Upper East Side Story

New York Magazine’s cover proclaiming “GG” as the Best Show Ever.

In this day and age, it has become a commonplace to watch a television show in big blocks thanks to DVD, Netflix, Hulu, etc. But, ever the trend setter I love TV so much that I have been doing it for years. I remember in 2006 as a young college freshman I discovered “Sex and the City”, watching six seasons of Carrie’s life in a matter of weeks. I loved the show, it’s depiction of friendship and the way it featured New York City. By the time I discovered the series a lot of the girl’s hotspots had closed, New York had changed a lot since 1998. While I did get out to places like Sea and Magnolia Bakery it wasn’t the same. But, then a few years later a little show called “Gossip Girl” premiered and brought with it it’s own set of NYC hot spots. The show featured places like the Palace Hotel, Sant Ambroeus and the MET Steps. New York Magazine dubbed the series “the most restauranty show since Sex and the City.” The Magazine also dubbed the show the best show of all time. So when the CW announced it would be renewing the series for one final ten episode season I was kind of sad. While it was never a ratings juggernaut, attracting around three million viewers at it’s peak the show has had a huge effect on New York City, fashion, pop culture, television and even yours truly.

Spotted on the Steps of the MET, Queen B and the other Queen B in a classic power struggle during a season one filming.

“Gossip Girl” premiered in the Fall of 2007. And, while I heard a lot about it and knew it was something that would pique my interest I didn’t turn in from the start. A few months later, as the Writer’s Strike raged on leaving me with no new TV I turned to iTunes and discovered the series. After I exhausted the episode supply, I posted on Facebook about the show and wound up discussing it with friends who were also obsessed. Our mutual love of “Gossip Girl” brought me closer than ever with my friends MaryAnn and Tina. Before long, we were combing the UES for bow ties and headbands and drinking Sant Ambroeus lattes on the steps of the MET. MaryAnn is a born and bred Upper East Sider and showed me the ropes of uptown. Before “Gossip Girl”, I assumed Manhattan ended at 60th street. But, now I have come to think of the UES as one of my favorite neighborhoods in the city. While “Gossip Girl” is not the only reason I am friends with MaryAnn and Tina, it is the reason I met my good friend Kimberly. She and I met on the set of the series when they shot a season one episode outside the New York Palace Hotel. Overtime, she and I have become great friends and in a way I owe that friendship to the show.

While the storyline between them has been good and bad, Queen B and Chuck always look good.

Now aside from introducing me to new people, the show also introduced me to a new world of fashion. I wrote on this blog once before “GG” I avoided too much color in my wardrobe and played it really safe in terms of style. And, for a while I played it safe shopping for looks I saw on the show. But, over time I have developed my own style and am now able to shop for myself without the help of Chuck Bass or Eric Daman. Still the show has inspired me and many others to add bow ties, crested blazers, bright colored outerwear, prep school ties and several other trends to our wardrobes. Any question about the effects “Gossip Girl” had on fashion and style, can be answered by looking at the landscape of the last few years. Prep school pieces, headbands, colorful leggings, bow ties, Top-Siders all exploded after they were worn on the show. And brands like J. Press and Henri Bendel credit the show and it’s costume designer Eric Daman for causing a business boom.

The ultimate OMFG moment in “Gossip Girl’s” six seasons.

Now, aside from being a lightening rod for New York and fashion. “Gossip Girl” has been above all a very entertaining show. There is no way to deny that it has had some terrific moments. Like Blair getting married, Serena’s murderous confession and Chuck finally saying those three little words. In fact, I count Serena confessing to killing a man as one of the greatest TV moments of all time. I remember watching it with my friends and all of us screaming and standing up when she dropped the bomb. To me, that episode is the best of the series. And, while the show has had it’s ups and downs it has helped shaped the TV landscape. It paved the way for “Pretty Little Liars” where friends receive anonymous texts from the mysterious ‘A’ and “Revenge” where a woman extracts her vengeance on the Hamptons elite. So as we stand here, with the final season’s premiere just hours away I hope that these last ten episodes are full of amazing OMFG moments like only Gossip Girl can deliver. So let’s gather round, Upper East Siders. Don your best headband, dust off your silk scarf and pour yourself a glass of Dom and let us toast to “Gossip Girl” one final time. You know you love her. XOXO.

