Gin & Tonic for the Soul: How Do People Find The Happy Hour Tour?

Interesting Discussion Topics for Happy Hour

Statcounter is a valuable tool for any blogger - it's a tracking site that allows anyone with a website to see how many visitors check out their site, where they're from geographically, and how they found the page. For The Happy Hour Tour, it's a good resource to maximize our outreach by tracking which HHT plugs – be it from Urbanspoon or our friends at Uncouthed – draw the highest readership; it really is all about the cross-promotion!

Besides providing helpful feedback about where best to continue our efforts, Statcounter also supplies some serious laughs, interesting information, and many question marks. In short, we very much enjoy checking the searches that land visitors at our doorstep.

In totally random order, we’ve been found by users entering all of the following search terms at one time or another – snide comments are JB’s*:

• “Peace out phoenix hello oc” – Is this a long-lost 311 track?

• From Macedonia –“amstel beer decorations” – I’m picturing a Macedonian living room entirely filled with Amstel Beer decorations. My PBR bathroom won’t be outdone!

• “cheesecake didn’t rise” – Sorry to hear about that! Maybe our Cheesecake Factory reviews can help?

• From Greece – “we love gin tonic” – We love Hall Oates and almost as much as Captain Tenille. We really hope they’ll consider covering Ebony Ivory. (PS – I’m not saying my Greek is any better than their English)

• “WHAT IS THE PRICE OF DRINK AT TGIFRIDAYS” – Why is Kanye West looking for drink prices at Friday’s? Also, is he from Greece?

JB's Happy Hour Fan-Fiction Photoshop Skillz in Full Glory!

• “whoom the happy hour bar arrived on the 15th of the month” – Come again? Only thing I can figure is this could be the long-awaited (and wordier) follow-up to “Whoomp (There It Is!)”

• “Goat Insignia” – Smile if you love Satan. For real, why are you googling goat insignia?

True Happy Hour Tour "Goat Insignia" photo @ The Surly Goat

• Image search for “Nice Irish Man” – I’d like to find one of those as well!

• “robert mondavi discoer wine tour helpng people across the country get it” – It really does just help people “get it.”

• “what to wear on a wine tour” – Nothing.

Google truly is amazing sometimes. Found this image searching "Nude Wine Tour" from Winemag.com.

• “what types of people go to lucky strikes?” – Bad ones. And people that google what to wear on a wine tour.

• “christopher columbus compared to jack black” – Well, Christopher Columbus discovered America. So did Jack Black. Jack Black starred in SHALLOW HAL; Christopher Columbus was considered for the role. Totally apples to apples...


• My personal favorite – “cool bar” – so very specific; that reminds me, I need to search “fun people” and “good times”

* I’m just having fun of any of the above searches – half of my own searches are misspelled and probably just as bizarre (try "can humasn get fleas?"). And really, we don’t care how people find us; we’re just glad when they do and when they decide to come back!

--JB

Gin & Tonic for the Soul: The Songs that Make the Scenes (Part II)

Interesting Discussion Topics for Happy Hour

This Thursday brings us even closer to the Academy Awards extravaganza! In honor of the movies we love, the music we dig, and the Happy Hours we sing praises of, we present Round II of the Songs that Make the Scenes.

– JB

“I’m Shipping Up to Boston” – Dropkick Murphy’s – THE DEPARTED

Pretty safe to say that we all love THE DEPARTED – from its unbelievable cast to the interweaving narrative of those pesky moles in the state police/mob to the film’s hilarious one-liners. “Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe fuck yourself,” is how I often answer yes or no questions. I also firmly believe that “Are ya on your period?” is a perfectly valid response to any request for cranberry juice. Or how about “What, you don’t know any fuckin’ Shakespeare?” followed by a farting sound – when someone quotes Hawthorne? Lame, read some fuckin’ Shakespeare.

Like any good Scorsese joint, I especially love the music cues in the film; Howard Shore’s tango as the moles ascend the ladders of their infiltrated organizations as well as the precise song selections – including the opening sequence’s “Gimme Shelter,” introducing us to that craziest crazy ass, Frank Costello.

My favorite song, though, is the Dropkick Murphy’s “Shipping Off to Boston” as Billy Costigan ruins his “statie” career to go deep cover. The song wraps up the film’s introduction – the film’s title finally comes on-screen a good 15 minutes into the film – and plays us through Costigan’s jail-time transformation into an undercover brother. The song abruptly and jarringly ends when his oxygen-mask wearing aunt opens the door to him upon his release.

