All right, Netflix, you’re starting to make me mad

Dear Netflix,

You came into my life Aug. 21 (my birthday) and I was instantly smitten (especially by your instant offerings). You showed me things I’d never seen before and we had some good times — some laughs, a few tears, and a few why-did-I-even-put-this-in-my-queue moments.

But now I’m starting to see your true colors.

It started with the huge delay you have with new release movies. I understand that this is some deal worked out between you and the major studios, but when I could go rent the same movie at a Redbox the day it comes out, it seems like I should be able to get it from YOU, too.

But of course that brings me to my second point. If you have a new release movie on your list, there’s no guarantee you’re getting it anytime soon after it finally comes to Netflix. I don’t know what the criteria is for sending these movies out, but I hate waiting a month for something to come to Netflix, then at least another 2-3 months before I get it in the mail. At that point, I might as well just wait till it comes on cable.

So, by the grace of God, you get “Social Network” or some other popular new movie in your mailbox. That doesn’t mean it will have all the extras on the disc like it would if you bought it. I’m not a big extras person (I never watch cast commentaries), but I’d like to have the option to watch them instead of getting a disc stripped of everything but the movie. For example, I read online that “Going the Distance” had funny deleted scenes, but my disc had no such scenes on them. I realize this move is designed to make me want to BUY the disc but that isn’t why I have Netflix. I want to rent, not buy.

Fourth, I have really gotten into “Dexter.” I watched the first two seasons on Netflix Instant and was eagerly awaiting the third. But wait–the third and fourth seasons AREN’T ON INSTANT. And as of right now, the first disc of Season 3 says “Long wait” and the second disc of the season says “Very long wait.” Which means I have to go to the video store and see if they have them in stock because who knows when I’d get the discs through you. It feels like you baited and switched me.

Finally, I read that you want to phase out DVDs completely within the next couple of years. That would be fine with me but you’d need to, oh, I don’t know, ADD MORE INSTANT TITLES. And keep them for longer periods because sometimes I’m not in the mood to watch a movie I added months ago before it disappears from instant two days later.

Can you work on this stuff, Netflix? For me?

Love,

Me

Tags: dexter, going the distance, netflix, redbox

Christmas rapping

Every year I think, “It’s Christmastime already?? Wasn’t it just Christmastime last year? It doesn’t feel like Christmas this year. Seems like we just had it.”

And on and on.

I guess in the past I failed to realize that it wasn’t Christmastime that was changing. It was me.

There have been so many small but important changes in my life this past year. I reunited with some great old friends, went on two trips (much better than my usual yearly average of no trips), saw New York City for the first time (and rode a subway, train, cab and in a car with a crazy driver [long story]), got my apartment cleaning and organizing under control, started working out with (some) regularity, hosted Thanksgiving for the first time, attended two lovely weddings,  bonded with my dad and my fiance’s mom (and my fiance himself), learned to deal with my work and fell in love with movies (“Wendy and Lucy,” “Sherrybaby”), TV shows (“Weeds”), Groupon and pumpkin pie.

So this year, I’m seeing Christmas in a different light but I know it’s  reflecting a new way of viewing the world. One that’s not so stagnant; one that makes me look forward to new opportunities and experiences — like a trip to Disneyland I’m planning next year.

I hope you’ve had a great 2010 and wish you a wonderful 2011!

 

Tags: christmas, groupon, new york, pumpkin pie, sherrybaby, weeds, wendy and lucy

My latest love

Sorry I’ve been MIA lately. (“I fly like paper…” Wait. Never mind.) It’s just that, for my 30^th birthday last month, I received the gift that keeps on giving.

A Netflix subscription.

I’m not sure I could love this any more than I already do. Movies I can watch instantly? Yes, please! Others I can receive in the mail very quickly? Uh huh!

And to think when I signed up for my gift subscription they “encouraged” me to put at least 6 films in my queue and I was daunted by the task.

I now have 76 in my DVD queue and 55 in my instant one.

I’ve been watching movies I’d heard of over and over but never watched (“Nine to Five,” “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”); TV shows I love and had missed some episodes of (“The State”); and others based on what Netflix told me I would like (“The Aviator,” “Julie & Julia”).

A lot of the movies I’ve picked have had a common theme: trying to break out of a rut of a life. Examples include “Clockwatchers” and “Waitress” (the latter of which made me fall hopelessly in love with Nathan Fillion). But what’s interesting with these movies is my reaction to how each protagonist gets out of that rut.

