#maevaflavestaycation

Do yourself a favour and take a staycation if you can.

My girlfriend K. is nearly home (Saturday) from a two-week trip to India. We're not likely taking a big trip this year together, so I've got all this vacation time to use. Since she's away having a blast and experiencing new things, and life is just "same old, same old" for me, I thought, why not take advantage of this time by myself? Why not take 5 days off work and just be here? Here in my apartment, here in my city (Waterloo), here in my province (Ontario), etc. So I did! Today is the fifth day of my staycation, I'm returning to work tomorrow, and I have enjoyed this time off to the max!

Here's what I've gotten up to:

• Many sleep-ins (on my first day off, I slept in until 10:30!!!)
• Much leisure time spent on my computer -- catching up on my personal email inbox, doing some of my volunteer board work, buffering, and I even "went on a retreat" and spent two hours refocusing my professional blog (analyzing traffic, what works, what doesn't, etc.)
• Hanging out with friends and family!
• Eating -- pizza, Thai, panzerotti, Pakistani, sushi, burrito, sub, and more!
• Tasks around the apartment -- laundry, cleaning, organizing, and even little projects like I painted a chalkboard wall in the apartment and another project that I'll reveal later (I want to surprise Kate!)

New chalkboard wall in my apartment!

• Celebrated my friend W's birthday!!! -- first visit to Lahore Tikka House, trampolining at Skyzone, and more time spent with W. & friends
• Gym -- I've had four solid gym visits over the course of the staycation, including an awesome Sunday morning Body Pump class with my sister
• Arts & culture -- I saw Die Walküre at the Canadian Opera Company by myself on Sunday. It was nearly five hours of intense performance and gorgeous singing. I'm a regular opera goer, but still a rookie, so I was a bit apprehensive about a 5-hour opera. I shouldn't have been. I was totally enchanted! I also saw a movie, Birdman, yesterday at Princess Cinemas in Waterloo. I had wanted to see it anyway, but once it won the Oscar, I knew I had to. It was captivating! What a unique film; the way it was filmed, the acting, the meta-ness, the sort of heightened reality... something totally new. I loved it!
• Car wash -- bumper to bumper. This was so incredibly satisfying! My car looks brand new!
• Cooking -- I went for a big grocery shop on Monday night and then yesterday made a dish that yields ten servings!!! I even went out and bought new lunch containers, and then I divided the dish (lentil chili) into its servings and currently have eight (!!!) servings in the freezer ready for next week's lunches (meaning when K's home, I can devote time to being with her rather than cooking for the week ahead!). I also bought the ingredients for a second meal which I'll hopefully cook today!

That's mostly it! Sleep, leisure time, seeing friends, eating, cooking, working out, doing tasks, taking in performances... It sounds simple, but rejuvenated may not be strong enough a word. 

If you get the chance, do it! Now... back to my final 21 hours of staycation!

Sum.

I have plans of making Eggs Benedict for myself for the first time tonight. It's a favourite in breakfast spots, but I've never made it at home before and I want to try. But before I go off to the kitchen to do that...

I had an amazing weekend ripping it in Toronto with my newest best buddy; let's call her K.E.S.P. Today is the final day before I head back to work after a glorious holiday, so it was a delight to spend the weekend having fun with a friend and indulging in a number of pleasures. I got back to Waterloo around 1:30 ish and immediately cuddled with my kitty Spoon (I didn't take off my jacket or boots for at least 5 minutes... Spoonie deserved the attention). Then I felt like I needed a nap, so I climbed in bed and tried to sleep, but I couldn't. I tried to turn something on to watch that I'd hopefully fall asleep to, but it didn't happen. So, I figured I'd just lounge in bed, snuggling with Spoon, and watch something I actually want to watch. That's what brings me to the reason I wanted to post right now...

I Am.

K.E.S.P. watched this documentary recently and highly recommended it, so I was happy to take the time to watch it. It was fantastic!!! I won't bother summarizing it for you, I suggest you watch it yourself. There were so many amazing takeaways, but here's the fact that resonated most with me.

We are all connected. Everything we do has an impact.

I tend to get overwhelmed watching documentaries with big ideas like this one had. I get so wrapped up in the good ideas and want so desperately to implement them in my own life, but being overwhelmed, I often end up implementing nothing at all. So I'm going to take a "small" part of this idea and work to consider it as regularly as possible.

Consider the energy I'm putting out into the universe. 

I know the feeling of walking into a room and feeling an existing tension that you may not have the context for, but you can actually feel. My cat Spoon knows that feeling, too. When my GF K. and I have a big talk (also known as a fight) and we're sitting next to each other on the bed, crying, maybe speaking in loud voices, feeling intense emotions, etc., Spoon jumps up and sits in between us (an example of another message in the movie: that all living things are the same).

The energy that I put out there matters. Big changes happen because of individuals' consciousness spreading enough to translate into critical mass and action. But even if big change isn't my goal, everything I do has an impact, great or small. Do I put enough thought into what I do? Do I consider the impact of my words, actions, and even thoughts and emotions? I think I could stand to be more conscious of those things. And it's not about being hard on myself, or critical, or changing everything I do and everything I am. Increased consciousness is small but mighty, and I'm conscious that I could be more conscious.

Now... onto Eggs Benedict!

