Jack Bauer vs. Sydney Bristow...

The Captain (also known as my husband) and I just got back from 5 days in Los Angeles. We spent a lot of time driving down the 405, the I-10, the Sepulveda, the Santa Monica Blvd and the Crenshaw. Wait, should I put the word "the" in front of highways only? Sorry, I'm not a native...

I'm not sure what it is about traveling to other cities, but I always think in terms of media when I visit. This time around I thought about Jack Bauer and Sydney Bristow and how they both live in Los Angeles. Every street corner and turn of the highway brought a memory to mind. Like the time Vaughn found Sydney in Union Station on a whim. Or the time Jack drove from CTU headquarters in downtown LA to anywhere else in LA in a commercial break...like that's possible.

When we went to New York, I thought of Elf and Will Ferell's snowball fight in Central Park. When we went to Chicago, I thought of Ferris Buller and My Best Friend's Wedding. Living in Dallas, I think of nothing...but occasionally I sing the theme song to myself. But only when I think about how someone from another country might respond when I say where I am from.

While we were in LA I had my eyes peeled for any spots Jack and Sydney might have frequented in their quest to rid the world of evil. Unfortunately I don't think I found any. As we were driving I started thinking about why I like Jack and Sydney and I think I've figured it out. I like Jack because of the way he responds under stress. So if you go beyond all of his awesome ninja skills and really stop and think about his gut reactions in times of dire urgency, he stays extremely calm. He might yell at Tony or knock out a few bad guys, but as far as completely freaking out...he doesn't.

The same is true for Sydney Bristow, she doesn't ever freak out. She just readjusts the wig, steps back and finishes the bad guy off with a sidekick. The difference between Sydney Bristow and Jack Bauer is what comes after the stress. This might just be because we as viewers only watch Jack's life in 24 hour segments whereas with Sydney we see the entire thing, but have you ever noticed how Sydney always needs to decompress after an extremely stressful day of kicking butt? It's more noticeable in the first season, but after a hard days work Sydney seems to always pour a glass of red wine, run a bubble bath and turn on Sarah McLachlan. (The bubble bath might be to appeal to the male viewers.)

So, if I was going to compare myself to Jack or Sydney who would I be? Well, in my world of defending the cause of justice and truth I usually try to approach things like Jack...I try to squeeze as much as possible into 24 hour segments. It's exhausting. There's something to be said about the Sydney Bristow approach...because at the end of the day who doesn't need a little red wine (or whatever choice beverage you prefer) and a little Sarah McLachlan playing in the background. What's your approach? If you like to decompress at the end of the day, what do you like to do?