2011: Year In Review

FANTASTIC VIDEO!!!



What a year...

Sugar & Gravy Movie Mania #7

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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

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...

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...

1. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
2. The Girls by Lori Lansens
3. Live from New York by Tom Shales & James Andrew Miller
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
5. The Divinity Gene by Matthew J. Trafford
6. 38 Witnesses: The Kitty Genovese Case by A.M. Rosenthal
7. I Met the Walrus by Jerry Levitan
8. Saturday by Ian McEwan
9. Bossypants by Tina Fey
10. Animal Farm by George Orwell
11. No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod
12. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
13. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
14. 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!

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?

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?

Yet another example of why James Lipton is pure genius.



See the rest here!

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

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

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  

1. 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.
   
2. 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?
   
3. 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!!!

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

1. 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.
   
   
   
2. 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...
   
3. 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

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)

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

A NEW POST!!!

I mentioned in my last post that I'd write about the series finale of "Entourage" slash the last season in general, which is good because I just re-watched the last ep, so it's once again fresh on my mind.

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

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

HOWEVER, in a superficial way, I was incredibly satisfied with how it all wrapped up, realistic or not.  What I wanted for the characters happened… I just wish that it had been in 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 were tied, there was a happy ending, all characters ended up where they were supposed to, and it just felt good.  And I appreciate that.  Ari’s final scene in the office with the opera music playing?  BRILLIANT.  It was just wonderful!  Upon a second watching, I was moved to tears.  Bravo!!!

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

Niko Niko

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

SO inspiring:

 

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

NO NAIL BITING CHALLENGE

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!

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

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

Here are two of my favourite things about life:

1. It can throw you a curve ball.
2. 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

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



Then I realized...

California Gays!

Was just reminded of how fantastic this video is:



ENJOY!

s08e04

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.

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

Blue skies are coming.

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

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!

1. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
2. The Girls by Lori Lansens
3. Live from New York by Tom Shales & James Andrew Miller
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
5. The Divinity Gene by Matthew J. Trafford
6. 38 Witnesses: The Kitty Genovese Case by A.M. Rosenthal
7. I Met the Walrus by Jerry Levitan
8. Saturday by Ian McEwan
9. Bossypants by Tina Fey
10. Animal Farm by George Orwell
11. No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod
12. 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

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. #3

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

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!!!

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

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

Legit Jams 2.0

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

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

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

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

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...

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)

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

"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!!

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...

1. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
2. The Girls by Lori Lansens
3. Live from New York by Tom Shales & James Andrew Miller
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
5. The Divinity Gene by Matthew J. Trafford
6. 38 Witnesses: The Kitty Genovese Case by A.M. Rosenthal
7. I Met the Walrus by Jerry Levitan
8. Saturday by Ian McEwan
9. 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

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!

1. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
2. The Girls by Lori Lansens
3. Live from New York by Tom Shales & James Andrew Miller
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
5. The Divinity Gene by Matthew J. Trafford
6. 38 Witnesses: The Kitty Genovese Case by A.M. Rosenthal
7. I Met the Walrus by Jerry Levitan
8. 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!

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...

1. Get my G1 by December 31, 2010.
2. 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.
3. 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!

1. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
2. The Girls by Lori Lansens
3. Live from New York by Tom Shales & James Andrew Miller
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
5. The Divinity Gene by Matthew J. Trafford
6. 38 Witnesses: The Kitty Genovese Case by A.M. Rosenthal
7. I Met the Walrus by Jerry Levitan

RC-3 + Drive Update!

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.

1. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
2. The Girls by Lori Lansens
3. Live from New York by Tom Shales & James Andrew Miller
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
5. The Divinity Gene by Matthew J. Trafford
6. 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?

1. Get my G1 by December 31, 2010.
2. 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.
3. 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

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

1. 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.
   
   
2. 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.
   
   
3. 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.
   
   
4. 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!
   
   
5. 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!
   
   
6. 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.
   
   
7. 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!
   
   
8. 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.
   
   
9. 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.
   
   
10. And, as is tradition, I must always say: Home is where the heart is.
    

The Shins - you heard of them?

“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.