The song plays again near the end of the 2nd act; all parties are converging upon a warehouse and the song cues us that shit’s about to get real. Again, the song abruptly ends and we’re thrust back into the action.

I love the song’s male fury (the JAWS-theme kinda intro, the screaming-singing dudes) and how well it matches the raging male testosterones on display on-screen. Even more so, I love that you wouldn’t necessarily expect to hear a Dropkick Murphy’s song in a picture from Maestro Scorsese. Well done!

Happy Hour Match: EASY, try Tom Bergin's on Fairfax, the self-proclaimed home of Irish Coffee! Snag a seat at the bar and if your seat-mate orders a cranberry juice, don’t be surprised if they break your nose when you ask if they’re on their period.

Drink: Not cranberry juice! Try the Irish Coffee!

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“Love Will Tear Us Apart” – Joy Divison – SERIES 7: CONTENDERS (Kinda Spoiler Alert)

You could have called me a sheltered 20-year-old (in some ways, you’d be correct :), but I didn’t really know anything about Joy Division until about that age. My introduction came by way of SERIES 7: CONTENDERS, a rad-ass movie that’s basically shot and edited like a reality show. In the Contenders game, six players are selected in a national lottery and are given guns, forced to kill the other contenders if they want to survive –a la THE RUNNING MAN. Winning the series gains automatic entry into the next series and the cycle starts over; lucky winners…

Series 6 Winner is a pregnant woman who happens to have a history with her new fellow Series 7 contender; they were former high school flames who had recorded a fantastically silly “Love Will Tear Us Apart” video together.

By the end, the star-crossed duo become the last contenders standing and the producers of the show resurrect the love-song, piping in “Love Will Tear Us Apart” as the duo attempts to outlast one another. The music video is my favorite use of the song in the movie, but I can’t find the video on-line, so here’s the final sequence – the song comes on at 1:21.

Happy Hour Match: Pourtal plays Joy Division. ‘Nuff said. At least they did when AP & I visited last September – their awesome satellite radio selection featured a cool-as-ice mix of Depeche Mode, the Cure, the Smiths, etc. The beautiful near-beach setting and the gorgeous afternoon setting is a little at odds with the moody music, but in my opinion, that just makes it all the cooler!

Drink: Whatever deep red wine is on Happy Hour special, perfect for penning your anguished love letters!

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“Hurdy Gurdy Man” – Donovan – ZODIAC (Kinda Spoiler Alert)

David Fincher is another one of those directors who always seem to use the right music to sweeten the scene. This is evident in his new collaboration with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, yielding the tense electronica SOCIAL NETWORK masterpiece of a score, and very much so in his/his music supervisor’s song choice of “Hurdy Gurdy Man” as a musical book-end to the film, ZODIAC.

The song plays during the opening scene’s attempted murder/murder and also in the final scene wherein the original surviving victim identifies the man who we have come to believe may have been the Zodiac killer in a photo line-up. In the movie’s employment of the song, “Hurdy Gurdy Man” becomes synonymous with the boogeyman of our nightmares, a cryptic masked killer, uncontrollable and striking at random.

In the first instance, the song’s eerily hummed intro is unmistakable, sending shivers down your spine with the knowledge that something sinister awaits the young couple in their car. When the tune finally plays at the end, the same hummed intro feels almost cathartic this time, that there may finally be some closure for the police and the victims. This doesn’t quite happen as we read the end credits; what we’re left with is the knowledge that a bonafide Hurdy Gurdy Man walked/walks among us. Whatever a Hurdy Gurdy Man is (okay, I had to find out – here’s a dude playing a Hurdy Gurdy.

Happy Hour Match: Sheddy’s on Fairfax – get there early, befriend the bartender, request this song on their already-playing Pandora mix, and wait for creepy loner to come in to the bar so you can ask yourself – is he the killer? Who is the killer? Just kidding on the latter, there haven’t been any creepy loners when I’ve visited Sheddy’s. But Sheddy’s has the right urban vibe mixed with a timeless interior – so that you might feel you’re in 70’s era San Francisco!

Drink: Lots of Sangria – enough so that you begin hallucinating since “Hurdy Gurdy Man” is so trippy. Maybe the monkey lamp will fly. Maybe not. Maybe go fuck yourself. Sorry, wrong movie!

