Sugar and Gravy

R.I.P. Laptop

2012-01-30T11:02:00.002-05:00

Last summer, while enjoying an episode of “Sex and the City”,my computer shut down. I tried to turn her on but she was not in the mood. Infact, she was not interested in working at all.

Shortly after this I took her to Future Shop where they toldme her AC adapter cable needed to be solderized or something. I decided not to deal with that right then and thereand instead leave my girl alone for a while.

Months passed and I just left my computer alone. Every oncein a while I would think, “man I’d really like to download something”… “I missmy music”… “I want to read that essay I wrote in second year”… but nothingcould be done. I missed her, but I wasn’t ready to take action. I’d bring homemy work laptop on occasion, but it doesn’t have much RAM, and the rest of thetime I’d just use my iPhone. It was goodto take a bit of a computer break.

Then my friend W. came to visit for a weekend and took a look at it. He couldn't turn her on either, so he assumed it was still the AC adapter cable. I decided it was time to take her in to get solderized.

I went to Future Shop this past weekend to take care of business. The employee there told me it wasn't the cable any more. My baby was gone. Her hard drive, on the other hand, was still salvageable, so the nice gentleman removed it and gave it to me in a bag. He asked me if I'd like to recycle my laptop and I said yes.

R.I.P., Fujitsu Lifebook. Recycle In Pieces.

We had a lot of good times together. You were patient with me as I watched the same movies ("Jesus Camp") over and over again, and you stayed in working order for my entire academic career to date. I loved you. Enough now.

Soul Nourishment

2012-01-26T12:39:00.000-05:00

I'm at work right now, but had to take a blog break because of what's nourishing my soul at this moment.

My friend R. burned me a mix CD for Christmas (a long-time tradition) with this track on it and I've been playing it non-stop in the car. Seriously. Like, it ends, and then I start it again. So I finally brought the CD into my office to upload it to iTunes so I can listen to it all-day any day. Watching these gentlemen live(ish) in the video above is even better. Oh, to have a talent like that (as my boss said after I emailed her the vid). She's so right!

This isn't like listening to your average song though. No. For me at least, there's something about the music that just fills me up. Throw in some hot coffee and a quiet day in the office and it's straight-up soul nourishment.

Other things have been nourishing my soul lately...Baths. Reading before bed (What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell). Cocoa butter. Eating meals at the kitchen table (instead of in front of the TV). Hearing the words "I love you".

rc-3: Concluded

2012-01-19T10:16:00.000-05:00

I'm ashamed to say that more than having not completed rc-3 a.k.a. Reading Challenge III, I completely lost track of it. To be frank, I don't care that I didn't complete it. The most important thing is the fact that I'm reading and challenging myself to read more. And I read 17 books in 2011, which is not too shabby at all. However, I'm bummed that I can't say for sure which books I read in the last part of the year. For example, I believe it was 17 in total, but I'm not sure.

ANYWAY, it really doesn't matter. Here's what I think I read in 2011.

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Girls by Lori Lansens
Live from New York by Tom Shales & James Andrew Miller
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
The Divinity Gene by Matthew J. Trafford
38 Witnesses: The Kitty Genovese Case by A.M. Rosenthal
I Met the Walrus by Jerry Levitan
Saturday by Ian McEwan
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Animal Farm by George Orwell
No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding

So, not bad at all, really. I read a few classics (Animal Farm and The Old Man and the Sea), a few silly reads (Bossypants and Bridget Jones Deux), a bit of non-fiction (Life from New York, 38 Witnesses, I Met the Walrus, The Tipping Point, and Tuesdays with Morrie), and the rest my beloved fiction (65%). I'd say it was a good year.

I'm currently reading David Sedaris' When You Are Engulfed in Flames and Malcolm Gladwell's What the Dog Saw.

I thought I'd already revealed rc-4 but it appears not. Next time I will!

My trip to France

2012-01-11T16:21:00.003-05:00

Bloggingabout travel is really difficult for me; first of all, because I don’t travel alot, and secondly, because I have so much fun on trips that I want to tell youabout every day and every detail. However, I’m determined to hold your attention, and therefore haveboiled 12 days down to 10 experiences, that I hope express even a small percentageof how much fun I had during my 12 daysin France.

TOP 10 EXPERIENCES INFRANCE

Iam not a fan of roller coasters or balconies, but every once in a while I challengemy fear of heights. I did just thatwhile in France, and I’m glad I did, because riding the Ferris Wheel in Tours was one of my top 10 Francemoments. My friends J, W, K, and I werewalking around, chatting and enjoying the city, when we came upon a ferriswheel. Immediately W & K wanted toclimb on; after all, it was a great opportunity for photo taking. I was pretty hesitant, since I’m afraid ofheights, and J was really hesitant, because he hates ferris wheels, rollercoasters, and the like as well. When itcame down to it though, I had to make myself get on, and against all odds, sodid J. It was a great ride; threerotations and a beautiful view of the beautiful city that is Tours, France.

Inan effort to show us authentic French food, J took us to a local restaurant inTours called Les Relais D’Alsace, which Irealize from looking at the website is actually a chain. Anyway, I’m lucky because I haven’t met afood I didn’t like, so travel is just a way to meet more foods that Ilove. With that in mind, I thought I’dask J to just pick something on the menu for me (he speaks French, I do not),and he was willing to do so… that’s until I saw the selection of mussels (I figured moules was likely to be it). I love mussels, so that was that. We enjoyed some drinks to start (I had Kir Royale) and some entrees (which in France are actually theappetizers… which makes way more sense) – escargot and a seafood pizza sort ofthing. Unfortunately J & W didn’tlove their main dishes, but my mussels were incredible. They came in a huge pot mixed with sauce andmushrooms, with frites on the side for dipping into the sauce. YUM! The meal was incredible. Wefinished off with espressos and a huge dessert (can’t remember what it wascalled) to share. I highly recommend ifyou ever see the restaurant in France.

After3 nights in Tours (Dec. 28-31), we took the train to Paris where we stayed for the next 7 nights at our friend’sapartment. Note: if you’re so lucky to have friends in far-off places who arewilling to host you while you travel, I highly recommend it. Not only is it a way to save cash, but it’s agreat way to experience a city with a real pro, who might have friends tointroduce to you, little restaurants to take you to, etc. That being said, it’s important to be a goodhouse guest – stay clean, cook and wash dishes when you can, buy a little gift,etc. I could not be more grateful to mytwo wonderful hosts while in France.

But I digress… in Paris we stayed in the 5^th arr. closest to Maubert-Mutualite metro stop. We arrived at the apartment on the afternoonof New Year’s Eve, put our bagsdown, and then went out for a bite to eat and also to grab some much neededbeverages for the last evening of 2011. We spent about five hours in the apartment; relaxing, getting ready, andthrowing back a few glasses of wine. Note: wine (by Canadian standards) isincredibly inexpensive in France… like, mind-blowingly so. Enjoy it!

After dancing, drinking, and general merriment, we finally got ourselves on themetro to head to the Eiffel Tower. Although we celebrated midnight on the metro,we made it to the tower shortly afterwards and caught the tail-end of thefireworks display, which was stunning. Wewandered around the park next to the tower, taking it all in. Much like walking around NYC, wandering Parisis absolutely magical; you’ve seen all these images, sites, etc. in books,movies, and the like, so seeing it in person is absolutely surreal. I never went to the top of the Eiffel Towerwhile in Paris, but celebrating NYE underneath it with a bottle of champagneand my best friends? I can’t think ofanything better than that.

#4OnJanuary 2^nd, K and I took the metro to the Louvre. It was a Mondaymorning, which we read afterwards (in K’s RickSteves’ guide to Paris – highly recommend) is one of the busiest times togo. The line to get into the museum waslonger than any I’d ever seen before; I think we waited an hour. That being said, we chatted andpeople-watched and so the time just flew by (the view of the museum from theline isn’t bad either; lots to look at). K had read (Rick Steves) that it’s best to follow some kind of tourthrough the museum; it’s huge, and just wandering around will tire you outquickly, and you might get “arted out”. We followed Rick Steves’ tour of the museum, which focused on makingsure you saw the “biggies”. When weweren’t looking at the biggies, we just kind of sped through certain sectionsto avoid burn-out. My favourite pieceswere: Venus de Milo (really cool tosee in person and such a beautiful sculpture), a statue of Athena (not far from Venus… really tall), and, of course Mona Lisa. Although there was a crowd in front of ML, I got a good view of her. She is smaller than you’d think, like manyhad warned me, but it’s still something you’ve gotta see.

#5Onthe afternoon of the day we went to the Louvre, we took a historical walkingtour of Paris (care of Rick Steves). Oneof the spots to see on this tour was the LeftBank Booksellers, and, not far from there, the Shakespeare & CompanyBook Store. I know it’s a bitsilly to say that one of my top 10 experiences in France was an Englishbookstore, but I can’t help it. It was adream world; books shoved in every nook and cranny available, ladders to takeyou to the highest shelves… I bought a book (When You are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris) and got itstamped with the official Shakespeare & Co. stamp, and bought a totebag,too. I highly suggest checking this spotout in Paris if you’re a book lover.

#6Afterbuying books and enjoying a break from struggling with my French, we headed toa pub we’d seen nearby. Once again, thisis a slightly silly place to go to in France, but we couldn’t help ourselves – TheGreat Canadian Pub. We enjoyed abeer (called The Great Canadian, which our server [from Winnipeg!] confirmedwith me indeed is not served in Canada) and some nachos and wings, as well asthe atmosphere which included Montreal Canadiens’ memorabilia, among otherthings. Always fun to find a piece ofhome in a foreign country.

#7OnDay 8/January 3^rd, we went to my favourite neighbourhood in Paris – Montmartre. I knew of Montmartre from both the movie “MoulinRouge” and also, one of my favourite films, “Amelie”. In fact, wewatched “Amelie” the night before in prep for our day in Montmartre. We took the bus from the 5^th arr.to Montmartre and began by climbing the steps to Sacre Coeur. Before we gotto the top, we paused to enjoy the site of the carousel that we had seen in themovie the night before. We took somegreat photos from outside the Sacre Coeur, and then went into the church forsome moments of silence and the beautiful inside of the building.

After that we wandered through the Montmartre Christmas market, where we gotsome mulled wine and souvenirs. Then wewalked past the artists in the square and went to the Salvador Dali exhibit, which had come highly recommended by J and Ican see why; it was so cool to see Dali’s work, and think about just how manyprolific artists spent their days in Montmartre.

After the exhibit we went searching for Café des DeuxMoulins, the restaurant where Amelie works in the film. At first I thought the two restaurants justshared the same name, but that the film was shot at a different location… now I’mstarting to think it was the same one, just with a slightly differentinterior. Either way, it was a deliciouslunch, and fun to see Audrey Tatou’s face on the menu.

After lunch we walked down the hill to the MoulinRouge and snapped a few pics. Thenwe called it a day!

On Day 9/Jan. 4th, we made ourselves get up early and take the RER (think Paris' GO train) to Versailles. I had been pretty excited to see this, after studying Versailles as part of music/art history, and knowing more about Louis XIV than I do about most kings. Like with Montmartre, we had intended to watch a movie the night before to get us in the mood - "Marie Antoinette" - but we'd never gotten around to it. Anyway, we arrived there on a rainy, grey Thursday morning, and went straight to the info kiosk/store to get some tickets to the castle, gardens, etc.

Wasn't it just our luck that the gardens were closed that day because of the rain and wind? Well, we got our tickets to the castle anyway, and headed there to take the tour. Audioguides are free at Versailles, which is not the case at most museums, so we excitedly got one each. I highly suggest getting the audioguides when you can, as they're fun and really get you into the mood of being there. We toured the rooms and listened to the history as we went. It was really amazing. The castle is absolutely gorgeous and ornate and... royal!!! My favourite room was the queen's bedroom.

The sky began to clear up and the rain ceased, but the gardens still didn't seem to be open. We decided to get some lunch and then try the info place again to see if we could get tickets. After such a decadent tour, we felt we needed a decadent lunch...

After some French-style Big Macs (just the same), we headed back to the info place to no avail - they still weren't opening the gardens. Super disappointing, but we were happy to have seen the castle and a teeny bit of the cute town of Versailles. We headed home to relax and decided to watch "Marie Antoinette" at that point. My friends hadn't given it great reviews but I actually really liked it. I liked it even more after having seen the castle that morning, and the queen's bedroom was made even cooler by the film.

We even ate some special macarons in Marie Antoinette's honour (macarons from La Duree).

When speaking with a friend while in Paris, she told me that I had to try raclette. I wouldn't call myself a foodie, per se, but I'd call myself an eater, so of course I was willing to try it. Our lovely host in Paris just so happened to know of a place close to her apartment, so off we went to L'Assiette aux Fromages.

My friend informed me that raclette is traditionally a sort of post-skiing dinner, and the restaurant totally reflected that, as it looked like a ski lodge/chalet.

For a reasonable 30 euros, we completely stuffed ourselves. We had two fondue pots (one oil, one cheese), two raclette plates, and I believe it was called a tartiflette - almost like a quiche. Mmmmm. Raclette involves putting meats and potatoes on your plate, melting cheese on a little skillet (right at your table), and pouring the melted cheese over the meat and potatoes. I love interactive meals (like lobster!), so raclette was right up my alley. On top of all that food we had lots of wine, followed by coffee and dessert; a very reasonable price considering all that we enjoyed.

#10

Last, but not least: Day 11/Jan. 6th. This was my last full day in Paris, and France in general. We had had a late night (/early morning) the night before, so we allowed ourselves a little sleep-in, followed by a late lunch (Italian - yum!), and then K, W, and I hit the last site on our list - the Champs-Elysees.

We got off the metro at the Arc de Triomphe. It was quite a site to see - like the Eiffel Tower, you know it, and so it's really magical to see in person. Once again, we didn't climb to the top, but we took lots of photos and took it all in. Note: When looking at the Arc de Triomphe, take a look at the traffic around it. To me, there seems to be zero logic to the way it works, but a great amount of anxiety associated with the driving. O.M.G. I would never do it.

After staring at the arc for long enough, we hit the street. The Champs was really cool.

We walked and shopped a bit, taking a side route to see some more stores, and then we ended up at Place de la Concorde to look at the oberlisque. It was really cool; to look at and to learn the story of it. From our vantage point we could also see the Eiffel Tower glowing in the distance.

Finally, as if all of this wasn't surreal enough... We're walking back to the arc from the oberlisque, along the other side of the Champs, and we see a crowd of people gathered outside a movie theatre...

After mingling with the crowd we gather that it's a movie premiere... and not just any movie premiere, but the premiere of "The Iron Lady".

So take a wild guess what (or rather, who) was my 10th best experience in France???

MERYL STREEP!!!!!!!!!

That is it, ladies and gentlemen! Thanks for reading, and go to France!!!

2011: Year In Review

2011-12-16T10:34:00.004-05:00

FANTASTIC VIDEO!!!

What a year...

Sugar & Gravy Movie Mania #7

2011-12-06T08:34:00.001-05:00

Whoa (a la Joey Lawrence)!!! Why has it been nearly a month since I last posted??? I'm not sure, but I'm fixing that... right now.

It's time for another installment of Sugar & Gravy Movie Mania. Over the years at S & G, I have reported on a variety of movies via Movie Mania... the good: "Temple Grandin" and Sofia Coppola's "Somewhere", and the oh-so-very-bad: "Secretariat" and "The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2".

Now it's time for 2 pretty darn good movies...

This past weekend I saw "Like Crazy" at the Varsity Theatre in Toronto. I've heard of their VIP theatres before, but have never been in one before. (Un)fortunately, "Like Crazy" was only playing in the VIP theatre, so the ticket was $18.99. That said, the increased ticket price = popcorn delivered to you at your seat & a licensed theatre. It was worth the money to drink a pint of Mill Street Organic while watching a movie.

I highly anticipated this movie after seeing the trailer before I saw "50/50". Considering the trailer made me cry, I figured the movie itself would be a winner. I heard from a friend whose film tastes I really respect that the trailer was better than the movie and that the movie actually sucked, but I went anyway, and I have to respectfully disagree. I thought the movie was great, and the more it sinks in, the more I like it. It wasn't perfect by any stretch, but it had many great qualities.

It seemed very real. I learned before I saw it that there was no script and it was fully improvised. This fact was very apparent in a good way. Actions and dialogue were really realistic and made everything much easier to relate to.
The arc of the story was very real, too. It didn't clean up nicely like you maybe want it to, but then the other part of you wants it to be messy, because that's what life is like. The outcome you have your heart set on isn't always/usually the way things end up, and it's awkward and unfortunate, but it's real. I thought the ending was spot on.
I thought the acting was splendid! My sister didn't think the male lead was as good, and I have to agree, but overall the main two actors were very real (again... realness) and improvised extremely well.

