5 Things I've learned from One Tree Hill

One Tree Hill aired it's final episode ever this past spring. To put it lightly, I went through an emotional state of shock. I'm 24 and yes, maybe a little old to still be obsessed with television shows geared toward teenagers. HOWEVER, I'm a huge proponent of silly obsessions so my habits rarely bother me. Tree Hill captured my heart when I was 15 and I didn't miss a single episode in its 9 year run. This show was there when I was too depressed to leave my dorm room in college, it was there on all the long car rides during family vacations, it was there on random school nights when I needed to crank out a ten page paper...catch my drift? The show was basically my life. I once waited in line at a Macy's for 5 hours so I could meet the creator, Mark Schwahn--I made a glittered-out poster and everything. Oh, and I cried. To pay homage to this part of my life, I decided to summarize the main 5 things I learned from watching:

image via: cwtv.com/shows/one-tree-hill/photos

1. There is no place like home-- I think probably the biggest reason I love OTH is because of the strong sense of one's roots that pervades throughout the series. People come and go; they grow up, move, die, bring new people with them, etc. Family and best friends are so greatly valued, and I love that--in fact, I don't think enough emphasis is placed on those things anymore. "This house always wanted to be a home and now it will be. Our home. Everyone should have that, a place that makes them happy."-Brooke Davis. As time passes, I appreciate my own home so much more; while I like to go out into the world and experience things, it's nice to know that there is a place where I was born and raised and can go back to at any time. It will always be there, waiting. "It's a magical place, son. I've seen that magic in your eyes for the past nine years. There's only one Tree Hill, Jamie Scott. And it's your home."-Haley Scott. While reality is a lot less glamorous than Tree Hill, each little town in this world has its own magic and charm--regardless of how annoying and boring we feel it is. We just have to look closely and maybe see things we hadn't seen before; things we overlooked growing up because we were too busy complaining about how mundane our lives seemed. Mark Schwahn weaves nostalgia in and out of the "home" theme and it never, ever fails to tug at my heart strings a little bit. "Oh, I don't know. What makes any high school special? This is where it all happened for the first time; the heartache, the happiness--all of it. Being in this hallway...feels like it was yesterday. I wake up sometimes and I miss it. But this is good. It's all still right here."

image via: cwtv.com/shows/one-tree-hill/photos

2. There is beauty in pain-- I don't think there has ever been a character in the history of television that has made despair and turmoil look more attractive than Peyton Sawyer has. She exudes grace in the face of adversity. Watching her made it easier to go through my own pain. No one wants to feel sadness--it is uncomfortable and we are wired to fight against it, to desperately try to get rid of the feeling. However, seeing this character get one thing after the other thrown at her, I realized that the only way to make the bad okay is to sit with it. Let yourself feel sad and depressed. What's that saying people always say? "What we resist, persists." Even though she lost two moms, Peyton found comfort in the memories. Even though many people left her alone in life, she sat quietly with her pain and found comfort in the stillness of the dark. She never let anything get the best of her. And when she did feel like she was losing the battle, she had the courage to ask for help and turn to the people whom she trusted most. "I was reminded today in a roundabout way that the most perfect act of love is sacrifice. It's what Keith did for Karen; burying his feelings for her for all those years so he could be a good friend. I love you, Lucas. And I think I have since the first moment we locked eyes and it is going to suck but if what you want is for me to let you go, then I'm gonna do it. Be happy, Luke. I want that with all my heart."-Peyton Sawyer.

image via: cwtv.com/shows/one-tree-hill/photos

3. Hoes over bros-- Ladies, am I right?? Brooke and Peyton have been best friends since they were young. When they hit high school, things get complicated because boys start to come between them. Though they tried to stick to their fist-pumping saying, it didn't always work out. Nevertheless, I like that the importance of female bonding is valued. Best friends are so important. In Brooke and Peyton's case, they help you grieve the death of two mothers, help one get away from a pscyho stalker, stick by one another through drug use and cheating, and more importantly, let one use their artwork for their new clothing line. Boys come and go but your best friends (and I mean that in the truest sense of the word, best) are the ones that stay no matter what.

image via: cwtv.com/shows/one-tree-hill/photos

4. "Your Art Matters"-- Lucas said this to Peyton in season one when he hijacked her drawings and submitted them to this magazine, Thud, to see if he could get them published. He succeeded and she got a weekly spot in the magazine for her drawings. Peyton was always afraid to put her artwork out there and it took Lucas to tell her that what she did mattered--her art mattered. It's nice to have people affirm what you do, but this little Lucas and Peyton exchange really resonated with me. "Your art matters; it's what got me here." What I do matters; even though people may not ever know my writing or what I do, it's okay. Because no matter what we all have a purpose and we all matter--whether it be drawing, writing, painting, designing, photography, acting--our art matters.

