The Imminent Return of JJ

If you do not watch Criminal Minds and don't care about it, now is the time to stop reading this post. That means most people. Yet, if you are still reading and you are interested in what my ominous title and half-hearted forewarning might mean, do read on.

Jennifer Jareau aka JJ

JJ, or Agent Jennifer Jareau, is a character on Criminal Minds, which airs on CBS every Wednesday at 9/8c.  It is an appropriately named crime show which follows a team of FBI agents as they attempt to solve murders, abductions, etc. which involve a psychological aspect. They use the art of "profiling," which means using cues found in the case to create a stereotype, if you will, of the potential killer. It's a real method that is still in use today, as I have read books about it. :)
Anyways, an example of real-life profiling is: we have a woman who was stabbed in the face and killed. Profilers would look at that and instantly use data collected on this type of crime to determine that the perpetrator was most likely a male (who would favor using a knife as well as would prey on women) who knew the woman personally (because violence to the face indicates a personal relationship).
Ta-da!
So that's what this show is. And I love it. But JJ, or rather, A.J. Cook (the actor), has been taken off of the show, and that's not cool because JJ is my character.

There was a lot of backlash regarding JJ's departure, including a petition, Twitter posts from cast members, and just a lot of general grumbling from fans. Because of all the complaints, the network agreed to allow JJ's character to appear in the first two episodes of the new season to provide closure. Then she left. And I cried, not gonna lie.
But now they are bringing her back for one more episode, which is airing this week! I'm more than a little excited, but I wonder how much CBS is going to toy with us...bringing her back and taking her away again, over and over. So here are my reasons for why JJ should return as a regular character on Criminal Minds:

1) She is the only one with her specific job. I need to give a quick run-down of the members of the team:
Profilers - Aaron Hotchner, Dr. Spencer Reid, Emily Prentiss, Derek Morgan, and David Rossi
Tech Genius - Penelope Garcia

Team Liaison - Jennifer Jareau

Hotch         Spence             Prentiss         Morgan           Rossi              Garcia

Do you notice that there are five profilers and only one team liaison? Well, it's true. The profilers get to sit in their little board room and listen to JJ detail the crime they are investigating, then they throw around possibilities and stuff. A very important job, but five of them are doing the same thing. And JJ even helps.

JJ's job is to choose the cases the BAU (Behavioral Analysis Unit) takes on, present them to the team, and then serve as liaison between the FBI and other jurisdictions or the media. She also makes arrangements for grieving families to have their funerals, holds press conferences about how the investigation is going, and helps to decide which information to disclose and which must still be confidential.
She has a very, very important job.
Nobody else does this job. Why would you take out a character that plays a unique role in every episode? I do not know.

2) She is a strong female character. Did you also notice that there are three women and four men on the team? Taking away JJ leaves you with two women and four men. And Garcia already has a kind of behind-the-scenes job. Not to mention they are talking about doing away with Prentiss. Don't even get me started.
Also, JJ is one of the few characters with an incredibly well-developed back story. We get some with Hotch and Spence, but JJ recently had a baby and is getting married. There is kind of a lot going on with her character that we would like to keep following, you know.

Ugh

3) They've replaced her with a freaky look-a-like who has no depth. Look at this girl. That is "Ashley Seaver," some stupid new addition to the BAU. I don't know what was going on in the minds of the producers of Criminal Minds when they were like, "La di dah, let's cast a boring girl who looks a whole lot like JJ to anger our fans even more that we fired A.J. Cook. And then every time they watch the show, they will first think that the pretty blond girl is JJ, but then they will realize it's this useless new girl, and they'll hate us, and it will be so funny! Hahaha!" And then they talk some more about getting rid of Prentiss because they don't even want anyone to watch the show anymore.
I can't even look at her.

4) She is Spence's best friend. Honestly, JJ and Spence are BFFs. And not just because JJ is my character and my best friend's character is Spencer. For one, I refer to Dr. Reid as Spence throughout this blog because JJ is the only one that calls him Spence. Except the freaking STUPID NEW GIRL CALLED HIM SPENCE ONCE AND I WAS ABOUT TO SHOOT THE TV.
But yeah, they are for real best friends. Don't believe me? Here's an awkward picture of Spence feeling JJ's baby kick:

JJ made Spence her baby's godfather. How cute is that? How is Spence supposed to carry out his godfather duties without JJ on the show? This is so depressing.