Arbitrary S & G rating = 4.5/5

The weekend before that my sister and I saw another movie together -- "The Descendants". The trailer for this movie also looked fantastic, but the movie left something to be desired. It was an interesting enough story, there were interesting and funny parts of the movie, but it just didn't leave you with much. There was some great interaction between the family members, beautiful shots of Hawaii, and the two young actresses who played George Clooney's character's daughters, I thought, were fabulous! But... it just didn't give you much, that's all. It wasn't a smash hit by any stretch, in my opinion, and I can't elaborate on it much more than that, I'm afraid.

Arbitrary S & G rating = 3/5

...until next time!!!

Australians & iOS 5.1

2011-11-14T08:19:00.001-05:00

At 5:45 this morning I woke up to my first alarm and, in a dream-like state, checked for any Facebook notifications, texts, etc. on my phone (which acts as my alarm). I ignored a Groupon, checked FB, and then received a notification that iOS 5.1 was ready for download. Sweet! As I approved the download (which could be done without hooking up to a computer... Sweet!), I noticed one of the new features. Was this a dream, or is iOS 5.1 in fact optimized for Australian voices? I remember laughing about this and then fell fast asleep right after. The download was complete when I woke up, but did it ever really happen?

rc-3: 14 down, 6 to go...

2011-11-08T09:01:00.000-05:00

It's been too long since I properly updated my ~~die-hard~~ ~~fans~~ readers on Sugar & Gravy's Reading Challenge #3, more commonly known as rc-3. The truth is that I was on a total roll up until August and then in September I barely read at all. I was really busy with work and going through a few personal things and just couldn't catch the reading bug again. But I slogged through and managed to get a few books read after The Help. I'm currently on book #15 - Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Alboum. I've always meant to read it and picked it up for $1 at a book sale (along with 9 other books I really didn't need to buy, but $1/book?! How could I not?!). I'm loving it so far and it's a fast read, so that'll leave me with 5 books to go in about 6 weeks. It's possible that I can still do it, though I might need to pick the shortest books on my shelves. I shall do my best and see how I make out.

So, this year I have read...

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Girls by Lori Lansens
Live from New York by Tom Shales & James Andrew Miller
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
The Divinity Gene by Matthew J. Trafford
38 Witnesses: The Kitty Genovese Case by A.M. Rosenthal
I Met the Walrus by Jerry Levitan
Saturday by Ian McEwan
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Animal Farm by George Orwell
No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
A Million Little Pieces by James Frey

Random note: 5/14 are non-fiction... seems as though the love for fiction is back and in good form!!!

EDIT: This is too funny. In re-reading this post, I realized, wait a sec... 6/14 are non-fiction... or is it 5?! SUGAR & GRAVY QUIZ -- Which of the books listed above is like a tomato in that it's unsure whether it's a vegetable or fruit?

I'm a lady!

2011-11-04T09:14:00.001-04:00

It's Friday and even though I cursed when I saw frost on my car this morning, there's still a beautiful blue sky to be pumped about. Plus, it's FRIDAY!!! TGI to the friggin' F, y'all, and how better to celebrate that than with a hot jam?!?

What would you do?

2011-10-31T15:10:00.002-04:00

I don't hunt for new music like I used to, but every once in a while the mood strikes and I hit up the Hype Machine's popular list for some new jams.

And every once in a while (read: pretty much always), hypem delivers.

Case in point:
Note - I can't vouch for the video that accompanies the song; the important thing is the audio.

What kind of example would she be setting for Clippy Clippy Clip-Clop?

2011-10-26T14:15:00.004-04:00

Yet another example of why James Lipton is pure genius.

See the rest here.

OMD!!! [Oh mon Dieu!!!]

2011-10-18T09:19:00.000-04:00

Guess what?!

OH. EM. GEE. I'm going to France in 71 days. My bestie, who is known to some as D'Johnnaize, is currently living and working in Tours, France. How often do I have a friend living in France? Not often! So, I thought I'd take advantage of this opportunity and pop over the ocean during my Christmas holidays for 10 days in Europe. We'll definitely be spending time in Tours, and a day trip or two to Paris, as well as taking in many of the sites surrounding Tours, and we might even spend the second half of the trip in another country entirely. Spain perhaps? Needless to say, I am beyond excited. If you've been to France before, please let me know what I must see. I would love to hear your suggestions!

YAY!!!

S&G's Top 3

2011-10-12T09:47:00.000-04:00

My favourite magazine is Toronto Life. It's my favourite because I'm from Toronto so it seems that much more relevant than other mags, and it's my favourite because it's written in a style that I can easily digest, and it's my favourite because it's one of the only magazines that I can easily read cover to cover. I just gobble it up.

Toronto Life has a feature that they use in every issue (I think...) where they have 3 different individuals speak about their favourite book, movie, or music; each one will discuss a different medium. It might be an indie bookstore owner speaking of a book, or an indie record shop owner speaking about his new favourite album... you get the idea. (They once had the owner of Videoflicks speaking about his latest fave movie... I friggin' love Videoflicks).

So - what is the point of all this? Well, I'm going to do my own version of that feature... except I'm going to give my opinion on all 3 of those things.

Sugar & Gravy's Top 3

MOVIE: I saw "50/50" this weekend. All I can say is... "wow!" It was one of the best movies I've seen in a while, and I've seen some good movies over the past few months ("Bridesmaids"... "Moneyball"...). "50/50" was just totally different. It was one of the most creative story lines I've ever seen, and the acting and writing were spot on. Joseph Gordon-Levitt was totally charming as his character, and honest and raw, and he delivered every aspect of his character perfectly. I laughed so many times throughout and I cried... oh how I cried! I thought my t-shirt would be soaked in my tears at one point. I just loved it! Highly recommend.
BOOK: I haven't written about books in a while, have I? Well, there's a good reason for that... I haven't been reading much. Ugh, I'm so ashamed to say it, but it's true. I don't know if it's being busy at work or lazy at home, or both! Whatever it is, I want to break the habit and get back into reading, so I made some progress this weekend when I finished Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point. This is the 3rd book I've read by Gladwell and, like the others, I loved it. This particular book is about how an idea, once formed, gets to a point where it "tips" and then spreads like wildfire. Why does that happen? How can we take an idea and make it tip? Gladwell suggests 3 factors that contribute to an idea's likeliness to tip: (1) The Law of the Few; (2) The Stickiness Factor; (3) The Power of Context. You can say that Gladwell takes others ideas and makes them his own, but I don't see it that way. I think he's just good at researching intensely on a topic and compiling that research and delivering it to the reader in a way that's easy to read and process and understand. That on its own is a skill, and he does it again with this book. I look forward to reading the last of his books that I haven't read: What the Dog Saw. Have you read it? What did you think?
MUSIC: For the past 2-3 weeks I have been listening to almost nothing but Beyonce's "4". I honestly cannot stop listening to it. I went from liking a few songs to loving a few songs and tolerating the rest of the album to loving all of it and then being OBSESSED (pun intended?) with a few songs. My faves are "Love on Top", "I Care", and "Countdown", but "I Was Here" has grown on me a lot, and as I said, I really do love all of it at this point. Beyonce delivered big time with a diverse album that shows her growth and creativity, showcases her talent, and reminds us again why she is one of the biggest players in the game. Along with "21" and "The Suburbs", this is one of my fave albums of the past 2 years.

Thanks for stopping by, San Diego!

So many things!!!

2011-10-04T08:42:00.001-04:00

Man... there are so many things I want to write about today!!! So I'll write about 'em all!

Regina Spektor: I haven't written about Spektro Gel in a while... probably because her last album was so Far away... har har. Seriously though, I'd love something new from Regina, but I've been listening to her music lately and I've fallen in love with her all over again. "Far" is an absolutely stunning album... especially the gem below.
Hotel Gelato: I wouldn't really categorize this under "discovering Toronto" because it's basically in the area that I grew up in, but I digress... almost half-way between Avenue Rd. and Bathurst on Eglinton West, there lies a gelato cafe/resto that will absolutely delight your taste buds. The gelato, of course, is stunningly delicious, but the reason I wanted to write about HG is because I recently experienced their brunch for the first time this past Sunday, and it was divine. I ordered the Smoked Salmon Benedict. I love salmon and I love eggs Benedict and I love the combination of the two... BUT I never knew salmon Benedicts until Sunday. Wow. First of all, instead of the standard English muffin or bagel, it was served atop potato cakes. The potatoes were grated and fried to the perfect crispiness! Secondly, the Hollandaise wasn't just standard fare either... it was a DILL Hollandaise and it was dill-full. It was INCREDIBLE, served with a lovely salad. I enjoyed every single bite!!! I highly recommend checking it out.

...last but not least...
Mini Movie Mania: I've watched two movies since the last great one I saw ("Exit Through the Gift Shop") and wanted to take a moment to discuss them.

Hoop Dreams: This was the second film in my Friday night documentary kick. After "Exit Through the Gift Shop", I watched "Hoop Dreams", an Oscar-nominated 1994 documentary that follows two boys, the same age, from just before their freshmen year of high school until just after high school graduation. Both boys are basketball obsessed with a dream to play in the NBA. They're both from rough neighbourhoods in Chicago. The film starts off with both of them being given the same opportunity to play on the basketball team at an esteemed private school just outside of Chicago (the same school that Isiah Thomas went to). However, they don't stay on the same path for very long, and it's so interesting to watch them evolve over those formative high school years, and to see where they end up. I can't say it ended as I would've hoped, but it's not an unhappy ending... just a real one.

The film itself is extremely well-made, too. The documentarians aren't too much in the face of the two boys and many key moments are captured throughout the film. I found myself beaming for one reason or another a number of times, and just as the DVD case said I would, I was cheering those boys on! It was a great watch.

Milk: The story of Harvey Milk, written by Dustin Lance Black (!!!), and directed by the incredible (and gay! I didn't know) Gus Van Sant. Of course I knew of this movie, and I have seen portions of it before, but this was the first time I really sat down, solo, and had a good watch.

WOW... that's about all I can say. The movie is stunning - well made, well directed, well-written, well-acted... man, especially well-acted. Sean Penn... Sean Penn, Sean Penn, Sean Penn... you nailed it!!! I didn't know Harvey personally (obv), but I've seen footage, and it seems to me that Sean Penn lost himself in Harvey. Also, James Franco played Scott with such respect, and Alison Pill (TORONTO, WHAT?!) played Anne Cronenberg so well... it was all so good.

But beyond a well-made movie, I need to say something about Harvey Milk, the man, himself. I was bawling uncontrollably by the end of the film. It was so moving and just so heartbreaking to see what happened. But I can't help but think, what would my life be like, as a gay woman, without Harvey? He fought so hard and gained so much for the LGBTQ community, and beyond! I feel that I owe him a lot, and so I say, God bless you, Harvey Milk.

FIN.

Exit Through the Gift Shop

2011-09-30T20:40:00.001-04:00

Whoa! I need to write while it's fresh on my mind.

I just watched "Exit Through the Gift Shop". It's about Banksy...
But no, that's not really true... it's really about street art...
...no, no... that's not entirely true either. It's about both of those things + Thierry Guetta a.k.a. MBW a.k.a. Mister Brainwash.

Such is the conundrum of "Exit Through the Gift Shop". Who is it even about? How did it all go down? And how does everybody involved feel about it now? Needless to say, it's very meta.

It was one of the best movies I've ever seen in many ways. It really made me think and it was not at all what I expected. I was craving a documentary, went with a suggestion from my sister, and it DELIVERED!!! Thank you, sista, and thank you, Banksy.

Please see this film.

Now onto my next doc - "Hoop Dreams".

Entourage: Concluded (and long overdue post)

2011-09-28T14:40:00.000-04:00

Diligent Sugar & Gravy readers – I owe you a post. 16 days with no updates is absolutesacrilege, so without further ado…

A NEW POST!!!

I mentioned in my last post that I’d write about the seriesfinale of “Entourage” slash the last season in general, which is good because Ijust re-watched the last ep, so it’s once again fresh on my mind.

For those of you who don’t know, Entourageran on HBO for 8 seasons. Each seasonvaried in length, but most fans (if not all) were pretty horrified to find outthat the 8^th and final season was going to be only 8 episodeslong. 6^th season, in myopinion was AMAZING, but 7^th season was somewhat lackluster… notbecause there wasn’t enough going on, but just because it was hard to see thegang sort of independent from one another, never mind Vince going through awhole bunch of ups and downs (mostly downs), which was not so fun towitness. However, I stayed optimisticand just hoped that 8^th season would really deliver and wrap up theshow in a neat little package, tied with a bow… you get what I’m saying. So I guess the thought was, how are you goingto do that in only 8 episodes?!

The truth is, in my opinion, that they rushed thisseason. I don’t know why they had only 8episodes, or whose decision that was, but it was a whole lot of stuff to happenin 8 episodes and felt unrealistic.

HOWEVER, in a superficial way, I was incredibly satisfiedwith how it all wrapped up, realistic or not. What I wanted for the characters happened… I just wish that it had beenin a more real way. I mean, it’s not TV,right? It’s HBO. But it’s also not “Six Feet Under”, it’s “Entourage”.

As for the series finale itself? It was a grand slam! Once again, realistic or not, loose ends weretied, there was a happy ending, all characters ended up where they weresupposed to, and it just felt good. And I appreciate that. Ari’s final scene in the office with theopera music playing? BRILLIANT. It was just wonderful! Upon a second watching, I was moved totears. Bravo!!!

Then there’s the movie… well, it’s obviously not just arumour because that little cliffhanger with Ari at the end is an opening if I’veever seen one. I can’t wait to see theboys on the big screen. Bring it on, andmake it a damn good one! I’d also loveif they had Fergie sing the movie’s theme song… I’m not totally joking either.

Niko Niko

2011-09-12T14:35:00.003-04:00

I've talked about restaurants in New York and Toronto, but I have yet to post about a resto in my beloved Kitchener-Waterloo. And it does have restaurants to boast about - the new(ish) Oliver & Bonacini's at Conestoga Mall (try the lamb burger!!!), Wildcraft, Ben Thanh..... but none is worth boasting about more than:

NIKO NIKO!!!

Niko Niko is a cozy, completely unpretentious Japanese restaurant in downtown Kitchener, close to the intersection of King & Queen. Unfortunately (but not unsurprisingly) it doesn't have a website, but you can take my word for it: it's the best sushi I've ever eaten in my life!!! I've been to a lot of Japanese restaurants, and plan on going to one in Japan at some point in my life, but what I'm saying is that I've eaten a lot of sushi in my day. I love sushi, but Niko Niko has taken my standards to a whole new level. It's not just sushi; it's art. Each different kind of roll is creative and unique and isn't just some side dish to your bento box. It is the dish. Any roll comes with miso soup and salad. The miso is spot on, and the salad is your typical greens and tomatoes, but their wasabi-infused dressing makes it anything but typical. I've sampled a number of the rolls, but what I always end up eating is the signature Niko Niko roll, and I usually share a Love Love roll with my bestie, and classic Niko Niko partner, Monica. She's the one who introduced me to the resto and it almost feels wrong going without her. I barely ever have.

In fact, I'd estimate that I've spent over $1,000 at Niko Niko over the years..... I wish I was kidding.

So what makes me post about Niko now? Well, a fire about 6 or so months ago occurred at a store or restaurant near Niko Niko and as a result my beloved resto closed down for nearly 5 months. Although I don't live in KW anymore, I've been in the city at least 3 times over those 5 months and every time I hope that it's open again... but it never is.

Until this past weekend. When Monica told me the news, I almost started to cry. We headed there as soon as we could and were met almost by cheers from the staff. We learned from them that we weren't the only devastated ones; apparently there's a whole Niko Niko cult. I'm not surprised to learn that. As a result of the 5 months of a closed-down Niko, they upgraded their menu, added a few new items (but didn't take any away - thank God!), spruced up the bathrooms, and got a well-deserved face lift. The place looks great, and I'm frankly thrilled to have my fave resto back!

So do yourself a favour and check Niko Niko out whenever you're in KW. You won't regret it.

Next post - I'll weigh in on the last episode ever of "Entourage".

To Build A Home

2011-09-07T18:21:00.002-04:00

SO inspiring:

And works really well with what I haven't been able to stop listening to today:

NO NAIL BITING CHALLENGE

2011-09-06T15:46:00.000-04:00

What's the key to achieving goals?

Declaring them on Sugar & Gravy.

Aside from graduating from university with a BA in Honours English and getting my G2, I think one of my best achievements in the past few years was quitting biting my nails. I had been biting them for as long as I could remember and was frankly sick of the way they looked, the pain, and the embarrassment of having such nasty nails. I decided to stop biting them, and I did.