image via: www.dishnetworkshop.com

5. Family does not always need to be blood related-- I was around 15 when this show came out, in the midst of high school making some of the best friends I would ever have (and still have!). It was comforting seeing a group of people go through the same things my friends and I were going through. It affirmed our friendships in a way--made it even more okay that I considered some of those people family because it was not so far fetched. "I know it's late there, I just...what happened to us? You know? I don't know who I am anymore. Or how I got here. I miss who I used to be. I wanna have a home again, ya know? And real friends. You know, the kind of friendships we used to believe in. I miss that. And I miss you. I guess I just miss all of it. Does any of that make sense?" We are not always around our family in the way we are around our close friends. And if you're lucky, the close friendships will sustain--through various life transitions, becoming more stable over time than "real" family.

image via: cwtv.com/shows/one-tree-hill/photos

This picture really has no relevance to this post, but I had to pay tribute to Jake Jagielski. I mean, yeah. Just look at him. YOU'RE WELCOME.

I'm baaaaaaack!!!!!

image via: mysterypeople.wordpress.com

I graduated from grad school about three weeks ago and have been spending my time doing what I've wanted to do for the past two years: spend all my free time looking at youtube videos, mostly of famous people/authors/spiritual leaders/oprah. I've found some real gems, but I am most pleased with my J.K. Rowling finds. The woman is a genius people! Like, one of the smartest and most creative women ever. I still have yet to finish the Potter series (I've been in the college setting for 6 years, guys) but already know that I'm going to love the way she handles the end. Actually, I love the way she has handled everything in her life. "A year in the life" is probs my favorite youtube discovery and I think I've watched it about three times. It is sort of long, so here are my fave parts:

--when she talks about her family: jo (that's her real name) didn't come from the best family life. She also got married and had a baby in her early 20's, followed by a divorce. Poverty followed her into the first few years of being a single parent. As twisted as this is, I love that she has this background because at my core, I am a social worker and love a good "coming from nothing" story.

--when they show jo in her hotel room writing the final pages of the series: besides being a social worker, writing is the other piece of my soul. I love it/need to do it in order to be a somewhat happy person. When she finishes, she smiles in a way that makes me feel bad for her--for the past 17 years she has had these characters to turn to, and then it all ended with a quick punch of the "period (.)" key. Seems a little anti-climactic. I can't imagine ever writing something for that long, let alone something that made me one of the richest people in the world. Despite the glitz and glam of the monstrosity that is Harry Potter, it still all goes back to a woman in her hotel room, drinking coffee, and worrying the material might be "rubbish."

--7,000 copies a minute: that's how many HP books were sold per minute the first day the last book came out. That is A TON of Harrys! I get goosebumps thinking about the magnitude of the phenomenon Harry Potter has become. Kids got so excited when the latest book would come out and I think it's great that there were parties held just for a book...A BOOK! One woman with one idea wrote 7 books and now, millions of people around the WORLD read more just because HP exists. If that's not a cultural phenomenon, then I dunno what is.

Watch:  A Year In The Life (TV, 2007)

Confessions Of A Ryan Adams Superfan

In honor of Ry's new album, Ashes and Fire, coming out on October 11th...

Dear Ryan (<---I know him well enough to be on a first name basis),

To put it simply, I love you. We have never actually met, but I know we are soulmates. Mandy's cool, and I like that you married someone who used to sing about candy, but I really think we'd get along. I would even settle for being both of your best friends. We could hang out; laugh, eat cake, play with your animals, hike--really, I'm up for anything.

I haven't always loved you. In fact, our relationship is at about 2 1/2 years. I'd heard about you from shows like One Tree Hill, but since my music taste had not yet evolved, I was still paying $200 to go to Britney Spears concerts (still love ya Brit!). Enter the boy to end all boys--thanks to him, you came into my life. You rocked my world. Sang me to sleep. Gave me jams to soothe my broken heart. He gave me a mixed CD of your songs. I waited a few days to actually listen, but when I did, I kind of freaked out. Where the eff had you been all my life? Why was I so stupid as to only listen to music that a 15 year old would listen to? In an instant, you became the love of my life.

Within weeks, I got every single album you ever made. And your books. For a solid three months, my life consisted of only you. You totally get me--telling me we're going to win, to put my troubles behind me, and go on to bed (you know how much I need my sleep). I think I would have had a nervous breakdown after that boy disappeared had it not been for you.

I know you have tons of fans who all probably say they're your biggest fans. But I'm serious. I really think I am. I've never seen you live because I chose to start loving you after you finished tons of touring...but for this next album (it's probably the highlight of my year), I hope and pray that you will come sing to me.