All-American Reunion

The Rejects recently released their fourth album.

It has been expressed on this blog, MANY times that I love pop music. From my first CD that I went out to buy being “…Baby One More Time” to my first concert being *Nsync I am a born and bred pop music lover. But, there was a point in high school where I explored a few other arenas. Chiefly I really got into that whole pop-punk pseudo rock music that was hot at that point. Good Charlotte, Simple Plan, Fall Out Boy, etc. I loved them all. And in December of 2003, a classmate of mine took me to see the All-American Rejects. From that first set, where frontman Tyson Ritter unsuccessfully attempted to crowd surf and jumped into a crowd of tweens gathered to see Hilary Duff I was hooked. A few years later they would release their sophomore album “Move Along”. I remember I had just graduated high school and the album was one of my favorites. Together with a few of my friends, I went to see the Rejects EVERY time they were here in New York City.

Over the period of their touring for “Move Along” I went to so many shows, that frontman Tyson Ritter and guitarist Mike Kennerty came to know me by face. They followed up that album with “When The World Comes Down” which produced the mega hit “Gives You Hell”. But, then on the heels of that massive hit, the Rejects disappeared. And, Friday night was the first time they came to New York City for a show in over three years. When the ticketmaster e-mail hit my inbox I immediately called my friend Dana who went with me to my first Reject show and our friend Donna another AAR devotee. The show was amazing, a perfect mix of their new material and old hits we all loved. At one point, Tyson mentioned that it had been ten years since the release of their first album. Dana, Donna and I looked at each other and mouthed ‘ten years’? Could it be possible that we have been loving and listening to AAR for a decade?

Left: Tyson Ritter and I circa 2004. Right: Tyson and I after his show on Friday night.

It was then we took a little walk down memory lane and realized how much time has gone by and how many things have changed. After the show, we told Tyson about how his comment had sparked an intense discussion. I told him I was a sophomore in high school when that record dropped and now I am 25 and applying for real jobs. He laughed and said “how the fuck do you think I feel man? Shit. I am old.” What made this little jaunt back in time all the weirder? Tyson totally remembered me as if we had seen each other three months ago, not three years ago. While it is true, and that Tyson, Dana, Donna and I are all getting older. It is good to know that on rare occasions we can still get together, rock out and have an amazing night together. That’s what’s so wonderful about music. It has the power to bring people together and even the power to bring you back in time.

Where the Art Is…

During New York Fashion Week, my life comes to a complete and utter stop. If I am not at the tents trying to see as much of the action in person, I am reading about who was where wearing what. But, when my friend Lauren invited me to an art party celebrating a new artist, I was intrigued. When she said that there was an open bar, I confirmed my RSVP right then and there. Lauren and I ran to the Bar Downstairs at Andaz Fifth Avenue for the shindig. The door of the hotel was transformed into a piece of art for the event. Lauren informed me later that the artist Daniel St. George had spent the days leading up to the event working on the piece, shown above. The art was pretty awesome, my favorite piece had a large complex tangle of lines, but within the lines you could make out faces of very famous animation characters. Inside all this chaos I spotted Felix the cat, Mickey Mouse and others and the more you looked at it, the more things you saw. Overall, the party was incredible with Daniel’s art displayed all around the room. A delicious spread including mini empanadas and skirt steak and the open bar? An absinthe bar with a special punch crafted for the event. The Green Monster had absinthe, cucumber water and fresh lime juice. It was delicious, Lauren and I had three each and stumbled out of the party with a little extra pep in our steps for our next NYFW event.

