Monday, October 31, 2011

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.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

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!!!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

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!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

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.

Who's visiting?