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Hope you’ve enjoyed this discourse! What are your favorite Songs that Make the Scenes? And what bars should we visit to hear them?

Gin & Tonic for the Soul: The Songs that Make the Scenes (Part I)

Interesting Discussion Topics for Happy Hour

It’s been a while since we posted a Gin & Tonic for the Soul, but I got the Oscar season bug (literally – got sick and stuck at home, watching movies!) and rounded out this list. I’m not proclaiming to be a film scholar with the utmost knowledge of every seminal song in every movie. Just having a little fun; hope you enjoy as well!

I see it like this… When song and scene come together just right, onscreen fireworks are palpable – heightening our emotions – whether it’s grabbing us by the jugular, making us laugh until we cry, or causing a rise south of our equator (true story: I knew of someone who identified an erection as “something rising south of the equator”).

There are a million unforgettable songs in movies; below I’ve outlined a handful of my favorites. I’ve also listed the LA Happy Hour that you’re most likely to hear each song at – this is a Happy Hour website after all :)!

– JB

“And Then He Kissed Me” – The Crystals – GOODFELLAS

Mobster Henry Hill whisks his date through the back entrance of the Copacabana, taking her through the kitchen, finally arriving at the primo supremo table laid out just for them. The scene is one glorious Steady Cam shot, brilliant unto itself for the fluidity of the camera movement capturing the exhilaration of a new love, a new fascination.

While the shot is widely known and loved, “And Then He Kissed Me” plays over the entire shot, undoubtedly augmenting the scene – setting the time and matching the excitement of this new enthrallment. As a kid, I of course loved the song when Elisabeth Shue lip-syncs it with all her heart in the opening credits of ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING. But in this GOODFELLAS scene, the visuals add such richness to the song and the song adds such richness to that beautiful shot – you can’t help but forever associate the song with the scene and vice versa.


Happy Hour Match: Jones Café – okay, they don’t really offer Happy Hour. BUT JG & I love Jones for its cool crowd, Italiano décor, and their kick-ass jukebox. Not 100% sure “And Then He Kissed Me” is on said jukebox, but you are sure to find something comparable and Jones’ vibe is just right to have a mobster wannabe sweep you off your feet (or if you’re a mobster wannabe, to do the sweeping!).

Drink: Something with Limoncello – indulge your inner Italian!

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“Strong as I Am” – The Prime Movers – MANHUNTER

Michael Mann is the man (bang the gong!). Well, he’s the man who gave us one of the best television theme songs of all time, Jan Hammer’s “Miami Vice.” I’m not even being sarcastic; this video will make you yearn for the days of awesome opening TV credits. Watch it, you know you want to!

My favorite Michael Mann film is MANHUNTER, based on Thomas Harris’ Red Dragon, the novel that comes before Silence of the Lambs. Brett Ratner remade the film in 2002 with Ed Norton and Anthony Hopkins, but I’d rather watch MANHUNTER any of the week, with its highly stylized imagery and a cute young William Petersen as Will Graham, the FBI agent on the hunt for the mysterious Tooth Fairy Killer, with the assistance of Graham’s own attempted murderer, the one and only Hannibal Lecter (this time played by Brian Cox).

The film’s music choices are basically a main character in the film and my favorite selection is The Prime Mover’s “Strong As I Am” which plays as creepy Francis Dolarhyde (aka the Tooth Fairy Killer) imagines his new lady love, his one chance at any semblance of a normal life, cheating on him. The title of the YouTube clip (also the last line in the clip) sums it up well, “Francis is gone.”

Happy Hour Match: The Woods on a Sunday night when Casper is spinning. He’s always got a delirious mix of songs – some you know by heart and new ones that you don’t know how you lived without. He’s quite knowledgeable about music – I’m sure he could add a killer beat to this killer song!

Drink: Nurse a low-ball glass of brandy to numb your gums… for the Tooth Fairy! Aaaaaaah!

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“Faking Death” – Nick Urata / “I Cried Like a Silly Little Boy” – DeVotchKa - I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS

PHILLIP MORRIS is one strange movie with two pretty distinct audience factions, those who love it and those who hate it. I firmly fall in the love camp; I was mesmerized by the unwavering, unrelenting and truly gonzo tone of the film, only grounded by the fact that this was based on a true story.