Two of Hearts: 3 Movies I Watched this Weekend

It is Monday after the long Easter weekend and I am very slowly adjusting back to a life where I must wake up, do things, wear clothing without elastic waistlines, and be generally presentable.  Normally I'm okay with this, but today I'm not.  It was a delightful weekend!  Highlights include time spent with great friends including karaoke, a beautiful trip to Mel's Diner, time spent on the couch, time spent with more friends, GREEK EASTER!!!, and some epic movie viewing.  I could go on about all elements, but I think I'll focus on one - epic movie viewing.

Having read that Michael Alig is going to be released from prison on May 5, I was reminded that I've always wanted to watch Party Monster.  My friend W. was visiting for a few nights and I asked him if he'd seen it (assuming he had) - he hadn't!  W. was the perfect viewing partner for this movie.  Even better, it was on Netflix.  Bam.  W. whipped up some hummus and we hunkered down for a viewing.  It was a very interesting movie.  I thought Macaulay Culkin and Seth Green both did great jobs in their respective parts, without knowing too too much about Michael Alig and James St. James.  The movie was creepy, funny, enlightening, fascinating, dark, and sad.  I'm now fascinated by club kid culture and keen to read more.  One particularly intense moment was when James St. James was down and out and Michael Alig puts on a cassette to cheer him up.  What's the song?  Stacey Q's "Two of Hearts".  What was one of the two songs my friends and I sang at karaoke the evening before?  Two of Hearts.  Serendipitous, no?

Anyway, Saturday afternoon I was chilling by myself and decided to watch one of the recommended films for people interested in "Party Monster".  One of them was a documentary called "Limelight" about Peter Gatien, legendary club owner who owned the Limelight in New York City where Michael Alig was a promoter.  I learned more about the club kid culture, the introduction of ecstasy to NYC, Peter Gatien (from Cornwall, Ontario), and the massive lawsuit that targetted Gatien as responsible for the rampant drug use and selling in his clubs.  This film was equally fascinating.

Finally, I watched something quite different but not totally unrelated: "Philadelphia". I've watched this movie a handful of times before, but it never loses its impact.  Tom Hanks is incredible, as is Denzel Washington, and the story is so moving and sad.  I still teared up during the epic opera soliloquy.  Incredible!

So there you have it, darlings!  A weekend of movies & more!  Until next time!

Rush & Oscar-Worthiness

I've done it again!  Maybe the novelty will wear off soon and I'll stop posting about it every time I do it, but I can't make promises.

Do what, you ask?

Watch movies I've never seen!!!  There's nothing wrong with watching a movie on the couch with your girlfriend or friends every night, but the experience can be a truly engaging one if you indulge in something new.  So, as you know, that's what I'm doing.

Last night we watched "Rush".  I was pretty sure I wanted to see this movie from the moment I knew it was a Ron Howard-directed, human interest story, based on real events.  I mean, come on!!!  There was never a question that it would be up my alley.

And I thought it was amazing!!!  It's funny, because at this time of year you're hearing about and seeing a lot of Oscar-nominated films and "Rush" isn't one of them.  And honestly, while watching it, I could distinctly feel that.  Decent acting, but not great.  Good story, but not mind-blowing.  That being said, it was entertaining, and there's a lot to be said about that.

Catfish & Resolutions

I watched another new movie!  I'm so proud of myself for keeping my New Year's resolution as best  as I can. Tonight I watched "Catfish", a documentary I've passed by on Canadian Netflix a number of times and that I've always been curious about. My friends M. & D. that I'm staying with in Waterloo at the moment recommended I watch it with them tonight (they'd already seen it), and so we did.

It was captivating. You had this eerie feeling at the beginning but you just had no idea how things were going to turn out. It was surprising and disturbing and depressing and interesting and everything in between. It commented on small town USA, Facebook, art... the list goes on.

I highly recommend it.

Prisoners

AHHHHHH!!!  OK, so my resolution to re-watch as few movies and TV shows as I can is working.  Every time I go on Netflix, I second-guess my instinct to watch something I've seen before and try something new.  I'm also trying as often as possible to finish any TV show or movie that I start (another bad habit of mine).

Last night I watched something new - and horrifying!!!  "Prisoners" starring Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Terrence Howard, and others!  Incredible acting, mostly great story, GREAT ending, some very disturbing moments, and overall an entertaining and captivating movie.  I watched it with my bestie's fiance, Doug, and thankfully he forced me through the parts that were really freaking me out.

Posts to come... My love for the 7 Up documentary series, Who/What/Where/Why/When & How I'm Moving to Waterloo, and more!

I came up with a legit resolution...

...and it is: to re-watch and re-read as little as possible!

Something you may or may not know about me is that I watch the same stuff over and over again, and that applies to a lesser degree to reading as well.  Rather than diving into new TV shows, which I find intimidating and overwhelming, I re-watch ones I've already seen.  Obviously this isn't all I do, but I do it a lot.  It's comfortable and relaxing to just let my mind focus very little on what's in front of me.

Comfortable and relaxing, maybe, but not extremely engaging, is it?  It's easy to just allow myself to do that, but it would really stretch my mind more if I made myself - and it will take a concerted effort - engage in new things.  I intend to do more than just watching new TV shows and movies, but this is one way to cultivate new interests and hobbies.

So, I intend to watch movies I've always meant to... like "Annie Hall", "Kramer vs. Kramer", and more!  Any time I sit down to watch a movie, I'll make an effort to try something new!

Brilliant.  Bring it on!