The Meeting of Anna Kendrick

I think we can all agree, this is the best thing that has come out of “Twilight”.

I have not hidden my disdain for the Twilight franchise in any way. I’ve tweeted, blogged and even told people to their faces that the allure of the franchise and it’s characters are lost of me. But, even I cannot deny that a few good things have come from the franchise. Bryce Dallas Howard experienced a career surge after appearing in the third chapter “Eclipse”, her on-screen beau Cam Gigandet went on to be a scene stealer in “Easy A” and my best friend Kellan Lutz became the face… er midsection of Calvin Klein thanks to his role as Emmet. One of the people who has been a quote unquote break out star from “Twilight” is Anna Kendrick. While my friend Lauren, the Professional Fangirlargues that her star was on the rise before that, Twilight was the first time I had ever encountered Miss Kendrick.

Although, I don’t even think “Twilight” counts as my first Anna Kendrick movie. In between the hair highs and lows experienced by Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson, her character Jessica is kind of a side note. A better indication of Anna came when I screened “Up in the Air”, the film which she secured an Oscar nod for. Playing the uptight, rigid and borderline sociopathic thorn in George Clooney’s side. She then appeared in a few more “Twilight” films and played third fiddle to Joseph Gordon Levitt and Seth Rogen in “50/50″, neither of which are great indications of Anna or anyone’s talents. So when Lauren secured passes to screen a few of Anna’s upcoming films “Pitch Perfect” and “End of Watch” I was interested. Both films are incredible, but also very different. “Pitch Perfect” is Ryan Murphy’s worst nightmare – a well crafted movie about musical competition with the perfect balance of snark, humor and heart. People who fear it is “Glee: The Movie” are in for a surprise, it blows “Glee” out of the water. “End of Watch” is a tense and gritty police drama starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Anna plays third fiddle here again but the movie is so great that I don’t blame her for jumping at the chance to be a part of it.

Anna and I last week during her promo rounds for “Para-Norman”.

Aside from having what I think will be an incredible year, and being leaps and bounds ahead of her fellow “Twilight” alums, I recently had the pleasure of meeting Anna and found her to be an absolute delight. I commended her on “Pitch Perfect” and even quoted my favorite line of the movie to her. A line that she revealed was *this close* to being edited out. She also inadvertently showed she cannot take a compliment. When I told her she looked pretty in a bright yellow blouse, she mocked herself for wearing a wrinkly top and pairing it with a backpack. As Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and pretty much everyone else who donned fur or fangs in the franchise sketches their post-”Twilight” career strategy I think Anna Kendrick is poised to make them all her bitch. With an animated kids movie “Para-Norman” due in a few weeks and the two aforementioned films on the schedule for Autumn she will only be adding to her lead as team “Twilight” gears up for their final film’s release.

21 Instagrams

This past Christmas, when my father and sister pulled a final present out after I thought I had opened all my gifts and it turned out to be an iPad 2 there was a roller coaster of emotions. After I screamed and freaked out like the little boy in that Nintendo 64 Youtube video, I then got to work downloading all the apps I had researched. GOOP City, Words with Friends and most exciting Instagram. Everyone I knew was posting photos on Instagram and since I was a Blackberry user at the time I couldn’t share photos of empty lawn chairs colored in a sepia filter with a caption like “I miss summer”. In the six months since Christmas, Instagram has been procured by Facebook and even launched an Android based app. I have come to get a lot of enjoyment out of it and I think it encourages people to share more photos. I know for me, if I see something fun or eye catching I think ‘Oh I should post this, people will love it”. But, like all social networks I have a few questions about Instagram and wanted to turn to you my readers at BEST Blog to get some answers.

Why do people post photos of places, people and things they didn’t take? Your photos are the most interesting. Like this photo of NYC I took one night from the Flatiron District.

