Why Kristen Wiig basically rocks
While watching last night’s Saturday Night Live on Hulu this morning, I found myself tearing up nearly every time that Kristen Wiig was on screen. Now I know that seems senseless and silly. Kristen Wiig is absolutely hilarious, and she has never failed to make me laugh– but I guess it hit me that her leaving SNL could be considered sorta the end of an era. That era being the past seven years–my adolescence, really– that I’ve spent watching this incredible character of a woman and her hilarious antics on Saturday Night Live. She can fricken hold her own. Seriously.
Kristen, if you ever read this–which is highly doubtful– I’m thankful I’ve gotten to watch you perform for the past seven years, and I can’t wait to see what you’ll do next. And now I’m going to list for you, here in this blog, just why I think you’re so awesome.
1. She’s not afraid to get ugly. Maybe it’s the fact that there’s this obvious beauty requirement for women in the media to be successful, maybe its stereotypes or whatever. 
I don’t care. But that’s probably why it’s so marvelous that the strange, odd, and frankly, hideous characters that Kristen created on Saturday Night Live are many of the reasons that she is so memorable. Gilly made us smile through our cringing, the Target lady made us pee we laughed so hard (or maybe that was just meee) and Juneice from the Lawrence Welk Show made us roll around on the floor holding our stomachs. Absolutely odd and hideous women on the outside, but hilarious and gut-busting characters all around. And seriously, no one could carry a scene better than Kristen Wiig.
2. Sue the Surprise Lady. Yeah, she can be a reason all her own. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve imitated this character (rather poorly, I might add) and how many times I’ve had to stop in the middle of my impersonation and laugh my little butt off. It doesn’t matter what the surprise ended up being, or how silly the sketch was, Kristen Wiig in that short curly wig and the atrocious salvation army sweaters was more than enough to put my personal laugh track over the edge.
3. Bridesmaids. Okay. There are a lot of different opinions of this movie. Some think it was a revolutionary “Hangover, but with chicks” others think it was a flop, and even others–myself included– think it was a lovely, hilarious film, that taught us all a thing or two. Maybe it was the stuff I was going through at the time that made me relate to the movie so much, or maybe it was the fact that I’ve always not-so-secretly wanted Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolf to be my best friends. Maybe it was both those things. But I love that fricken movie so fricken much. And you bet your bottom dollar I can quote every line.
4. She’s like, a real person. I’ve watched a few (or tons) of Kristen Wiig interviews. Late Night, not-so-late -night, whatever. If it’s on YouTube, I’ve probably watched it. And never have I watched a celebrity be so humble, so funny, so completely normal, when in an interview. It kind of makes you think that there is hope that I could stay normal if I ever became famous. Ha! Wouldn’t that be somethin’.
5. This. KristenWiig.com. This speaks for itself, and further proves my point above.
So thank you, Kristen Wiig. For being real, hilarious, odd and wonderful, and for being someone on SNL that I could look forward to watching. And to all of you readers out there, if you haven’t seen this heart-wrenching goodbye sketch that was on the season finale on Saturday night, you need to watch this. And I dare you not to tear up.
And what’s YOUR favorite Kristen Wiig sketch/quote?! Comment below, leave me suggestions, share memories, etc.
IS IT FALL YET?!
Yeah yeah yeah. I know the school year is almost over, the weather’s getting warmer, and the anticipation of summer is just killing me, and you, and every other student on campus. However, there’s something that I’m even more excited for than the summer. I’m MUCH more excited about the fall. And I thought I’d share a few of the reasons why I’m so geeked about that fair weathered season.
NUMBA ONE: Fall means the Spartan Marching Band. And the Spartan Marching Band means friends, football, fun, and a freaking good time. Next year is my last year in the band, and I just can’t wait to get started. I want to feel that pre-season exhaustion, that Friday afternoon excitement, and that Saturday kick-stepping-onto-the-field exhilaration. I watched this SMB Remix video today and it got me ALL amped up again. So watch it, get amped up, then watch it again and get even MORE amped up. You’re welcome.
NUMBA TWO:
Marching Band means Big Ten football, and Big Ten football means exciting rivalries, nail-biting victories, early Saturday mornings a
nd late Saturday nights, and, oh yeah, this AWESOME BRAND NEW SCOREBOARD THAT’S ABOUT AS BIG AS A BASKETBALL COURT. I don’t know about you, but I am incredibly excited to see this thing in action. I mean, just look at the size difference! This thing is massive, and it’s going to be the biggest scoreboard in the Big Ten. I’m geeked.
NUMBA THREE: This coming fall is my last fall at Michigan State University. And I’m really excited about it. Not that I want to leave MSU, but I’m excited to move on and start having a real life, with a real person apartment and a real person job. Fall is the first step! So bring it on! IS IT FALL YET?!