Top 5 S&G Blog Posts of All Time

My first ever post on Sugar & Gravy was on August 1, 2008 - over 4 years ago.  I've had a few different blogs over the years (including a LiveJournal back in the day!), but S&G has stood the test of time like no other.  I was reminiscing recently, looking over different posts I've written over the years, and I realized that on Blogger you can see how many times each post has been read.  Let's ignore the fact that I've had this blog for over four years and only just realized that... Anyway, I decided to check out and see which posts made the top 5 most read list, and now that I know, I'd like to share the results with you.

Without further ado...

Sugar & Gravy Top 5

1. Naomily: Ultimate Satisfaction - I wouldn't call this my most memorable blog post of all time, nor one that fills me with a sense of pride, but still, it doesn't really surprise me that this is my #1 most read blog post.  Why doesn't it surprise me?  Well, because for a period of 2-4 weeks, I Google/YouTube-searched the word "Naomily" on a daily basis.  Pathetic, I know, but there, I said it.  So, having once been a Naomily-obsessed individual, I probably would've fallen upon this blog post, too, if I hadn't written it myself.  I hope Naomily fans all over the world enjoyed it.
2. Sex and the City: In Review - This was an important, well-researched, lengthy, and satisfying post to write.  I'm glad to see it made the top 2.
3. Today I Am Entertained - References to the MBTI, Audrey Tautou, and "Hoarders"?  How this managed to be so widely read, I'll never know.
4. My trip to France - This was one of my most annoying posts to write because of all the photos I included with it.  However, I planned to write it from the first day I arrived in France, and it was a great way of ensuring that I documented my experiences as I travelled.  I also worked hard to distill my experience into highlights, which was tricky, but satisfying.  Very pleased this was well-read.
5. Lastly, My Shameful Secret - This was a fun post to write and I'm delighted that it was read by so many people.  As much as the tone of the post is tongue-in-cheek, I really did carry my "shameful secret" around with me for a while (7-8 years, to be exact), and though I would often joke about it, it really started to get to me.  This post was cathartic, and also motivational.  Knowing that at least some people were now aware of my inability to drive, drove me (ha!) to achieve this goal.  Like I've said before, accountability really motivates, so thanks for reading!!!

As a bonus, I thought I'd add two honourable mentions, so to speak.  Two posts - both Waterloo-related - that I really enjoy: Ode to Waterloo & Niko Niko

Life in TO

Guess what?!?  For the past 10 days I have been, and moving forward I will continue to be, an official resident of the city of Toronto.  I haven't truly lived here since 2005... it's pretty wild how time flies.  5 years in Waterloo, 2 in Port Hope, and now I'm back... and I couldn't be happier!

Was it hard to leave Port Hope?  Not really.  My two years in PH were formative and important and happy and satisfying, but the time was right to make the move, and I was just flat-out excited when moving day (June 30th) finally came.  But it's important to note that I really did love my apartment in PH and it was somewhat sad to say goodbye to that great place, but onwards and upwards!!!

At least, it will be upwards soon... temporarily I'm living at my parents' place, and likely will be until September.  It's a pretty sweet gig for the meantime, and I'm grateful that I have a place to stay.


So how have I enjoyed my time back in the city???  FULLY.  The weekend I moved home just happened to be: Toronto Pride + the Canada Day long weekend + my sister's 30th birthday.  Does it get any better???  On June 30th, once all the moving craziness was done, I spent the evening celebrating 3 decades of my sister's life at the historic Lambton House (built in 1847) in the west end of Toronto.  She rented out a room at this great venue for a private party with a bar and her own DJ.  It was awesome - great music, great friends, quirky drinks (including "The '82" and "The Extra Dirty 30"), a dress code theme ("indie darling"... I was inspired by Hannah from "Girls"), and generally a lot of fun!


On Sunday, July 1, I woke up, showered, wore my finest combo of Pride and Canada Day-appropriate clothing, and headed down to the Church-Wellesley village to celebrate the gorgeous weather and the special day.  3 friends and I started the day off at Lola's Kitchen, which I believe I've mentioned before.  We were lucky enough to get a table on their patio and we took our sweet time enjoying many summery drinks (mimosas, Caesars, sangria, and watermelon spiked lemonade), their delicious food (I had the day's special: grilled cheese Benedict - delightful!), and the perfect combination of summer sun and heavenly breeze.  

Once we finished, we headed down Church St. from about Charles all the way to Carlton, checking out the vendors, people-watching, and generally taking it all in.  We crossed Carlton, down the subway stairs, and up to the corner of College & Yonge, and found a good spot to watch the parade out front of Hoops Bar, just north of College on the west side of Yonge.  It was a great spot to watch from, and despite feeling complacent about Pride every year when it comes around, once again I was overwhelmed by my own pride while watching the parade - pride for my city, my community, myself, and the amazing people I saw marching for various causes, all in the name of acceptance and gay pride.  Yes, I may be proud all year long, but what's the harm in marking a day to celebrate it in particular?  Nothing.  In fact, it's wonderful!!!


After about an hour or so of parade-watching, my girlfriend and I headed back up to her house for a Canada Day BBQ.  We ate snacks, drank beers, watched the Jays' game, sampled some delicious summery cocktails her sister put together (all tea-based... very cool), and then dug into the feast -- home-made burgers, corn on the cob, salads... TO DIE FOR.  Kudos to Steph for all her labour.  It was very well-received.