Why do people post photos they didn’t take? We all follow that person who saves photos from the internet, uploads them onto Instagram and posts them. Listen I love Gwyneth Paltrow, but I am not going to post her Annie Lebovitz portrait with mom Blythe Danner with a Hudson filter. I get the feeling, and enjoy the idea that we all understood Instagram is for your own photos. Not a platform for sharing magazine scans, photo shoot favorites or paparazzi candids of our favorite celebrities. If you’re looking for a place to share those extra dreamy photos of Harry Stiles take that shit to Tumblr. Or if you don’t have Tumblr, both Facebook and Twitter have photo sharing options.

Instead of posting text saying “I’m wearing a bow tie tonight” I posted a damn photo of myself in a fly ass bow tie. Pics or it didn’t happen, my friends.

When I downloaded Instagram on Christmas morning, one of the suggested apps in the reviews was a text app. Apparently you type a short message, and save it as an image and then upload it to Instagram. I’ve seen people do it many times, uploading messages like “My sister graduated high school today!” or “My nephew is finally here! Welcome to the world Matthew Joseph!” scribbled on a chalk board or notepad image. Okay. I understand wanting to share the news, but how about you save the textual updates for Twitter and just post a photo of whatever you’re celebrating. I would be much more interested to see a photo of you and your sister or nephew with the details in a caption.

This photo I snapped of myself is cool in itself, and doesn’t need a filter. But, the filter enhances it. Plus, aren’t the filters the point of Instagram?

Why do people post a photo without a filter? And then brag this was taken without filter? Instagram’s mission statement is a that it’s a fun, simple way to transform your photos and share them quickly. So as pretty as your sunset photo is or your photo of your sister wearing her prom dress is, it would be even prettier with a filter on it. If you want to share your photos as you took them I think we can find you a better option. I have uploaded several photos to Instagram and realized the lighting or a slight over exposure doesn’t work with any of the filters. You know what I do? Post it on Facebook. Or Flickr. Or Twitter. Or Photobucket. Etc.

If you like pictures of food, idyllic spring days, cute puppies and random other stuff. Be sure to follow me on Instagram at @brianistuft.

BEST Blog readers, what do you love about Instagram? What do you dislike about it? And what really frosts your cookies when you see people do it on Instagram or any social networking platform? Feel free to comment or even shout it at me when you see me. Because, I know I can’t be alone in my quest for the optimal online experience. If you would like, you can follow me on Instagram at @brianistuft. And, don’t worry it goes without saying that I would never commit any of these aforementioned crimes against cyber society. My Instagram consists of all photos, that I took and then expertly filtered to enhance them for your viewing pleasure.

Two Friends and a Baby Shower

On Saturday June 16th, the stage was set for my third baby shower in two years.

One of the countless reasons I am best friends with Dana, and have been for over 10 years is her kind heart. Dana is known for her tendency to go above and beyond to make someone feel special, rarely shows up to my house without coffee for me and does many countless other kind things. This propensity to random acts of kindness occasionally makes me want to slap Dana right in the face. And, when her sister-in-law announced that she was pregnant and Dana volunteered to throw the shower I was going to toss one of those cups of coffee at her. Dana also volunteered to throw a baby shower for her other sister-in-law while she was pregnant about two years ago. So I knew how this was going to go, like all things Dana and I endeavor on, the other person is going to be involved. So you figure, those two showers plus Dana’s own shower which I threw brings my total of baby showers to three in two years.

Dana and I with our guest of honor Theresa who will give birth to her first child, a daughter in a few months.

While throwing the other two showers I was much more heavily involved, I want to give a massive shout out to Dana who took on most of the responsibility herself. I did of course get to pick a few things and lend my help a few times. Dana’s sister-in-law Theresa picked the place herself, she also said she didn’t want pink. Instead she wanted teal and purple and told us her favorite pattern was peacock. This was obviously super detrimental to my plan to throw the most elegant black and white shower with baby pink accents. Dana and I divided the responsibilities over a series of outings. We toured our location, Terrace on the Park a Queens event hall standby. We then hit our favorite bakery Terranova House of Cakes to place our order for an intricate peacock themed cake. Crate and Barrel supplied our centerpiece vases and candles, Bath and Body Works is our go to spot for shower game prizes and then went to an Upper East Side flower shop for our centerpieces. Dana spent her free time getting custom made place mats, banners and decorations from Etsy. By the time the morning of the shower rolled around, we felt super confident and ready to go.

