How I'm Like: Gretchen Grundler

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I asked a handful of people to name a television character that reminds them of me, thinking that it would be good to get other opinions of who I should be writing about in this series of articles. Five suggestions were made... one I'll have to research because I've never even seen the show let alone the character, one is from a show I've already discussed so I'll save that one for another time, and a few others which I'll need to digest. Today, we look at the similarities between myself and Gretchen Priscilla Grundler, a fourth grade student on Recess. This comparison is one which I don't think I ever would have come up with on my own, but it's not a bad place to look! After all, Recess was one of my favorite cartoons in high school, and if I had to pick one of the main six characters to be like, Gretchen is probably the most likely selection!

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Gretchen is "The Smartest Kid in Third Street School," and in examining the stereotypes on this show, I labeled her "the brain" who could do great math problems and science projects, and had a talking, handheld computer." Well, I'm going to confess... that sounds a lot like me in my elementary years. I went to the regional spelling bee in fifth grade, won third place in a county math competition, was on Principal's Honor Roll for having straight As every term, and actually had Talking Whiz Kid.

It was a super cool toy (well, maybe only us Gretchens of the world thought so!) so I kinda had to include a video in case you aren't familiar with it. [sidenote, I'm actually surprised that these things seem to be worth nothing! $15 used and $40 MIB on eBay!] Gretchen had a Galileo instead, which featuring a frog mascot instead of a bear. In one episode, Gretchen even tried to act dumb so she wouldn't be sent to a better school... and I tried to fail the Gifted and Talented screening in first grade so I wouldn't have to leave my friends. Gretchen also was the Class President in fourth grade, and I was the school President in fifth grade - though I believe she hand-wrote her speech and I used a typewriter! More interestingly, Gretchen does other people's homework for money... and I did that, too. I made quite the bundle in seventh grade by doing extra "periodicals" every week! We also both tend to be pretty verbose and use long words when short ones would suffice. So, yeah... academically, we're pretty similar.

Gretchen and I both play the piano, and we both seem to really enjoy welcoming "new kids," as seen when she takes it upon herself to be nice to Gus, and how I go up to anyone who seems new in a group and introduce them to others. She tends to freak out when something (anything) goes awry in a plan, and anyone who has spent more than a day with me knows that I'm also pretty by-the-schedule. We're also a bit naive... and, just like Gretchen was friends with Ashley A. in a single episode, I had a few moments in seventh grade when a popular girl befriended me for the time being, only to leave me in the cold as soon as her clique was around once again. Luckily, she always had her old gang to return to, Spinelli in particular. Likewise, I went right back to my old friends as well. [though they were interested to hear what those popular girls were like, LoL!]

The movie that ended the Recess series had Gretchen and the others in fifth grade (it never could have gone further than sixth grade because of the dissolution of recess in middle school), and there weren't all that many episodes made, so I think that probably about covers how I'm like Gretchen, but if you can think of other similarities, fire away!

How I'm Like: DJ Tanner

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

I chose Donna Jo Margaret Tanner as my comparison today because I was recently reminded of an essay I wrote in the second grade. The assignment was to write about your idol, and while everyone around me chose a parent or sibling or some such, I thought about various television characters before settling on DJ. I don't remember if my teacher thought it was an odd choice, but I didn't find anything peculiar about it at the time! The year was 1990, Full House was in its fourth (of eight) season, and I wanted to be a "cool kid" by the time I was thirteen. DJ had great clothes, nice hair, was the editor of her school paper, and played the lead in Romeo and Juliet! What about her wasn't admirable to a seven-year-old??

I actually have talked about loving DJ before... I selected her wardrobe as a closet I'd raid, placed her relationship with Kimmy Gibbler at #3 on my list of Best Friendships, and, of the eight episodes I listed as some of the best in the series, she's a major character in five of them. Now, her character wasn't perfect... in fact, it managed to stop growing toward the end of the series (in my opinion), but we still have a lot in common. On the surface, it might not seem so (my hair is not blond, I don't have two younger sisters, my mother wasn't killed by a drunk driver, and I didn't have three men raise me), but the similarities are there.

