Bottoms Up!

Really really into this jam right now. Originally I was just into Nicki Minaj's rap (which is BANGING hot!!!), but now the whole song has grown on me!



Nicki Minaj is HOT, btw. What's her deal? She's got skills that I haven't seen since Missy. I DL'ed her mix tape. I gotsta get on that.

"What we do with the connections we make online after we close our laptops and turn off our smart phones"

I've talked about these two a bunch of times. I've been following them basically every step of the way - both in the literal and Twitteral sense - and I'm always excited to hear about their adventures, discoveries, and revelations. Here's a particular revelation that really stood out for me.

It is obvious to me now as I collect real-life relationships like souvenirs along the course of my travels, that the potential of social media lies in what we do with the connections we make online after we close our laptops and turn off our smart phones.

Isn't that beautiful? And it is the truth. I'm not a pessimist about social media. I don't think it makes true friendship fall apart. In fact, it keeps us more able to connect, and easier. Rather than moving somewhere leading to losses in friendships, it means I can always see what my friends are up to, and vice versa. It has changed things, sure, but I don't think in a negative way.

Anyway, check out Alex and Luke. They're great!

Chefspiracy

It wasn't really worth mentioning when I only found one case of it... but now that I have two? I have to tell you!

I think Food Network stars are pretending they're chefs when really they're professional actors and actresses.






Chef Michael Smith from Chef at Home? Or John Corbett, a.k.a. Aidan from Sex and the City?









Anna Olson from Fresh? Or Bonnie Hunt from Cheaper by the Dozen?

WATER!

Hahahahaha!!! OMG - absolutely hilar. And Janeane Garofalo... I miss you.

Idiots with Zoe Saldana & Kate Bosworth from Zoe Saldana

Gravy's All Right

**EDIT: Guess what?!?! This is my 200th post on Sugar and Gravy. I love it and I have no intention of stopping. Enjoy!!!**

I am so excited to see this! Talk about the most solid lesbian couple ever - in terms of fantastic actresses. We lucked out! And by "we", I mean the gays all over the world.



In other news, there's a new episode of "Entourage" on tonight. The trailer looks amazing! I don't get HBO, but I'll download the episode tonight or tomorrow morning. I can't wait!

Reading Challenge Update

Did I mention I moved? Yes, I moved towns and (obviously) am in a new apartment. My desk and computer are now in a different room than my bed, which I love. I didn't get wireless Internet (yet) so my computer stays put, which means... I'm not falling asleep with my computer in bed with me anymore. I love that! It helps with my whole mission to read before bed (and not compute).

Anyway... that is a long-winded way of saying the reading challenge is going well. EXCEPT that once again I've got 3 books on the go.

1. Smart Women Finish Rich by David Bach - I started my first real job so my GF got me this book to get me started right with saving and all that. I'm 50 pages in and loving it!
2. The School on the Hill: Trinity College School 1865-1965 by A.H. Humble & J.D. Burns
3. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank - I've always meant to read this, but never have. I'm enjoying it, but I haven't gotten too far in yet. It'll probably be the last of the 3 I finish, but I'm really looking forward to getting into it.

That reminds me - still no fiction. How strange! I need to make myself read some fiction after these 3.

Freakonomics was great, btw. The Stephen/Steven writing team did a great job articulating some really crazy (but reasonable) ideas. It really shows a side of economics that most people don't associate with the field, which is what makes Steven Levitt such a neat, smart guy. That said, it's a tricky art/science. It's really all about incentives and numbers and estimates and assumptions and not a lot about heart or miracles or... well, outliers, actually. What I mean is, some of the assumptions made seem a bit over the top, and even racist. So, you've gotta take what they say with a grain of salt. It's about economics, so you've gotta look at things a little differently.

SO... of the 8 book total I challenged myself to read, I've got:

1. The Outsider
2. John
3. Sex Drugs and Cocoa Puffs
4. Outliers
5. Freakonomics
   

Sea Sun Say Vun

It's a new season of "Entourage" (there's been 2 episodes so far) and I'm pumped. I've never actually watched the show as it's happening, so it is CRAZY to be waiting a week in between episodes. I need to know what happens next... NOW! But, it's also a lot of fun to get so excited for the next installment.

My thoughts so far?

• Episode 1 left something to be desired. It was a little flat, but sometimes a well-established show's premiere doesn't necessarily start with a bang... or maybe it was that I saw all the main scenes already in the teasers.
• Episode 2 was AWESOME! That's the "Entourage" I know and love. There were surprises, there was serious drama, and I cannot wait to see what happens next!

Tune in for sure, and if you've never seen it - do yourself a favour and give it a try!!!

Friends?

Gary Sinise and Tom Hanks are in at least 3 movies together - "Forrest Gump", "The Green Mile", and "Apollo 13".

Do you think they're friends? I hope so.

Hot or Notmail

After 5+ years (maybe even 9 years... can't remember), I'm ready to put an end to my Hotmail account. Barely anybody contacts me at that address, I GREATLY prefer my Gmail account, and I'm sick of having to log in to multiple email accounts.

However, Hotmail doesn't make it very easy. I figured I have 2 options:

1. Set up an auto-forward from the Hotmail to the Gmail.
2. Set up a vacation auto-reply thing saying that people should email me at Gmail.

Neither of these options are possible with Hotmail right now, or maybe ever. The vacation reply option has been disabled for some reason, and you can only forward to emails that end with @live, @hotmail, or @msn. Are you kidding?!?!

Hotmail, I know you suck, but can't you throw me a bone?

L.G.R.

Ok.

So you know how I hate Lady Gaga? Well, I'm not really sure why I do. Part of it stems from me always being wary of things that are really hyped up. Lady Gaga is huge! She's a relatively new phenomenon, and yet she's #4 on the Forbes Celebrity 100?!?!? Why? What's so special about her? She's fresh and genius and creative and artistic. Is she? Is she doing stuff that nobody else is doing or nobody else has done before? I dunno... I think people are a little blinded by her outrageous outfits...

But as much as I'm wary of things that are really hyped up, I'm also wary of intense feelings that I have that I can't exactly explain. I mean, I don't really listen to Lady Gaga, so am I really qualified to hate her or have a strong opinion either way? No, I'm not.

SO... it's time to begin my L.G.R. - Lady Gaga Research. I'm gonna take notes as I work my way through as much of her music as I can. I'm gonna read up on her. I'm gonna stare at dozens of Google images. I'm gonna form a real opinion, and I'm gonna report back to you.

I love you, Ron.

I want to talk for a minute, if I may, about one Ron Howard.

The truth is - I haven't even seen that much of his stuff. My main love is Apollo 13, but I'm also a huge fan of Arrested Development, Frost/Nixon, and A Beautiful Mind. So I'm not a super-fan by any stretch, but I have this deep-set love for him... and it's existed even before I started dating a ginger.

There's something about the stories he chooses to tell, namely in his directing. He tells stories of complex people or big moments in (mainly American) history. He doesn't shy away from complicated ideas, but he also delivers them in a way that makes you understand.

I just love him, so I need to see more of him. What is your favourite Ron Howard movie?