One of the most interesting movies I’ve seen so far through Netflix Instant is “Year of the Dog.” I wanted to watch this because I adore Mike White, who wrote and directed it. I also like Peter Skarsgaard, and I’d never even heard of this movie until I wiki’d him after seeing “An Education,” which I also loved. I wasn’t as big a fan of Molly Shannon’s (her SNL characters just grated on your nerves) but she surprised me in this movie.

I’m not going to go into the plot because you can find that anywhere, but the path her character took at the end surprised me when I first saw it. Only later did it make sense and I really appreciated it. I don’t want to give it away, but I’ll just say that the phrase “Do what you gotta do” applies, and I think it even taught me that.

There are times when I’m at my job and I think, why am I doing this? I’d rather be doing a million other things, but different reasons stop me. “I need to work,” is one of them. “I need money. I need insurance. I’ve put in 5 or so years at this company and now I get more vacation time.”

But if I’m not happy, then what good is any of this? Life is kind of like a movie — what you do with your opportunities affects the outcome. And you can’t be afraid of getting rid of all the things that keep you from growing, because what kind of ending would that be?

That’s what Netflix has taught me so far, anyway.

I love you, Netflix.

And Nathan Fillion.

Tags: clockwatchers, mike white, nathan fillion, netflix, peter skarsgaard, waitress, year of the dog

How to Watch Free Movies on YouTube

I’ve been on a movie kick lately. I’ve toyed with getting Netflix but I don’t know if I want to have money taken out of my account each month (especially if I have a busy month or get tired of watching stuff and I don’t get my money’s worth out of it).

If only there were a free way to watch movies online, with no downloading, no viruses and no signing up for strange sites?

Hello, YouTube!

I’ve watched several movies on the site that were uploaded by users, and while it may be kind of weird to watch a film divided into 9-12 different parts, you get used to it. It’s kind of the same as watching a movie on TV, with “commercial breaks” between segments.

That being said, there are some tips I’ve gleaned from the process that might help you out if you’re a YouTube Movie Junkie Newbie:

1. No, the latest No. 1 hit at the box office won’t be on there.

You have better luck if you’re looking for slightly older films that have been shown on TV, such as “50 First Dates.”

2. Search for “[movie title] part 1.”

This should get you what you’re looking for, but—

3. If the clip you find says it’s very short and it  and shows a production company logo, it’s not what you want.

If you go to the clip, it will only have a URL to a website to watch the film. I don’t trust or recommend these sites; staying on YouTube is much safer. The real segments of movies will usually be 9 to 10 minutes long.

4. Sometimes entire parts won’t have sound.

This is annoying and usually because “the WMA” wouldn’t allow a song to be played in the segment. In the past when this has happened, I’ve usually found the same clip from other users WITH sound (and possibly foreign subtitles), so sometimes you just have to search around again. But once in a while the clip you need is nowhere to be found, and that does suck.

5. Of course, there are more than just movies on YouTube.

You can also find deleted scenes, trailers, interviews with stars and more material.

Like I said in the first tip, not everything is on there. But a surprising number of full-length films are, if you’re willing to dig for them. Good luck!

Tags: free, movies, tips, youtube

What’s Cookin’

I used to be the queen of convenience foods (the Freezer Queen?). All I needed was a box and a microwave and I was good to go.

But then something changed (or maybe the Food Network rubbed off on me). One day, I no longer wanted to eat ingredients like “maltodextrin” and “canthaxanthin,” not to mention a bunch of preservatives and too much salt and fat. Things like “ammonium phosphatides” and “sucroglycerides” just didn’t sound tasty to me anymore.

So I found some recipes online and started … cooking.

And I actually liked it.

Yes, there are some downsides. Sometimes I cook too much (and eat too much). And I really wish I’d had to take home ec in school so I would have known how much sugar to use when my measuring cup didn’t have the exact marking for the amount I needed (I didn’t want to risk putting in too much or too little so I found that the measurement equaled 16 teaspoons – which I faithfully scooped out, 16 times. Sigh.).

But the feeling of accomplishment you get when you follow a recipe and actually create something good and tasty is priceless. And it’s also nice when you find a new recipe and know that you have all or most of the ingredients it calls for already in your kitchen.