The shower was a huge success, if I say so myself. The color scheme and peacock pattern came together quite nicely, and the things that Dana and I selected on top of the things Dana ordered herself all created a beautiful space for our shower. And, Dana and I have become pretty polished when it comes to shower handling, we welcomed our guests, played a few games before lunch, opened presents and finished up with a few more games over dessert and coffee. Our game itinerary for those of you throwing your own baby showers was the chocolate bar in the diaper game where you melt chocolate to mimic the look of baby poo and have guests guess which chocolate bar it is. We also did the name that baby food, where each guest samples a baby food and has to guess what it was by taste. The stand by baby shower bingo and a game of clothes pin assassin rounded out our game playing. I do have to say, when the shower was over and I saw how happy our mommy to be Theresa was it felt great. Plus things felt easier since this was not exactly the first time I’ve done this. But, that being said I am in no mood to throw another one so friends of mine please keep your legs closed for the sake of our friendships.

It Happened, One Night Stand

The Third Annual 92.3 One Night Stand.

Remember back when you were in middle school and listened to your local radio station and always called in to win tickets to Jingle Ball or their big spring concert? Well here in New York, where I grew up there was no bigger concert than Jingle Ball or Z100′s Zootopia, and I always wanted to go and would call and call and call and never win. Except one time, I got free but kind of crappy tickets to Jingle Ball, which was awesome. But, lately there’s been a new number one hit music station in New York City, Now 92.3. And on Friday night they threw their third annual “One Night Stand” concert. Their line up included Youtube sensations turned pop stars Karmin, dance music artist Dev and BEST Blog’s favorite boy band the Wanted. My amazing friend June got us tickets since we share a love for the Wanted and as the night approached it seemed almost everyone I knew was going. So I knew I was in for a good night.

Considering the floor was closed and I was way back, my little point and shoot didn’t too bad. This was the only photo where the lady in front of me’s creepy old Madonna hands weren’t in it.

Sadly Dana and I were prepping for a baby shower and needed to grab dinner and a few last minute must-buys before the show, so we missed Karmin. We caught a little of Dev, which was a nice opener since I couldn’t really care less about her and that made me long for the Wanted even more. After an embarrassingly self indulgent introduction from two Radio DJs I didn’t know, the Wanted took the stage. I’m not going to lie, they opened with a song not included on their US EP but despite me not knowing the song I was immediately taken by their energy. The five guys all really knew how to rock a stage and play to a crowd, who all seemed to know the UK exclusive song. As they tore their better known hits they continued to impress me with their vocals. I have never seen them live before, so I was curious to hear what they sounded like. I was more than satisfied since the set list contained my two favorite songs, and pretty much all of their other songs I’ve had on repeat plus a Coldplay medley.

The Wanted sing my favorite song, “Heart Vacancy” on Friday night. At 0:20 you can see me push some girl’s hands out of the way.

By the time the boys launched into their latest single “Chasing the Sun” our section had become an all out dance party. During the second verse of the song I had to look over my shoulder to remind myself I was at a concert and not a club. I have to say after the concert I am more in love with the Wanted than ever before. I’ve met them and their the nicest guys, they make amazing pop music and their live show is incredible. Needless to say I am already looking for tickets to their upcoming dates. And, as fantastic as the band was, what made the night even better was being there with so many fabulous people. Our group had nine people in it. And, everyone was dancing and singing and having an amazing time. This is one one night stand, I totally intend to revisit.