Unfortunately, it hasn't lasted. I don't know if I just let myself get back into the habit or if work-related and certainly emotional stress/distress lately have driven me to bite them. Either way, I'm sick of doing it all over again and must break the habit!!!

SO - I solemnly declare to quit biting my nails once again!!! Please join me on this journey.

Videos that make me happy!

2011-09-02T10:38:00.004-04:00

I just spent too much time going through videos I've favourited on YouTube and as a result would like to share...

Videos that make me happy! (just a few)

I love this guy. Not only is he skilled on the piano and geetar, but there are TWO of him, AND his accent (Norwegian?) is adorable on the English theme songs. Oh, and he has the cutest l'il smile!

I used to be OBSESSED with this video. I love Immi.

This is the first Adele-related thing I ever heard/saw and I fell in love the moment I heard/saw her.

Rough Aunties

2011-08-25T09:04:00.005-04:00

I've been wanting to blog about this film since I saw it, but I needed to let it sink in for a bit longer before I could sit down and write. Even now I'm hesitant to talk about it because I'm not sure I can do my feelings justice or articulate just how incredible an experience it was to watch it.

Note: I consider myself no movie critic or reviewer, so this is just me articulating my thoughts and feelings on a film I saw. Take it for what it's worth.

"Rough Aunties" is a documentary about an organization called Operation Bobbi Bear, which was founded by Jackie Branfield in the early 90s in South Africa. The organization is made up of many hard-working staff and volunteers, but the movie focuses on 5 women in particular, who are called the Rough Aunties. The organization exists to rescue and uphold the rights of sexually abused children, minimize their risk of HIV infection, and help them towards wholeness.

The documentary doesn't involve interviews nor narration, but simply observes these women as they work, whether it's a group raiding the home of an abused child, a woman and child one-on-one talking about the child's experience of sexual abuse, or the Rough Aunties together discussing their passion for what they do, and also their frustration with what they see and how hard it is to deal with some of the things they are witness to. This laissez-faire documentary approach really allows the women to speak for themselves.

What stood out for me was the strength of the Rough Aunties. All of them were very serious about their work and, from what I saw, absolutely incredible at what they do. Some of the things the viewer sees/hears are devastating; who wants to hear about a sweet, innocent child being abused - verbally, sexually, emotionally, physically??? However, these selfless women sit with the children, help them express their stories, and work to take (some of) their pain away, then having to release some of that pain themselves. Just watching the film was hard for me, so the thought of dealing with that on a daily basis is just beyond my imagination... I wish I was that strong, and I'm just so in awe of these women who are helping these children. It's absolutely inspiring!

Another thing that stood out for me was the approach of the Rough Aunties in their one-on-one's with children. Each Auntie was different, of course, but what they all did was have physical contact with the children... they hugged them, held them close... Not to get really heavy here, but I feel like in North America there's such a reluctance to be in physical contact with other people in therapy/social work, etc. I don't know much about it all, but for whatever reason it's deemed inappropriate or harmful. In the film it seemed that the children didn't want to let the Aunties go; that hugging them gave the children all the strength and joy in the world; that they felt cared for and safe and comfortable. I thought that was so beautiful, and I really respected that approach.

Lastly was the way the Aunties themselves handled the situations. They took in all this horrible information from the kids; hearing their horrifying stories and learning the details of their abuse. You could tell they were just emotionally spent after one-on-one's, but they didn't compartmentalize their emotions. Of course they have to keep their emotions in check to some degree, but their passion fuelled their ability to help, so they didn't hesitate from showing anger or sadness about the many cases of abuse. Of course, they didn't show that to the children, in order not to upset them, but among one another they shared their stories in a therapeutic catharsis; acknowledging their feelings about it, sharing them with one another, relating, and then, I suppose, perhaps letting a little of it go. They also laughed with one another, cried with one another, and created amongst one another a community of shared passion and experience, continuing to strengthen their abilities to achieve their organization's mission.

So those are my thoughts, for what they're worth. Please watch the film as I think it's an important one to see and really well done!

Curve Ball

2011-08-24T08:54:00.004-04:00

Here are two of my favourite things about life:

It can throw you a curve ball.
You can completely surprise yourself.

Sometimes these things happen at the same time and the results are wonderful! Has this ever happened to you? Something crazy happens... crazy in that it impacts your life somewhat seriously, shifts your life in a different direction, changes your view of the future, etc.... and you expect one reaction of yourself but get another. You wake up every morning expecting to feel a certain way, but still, you feel another.

It's a bizarre feeling! In the past, this situation would've completely rocked you; your life would've totally gone to crap for a period of time... at least that what your history of situations like this tells you. Aren't precedents supposed to mean something?

But a lot can happen over time, combined with certain factors that are different this time around, and - especially - combined with a ME that is different. When all of those things fall into place at the right time, even a significant life change can't shake you, and suddenly when you expect yourself to break down, you actually get stronger... life gets better... things change for the best!

It doesn't mean you didn't care about what happened, it just means you were ready for it, and now there's lots to be excited about!!!

Girls On Film

2011-08-23T20:10:00.001-04:00

I really like the latest H&M commercials. Something about them.

Then I realized...

California Gays!

2011-08-18T08:15:00.001-04:00

Was just reminded of how fantastic this video is:

ENJOY!

s08e04

2011-08-17T15:57:00.002-04:00

I watched episode 4 of the current season of "Entourage" a second time around and realized I hadn't checked in on S&G with my thoughts... I might've missed out on posting on ep. 3 as well. Anyway, without further ado...

I thought/think ep-4 was fantastic!! I found out today that Jerry Ferrara a.k.a. "Turtle" wrote the episode along with creator/producer/writer Doug Ellin. I love that! Kevin Connelly a.k.a. "E" directs episodes and Turtle writes them... I love HBO. Such a collaborative broadcast community. It's not TV, you know...

Anyway, I thought the ep brought things back to where they used to be. The essence of the show has always been the 4 friends, and though their group has grown, it's back to that sense of friendship, loyalty, etc. I love that!

Only 4 more episodes left. 1/2-way done. Say it ain't so...

Try not to cry.

2011-08-16T18:55:00.002-04:00

Thank you to my bestie R. for this delicious recording. It's a good one to fall asleep to, or cry on the couch to. Either way, it's stunning. If you listen to it with me, please ask me to explain a particular phrase that makes me weak in the heart.

Beautiful.

Speak to it, Miss Paula

2011-08-16T12:14:00.001-04:00

Blue skies are coming.

2011-08-14T15:37:00.002-04:00

Happy 302nd post, Sugar & Gravy!!!

In other news, this is my anthem for the week:

Enjoy!

rc-3: A new book in my top 5

2011-08-11T22:00:00.005-04:00

In case you forgot... Sugar & Gravy's Reading Challenge #3 a.k.a. rc-3 is to read 20 books in the year 2011. I am now 7.5 months into the year and as of 15 minutes ago have read 12 books. With 8 books to go and 4 months to read them, I'd say I'm doing just fine!

Book #12 was The Help by Kathryn Stockett. At least on my mini-feed, this book has been receiving a lot of attention. 4/6 of my family members have read it, a few friends have, too, or are in the process of reading it right now... it's a popular book! On top of that, the movie's coming out super soon... or did it come out yesterday? I can't remember. Anyway, it's coming out soon.

It seems a hot topic is how the movie is going to be. Is it going to do the book justice? Will it turn the novel into another "white lady saves the po' black women" movie? Will the masses, with their infinite lack of wisdom, take the wrong message from the movie when the book's message was so powerful?

I have no idea.

Here's what I do know: the novel was beyond fantastic!!! It was one of the best works of fiction I've ever read. I look back (see below) at the list of books I've read so far this year, and The Help beats them all by far (and they were all great)! I think it's right up there in my top 5 along with She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb. It's not just because there's an important message. It's not just because the writing is so nuanced. It's because it's a fantastic story! It's because the characters are so wonderful, and wonderfully flawed, and real, and endearing. I just... loved it!!!

So, rc-3 -- it's going well! On to the next one!

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Girls by Lori Lansens
Live from New York by Tom Shales & James Andrew Miller
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
The Divinity Gene by Matthew J. Trafford
38 Witnesses: The Kitty Genovese Case by A.M. Rosenthal
I Met the Walrus by Jerry Levitan
Saturday by Ian McEwan
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Animal Farm by George Orwell
No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod
The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Anyway, I should get back to watching "Jersey Shore". Finishing The Help and then watching "the Shore" seems so wrong... oh well! Pump your fists!!!

Tompkins

2011-08-10T08:22:00.003-04:00

I can't remember if I've ever blogged about Mike Tompkins, so I will now.

I love Mike Tompkins! I believe he was originally recommended to me by sister-of-GF, and I will be forever grateful. I think he's so talented and creative and charming, and I love the covers. He's also Canadian. Go Mike!

Great Weekend / Discovering T.O.

2011-08-08T11:07:00.004-04:00

Another lovely weekend in Sugar & Gravy land... would you care to hear about it?

Friday:

Enjoyed some awesome delivery sushi from Sushi Supreme! I got the Sushi Bronze meal. YUM!!!
Went for a long overdue visit to the Village and grabbed some casual drinks with friends at the Churchmouse and Firkin. Got some nachos w/ spicy beef + calamari, too. Zero complaints.

Saturday:

Went grocery shopping and then made vegetable, guac, and salsa-filled tortillas with GF. So delicious!!!
We enjoyed the tortillas while finishing up GF's first viewing of my favourite television series ever: Six Feet Under. It's taken her 2 years to finish it, but she really powered through at the end and, if nothing else, her uncontrollable sobs told me that she was moved by the ending. I cried, too. This show never ceases to move me.
After an afternoon of food & SFU, we headed to an area in Toronto that I can't say I've spent much time in, if any: Jane & Sheppard. A good friend of mine spent a year in Ghana not too long ago, and has been searching the city of Toronto for some authentic Ghanaian food ever since. GF & I accompanied her and some other friends to a restaurant that you might miss if you weren't planning to head there: Panafest Sport Bar & Restaurant. I've never had Ghanaian food before, so I can't testify to its authenticity, but I can tell you that I've still never met a food that I didn't enjoy. I ordered the fufu - a big bowl of really hot & spicy soup with a big ball of fufu in the middle. Fufu - from what I've been told - is boiled starchy vegetables and plantains, pounded with a mortar and pestle. To me it was kind of a combination of mashed potatoes and dough. The important thing was that it was good!!! The custom is to eat with your hand, so even though I was offered a spoon, I wanted to eat in the real way! More than just eating with your hand, you want to eat with your right hand - definitely not your left. So that's what I did! You basically reach into the bowl, tear off part of the fufu, and kind of use it as a spoon, dipping it into the soup and popping it in your mouth. It was really amazing!!! What I wasn't able to eat there, I brought home, and it was pretty good the next day, too! A fun and interesting experience, and another food I enjoy!

Sunday:

Met up with my bestie John at Osgoode station, and took the streetcar west to Ryerson Ave. to see a musical at Theatre Passe Muraille. What musical, you ask? We saw Long Dark Night, my friend Mark Shyzer's musical comedy satire of the film noir genre. Ambitious, I know, but as usual Shyzer delivered with a cleverly written, hilariously exaggerated, and just plain funny musical! I'm so glad I got a chance to see it!
From there we hurried off to lunch (I was so hungry) at Fresh on Spadina. We started with spring rolls and then both had the Beach Bowl. So delicious! I was full after, but not bloated, just full of delicious, healthy, fresh food.
Then we lazily made our way down Queen St. back to University. We stopped in lots of stores, including H&M, Urban Outfitters, and Black Market. I got two dresses at H&M and a new pair of shoes at UO.

So - as you can see, it was a FABULOUS weekend!!! Enjoyed more Toronto delights, got out and about, and spent time with people I love.

Stratford

2011-07-28T17:48:00.004-04:00

Holla y'all. I'm not quite hungry yet, so while I'm contemplating dinner options, I thought I'd blog. I came back today from a LOVELY 24 hours in Stratford, and I'd love to tell you about it.

My girlfriend and I went to Stratford to celebrate our 2-year anniversary (yay!). The day started at the Festival Theatre where we went to see the Stratford Shakespeare Festival's production of The Merry Wives of Windsor. I love Shakespeare, so I was really happy to be seeing one of his plays, but when I see a Shakespeare play performed, it often takes me a scene or two to get into it. The language, the characters' names... sometimes it takes a little time to adjust. However, when I did, I got so into it. The acting was fantastic (I especially loved the actor who played Falstaff), the story is just too funny, and it was a well-done production as far as I was concerned. A lot of fun!

Sugar & Gravy Travel Tip: One of my favourite parts of this 24-hour trip to Stratford was seeing the play as a matinee. This meant that the rest of our stay in Stratford was completely stress-free... no rush to go anywhere. Total relaxation. S&G planning = complete win!

Moving on...

After the wonderful performance, GF & I headed to our hotel: The Queen's Inn. The historic Queen's Inn has been in Stratford for over 150 years. I love the charm of a historical building, so I was drawn to its history and its very reasonable price for 1 night's stay. Definitely a cute building, and the room was very cute and clean, with a HUGE bed. Not my fave hotel that I've ever stayed in, but it was cute, and the hotel wasn't supposed to be the highlight of the visit anyway. The staff was fine... nobody went really above and beyond service, but it was just fine!

After checking in and relaxing for a few, we wandered Stratford for a half hour or so. It's really such a pretty town... lots of cute little cafes, antique stores, used book stores, and whatever the store is, it always fits into the historic little town well. Thankfully the rain held off and we were able to enjoy a nice little walk. We stopped at Balzac Cafe for a quick (and delicious!) cappuccino, too. My GF spent about 6 weeks in Sulmona, Italy recently, and as a result has become a cappuccino snob (I say that with lots of love). Even she agreed that it was a delicious cappuccino! While at the Balzac, a woman told me I smelled really nice. Sweet.

After we wandered, we were getting really hungry and so we got to our restaurant about 30 minutes before our reservation. The kind people at Raja Restaurant found us a table and we spent the next 2.5 hours there. Thanks to the brilliant decision to see a matinee, we were able to stretch that delicious meal out for as long as we wanted. Raja (if you didn't figure this out) serves Indian food, and they do it well. We had pakoras, garlic naan, GF had a mixed vegetable korma (I think), I had the most incredible Bengal Duck (mmmmm!!!), and we finished things off with coconut (for me!) and apple (for her!) sorbets. The dinner was amazing, the service was quite good, and I would go back and eat there again in a second!!!

After that we were stuffed, and went back to the hotel and slept well!

This morning we woke up, got ourselves packed and checked out, and then before we hit the road we grabbed some breakfast at Foster's Inn. GF had been to this place before, but couldn't remember the name of it. While wandering around Wednesday night, we spotted the place, double-checked the menu for her fave dish there, and promised them we'd be back. We went there this morning and it was DELICIOUS - absolutely worth the hunt around for it. I had the Huevos Rancheros (delicious, but too big for me to finish) and GF had Foster's take on french toast. Yum yum!!!

After Foster's, we hopped back on the 7/8, and headed home. Parfait!

Holiday... Celebrate!!!

2011-07-25T16:20:00.003-04:00

Just finished watching the first ep of season 8 (the final season) of "Entourage". Seeing a new episode of the show was a total delight after nearly a year of drought, but I'm not sure I'd say that the episode was a total EXPLOSION into the new - and last - season. However, it had some great moments, and it seemed to set up the next - and last - 7 episodes for some interesting story lines. The first ep of season 7 was also not a total hit, but the rest of the season was great, and I feel optimistic about season 8 as well. I can't wait for next Sunday - ahhhh!!!

The reason I didn't watch the episode until today - beyond the fact that I don't have HBO, which is sort of stupid - is that I was in Muskoka at a cottage my parents rented for a few weeks. I was there for 3 nights with my girlfriend, sister, and my sister's BF, and it was such a great time. It was the kick-off to a 10-day holiday from work that I'm currently on, and it started things off perfectly. I spent the 4 days sleeping, eating delicious cottage-y meals (read: lots of burgers), reading (more on that in a sec), swimming, went for a kayak, a few short boat rides, lying in the sun, and playing a really fun card game (a sort of re-working of my fave - "war") that the GF taught me (I believe the end tally was 20-16 for the GF).

So reading... I don't think I've posted about the reading challenge for a while. That's because after I hit the half-way point I fell into a bit of a slump. I tried a few books, fiction and non-fiction, but couldn't get into anything. One day I was chatting with my boss and asked him if he was much of a reader. Turns out he is and we have similar taste in books (one of his favourite authors is John Irving, so I knew we were onto something). I asked him if he had any recommendations and he suggested No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod. If you didn't know already, my goal is to try not to buy any new books and instead get through the ones on my bookshelf that I haven't read (which is about 60%... more like a bookstore than a personal library). It just so happens that I already own No Great Mischief so I pulled it off the shelf and started to read it. I finished it this morning before I left the cottage and absolutely loved it!!! A great read for Canadians with a Scottish family history... especially those who are still very connected to that history. I'd say I both am and am not... the book definitely makes me want to reconnect more.