For starters, I was stuck sharing a room with my sibling(s) and longed for privacy (though DJ succeeded and I didn't). I didn't get my own phone line, but I was able to convince my mom to get call waiting after years (literally) of begging, even offering to pay for it (much like how DJ convinced Danny to get her a personal line). I got roped into babysitting all the time. I found it unfair that my sister was allowed to copy everything I did and was permitted to do many things (like pierce her ears) at a younger age than I was (almost the same situation as DJ & Stephanie). I even idolized a cousin, much like DJ did with Steve. I even thought that turning 13 would be a life-changing day like DJ did. I also thought that having a Pontiac Firebird would be the coolest car in the world, but Joey delivered on that while my father did not.

When I was younger, I dreamed of stardom, and after DJ auditioned for a television commercial, I begged my parents to take me "to be discovered" as well. Of course, I didn't understand that San Francisco was a lot different from Long Valley, NJ, but had I actually been talented, NYC was only 50 miles away! Also, when we were younger, my brother and I often got into hair-brained schemes (though none as great as the time DJ and Stephanie put a hole in Danny's wall and had to repair it!) where we'd eventually have to come clean because of the damage we'd done. My first day of high school was kinda similar to DJ's first day of junior high. I wasn't thrilled that my best friend and I only had one class together, but we were determined to have lunch together. Fashion was everything then, and although I wasn't wearing the same outfit as a teacher, I didn't make the wisest first-day choice, either (I wore black corduroy overalls, guys). BUT, we both made speeches at graduations!

DJ did have a bit of a rebellious side, though she skipped school as early as age 11 to get an autograph and the only time I ever skipped school was the last day of my junior year to go to the beach! And, on the flip side, she was the one that her friends turned to when they needed help, and Danny even calls her from jail once. Well, I've been in those shoes, too! DJ encountered underage drinking in her senior year, and although I wasn't around any until the night before graduation, I guess I did, too. And, I was every bit as shocked as she was that it was going on!

I think that the biggest commonality between DJ and myself, however, is that we both struggle with wanting to be things we aren't. DJ wanted to be treated as a boy when it came time to play sports and stuff, then wanted to be a waif at a pool party, and struggled throughout her high school career to figure out what she wanted in a boyfriend and where she should go to college. My college choices weren't all that difficult to figure out, but I went through the rest of that stuff, particularly with the yearning to be accepted even if it meant changing yourself a little bit here and there.

It's difficult to draw more comparisons between she and I, as we never knew DJ post-high-school, and I've had ten extra years of life experience at this point. Still, I'd say we had a lot in common up to that point... what do you think?

How I'm Like: Leonard from The Big Bang Theory

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Here we are with installment two of looking at various television character with whom I have a lot in common. Today I chose Leonard Leakey Hofstadter because when I went to the panel for The Big Bang Theory at Comic-Con, Johnny Galecki wasn't there due to a delayed flight. Sitting in a room with thousands of other fans got me to thinking about Leonard, who was missing from the event, and I began to realize that many of the reasons that I like him are because we are a like in many ways. So, I'm going to take a crack at focusing on some of them now, and feel free to add your own similarities with him below!

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First off, some basics... Leonard is from New Jersey, is near-sighted, and has divorced parents. So do I. He doesn't like his middle name, and I disliked mine so much I legally changed it. Leonard shares an apartment with a university colleague who becomes his best friend. When I was in graduate school, my roommate and I both worked at our university and she became one of my best friends. Leonard plays the cello and I play the violin, instruments in the same string family. Leonard owns several collectibles that were probably designed for children, and I'd be remiss if I didn't admit to having Rainbow Brite curtains, a My Little Pony watch, and at least five Disney-themed board games. Perhaps Leonard's biggest role amongst his friends is the mediator, a duty in which I have found myself very often throughout life. Though some people easily move on from issues within a group, I struggle to allow people to hate and avoid one another, and, much like Leonard, wind up patching things up, sometimes playing a wild card in the process. A big commonality between Leonard and I is that we both hang out with groups who have a lot of fun working out wacky experiments... he may be bouncing lasers off the moon and allowing people in other countries to control his stereo, but we've definitely tried figuring out whether or not a few crazy ideas would work. [not details on this one, sorry!]

