things. Of course we're in charge of the cooking/cleaning if you want to live by old-fashioned standards!


3) Hair and Makeup
While this could easily be quite the process, doing our hair and makeup certainly helps make us ladies look our best. Curly or straight, up or down, angles and layer or short or long, hair helps differentiate our look much more than just the typical cut that guys must succumb to. But I do envy the guy who can throw on a t-shirt and head out for the night, while most girls need at least an hour to do our hair, makeup, and coordinate our outfit with our shoes, bag and jewelry. It's quite the process, but I wouldn't give it up for anything! :)

Rant of the Week: When Exactly Were We Taught Grammar?

I remember learning literature and reading books in English classes, not how to form a proper sentence. Watch my rant on how no one ever taught us proper grammar growing up!

I Forgot Your Name--Already!

Hello, my name is Brooke. And you are?

Wait.

Before you answer, know that 9 out of 10 times I'm going to forget your name anyway.

That's right. If I saw you 10 years from now, I can remember we met that one time, that one day. But talk to me an hour from now and I won't be able to recall your name.

Why is that? I'm sure I'm not the only one that suffers from a mild case of short-term memory loss. But I find that there are so many other thoughts that go through my mind when I first meet someone, it's hard to register your name.

Ow, he just broke my hand with that handshake.
I really like her dress.
Is he staring at my boobs?
This is an awkward situation.
Am I making a good impression?
I shouldn't have said that joke.
Why is he already balding when he looks like he's 20?

This could come in handy...

Sure there are tricks we all learn: repeat the name after they say it so it registers (Susan? Hi Susan, I'm Brooke) or give them a nickname (hi John.. Wow your tall, I'm going to call you 'Long John') but it still can be difficult.

But the worst part is that there comes a point, whether it's after a certain amount of interactions, that we can no longer ask you what your name is, we should know by now. But we don't. And therefore must either try to overhear someone else call out their name, or we have to whisper to a friend or coworker to find out.

In the end, I don't think instantly forgetting someones name is a reflection on a persons intelligence, ignorance or significance. It's just something that some like myself need to work on. By the way, my name is Brooke, just in case you forgot...

Top 3 of the Week: Best Jokes from the Leno-O'Brien Debacle

In light of the disaster that is the late night lineup at NBC, I thought it was fitting to capture the best jokes by all parties involved!

1) "My people are upset. Conan's people are upset. Hey, NBC said it wanted drama at 10:00 -- now they've got it!" –Jay Leno
For those who live under a (30) Rock, NBC thought they were so innovative by tightening their purse strings when they chose to air Leno five times a week at 10pm instead of the costly drama shows that would be in its place instead. Obviously, that did not work out, and with ratings plummeting week by week, they were finally able to admit this idea crashed and burned.


2) "Hosting 'The Tonight Show' has been the fulfillment of a life-long dream for me. And I just want to say to the kids out their watching, you can do anything you want in life. Unless Jay Leno wants to do it, too." –Conan O'Brien
Poor Conan. He was stellar in his in previous time slot, as his off-beat humor worked well with the younger crowd. However, it never seemed to pick up steam with the older crowd (he can take SOME solace in that the ratings in the 18-49 demo did slightly improve with him at the helm of The Tonight Show). But Conan was never the same that he was in The Late Show, potentially conforming his humor to please the older crowd. Clearly, it didn't work.



3) "Kev, if we did get canceled, it will give us time to maybe do some traveling. In fact, I understand Fox is beautiful this time of year." -Jay Leno
At this point, Leno isn't going anywhere. In fact, this joke would have worked better for Conan, who is rumored to land at FOX for their 11pm time slot. If NBC learned anything from this debacle, it's to never include a clause in a contract like Conan's that said by year 2009, you WILL be the host of The Tonight Show. For fear of losing their superstar Leno, the 10pm show idea was created. At least in the end, they keep Leno, but it proved to be a costly and embarrassing turn of events in order to do it!

Rant of the Week: Security--What's the Point Sometimes?

