A Confession
I really didn't want to like Rachel Nichols, who plays the new female character Ashley Seaver on Criminal Minds. She came in and stole the show (depending on your viewpoint) from tried and true CM babes A.J. Cook and Paget Brewster and I especially loved Paget and was really pissed about A.J. and Paget leaving, so like any sound-minded fangirl, I was determined to despise the new girl. Additionally, Rachel Nichols has been up close and personal with not one but two of my absolute favorite celeb boyfriends, Matthew Gray Gubler and Chris Pine, which automatically spawns hate in the territorial heart of, again, any sound-minded fangirl. I mean, I'm uncrazy enough to know that my territorialism when it comes to my celeb bfs is ridiculous, absurd, and completely unfounded, but it is still there to a certain extent. I mean, who wouldn't be jealous that in Star Trek she had a mostly naked Chris Pine on top of her? Seriously. Since she first came on CM and entered the world of celebrities I ought to have an opinion about, I've been trying to hate her.
At first it was easy. As I said, the territorial issue with MGG and Captain Fine made for some very real dislike-itude. Her character on CM not only replaced my darling Emily Prentiss, but the character has been dry, underdeveloped, and boring. Plus, on a very shallow note, the roots of her hair on CM bother me so damn much.
BUT. In my semi-routine stalking of the Twitters of the actors of CM, I began to look at her Twitter too. There was something rather unexpected and refreshing about it. Although she's gorgeous, she's kind of nerdy and quirky and superbly self-deprecating about it. At first, second and thirteenth glance, her repetition of what seem to be her personal catch phrases like "Oof" and "Outlook: grim" and "ballz" were almost unforgivably obnoxious. But then I began to read further. Her bizarre food habits and issues and basic inability to stop eating and especially to stop eating unhealthy things-- relating in. She talks so abashedly but openly about her weird obsessions with things that don't matter, and that is me. She Tweets things like, "Sometimes I just WANT to eat cereal out of the box while sitting on the floor in the middle of my living room...it feels so...right." And I wonder if that did not at some point come out of my own mouth.
Finally, today I found her blog and despite my last-ditch effort to despise her and everything she stands for, I clicked the link and began reading. I read four captivating blog entries before I came to the one entitled "20 Things I Love." It is official. Rachel Nichols and I are the same person. Or possibly sisters separated at birth. Sadly, all the pretty genes missed me, but all the quirky ones we share. All those weird, freaky, left-of-center things I like (like biting my nails, sitting down in the shower, the way Christmas trees smell) she likes as well. How is this possible?? I was supposed to be hating her. No wonder she's stealing all my celeb bf's!! She's like the older sister everyone hates because she's prettier and funnier and essentially the same as you except better and all the guys you have a crush on like her instead. Urghhhh. But I can't help but like her.
Why are we the same person? She shops in the Men's section like I do for cute comfy clothes, but she clearly has less shame about it, since this is the first time I'm admitting it in public, but she blogged about it on Men's Health where probably hundreds of people read it. She waits until the absolute last minute to refuel her car. How many times have I driven to school on about one gallon of gas because I hadn't refueled and I didn't have time to stop?
This is bizarre. But I kind of like it. I don't think I've ever known someone who does the exact same absurd inexplicable things I do. Not that I know someone now, but there ARE people out there who do these things. And that is why I can no longer despise Rachel Nichols.
At first it was easy. As I said, the territorial issue with MGG and Captain Fine made for some very real dislike-itude. Her character on CM not only replaced my darling Emily Prentiss, but the character has been dry, underdeveloped, and boring. Plus, on a very shallow note, the roots of her hair on CM bother me so damn much.
BUT. In my semi-routine stalking of the Twitters of the actors of CM, I began to look at her Twitter too. There was something rather unexpected and refreshing about it. Although she's gorgeous, she's kind of nerdy and quirky and superbly self-deprecating about it. At first, second and thirteenth glance, her repetition of what seem to be her personal catch phrases like "Oof" and "Outlook: grim" and "ballz" were almost unforgivably obnoxious. But then I began to read further. Her bizarre food habits and issues and basic inability to stop eating and especially to stop eating unhealthy things-- relating in. She talks so abashedly but openly about her weird obsessions with things that don't matter, and that is me. She Tweets things like, "Sometimes I just WANT to eat cereal out of the box while sitting on the floor in the middle of my living room...it feels so...right." And I wonder if that did not at some point come out of my own mouth.
Finally, today I found her blog and despite my last-ditch effort to despise her and everything she stands for, I clicked the link and began reading. I read four captivating blog entries before I came to the one entitled "20 Things I Love." It is official. Rachel Nichols and I are the same person. Or possibly sisters separated at birth. Sadly, all the pretty genes missed me, but all the quirky ones we share. All those weird, freaky, left-of-center things I like (like biting my nails, sitting down in the shower, the way Christmas trees smell) she likes as well. How is this possible?? I was supposed to be hating her. No wonder she's stealing all my celeb bf's!! She's like the older sister everyone hates because she's prettier and funnier and essentially the same as you except better and all the guys you have a crush on like her instead. Urghhhh. But I can't help but like her.
Why are we the same person? She shops in the Men's section like I do for cute comfy clothes, but she clearly has less shame about it, since this is the first time I'm admitting it in public, but she blogged about it on Men's Health where probably hundreds of people read it. She waits until the absolute last minute to refuel her car. How many times have I driven to school on about one gallon of gas because I hadn't refueled and I didn't have time to stop?
This is bizarre. But I kind of like it. I don't think I've ever known someone who does the exact same absurd inexplicable things I do. Not that I know someone now, but there ARE people out there who do these things. And that is why I can no longer despise Rachel Nichols.