Now, let's look at more of the nitty-gritty... Leonard knows that he's a geek, and while he sometimes wears that fact proudly, sometimes he tries to keep his hobbies quiet. I belong to a weekly board game group, people. I never thought of it as that dorky until about a year ago when someone actually mentioned that I shouldn't lead with that when I talk about my interests. Leonard's mother is not thrilled with his work, and I can't say that my own mother takes a great interest in mine. In one episode, Sheldon describes Leonard's uncles as resembling "a half-carton of eggs," and I also have my fare share of balding family members. This one is a little weak, but when Leonard thinks that Penny has no interest in him, he considers getting a cat... I've thought about having a cat for extra companionship. In the episode where the guys take the train, Leonard has the chance to talk to Summer Glau and doesn't take it. I've also chickened out of meeting celebrities... Oprah and Jay Leno being notable ones.

One time, Howard has to keep Leonard out of the apartment so that the others can prepare a surprise party, and Howard winds up having to ingest peanuts, causing an allergic reaction. There have been a couple of times when my friends went to crazy lengths to keep me from doing something, including pretending to have a broken leg and distracting me by dancing to a semi-choreographed song. Another time, Leonard drops everything he's doing to help Penny and the guys make barrettes all night. I've had similar things happen a few times, notably giving up on packing my own place to go help a friend be out of hers by midnight, and leaving a thesis work-day to drive an hour to help a friend set-up for someone's bridal shower. Similarly, Leonard does everything that Sheldon requests, more or less at the drop of a hat. Though I live on the other side of the country from one friend in particular, there were a good four years or so where I'd do the same. If she called and said she needed me to help her pick out a jacket, I met her. If she asked me to dye her hair for her, I did. If her car broke down while we were in it and she asked me to go back a block to find the piece that fell out of her car, I crept back amongst snickers of passersby to do so. Similarly, Leonard's friends are all about seeing midnight movies, and I've done that dozens of times.

Moving on to relationships... Leonard has a crush on a girl who lives in his building, and I've been guilty of the same in the past (though I never got as far as actually dating the person). For a short time, Leonard has a crush on two of his friends' sisters, and I had a pretty big crush on one of my friend's brothers back in middle school. Though Leonard and I both try long-distance relationships, mine lasted ages longer than his. Howard believes that Leonard is stealing Bernadette from him just because they are both interested in physics, and I had a friend think I was stealing her man because we had other similar interests. My favorite similarity, though, is that when Penny and Leonard break up, Sheldon feels that he has to sneak around to hang out with Penny. When I was in tenth grade, I had broken up with a boy (for the second time, no less) and several of my friends were chilling with him for a few months before they decided I could know.

I think that just about wraps things up, though this show is still running, so who knows what other examples might pop up in the future!

How I'm Like: Monica from Friends

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

We're starting a new series of Monday posts, guys! It's been a while since we wrapped up our highlights of Game Shows, and we wanted to go in a completely different direction. The idea is that I'll write about how I'm similar to a different television character every week, plain and simple. This stemmed from people telling me that I'm "just like x" every once in a while, but was cemented in a few recent things that have happened, including my latest viewing of the Friends episode, "The One with the Butt." So, we're starting with how I'm like Monica Gellar (Bing), but you can look forward to such future features as "How I'm Like Leonard Hofstadter" and "How I'm Like DJ Tanner," to give a few more examples. You're encouraged to weigh in on your own similarities with these characters in the comments. Enjoy!

In "The One with the Butt," after Rachel cleaned the apartment, Monica notices that the ottoman has been moved. Phoebe, Ross, and Chandler all know what's in store... Monica moves it back and the others begin talking about how fierce Monica can be about cleanliness and organization. She claims she's just responsible, but the others don't see it as such a cut-and-dried issue. Well, though I am not obsessed with cleaning, things being out-of-order tend to drive me a little crazy! Plus, I can handle having a chair moved until after the guests leave, haha!