THEN we had the holiday Monday, on which we celebrated my sister's birthday again: the family edition.  We had a great little lunch in the backyard and then went to Canada Square movie theatre to watch "Take This Waltz", Canadian director Sarah Polley's second feature film, starring Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Luke Kirby, and Sarah Silverman.  I don't want to go into too detailed a review of this film.  My feelings about it are complicated which makes me feel like Sarah Polley did exactly what she intended, which I respect and appreciate.  I loved how unashamedly she highlighted Toronto - it was such a thrill seeing the city displayed without trying to pretend it's somewhere else, presumably in the states.  The acting was really incredible, and there were some extremely powerful moments.  Overall I liked it and I'm glad I saw it.


The rest of the week was pretty uneventful.  I'm working part-time from a home office in Toronto which has been a great new routine to adjust to and I'm finding it to be a very productive situation.  I saw some apartments and actually applied for one yesterday (stay tuned!).  Then on Friday night I went to Mississauga for the evening with some of my very besties and had a very chill time, eating Thai food and watching "The Comeback".  

Saturday morning I woke up relatively early, my sister picked me up from my friend's in Mississauga, and we drove down the 401 + the 402 to Sarnia, ON, my mom's hometown, and where some of my aunts, uncles, and cousins live.  We spent 24 hours at my uncle's place, which used to be my grandparents' house, so I've been there many times before.  He's done some incredible work on the interior and it's so amazing to spend time there, filled with memories of the time spent there as a kid, but then to be surrounded by a beautiful variation on the place I've known so well.  We arrived around 3:30, spent some time relaxing and catching up with my aunt and uncle, and then my aunt tucked me into the hammock where I read Mockingjay and took a snooze.  [Aside: I'm finally getting back into Mockingjay.  I'm determined to finish it this month and move onto something totally new.]  After a snooze and a shower, I joined more family and friends for a perfect summer dinner: BBQ'd ribs.  It was a delicious meal with fabulous company and I went to bed fully satisfied and fell fast asleep with the sound of the waves in my ears.


Sunday morning we woke up early and after some breakfast down by the lake, we took 3 dogs (my sister's, uncle's, and aunt's) for a long walk down the shore.  The combo of sun and breeze was delicious and we took our sweet time walking.  When we got back to the house, I went for a swim.  The lake was more wavy than you would imagine, and I felt like a kid again - turns out 15 years later it's just as fun to jump into the waves as it was before.  After that we had sandwiches by the beach, a little more reading and sunbathing, and then we packed up the car and headed back to TO.


So - needless to say, life in TO is off to a wonderful start!  I can't wait for whatever comes next...

Birthday Week!!!!! / Discovering T.O. #7 / Port Hope Showcase

Last Monday, May 28, I turned twenty-five years old.  Quite a milestone, really.  I keep wishing I had some sort of letter from my younger self to my 25 year old self to see what I was expecting / hoping for.  The truth is though that it doesn't matter.  I couldn't be prouder of who I am and where I'm at in life, so letter or no letter, I'm one happy 25 year old...

...made happier by the fact that I had the most wonderful series of mini-celebrations of the day of my birth.  I'd like to tell you about them.

1) The Beamish House: locally just called "The Beamish", unfortunately this great pub and restaurant doesn't have a website.  Once a year the school that I work for throws a huge reunion weekend for its alumni celebrating 5, 10, 15, and so on reunions.  The weekend peaks with a dinner on the Saturday night on campus followed by an evening of debauchery, traditionally at The Beamish.  This small, quaint pub is taken over, and although its interior doesn't have much space, its patio is sprawling.  It's a great night, and two of my besties ventured out to Port Hope to enjoy the evening with me.  This was on May 26, but it kick-started birthday celebrations in just the right way.  Before they headed back to the city the next day, we indulged in the classic greasy spoon breakfast at Dimitri's in Port Hope.  I had the Grand Slam breakfast.  It may not have dill-infused hollandaise sauce drizzled all over it, but it did the job.

2) Jim's Pizza & Pasta: this is another classic Port Hope establishment that I highly recommend.  The truth is that this wasn't particularly the highlight of birthday celebrations, but I find that restaurants are a good anchor in this blog for other stories.  The real highlight was having my girlfriend come to PH on May 27 to have dinner, chill times, and then be there with me first-thing on my special day.  That said, grabbing dinner at Jim's Pizza is ALWAYS a delight.  This is my GF's favourite spot in Port Hope, and we always each get the pizza & salad combo.  With this combo, you get a small, 4-slice personal pizza with any 3 toppings you'd like PLUS a huge serving of delicious Caesar salad (Greek is also a choice, but I mean, really).  After our delicious dinner we bought some snacks and went home for a viewing of "Best In Show".

3) My Special Day itself: the authentic birthday day was no exception to the fun already had.  I woke up with the GF and opened a gift from her and from other family members who had sent theirs in advance.  Then I made us breakfast (she would've made it, but she likes the way I make eggs best!) and we lazily enjoyed the morning (I took it off from work), and then I drove her to Oshawa where she took the GO train back to Toronto.

I had a great day at work, complete with cheesecake shared with my colleagues!

When the work day was done, my Mom and sister came to Port Hope to take me to dinner.  And what a dinner it was!  We ate at Trattoria Gusto (finally a PH resto with a website).  I've eaten here 3-5 times before and it's very delicious.  I find that's a bit of an anomaly about Port Hope - not a lot to do, but 3-4 incredible restaurants!  We went all out, sharing a beet salad, calimari, and carpaccio to start, and then for my main I had the chicken parmesan, which was succulent.  We finished it off by sharing a decadent, rich brownie with a candle on top.  It was fantastic!!!

