Enjoy!
My little sister just turned 13, and her birthday gift was the Nintendo Switch system. Our family friend already has one, so she's well-versed in the lingo, tools, and games even though the plastic-cling pieces are still newly peeled off of her own system. Her first game was Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and although it was also an option on the Switch's predecessor, I never played Mario Kart on my Wii. Needless to say, she beat me.
First of all, the remotes are so small it feels like even my little hands wrap around the buttons twice. We were on Baby Park (which is my current favorite due to the track's predictable circular shape), and she yelled: "Press the left button!" I didn't even know there were buttons on the right and left. I lost that time too.
I was never one to get into games like Call of Duty or 2K, so I don't have great hand-eye coordination or video game dexterity. Despite that, growing up with the Wii, I learned how to wave my remote to get the fireball to serve in Tennis. Not to brag, but I used to beat my sister ALL THE TIME. So I guess the advent of technology decided to see to my reckoning.
My mom used to get on my case when my best friend and I would play the Wii for hours and hours, trying to beat each other.
We often heard the phrase “Go outside!" Eventually, we did, and we'd climb trees and chase each other around and create imaginary worlds sitting on the sidewalks.
Contrarily, my little sister doesn't really do “outside." She and her friends mainly shut themselves in her room when they come over, and when I've come in to offer mac and cheese or snacks, they're all sitting two feet apart while on their phones.
Needless to say, I'm interested to see how her social relations change once this new game system becomes a daily activity. She's already frustrated with my fumbling rookie fingers and she'll ditch me in the middle of the 4-round races.
But I'm not worried. Just like the '90s babies sort of migrated from Facebook to Twitter when the older generations got a hold of it, I have a feeling Gen Z will tire of the Switch when mine and my parent's generation begin to ask how to use it.
Letting go of my Wii glory days has been hard, but in this whole experience, I've learned two things about myself. The first is that I'm still competitive even when I suck (I'm going to beat her one day). The second is that I'm going to have to figure out what to do with myself now that I'm entering the phase of “uncool." I'll probably continue with my daily practice of reading in the evenings and drinking tea.
I'm sure other '90s babies are cooler than me and have already conquered the Nintendo Switch. If so, send your suggestions my way. I'm still stuck on the fact that the A button switches when the remote turns. I guess I'm old-school.
There was nothing better than waking up, eating some sort of sugary cereal (or pancakes), then sitting down and watching cartoons or playing Webkinz on your snow day. Those Webkinz arcade games? So fun.
Before even getting on PictoChat, you would have to call your friend's house and tell them to get on PictoChat. Then, you plan your day, what's gonna go down, and where to meet. Oh -- and roast each other by drawing one another.
How you felt once the igloo was built.
Admit it. You and your friends would make mounds of snow and attempt to build those stylish igloos your penguin had for itself on Club Penguin (RIP). My friend and I built an igloo once, and we even printed out our Club Penguin avatars and stuck them to the igloo. They melted two seconds later, but that's okay. We were SNOW QUEENS.
While this snowball scene was iconic, you could never quite throw the snowballs hard enough, or fast enough, which made you quit early. Plus, now that the igloo was built, you could hide in there as if it were a fort.
Put that mug in the microwave, grab as many marshmallows as possible, and set up the DVD player. It's time to sing, dance, and sip on some hot chocolate with your best friend. If you watched the second one, chances are you would recreate the "Bet On It" dance in your living room. No? Just me? Okay.
Time for more Webkinz playing, YouTube watching, and song listening. Chances are, you all sat in a leather desk chair in your friend's basement while you watched "asdf" videos, "Annoying Orange," or lyric videos that were made on Windows MovieMaker.
"Just Dance"?! Yes, please! You have to sweat off that hot chocolate somehow. "Nintendogs" was the best game to play if you no longer wanted to play "Webkinz." For those like me, "Super Mario Bros." was your go-to. Bowser was always a tricky guy to beat at the end of every level.
In order to ensure you would have another day off tomorrow, you had to put your pajamas on inside out and backward, and then go flush an ice cube down the toilet. It only worked a handful of times, but you still relied on this trick to get you off of school the next day.
Snow days in college are definitely not as common, so it's nice to reminisce on the simpler days of playing Webkinz and spending days with your friends. Hopefully this semester will see a few more snow days than the last, but we can only hope.
Part one of "The Blacklist" season premiere airs on Thursday, January 3rd on NBC.
"The Bachelor" premieres on ABC on Monday, January 7th.
"Black-ish" returns on Tuesday, January 8th on ABC.
Everyone's favorite family returns on Wednesday, January 9th.
The Nine-Nine crew is back on it's new network, NBC, on Thursday, January 10th!
"The Good Place" crew is back again on Thursday, January 10th on NBC.
Celebrate the return of "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" on Friday, January 11th.
This tear-jerker returns on Tuesday, January 15th on NBC.
The CW's best is back on Wednesday, January 16th!
The long-running hospital drama is back on Thursday, January 17th in it's TGIT lineup.
The "Will & Grace" reboot season returns to the small screen on Thursday, January 31st.
Barrett Luci / Twitter
Britney Spears's pop masterpiece “Circus," the song providing Barrett with his punchline, is 10 years old. Yeah, you read that correctly. It was released a decade ago. How many other songs did I forget came out ten years ago?
