1.) Write a post that begins and ends with the same line.
Being in the English discipline, I tend to over-think things.
Though not a Lit major, I do analyze things to a degree that possibly spoils the topic for me.
I have started doing this with The Big Bang Theory.
For example, how does a waitress at The Cheesecake Factory afford the same apartment as two University scientists?
And do we really buy that Penny genuinely likes Leonard? OK, I have seen quite a few episodes now and they do seem to have a connection (aside from sex, apparently) but on the surface – and in terms of the stereotypes – (which this show relies way too heavily upon) it’s very hard to for me to believe that works out. Granted, it’s always on-again off-again with them but when it’s on, they seem to work out and though I have plenty of friends with boy and girlfriends that seem to have NOTHING In common with them, it’s still hard or me to suspend by disbelief here. I would say he’s probably the least socially awkward of the bunch but I am baffled by their relationship.
I do find it interesting how, as the show progressed, each character does grow in terms of their social anxieties and certain quirks (Sheldon, I’m looking at you.)
But I am especially bothered by the show’s assumption that all academic/scientist types are awkward and weird and just that unable to blend in with the real world. However, I can put that aside and appreciate the nerd world, as I share a lot of similar interests (i.e. comic books, gaming). I suppose there’s no way of getting around those stereotypes; I know a lot of “nerdy” people into comics but I also know a lot of guys who seem “cool” but are secretly super nerdy! In the end, everyone is quirky and special and the show does do a pretty good job of bringing that stuff out in each character.
I’ll still watch it whenever TBS plays reruns because I haven’t seen any one season in its entirety and it’s amusing enough to leave on. But it’s still going to boggle my mind.
Being in the English discipline, I tend to over-think things.
incognitusscriptor.com 
She has a small one bedroom. They have an expansive two bedroom – one bath.
That’s the only answer I have for you. 🙂
I know that you appreciate commentary and this is a topic with which I have some knowledge, so here you go!
The apartment is probably not the most expensive, especially given Sheldon’s proclivity for cheapness and the still unfixed lift. There are currently numerous seemingly nice (i.e., not seedy) one bedroom apartments for rent in Pasadena for around or just under $1,500 per month.
According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data from 2010, servers made an average annual income of $20,790 nationally. The same data indicated that only ten percent of reported income was $29,980 or higher, while ten percent reported $15,690 or less. The same data showed that servers made $29,750 in Washington D.C., $27,870 in Washington state and $26,520 in Oregon.
California’s minimum wage is $8.00 per hour, even for tipped wages. Salary data from three anonymous sources who reported working at Cheesecake Factory locations in the LA area show an hourly range of $8 to $10 earned hourly with an additional $20,000 to $24,000 in tips.
Who knows, maybe Penny’s father helps her out from time to time. Given the foregoing, I find the apartment situation presented in The Big Bang Theory to be plausible.
Regarding Leonard and Penny as a couple, I sure do believe it. Like you, I know many people that are unlikely couples but sometimes opposites do attract.
Further, we have seen that Penny’s former love interests have been, how shall I say, all looks and no brain. I recall how thrilled Penny’s father was when he learned about Leonard (and Penny’s subsequent plot to conceal the breakup from him).
Given the character growth we have seen Penny go through, I can believe that she and Leonard could make a relationship work.
Finally, I disagree with your assessment that the show make the “assumption that all academic/scientist types are awkward and weird…” since we only see a small handful of these types, all of whom are more or less friends with one another. The university president played by Joshua Malina seems to treat the main characters as unique, suggesting that not all of his students fit the stereotype. In other words, we only see one circle in an otherwise large and diverse university.
What the show omits are all of the larger stereotypical snobby academic types that have been teaching for a hundred years. 🙂
Of course, I am now the one who has probably thought too much about this.
Ha! I appreciate the input, Dave. And you’re right that perhaps not all the characters within the University are portrayed that way. Again, even in the face of stereotypes, I can forgive them because I like the show that much.
Okay, David’s comment makes it seem absolutely clear that he too is in the English discipline. And I’m glad he did it before I did, because I was just heading to do a Google on the price of apartments in Pasadena!
I am not, actually, but I will take it as a compliment!