4) Old school gay village celebration: Even though I'd had my fair share of celebrations, I wanted to do it up right with a night out in Toronto, which went down this past Saturday, June 2.  I hemmed and hawed over how I wanted to celebrate, and it dawned on me - when was the last time I had a night out in the Church & Wellesley neighbourhood a.k.a. the gay village in Toronto?!?!  I came of age in that neighbourhood and came into my proud, gay self, and I have great memories (nostalgic already?) of drag queens and dance parties, so I thought - it's about time I go back.

This evening started with appetizers and drinks at Smith on Church St.  I'll be very honest with you -- I didn't really do my due diligence on Smith.  I basically looked for a restaurant in the village that had a few classy-looking/sounding appetizers and said, why not?  Full disclosure: all it took was seeing that Smith had a charcuterie board.  Charcuterie = class.  Thankfully my lack of research didn't result in 11 friends and I dining at a dive.  Smith had us seated at a long table set for 12 upstairs at the restaurant, with a big window, a fireplace (too hot for that though), and a view of the goings-on of Church St.  It had a great vibe and the drinks and food were great!  For the record, I did order the charcuterie board and I loved it.  I didn't look to see what was on it, but I did eat cow tongue and I enjoyed it!

After 3 lazy hours eating and drinking at Smith we head off to Zelda's new location on Yonge St. for a drink.  I ordered the "Proud Mary" (for its name only) and we left shortly after that.

Where did we go?  Where else does one go when they want an old school gay village celebration?  Buddies in Bad Times.  Buddies has such great music and so much sweaty and fun dancing on Saturday nights, and this past Saturday was no exception.  We danced and drank and had ourselves a great time until about 2:30 when last call was made and it was time to catch the late-night Yonge bus home.

Being 25 is off to a fabulous start, and many thanks to the friends, family members, and Port Hope/Toronto establishments that made my birthday celebrations so special!!!

May Long

HAPPY VICTORIA DAY, Canadian friends!!!  I'm still reeling from a fabulous long weekend in Victoria's name, and would like to share the details.


Before I get to the main event, I want to start by sharing that I spent the first chunk of the weekend (Friday afternoon - Monday morning) at my best friend's place in Mississauga.  His condo is known to be the place of ultimate relaxation - a weekend there means food, television, movies, sleep, and so much down time you could stockpile it up for months.  This weekend was no exception and here are some highlights:

1. Our first order of business upon arriving in Mississauga on Friday was heading to our favourite (Asian) grocer, T & T Supermarket for some provisions.  I warn you: this place is overwhelming.  It's hard to walk around and not want to buy everything.  I settled for a huge bottle of sriracha sauce personally, but we also got tonnes of dumplings, some pork buns, snacks, and other items.  Always a good way to start the weekend.
2. After a solid 18 hours of lounging, a fourth friend arrived and we figured we ought to get out and enjoy some of the amazing weather the day was offering, so we took a drive to Port Credit where we found Roc'n Doc's, a random little pub on the Lakeshore that had a great rooftop patio.  It was hot, sunny, and we enjoyed a few beers and some appetizers.  Great way to get out and enjoy the day while still keeping it low-key.
3. Another highlight of the weekend for me was spending time with a straight man who joined us in watching countless hours of both RuPaul's Drag Race as well as the documentary, Paris is Burning.  That's a lot of men dressing as women for one afternoon for anyone, but he was engaged, intrigued, and loved it!
4. Sunday was more of the same, but once again the weather was so beautiful we figured we had to get out there and enjoy it!  Our first stop was a grocery store / butcher / Indian food take-out.  We were there for one thing: biryani.  Unfortunately that one thing wasn't ready yet so we took some side trips to kill time - first we went to Canadian Tire to buy a kite!  Then we went to Tim Horton's for Iced Capps (so Canadian).  Finally the biryani was ready, so we took all our goods with us to the Brueckner Rhododendron Garden on the Lakeshore.  At the garden we lay out a blanket and enjoyed our biryani in the sun.  Once we'd had enough of that, we went down to the lake (at least I think it was Lake Ontario) to be very wholesome - flying a kite and skipping stones in the water.  It was a great way to pass the time!
5. Finally, on Sunday night we went to Udupi Madras Cafe for a late dinner where I enjoyed a delicious dosa - the second I've ever had, and absolutely incredible (though I can't pretend it's better than the GTA'S best dosas at Guru Lukshmi, also in Mississauga).  It was a delicious meal with the best company a girl could ask for.

Overall -- the perfect weekend, but that's not all...

The biggest adventure of the weekend was going to Niagara Falls with my girlfriend, which was a perfect 24 hour mini-break.  We arrived there Monday around noon after a quick trip on the QEW from Mississauga, and checked into our room at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel.  This trip was planned thanks to a great Groupon - 1 night's stay at the Marriott, $20 off dinner at T.G.I. Friday's, free breakfast for 2 at the hotel, and shuttle passes for 2 from the hotel to all the major sights around town.  Approximately $115 or so in total, so a great deal!!!


After dropping off our bags, we searched for somewhere nearby that wasn't a chain to have some lunch.  We found Yukiguni off the beaten path as we were both craving some sushi.  For a random Niagara Falls joint, it was a really great meal of soup, salad, tempura, and some cucumber/avocado rolls.  Pretty reasonable, too, but not a place I would recommend you going out of your way for.