Anyway, as I said, I'm off to a great start on this holiday. Toronto for the next few days, then a secret adventure (more on that later this week), a trip to Waterloo for a wedding, and then some more chill time in TO before back to PH on the holiday Monday. It will be glorious... now for some serious chillage in front of the TV.

Legit Jams 4.0

2011-07-22T09:53:00.004-04:00

The golden age...

I love old school hip-hop. I'm going to be saying "let me clear my throat" for my entire holiday. Speaking of which, at EOD today I'm off work for 10 days.

TEN. GLORIOUS. DAYS. Muskoka, a few day trips... it's gon' be unreeeeeaaaalll.

Let me clear my throat.

Legit Jams 3.0

2011-07-21T11:27:00.000-04:00

Legit Jams 2.0

2011-07-20T08:32:00.002-04:00

They keep playing this jam on MTV (sometimes they play music) and I can't get it out of my head... and now I'm not mad about that. Very fun, cute song and the percussionist chickita is vair cute.

Legit Jams

2011-07-18T12:36:00.002-04:00

With a week-long vacay coming up starting this Friday, I have a serious case of the Mondays. As a result, I need some legit jams to keep me going today.

Discovering TO #2

2011-07-16T13:09:00.003-04:00

Remember how I've decided that I need to discover more areas of Toronto? Well, I didn't want that to stop with my first (and only so far) segment of "Discovering TO", so ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: "Discovering TO #2".

I had an appointment on the Danforth this morning, near Coxwell station, and since there was no rush to go home after, I thought, why not walk around the area? I had looked online in the morning to see if there was a nice cafe in that neighbourhood and decided on The One in the Only Cafe. I'm glad I did. It was an extremely relaxed atmosphere, I had a great cappuccino and scone, and sat and read for an hour, with the sun shining in through the huge front window, and a nice breeze coming in through the door. I think it says something when you realize that the owner of an establishment knows a lot of the people coming into the place. If other people frequent this place, then you know it must be pretty good!!! I had a great time, a nice walk from Coxwell to Donlands, and a leisurely morning in a new 'hood. The Danforth: thumbs up!

Ode to Waterloo

2011-07-11T11:53:00.003-04:00

I drove to Waterloo for the first time this Saturday. It wasn't my first time in Waterloo, and it wasn't my first time being in a car en route to Waterloo, but it was my first time driving to Waterloo.

I felt like muscle memory was leading me there, as if every turn was anticipated ahead of time and there was no thought involved. I've gone from Toronto to Waterloo so many times that I knew the drive like the back of my hand, even though I'd never been the one behind the wheel.

It was surreal. It was like an experience I've never had before. Like coming back as an adult to a place I'd grown up as a kid. But I wasn't a child in Waterloo. I lived there from 18-23, decidedly not a child, but I did grow up there, and the memories flooded back like it had been years since I'd been there, even though I was there in March.

I guess a lot of it had to do with the fact that I was driving. As any even casual readers of this blog probably know by now, driving was a big obstacle for me, and I guess now that I've done it I feel like a totally new person in some ways... more in control of my own life, more independent, more grown-up... and there were many times while living in Waterloo where I felt none of those things... in fact, I felt the opposite. I felt out of control, helpless, hopeless, and totally incapable of real, true independence. That sounds totally dramatic, but I think many people that age (18-23), and maybe especially students, feel that way... like their life isn't theirs, or as if independence will never come... I'm not sure. I only know what I've felt and now feel.

As I drove down University Avenue I just smiled, looking at all the places along the way that had a story/memory attached to them from the 5 glorious years I spent in the city. It was so great to be there. I miss it a lot!!!

Naomily: Ultimate Satisfaction

2011-07-06T08:37:00.002-04:00

Well, I promised I'd follow up when I was done watching the season, so here goes:

I was careful to preface my last post - in which I sang my praises of "Naomily", the perfect on-screen lesbian union - with the fact that I hadn't seen the full season, and so I couldn't be sure I'd always feel the way I expressed in that post. In saying that, I also hoped with my whole heart (yes, I'm being intentionally dramatic) that my feelings for this perfect couple would always remain the same. Once again, if you're planning on seeing this series, then things may be spoiled for you with this post, though I'm really not going to go into specifics.

What I will say though, is that I was fully satisfied by the beginning-to-end portrayal of the relationship of the characters Naomi and Emily. It was thoughtful, realistic, on-point, well-written, well-acted, and every other positive adjective you can think of. The writers nailed it, the actresses nailed it, and even the behind-the-scenes footage nailed it. One of the B-T-S clips in the special features showed the two actresses (Lily Loveless [Naomi] & Kathryn Prescott [Emily]) speaking about their characters, and there was no over-the-top "It was an act of courage for me to play a lesbian character"..."It was weird, but a great learning experience"..."Kissing Lily was funny"... none of that! They didn't even make any references to the fact that their characters were gay, or that they were/weren't in real life. They just said that both of them discussed their characters in real life, were moved by the scripts, and that they did their best to find the humanity in the characters even when they were doing bad things..... Oh, Kathryn & Lily, if only Ilene Chaiken had created a show about lesbian teens in L.A. and cast you two in it..... actually, I take that back. She could've never written a show as good as "Skins" (case in point: need I even say?).

In conclusion: It was perfection. I couldn't be happier about how this relationship played out.

In other news, anyone know whether I should watch "Skins" s.5? I hear it's not great, but then again another friend told me that s.4 wasn't that great and I loved it!!! I guess it's all relative.

Dear Drake...

2011-07-05T08:38:00.002-04:00

You know I loved Drake when he came out, and I loved his mix tape and album and pretty much all of his songs. I still enjoy those songs, but I'm waiting for him to blow me away again. If he doesn't blow me away, then everything he did before suddenly loses its value, you know?

I hear he's got a single coming out this month and a new album coming out in October. Drake - your hype has completely died down. Impress me. Impress us all.

That's it.

Some thoughts on "Skins" (Potential Spoilers)

2011-07-04T12:47:00.003-04:00

I'd like to speak about the BBC television show "Skins" for a few minutes, if I could. I'd like to preface my comments on "Skins" by saying that I'm 2 episodes into the 4th season, so I haven't seen it all, and perhaps my feelings about the show will change when I have seen it all, but bear with me in the meantime (and I'll try to post again when I do finish this season)...

Okay... so I'm pretty sure I've spoken about the show before. I watched the first season a few summers ago, and then the second season more recently. For those of you who don't know the show, there was a (nearly) brand new cast in 3rd season, with (nearly) all of the characters from the first two seasons no longer on the show. I believe the same thing happens in 5th season, though I don't know if any characters at all stick around from 4th to 5th.

When I started watching 3rd season (very recently), I was reluctant and skeptical. I loved the first cast and didn't know how I would feel about the new cast.

2 episodes into 4th season, I might say that I like this cast even more than the first one. I could go on talking about every character and every storyline, but I'll keep it simpler than that and discuss two characters and a storyline in particular that has tugged my heartstrings very intensely.

Naomi and Emily (pictured above). Naomi Campbell (ha! but seriously...) played by Lily Loveless & Emily Fitch played by Kathryn Prescott are two high school-age girls in Bristol, England. Their sexual orientations aren't discussed at length, but my sense is that they are both lesbians, or maybe bisexual. The two have feelings for one another and the audience sees their relationship played out in a variety of ways -- sometimes on again/off again, sometimes cute and head-over-heels, sometimes dramatic... in many ways, typical of any on-screen romance, whether gay or straight.

What do I like about it?

The make-out/sex scenes are incredibly real, and don't seem (to me) at all to be staged for a straight male's viewing. I find them moving and sexual and realistic and hot and everything in between! They aren't overdone, and appear in just the same way as all of the straight sex scenes do.
The whole topic of a same-sex relationship isn't dealt with in the typical way. The topic is revealed, there's some conflict, but then it just fades into the show as with every storyline. It doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. It's addressed, and then it just is.
I find the writing of this relationship to be better than any girl/girl relationship I've ever seen, including "The L Word". It puts The L Word to shame, to be frank. You could say they're not comparable because it's adolescence vs. adults, but I'd say that's a cop-out. It is just better than I've ever seen.
It makes me feel like I'm in high school again. Not that I had the same sort of relationship as Naomi and Emily do, but the way they act, aspects of the things they go through, and just how adolescent it all is (in a good way!) reminds me of what it was like to be a gay teen, what it was like to be a teen in general, and the sort of concepts of relationships you would have... it's just... it's sooooo good.

Now, as I said - I don't know how this season and cast finishes, so my feelings may change, but I've never been so moved by a relationship and show like I have with this one (except maybe Six Feet Under, of course). I strongly recommend the show. You won't regret it!

Pigs, Men, and Joni

2011-06-27T08:15:00.003-04:00

"The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which."

I finished Animal Farm this weekend... wow, is all I can say. What a fantastic novel! The quotation above - the last line of the novel - was my favourite line of the book, and so poignant, but the whole book was just great! I'm thinking of going on a dystopian kick, but I might have to break it up a bit so as not to get in a rut. I moved from Orwell to Michelle Mercer's Will You Take Me As I Am: Joni Mitchell's Blue Period. I haven't read non-fiction in a while, and I don't think I've read books about any musicians other than John Lennon/The Beatles, so I'm excited to get some insight on Joni, even if it is about a particular album and time in her life. I love it so far, so I'm feeling good about the choice!

With A.F. finished, I'm half-way done rc-3 and half-way done the year 2011. Right on schedule!

In other news, I believe my computer is kaput. My Fujitsu Lifebook. My loyal friend. It's been 5 or so years now since I bought it, so it may be that it's just bitten the dust, for which I will forgive it. However, I'll wait to confirm the diagnosis with a PC doctor. I'm also hoping I can save the contents of my hard drive, but if not - I'll live. Unfortunately if it is dead, it might be a while before I get myself a new one. Between my iPhone and my work laptop, I think I'll manage, but since my latest purchase (a car!!!) set me back a bit, I think it's best that I wait a little while before investing in a new comp. When the time comes, you can be sure I'll reach out for your suggestions. It might be time to convert to a Mac, but we'll see.

Milestones - both arbitrary and totally exciting!!

2011-06-20T08:58:00.004-04:00

Life is all about celebrating arbitrary milestones, so...
HAPPY 286th POST, SUGAR & GRAVY!!!

In other news...
I GOT A CAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO!!! Now that I have it, all I want to do is drive. I was so excited to drive to work today that I left my apartment at 7:30am, went to Tim Horton's for a coffee (sweet drive-thru luxury!!!) and timbits for the whole office, and then got to the office before anyone else. It felt SOOOO good!!!

So - that means the Driving Challenge is officially over. Achieved much more quickly than I thought, it shall be deemed a total success, and I couldn't be prouder or happier!

In other other news...

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Girls by Lori Lansens
Live from New York by Tom Shales & James Andrew Miller
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
The Divinity Gene by Matthew J. Trafford
38 Witnesses: The Kitty Genovese Case by A.M. Rosenthal
I Met the Walrus by Jerry Levitan
Saturday by Ian McEwan
Bossypants by Tina Fey

rc-3: 9 books down, 11 to go... nearly half-way done the year and nearly half-way done the challenge. Things are moving along well.

Bossypants was awesome!! I wasn't sure I loved it at first, but that was mostly due to the fact that I was transitioning from a serious fiction book (Saturday) to a scattered humour memoir. I say "scattered" because it jumped from story to story without necessarily any chronological order, or any other logic, for that matter. However, the further I got into the book, the more its scattered nature became part of its charm. Each chapter was essentially anecdotes about Tina's life, "advice" she has for others, and just neat stories about "Saturday Night Live" and "30 Rock". It was a great book, and I'd like to re-read it relatively soon to pick up on more subtleties.

I've moved from Bossypants to George Orwell's Animal Farm. I've never read it (or 1984 either... I'm a bad English grad), but it's a short novel, and so I thought it'd be a good transition from humour back to (most likely... though I don't know what I'm reading yet) fiction. I'm about half-way done and I absolutely love it! So satirical, so ahead of its time (in some ways, but obviously not in others... perhaps it's better to say that it's still relevant), and really enjoyable.

Life is good. No complaints.

Saturday on Saturday

2011-06-11T10:19:00.002-04:00

I finally finished Saturday by Ian McEwan. When I say "finally", it's not because it was a drag to read, but just because I feel like I've been reading it for a while... and also, because it's the last of the 4 books that nice woman lent to me. She lent me By Nightfall, Bel Canto, and The Girls, too. I feel bad that I've had the 4 books for this long (maybe 10 months), but I thoroughly enjoyed all 4, and didn't want to let them go until I finished them all.

Saturday was a delight to read! It took place over the course of a (surprise!) Saturday in February 2003 and was very post-9/11 and extremely interesting. I loved it! I think I may have another Ian McEwan book on my bookshelves, so maybe I'll check that out soon.

So... RC-3 is now at 8/20 books. I now have 7 months to read 12 more books. Not bad at all!

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Girls by Lori Lansens
Live from New York by Tom Shales & James Andrew Miller
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
The Divinity Gene by Matthew J. Trafford
38 Witnesses: The Kitty Genovese Case by A.M. Rosenthal
I Met the Walrus by Jerry Levitan
Saturday by Ian McEwan

Next on the reading list is... Bossypants by Tina Fey!!!!! I ordered it and will be picking it up from the post office later today. I can't wait!

DRIVING + rc-3 UPDATE!

2011-06-01T18:21:00.005-04:00

Ladies and gentlemen... esteemed blog readers... general public...

It is with the greatest pleasure that I announce to you that I PASSED MY ROAD TEST!!!!!

After all these years, the thought of being able to drive seemed like a mountain beyond my ability to climb, but I proved that mountain wrong today. Turns out it was a molehill.

SO...

~~Get my G1 by December 31, 2010.~~
~~a) Register for driving lessons by February 28, 2011.~~
~~b) Book my road test by May 31, 2011.~~
~~c) Get my G2 by August 31, 2011.~~
Get a car by December 31, 2011.

I finished 2 a) and b) much earlier than expected, and needless to say #3 will be completed ASAP. I'd like to buy a car by June 30th... and I think it might even be earlier than that.

Anyway, I'm just so proud and happy and feel a sense of accomplishment like never before. LIFE IS GOOD!!!!!

In other news, I'm still reading Saturday, but I paused to read another book, so I'm 7 books in and 13 to go in 7 months. I CAN DO IT!

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Girls by Lori Lansens
Live from New York by Tom Shales & James Andrew Miller
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
The Divinity Gene by Matthew J. Trafford
38 Witnesses: The Kitty Genovese Case by A.M. Rosenthal
I Met the Walrus by Jerry Levitan

RC-3 + Drive Update!

2011-05-26T06:48:00.003-04:00

I just realized that I never added my last book to the RC-3 list. 38 Witnesses by A.M. Rosenthal - a quick read that discusses The New York Times' discovery of the murder of Kitty Genovese, and A.M. Rosenthal's personal feelings of the case. For those of you who don't know, Kitty Genovese was murdered in the early 60s in Queens, NY outside two apartment buildings. It was discovered after she died that 38 people in the surrounding apartment buildings had witnessed the murder happening from their windows, but none had called the police. 1 person did end up calling the police, but much too late. This murder is discussed in a lot of sociology, psychology, and Malcolm Gladwell-like books when discussing the bystander effect. Very interesting case, and a decent read.

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Girls by Lori Lansens
Live from New York by Tom Shales & James Andrew Miller
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
The Divinity Gene by Matthew J. Trafford
38 Witnesses: The Kitty Genovese Case by A.M. Rosenthal

I'm currently reading Saturday by Ian McEwan, which I absolutely love so far. It's a post-9/11 novel, set in England, taking place on one Saturday. I'm about half-way through and I haven't even gotten to the afternoon yet. It's a really well thought-out novel. I thought McEwan was Canadian, but turns out he's British. Anyway, that's neither here nor there. It's a great book, and I'm moving along decently with rc-3. Once I finish Saturday, I'll have 7 months to read 13 more books. Gotta pick up the pace.

Next on the agenda... my driving challenge!!

Remember my goals?

~~Get my G1 by December 31, 2010.~~
~~a) Register for driving lessons by February 28, 2011.~~
~~b) Book my road test by May 31, 2011.~~
c) Get my G2 by August 31, 2011.
Get a car by December 31, 2011.

