The Greatly Disappointing Gatsby - A Review

I didn’t hate The Great Gatsby. And I know that a lot of my reviews tend to get really angry really quickly, so I'm not gonna go crazy over-analyzing this one. But here are some things that bothered me:

• No way you can play a 32 year old anymore, Leo. No way. 

• Tobey Maguire. Yeah, just his essence bothered me. How has he lasted as an actor? He has one face! You know the face! This face! 

And that's it! There are no other expressions! I don’t understand why people keep putting him in movies. He’s like a houseplant or something – just someone who sort of hangs out near other stuff happening. 

• There were lots of really corny parts, especially that first "reveal" of Leonardo DiCaprio’s face at the party.

• Hated the way lines from the novel were plastered across the screen. Hated that so much.  

• Also, in almost all of their scenes together, I kept thinking that Gatsby and Nick Carraway were about point three seconds away from some hardcore making out. Which would've be great. Just the tension of it all was way too overacted and weird.  

• TOO. LONG. 

And yeah, the clothing and set design were great. But that's it. I heard some teenage girls leaving the theatre afterward and they loved it. So maybe this just wasn’t a movie that I was supposed to enjoy? That’s probably it. 

Anyway, suckfest.

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Running Or How I Learned To Grow Up And Become Healthier

All right, I run. I know I don't seem like a runner, but I am. It's definitely a relatively new thing, since I only started about a year ago. And it's not like I've always hated running, I'm actually really fast (well, really fast at night... I know that seems like it doesn't make sense, but really, something about the night makes me run faster).

Why did I want to start to run? Well, I never used to exercise at all. Really, it never happened. I would fake sprain my ankle for every single track tournament we had at school, so I wouldn't have to move an inch. I got a year-long YMCA pass when I was 16 with my best friend Harmeet and every time we went, we'd spend thirty minutes in the "warm-up" room and then go five feet outside of the Y exit to get some TCBY. That yogurt is still the best in the world. So now that I'm a full-fledged adult, I need to do stuff like this - and running is the easiest, non-invasive thing to get into. Eventually I'm sure I'll get a gym pass, but for now this is the best thing with the least amount of effort that I can bring myself to care about.

Tips That I've Learned About Running

• If you run on a treadmill and you don't want to lose your ass, then make sure you set it at an incline (read about that here, and all that whole piece is so true)

• People seem 10% impressed to hear that you're a runner

• You can run for longer periods of time (without strain) if you use replacement insoles

What kind of soles? I've tried Dr. Scholl's Active Series ones and they're pretty magical. They're only $20 or so and I've taken them out and used them in different shoes when I need to. They feel ridiculously more comfortable than just the default insoles. 

I was recently at an event where I got to work out with Dolvett Quince (the celebrity personal trainer from The Biggest Loser, who was a sincere delight and is amazing as what he does) and I used these insoles. And to be honest, I figured I'd have some problems since I broke my foot last year - but they felt great against my feet. Sidenote: have you ever worked out with a personal trainer before? Go do it. This was my second time (my first time I threw up in the bathroom in the middle of the session, but that was mostly from nervousness, I think - nervousness and excessive movement) and this time, well, it was exhausting, but a tolerable amount of exhausting. But my feet could handle it all, which is my main point here. 

You are not better than new insoles. They are better than you. Try these out to see what I mean. 

*Special thanks to Haasan Morse at Morse Code PR for inviting me to work out with Dolvett.

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Trader Joe's Coconut Body Butter

If I were a celebrity, I’m pretty sure the only thing I would endorse is body butter. We all benefit from body butter. It is cream’s cooler, older brother. If you haven’t tried it, I'd encourage you to give it a whirl. 

While I am a fan of the specialty stores that sell it (mainly The Body Shop), I am not a fan of their ridiculous prices. An eight ounce container can go for north of $20. For one container. And in the past, I would pay that! I foolishly thought that was the only way. NO MORE! 