JJ can't be gone. Now that they are bringing her back again, it's rehashing all the pain I fought back the first time she left. If they are going to have her back for one episode, why not keep her? Ahhh.
Well, congratulations on getting this far if you have never heard of Criminal Minds. I applaud you. And even if you do like Criminal Minds, I blabbered on and on with this post, so thank you for reading. And if you somehow happen to be an executive at CBS or in any position of power to bring JJ back to Criminal Minds, please consider my rock solid reasoning. I know thousands of fans would absolutely love you.

How to Power Nap

I honestly think one of the greatest skills to acquire in college is mastering the art of the "power nap." It takes practice, and if you go too long without one, you have to get back into the routine, but it's so worth it.
The power nap is useful because once you're really good, you can take ten to twenty minute long, refreshing naps at almost any time. Just think about it: you're exhausted after a day of classes, but you have a meeting in less than an hour. What to do? Take a nap! And still have time left to get some stuff done.

The art of power napping is often lost because of people's misconceptions about the length of time necessary for a refreshing nap. People think that a good three hour nap in the afternoon is what you need to recharge after a long day. Wrong! Based on experience and studies that I have read but don't remember exactly, those naps only make you lethargic and make you lose sleep the following night.

Now, sites like this one explain the benefits of naps in detail as well as outlines the specific different kinds of naps. I'm not going to read that whole thing because I'm lazy. Look what I'm doing. Blogging about naps! How much lazier can you get?!
But, if you feel like educating yourself, there are plenty of sites about power naps. This idea is hardly original. This other site looks promising, based on my first impression. And it's not as long as that other one, which is always a plus.

So, how do you get to be a pro napper, according to me? Follow these simple steps:

1. Always Set an Alarm.  I usually fit my naps in between classes or other things I have to do. This means an alarm is a must. Figure out how long you want to nap (twenty to thirty minutes is usual), and set your alarm to go off ten to fifteen minutes after that time. Ex: I want to sleep for twenty minutes, and it is 3:00. I will set my alarm to 3:35.
You will know best how long it takes you to fall asleep, so always keep that in mind when setting your alarm. You don't want to set it for twenty minutes and wake up only to find that you were able to sleep for five.

2. Self-Control.  When your alarm goes off, GET UP. The temptation to just lay in bed for another few hours will be overwhelming. Do not listen to it. If you sleep any longer, your whole sleep schedule will get messed up and then you will probably die. Interesting fact: Did you know that you can die if you don't sleep for 10 days? However, the world record for going without sleep is 11 days. Doesn't that just sound terrible? Think about that when you are feeling selfish and wanting to sleep an extra hour and ruin your nap schedule. Just think about it.

3. Create an Environment.
   a. Location: Your nap is not the same thing as a night's sleep. It should not feel like it. If you have another place to lay down where you can sleep other than the bed you sleep in at night, nap there. If you don't, use a different blanket or something. I use my bed for naps, so I usually only sleep under one blanket during a nap, but I use all my covers for bedtime.
   b. Lighting: Don't turn off all the lights. It is not night time yet! I always keep one light on in my room so I don't get tempted into thinking I can sleep forever. Too many times have I woken up from a nap and realized it is completely dark outside. Then I never want to get up. It's a problem.
   c. Clothing: It's also probably a good idea to sleep in the clothes you are wearing so you don't get too comfortable. If you are in really restricting clothes, you can change, but jeans and a tshirt are perfectly effective for napping.
   d. Position: Finally, I sleep in a different position when napping versus when I sleep at night. To get to sleep at night, I lay on my back, but during naps, I always lay on my side. If you are able to do this, I highly recommend it as well. Anything to help your body distinguish between naps and actual sleep.

And once you've done all this, you have to gradually get yourself used to sleeping like this. The first time you try, it will be pretty difficult. You'll want to keep sleeping or you won't have really slept at all by the time your alarm goes off. Do not fret. You will get better. And the biggest benefit of a power nap is that you don't get that horrendous groggy feeling like you get from a three-hour nap.

I hope these guidelines sort of helped, and best of luck with your napping endeavors!