Well, I think I already told you that Goal 2 c) may be coming early because my road test is less than a week away on June 1st. It's so surreal that this has happened so quickly, but I'm feeling really positive about it. Yesterday I had my practice road test which I booked to ensure that my chances of passing were as high as is humanly possible. I drove to Peterborough where my instructor took me through the most commonly done test route... we did it nearly 10 times, I think! Over and over again, practicing the maneuvers, practicing my turns, practicing lane changes... At the end of the lesson he said that he thinks I'm going to pass! Hearing that really made me feel confident. I think I'm gonna pass, too.

Also - I definitely won't be waiting until December 31st to buy a car. In fact, I don't want to wait much longer at all. Assuming I get my G2 next Wednesday, I'm buying a car ASAP - by the end of June, for sure! Things are looking up!!! Rest assured, I'll keep you posted! :)d

N.Y.C. Part II

2011-05-18T11:02:00.004-04:00

How is it that something I used to do to procrastinate is now something I procrastinate doing?
Ch-ch-ch-changes.

Anyway, without further ado: NEW YORK CITY!!!
More specifically...

10 things I learned in (or general comments about) NYC - 2011 edition

The NYC transit system makes so much sense... unless you're used to the TTC. It's an incredibly efficient and elaborate system, but when you're used to tracks being for 1 train that's going in only 1 direction, then you'll likely slip up at one point or another.
I would really love to spend more time in Central Park when I'm next in the Big Apple. Both times that I've visited I've walked around the park a teeny bit, but I'm interested in a full day spent in the park. It's just so lush and grand and I want to go visit at the height of the summer, pack a picnic and a book or 2, and just take it all in.
There is so much good food to eat!!! Each resto deserves its own spot on this list, but I'd at least like to tell you where I ate and why I loved it:

Taboon (52nd & 10th) - My friends and I ate here on Sunday morning with another friend of ours who was performing a musical at a venue nearby. The restaurant was nearly empty when we got there, but we stuck around because of the close proximity to our friend's venue, and the great vibe, and the great service. That said, within the hour the place was packed, and a 3-piece band set themselves up in the corner and started playing some jazzy tunes. My 3 friends all had a waffle with ice cream on top and I had the Steak Benedict. The food was DELICIOUS and completely reasonable. I'd love to go back to Taboon.

Tom's Restaurant (Brooklyn) - We took our Saturday brunch at Tom's Restaurant, a diner near where we were staying. Our friend recommended it highly, and I can see why. When we got there, the line was going around the corner, but it moved quickly, and our appetites were kept at bay with the food that a server was walking around and handing out to people in line - yeah, seriously. While in line we got orange slices, a cookie, and something else that I can't remember. The orange slices came last but were followed by squirts of hand sanitizer. Yeah, that's right - Tom's has got you covered. We didn't wait too long though, and had a delicious meal once we sat down. Tonnes of coffee, and I had the sausage & egg meal with the usual fixings. My friends had a variety of other stuff and everything looked and tasted amazing!

Chavella's (Brooklyn) - The last notable restaurant to share with you (I'm doing this in reverse order) is Chavella's, where we took Brian (our hostess with the mostess) out for dinner on Friday evening. It's a Mexican place that he recommended and it was absolutely delish. We walked over from his apartment and got seated almost immediately on their outside patio. It was a decent evening weather-wise, and we only started feeling cold at the end of our meal, so it was nice to get some fresh air while we ate. All of us ordered some Mexican alcoholic beverages (I had a classic cervesa - Corona) and shared some amazing guacamole, and then I had soft-shelled tacos with delicious rice on the side. Others at the table had Mexican soups and hard-shelled tacos and all sorts of other yummy choices. The dinner was perfect, the server was really fun... all in all it was a great time.
Going to the MoMA on Saturday afternoon was definitely a highlight. I've always wanted to go, so I visited their website before the trip and made note that there was a really cool sounding exhibit on called "Looking at Music 3.0". Lucky for me we went to that exact exhibit on Saturday and I loved every minute of it. You can read more about it at the link, but basically it was the 3rd segment in a series exploring music (a lot of it having come out of New York City) and its impact on culture. The room was set up with headphones and music videos playing on loop... there was Le Tigre, Jay-Z, Beastie Boys... it was so cool! I browsed some other exhibits, too, but didn't have nearly enough time to see it all. I'd love to go back!
The key to Canal St., it seems, is to reject your entire Canadian upbringing, and force yourself to be aggressive and deceitful... at least that's the sense I got after observing my bestie Rachel negotiating with the little woman calling out "Coach...Louis...Chanel" as we walked by. Rachel lied, cheated, and did whatever it took to get a good deal, and I admired her for it. That's just the way you do it on Canal. Thanks to Rach, I got a great deal on a bracelet for my sister!
I love SoHo. The shops, the vibe, the layout, the architecture... there's nothing like that in Toronto; nothing that seems so historic and yet so modern, so hip and yet so accessible... We popped in and out of stores, grabbed a snack at the SoHo Cafe (my 2nd time there, which I was surprised to have happen when I've only been to NYC twice), and just enjoyed walking around. I mentioned that last year: the magic of New York is how much you can see and experience without paying anything and just being willing to walk and walk and walk.
This weekend I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to see the opera Orfeo ed Euridice at the Metropolitan Opera, known as the Met. More fortunate was I to have my best friend Brian (who we stayed with) performing on the stage with other members of the Mark Morris Dance Group. Mark Morris choreographed the dance portions of this production, and not that I've been to (m)any professional operas, but in my personal opinion it was an outstanding production -- unique, funky, modern, beautiful... the list goes on. My friend did amazingly well (front & centre, NBD) and the music was wonderful. It was great!
As I've mentioned already (I think), I stayed with my best and oldest friend (not in terms of age, but in terms of how long I've known him) Brian in his apartment in Brooklyn. The apartment was fantastic and it was so nice not to have to spend anything on accommodations, and it was really neat to somewhat get to know the area in Brooklyn where he lives, which I think is called Prospect Heights, if I've got that right. He told us it's an up-and-coming neighbourhood, and though there was some shadiness in some spots, it was definitely a cute and fun area, where I would be happy to live myself. There were some great restos and cute cafes, and I was happy to now be able to imagine where he lives when we chat on the phone or on Skype or whatever.
On Sunday, after walking through a teeny bit of Central Park, we walked down Columbus Ave. from about 70th to 50th. I'd never walked around this area of the Upper West Side before, and I loved it. Columbus was filled with people walking, great boutiques with what looked like awesome clothing, little stationery shops, cafes, etc. So much fun - glad to have walked down it.
And, as is tradition, I must always say: Home is where the heart is.

The Shins - you heard of them?

2011-05-16T12:50:00.002-04:00

“You gotta hear this one song; it’ll change your life, I swear.”

If you were between 15 and 18 in 2004, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

My boss was listening to The Shins today (I know… cool boss) and I sent her this clip in response. I love The Shins (though I haven’t listened to them in a while) and I love Garden State… oh, and I also love Natalie Portman, and Zach Braff’s aight, too… anyway, so I consider this clip pretty fantastic.

But it occurred to me while reminiscing on the first time I saw Garden State, in the theatre with my sister Sarah, and “New Slang” and the movie as a whole sort of did change my life… and least in terms of music.

The amalgam of songs on the Garden State soundtrack sort of opened up this whole new world of music for me. There were all of these songs available to me once I tapped in to this underground network of subversives and hipsters. The Internet was still sort of a new-ish pastime at that point, so realizing it had the capability to introduce me to what seemed like an infinite amount of new music was this huge revelation. I started spending all of my time figuring out what else was out there that I would enjoy.

It just so happened that I started getting into “The O.C.” at that time. It was in its 2nd season and it turned out that it, too, was a platform for up and coming musicians. Thanks to the character Seth Cohen, an outcast with impeccable music taste, the gang went to all sorts of concerts with bands from Modest Mouse to Death Cab for Cutie, if I remember correctly. Oh, and Rooney, too.

Obviously “The O.C.” was a huge and extremely popular show, but somehow we (if you’ll allow me to include you in this) felt like a part of this secret club because we had Belle & Sebastian, The Dandy Warhols, Alexi Murdoch, and the Eels on our $400 iPod Minis. Can you believe a device with 4gb cost that much? Well it did...

I don’t hunt for music like I used to… it’s just not the same, involved process of writing out lists and waiting for your 5-song limit to finish downloading on LimeWire, so it doesn’t feel like such a mission every time. I also don’t really listen to the same stuff I used to, but my adolescence, and now adulthood, wouldn’t have been the same without it, and I thank Zach Braff for that.

Discovering TO #1 + RC3

2011-05-09T08:31:00.004-04:00

As I wait for my coffee to finish steeping in my FP, I will write...

I just had a FANTASTIC weekend!! As you may know, I am from Toronto, but I currently reside in a small town about an hour east of Toronto. I love my job so it's completely worth living in the town, but I get a bit stir crazy sometimes, and as such, I spend most weekends in Toronto.

Despite being from Toronto, and spending most weekends here, I really haven't discovered much of the city. Even in a place with so much to do, you still tend to stick to your tried, tested, and true neighbourhoods - go to the stores there, the restaurants there, the cafes there, etc. However, I really want to take advantage of this great city, so I've decided to start to try branching out, and what's a good way to do that? Find a resto you want to go to and let that be the excuse to explore a new area. Bam!

So this weekend I discovered new areas on two ends of Queen Street. On Saturday night I rode the streetcar East to Leslieville and ate at an amazing restaurant called Queen Margherita Pizza. My girlfriend orders the Margherita Pizza at any place that serves it, as she calls it the metric for a great restaurant. If their MP is good, then the resto is good. So - when I found out there was a restaurant with the pizza in the name? I thought, we've gotta try this! Plus - it has a rave review in the Toronto Life 2011 Restaurant Guide... not a bad reason to go! It was delicious. She obv ordered the MP, I ordered a pizza called just the Vegetarian Pizza, and both were amazing!! We also started off with a re-imagined bruschetta which was amazing, and finished the night with their Tiramisu which was the best I've ever had - light and yummy! We didn't walk around Leslieville enough, but it seems like a great area with some eclectic shops and a very relaxed vibe.

On Sunday morning I rode the streetcar West on Queen to Roncesvalles, and had brunch with my bestie Rachel at Easy Restaurant. It was also highly recommended by Toronto Life and www.blogto.com, so I wanted to give it a try. My friend was a "bit late", but I was in no rush so I relaxed with a cup of coffee and a book. The serving staff were fantastic - just kept refilling my cup but never pressured me to order or asked me when my friend was coming; they just left me alone... much appreciated. When Rachel arrived, we ordered - she got the vegetarian toscada, and I got the house specialty: Huevos Divorciados. They were delicious! Mexican-inspired breakfast food... no complaints. Unfortunately I didn't walk around Ronci that much either, but I love the vibe there, too. Once again - lots of neat shops, some hipsters walking and biking around, and it didn't hurt that it was a gorgeous day... so was Saturday. Man, good weather really makes walking around a total pleasure!! Anyway, needless to say, it was a great weekend!!

And that's not all... I discovered two areas of Toronto AND finished two books. I hate getting into a reading funk, but the fun of getting out is that if you have 5 books half-finished, suddenly you feel like you're breezing through.

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Girls by Lori Lansens
Live from New York by Tom Shales & James Andrew Miller
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
The Divinity Gene by Matthew J. Trafford

HP7 - the seventh and final book in the Harry Potter series - was awesome!! I laughed, I cried, and I enjoyed every minute of it... especially the last 100 pages or so - I felt as though I could not stop. It really was a fantastic story, and I'm already looking forward to re-reading it sometime in the not-so-near future. The HP series can't be double-counted in the reading challenge... that just wouldn't be fair. Anyway, so I'm done the series! I can't wait for the movie, now knowing what happens... it's going to be quite the show!

Secondly, I wrapped up reading The Divinity Gene by Matthew J. Trafford - who I know personally, but haven't seen in a while. Man oh man can that man write... wow!! I think I can safely say that aside from Margaret Atwood, that is the most inventive, imaginative writing I have ever witnessed. The stories... they were so out of this world that I couldn't believe they were conceived by the human mind... but that's why I love fiction! I also love reading a book of short stories for a change. For one thing, you don't feel as guilty setting it aside for a little while, and for another, it's so nice to have so much variety in one book. I highly recommend the book and bought a copy for a friend this weekend to support Matthew, as he deserves it!

That's all for now!

Also - 4 sleeps until NYC!!!!!

Try to relieve some pressure.

2011-05-06T10:56:00.002-04:00

Try NOT to dance... I dare you...

Even if it's chair dancing where you're just flexing/un-flexing your bum.

NYC Adventure #2

2011-05-03T15:25:00.003-04:00

I'm exhausted. I wouldn't have even known I was exhausted except for the fact that I stopped working for a second to stare out the window and have a sip of coffee and I just totally zoned out. Does that ever happen to you? The worst part is when you're trying to zone back in and your eyes get all fuzzy and out of focus..... now that I'm saying this out loud, I really hope I'm not the only one who this happens to..... I don't want to find out that these things are symptoms of something.....

Moving on.....
Actually I'm not really sure what the point of this post was, so I'm not sure yet what I'm moving on to.....

Oooohhh guess what?! I'm going to NYC in less than 2 weeks - May 13th to be exact!! I can't wait. It's been a little over a year since I was last there, but this time will be different:

I'm flying Porter vs. taking a Megabus. Why? Well because I'm only there for the weekend so I don't have the time to take a 10-hour bus. And, because I have an income now and can afford to take a plane!
I'll be staying in Brooklyn vs. White Plains, NY. My friend B. who I'm staying with lives in Brooklyn now as he graduated from SUNY Purchase.
In addition to my travel buddy & BFF R., I'm also bringing my girlfriend along. She's no stranger to NYC, but it's our first time travelling together, so that's fun!
We're going in May this year vs. February. I hope the weather is nice and then we don't get caught in a blizzard on the Brooklyn Bridge again..... I'm sure we won't.

Oh... and did I mention that I'm going to the Met to see an opera? Did I mention I have amazing seats? Did I mention my bestie B. is dancing in it? I don't think I did... I'm super psyched about it.

Last year during my visit (Feb/2010) I made a list of 10 things I was learning while in NYC. I wonder what new things I might learn during my visit this year. I'll be sure to list them.

I'm hoping to take in some more sites this time. Last time we did a lot of walking, which I hope to do again, too, but I have no problem going to some tourist sites with fees attached this time around. Maybe a museum? I'm also really looking forward to eating a few really delish meals, maybe going out to dance, and just generally enjoying what the city has to offer.

What do you recommend I do in NYC???

Getting things done week

2011-04-26T19:38:00.004-04:00

This is a getting things done week. Now that I've entered the working world, every week is a getting things done week, really, but this is a work-related and personal getting things done week. For example, right now I'm updating my iPhone w/ new tunes via the Hype Machine and updating my blog, which I've been meaning to do for ages... with a substantial post.

So what have I been getting done? Well... work has been incredibly busy, which is overwhelming, but also great! What I love about my job is that there's so much variety - I never expected as a fundraiser to double as a production assistant with a film crew!! That'll be fun. Work is so busy that I brought work home with me today. It's not a necessary part of my job, and it's not unusual to be replying to/sending emails after the work day is over, but today was different - I brought home a stack of work to get through and just finished getting through it. What was great was that it wasn't overwhelming, but really satisfying! I was able to organize myself outside of the work day, so that when I start my day in the office tomorrow, I won't have to waste time figuring out what I need to do, but I'll be able to do it! I also won't have to start the day sending emails - but instead will hopefully have the replies by the time I start working. Definite efficiency... I can see why my Dad has done it for all these years. Anyway - I enjoyed the experience of taking my work home. (Speaking of being efficient with emails [or not!] - check out this post on my other blog Life After WLU).

What else have I been up to?

Well here's a big advancement: remember the driving challenge? Well I took 5 lessons with my instructor, and have gone out to practice with my Dad about 3-4 times, and I'm feeling pretty confident with my driving. I need a little more practice, but I think I'm ready.

Remember my goals?

~~Get my G1 by December 31, 2010.~~
~~a) Register for driving lessons by February 28, 2011.~~
~~b) Book my road test by May 31, 2011.~~
c) Get my G2 by August 31, 2011.
Get a car by December 31, 2011.

Notice that a 3rd goal has been (added and then) struck out - 2b) book my road test! Yes that's right! I have booked the road test to get my G2. It is set for June 1, 2011. Just over a month away and I ~~could~~ will be a driver. I was a little hesitant to announce this, especially the exact date, but I find that "being accountable to others" makes a goal more likely to be achieved. So hold me to it, dear readers, and I won't fail!!! As always, I'll keep you posted.

Sidenote: my computer just randomly turned off. I'm hoping it doesn't do that again, but if it does - God bless Blogger for auto-saving my post. Saved me ultimate heartache.

Moving on...