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O-Fish-ially Best Friends.
So after our almost-went-wrong April Fool’s Day prank on Sunday (essentially, we bought 160 cups, 25 goldfish and filled em all with water, some of em with fish, and covered the floor of my friend Terry‘s apartment with em) I ended up with, well, 25 fish that I had no idea what to do with.
So I took two (Rusty and Spoons) home in a bag, stuck the bag in a bowl, and left them on my dresser while I went to go get fish food and a fishbowl and stuff. Anywho, I came back about an hour later to find the bag and the bowl on the floor of my room. ON THE FLOOR OF MY ROOM. With water LEAKING OUT. So I freaked out, thinking about these poor little fishies plummeting to the ground, being smashed by the bowl, and being dead, or injured, or pissed off– all after I bought them a new home and food and such. I was also scared they were going to hate me, which is irrational. But whatever.
Anyway, they were alive, happily swimming in what was left of the water in the bag, none the wiser. So I put them in their new bowl, fed them and made up their new home. And it’s the cutest thing–they swim everywhere in the bowl together. They never leave each other’s sides. It’s adorable. My fish are best friends.
Update: All of the other fish that we used in our prank died– except for one all-white one, which was so aptly named Beyonce because she’s a survivor (get it? It’s like the song…) Unfortunately, Beyonce has yet to bond with Rusty and Spoons, but I have high hopes.
Muggle Quidditch. Because THAT’S a real thing.
But really. It is.
I spent the entire day (yeah, nearly 12 hours) on Saturday watching the first ever SQUIB (Spartan Quidditch Bonanza) on Munn Field. And besides the fact that I was freezing cold, am pretty sure I lost all the feeling in my fingers and toes, and had to film all day for work, it was actually (don’t quote me on this) incredibly interesting and fun to watch.
Photo by Sarah Galbreath
As a kid I read all seven Harry Potter books, watched all the movies, and was one of those kids who cried on her 11th birthday when she didn’t get her Hogwarts letter. Yeah. Whatever. Judge all you want. But as I got older, my Harry Potter obsession faded, and it became more of a childhood memory. Yeah… until I watched 12 hours of “Muggle Quidditch” and got ridiculously hooked again.
There are many similarities between the Quidditch in the books and the “Muggle Quidditch” that colleges and universities from all around the world are playing, which made it really fun to watch and make comparisons. It’s hilarious, surprisingly physical, and entertaining. Like watching athletic nerds beat up on each other.
But people can’t fly. So there’s that big flaw in the system.
And if you think watching people run around with makeshift broomsticks shoved between their legs is funny as hell, you would be correct! But that doesn’t mean it isn’t a BLAST to watch. Because it is.
Major props to our Michigan State Quidditch team who ROCKED it yesterday. I never thought I’d get so into a magical sport. But hey, I guess there’s a first time for everything.
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Reasons We LOVE our team.
Okay Okay. It’s March Madness. Our basketball team is awesome. AWESOME. (Can you say Big Ten Champions and a one seed in the NCAA tournament? Yeah. I can too, but you can’t hear me right now. So just say it to yourself and pretend like we’re together.)
So we’re headed to the sweet sixteen. That’s pretty sweet, don’t you agree? And we couldn’t have done it without our rock-solid, incredibly dedicated and unexpectedly talented Spartan Basketball team. So I’m going to list a few things/people that help make our team so awesome.
1. Draymond Green. I mean, come on. Besides the fact that he is an incredible leader, basketball player, and person–he’s an outstanding Spartan. If you’ve got a chance, please take a moment and read this article written about his dedication to the university and its legacy. WHAT A MAN. Plus, he’s not that bad on the eyes. Am I right, ladies?
2. Austin Thornton. Talk about easy on the eyes. HUBBA HUBBA. Normally called Daddy Thornton, affectionately, by me, this senior has really proved his worth on the court this year. He has an incredible free throw average, is also a rockin’ team leader, and you can’t get in the way of his three-point shots.
3. We’re a young team, but we’re a talented one. And, to be honest, our success kind of came as a shock to me after how we struggled last year. But I think a rousing new batch of talent was just what we needed to infuse an already awesome basketball program with more…awesomeness. (You can tell its getting late, I’m getting tired. I’m saying words that aren’t words.)
4. Tom Freaking Izzo. What, you didn’t know that was his middle name? This man is almost so awesome he doesn’t even need to be mentioned. But really, there’s no better example of a true Spartan. Mr. Izzo has been with our team and our program through the good times and the bad (but let’s be honest, it’s mostly been good under his coaching), and has made a point to express his dedication to the university. Plus, he was named both Big Ten and National Coach of the Year. And that’s certainly something.