The Wanted close their set with the #1 hit “Glad You Came”. I LOVE when Nathan does the stutter thing when singing “drink it if you can”.

With This Ring I Thee Dread…

This is the view as the sun set after the wedding at the Candlewood Inn. It was literally breath taking.

I have often said I am able to see things coming. I can tell when dairy products will go sour, I can predict where almost all movie and television plots are going before they get there and I can tell when a woman knows she is going to marry her boyfriend. With dairy it’s a smell, with the TV shows it’s cliches, but with marriage its a look women get in their eyes. When my friend Erin introduced me to her husband Chaz when they were first dating I knew that I would one day would be attending their wedding. Sure enough, last weekend Erin and Chaz tied the knot in a really lovely ceremony in Connecticut. Held at the Candlewood Inn, with beautiful waterfront views it was one of the nicest weddings I’ve been to. However, like all love stories this one did have a little drama.

The bride and groom cutting their beautiful and delicious cake.

As you know, I don’t drive so the only way for me to get myself to this wedding was mass transit. I took a 3:07 train to Danbury, CT and arrived at 5:03 about an hour before the sunset ceremony was due to start. My research had revealed the train station was about a five minute drive away from the hotel. Only there were no cabs, so now with about 45 minutes left until the wedding I had no choice but to walk just under 2.4 miles from the train station to to Danbury Courtyard Hotel. I got there at 6:01, a minute after the wedding started. I then quickly changed in the lobby bathroom and then hopped into a shuttle bus that would take me and two other very late guests to the Candlewood Inn where the wedding was being held. When I arrived there, Erin, Chaz and the wedding party were standing in the lobby and we thought we had made it on time. Sadly, Erin informed us they had just finished and we had missed the whole ceremony. I was totally devastated, but something that the woman who I rode over with told me makes me think it was meant to be. That meeting this woman and hearing a story she told me was what was supposed to happen.

Erin, her husband Chaz, Kate and I with some of the friends I have met through Erin.

Before I share her nugget of wisdom, I should tell you a little bit about Erin and I’s friendship. We met in 2004, at a Simple Plan concert. I met her at the same time I met our friend Kate whom she went to college with and our former friend Amanda whom Erin grew up with. It should be said I love Kate dearly and we are great friends. But Erin and I became best friends. We often went to concerts, annually celebrated our birthdays together, I’ve even spent weekends at her family’s house in upstate NY. In 2009, she met Chaz and they fell in love and all that that entails. Obviously, her life changed and there was a divergence in our friendship. She was introduced to a new crowd of people, started doing couple things and then moved to Connecticut to live with Chaz. There was a point, before the wedding where I was nervous that our friendship hadn’t just changed but that it had suffered. So the evening of her wedding, as I sat in the back of a shuttle van with a woman I had never met I never would have guessed she would have some insight to share.

If Erin can look the other way when I miss her wedding ceremony, hopefully she, Kate and I will be able to remain friends for the rest of our lives. Wherever life will take the three of us.

Her name was Mary Kate, and she told me she was Erin’s mother Kate’s friend from Kindergarten and that they had best friends since they were five years old. Mary Kate went on to say that she and Kate’s life went in total opposite directions and that there were times when they wouldn’t speak for long periods of time. But, when they would get around to picking up the phone or getting together, the conversation would pick up from the last time they spoke. As though no time had gone by. When I finally got to talk to Erin at her wedding, it dawned on me that our friendship might be poised to take the same trajectory. Even though she had been so busy with work and planning her wedding and I had been wrapped up in my own little dream world, when we were together it was as if we had just seen each other the day before. If you were to list Erin and I’s life details side by side they would vary pretty significantly. She is married, works as a teacher, has her own home. I have none of those things and the closest I’ve come to marriage was a five year subscription to TiVo. But, as we chatted, caught up, joked and danced together at her wedding it was as if we were still those people jamming out at that concert all those years ago. I don’t know when Erin and I will see each other next, she’s on her honey moon currently and will miss the next get together my friend Kate is throwing. But, I am curious to see if my prediction is right and that no matter how much time has gone by that we will be able to pick up where we left off.