Here are four of the recipes I’ve tried recently, and my reviews. They’re all on the Taste of Home website, which has a ton of recipes that usually aren’t too complicated or expensive to prepare (perfect for a newbie like me, and maybe you too):

Honey-Mustard Potatoes

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Honey-Mustard-Potatoes

These turned out great! I used small white potatoes instead of red, but they were still very good. And I bought green onions for the first time ever because of this recipe. Did you know green onions cost about $1 for 2 bundles at the grocery store and are wrapped together with a sticker that includes a UPC code (so you don’t have to worry about weighing produce and annoying the people behind you in line)? See, told ya I was a newb.

Italian Bow-Tie Bake

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Italian-Bow-Tie-Bake

This couldn’t have been much easier to make and it was so good. Only four ingredients are required, too, and you can try using whole-grain pasta to make it even healthier. This is amazing.

Golden Chicken Nuggets

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Golden-Chicken-Nuggets

These…didn’t turn out so great. (And the original recipe didn’t have a photo with it so I used a photo from a similar recipe.) I tried to make my own Italian seasoning to bread these with because I haven’t been able to find bottled Italian seasoning in a store, and it just didn’t taste good. I found an Italian seasoning recipe online and made it but I didn’t have any marjoram — I don’t know if that made a huge difference or not but the breading came out too herb-y and without a lot of good flavor. But this also could have been because I used too much breading. Anyway, sweet and sour sauce didn’t even save these nuggets, unfortunately.

Raspberry Coffee Cake

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Raspberry-Coffee-Cake-3

This. Was. Awesome!

I think this was the first cake I ever made from scratch and it came out really well, even though I didn’t soften the butter before I combined it with the other ingredients (after dealing with a lumpy mixture, I finally just microwaved the batter a little) and I didn’t make the glaze for the top, just to cut out some sugar. This is a really moist, delicious cake that I’m sure I’ll make again sometime. Even if you don’t like raspberries, I’m sure you could try blueberries, blackberries or pretty much any other fruit.

So that’s been my excursion out of the freezer aisle and into the frying pan. I’m proud to say that my last couple of trips to the grocery aisle have involved no purchases of frozen items — well, except ice cream, because I’m not perfect.

If you attempt any of the recipes above, or know of any more quick, easy dinners for me to try, please let me know!

Tags: chicken nuggets, cooking, food, food network, honey mustard potatoes, italian bow tie bake, raspberry coffee cake, recipes, reviews, taste of home

I love you again, Food Network

Once upon a time, I watched the Food Network all the time. I learned how to make meals in 30 minutes. I found out how to make a tortilla from scratch. I gasped with anticipation while watching a painstakingly prepared multistory cake be carried to the judges’ table.

Then I got tired of it all and switched to TLC.

Recently, though, FN has beckoned me back. (And I don’t have much of a taste for TLC shows like “Police Women of Rinkydink County” and “Mall Cops Patrol the Parking Lot”).

But there are some shows I just can’t go for. It’s painful to watch “Cupcake Wars,” for example. Besides the fact that everyone on that show takes something as (let’s face it) trivial as cupcakes DEADLY. SERIOUSLY., it’s hosted by a guy who’s also a magician and goes by the name of Justin Credible.

Yep. SERIOUSLY.

I also can’t watch anything hosted by Alexandra Guarnaschelli because of the first impression I got from her. Years ago, when I first started watching FN, she was a contestant on the Ultimate Thanksgiving episode of Food Network Challenge. I don’t remember if she was making potatoes or the turkey or what, but she just gave up. Just threw in the towel without even trying to make whatever she was making work. I have no idea why FN gave her her own show because it’s clear that she wouldn’t have even made it past the first week as a Food Network Star contestant.

Speaking of which, that show has restored my faith in the network. I watched Food Network Star for a couple seasons, skipped last year, and now I’m back. It’s not a good show by any stretch of the imagination but, like the finest junk food, it’s filling and addictive.

I don’t even have a real favorite contestant this year, unlike in previous years (search for “Adam Gertler” on my blog to find out my favorite candidate of all time). But there is one who’s moving up slightly in the pack for me (not for the same reason as AG, though).

Aarti Sequeira already has her own food show – on the Internet. She comes with an expertise in a style of cooking not often found on FN, a fun personality and experience with teaching people to cook (what a concept, FN). Check out her blog: http://www.aartipaarti.com/

And here’s links to her “shows” on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/aartipaarti

Oh, and FN execs, if you need to get rid of someone in order to make room for “Aarti Paarti,” may I suggest:

Tags: aarti sequeira, adam gertler, alexandra guarnaschelli, food network, next food network star

Angry Birds…attack!