The film’s musical selections match the tone – Johnny Mathis’ “Chances Are” plays as Steven Russell and the titular Phillip Morris fall in love. In prison. While another prisoner masturbates to a classic movie. And another gets beat up by the guards for playing the contraband tape.

Besides the individual song selections, the filmmakers scored a coup with a breezy, lilting score from Nick Urata (who also scored LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE). What I consider to be the film’s main theme, “Faking Death,” plays often in the film, while Steven commits his crazy acts. The melody is sweetly forgiving of this hard-to-despise character that would actually be pretty despicable on paper.

Urata’s band, DeVotchKa, performs a version of the song, complete with lyrics, that plays us into the credits. Ever since seeing the movie last month, both songs have raced up my “Most Played” playlist –perfect jogging companions that remind me of the roundedness and “la dolce vita”-ness of it all – the unabashed joy, the hard times, and the kooky characters we meet.

Happy Hour Match: The Penthouse at the Huntley. Given their alterna-music pedigree (PJ Harvey’s “Down by the Water”) a little DeVotchKa wouldn’t surprise me here! Really though, this bright space is totally right for the bright music. Seriously, just listening to the songs on the elevator ride up would make me my day! Plus, this is totally a Happy Hour that Steven Russell would have taken Phillip Morris for a date! And then skipped out on the bill.

Drink: Something with Rum to make it feel like Steven and Phillip’s Florida getaways! Or a good ole wine spritzer because they’re just so classy!

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Check back in next Thursday for Part II of The Songs that Make the Scenes!

In the meantime, watch some movies, go to some Happy Hours, discuss amongst yourself!

Gin & Tonic for the Soul: Hangover Cures

Interesting Discussion Topics for Happy Hour

Having a site about happy hours raises a lot of the same questions. How do you find happy hours? How do you stay fit and drink? When’s the next happy hour? How do you drink so much and not get hangovers? Well, my friends, this week we’re going to share some hangover cures with you!

Know Your Limit!
Believe it or not we don’t drink that much. Yes, we may drink frequently, but we’re not knocking them back at the rate one might assume. When we’re out, we drink what we want, when we want. We don’t give into peer pressure that is surprisingly still rampant at our age. Not everyone has the same tolerance for liquor so ignore that friend who nags that you’re only on whatever number drink. At the end of the night, they won’t look cute. You still will.

Watch the Sugar!
Drinks that are heavy in sugar and syrup may look pretty, but aren’t pretty on the stomach. Not only are they high in calories, but also they can often leave you with a sugar high hangover. There is a chemical called acetaldehyde that is believed to be the cause of hangovers. It is triggered by sugar therefore increasing your chances of a hangover. That’s hangover times 2! We could get all scientific on you, but that’s quite boring. Putting down that Mai Tai and picking up a Gin & diet Tonic now, huh?

Hydrate!
Drink lots of water before you drink, when you drink, after you drink. The more hydrated you are, the less likely you are to be hungover… if drinking at a normal pace, of course. Drinking water is also good for your skin. If water’s not your bag, then go for some type of electrolyte drinks such as Vitamin Water or Gatorade. One rule that’s helped us is to match liquor drinks with glasses of water!

Don’t want to look lame at the bar? Awhile back, I read that people are less likely to pressure you about drinking as long as you have a glass in your hand so order up some water with a lime or lemon. Remember, you’ll be feeling great tomorrow, while others will not.

Stay stocked on Ibuprofen!
If it’s been one of those nights, take ibuprofen as soon as you wake up. I always use this method, while JB always take 2 with a big glass of water when she go to bed and that helps her. Even if you feel all right at first, some hangover cues may creep up on you later. Stomach aches, French fry cravings, need for naps, agitation, etc. If you take something before the symptoms come on, then you should be good for the rest of day.

Don’t forget to eat!
Don’t want a .72 blood-alcohol level? One way to curb this is to, um, not drink a Costco size bottle of Maker’s Mark, but more importantly not to do so on an empty stomach. Having some food in your system seems to coat your stomach and make the liquor absorption less immediate. If your goal is to get drunk, don’t eat. But if your goal is to drink, have a good time and not wind up with a 48-hour-hangover, mangia-mangia, bambino! But as with avoiding a hangover, eat in moderation.