I can only hope that my all of my friendships will last, thrive and grow as long as Erin’s mother’s friendship with that woman has. Something tells me though, if Erin was able to forgive me for being late to her wedding, our friendship can survive wherever life takes us.

The Lucky Thirty One

My best friend, Dana and I at her birthday dinner on Thursday night.

There was a point after my birthday party last month where I was telling Dana about how lucky I was to have so many people who were willing to spend their Saturday night celebrating me. For those of you who are new here, Dana is my best friend and has been for almost twelve years. We then got to discussing birthdays in general and I pointed out that Dana never does anything to celebrate her own birthday. But, is someone who always goes out of her way to celebrate others. Getting their favorite cake from a far-off bakery, procuring thoughtful gifts they never expected, all that good stuff. So I suggested Dana do something fun for her big night and together we came up with a plan. Since Dana had her actual birthday off from work, we would do dinner and a movie the night before. Which worked out great since Zac Efron’s new movie “The Lucky One” came out on her birthday and was sure to have a midnight screening.

Thursday night, we all gathered at Patsy’s, an Italian restaurant that Dana loves to celebrate my dearest friend. A solid sized party of eight that was a nice mix of friends and co-workers. It was so nice to see Dana be the person celebrated since like I said she always prefers to celebrate others. Although, everyone was a little too eager to celebrate her. The bitch got a Pandora charm bracelet and a new camera. Being showered with affection and gifts is supposed to be my thing, this better not become a normal occurrence. After the gifts were opened and two bread baskets were emptied we headed to the theater to see “the Lucky One”. We lost a few guests on the walk over to the theater. Apparently, not everyone shares Dana’s affinity for Nicholas Sparks movies. I have to say, I think they’re okay but they’re by no means my favorite. Obviously the best one is “the Notebook”, Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling elevate the story to such amazing heights. And, their chemistry is so incredible it helps me overlook the sickening ending that was written for emotional cripples.

I may not buy him as a Marine or rugged tough guy, but he is sure is pretty to look at.

“Lucky” follows the tried and true Nicholas Sparks formula. Zac Efron plays Logan who finds a photo of a woman on the battlefields of Afghanistan and while looking at the photo narrowly escapes an explosion, saving his life. He decides to find the woman from the photo to thank her. Only when he travels to a Louisiana beach town and finds Beth, she is dismissive and doesn’t allow him to explain. Beth, her son who is a punishment for having sex before marriage and her grandma played by Blythe Danner run a local kennel and give Logan a job. Between seeing Logan work his magic on the kennel, the dogs and her son Beth takes a second look which leads to her to falling in love with Logan. Obviously we have many of Sparks traditions here: beach towns, virginal women who saw the flaws in having sex too soon, etc. So of course someone has to die, and while I don’t feel comfortable spoiling it for those who didn’t see it yet. I will tell you I had a running possible victim list which consisted of Blythe Danner, Logan’s loyal German Sheppard Zeus and the douche bag Beth used to be married to.

The beautiful Taylor Schilling and I before her appearance n the Today Show, last Thursday.o

It’s nowhere near as great as “the Notebook” and not as frustrating as “Dear John” so it finds itself somewhere in the middle of the scope. For me the central conflict is not as developed as it has been in prior Sparks novel adaptations. There was no cancer, arson or meddling mother to keep the lovers apart. So the obligatory midpoint break up felt pointless. I also didn’t find Zac Efron believable as the rugged former Marine, but I was in the minority as Dana and her sister in law Debra ate that shit up. For me, the best part of the movie was Blythe Danner who played the role of the grandma as someone who knew what was going to happen before it happened as if she had read the bestselling novel beforehand. Also I want to know what Taylor Schilling did to the director, because she looks so old throughout the film but is beautiful and vivacious in person.