After another quick stop at the hotel, we took the shuttle bus down to "The Falls" where we strolled along the rail (navigating through the huge crowds of people), taking photos at random intervals along the way.  The last time I was at the falls it was pouring freezing rain and not pleasant at all.  This time it was hot and sunny, made bearable by the occasional mist flying at our faces.


I took a few moments to really take in the falls and think about how large, powerful, natural, and amazing they are.  My mom commented tonight about how she always thinks about what it would be like to be the first humans in Canada coming across these falls.  It's true... imagine hearing the roaring and then just seeing this massive rush of water coming over the edge... incredible.


From the falls we headed to Casino Niagara where my GF wanted to have her first casino experience.  I've had mine before (brought in $40 and lost it all), so I came in for support.  She brought in $20 and left with $5, so I consider that a real accomplishment.


After the casino we walked up Clifton Hill where all the silly sights are - Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum, fun houses, and the like.  We popped our heads in different places, but didn't really go in anywhere.  We did, however, go up in the Niagara SkyWheel where we got a stunning view of the falls.  I'll be honest with you - I was terrified to go, but I powered through it (despite some tears), and it was worth it for the fun of being up there and seeing the incredible view.


From there we walked back to our hotel to relax for a bit before dinner.  T.G.I. Friday's wouldn't be our usual choice for dinner, but with the $20 voucher of course we had to go.  It was totally fine for a chain restaurant/sports bar.  I had a great chicken salad and she had a veggie burger.  The food was good enough and our server was really great and friendly!  It was a nice dinner.


After a good night's sleep at the hotel, we woke up early to take advantage of our free breakfast - it was in The Keg, which was attached to the hotel, but it was the Marriott's breakfast, not The Keg's.  As a result, it was a typical hotel breakfast buffet... except not a very good one.  The fruit was gross, the pastries still frozen, the bacon too burnt, and... yeah, not good.  Oh well!  At least we didn't pay for it.  After breakfast, we checked out, packed the car, and then took the shuttle again down to the falls, except this time...


...to ride The Maid of the Mist!!!  My girlfriend had been on the Maid of the Mist before, but I never have and have always wanted to, so off we went!  Thanks to our brilliant plan of waiting until the day after the holiday Monday, we sailed through the line to get on the world-famous boat, donned our classic blue rain ponchos, and rode past the American falls to see the real deal Canadian Horseshoe Falls.  It was incredible sitting surrounded by the falls, with the mist pouring all over us to the point where I thought it was raining.  It was so so so cool!  I'm really glad we did it.


Back to the hotel from there to hop in the car and head back home.  Rather than take the QEW the whole way, we took the Niagara Parkway part-way which travels through the scenic area where all the vineyards and beautiful houses are on the way to Niagara-on-the-Lake.  It was a beautiful route to take with so much to look at along the way.  We ended up stopping in Niagara-on-the-Lake for lunch at an absolutely PERFECT restaurant -  The Pie Plate Bakery & Cafe.  It was full of mismatched cutlery and mismatched chairs -- exactly what we were looking for.  We enjoyed delicious thin-crust pizzas that tasted so fresh and delicious, followed by a nice little lemon square to share.  My GF also bought a strawberry-rhubarb pie to take home that looked delicious.  It was a great way to finish off the trip.


Back on the QEW and back to Toronto and back to the grind... it's tough to dive back into work after such a wonderful holiday, but it's great to know that you took some time away from the glow of the computer to enjoy the great outdoors and the loves of your life.

Discovering T.O. #6

I just had a GREAT weekend!  Beyond having sorted out my computer situation (which only got better, by the way, when I figured out how to update my iPhone via a different computer than the one I originally installed it on), I also discovered a new spot in Toronto and revisited some old ones.  Would you like to hear about it?

Friday night I reunited with an old friend and a new friend at 416 Snack Bar (Queen & Bathurst).  I had heard some buzz about this place and was really keen to go.  I was blown away!  I love the vibe of the place -- it's small and cozy and BUSY!  We were lucky enough to get a table for the 3 of us and started off the evening with some glasses of prosecco, which was delicious and made me feel like a classy lady.  416 Snack Bar's thing is that it's cutlery-free -- all the food you can order is bite-sized, finger-friendly, and snack-like... but not popcorn-type snacks, classy snacks.  We had lobster rolls, wild mushroom toasts, and I think a sushi side salad and Korean fried chicken.  Everything we ate was delicious, the company was top-notch, and when the bill came I couldn't believe how reasonable!  All in all, the perfect "dining" experience and you can be sure I'll be back there soon.

On Saturday, as part of some Mother's Day treats, my sister and I went out for a bite and a movie with our Mom.  My Mom actually treated us to brunch/lunch to start with at Lola's Kitchen (Bloor & Church).  I'd been to Lola's before back when it was called Lola's Commisserie (maybe they changed the name because people I didn't know how to pronounce it).  It was as delicious the second time around - the first time I'd had the eggs rancheros, which appealed to me again, but I branched out and tried their 'shroom benny with some Lola's potatoes on the side.  I'll be honest -- as delicious as it is, it's not in my top 5 brunches in the city (I'll try to officially list them sometime, but #1 may very well be Hotel Gelato's brunch), but I still highly recommend it if you're in the area.

From Lola's we went to the Varsity to see "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel", which I thought was really great!  It was nice to see a movie about seniors.  Seriously.  It's not often they're the stars of the show, and it was refreshing to see that, never mind the fact that it was a SOLID crew of actors - Dame Maggie, Dame Judi, Tom Wilkinson... STELLAR.  I liked it!