I'm also continuing on in the reading challenge. Unfortunately it's slow and steady (emphasis on slow), but it's still in progress. I'm reading HP7 and totally loving it!!! Can't wait to finish it before the 2nd installment of the movie. Next on my reading list is finishing my friend Matthew Trafford's book The Divinity Gene. It's amazing, and the perfect book to take pause with as it's a collection of short stories. I'm about half-way through, so after HP7 I'm all over it!

Anyway, I think that's it for now. I'm paranoid that my comp will shut down again, so I bid you adieu!

rc-3: Let's get back in the groove.

2011-04-12T13:32:00.002-04:00

rc-3:

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Girls by Lori Lansens
Live from New York by Tom Shales & James Andrew Miller

3 months into the year and have read 3/20 books. Not too impressive, to be real. I really want to step up my game, and what has helped in the past is reading Harry Potter. Something about HP really helps the RC, and conveniently I still haven't yet read the 7th book. Guess what I started reading yesterday? HP7. Let's hope Harry will get me on a roll again.

Millennials & the Workplace

2011-04-06T10:43:00.004-04:00

I had a conversation last night that sort of solidified a lot of things I’ve been thinking about over the past 8+ months and so I decided it was finally time to write about it.

The conversation I had was with my sister who works in Human Resources and a gentleman we met who is a CA and who has his own company. We were talking about generational differences among employees at a company/organization and what sort of problems come about as a result, but more importantly what positive changes occur as a result.

This man was in his 50s, and he’s been working for many years in a field in which 60+ hour work weeks are more than encouraged, they’re the norm. More than that, you’ll be more successful if you’re in the office for 12+ hours a day (and that doesn’t include the time you spend working via Blackberry or home office). This is the way you succeed… by stretching yourself as thin as possible and sleeping as little as you need to survive.

This man has a pretty small company from what it sounds like (in terms of number of employees), and one of his newer staff members is a 27 year old woman. What I loved about this man (we’ll call him Tony) is that he spoke so highly of his 27 year old staff member, and what he said was that he’s learning as much (if not more) from her as she could be learning from him. He said she’s aggressive and smart and stubborn, all in positive ways, and that she’s a great worker. Does she work 60+ hour weeks though? No. She works 9-5 every day… no more than that. What did he say about her productivity? She gets twice as much done as other employees of the company who work 1.5 times longer than her. She is likely the most efficient member of the company, and yet she doesn’t practice the time-honoured tradition of “burning the midnight oil”.

My sister, who as I said works in HR, lent credence to what Tony has observed, as this is what she works with a lot in her organization. In her workplace (and many others), there is a mixture of generations working in the same place. People as young as 22-24 (like me!) might be working in the same place as people in their 30s, 40s, 50s, and even 60s. Their experience and lifestyles vary, and so do their expectations of their workplaces. As an HR person, it’s my sister’s responsibility to figure out how to make employees’ experience with the organization work with whatever expectations/needs they might have. You can’t just make it the requirement across the board that employees put in extra hours because that’s what it takes to succeed, because for the "millennials"/"echo boomers"/"generation Y", even 40 hours seems like too much… at least in terms of what your superiors expect you to do in 1 week. You can probably get it done in 20 hours.

And that brings me to another point. We get a bad rep (us millennials) for being tech-obsessed, having short attention spans, not being able to use language as well, etc., etc. However true some of these things may be, there are also extremely positive aspects of us as a result of the time we’ve grown up in. I think we know better, faster ways to do a lot of things. I think we realize how many resources we have access to when we have an Internet connection. I think we can do a lot “on the go”. The examples are endless… As with the 27 year-old CA, I too feel sometimes that I’m twiddling my thumbs at work because a project took me about half the time my superiors assumed it would. I’m not alone. That said, it doesn’t mean that 20-hour work weeks should become the norm, because now we have so much time to get so much more done. Efficiency, that’s what it is.

Another difference in the work place of the millennials is that individuals graduate from post-secondary education with a different concept of what their career will look like. I think my Mom and Dad’s generation looked to the future and envisioned themselves in a 40-year career, with no more than 2 positions. Longevity was looked upon as the ideal. Land yourself with a great position at a great company and stick with it for as long as you can. Now I don’t know about you, but that’s not how I see my career, and that’s not what I want my career to be like. Maybe it has something to do with attention spans, I don’t know, but I look forward to a career of moving around quite a bit… I want to stay at every job for at least 2 years, but then I want to move on to something else, and then something else, and then maybe when I get to the top of the ladder I’m looking to climb, then I’ll settle myself into something longer-term. But before I’m the boss? I’m moving around as much as I can. That’s the career I want for myself.

The last point I wanted to discuss was Internet use at work. Toronto Life did a good issue with some articles discussing Internet monitoring at companies and banning certain sites, etc., etc. They discussed some of the top companies in the world and how many of those companies actually encourage you to spend up to 20% of your work day doing personal stuff. There was lots of discussion about the benefits of this “personal time” and how it leads to much happier and more efficient use of the other 80% of your day. There was also examples like, “Taking 10 minutes to do online banking is better than taking 30 minutes to actually go to the bank during your workday”. It’s true – it’s all about efficiency. How can I most efficiently use my time? Also, how positive is my attitude towards my work? If it’s more positive when I can take a few minutes here and there to do something for me, then isn’t that better in the long run? I believe wholeheartedly that it is.

So there you go… some food for thought about different generations and the workplace. I love living in this time period… wouldn’t trade it for anything!

Gilda...

2011-04-02T13:22:00.002-04:00

While reading Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live, I have realized something:

I am falling in love with Gilda Radner.

Fun fun fun fun.

2011-04-01T15:01:00.001-04:00

Good move, Rebecca Black.

Betwixt The Music: Rebecca Black from Rebecca Black

RC-3: In a rut.

2011-03-29T10:55:00.002-04:00

I'm in a bit of a reading rut. I hate to report it, but it's true. I'm about a quarter of the way into 4 books (In Defense of Food, Eat Pray Love, The Divinity Gene, and Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live) and I can't seem to push through. The thing is - every one of these books is AMAZING! but I'm just struggling to get the reading bug again.

That's part of the reason why I'm reading Live from New York. It's lighter, a little easier to get through, and it's a little less of a challenge mentally. I often need something lighter to get me back into reading mode, so maybe this will be the ticket. Sort of like the Harry Potter series... that did the same thing for me!

Part of the problem is that I've been eating meals in front of the TV/computer, and choosing to play games on my iPhone rather than reading before bed. These are habits I was combatting for a time, so I'm going to attempt to do it again. It won't be too hard, I don't think! Here goes!

Ear Candy & Eye Poo

2011-03-22T10:45:00.003-04:00

What's the opposite of candy? Apparently poo.

Sugar & Gravy Movie Mania #6

I wanted to spend some time with my Mom this weekend, so she rented us a movie. We recently watched "Temple Grandin" together, which we LOVED, so we were hoping to replicate that experience. She rented us "Secretariat". I hadn't heard anything about it, so I was happy to give it a try.

I rarely see a movie I don't like. Or at least, there's not many movies I can't tolerate.

"Secretariat" was the worst movie I've ever seen. We (my Mom and I) decided to stick it out for the full thing, but the experience was only made fun by the continuous jabs my Mom and I made at the writers, director, cast, crew, and any single person involved with the making of this TERRIBLE, terrible movie. My Mom took no shame in tearing Diane Lane apart, for instance. It's true though... she really was terrible. Agh. Just a torturous movie watching experience.

I give it...
Rating = 0.5/5
...and that might actually be too generous.

In other news... "Temple Grandin". I'm not sure that I ever commented on this amazing film. Well I won't go into details, but I will say these few things:

Temple Grandin is an amazing, inspiring individual
Temple's story is incredible!
The writing, directing, and everything in between was top-notch
Claire Danes... I knew she could act, but she out-did herself as Temple. She showed incredible respect for the real Temple in her portrayal of her. I thought it was absolutely perfection.

So that was the Eye Poo... "Secretariat", obv, not TG.
Danes > Lane

As for the ear candy...

e-Gravy

2011-03-16T10:06:00.004-04:00

I'm home from work today as I am sick... bummer...

That said, it's always kinda nice to have a day at home to tidy the apartment and putter around and read and marathon season 2 of "Entourage"... ya know...

Anyway, a good friend of mine just posted an interesting interview of Margaret Atwood from the Globe. The interview is on the topic of e-books/e-reading, and it's a great, quick read. Atwood doesn't necessarily disagree with the use of them, but she has some really interesting points to make about them.

It made me think about something, but first let me quote the interviewer, Rosalind Porter:

Yet publishers and booksellers are allowing themselves to imagine a nightmarish world in which they are irrelevant – where technology companies which distribute e-books, such as Amazon, Sony, Google and Apple, also take over the choosing and the selling of books. Gail Rebuck, the chief executive of Random House in the U.K., recently described her “idea of hell” as a website ‘with 80,000 self-published works on it’ – a world where publishers and bookshops are replaced by a sort of online, super slush pile. Despite these fears, many smaller, independent publishers have had a few very profitable years, perhaps as a result of concentrating their focus on the books themselves and allowing the hyperbole of the yet-to-come iPod moment for books to simply see itself out.

This is a really interesting idea: publishing companies being taken over by the technology companies that distribute e-books. As I said, it made me think of something, which Atwood sort of alludes to... the music industry. Justin Bieber (tired example) and many others are now being discovered on the Internet. Even if you just have a crappy webcam you can record a song and post it on a platform that makes it possible to reach an audience of millions. Another thought: I can't think of the last time I bought a CD! On top of that, the process of recording, even in a studio, is increasingly (although I'm sure not exclusively) digital. Basically I'm saying, anyone with a computer can record a song.

But what about a book? Can just anyone write a book? Perhaps not yet... it's still a process that requires a lot of jumping through hoops and other obstacles, but maybe it's heading in that direction. My blog, for example. I know at least a few people read it, so I've got my work published out there... on a website, sure, but my writing is being read. It wasn't that long ago that an opportunity like this was unheard of. My blog's not making me famous or anything, but my writing is being read... it's that simple, but sort of amazing at the same time.

So if it's this easy for me to get my writing read, then could I just get a whole book online, too?

The thing is, publishers, record companies, etc. are out there to get stuff published or produced, but also to decide what could sell. What sells is (ideally, but definitely not always) what's good. I go on the Hype Machine a lot for music; a lot of it's good, but a lot of it is decidedly not good. What if all books were aggregated on a site like that? Wouldn't I have to hunt through a lot of amateur crap for a good read, whereas going to Indigo and looking at the top sellers can partially guarantee that I'm going to like what I buy... see what I mean? That said, I know that a lot of what sells isn't good, or at least not to a lot of people's tastes, so my points can be argued, but, it's definitely interesting to think about.

REALNESS.

2011-03-15T08:30:00.002-04:00

Paris Is Burning...

I've known of this film for a long time. My best friends quote it and have taken on some of the lingo from it. I've seen it, but never all at once and never the whole thing. I'm on a bit of a documentary kick right now and I've had it on my comp for a while, so I finally sat down and watched the whole thing.

It was so good.

The individuals profiled in it are all so beautiful and wise and... real. The documentarian does a perfect job of capturing a very specific sub-culture, and by the end of the film you really feel you understand what the balls were and why people got involved in them. I mean, as much as you can understand without having participated yourself. It's really interesting, and a lot of the themes within are still very relevant. I would say that some of those themes are the American dream, luxury, the impact of models and celebrities... At the end of the day though, these are (or were) real people, with real lives and real dreams, and the only differences between us are where we live and how we spend our free time.

Me to the rescue!

2011-03-07T18:48:00.002-05:00

You know that feeling when a song just grips you and steals you into it? When you're overcome by emotion all of a sudden just because of a certain combination of notes? It doesn't happen that often this intensely, but this song just got me...

I did a bunch of turns...

2011-03-04T09:51:00.002-05:00

Guess what?
Actually, before I tell you... riddle me this: am I supposed to put a question mark after saying "guess what"? Is it a question or statement? I can't tell... I'm going to leave it there for now, but I'd like to get to the bottom of this...

Anyway, guess what? I started driving lessons yesterday. I had my first one last night and am thrilled to report that it went well! Obviously my comfort level isn't extremely high, and neither is my confidence, but it was much better than I thought it would be. I did a bunch of turns (!!!), a 3-point turn, lane changes, and backed into a parking space. Not bad for a 45-minute lesson. I felt pretty good, too. It wasn't very scary, and it was fun even!!! Looking forward to getting better and better. I'll keep you posted!

This is not getting less funny.

2011-03-02T15:57:00.001-05:00

RC-2: Concluded

2011-03-01T07:28:00.003-05:00

I just realized that Reading Challenge #2 is over. RC-3 and RC-2 overlapped a bit, so I sort of forgot where I was at, but here's the report...

My challenge was to read 8 books between September 5th and December 31st of last year. The one stipulation was that 50% of the books had to be fiction. In the end I didn't finish the challenge until February 19th, 2011, but regardless the 8 books were read, and they were:

HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
HP and the Goblet of Fire
HP and the Order of the Phoenix
By Nightfall by Michael Cunningham
HP and the Half-Blood Prince
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Girls by Lori Lansens

I won't review each book, but I will say that I enjoyed them all. I will also note that 100% of them are fiction, which makes me pleased as punch! My love for fiction is back in spades!

Lastly, I'm desperate to read the final Harry Potter. I can't wait any longer.

Books & Movies

2011-02-21T19:32:00.003-05:00

I watched "Amadeus" this weekend. Not my first time seeing it by any stretch, but it never gets old as far as I'm concerned. It's such a fantastic movie and the music! Ah, the music! Mozart was such a talent. As a result, I'm now downloading a variety of his music, including the entire opera The Magic Flute. Can't wait.

I saw two other movies this weekend, which makes me want to do something I haven't done since this. Without further ado, here is a long overdue:

Sugar & Gravy Movie Mania #5
I watch movies often enough, so there's no point in writing about them every time I watch them, BUT I don't go to the theatre to see movies that often, so perhaps that will be what warrants an S&G Movie Mania. Aaaanyway...

Out of character, I actually saw 2 movies this weekend. (Say what?) Here are my thoughts:

#1 "No Strings Attached"

I loved it! I knew I'd like it, but I really didn't expect to like it so much. The acting was quite good, both the leads (Ashton Kutcher & Natalie Portman) were charming, and the writing was surprisingly fabulous! Lots of funny jokes, some great repartee, and just a good story. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't particularly cutting-edge, and it certainly wasn't sophisticated or anything, but it was plain fun! Plus, I went with my GF, and she was the perfect person to see it with.
Rating = 4.2/5.0

#2 "Somewhere"
This is the latest film from Sofia Coppola. I don't think I realized I had already seen two of her films ("Lost in Translation" and "The Virgin Suicides"), but I can now confidently say that I really like her work. "Somewhere" was interesting... not so much a story as a collection of drawn-out moments, all beautiful in their own way, and certainly connected, but not exactly forming a narrative. The movie is more of a snapshot of a certain type of life, and a very beautiful and interesting snapshot. The acting was fantastic (namely Stephen Dorff) and Elle Fanning (who I now see has been in other movies) was a delight!
Rating = 4.5/5.0

Now that my totally irrelevant and arbitrary rating is over with, "Somewhere" made me think about something... as you know, I watch a lot of "Entourage". For the most part, the show looks at the celebrity life in a very positive light, aside from maybe season 7. It's all fun, cars, weed, money, indulgence, mansions, etc. The audience sees some of the negative side of being in the limelight, and the pressure of being an actor, but mostly it's fluffy and fun!

In "Somewhere" we see famous actor Johnny Marco (Stephen Dorff) as totally miserable. On top of that, we see L.A. To me L.A. seems like such a sad place to live. For all of the lights and celebrities and beaches, it seems dirty and scary and sad and dark. Forgive me, I'm basing this on a few television shows and movies, but that's my opinion.

Moving on... I also read a bit this weekend, trying to keep my beloved RC-3 going. I finished my 2nd (of 20) book of 2011, and it was the previously mentioned The Girls by Canadian author Lori Lansens. I don't cry much when reading, but Lansens moved me to tears on more than one occasion in this book. It was fabulous! I forgot to bring my next book home with me, so I scanned my sister's bookshelf for a read and found Eat, Pray, Love. This has been on my reading list for a while, so I thought, why not? It's surprisingly good! And by surprisingly, I mean better than I expected. I'm really enjoying Elizabeth Gilbert's writing voice, and it makes me laugh a lot. Looking forward to the rest...

And that, I believe, is it for today! Until next time...

Beep Beep, Beep Beep, Yeah!

2011-02-17T17:11:00.003-05:00

And so the chronicles of the driving challenge continue...

I'm not sure what in particular it was about today (because I've been at my wit's end for a while now), but I could simply put it off no longer! I had to sign up for driving lessons!!!