So. Why do you think our team is so great? Comment on this post, or send other blog ideas to everydaybytay@gmail.com. AND! For more, go to everydaybytay.com
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Here’s a Tip. A BIG One.
I’ve always been a generous tipper– I know how it is to work in the service industry, and sometimes it really really sucks. But this week I’ve amped it up a bit, and I’m going to continue to amp it up every time I go to a restaurant for the remainder of Lent. There’s nothing more exciting than unexpectedly getting a really big tip on a really small bill. This random act of kindness thing, is really turning into a “just be nicer and more generous always” thing. And I LOVE IT.
In other news, I’m headed down to Florida tomorrow to visit my grandparents, so look for some Florida-related posts mixed in with all of the other random acts of kindness posts. Should be fun! And warm!
And PLEASE give me suggestions for what to do as different random acts of kindness! Comment on this post, or email them to everydaybytay@gmail.com.
Night errybody.
What’s a random act of kindness?
Alright.
So I’ve been doing this “random acts of kindness” thing for about a week now–and sorry for the inconsistency with my blog posts, its midterm week and things are kinda out of control– but I’m having a little bit of trouble distinguishing the difference between random acts of kindness and simple common courtesy.
See, the other day I was at the tanning salon (yes, I go tanning sometimes. No, don’t judge. It’s 10 minutes of pure, warm bliss.) and I was waiting in line behind this girl, and she dropped her bus pass out of her pocket, and I didn’t notice until she was almost out the door. So, I saw it, and half-ran after her to give it to her. She thanked me with an appropriate “Oh my god, I would’ve HATED losing that. Thank youuuuuuuuu!” and went on her way.
Also, that same day when I was at Starbucks, I witnessed a woman trip and fall on the sidewalk and spill a box of books she was holding. Two people walking nearby stopped and helped her up, and one man even walked her to her destination, making sure she was okay.
Now, I know these acts are situational, and they’re not really random. But I believe they are a step above common courtesy. So, what we do call that odd middle ground between the two? Kindness. I guess. We call it kindness.
If you have any suggestions for what I could do for a “random act of kindness” please comment below or email them to everydaybytay@gmail.com. And for more of my stuff, go to EverydayByTay.com.
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Sharing our winnings
So.
Last night I went to a casino night at Munn Ice Area called “Dice and Ice” with a couple of my buds. It was an uuber fun event, and there was lots of free stuff being given away in a drawing at the end of the night. We played tons of casino games around the concourse, wandered around eating free food for a bit, and ended up winning more tickets than we could handle.
Karli is apparently completely amazing at Bingo (guess it’s not just a game of pure luck) and Becky and Terry rocked the slot machines. Anywho, the point is, we had all these tickets to enter into the drawing, and because we weren’t staying to the end of the night, we had nothing to do with em.
So we went around and gave em to students staying till the end of the night. 72 tickets–a really really long strand of em– and we gave all of em away! It was super fun, and one dude even gave us hugs. I wonder if any of em won?
Also, just a note: actively searching for opportunities to do random acts of kindness every day has seriously brightened me up. It gives me something to look forward to every day and, personally, I think that’s pretty neat. If you have ANY “random act of kindness” suggestions, please comment on this post, or shoot me an email at everydaybytay@gmail.com. Also, for more of my stuff, go to Everydaybytay.com.
The Internet is for sharing
Oh hello, random act of kindness, how are you today? Came across this video today from a Facebook friend and fellow SMB member. It’s their entry to the Tyrone Wells Freedom Contest. They’re trying to get as many views as they can, in order to be able to open for Tyrone Wells in concert. Hooray! So cool, right? So watch this video (it’s actually SUPER good), like it, and share it… a lot. Because the only thing I love more than cool people making cool stuff, is cool people making cool stuff and getting the recognition they deserve for it.
The Parking Meter Fairy
Today has not been the best day, but still, I decided that I would not let it get in the way of my commitment to start my random acts of kindness for Lent. So, on my way back from class and work this afternoon, I stopped by some of the parking meters around campus, 
and put all the spare change in my pockets in the meters that were about to run out of time. And it was amazing how quickly my bad mood lifted. I know this is going to sound ridiculously cliche– but by doing something small to make someone else’s day better, I made my own day better, by association. Kindness is contagious. Who wouldathunk?
And I think the only thing that could’ve made the whole thing even more worthwhile would be if I literally had on a tutu and fairy wings, wand in hand, magically inserting coins into ALL THE PARKING METERS across campus. Now THAT’d be a sight.
Got any suggestions for what I should do for my random act of kindness? Comment below or email em to everydaybytay@gmail.com. And for more of my stuff, check out my site here.
