I have a little problem. I’ve become obsessed with a television show called Being Erica and I can’t stop watching it. Please take note as you may need to stage an intervention.

It all began innocently enough last week with a random browse through Hulu. I didn’t have intentions to stay. Truth be told I believe I was there to see if the newest episode of Real Housewives of New Jersey had been posted. I was hoping for some big hair and even bigger attitudes to enjoy while I ate my boring lunch but it was nowhere to be found. Instead I happened upon Being Erica and decided to give it a shot. Now it’s only one week later and I’m already on episode ten of season one and ever so completely smitten.

The premise of the show involves a 30-something woman’s attempt to straighten out her seemingly directionless life. Unfortunately she’s crippled with past regrets and can’t seem to move on from a line of endless mistakes that she’s made in her past. Even though she holds both an Undergrad degree and a Master’s in English she’s stuck in a dead end job, dating inappropriate men, all the while feeling like a complete failure. Erica just can’t catch a break.

The next part is going to make you have to get back in touch with your “suspension of disbelief” side. Erica begins seeing a therapist, Dr. Tom, who asks her to create an extensive list of everything that she regrets in her life. Then in each episode she’s given the chance to go back in time and attempt to alter her past. My description probably sounds a bit formulaic but the show is done incredibly well. Erica is played by the adorable and incredibly relatable Erin Karpluk. You may recognize her as “Alice” the radio station manager on the equally fabulous show Life Unexpected.

Other things I love about the show include:

The music. Every time Erica goes back in the past (especially during the college years) I have some sort of personal nostalgic break with reality complete with The Spin Doctors and Blind Melon. All I can say is that my life is pretty plain. I like watchin’ the puddles gather rain …

The clothes. Say hello again to flannel and all of the other accompanying accessories of the 90s. Plus, in the present, Erica is always sporting a sassy dress or outfit that makes me want to run out and go shopping immediately. She also has gorgeously styled long loosely curled hair that all women with straight hair (aka me) covet. Yes. I admit it. I have a total girl crush on Erin Karpluk.

So far there’s very little “happily ever after” occurring while Erica attempts to change her regrets. And that’s what I love and appreciate the most. Like many people I too tend to fixate on “what ifs” and “if onlys” but the lessons Erica learns from her jaunts into the past are rarely brought about by simply picking another path. Usually her new perspective is achieved via looking at the events as they unfold with an older and wiser set of eyes.

I find myself drawing a great deal of comfort in thinking that perhaps all of those “might have beens” that I think about so frequently probably wouldn’t have altered my life too terribly much. Perhaps what I really should focus on is moving forward with the choices I’ve made and learning more fully how that applies to who I am today. Who says you can’t learn anything from TV?!

And there you have it. Being Erica is the new love of my life. Check it out! Plus it just got picked up for a third season so I wont have to cry crocodile tears when I get to the end of season two. Thank you Canadian TV!

Post from: XoXo, Erin

I Heart Being Erica

Honestly, until Chris got me hooked on season 1 of Sons of Anarchy I had never even heard of the show, but after watching the first 13 episodes en masse I can’t get enough and I’m counting down the days until the new season begins on September 8th. In case you aren’t already a fan perhaps I can convince you to tune in after reading my top 10 reasons to watch Sons of Anarchy:

10. You miss Drea de Matteo. It’s been a while since we’ve seen Drea tart it up on the small screen and since I refused to watch that terrible monstrosity known as Joey I was beyond excited to again see a troubled de Matteo appear as main character Jax Teller’s estranged wife Wendy. Unfortunately she wont be appearing in season 2 but she’s just fabulous in season 1.

9. Katey Segal has it seriously going on. If it’s possible to look as amazing as she does at 55 I’m completely going to stop annually fearing my birthday right this second.