We'll start this list off easy with another pop masterpiece by the legendary Miss Britney Spears: “Womanizer," off her 2008 album Circus. This song is fun and flirtatious, not to mention Spears's first comeback single after the 2007 umbrella incident and tragically iconic MTV Video Music Awards performance of "Gimme More." Till this day, I still think about the looks she serves in this video.
It's not news that Lil Wayne is a legend in the hip-hop community. 2008 seemed to be his year with songs like “Mrs. Officer," “Lollipop," and “A Milli." The moment you hear the hook of “Mrs. Officer" and Wayne's notable impression of police sirens, you'll definitely be taken back ten years. When your younger siblings, cousins, or nieces and nephews ask “what is this?" that's when your age will hit you.
If you don’t know all the lyrics to this song, where even was your childhood? “Burnin’ Up” is a staple of the Jonas Brothers’ discography, not to mention its unexpected verse by their bodyguard, Big Rob. Also, the music video is just so good! It even features a cameo by fellow Disney darling Selena Gomez.
This song is the sole reason I’m even writing this article. If I’m being honest, THIS is my national anthem. Danity Kane is the work of Sean Diddy Combs, and I thank him every day not only for the girl group that is DK, but for his monologue at the end of this song: “Sometimes you gotta go through the pain to experience the joy. This too shall pass.” We all felt that. “Damaged” is also a wake-up call for 20-year-old me, helping me acknowledge that it’s okay to be emotionally damaged. The vocals on this iconic bop are insane, the visual is very pink and unusual and just screams 2008. In my book, “Damaged” goes down as one of the greatest girl group songs of all time.
When Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, he said “Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time" in reference to “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it)." West wasn't wrong— Queen Bey graced us with not only the single girl's anthem for years to come, but with an iconic black and white visual and indelible choreography. No one will ever forget the robotic glove and sassy hand movements that came along with it. “Single Ladies" was also the birth of Bey's alter ego, Sasha Fierce.
Before collaborations with Kesha and Katy Perry, 3OH!3 graced us with “Don't Trust Me" and taught us all how to "do the Helen Keller and talk with our hips." I had the pleasure of watching 3OH!3 at the final Warped Tour, and I can honestly say I've never felt more accomplished than when I sang (actually, screamed) along “Tell your boyfriend if he says he's got beef, that I'm a vegetarian and I'm not f***ing scared of him." This song was truly ahead of its time, and although the 3OH!3 hype was short-lived, the hype for “Don't Trust Me" will last forever.
“Love Lockdown" was the world's introduction to Kanye West's now iconic record, 808s & Heartbreak. West debuted the single at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, before songs like "Heartless" and "Paranoid (featuring Mr. Hudson)" hit the radio. This is one of our last memories of Kanye before the infamous on-and-off Taylor Swift feud.
If "Be careful what you wish for 'cause you just might get it" wasn't part of your daily mantra already, this song reminds you that it should be. Full of misheard lyrics and life lessons made fun, "When I Grow Up" is one of the plenty songs that put PCD on the map as a burlesque-gone-mainstream girl group like no other.
New to HBO and one season in, this drama series focuses on the Roy family and the aging father running their entertainment empire. With family members underneath him waiting for him to give up the reigns so they can control the company, the clear succession plan that was set up is starting to get a bit muddy. Follow this family and their business empire to see how the drama unfolds.
Brought to you by the wonderful Amy Sherman-Palladino of "Gilmore Girls" fame, this Amazon series is quite unique. Midge Maisel is living with her family on the Upper West Side until her marriage falls apart, and she accidentally stumbles into a talent she didn't know she had: stand-up comedy. Maisel performs at clubs and venues across NYC in her venture to become a famous stand-up comedian and make it onto "The Tonight Show."
If you're looking for a short episode quick watch, this show is for you. "The End of the F***ing World" follows the story of James, a teen who thinks he's a psychopath and Alyssa, a rebellious teen who is trying to escape her normal life. Don't let the fact that this dark comedy is about teens scare you off! The quirky characters, ominous and sometimes violent events, and shocking conclusion will have you pressing "next episode."
This wildly underrated comedy brings real life situations right to your screen. Featuring a newly divorced woman, her teenage daughter and her bachelor brother all living under one roof, this Hulu original comedy hilariously navigates the waters of dating life. The fourth and final season is being released on July 31st, so now is the time to binge this comedy. (FYI: It also has a 92% Rotten Tomatoes rating).
This new original series from Netflix chronicles death row inmates who are convicted of capital murder and the story behind how they ended up on death row. Actual death row inmates are interviewed and tell their story from childhood all the way up until the present day. This series not only provides chilling first-hand accounts of the inmate's crimes but also tells both sides of the story to give viewers a full understanding of what happened. True crime junkies -- this one's for you.
Sandra Oh makes her triumphant return to TV in this incredibly well done spy drama. Well established spy Eve is bored with her job and is sick of being bound to her desk. Villanelle, on the other hand, is a talented killer who thrives at her job. Not only is Eve hunting Villanelle down, but the two become emotionally entangled. Season 1 of this drama has already aired on BBC America, so the time to binge watch this is now!
This musical comedy starring Rachel Bloom is all about a woman trying to find happiness in her life. Rebecca is successful in NYC, living in an awesome apartment and with a great job, but after meeting up with an old flame, decides to move her life to California to find what she's looking for. This series is quirky, fun and is perfect if you're looking for a break from more serious shows!
What are you waiting for? Get watching now!