Step 2a is now complete. On to the lessons themselves, and then... G2!!!

~~Get my G1 by December 31, 2010.~~
~~Register for driving lessons by February 28, 2011.~~
Get my G2 by August 31, 2011.
Get a car by December 31, 2011.

this sentence contains thirty-six letters

2011-02-15T14:04:00.003-05:00

This video is extremely meta to me.

A girl who I will never be...

2011-02-07T11:09:00.003-05:00

I'm reading a book called The Girls by a Canadian author, Lori Lansens. I'm not sure if I've already mentioned that I'm reading this. Anyway, I've enjoyed it from the start, but about half-way through (where I am now), I've started to really get into it. It's that thing that happens when you're really enjoying a book. You forget where you are, and you forget the physical thing that the book is, and you are so consumed by it that it feels like less of an active reading, and more passive, in that the story is being told to you. Or you're right inside it. I love when this happens with books, and it's happening now with The Girls.

When I'm really into a book, certain snippets will really stand out for me, and I'll read them over and over. Sometimes it's because of the rhythm or rhyme of a phrase, or what it's saying is really powerful. In the case of the below quotation, it was both.

I hum some secret place into being, thinking of this other me, the one that only I can see, a girl called She, who is not We, a girl who I will never be.

The Girls is an amazing novel (so far... am sure it will stay that way) set in fictional Leaford, Ontario, and it is the "autobiography" of conjoined twins, Ruby & Rose Darlen. This may sound awful, but I'll confess that I have a fear of conjoined twins. I'm not sure what the fear is based on... knowing me, it's probably based on crippling empathy, but regardless, I have to turn the channel when TLC does a feature on conjoined twins. This novel, even though it's fictional, has changed my feelings about conjoined twins. It's so humanizing and beautiful, and a mix of tragedy and comedy... I love it! Definitely a great choice for book #2 of the 2011 RC-3.

The Drive to Drive

2011-02-04T09:07:00.003-05:00

For some reason challenges really work for me. I did my 90-day challenge back in the day, which was a complete success, and ended up being the impetus for losing 30 lbs. I did the great flossing challenge, which got me flossing on a regular basis... and although I've started to slack on that a bit, I remember to do it often enough, and still more often than before the flossing challenge. The reading challenge has been extremely successful, as since May 2010, I've read 15 books. 15 books in 9 months isn't too shabby.

Anyway, I respond to challenges. They have a mission combined with deadlines, which I guess really works for me. SO... it's time to focus on another challenge. Back in December I admitted my shameful secret (I don't have a driver's license) and committed to the following three goals:

~~Get my G1 by December 31, 2010.~~
Get my G2 by August 31, 2011.
Get a car by December 31, 2011.

Now I've got lots of time to complete goal #2, but what do I need to do to achieve it? I need to take driving lessons. I've taken them before, but I need (at the very least) a refresher course. In order to take driving lessons, I need to sign up for them, and I haven't yet done that. SO...

2. a) Register for driving lessons by February 28, 2011.

BAM. GONNA DO IT. LOVE CHALLENGES.

Ill Cow

2011-02-01T09:12:00.003-05:00

I can't stop listening to it. I think it might mean that I like "21" even better than "19", which I think is becoming truer by the day. It's an amazing album, and my favourite at this point is one that wasn't even on my list before... it's called "One and Only", and the lyrics are beautiful, but my favourite part is the end when it gets all gospel-y. I love it!!! Play count is at 20. I'm obsessed.

In other music news, I was walking to work today and was listening to "Hold It Against Me", which is Britney Spears' new track. I'm so used to downloading remixes of songs that I forgot that this version was the original. That's why I was so surprised when the song suddenly goes all dubstep and auto-tune on me! Brit? Is that really you, girl?

I'm not hating on the new style though... not at all. Unlike what some people are tweeting, auto-tune is not about making your voice better, it's about modifying it to a different style, a more computer-generated one. I don't think that's trying to get out of really using your voice; I think it's about making your voice work with the rest of the track's sound, and I think it's popular these days to be electronic, dubstep-heavy, etc. So good on ya, Brit! Get with the times!

Lastly, chill out to a sound totally different from both of those tracks... I sang it with the choir I'm in yesterday morning, and I just love it.

Have a great day!!!

21

2011-01-28T09:24:00.003-05:00

Nearly done my first full listen of Adele's album "21". I know it seems like it's taken me forever to listen to it, but I've already found some faves that I've been playing on repeat.

Par exemple:

"Rolling in the Deep" - but we already knew this. Play count = 37.
"Rumour Has It" - so jazzy... Play count = 5 (in 3 days, let's remember).
"Don't You Remember"
"Set Fire to the Rain"
"He Won't Go"

It's a struggle not to list every single track. It's that good. One thing of many that I like about Adele is that on each album, if I'm not mistaken, she has sung 1 cover. On "19" it was "Make You Feel My Love", originally by Bob Dylan, and on "21" it's Lovesong, by The Cure. I think that's super sweet. She's paying homage to an artist that has inspired her, and I also feel like it says, "I'm good, but there are other people that are good", you know? Anyway...

Listening to Adele this morning at work made me think of something... Being a musician is an interesting profession, especially when you're a song writer. How bold is it to write about yourself and your experiences, and then release them to the world to love? Food for thought...

1 month in... RC-3

2011-01-27T06:53:00.003-05:00

Morning y'all! Just finished my first book of 2011, which is kinda sad because January's almost over. However, I've been busy with work this month, and I have 11 whole months left to read 19 books. NBD. So, this means that RC-3 (20 books in 2011) has begun. You may remember though that RC-2 has not yet been completed (the 2 challenges were sort of combined, so...

RC-3:

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

Reading Challenge #2:

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
By Nightfall by Michael Cunningham
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

I wonder what I'll read next. I can't read the 7th Harry Potter yet because my girlfriend's mum is reading it, so I think I'll read another one of the books that the nice woman lent me. She lent me By Nightfall and Bel Canto, so I imagine the other books are going to be just as good. We'll see!

As for Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, I suppose I should say a few words on it... I loved it. It was beautifully written, and whenever I had the opportunity to read for more than just 10 minutes, I got totally lost in it. Patchett is a great writer and the plot was just so unique and multi-faceted and incredible. There was a lot about love and music, but also language and communication was a big part of it, and then there was the whole hostage situation... Also, the ending was totally unexpected, but also not jarring. I totally enjoyed it!

On to the next one!

Well, alright!

2011-01-26T11:22:00.004-05:00

First thing's first -- Adele's album has been released!!! Maybe not in North America yet, but all I care about is that there's a torrent available. Her new album (and sophomore, as they say) is called "21" and I'm 5 tracks in and already melting with awe, love, inspiration, emotion... the whole gamut. She is really bringing her "A" game with a new groove and sound, a little more jazziness, but also just the ballad-belting Adele Adkins that we fell in love with in "19". I can't wait to work my way through the rest.

Secondly -- I saw "The Kids Are All Right" yesterday and feel the need to speak on it.

I loved the movie. I really did. I thought it was funny, emotional, sweet, and honest. It was, and it also wasn't about the fact that Nic and Jules were lesbians. I mean, certainly that fact was unavoidable, but they didn't draw undue attention to it. They weren't a spectacle; they were a couple. And the drama that happened... I don't think it was dealt with in the wrong way. I thought it was real and honest and genuine. I loved it.

Here's what I will say about the fact that the main couple were lesbians...

When I used to meet on a regular basis with a LGBTQ university student-based discussion group, we used to talk about the portrayal (or lack thereof) of queer characters in the media. Often people would talk about wanting to see their lives within TV shows and movies and that it was hard to do that without queer characters.

Well, I've never had a problem relating to anyone, gay or straight, that seems at all like me on a show or in a movie. However, when I saw this movie, "The Kids Are All Right", I felt something different for the first time. I really felt more connected to the movie because of the fact that the main couple were lesbians. I really did. And the thing is that this movie is not my favourite movie - it doesn't rival "Apollo 13" or "Mean Girls" or "Good Will Hunting" - but it offered the portrayal of something more personal to me, and I felt it.

This doesn't mean that straight people or gay men shouldn't be able to see their relationships/experiences within the portrayal of a lesbian relationship, but it did mean that I took something personal out of it.

Bravo to Julianne Moore & Annette Bening for playing the shit out of those 2 characters. Especially Annette Bening. She deserves the Oscar nod because she brought such realness and rawness to the character of Nic. Well done!

Cafe et moi.

2011-01-19T09:58:00.002-05:00

I love coffee!!!

...except a lot of people love coffee, so that's not exactly impressive or anything... Plus, it's not like I'm a sommelier of coffee...

But coffee's not just a functional thing for me. I don't love coffee because I need it to wake up in the morning... though I do. And I don't love coffee because I'm addicted to it... though I am. I love coffee because of the way it makes me feel!

When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is fill up my kettle and plug it in. Then I take my coffee beans out of the fridge and pour the appropriate amount into my grinder. I grind them to coarse, not fine, and then empty them into my French Press. When the kettle starts whistling at me, I pour the hot water into the French Press, stir it, let it steep for 4 minutes, by which time my toast is ready, and then I pour a cup of coffee, sit down at my kitchen table, read my book, and enter into a safe & positive morning place. My happy place, if you will. This quiet moment in the morning, very much made possible by the warmth and caffeine of the coffee, gives me the energy both physically and spiritually to attack the day.

This sounds corny and over the top, and I didn't exactly try to avoid that tone, but I'm being serious here. It's the habitualness (apparently that's a word) of it.

The one thing I will say about coffee & me is that I really like the way I make it. I've been using a French Press for over a year now, but the grinder has only become part of the routine this week. I feel like grinding the beans myself (with a grinder, but still), and letting the coffee steep in the water vs. the water being filtered through it... it all just gets me closer to the coffee. With the grinder, I almost feel like I'm eating the beans... in a good way. Now I just need to master making Turkish coffee. That's the next step.

Anyway, I'm an enormous dork, but now you know!

Natalie... you are a bad-ass bitch II

2011-01-17T09:44:00.003-05:00

I'm having Monday morning panic as I was away from work at the end of last week and I have a big and busy week this week. Between emails and the increasingly long list of to do items that I'm compiling...... I'm kinda freaking out. I don't see blogging at this moment as a procrastination tool; I see it as stress and anxiety management. Truly. I can have an extremely productive day today, but I need to start by removing myself from the situation, and then re-entering it with a fresh perspective.

SO... what should I blog about?

BLACK SWAN

I saw "Black Swan" this weekend. I had always meant to see it, but time kept passing me by and all my friends had already seen it. So Saturday I had nothing to do and I thought, "Screw it, I'll go alone."

WHOA. Black Swan... Black Swan... It was so intense. Typical of Aronofsky, the movie drew you in to a point where you were looking at your fingernails and finding yourself holding your breath. My chest was tight with empathetic anxiety. I thought the story was unique and different. It drew you into a specific world (the dance world), but the real focus was on Nina. People like Nina are everywhere, so the fact that Swan Lake was being performed and it was set on a stage with a company, etc. was sort of an aesthetic thing more than anything else. It was about perfection and anxiety and nightmares and... I was blown away.

It wasn't the type of movie that you see and immediately want to see again. Not for me, at least. It's too intense and too much of a full body&mind experience that it's difficult to watch. That said, I thought it was incredible. I thought Natalie Portman was incredible. She won the Golden Globe for best actress in a motion picture last night, and I believe she really deserved it. She was intense and weak and vulnerable... I wonder how she'll fare at the Oscars.

Alright - time to get to work. I need to do away with my own anxiety now and get going!

HAPPY 251st, S & G!!!

2011-01-10T15:01:00.003-05:00

Guess what?! This is my 251st blog post on Sugar & Gravy. What a momentous occasion! Well, it would've been if it was the 250th, but I missed that one. Oh well, it kinda works with the whole tone of S & G, you know? Nonchalant, chill, and unconventional.

So how do I celebrate my big day?! With a youtube video, natch.

Note Maya's incredible understanding of death for someone her age. She completely gets it.

Salem - King Night

2011-01-03T12:45:00.002-05:00

Haven't really paid attention to this video, but the song... the song... I find it haunting and mystifying and perfect. See if you can hear what piece of choral music it's based on.

Credit goes to my boy Johnni for introducing me to this track. I listened to Salem's whole album yesterday while unpacking and loved every minute of it.

ENJOY!

Resolutions II

2011-01-02T10:06:00.003-05:00

Last year was the first year that I actually wrote down and sealed in an envelope my new year's resolutions. I'm leaving my parents' house in Toronto for my small town apartment today, so it will be this afternoon that I get to open up the envelope and see how I managed this year in achieving my goals. I remember what a few of them were, but not all, so we'll see how I did!

I'd like to make some new resolutions for this year, too. Obviously there's RC-3, but what else...? I'll figure them out over the next few days and then seal them up for next year. Moving onward and upward...

Speaking of goals and resolutions -- I GOT MY G1!!! Hoorah! I told you I'd do it. Now I just have to keep up the momentum and drive (PUN!) and schedule some driving lessons. I don't need to do the full program, as I've done it before, but I need at least a few refresher courses. I'll definitely keep you posted on the progress.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Resolutions

2010-12-28T09:44:00.002-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL!

Whatever holiday you do or don't celebrate, I hope you've had a fantastic season! Mine has been filled with love, friends, family, food, gifts, and a lot of laughter (and some relaxation). I have no complaints at all!

I've been sort of too busy running around seeing friends to read much, but I did finish the 6th HP book, and I really enjoyed it! I remember finishing the book before, but I really didn't remember much of the content. I'm excited to read the 7th though, because I know I haven't read that one before. Since I wasn't able to read the 7th in time for the movie, I'm not in a huge rush to get to it, as long as I read it before the 2nd part of the 7th movie. So, before I get to HP7, I'm trying another one of the books lent to me by a woman I just met, called Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. I'm 8 pages in, and loving it already!

So, Reading Challenge #2 was to read 8 books by December 31st, and 50% had to be fiction. I've achieved one of the goals as every book I've read in this challenge has been fiction, but I don't think I'll read two books before the deadline. No matter! My plan is to let Reading Challenge #2 seamlessly lead into my next challenge...

Reading Challenge #3 (RC-3): I challenge myself to read a minimum of 20 books in 2011. There are no stipulations about fiction or non-fiction, it's just about reading 20. I was going to make it 24 (2/month), but I want to give myself some wiggle room. I very well may read 30, but 20 is a nice solid number to be proud of, so that's the goal! The final two that I read for RC-2 may be included in RC-3.

Reading Challenge #2 - Update:

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Franny and Zooey
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
By Nightfall
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

ADELE IS BACK!!!

2010-12-15T15:24:00.002-05:00

This just (or recently) in. Adele is coming back with a vengeance and it comes in the form of her sophomore album, entitled "21". Her first was called "19". Are these references to her age? I'm feeling rather old and uninteresting all of a sudden. Who cares?! Her first single, which premiered on "Ellen" (live performance below) is called "Rolling in the Deep" and it's stunning! I can't wait for it to come out.

I will say it now. I will see her on her next tour. She is an artist not to miss live. I hope she stops at Massey Hall again -- that was epic. If she goes to the Sound Academy I will cry, but I'll still drag my ass there... just for Adele.

SEE BEE SEE

2010-12-14T11:24:00.003-05:00

I'm not outwardly very political (arguable, I'm sure), but I rarely hesitate to speak out when it's necessary.

Therefore, I will embed this (below) in my blog and you can do what you wish:

My Shameful Secret

2010-12-10T17:26:00.003-05:00

I have an issue with time. I'm very rarely late, so that's not the issue. The issue is that I always over-estimate how long things will take me. Sometimes this results in being extremely early for things. Sometimes it means I have tonnes of time to kill in my own home. My friend is going to be here in the next 1.5-2 hours. I had a whole bunch of stuff to do so I hurried home to get it done. Now I've basically finished the main things I need to do. Therefore, I will blog.

I was thinking about something on the way home from the grocery store, and I need to get it off my chest.

I can't drive.

It's not that I'm a bad driver, or that I don't have a car (I don't, but I could), it's that I don't have my license. I did have a G1 once, but it expired. Why didn't I get my G2? Well, I tried. I tried 3 times in fact, but I failed all 3 times. Sad, I know. I tried 3 times when I was 17 and then I just decided it wasn't worth the heartache and anxiety. Plus, I grew up in Toronto, where having a car is pointless a lot of the time. I lived near the subway, I could get anywhere I needed to go by TTC, and so I forgot about driving.

Then I went to university, where I didn't need a car either. First I lived on campus, then for the next 4 years after that I lived near campus; just a walk or bus ride away. I didn't need a car in university, and I didn't need to drive.