From there I headed north to Eglinton West and a great Vietnamese resto I've been to before -- Ha Long Bay.  My GF and I went together (she was my date the first time, too) and we both went with the prix fixe... although since she's a vegetarian, she created her own veggie prix fixe which turned out to be less than the ones they offered.  ANYWAY, I got the $25 prix fixe with mixed spring rolls to start, followed by a crab and asparagus soup, and then finished off with some delicious shrimp curry (if I get a prix fixe, I always get the seafood or steak options when they're there.  When else are you going to get them so cheap?).  It was a delicious meal, and then we walked across the street to Hotel Gelato to finish things off.  YUM!!!

After dinner and dessert we went home and watched the rest of series 2 + Christmas special of "Downton Abbey".  This is a hard show to write about in its own post... it's almost too special, if that makes any sense.  I don't want to analyze it and offer my own opinions because I just love it and don't want to go into it more than that.  Not my usual approach, but that's how I feel.  I will say this - I can't wait for series 3.

And that, my friends, was my weekend.

Weekend Mish-Mash

It's been nearly two weeks now since my last post.  I used to post more frequently maybe, but I'm trying to write in a more thematic way than before, as you may have noticed.  That being said, I don't want that to keep me from posting, so here's something new - unplanned & random.


I'm now over three months into rc-4 and 4 books down.  Not exactly the right rate of reading (alliteration!) if I want to get to 20, but I'm not concerned.  The fourth book I read was Thomas Harris' Silence of the Lambs.  I was assigned this book in one of my English courses in university and read a fair bit of it but wasn't able to finish it before the end of the course, so I finally got down to getting through the whole thing... and it was GREAT!

The book appeals to me in the same way the movie does - a unique story, a fantastic protagonist (Clarice Starling), and the best elements of a psychological thriller without being downright gratuitous.  There are moments in the book - again, just like the movie - that are downright gross, upsetting, and creepy.  That being said, it all fits, and none of it seems gross just for the sake of it, so I let myself get creeped out by those moments and that's part of the fun.  The important thing was that it was a great read, I was engaged start to finish, and I'm glad I made it to the end this time around.

Having finished the book I figured it was high-time I re-watch the movie "Silence of the Lambs" with Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins.  Luckily it was on Rogers on Demand, so I watched it on Good Friday (how appropriate).  It was just as good as I remembered.  Jodie Foster is the PERFECT Clarice Starling, and the movie does a good job of taking liberties on additions and making smart decisions on subtractions so that at the end of the day, you've still got the same great story.  That said, there's nothing quite as good as the book.


In other news, I had a bit of a "Discovering TO" moment yesterday when I finally got my chance to have fish & chips at Penrose Fish & Chips on Mt. Pleasant.  I had heard this place raved about a number of times and so how appropriate (actually this time) that I got my first taste on Good Friday?!?  Let me tell you... it was worth the rave reviews I had heard.  The atmosphere was simple and classic, unpretentious and family-oriented.  The take-out line-up was literally down the street.  The main event - the fish & chips - were perfect.  Crispy, crunchy batter wrapped around light, fresh halibut & home-made fat fries with lots of vinegar, salt, and ketchup at the table to enjoy them with.  YUM!!!  We finished it off with one piece of lemon meringue pie and four forks.  It was PERFECTION.  I left feeling full but not bloated, which to me is the sign of a good meal.  On top of that the company was the best you can have, so that didn't hurt.  Oh, and this place is literally newsworthy - a cameraman from CityTV was there to film the Good Friday tradition there and my friend ended up on the news that night reporting that Penrose is worth the wait!  Yours truly snuck in there, too, don't you know...  So glad to have had my Penrose experience!  More to come, to be sure.


And finally, I haven't yet reported that I'm now a "Downton Abbey" lover, but I am and I'm proud of it!  I was introduced to it last weekend and wrapped up season 1 last night.  I had heard a lot of hype, but I knew that it would be something I'd enjoy, so I fought my aversion to hype and dove in.  OMG it is good.  It has all the elements I like in a television show - good writing, good acting, good cinematography, tasteful drama, and exposure to a world you've never seen before (I hope I don't sound pretentious as I think I might, having just said cinematography is an element I like in TV).  Anyway, I love the show and highly recommend it.

Now - back to my Easter weekend..... pajamas, guilt-free TV and movie-watching, my new book (The Hunger Games... speaking of hype), and good old-fashioned chillin'.

Happy St. P's & 2 films to see

Happy St. Patrick's Day, readers!  I hope you're out celebrating your Irish heritage or at least pretending to be Irish for the day.  Whether it's enjoying a green beer, fryin' up some spuds, or wearing a ridiculous shirt that says, "Kiss me, I'm Irish!", I appreciate your support of my heritage today.

Personally I celebrated today by finishing Frank McCourt's memoir, Angela's Ashes.  10 weeks into 2012 and 3 books down.  Only 17 more to go! ...Anyway, on to the point of this post...

As I mentioned in my last post, I recently saw two films that I think are really important:

1. Almost a year ago I saw that a documentary called "Miss Representation" was playing on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).  I was at my parents' house at the time so I PVRed it and then forgot about it.  Recently I was flipping through their PVRed shows and saw it there.  I was relaxing with my Saturday morning coffee, so I thought, why not?!  I spent the next two hours watching a documentary that really shook me.  In the simplest terms, the film is about the negative portrayal of women in the media and how that leads to a shortage of women in the government and other high-powered positions in the corporate world.
   