This Trader Joe’s body butter is definitely as good, if not better, than anything at The Body Shop. And it’s eons cheaper. And it also doesn’t leave that oily residue that I’ve experienced with other, more expensive butters. 

Seriously, give it a go. And just as a sidenote: it’s way more fun to say I’m “buttering myself up” as opposed to “lotioning myself up,” just rolls off the tongue easier. 

It’s $12 on Amazon. And it’s $5 at Trader Joe’s.  

Best Soup in Albany

One of the best soups I've ever had is the Potato & Arugula soup in Albany, NY at Elda's On Lark. If you find yourself in Albany, go eat this soup. I know, this seems like a weak post, but man... if you've tasted this baby, you'd understand where I'm coming from right now.

Honorable Mentions in the Category of Fine Soups

• Lobster Bisque at The Original Soupman in NYC
• ​French Onion at Cinema Cafe Restaurant in NYC
• Asparagus and Shrimp at Aquagrill in NYC

Pink Ribbons, Inc. - A Review

My boyfriend is the one who told me that I needed to watch this - and to be honest, I didn’t really get why he was insisting repeatedly. I know that he watches a lot of documentaries, but I thought, “Ugh. That sounds just… boring,” as awful as that statement is to admit. I didn’t feel like sitting through an hour and a half of hearing just how terrible breast cancer really is and listening to stories and specifics on why. I know these things. Not know them like some others do, but I’m as little aware as I thought I needed to be. (Most of this paragraph makes me sound like a monster, and I’m aware of that.)

This is not a movie solely about breast cancer and those affected by it. I initially thought that’s what it was about, and it could not be further from that. 

Here’s the best description of it that I could find (and even this does not quite do it justice):

“Breast cancer has become the poster child of corporate cause-related marketing campaigns. Countless women and men walk, bike, climb and shop for the cure. Each year, millions of dollars are raised in the name of breast cancer, but where does this money go and what does it actually achieve? Pink Ribbons, Inc. is a feature documentary that shows how the devastating reality of breast cancer, which marketing experts have labeled a “dream cause,” becomes obfuscated by a shiny, pink story of success.” Written by The National Film Board of Canada

It took me about fifteen minutes into the film to finally understand what this was going to be about, so I can only suggest you sit through that first part and wait for it to really begin. 

The whole piece is crazy well done, in my opinion, and I’ll probably continue to tell people that fact for maybe about a week or so - or however long the sensation of seeing something really great lasts.

Here’s an excerpt from it that lingered in my mind, for whatever reason:

“I particularly reject the word survivor as a label for myself. Not only because I’m a little superstitious, since who knows - but also because it seems to me to be a put down of those women who don’t survive.”

There were so many things covered that I’ve never been even slightly aware of, so I’m just glad to have seen it. It’s just an extremely eloquent, unbiased (but in the classiest kind of unbiased way) documentary. Definitely see it.

New Place To Online Shop

This place is not new, but rather new to me. I’ve only bought a few things here and I’ve been very happy with all my purchases. Granted, some of the stuff is extraordinarily trashy, but some of the other stuff is beautiful and are things that I haven’t to been able to find anywhere else. 

Anyway, if you’re a woman, take a look. If you’re a man? Sorry to have this focus on my gender. I know it’s hard for men to find clothing places that are actually good. Have you tried the men’s section at Zara? That’s something. Or take a look over here (but I have a feeling a lot of that list will be way too expensive for any normal human man). Yeah, actually that list sucks. I’ll come up with a real list aimed at men after I do some research. 

Best Christmas Album

For real, this is the best and my most favourite Christmas album of all time. It was the last record our family ever bought - so maybe I’m actually only in love with it due to the timely appeal of getting to say that this was our “last record” to be purchased. But really - getting the record player out and putting this on gives me more joy than many things in life. And truthfully, I’ve heard it on cd and it’s just… not as good. You need to hear the gentle scratches of the vinyl to make it even more nostalgic and delicious.

