Simone Dominique

In light of the most recent court hearing of Brett Kavanaugh and this article from Vox which parallels Brett Kavanaugh's high school experience to the one offered by the 80's teen classic Sixteen Candles, I've been going back to my favorite films from the 80's and 90's with a new perspective and a deeper understanding of the influence and expectations that these films have set for our generation.  Reality Bites - which stars then 'it' girl Winona Ryder as Lelaina Pierce and the forever brooding dream boy Ethan Hawke as Troy Dyer was released in 1994 and is easily one of my favorite coming-of-age films from that decade. I watched this movie for the first time when I was about seven years old. My siblings rented it out on VHS and i've been re-watching it almost every year for twenty years. My best friend and I still talk about recreating that scene in the car where Lelaina and Vickie jam out to Tempted by Squeeze (I'm Lelaina in this scenario btw...

If I could tell my younger self two things about island life it would be: 1. You are going to have so much fun. 2. "Taking it easy" doesn't always mean that it's going to be easy. I was having a chat with a good friend over some beers and scotch about how nobody ever really talks about this. Everyone's seen the perfect instagram feed and the glamorous and scenic beach shots accompanied by #islandlife, but nobody really warned us that island living could be harsh and maybe the biggest slap in the face of reality we didn't know we needed. I was 22yrs old when I decided to leave the city where I was born and raised, to move to a little tropical island where I ended up living for four years. The idea was just so romantic. I left my job, my friends, and my family. I took a job as the marketing officer and front desk of a bed and breakfast. I was excited. I was looking forward to waking up to a beautiful beachfront view from the window of my adorable qua...