8. There’s a biker with a sexy Irish accent.

7. Both Henry Rollins and Adam Arkin are joining the cast for season two.

6. I kid you not, one of the bikers in an Elvis impersonator. They call him fittingly enough “Bobby Elvis.”

5. The show’s plot is loosely based around Shakespeare’s play Hamlet.

4. The town in Northern California that they all live in is called Charming. Not exactly the type of name you’d expect to be the hometown of an outlaw motorcycle gang.

3. The patriarch of the group is none other than Hell Boy himself, Ron Perlman. I seriously sit around waiting for him to start petting cats and lighting things on fire. He does still smoke cigars though so it’s an OK trade off.

2. If you’re a Mad Men fan, which let’s face it almost everyone is now (yay!) you’ll recognize Jax Teller’s childhood sweetheart as Don Draper’s temptress, Rachel Menkin. Maggie Siff’s usually stunning good looks are very played down though so at first you probably wont recognize her.

1. The main character, Jax Teller, looks like this. Now usually I wouldn’t find men with hair as long as mine very hot but when this guy takes off his shirt and hops on his motorcycle my little heart goes pitter-patter. Plus he’s a criminal with a heart of gold. Sort of like a heavy metal Robin Hood. When he shoots people in the head it’s all very endearing…in a twisted sort of way.

Post from: XoXo, Erin

10 Reasons to Watch Sons of Anarchy

Post from: XoXo, Erin

Mad Men Yourself: Erin in Heels and Pearls

Ladies and gentleman get your TiVos ready! This Sunday, April 19th at 8:00 PM everyone’s favorite teenage witch and the guy who only says, “woah!” are starring in a cheesy romantic comedy on ABC Family. I’ll be there dutifully sitting on the couch in my pajamas with a big bowl of popcorn or maybe some cookie dough ice cream. I absolutely love this stuff!

Post from: XoXo, Erin

My Fake Fiance

Click here to view the embedded video.

This is the commercial that gets me completely teary and causes various “awe-like” sounds to repeatedly come out of my mouth lately. Each time it airs during a television show I instantly stop fast-forwarding and watch it. It’s my dream puppy complete with a “please buy me Erin!” face that I just can’t resist, in a candy pink room, with a girl in cozy pajamas that is so “obviously” me. Let’s be friends puppy! Call me!

Post from: XoXo, Erin

Fluffy White Doggie

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How excited am I about the upcoming Hallmark Channel production of An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving based on a short story by the lovely and amazing Louisa May Alcott?! Obviously very. Don’t forget to set your TiVo on Saturday night.

Post from: XoXo, Erin

An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving

Post from: XoXo, Erin

What Would Joan Do?

Post from: XoXo, Erin

Bye Bye David

Lost in Austen is simply good fun. It’s full of lovely British actors, wearing pretty clothes, in romantic settings.  It’s also peppered with enough anachronisms and absurd liberties to the storyline to make Jane Austen roll over in her grave. Some will probably find this plot tampering offensive, but honestly I had a good laugh when Caroline Bingley came onto the modern day interloper Amanda Price and declared her “Sapphic love.”

Speaking of the main character, Amanda Price is actually portrayed by Jemima Rooper whom you might remember from the BBC program Hex. She played the angsty teen ghost Thelma Bates. Coincidentally, Jemima’s Hex co-star from season one, Christina Cole, is the condescending Caroline Bingley.

The film opens in present day London. Amanda Price is obsessed with Pride and Prejudice and finds her current boyfriend desperately lacking in comparison to Mr. Darcy. One evening, she hears a noise in her bathroom and discovers that Elizabeth Bennet has tumbled out of a crawl space and into her world. Of course they agree to switch lifestyles for a bit. Elizabeth stays behind in Amanda’s apartment while Amanda ventures into Elizabeth’s home.

You can imagine the stir Amanda’s prescence creates and she soon has the household aflutter with her odd behaviors. Amanda’s antics unfortunately begin to unravel the plot of the book in disasterous ways and she must struggle to right the story with the aid of an unlikely ally, Lieutenant Wickham. Surprised? I told you there were crazy twists.

Post from: XoXo, Erin

Lost in Austen