The Truth is Out There: The X-Files Revival Review

 I am embarrassed to admit just how long it took me to figure out what to write about this morning. I sat at the kitchen table for a few minutes thinking, I have nothing to talk about! And then it hit me. The X-Files just started up again! *face palm*

 If you've been reading this blog for ANY amount of time you'll know that I love The X-Files. I started watching it in the late winter of 2015, and was finished by September. (Most people call this time "spring," but since that doesn't exist in CNY I won't call it that.) This show about aliens and government conspiracy was my best friend and closest companion all summer. Over the summer I liked to joke that I didn't need a boyfriend because I was in a committed relationship with The X-Files. Funnily enough, half the reason my boyfriend and I started dating is because I told him to watch The X-Files, he did, and he loved it as much as I do. The rest is history.

 So Sunday night, on the fateful day this glorious show was set to return, I was ready. I didn't appreciate the fact that the football game ran over and into my allotted X-Files time, which is easily my worst nightmare... but the show was worth the wait. I had a friend who saw the premier episode at New York City Comic Con a few months back, who assured me that it was amazing, but I couldn't know that until I saw it for myself.

 I can sum up my feelings in four simple words: It felt the same. It felt like the good old X-Files we all know and love, but shinier and new. For that reason, it was almost better. It felt so current, so now, so rooted in current events. Watching the old episodes is like this lovely nostalgic little game, where you laugh at the bad graphics but keep coming back for the consistently interesting plot and sexual tension. This was a whole new ball game (please laugh at this pun) because while the plot and writing were still as great as ever, the graphics, lighting, camera work were all better. This is probably due to new technology, and a higher budget. Regardless, it was just incredible to see The X-Files get the treatment it deserves.

 Now for the details. If you don't want to know anything (none of this would be spoilers anyway but still) then don't read on.

 The fun stuff.
 1. I loved seeing Scully, Mulder and even Skinner deal with modern technology. It was adorable and hilarious, especially considering that the last time we saw them iPhones or iPads weren't really as everywhere as they are today.
 2. The intro is back! And I don't mean the intro from season 9, because that doesn't count. (Let's be real, season 9 doesn't count.) I'm talking about the original intro from season 1, with the bad stills where Scully and Mulder both have fluffy hair and pink cheeks. I'm talking about the intro with the dramatic zoom on a low quality image of a UFO. This is what makes The X-Files what it is. It's a little campy, a little silly, but 100% the love of my life, and I was so happy to see it return.
 3. Mulder's Dad jokes. Yeah, they're back. And I'm still crying about it.
 4. They're back in Mulder's tiny office, with a few updates. (But never fear, the poster remains.)

 The characters.
 Right from the get-go, it is obvious that something has happened between Mulder and Scully. We don't know what it is yet, but they're older, and they've definitely both changed. While I will admit that I miss their sexually charged banter a little bit, I'm glad for it, because it means that Chris Carter has stopped doing what he loved to do so much in the past seasons-- brush past huge moments and events like they never happened. They're acknowledging that Scully and Mulder are older and wiser adults who have been through things together and have been changed by it. (Case in point: THEY BROUGHT UP WILLIAM! IN DEPTH! WOW!) I'm interested to see them struggle with their pasts while they handle the events of the present. At the end of the day, though, our original OTP remains the same at their core. Scully is a skeptic, while Mulder is closer than he's ever been before.

 The plot.
 The conspiracy is back, guys. OH, the conspiracy! I love that this is a show about aliens but we see them so infrequently that when they finally do show one you are gripping your boyfriend's hand and shrieking with glee. (Or is that just me?) The (current) horror genre could learn so much from this show. You don't need constant gore and violence to be scary or thrilling. The X-Files has done it with bad lighting and laughable CGI for years. But I love that, in the end, this is a show about aliens that contests that aliens aren't the problem here. It's people. More specifically, it's the US government. I can't wait to see it unfold, especially if the *spoiler alert* cigarette smoking man is involved.

 In short, the revival is nostalgic. It gives credit where credit is due, makes the long-time viewers cry at the easter eggs, but wastes no time moving forward with big and important plot. It was beautiful and just as exciting as the original, but with new twists and progression that we've been waiting for. It seems that Chris Carter is finally getting his shit together and is going to tell us what he means for once. The revival uses technological advances and better budget to it's advantage, while maintaining the X-Files vibe, pace, and wit we all know and love. It's the best of both worlds, but most importantly, this doesn't feel like a one off. I think Chris Carter knew he had one shot at this, and he's aiming for more than just a single tiny miniseries. Judging from the enormity of these first two episodes, I think they want to return, in a big way.

 I, for one, can't wait.

The truth is out there.

 -Fran

New Year, New Vibes

 There are few things I love more than the good energy that is gained through organization and mindfulness. When the clock turned 2016, it wasn't like I had time, or even a second, to pause and take a breath. I had things to do and accomplish right away, and a limited amount of time in which to get them done. So, I had to jump right in to 2016, and make sure I was adequately organized in order to keep myself together. With that in mind, these are some of the practices and products that have been keeping me on track going into the new year, and tricking me into feeling like I have my life together.

