Friday Five: Favorite Time Wasters

I love the internet - I've made that known before, but here are five of my favorite sites. When my house needs to be cleaned, I have papers to write, or could be doing a whole slew of other productive tasks, I am lured into these sites:

1. Hello Giggles
This is a cute site that has funny articles and although a bit hipster-y, it is still fun. Also, my favorite new actress - Zooey Deschanel is one of the creators of it.

2. Television Without Pity
Probably my all time favorite site as it combines snark and television. It's like it was created just for me.

3. Pinterest and Etsy
I'm not a member of Pinterest - I don't want to get sucked in too deep, but I like going to it for ideas for parties, crafts, etc. Etsy is equally as good for one of a kind items and craft ideas too.

4. STFU Parents
If you've ever dealt with a Facebook friend who overshares everything on their status updates or can't stop talking about their kids every two minutes, this is the site for you. The level of oversharing is on a whole differet level.

5. Go Fug Yourself
The Fug Girls are super funny and their take on celebrity fashion is hilarious. I have laughed out loud numerous times when reading that site.

Go check them out if you haven't already. You can thank me later!

One of My Favorites - Curb Your Enthusiasm

Summer television can be kind of a drag – Bachelor Pad 2, Summer Wipeout - I’m looking at you, but for every ten duds, there is one shining ray of light. That shining ray of light is Curb Your Enthusiasm for me. I love the “social assassin” that is Larry David. The writing is so sharp and the storylines always converge in the final act in such a hilarious and yet organic way. The show follows Larry David around and he plays himself (or perhaps an exaggerated version of himself) and is put in everyday situations that he somehow manages to make into a big deal. One episode deals with the “chat and cut” where a woman starts chatting with someone in a buffet line and cuts in front of him. Most of us would just let that slide, but he is a man of principle, and calls her out on it. Hilarity and awkwardness ensues.

I think I enjoy it so much because he says whatever is on his mind, with no regard for social appropriateness or norms (hence his nickname – “social assassin”). I would never do half the stuff Larry does – I’d probably think about doing it, and once I was removed from the situation would have a list of ten things I should have said at the time it was happening, instead of what I did do, which is likely just smile politely and give them my plate and the last of the roast beef as they cut in front of me in line. But that is neither here nor there. What makes this show so funny is that you get to see what happens when you disregard niceties and tell someone the truth, or call them out on trying to pull a chat and cut on you. It can be awkward, but mostly it’s hilarious.

The Last Book I Read

I just finished reading the book Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup. I’ve shared my love of books set in the Middle East and India in the past, so I thought it would be a good fit for me. It’s from the guy who wrote Slumdog Millionaire and although I didn’t read that book, I did see the movie which was pretty good so I thought why not.

As an aside, how much do I love Irrfan Khan? He played the police inspector in Slumdog Millionaire and he was also a patient on the TV show In Treatment. Have you heard him speak? He has the most hypnotic voice. Love him. Anyways, back to the book.

So I really liked it. The ending was kind of meh, but the whole 400 pages leading up to it were really good. The book is about a man who murders a girl and then has a party to celebrate his acquittal, as you do when you get away with murder. But, TWIST! He himself is then murdered at the party.

There are three suspects in his murder. Just kidding. Obviously there are six suspects in his murder. So each chapter is written in the perspective of one of those suspects, and in the end all the stories sort of intertwine. I sort of figured out who the killer was in the third section, (as I’m sure you will too), but it was a fun story anyways. It’s a pretty easy read and the characters are interesting although the one American suspect is really stupid. Like take you out of the story stupid. Either, way, I would recommend it if you are looking to get wrapped up in a fun story.

One of my Favorites - Breaking Bad

*Links may contain spoilers

I feel like it is my responsibility, when I find a good TV show, to share it with everyone I know. It actually gives me great joy (it's the simple things in life really) to share a hidden gem of a TV show with someone who normally would not have watched it. I did this with Breaking Bad last year - I got both my sisters, and all of my cousins (FYI - I'm Greek, so there are a lot of us) to watch it and they all loved it.

I can not express how excited I am that Breaking Bad starts again this Sunday. It has been a long time since season 3 finished and I can't wait for this amazing show to start again. Have you seen it? If you haven't, do yourself a favor and go rent, borrow, buy or steal the first three seasons on DVD so you can catch up. The seasons are only 10 or 12 episodes so you still have time. As an aside, I know that you have time to watch this because I once bought season five of 24 on DVD on a Thursday night (the new season would start three days later on Sunday night) and let me tell you - Jack Bauer wasn't the only one who was racing against the clock. I totally did it - and that was 24 episodes. I'm not saying this is something I'm particularly proud of, but my point is that it can be done. I don't want to hear excuses!

Anway. Reasons why Breaking Bad is amazing - it is very well written (it's on AMC - where "stories matter"), it has beautiful cinematography - this is a show that definitely needs an HD box, and the characters, oh the glorious characters. I like to think that if I knew Jesse(beware of spoilers if you click on the link) in real life I would take him home with me and give him a big hug and take care of him forever. Unfortunately, I'm not so altruistic that I would bring a former crystal meth addict that has ties with the drug trade as a user, pusher, and producer into my home, so I'm glad I don't actually know Jesse (or anyone like him) in real life.

And yes, I did just write 80 words about a character on a fictional television show and why I wouldn't bring him into my home.

The storylines are captivating and you find yourself rooting for people that you normally wouldn't be on side with, and the relationships are all complex and interwoven, and it is just really, really good. Check it out and let me know what you think - you won't be sorry!