All in all, it was a super fun time and I was excited to see Dana get to be the star for the night. I think it was especially satisfying because I had suggested she do something for her big night and it worked out so well. I was glad to see her take center stage and really get the chance to shine. Although, in my eyes and the eyes of everyone who’s met her, Dana always shines. I know Nicholas Sparks would like us to believe that Zac Efron is the lucky one, but I think it’s me who gets to have Dana as my BFF who is truly the luckiest.

40 Pokes and 40 Likes

My Profile Photo for 40 Days.

In February there came a point where I needed to pick something to give up for Lent. My initial thought was to diet for Jesus. But, then I remembered that a lot of my vices have already been cut out. I give up processed foods, alcohol and meat like once a month if I feel bloated. I’ve also pretty much stopped shopping altogether. So I needed to find something that I was dependent on, hadn’t already given up and something I was using for bad and not good. Then it appeared to me like a burning bush. I should give up Facebook.

At 12:01, on Ash Wednesday I logged off of Facebook on my cell phone, MacBook and iPad. At first, it was a struggle. I absentmindedly typed the address into my browser when bored. And there many instances where I thought “I need to put this on Facebook”. At some point during the following week it no longer mattered. Several people have asked how I stopped needing the Social Network during my 40 day sabbatical. And, to be fair I don’t know. At some point, it just stopped occurring to me to want to go on Facebook. There were times when it sucked to be without the the site. I couldn’t vent about Viola Davis being robbed, the Hunger Games movie rocking my face off and other news items.

That aside, for the most part I found my Facebook vacation to be pleasant. It also kind of made me realize how negative Facebook can be. Whenever any of my friends told me about Facebook it was to bitch, complain or make fun of someone. That’s why Facebook is so toxic to me, because we are socially obligated to be friends with pretty much everyone. You meet someone once? You’re their FB friend. People you hated in high school? They want to be friends. That former BFF you no longer talk to? Can’t delete them either. So when you go on Facebook, you are bombarded with posts, updates and pictures of people you don’t like. And, unlike Twitter or Instagram, on FB you have to be mutual friends with the person. They can’t just follow you while you turn a blind eye to them. Being off of Facebook provided me an out from this aggravation.

A friend posted this on my wall, and at first it kinda was...

My other issue with Facebook is that there are too many spheres overlapping at this point. When it was all college students, I would laugh when I was tagged in a photo of me kissing a stranger or passed out in a garbage can. But, now? When someone posts a photo like that I am overcome with terror. Did my dad/my aunt/my professor who said he would write me a recommendation see it? The freedom to express yourself is gone. You are now restricted by the idea that what you’re posting could potentially be misinterpreted by everyone you know. There was a streak inside of me that was concerned that I would be tagged in a series of unflattering photos during Lent, but I couldn’t do anything about it so I let it go. That’s what this Lent taught me, to let it go. In this cyber age everything is at our fingertips. Including stuff we don’t want to see. And, at times we need to CTRL ALT DELETE and log off. Facebook is a fun way to keep people up to date on your life and share fun videos of kittens. But, it is not a way of life, it is not that important and if you don’t believe me then maybe you should take 40 days off to remind yourself.

This Facebook Lenten sacrifice was perfect. It was hard, I struggled, and I learned from the experience. In 15 years this is the first time I lasted all 40 days and feel like it was actually constructive. But, you’re thinking… ‘Brian, why are you still on Facebook if you hate it so much?’ And, to be fair I did think about just getting rid of it all together. Just deleting it on Easter Sunday. But, then I thought about how there are countless photos and statuses on there commemorating many good times. Plus while I have moved to Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram there are many people I am friends with who still post and share things exclusively on Facebook.Plus my first status back got something like 20 Likes. That did sweeten the pot. But, that doesn’t mean that my seeing the light this Lent won’t change my Facebooking forever. That being said, when you see this posted on Facebook, please like it.