1. A Weekly Calendar-- I picked up this monthly and weekly calendar book by Sugar Paper from Target on January 2nd, when I realized that my old one was (literally) outdated. It has a place for your Monthly work goals, financial goals, personal goals, and important dates. In the weekly section, it has spaces for your top three most important things to accomplish, a list of calls you need to make, a to do list, a to email list, a to buy list, a don't forget category, and a "this week's goal" space. This might seem excessive, but in the three weeks I've been using it I've found that just writing things out helps to make it seem so much more manageable. Even the fullest of weeks, the ones with so many things you feel like you might as well not even try, are manageable.This is helping me to not only keep my plans and meetings straight, but keep on task with my greater goals in life.

2. Meditation and Yoga-- I've been doing each a few times a week, and I can't tell you how much it's been helping. It's so easy to say, "no, I don't have time for yoga today, I have way too much to do!" But it doesn't really help. I've realized that those are just lies we tell ourselves. We always have time. And if we don't spend those fifteen minutes doing yoga, chances are we'll find another way to spend those minutes on something much less productive somewhere throughout the course of the day. So you might as well just bite the bullet and make the time for it. I do yoga in the morning on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and meditate a few nights a week right before I fall asleep. I feel so much better and more centered on the days I choose to begin with a simple fifteen minute yoga video.

3. Himalayan Salt Lamp-- I know it's very new age hipster of me, but I recently caved and bought one. (And not for $40 from Urban Outfitters either. If you're thinking of buying one, I'd recommend checking out Home Depot or The Christmas Tree Shops, because I got mine for $19.99.) I'm sure you've heard all about how the negative ions make things better for both your body and the energy around you. But I can attest to the fact that it actually works. I feel more energized when I'm around it, I'm sleeping better, and the air feels purer and cleaner. Anyway, if the scientifically proven health benefits aren't tempting enough, it's guaranteed to look really nice in any room.

 I hope you found this blog post as enlightening as I have found these practices and products lately. (Pun definitely intended.) I'm loving my bedroom space especially, and even though Mercury is Retrograde, I feel on top of things. I'm feeling balanced and ready for the new year and new challenges ahead. I'm not quite sure if that's all the negative ions talking, or the fact that I actually have time to make myself a cup of tea and enjoy it these days, but I'm happy about it nonetheless.

And who knows, maybe trying a few of these things will help you feel that even though it's a new year, it doesn't have to be the same old, same old.

Namaste, I suppose.

 -Fran

N e w // Y e a r

2 0 1 6

 Tonight my life felt like the end of The Holiday, which is all I've ever really dreamed for my life to be. My entire life, well, my entire adolescence really, I've dreamed for my life to feel, be, and look like a movie. And it was only recently that I realized that life isn't like that. It's messy. It's hard. People get hurt, things don't turn out the way you expect them to, accidents happen and stuff just sucks. But you choose to forgive, you choose to get back up, you choose to keep going, and one day, you realize that you left all of the bad stuff in the past.

 2015 was a year of moving on. Moving forward, taking no prisoners, and working my butt off until I got what I wanted. No one gave it to me...I worked for it. And so did the people I surrounded myself with. I'm lucky that in 2015, I found people who dream as big as I do, and are willing to work just as hard to get it. We are all on the same path-- this path to greatness, this path to dreams coming true and our lives turning out like the movies we see in our heads. And I think finding these people who dream just as big and work just as hard has helped me on my path. Because now I don't feel so alone anymore. I used to think that I was "on my own path." And I thought that meant my life was going to be a lonely one, a solitary journey if you will. But this year I learned that not only does that not have to be the case, if things keep going the way they have been...it most certainly won't be.

 Last night I stumbled upon this word: synchronicity. It is, according to the ever-trustworthy internet: the simultaneous occurrence of events that appear significantly related but have no discernible causal connection.  

 It is essentially saying that we assign meaning where there is none. But sometimes, there is meaning. I think the word synchronicity is cynical. (Say that five times fast.) Maybe I'm just nostalgic and overtired, but I think it's beautiful, the vulnerability of allowing yourself to feel. Over the course of 2015 I kept a jar of memories. Anytime something significant, fun, or particularly noteworthy happened, I wrote it down on a little slip of paper, remembering to include the date. This morning, on the first day of the New Year, I read through them all for the first time since I wrote each of them, some from January 1st, some from December 25th. There was no order, so I frequently pulled slips from random months. One from January, one from August. One from April, one from September. May, August. October, February. Seeing an entire year of my life compiled into such a small space and juxtaposed with no chronology made me realize how much really happened in the last 12 months. So many significant events, non-events, moments, friendships, relationships, mishaps, and joy. It was overwhelming to read a slip of paper from January in which I talk about finishing my first short film, and then in the next read about how I had just pitched Overdue to the library board and it had been unanimously approved. The hopeful ones made me the most emotional. It was like reading a beloved book when you already know the ending. It's not boring, but happy. You know what's going to happen, but you keep reading anyway, because it's so sweetly satisfying. It's weird to say that I felt that about my own life today. Weird, but cool. So maybe this is synchronicity in action, and I'm a silly, sappy, hopeless romantic who is bound to be disappointed by the random and uncaring nature of the universe. 

If that's the case, I may be hopeless, but I'm still hopeful. 

Happy 2016. 

 -Fran