Top 3 of the Week: Why the Jets Can Make the Super Bowl

1) This Year's Cinderella Story
Ok I know I shouldn't get carried away by the Jets impressive road playoff win versus the Bengals, but I am. Every year in sports there always seems to be that Cinderella story from a team who wasn't expected to make it as far as they did and maybe find themselves winning it all in the end. Even Coach Ryan had his team eliminated from playoff contention after the crushing defeat to the Falcons. So when the Jets came back from the dead with every piece falling their way the day the Colts essentially forfeited their undefeated season to New York, we may look back at that moment and see just how these Jets lived happily ever after and became the Cinderella story of the year.


2) Rex Ryan is the Man
The only thing bigger than Ryan's positive impact and humorous personality is his massive gut. Hiring Rex proved dividends as he has instantly transformed the Jets D into the best in the league. Couple that with guys who love playing for him, as he did snag top linebacker Bart Scott in the offseason from his former team, and Marty Shottenheimer, who said he's had the most fun as the Jets offensive coordinator this year under Ryan. Rex, a far cry from the stoic Eric Mangini, has so far mustered up the right game plan and attitude to get the most out of his Jets. There's no reason to think his defensive plan can't find a way to stifle Philip Rivers next week or Peyton Manning the following, or get his offense to rush past the Ravens in what could become a home playoff game.



3) If Sanchez Plays the Way He Did in His First Playoff Start...
...then the Jets are a scary team. New York has gotten where they're at despite the rookie Sanchez, not because of him. His mistimely interceptions and poor decision-making throughout the season were arguably responsible for most if not all of the Jets losses. But that's expected for a rookie. What isn't expected is the way he played versus the Bengals in the AFC Wildcard Game. If he can stay 'on the mark' (pun intended) like he did vs the Bengals and can complete 80% of his passes again and have a QB rating of 139.4, then you've got to like his chances (unlikely, but still...). But while each opponent will only get tougher for the Jets, Sanchez already proved he's capable of stepping up in a big game. His best game of the season just so happened to be his first career playoff game. Impressive.

The "People's Choice" is a Joke

So tonight I got excited when I started watching the People's Choice Awards, as it marks the start of the upcoming award season. But every year, I seem to forget why I in fact always START watching this show, but never FINISH watching it, as I remember with each passing minute that this is the award show where apparently its WINNERS ONLY in attendance, nominees need not apply.

The best comedy show on TV is...The Big Bang Theory? Who's voting for this? The CBS employees who chose to hang on to their People's Choice surveys for self-promotion rather than handing it out to the public?

The Best Comedy Movie of the Year is..The Proposal? Well, it makes sense I guess, considering they placed Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock in the front row.

The Best Female in a Comedy is...Sandra Bullock again? Wait a minute..is CBS trying to kill two birds with one stone and not have to hand out a party gift to another celeb? It is at this moment in the show that I decided to blog my anger.

How exactly does this award show work? I mean it's pretty obvious the guaranteed winners are those in attendance. But did CBS send an invite to say, Alec Baldwin, and when he turned it down, did they decide to give the Best Actor in a Comedy award to Steve Carrell instead? If Alec would have said yes, would he have gotten the award? I'm intrigued by how this process works.

I don't know what's more sad. The fact that this show is trying to pass off as legitimate, or the fact that I actually tuned in.

The people have spoken! And the People's Choice goes to...any award show but THIS one!

Top 3 of the Week: New Year's Resolutions That Never Work

1) Hitting the Gym More

To the routine gym-goer, they hate this time of year. Because gyms around the country are packed with the hefty, overweight and want-to-trim down folks who set a goal of losing their holiday weight or just trimming down, period. But crowded machines who people who don't know how to work them is what January is all about!

2) Quit--Something

Smoking, drinking, eating unhealthy--we all try to tell ourselves we'll break whatever habit we have once the new year starts. And for some, it works. (You may be so unhappy with your job you're even willing to quit that!) For most, like the gym-goers, it lasts a few weeks before we're back to the donuts, recliner and six pack and off the nicotine patch or the diet!

3) Become a Good-Doer

I'm going to give back to charity, get my priorities straight, focus on the important things in life, become more organized, and do one new thing every day. While our intentions are great, our actions are not. If we're lucky, by years end, we will tell ourselves we accomplished our New Year's goal, but by that time, we probably don't even remember what it was!