I was going cross-country, to my uncle's up north because he said I'd have better chances of getting work out there and offered to put me up for awhile. I was feeling low. I had been living with my parents for months and making minimum wage, with a University degree to my name, and it had been humiliating. I wanted a new life and Seattle seemed like the right move.
On my way there, I stopped in Oregon to visit an old friend. I stayed for about a week - it was fall, and I remember pumpkin pie and walks to the nearby grocery store for wine in the evenings. And there was lots of Buffy. My friend's girlfriend was really into the show, and I'd watch during the day while they were both at school.
I don't remember much about it, except how Buffy was both strong and feminine, and how she could kick a monster's ass and yet become convincingly teary-eyed over an emotional issue in the same episode. There was something empowering about watching her, and I quickly became hooked during that short stay at my friend's. I remember loving Spike's sense of humour, too - his bitterness and cynicism brought comic relief, raised the intellectual level of the show and saved it from getting too corny at times. It also didn't hurt that Spike was the sexiest character I'd seen since Rhett Butler.
A week later I left Oregon, and somehow never watched Buffy again.
Now, a decade later, I am a completely different person, but in a similar place to where I was back then. I got laid off from work last month and I'm facing a move not only across the country, but to a different continent to look for work and make a new life for myself. Again.
I'm facing a huge challenge: to become successful and "make it" in one of the most crowded and busiest cities on earth, and to find my niche in what's a completely foreign culture.
I should be euphoric. Perhaps if I was younger, I would be. But the economy isn't what it used to be, it's tougher to make a living and I've come to value security over excitement these days. I've been getting ready for the move, taking care of things with my landlord and my bank, and having trouble sleeping.
I don't know why, but all this got me to thinking about Buffy - about a TV show that I watched briefly more than 10 years ago.
When I was out shopping with a friend, I saw a few DVD boxed sets and was drawn to them. Just thinking about the show brought back good memories of being empowered by the characters as I faced a difficult time in my life.
Tonight I went out about bought the S2 box set. I don't know if it will be as good as I remember it, but I need an escape. I'm afraid of the future, and right now nothing sounds as good as watching someone facing even bigger monsters and still managing to keep her life together.
I'm really happy to be here. I'm looking forward to meeting all of you and discovering the series that I only ever caught a glimpse of long ago, but somehow could not forget.
On my way there, I stopped in Oregon to visit an old friend. I stayed for about a week - it was fall, and I remember pumpkin pie and walks to the nearby grocery store for wine in the evenings. And there was lots of Buffy. My friend's girlfriend was really into the show, and I'd watch during the day while they were both at school.
I don't remember much about it, except how Buffy was both strong and feminine, and how she could kick a monster's ass and yet become convincingly teary-eyed over an emotional issue in the same episode. There was something empowering about watching her, and I quickly became hooked during that short stay at my friend's. I remember loving Spike's sense of humour, too - his bitterness and cynicism brought comic relief, raised the intellectual level of the show and saved it from getting too corny at times. It also didn't hurt that Spike was the sexiest character I'd seen since Rhett Butler.
A week later I left Oregon, and somehow never watched Buffy again.
Now, a decade later, I am a completely different person, but in a similar place to where I was back then. I got laid off from work last month and I'm facing a move not only across the country, but to a different continent to look for work and make a new life for myself. Again.
I'm facing a huge challenge: to become successful and "make it" in one of the most crowded and busiest cities on earth, and to find my niche in what's a completely foreign culture.
I should be euphoric. Perhaps if I was younger, I would be. But the economy isn't what it used to be, it's tougher to make a living and I've come to value security over excitement these days. I've been getting ready for the move, taking care of things with my landlord and my bank, and having trouble sleeping.
I don't know why, but all this got me to thinking about Buffy - about a TV show that I watched briefly more than 10 years ago.
When I was out shopping with a friend, I saw a few DVD boxed sets and was drawn to them. Just thinking about the show brought back good memories of being empowered by the characters as I faced a difficult time in my life.
Tonight I went out about bought the S2 box set. I don't know if it will be as good as I remember it, but I need an escape. I'm afraid of the future, and right now nothing sounds as good as watching someone facing even bigger monsters and still managing to keep her life together.
I'm really happy to be here. I'm looking forward to meeting all of you and discovering the series that I only ever caught a glimpse of long ago, but somehow could not forget.