Got any magical hangover cures that we’ve missed? Please share!
-JG

Photo Credit: Vitamin Water and Advil

Gin & Tonic For the Soul: (Non-Emergency) 911 is a Joke.*

Interesting Discussion Topics for Happy Hour

Call me a concerned citizen, but I know the non-emergency police line by heart - 877-ASK-LAPD. Being a single girl in the big, bad city calls for a measure of practical preparedness in the event of well, a non-emergency.

A couple weeks ago, I called Non-Emergency-Police (NEP) when I noticed a car speeding through an intersection that I knew had a stop sign. Upon closer inspection, we realized the only stop sign in the whole intersection, the one that should have stopped Speedracer – had fallen to the ground (whether through rusting or tomfoolery, we know not :). I jogged by a couple days later and was happy to note that the stop sign was back up and doing its job.

That was a happy ending to a non-emergency call. Unfortunately, we’ve had no such luck on a current non-emergency situation and we’re growing concerned that there may be an unhappy ending to this story.

Our apartment complex straddles two Los Angeles streets – the front entrance is on one street and the back entrance is on another street. Our apartment sits on the rear block so we typically use the rear entrance/exit. Next door to our apartment complex is a freaky old house, and their large backyard/lot, which is on the rear side, essentially outside my bedroom window. There is a small walk-way that separates my window and the yard, but that walk-way could easily be bridged.

The spooky house is a great old house, but it’s falling apart – holes in the window, a car full of crap in the driveway that never goes anywhere. But the yard is always maintained. We always wondered what the story was – on a block of massive apartment structures, this single house hold-out always piqued our curiosity, especially on walks home from the bar when we could see a TV on.

The back yard is not maintained at all. And in the last two months, what appears to be a homeless camp has emerged back there. There are coats, tarps, shoes, liquor bottles, unimaginable amounts of trash and filth. Every several nights, I hear someone moving around. Before the holidays, I called NEP to let them know about the location. They seemed to take my call seriously and said they would send someone out. One week later, the camp was still there.

After a recent lock-out, I spoke with our new apartment manager who said it was a good idea to keep up with NEP; she also gave me the back-story that the home is owned by an elderly woman who lives alone. Apparently, this woman is in no shape to leave home, let alone clean out a homeless camp in her backyard. I called NEP right after the conversation and they advised that they could only send police if there was someone there. They also gave me my local station’s phone number and from there, I left a message on the Neighborhood Watch Captain’s line. I went on my holiday travels; returned, and homeless camp was still there.

A couple nights ago, I actually heard a person out in the mess, rummaging and coughing. I quietly called NEP; they said they would send a unit over, but I never heard any evidence that the police came out and three days later, the camp is still there.

The plight of the homeless in America and in more moderate temp locales like Los Angeles is profoundly sad and disturbing. And I know that mental illness and homelessness often run hand-in-hand. With a couple grisly local murders, including this one (warning – pretty disturbing) perpetrated by mentally ill homeless people, I am concerned for my safety and that of the other people in the neighborhood.

Yeah, I don’t like the eyesore view from my window, but more importantly, I don’t want anyone to get hurt walking down the street or from their car into our apartment complex as they walk up the back stairs. And what about that helpless old lady that lives there?

Side-by side: Phil Garrido's backyard & the view from my window...

It seems like there have been many recent public cases where police have been given ample warnings about potential criminals or crimes and not followed up on these leads, resulting in serious crimes. As most of America is aware, the police were called many times as neighbors were suspicious about Phillip Garrido and his backyard yard mess where he kept kidnapped Jaycee Dugard for so many years, but no one took their calls seriously. We have also seen too many Lifetime movie marathons, Dateline episodes, & crime documentaries to know that sometimes an instinct is right, but law enforcement doesn’t listen (Don’t even get JG started on domestic abuse cases!). I don’t expect the police to have a crystal ball at the station, telling them which crimes could happen, but it would make me feel better to know that they have at least checked in on this situation. That’s all we ask. I have left my name & number each time I’ve called and have not received any follow-up calls.

We respect our boys in blue, we really do. We just ask that they show some courtesy to check out potential crime.

--JB

*We really don’t think 911 is a joke, we just like Public Enemy.