I've often thought about what I would say to you if we ever meet. Probably something similar to this. I just wanna warn you though, that if we ever do cross paths, I will probably freak out and try not to have an anxiety attack which will inevitably not work causing me to cry a teeny bit. Just smile at me real big and give me a hug and tell me that it's gonna be okay and I promise I'll calm down so you can realize how much you love me.

Sincerely,

Emily

What Makes Females Go Crazy In The Year 2011

This is dedicated to Travis. YOU'RE WELCOME.

Liars--this includes those liars who lie by "omission."

Cheaters

Men who think that women are so complicating and hard to understand--we really don't expect that much from you. i'm serious. it's the little things that make us happy so shoot us a text in the morning to wish us a good day or bring us chocolate when we're PMSing (yes, we do that) or hell, be bold and give us a call when you want to talk to us. again, it's the LITTLE THINGS.

It's really hard being a girl. Nothing is crazier than all the standards and expectations we have to be a certain way...we will always feel like we're lacking something; we will always look at those trashy magazines and wish we didn't have cellulite on our ass like we're SURE olivia wilde doesn't, or wish we could make our hair less frizzy (that's when a girl's hair has more volume but not in a good way...humidity usually does this) like jennifer aniston, whom never, ever seems to have this problem.

Humidity (see above)

Hayden Panettiere

 Facebook

Dramatic changes in behavior--i.e. when a guy texts you EVERYDAY, a couple times a day, and then abruptly stops, there should be no surprise that we ask/wonder what has happened or changed; no, this does not make us "crazy" or "possessive." we are normal and functional human beings who want to make sure we're not dealing with idiot/asshole boys who like to change their minds on a whim.

Being told to "calm down" or "chill out" when we're actually quite fine; raising our voices and getting agitated does not mean we are having a freak-out.

"Are you PMSing or something?"

Other females who flirt with every breathing male.

When men lose interest in our lives and/or would rather be hanging out with their "boys." If you want to act like a 14 year-old, then please just do us a favor and break up with us.

When we're out with a dude and he won't quit checking out every other woman in the room; i.e. waitresses, bartenders, any girl with a skirt on.












**some of these are subject to change and/or be added to...

What I Wish I Could Have Told Myself At 18

We were really cool in high school

Take a minute to stop and breathe every now and then. A few deep breaths in the morning do wonders for the rest of your day.

Even though it feels like it, you WILL NOT die of a broken heart.

Texting and calling someone every five minutes will not make them want to be with you more.

Take note of what you look like now, and be diligent in maintaining that look because once you start drinking more and eating "drunk food," you WILL GAIN WEIGHT.

Bad decisions are good for your development. So don't worry.

Don't wait to get pedicures until your 23 (or older). Even if you have to ask your parents for money, go ahead and do so.

this is actually really cute. 

You don't have to decide what you're going to do with your life until about the third year in school (and even then, it's subject to change). Live up irresponsibility while you can.

90's Heartthrobs

The 90's were my formative years, obviously. Unsure of what this says about me then, but these guys were my main men back in the day.

                                                       JTT--me and every other girl, right?

                                                                 Andrew Keegan--duh.

Zachary Ty Bryan--i had a picture of him next to my bed and kissed it every night before i went to bed. NOT KIDDING. 

Leonardo DiCaprio (Growing Pains years)--oh my god leo, stop. you're so cute and funny and i can't stand it.

 DEVON SAWA--he was and always will be my number one, dammit.

Fave 90's male? GO.

Felicity

I write alot about TV because I watch alot of it. Always have.

There's something about sitting down for a half or full hour and getting sucked in to other people's worlds. I don't have to stretch my attention for a long period of time like I do in movies; I can continue along the path of someone's life I started  the previous week or even season before. It's nice getting to know people that don't really exist. Good fictional characters have always felt like real people to me--sometimes more real than real people I know. They don't make you guess who they are or what their motives are. And they always tell you bad news in a way that doesn't make you want to lose it, like some real people do.

Felicity totes made me feel better about being myself. I'm convinced I came out of the womb a thoughtful, analytical, and sometimes dramatic human being. At 14, I didn't really know anyone who journaled everyday to remember the details or knew anyone who only had unrequited loves. Felicity was kind of like the friend I really wanted but didn't have (someone who was bat shit complicating like I was).

FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT "FELICITY"

My favorite thing about Felicity (besides her hair, and then her ballsiness to cut off the hair) was her tape recorder. That was her journal. How friggin cool is that?! She would sit on the floor next to her bed and talk to it, sending the final product to a long-time close friend.

Ben and Noel--I was, and still am, a total 'Ben' girl.

That guy and girl who worked at that coffee shop

The fictional New York college

Felicity's apartment

NOTE: created by J.J. Abrams (bonus point) and produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard (87 bonus points).

That's some quality television right thurrr.