Also in the episode, Monica can't imagine why someone wouldn't pay their phone bill immediately. Well, when I first had my own bills when I went to college, I paid them as soon as possible... I don't know if I was paranoid that I'd forget or something, but I still tend to pay most things as soon as they post. It just makes sense to me.

Monica actually realizes that she's a bit out of control about being in control. Well, it might not be the best thing to admit, but I have a tendency to be a bit of a control freak in things. You have no idea how many extra hours I have worked on projects to make sure that things were flowing smoothly. I can handle someone else being in charge, but if they're consistently not performing their duties, I'm going to step in and do them. Sure, this has been challenged, but it's one of those areas where I'm not budging... I think that, once you take responsibility for something, you really should see it through to the end, even if it is more work than you anticipated.

Later in the episode, Monica does try to change, pointing out advice that "the old Monica" would give but she would not, and trying to leave her shoes out overnight when she normally puts them away... then stays up half the night deciding if she should go move them, and trying to guess what the others would think of she did so. I can't remember a time where I verbalized "old Amy would do xyz," but I'm sure that I've thought it, particularly when it comes to anything time-related. I have issues with the non-punctual, especially if no contact has been made in advance to notify others of your absence or tardiness. I time things to the second. Sometimes, when I take notes, I pay attention to which topic was brought up in which minute. In the first three months that my husband and I were dating, he challenged me to go a day without wearing a watch. I did it but struggled. I still struggle. It's the day and age of people using the cellular phones as their primary time source, but I still wear a digital watch most of the time, so that I can see what second it is. I've tried to change this numerous times over the years, and my biggest improvement is that, sometimes, I can go with an analog watch instead. To look at that second point, however, I love that Monica considered moving the shoes to their appropriate place but also getting up early to move them back so nobody would know! That completely sounds like something I would do, only not with shoes. Well, let's confess... I'm pretty sure that I have done something like this before...

Moving to the larger sense of Monica, outside of this one episode, her apartment is generally the gathering place of the gang (if they're not at Central Perk). I've had this going on ever since I was a kid (though that was more because my house had board games and I wouldn't go in somebody else's house if they didn't lock-up their dogs), and it continues to this day... rarely do the people we hang out with ever suggest we go to their place. Another big Monica-ism is her competitive personality... ever since the eighth grade, I have been a "go big or go home" person... even in chemistry class, I'd be willing to "bet it all" in study Jeopardy! for the final round. Theoretically, I owe my husband several million dollars, should he wish to cash-in on all of the bets I have made and lost... because I always go "double or nothing." ;)  Monica can't stand to lose... while I can handle losing, I can't handle if the other team is cheating - like in the episode with Emma's first birthday party when the stuffed dog never crosses the finish line, so technically the race hasn't ended. Though I'm not a chef, I like to cook, so we also have that in common... as well as a habit of having lunch with someone and keeping a secret from someone else (Monica does this at least twice that I can think of!). Oh, and I'm loud. Someone tells me at least once a month that I need to quiet down, LoL.

Looking at other specific instances, there's an episode where Monica makes a lot of Rachel's decisions for her... and I've definitely been the one a couple of friends call when they're not sure what to do! In another episode, she bakes cookies to give as tips around the holidays... which I do for my mail carrier and garbage boy. While she's dating Richard, she's upset that he isn't quirky... and I definitely put my husband through the same because I'm very particular about so many random things! We don't see Monica actively taking photos much in the series (if at all), but she is the one who keeps track of them all... and I have all of the photos I have taken since I was eleven years old. Monica and Chandler return from their honeymoon with a fake number from another couple... well, it wasn't our honeymoon, but my husband and I definitely thought we made friends with another couple and exchanged email addresses, only for them to never respond. Close enough! Oh, and for a chunk of season nine, Monica and Chandler have a long-distance relationship... well, not only did my husband and I spend two and a half years of dating and two years of engagement long distance, we actually didn't even live together until shortly before our first anniversary!

Monica and I differ in many ways, but one way in which I'd love to be like her and I'm not is that she had a crazy dance with Ross planned in case they ever appears on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve... which sounds like a great idea!