Why am I posting this in April and not in December? Well, that’s a good question. If I told you I was posting about it now because it’s a very hard record to locate and you might need the extra months to track it down and buy it - would you believe me in that reasoning? ‘Cause that’s pretty solid reasoning. Do I actually think you’re going to search your local flea markets for said record? An even better question. Do what you want. If you don’t want to make your world a little brighter with this timeless album, then that’s on you, son.

Love, Lucy By Lucille Ball - A Review

Lucille Ball seems like she was probably the hardest working actress of all time, based on this book. If you’ve ever really liked the woman or got any sort of joy out of any of her shows, this is a great one to read. I was hoping that it would be lots of small, funny stories about instances in her life - and while there were a few stories like that, the piece really centers around more of the hardships and just her account of growing up and becoming such a success. 

There were a lot of memorable parts, so I’ll list a few of them here:

Lucille Ball’s daughter recounting a memory of her mother:

“One of my mother’s favorite things to do, when a small group of people were involved in some ordinary conversation, was to wait until one of them left the room and as soon as she returned, blurt out, convincingly, “Here she is now! Why don’tcha tell her to her face?!!” This was always followed by frozen silence, and then she’d howl (with that depth-of-the-sea laugh she had) to see the look on the poor soul’s face, who for one horrible moment thought someone had been saying terrible things about her while she was gone.”

Lucille Ball’s daughter talking about her parents after their deaths:

“Oddly, in some ways, after all these years, life goes on as if they were still here; simply off somewhere, on location perhaps, and unable to get to a phone.”

Lucy talking about being a teenager:

“All the local kids got summer jobs at the amusement park; I was hired as a short-order cook at a hamburger stand. I took my job seriously and loved earning the money. “Look out! Look out! Don’t step there!” I’d suddenly holler at some person passing by, and as he stopped, startled, one foot in midair and looking worriedly at the ground, I’d continue: “Step over here and get yourself a de-licious hamburger!” This mesmerized a lot of people into buying, and incidentally, they were darn good hamburgers.”

Lucy talking about Carole Lombard:

“She was so elegant; her clothes looked as if they had been poured on her.”

Lucy advice:

“Dr. Peale helped me realize that our professional achievements are secondary; the important thing in life is our relationship with other human beings. It’s not what we set out to get, but how we go about the daily task of living.”

The woman just seemed incredible. Such a beauty, too. If you’d be interested in reading it, you can most likely get a copy at your library since it came out in ‘97, or you can purchase it here.

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Get This Ice Pack

I asked for and got this ice pack this past Christmas and it’s probably my best gift of 2012. No, I’m not sad. I just know what’s up. This ice pack is gonna last me fifty years. I can feel it.

I used it for the first time a few weeks ago when I was sick and it helped immensely. It was worlds better than the trashy, lopsided, ziplocked bag of melty ice I’ve had to use in years past. 

There is absolutely no mess with this ice pack. The ice stays securely inside, with no water dripping ANYwhere on the outside. And you can balance it on both your head and/or forehead, depending on your preference. You will look like you fell out of an early nineteenth century novel with this in place and it will be glorious. Yeah, glorious. 

Also, the material it’s made from feels indestructible, yet soft. You can buy one for $9.95 here. 

Moo Business Cards

This is where I buy my business cards. Why Moo? So many reasons:

• Inexpensive
• The card stock is smooth as can be
• The designs to choose from are way less corny than on other business card sites and/or Staples
• You can get round edges instead of square ones
• Most of the designs are two sided

I can’t remember who/what introduced me to the site, but it’s definitely my go-to one as of right now. Also, it allows for this conversation:

“Oh, your business card is great. Where’d you get them done?”

“I think it was Moo.”

And I’m sorry, but the stupidity of saying a sentence like, “I think it was Moo” makes me very happy.