Gin & Tonic For the Soul: New Year’s Resolutions & Weight Loss

Interesting Discussion Topics for Happy Hour

I’ll be honest – I’ve struggled with my weight from age 6 – for a variety of reasons, from love of food to growing up on a processed Midwest diet to sugar-coating my feelings while not working out enough. I could wax poetic about the issues for pages (ask JG, she proofed my first draft and we decided to stay more on point – New Years’ Resolutions, weight loss, etc.).

Last January 1st (2009, bitches!), I stepped on the scale and weighed more than I had in my entire life. Only by 3 lbs, but anyone who has struggled with their weight knows how 3 lbs can make a big difference. So I set out to lose an ambitious 50 lbs by the next January 1st (2010, bitches!).

I did lose weight – and hit the New Year 20 lbs lighter than last. I don’t feel any sense of failure for not losing 50 lbs; instead, I feel like I’ve made a pretty significant lifestyle change that is healthy and balanced. And shiiiiiit, if I can lose 20 lbs while starting a website devoted to happy hours, I think I’m doing okay!

In honor of last years’ weight loss and continuing to lose in 2010, I’d like to share a couple tips that I’ve found to be helpful – and that make interesting happy hour conversations.

- Educate yourself. There are so many books and articles on fitness and nutrition. Not everything you read is going to work for you, but you’re bound to find some interesting factoids or inspiring stories that resonate and help you in the short and long-term.

Some books and documentaries that I’ve read and watched have actually put me on a vegetarian course: Skinny Bitch, You Are What You Eat, the beginning of The Omnivore’s Dilemma (I couldn’t finish it, though I will try again!) and the well-made documentary FOOD INC. These books & films alone have prompted some really terrific conversations and could make for their own G&T4TS.

- Know that everyone’s body chemistry is different and what works for someone else might not work for you. After reading Skinny Bitch, I quit drinking diet soda because they said the aspartame would turn into formaldehyde and preserve the cellulite in my ass. But I’ve come to believe the sweet and bubbly combo helps with my digestion (a hypothesis I’m trying out), so have allowed myself a soda every couple of days. I may find this doesn’t actually work, but it’s all about the trial & error.

- Log your caloric intake. Many people swear by this method of limiting calories; personally, I lose the most weight when I’m food journaling. I set my calories based on an intake calculator – like the one at freedieting.com, then try to stay within that range on a homemade Excel spreadsheet, using nutrition information websites like calorieking.com. This can help when you don’t have information from food packaging. There are also iPhone apps and websites that you can use to track your calories; I’ve just grown fond of my old school system.

- Work out. Find some sort of exercise that you like. As a girl who stayed pretty sedentary from age 6-18, I’ve found that exercise is the perfect release for what had once been teen angst, and what now would be Quarter-Life-Psychosis. I’ve used a gym on & off for the last ten years, but felt I wasn’t getting the most of my elliptical-rowing-and-biking routine. Last spring, I started Morning Crunch bootcamp and I couldn’t be happier with my M-W-F, 6 am or 6:30 pm sweat sessions that focus on the different areas of the body.

- Be realistic. Weight loss is complicated – so many of us have emotional issues tied to our eating habits; it really takes the right mindset to want to do your body right. Weight loss is not easy – research is time consuming as is tracking calories and working out and taking the time to figure out what works for you. Weight loss doesn’t happen overnight (and when it does, that’s not necessarily a good thing). So be gentle with yourself every step of the way – congratulate yourself on the mini-victories and try to use setbacks as learning experiences.

- Go to happy hour!! From Self Magazine (January 2010), “Women who enjoyed 15-45 alcoholic beverages per month were about 33 percent more likely to exercise vigorously than teetotalers, researchers from the University of Miami in Coral Gables report. Plus, sippers sweat for 10 more minutes each week. Scientists say the spirited group may hit the gym harder to compensate for the extra calories or to score bonus health benefits. That’s good news for us who like nights out and working out!” We’ll drink to that!

- Even though different habits will work for different people, the bottom line is that eating less and exerting yourself more are the essentials of weight loss. So, put on your grown-up panties/boxers and eat less and work out more!

I plan to continue my travels to this road of good health and look forward to hearing what works for everyone else. Comment away. Talk amongst yourself. Have a little Gin &Tonic (for your soul!).

Until next week's Santa Monica Main Street Sweep,
JB

Photos taken 1 year apart (December 2008 & 2009)

Gin & Tonic for the Soul: Safety is Sexy

Interesting Discussion Topics for Happy Hour

Back to gender studies, this week, we visit the "Safety is Sexy" photo phenomenon, found most commonly in the on-line dating world, but also on various social networking sites.