Now I've graduated and moved to a small town for a great job. Guess what? I need a car. Well, I don't need one obviously because I don't have one and I've been managing, but it'd be nice. I'm pretty isolated without one as I don't really go anywhere further than a 20-30 minute walk. In a small town especially, that can get pretty boring. During the summer it was okay, but now it's getting nasty outside and so my shameful secret is becoming all the more hard to bear.

I've decided to confess this so that you, my readers, can hold me accountable for my driving-related goals.

Get my G1 by December 31, 2010 (3 weeks to go!).
Get my G2 by August 31, 2011.
Get a car by December 31, 2011.

I think about how much I wish I could drive pretty much every day. It's time to take action.

To leave this on a positive note, there is something pretty great about depending on your own two feet to take you everywhere!

Rest in Peace, J.L.

2010-12-08T12:52:00.004-05:00

He is my hero. He wasn't a perfect person, but that's what I love about him. He was rude and crude and said stupid things and did stupid things... but he was always human. He was always so beautiful in his flaws. Above all things, he just wanted peace. His message hasn't vanished, but the need for it has grown. He is always remembered and his spirit still lingers. 30 years since his death, let's keep trying to make his dreams come true.

EM-TEE-VEE

2010-12-06T14:43:00.002-05:00

“MTV doesn’t even play music videos anymore!”

Have you ever said this or heard someone say this? If so, you or they are right! Rarely does MTV play music videos, and these days if it does, it’s not usually the whole video. When it was originally launched in 1981, MTV (Music Television) was intended to be a channel dedicated to music and music videos. In 2010, MTV no longer includes “Music Television” in their logo. They are not a music television channel. Perhaps it would be more fitting to call them an entertainment channel; they play reality shows, a little bit of music news, live talk shows, and sometimes documentaries. They don’t pretend they’re all about music, and they’ve shown that by rebranding themselves (and excluding the Music Television from their logo).

How do I feel about this? Well I love music, and when I was younger I watched the MuchMusic countdown the whole way through most Friday nights. However, I don’t really care about music videos anymore. I listen to music almost exclusively on my iPod, and I’m usually doing a bunch of other stuff while listening. I don’t sit down on the couch to “watch” music.

It’s not about me though. Even if I was a die-hard music video fan, I’d understand why MTV wasn’t catering to me. Most people don’t care about music videos anymore! If they do, they’re going to watch them on YouTube, and not wait for them to come up on a music channel’s rotation. Most people DO care about seeing celebrities on television, and say what you will about that fact, it’s a fact. Why would MTV cater to a small audience when they could meet the needs of the masses? It’s just the way it is.

If people care about celebrities (and by people, I mean people ages 14-28, which has always been the MTV audience), then MTV should work to be the network showing the best celebrity content, or even better – creating celebrities themselves. Did I know who Snooki or The Situation were before Jersey Shore? No. But I certainly know who they are now! If you don’t care about Jersey Shore, then I understand, but you are unfortunately of the minority.

As always, take what I say with a grain of salt. I just think that what MTV puts out meets and exceeds the desires of their majority audience. Music videos or not, they’re a force to be reckoned with.

To-ist

2010-12-01T10:13:00.002-05:00

Latest obsession: this series of videos.

In other news, I'm definitely enjoying Kanye's new album.

Additionally, I find "Black Friday" (L'il Kim's Nicki Minaj diss) highly entertaining. Yes, I really enjoy Nicki Minaj, and yes L'il Kim is getting a bit desperate (haven't heard much from her since "Magic Stick"), but she lays the chirps on thick.

Books & DJs

2010-11-29T11:03:00.003-05:00

What's up y'all? Lots to update you on, starting with the Reading Challenge 2.0. Just to remind you, Reading Challenge 2.0 challenges me to read 8 books by December 31, 2010 (the challenge began on September 5th) and 50% of them have to be fiction. So far I've read 5 (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Franny and Zooey, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and By Nightfall). My progress was severely impeded by the purchase of an iPhone, but I seem to be on track again and just need to push through the next month and see how close I can get to my goal. On the bright side, I've achieved 1/2 of my goal already. All 5 books that I've read have been fiction, so it looks like I really have gotten back into fiction, which I'm thrilled about.

The most recent read, By Nightfall by Michael Cunningham, was quite simply put: stunning. I've never read Cunningham before, but I'm eager to read more of him. He also wrote The Hours, so I think I'll read that in the new year. By Nightfall was a twisted story about love, art, and finding the strength to survive a life that is really good, but not great, or not what you imagined for yourself. It was published this year, which was really interesting because it's been so long since I read a book taking place in the present day. There was a BlackBerry reference and an Obama administration reference, and both were interesting to see because somehow it made the experience the protagonist was having feel even more close to home. Anyway, I'm rambling... it was an amazing book and I'd highly recommend it!

Regarding MSTRKRFT in Sudbury... Well I should start off by saying it was a fantastic night! I had a blast with my sister and we danced and partied = good times. However, it wasn't MSTRKRFT performing; it was Jesse Keeler of MSTRKRFT. That would've been good because JFK is an awesome guy, but he didn't actually play any MSTRKRFT. He was just DJing. I'm not saying it wasn't good, but it just wasn't great. Plus, it wasn't what I expected.

It made me think though - here is a good example of a DJ who spins vs. a DJ who mixes/creates/produces. I may have not used the perfect wording, but I hope you get my gist. There's the standard, run-of-the-mill club DJ (no offense meant by word choice). She/he plays songs by artists (that remain unchanged for the most part) that the patrons of the club dance to. There are definitely good club DJs and bad club DJs, but their mission is the same. Then there is the... what shall we call it... More-than-just-playing-songs-DJ? Not exactly poetic, but sure, why not?

So the MTJPSD makes music out of DJing. Some strictly remix songs, some create their own stuff, and some do both... but the idea is, when you see them in a concert, they are DJing, but it's their own stuff that they're playing.

Anyway, my point is that these involve different skill sets. Knowing exactly when to crossover to a new track is a skill for a club DJ, as is knowing what songs will really get people on the dance floor. For a MTJPSD, it might be matching up two songs perfectly... or creating that perfect climb of sound that builds up to the climax that a good electro song inevitably has (i.e. the siren sound in "Cornelius" by The Bloody Beetroots... one of my fave music moments of all time). The point is, the skill sets for these two types of DJs are so different. Some DJs may possess both sets, but I felt on Friday night that JFK of MSTRKRFT did not.

Well, this update took about 24 hours to write -- broken up by work and sleep -- so I think it is time to move on.

Reading Challenge 2.0 - Update!

2010-11-24T12:34:00.002-05:00

A comment from a reader reminded me that I haven't been updating everyone about my Reading Challenge 2.0. So here goes...

I didn't finish the Harry Potter series before seeing the 7th movie, which was a shame, but I have finished the 5th. It was fantastic, as I knew it would be, and I'll soon be ready to take on the final two books in the series. The 6th which I don't recall at all, and the 7th which I've never read. Very exciting stuff! I really need to hop to it!

In the meantime (before I start the 6th), I'm reading something totally different, recommended and lended (I know it's not the correct word, but it works) to me by someone I only just met. She lent (see, I know the correct word) me 3 other books and I'm excited to read those, too... after Harry Potter, Steph, I swear!

Anyway, the current read is By Nightfall by Michael Cunningham. It's beautifully written... very 21st-century-stream-of-consciousness... I love it! I get the sense it's going to get pretty twisted, and I cannot wait!

Then... back to HP!

Masters of the Kraft x2

2010-11-24T08:47:00.003-05:00

I saw MSTRKRFT a year ago. It's weird how things can change so much in a year... I graduated, kicked some bad habits, moved to a new (small) town, got a big girl job... weird. However, not everything changes, because I'm seeing MSTRKRFT once again this weekend. This will be my 3rd time seeing them and I'm pumped about it! The 3rd time I saw Aoki, I was not so pumped... but that was 3 times in 1 year, and MSTRKRFT is more spread out. Also, I'm going with my sister and I've never gone to a party like this with her before, so it'll be SICK!

EM ESS EN

2010-11-17T12:51:00.004-05:00

I would guess that the high school experience these days is very often shaped by Facebook. Making plans, spreading gossip, complaining about homework, flirting, etc., etc. I'm so glad my high school experience did not involve Facebook in any way -- it was hard enough surviving the most self-conscious years of my life as it was, never mind what it would've been like trying to find a somewhat decent profile picture.

However, we didn't experience high school in the absence of technology, because there was a mode of communication that, for me at least, did shape my high school years.

MSN

I'm thinking about this because my Gmail chat just cut out for what seemed like 3 minutes, but was probably 1.5. When it happened, I was reminded of what my reaction was when this happened on MSN in grade 11. My anxiety would kick in, I would click click click... restart the computer... the sweat would start pouring... I would think about what the person I was chatting with might think... would they still be online? OMG OMG OMG!!!

Ahhhhh... sweet relief as the little green man spun around and then your friends were displayed once again.

How many serious conversations did you have on MSN? How many transcripts of conversations did you re-read? Did you ever print a conversation out?

I haven't used MSN in ages, but it really did define some pivotal parts of my adolescence.
Food for thought, I guess.

TDCC

2010-11-16T09:10:00.002-05:00

I've talked about this before, but my trend lately is to find new music through Hypem. Every week or so I download all the interesting sounding tracks on the Popular list and see what I like. Sometimes I really like a track and so I download the artist's whole album... but this doesn't happen often. I generally just listen to a few songs until I get sick of them, and then check the Popular list again. It works for me.

However, when I heard "Something Good Can Work" by Two Door Cinema Club, followed by "Kids" by TDCC, I knew that these two tracks were too hot to leave on their own. It was time to have their brother and sister tracks join them, resulting in the entire album, "Tourist History". They're not a new band, and Tourist History isn't a new album (March 2010), but they're new to me and I'm eating them up like they're sugar and gravy.

Here's what I'm talking about!

Newz

2010-11-15T06:32:00.003-05:00

I haven't blogged in a bit, so here's a morning quickie before I hop in the shower.

The iPhone has changed my life... I'm more organized, more connected, and all around loving my new gadget. I haven't been reading as much, it's true, but I figure the novelty will wear off soon enough, and until then, I'm forcing myself to read at least twice a day, even if it's for short periods of time. Unfortunately I still won't finish the last 3 Harry Potters before Friday (the opening day of the first part of the 7th movie), but that's no matter... I'll finish them eventually. I'm about 50 pages from being done the 5th book, so I'll just push through and hopefully finish the other 2 this year.

Some of the many perks of the iPhone are the news apps - I have Thomson Reuters, New York Times (thanks to the GF), Globe & Mail, and Huffington Post all at my fingertips. I read the top articles every morning with my coffee. It's not the same as holding the papers in your hand at your breakfast table, but it's a fantastic alternative. Plus, I get MORE news, and if I like an article or want to share it, it couldn't be simpler to link to Facebook, Twitter, etc. I love it. I feel more informed, which is always a good thing! Ok - shower time!

iPhone vs. Books

2010-11-01T12:45:00.003-04:00

My life is (nearly) complete: I bought the iPhone 4.
In the 4 or so days since I got it, my life has changed. I feel more organized, more connected, and, needless to say, cooler.

However - I can't lose sight of other goals (even though I was able to cross off buying an iPhone from my goal list), namely the Reading Challenge 2.0. I've still got a ways to go with HP5, and then I still need to read 4 more before December 31st. I can for sure do it, but I've got to maintain my nightly routine of reading and not let playing games or checking Facebook on my iPhone get in the way of that.

Favourite app so far: Sleep Cycle. Just so cool.

MTV Live

2010-10-23T11:07:00.004-04:00

Daryn Jones, Nicole Holness, Paul the Intern, Sheena Snively.

These 4 people are the regulars on MTV Live (MTV Canada).

I wanted to post a picture but couldn't find a good one with all 4 of them.

I like MTV Canada. I think it's got funny programming, interesting original stuff, and manages (despite being an offshoot of an American network) to be distinctly Canadian. No one tries to avoid talking about specific cities or even Canadian-specific news. I love that.

Lately I love MTV Live in particular. I think it is extremely hilarious almost all of the time and they get racier than I thought you could get on TV. Yesterday Daryn just spat out for a good 3 minutes a million different euphemisms for sex while Nicole replied (to each euphemism) "What?" Both of them managed to keep a straight face. I mean, it was pre-filmed, but still... they killed it. It's one of the funniest things I've ever seen on TV. Anyway, kudos to them for doing an interesting, live, Canadian show. KUDOS!!!

Sept.

2010-10-20T08:08:00.002-04:00

I haven't watched "The September Issue" in like 3+ months. Very strange. I think I'm going to have to watch it tonight so that this redheaded beauty will Grace me with her presence.

**EDIT: Ms. Coddington is almost hilariously glam in this picture.

4 down, 3 to go!!!

2010-10-18T12:30:00.002-04:00

Harry Potter… Harry Potter… you may be sick of reading me talking about it but I’m not sick of writing about it, so either hear what I have to type, or step off...

I just finished HP4. I think it was only my second time reading it and my God was it better the second time around! I don’t know how old I was when I first read it… I couldn’t have been that young, but I think it all went over my head. It’s kind of amazing that it’s a children’s book! I mean, I get why, but it is so much more fascinating for me as an adult. All of the stuff about Voldemort rising again? Dumbledore contacting all of his allies to start preparing? My God, it’s incredible! I can’t wait to start the 5th when I get home from work. I have 1 month and 1 day to finish the last 3 books. I’m pretty sure I can do it if I focus.

Reading Challenge #2 - Update:

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Franny and Zooey
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

5 more books to go by the end of 2010! ...and technically only 1 more needs to be fiction!

SS + TT

2010-10-16T15:32:00.003-04:00

"The Age of Adz" is Sufjan Stevens' new album. Like his other albums, this one does not disappoint. In fact, more than that, it's straight up incredible. I'm playing Text Twist right now and working my way through the album (rather than clean my bathroom... later, maybe) and I am in a peaceful reverie as a result. Time to DL the discography. Yes, it's time.

Santana vs. Harrison

2010-10-13T07:00:00.005-04:00

When I was in grade 8, I would've scoffed at any cover of a Beatles song. I was into Beatles purity back then. Now though, I am impressed rather than threatened by a cover of a Beatles song that rivals the original.

This one here is a total beauty. This isn't the best recording of it, but I love watching India.Arie dancing and moving her hands. In the album version though, you've got Yo-Yo Ma on cello, so make sure you check that one out!

This makes me want to listen to India's "Acoustic Soul" album. That was such a high school jam of mine.

In other news, still working my way through HP-4, but I've come up with an official 2nd reading challenge. The last one concluded on September 5th, so from Sept. 5th-Dec. 31st my challenge is to read another 8 books with a stipulation: 50% have to be fiction. Loves it.

RC Continues

2010-10-12T10:30:00.003-04:00

I know I said the Reading Challenge was concluded, but the truth is that I hope it's ongoing for the rest of my life. Regardless, I will continue to discuss the books that I'm reading (as I have been), how I like them, and what I'm doing to encourage/allow myself to read more.

Currently Reading:
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - I've got about 150 pages to go and I am just eating it up! How does J.K.R. do it? Her stories are so intricate and well thought out, and I love how much more substantial they get once Harry hits 4th year. Incredible! After this, 3 more to go!

Next:

Superfreakonomics - I got so into HP that I've neglected this book, but I've got 3 more weeks before it's due back at the library, so I have to read it soon!
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - I'm obsessed with HP right now, so it's more likely that I crack this open before Superfreakonomics but I'll try to practice self control if I can. The books aren't going anywhere, but it might be hard to finish books 5, 6, and 7 before November 19th (when part 1 of the 7th movie comes out [5 weeks to go]). I'll try my best!!!
The Old Man and the Sea - This was on sale at Indigo and I felt the urge to buy it. It looks like a quick read and it's a classic, so I was sold! Plus, I feel embarrassed as an English major that I haven't read Hemingway, so this will be my start! I'm redeeming myself post-grad.

FB.

2010-10-10T15:38:00.002-04:00

I could go on and on about how fascinating Facebook is and how it's changed our world and the way we socialize, communicate, etc., etc., etc., but I won't. We all live it and know it and there won't be anything unique about the way I articulate it, so I'll avoid self-indulgence & pretension for once.

I'll just make a few small comments about the movie "The Social Network":

I thought the writing was fabulous. It makes me want to get into "The West Wing" again.
I thought the acting was really good, too. Justin Timberlake isn't a great actor, maybe, but they picked a good character for him to play... although as a sidenote, I heard (read in Vanity Fair) that Sean Parker isn't really that much like the character in the movie. That may or may not be true.
I had no idea that Sean Parker (one of the guys behind Napster) was involved in the beginnings of Facebook. Was that news to anyone else?
My parents really enjoyed the movie, too, but my dad said it took him a while to get into. I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that they don't have Facebook.
Overall, definitely worth watching!