The iPod Touch has to be one of the greatest things ever invented. This slim rectangle of lusciousness houses the three things essential to being:

1. Music

2. Internet

3. Games.

Sure, if it were an iPhone, you could make calls on it, but who cares? The three things above should keep you so busy that you won’t even notice that you can’t gab on it.

Anyway, my latest obsession on my iPod Touch has been Angry Birds. You have to like a game that:

1. Consistently gets 5-star reviews

2. Costs only 99 cents (and is updated frequently by the developers at no extra cost to you)

3. Has tons of replay value, both while you’re trying to get through the levels and after you’ve gotten through the levels.

It’s also incredibly easy to learn, and while some levels may frustrate you, they make you keep trying harder. (Also, if you get really stuck, you can go to YouTube and watch one of many walkthroughs to help you.)

The premise is simple: Fling birds in a slingshot to hit green pigs.

That’s it.

Each level presents a different challenge. Sometimes your bird can be pressed to go faster, sometimes when pressed a bird will turn into three birds. And pigs could be nestled under wood planks that splinter when hit, or they could be under stone barriers that are harder to penetrate. Levels sometimes take a lot of trial and error, but once you figure out the secret formula, you’re golden.

And speaking of golden, there are Golden Eggs hidden in the game, that, if found, lead to even more levels. (Here’s a list of where to find some: http://www.pda-247.com/wordpress/2010/04/how-to-find-the-golden-eggs-in-angry-birds/)

This is probably the best 99 cents I’ve spent on a game in this platform and it’s honestly worth much more. So what are you waiting for? Go bust up some green pigs now!!

Tags: angry birds, games, golden eggs, ipod, ipod touch

I met you…at JC Penney…

Beck’s probably one of the most eccentric singers to ever have huge radio hits. Maybe Prince is in the same category, but not too many other people come to mind.

I love this quote from Johnny Cash from Beck’s Wiki page:

Johnny Cash would later record “Rowboat” and include it on his 1996 album Unchained. Cash later said that the song “sounded like something I might have written or might have done in the [1960s, when] I was kinda going through some weird times.”

“Unchained” also contained the “fan favorite” called “Satan Gave Me a Taco,” which I’ve never heard but probably need to check out.

Most people know Beck from the perennial “Loser” and “Where It’s At,” but those were played way too often on the radio for my taste. I adored “Beercan,” a song that apparently peaked at number 27 on the modern rock chart in 1994. I remember transcribing the lyrics so I could memorize them and try to figure out what the hell he was talking about.

Sixteen years later, I still have no idea.

Interestingly, Beck seems to channel Mr. Purple Rain himself with this deliciously faux-sleazy song, another one of my favorites, which has lyrics that don’t need any figuring out. Once you hear the twinkly beginning, you’ll know you have to find a place for it on your iPod.

See also: Idiot Boyfriend by Jimmy Fallon

i met you
at JC Penney
i think your nametag
said “Jenny”
i coldstep to you
with a fresh pack of gum
somehow i knew
you were lookin’ for some
like a fruit that”s ripe for a pickin’
i wanna do you like that Zankou Chicken
‘cos only you’ve got a thing
that i just got to get with
i just got to get with you
and you know what we’re gonna do

i wanna get with you
and your sister
i think her name’s Debra

i wanna get with you
and your sister
i think her name’s Debra

i pick you up late at night after work
i said “lady, step inside my Hyundai”
i’m gonna take you up to Glendale
gonna take you for a real good meal
cos when our eyes did meet
girl you know i was packin’ heat
ain’t no use in wastin’ no time gettin’ to know each other
cos only you got a thing
that i just got to get with

i wanna get with you
and your sister
i think her name’s Debra

i wanna get with you
and your sister
i think her name’s Debra

lovely lady
girl you drive me crazy

Tags: beck, debra, ipod, itunes, johnny cash

The Tori Conundrum

I grew up watching the “original” (wow, that makes me feel old) “Beverly Hills, 90210.” Even though I was in elementary school when it premiered, I longed to be a part of the West Beverly crowd. I’d marry Dylan and Donna would be my ditzy, forever-virginal friend.