   A barometer for my world is my Facebook news feed.  I was an active volunteer in university in the LGBTQ community and as a result crossed paths with queer activists, feminists, and the like.  Now, my news feed is in large part made up of videos, articles, and personal statements about issues of homophobia, sexism, misogyny, etc.
   
   I am wholeheartedly against these things.  However, when they are the bulk of what I see on Facebook, I have become very desensitized and find myself with compassion fatigue.  So, I stop thinking about the problems and how they impact me and those around me.  When I sat down and watched "Miss Representation", it was like a smack in the face -- these are real issues!  There is a real problem!  I watched esteemed women like Condoleezza Rice, Lisa Ling, Rachel Maddow, and Gloria Steinem talk about this real issue, and I felt overcome with an urge to weep for women everywhere.  I know this sounds dramatic, but it felt dramatic!  I felt like I had totally forgotten that these are real problems affecting me and every female in my life and the world.  It was a wake-up call.  It was a very powerful & important film, and I strongly recommend it.
   
2. The day after I watched "Miss Representation", I went over to my sister's place for a delicious brunch and another engaging film.  She and I watched "We Were Here".  This doc is about the AIDS crisis in San Francisco in the 80s.  It really outlines the spread of the virus, both physically and also the social spread of information; from the early days hearing about the "gay cancer" to learning about potential meds to help those with AIDS.  The story of it all was told by artists prominent in the area at the time, individuals who had partners die of AIDS, and nurses who helped comfort patients in hospitals during their final days.  It was well-made, well-told, and emotional.  Another one I highly recommend.

Wonderful Weekend!

Man, I must be in a writin' mood.  Two posts in two days.  Oh well, when the muse is with you, the muse is with you...

First a little something fun:



What a sweetie!


I've been having a great weekend!  It's a long weekend here in Ontario (Family Day), so the usual luxury of the weekend is made that much more luxurious.  I've had a great mixture of chill times, time outdoors, movie-watching, friend-seeing, food-eating... the whole gamut.  In the food-eating arena, I went to Frida last night as I mentioned I would, and it was as delicious as I remembered.  Tasty margaritas, succulent jumbo shrimp, and the best guacamole I've ever had in my life!!!  On top of all that, I had with me some absolutely fabulous company.  Great evening!!!

Today was an adventure with my boy Waleed.  As his birthday present, I wanted to do something fun together.  W. and I are going to be friends forever, so buying expensive things isn't always necessary; I'd rather have a fun experience together, so that was the inspiration for this gift.  We started the day off with brunch.  We met at the Bloor Street Diner where I was having a coffee and thinking that the all-you-can-eat brunch sounded tantalizing.  When Wal arrived we asked how much the AYCE brunch cost and it was $25.95 each before tax.  That was a little too steep for the two of us, so we finished our coffees, paid for them, and headed east to Sunset Grill at Bloor & Church.  There we got 2 filling breakfasts for $20 TOTAL!!!  I'm glad we resisted brunch at BSD -- another time.

After a yummy breakfast at SG, we headed to surprise #1, which Wal had NO idea about.  Where did we go???  The Bata Shoe Museum!!!  I hadn't been there since I was 12 or so, and Wal had never been, and I thought it would be a fun experience.  We went to lots of museums together in Paris, but why not in the city where we both (kinda... sorta...) live?!  It was a lot of fun.  We started downstairs where the history of shoes is charted, and then we followed that up with the Roaring Twenties exhibit, which was really well done.  We also saw the Art in Shoes | Shoes in Art exhibit, which was cool, too.  We were there probably an hour or so in total, and then we headed to surprise #2.

Surprise #2: Seeing "The Iron Lady" at the Varsity Theatre in the VIP theatre!!!  Wow... what a movie.  It was really fantastic to see such a strong, powerful woman's journey.  It was also well-done; watching Margaret Thatcher's struggles with sanity/dementia.  Jim Broadbent acted well, as he always does.  But, let's get to the most important thing:

MERYL.  MERYL.  MERYL.
Meryl Streep... how do you do it?  She is, without a doubt, the greatest actress of our time.  For that matter, she may be the greatest actress of all time.  While watching the movie, you completely forget that it's Meryl.  That is definitely thanks to the talent of the make-up artist, too, but... oh Meryl... you really just nailed it.  You were Margaret Thatcher.  You were completely in the character.  The accent, the facial expressions, the voice...  You were absolutely flawless.  Win or lose the Oscar, there is no debate about your talent.  Congratulations on the performance of a lifetime!!!

Never mind the special treat of enjoying a movie in the VIP theatre.  It's not something you want to do every time you see a movie, but for a treat it's worth the extra bucks.  You've got a small, intimate theatre with a great view of the screen.  You've got extra comfy seats and a side table for your treats.  You can have beer while you watch your movie!  And, in my last experience in the theatre, I even had an employee serve me my treats!!!  It's a fun little treat.  (Say treat again... treat!)

So that was the birthday adventure with Waleed.  A lot of fun!

I also saw another great movie this weekend: "Beginners".  I'd been wanting to see this since I saw a preview for it; it seemed like a really new idea for a movie.  Beyond a fun story line, it also had a creative multimedia-esque approach.  The acting was also really good.  I loved Melanie Laurent, and Ewan was great, and Christopher Plummer was at his best.  It was a well-written movie and quite moving.  I loved it!



So, that was my weekend!  Lots of fun, and back to reality on Tuesday!

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!!!

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!

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".

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!

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!!!