Years later, I’d read “Donna’s” first book, StoriTelling, and while I no longer wanted to marry Dylan (what even happened to him, anyway?) I wanted Donna as a best friend even more. The book was so conversational and sometimes confessional, I got to know what it was like growing up in the real Beverly Hills, why she married her first husband and then why she married her second.

By the time I finished StoriTelling, her newest book, Uncharted TerriTori, had come out. I immediately bought it on my Kindle app and finished it quickly. If I had to write an Amazon review for it, though, I’d title it “Fizzy but with an aftertaste.”

The book had the same conversational style as her first but there was an urgency behind  it. A lot of the stories were straight from her reality TV show, even though I haven’t seen many episodes of that. And a lot of the subject matter had to do with the fact that Tori’s entire life is on display, and how she’s dealing with that. That kind of makes me feel bad, as a fan, because if I and others weren’t fans of hers, the paparazzi wouldn’t follow her at grocery stores.  But if she really didn’t want this life, she could move somewhere remote, get a job out of the public eye and never be stalked by photographers again.

On the other hand, reality TV seems like it was made for her. She was famous practically since birth, had appearances in many of her dad’s shows and later found success in TV movies. But the TV movie market isn’t so lucrative anymore (ahem…ask her husband) so now she’s even more famous and making even more money by living inside a fishbowl.

I guess I just wish she could slow it down. She shouldn’t have to Twitter every single thing. She should be able to savor some of her success without having to run around to get more of it. I appreciate her trying to keep her fans in the loop but at the same time I think it might be better for her health and sanity to have more quiet time with her family once in a while.

That’s what I’d tell my best friend, anyway.

Tags: book, storitelling, tori spelling, uncharted territori

FrustratingVille — Updated: Free Tricorne Hat and Powder Horn

Wicked Game

After nearly a year of seeding, harvesting and plowing, I recently quit FarmVille. Before I left for good, I started playing Zynga’s newest game, FrontierVille. The thing that drew me in to FrontierVille was the fact that your character could get married (even to a same-sex partner, if you so chose) and have a child. I also liked the idea of “quests,” specific tasks to get special items and move up in the game.

Now my husband Bertram and son Cam and I are trying to finish more quests. We have to:

–find a welcome mat to welcome Cam’s teacher to the schoolhouse

–find a bee for Cam’s pocket (don’t ask)

–sell 8 adult pigs

–collect a ribeye for a Fourth of July party

We also need to find some collection items before the Fourth of July promotion runs out in a few days.

Therein lies the problem.

(That’s not my collection, by the way.)

Some of these items are nearly impossible to find. According to a poster on the Zynga forum, they were told from an official that you have a 0.02% chance of finding one certain item — a tricorne hat. But you could buy it for a lot of real money, if you don’t like those chances.

That’s insane. I never spent real money on FarmVille and won’t on FrontierVille, either. But Zynga seriously needs to change the odds of finding items (one of the specific purposes of the game) or they’ll risk losing players. People who don’t play the game won’t spend money on it, so if they made the players happier, they’d stick around. Sounds like a win-win to me.

UPDATE: A friend of mine posted links to get a free tricorne hat and powder horn. Log into Facebook, then copy and paste each link in a separate window.

http://apps.facebook.com/frontierville/giftaccept.php?next=giftaccept.php&senderId=1%3A100001197757093&gh=aee34a7f050180ba2a0a1c0c34130e7b&gift=indy_tricorn&timestamp=1278746158&ref&key=098ab283f4be26e68a6d75daa3163677%24%24ccF%28NVP.45oFK0XULNW8T_c%211PEZcGRERbh2%287109gvN7jxnB-&src=request&…aff=gift&crt=indy_tricorn&signature=495d1966b32239fa79b226efb1a47625

http://apps.facebook.com/frontierville/giftaccept.php?next=giftaccept.php&senderId=1%3A100000710506764+&gh=aee34a7f050180ba2a0a1c0c34130e7b&gift=indy_powderhorn&timestamp=1278746158&ref&key=098ab283f4be26e68a6d75daa3163677%24%24ccF%28NVP.45oFK0XULNW8T_c%211PEZ…cGRERbh2%287109gvN7jxnB-&src=request&aff=gift&crt=indy_powderhorn&signature=495d1966b32239fa79b226efb1a47625

Tags: collections, Facebook, farmville, frontierville, game, tricorne hat, zynga