We could wax poetic for hours about on-line dating, but have chosen this week to narrow down the field to a strange subgroup of young men who post self-portraits of themselves driving cars. Often wearing seatbelts, hey Safety is Sexy! Cheesy car photos might make a little sense if these guys were driving fancy, sporty, or old-timey cars, but they’re not. They're in non-descript cars, unidentifiable from the often unflattering angles the self-portrait artist employs while driving.

We get that we all have our self-portrait quirks. JB has a curious addiction to taking self-portraits in public restrooms (of her face, gutter-minds!), but she would never make these photos her main profile pic on any dating website. Not even on Adult Friend-Finder and Craigslist Casual Encounters, where other users might appreciate such bathroom humor.

So, why are these guys posting these driving pictures? Did someone tell them that ladies love this? Do they honestly think these pics are going to moisten the pantaloons of the internet babes of the world? Are they proving they have cars? We just don't get it!

It's been hard to explain this strange issue to people, but as we like to say, the proof is in the pictures. Take a gander at these main profile pics we found in a single night perusing one free dating site.

Classic "Safety is Sexy" Shot:

This repeat offender had 4 "safety is sexy" shots in his profile!

Straight on “Safety is Sexy:"

“Safety is Sexy” side-view (aka pretending you didn’t take the picture yourself)

“Safety is Sexy” Variation – from behind:

“Safety is Sexy” Variation – the “Passenger:"

“Safety is Sexy” Variation – drinking Starbucks:

“Safety is Sexy” Done Right: Show off your (test-driving) Benz, JB!

California has a law making it illegal to text or talk on the phone without a headset while driving. We think they should also enact legislation to illegalize taking bad self-portraits while driving and posting them for prospective dates. Please sir, leave the camera in the car. At the very least, can we issue a citation for those who post these pictures?

And guys, we’re not hatin’, some of our own good friends and even former beaus are guilty of this vehicular crime. But hey, that doesn’t mean we can’t think this is weird and downright silly!

Guys, what drives you bonkers in a prospective date's profile pic? We want to know!

Gin & Tonic for the Soul: Fall TV

It's that time again - Interesting Discussion Topics for Happy Hour

Living in LA, it’s only natural that most conversations center around what we “do,” celebrity gossip, and the latest movies & TV shows. If we had a dollar for each time someone asked us about any of the afore-mentioned, we wouldn’t have to do anything and could spend more time and these dollars at happy hours. This week’s Gin & Tonic For The Soul is not about top LA conversation starters but our thoughts on the new shows of the fall TV season.

Pour out your beer! Accidently on Purpose. 8:30pm, Mondays on CBS. We love Jon Foster, Grant Show, & Ashley Jensen, but not this show. The first episode moved way too fast. Perhaps, the network told them to get to the point before they were canceled, but honesty I would be more likely to give the show another chance if the first episode was stretched over three episodes, not crammed in one. I just hope Ashley Jensen didn’t leave Ugly Betty for this.

Get drunk to this! Melrose Place. 9p, Tuesdays on The CW. Surprisingly, I’m one of the few watching this remake. It’s not the best show, but it’s definitely not the worst. With the low ratings, I hope that it doesn’t get canceled before the mystery is solved. Nothing is worse than having a show canceled on you without ever knowing the resolution. Models Inc., Swingtown, etc. If only the writers would get over Violet’s “gee shucks! I just moved to the big city” shtick, it could be much better. Even we wore make-up when we first moved to LA! With the news of Heather Locklear’s return, here’s hoping that it gets better.

Cheers! Modern Family. 9pm, Wednesdays on ABC. It’s great to see family comedies make a comeback. I don’t know which character is the funniest: The trophy wife, the too cool for school dad, or the gay couple with the Lion King presentation of their adopted baby. People in my office have been quoting this show all week.

Get drunk to this! Eastwick. 10pm, Wednesdays on ABC. One of us doesn’t watch much TV, but she loves witchy shit that seems like an appropriate fit to usher in the fall! This show seems like a good fit with its “Desperate Housewives” voice-over, familiar TV faces (known to us as Alex/Alexis Meade, Mindy O’Dell, Janet Sosna, and Kyle XY) and a storyline loosely based on the dense, but interesting John Updike novel, The Witches of Eastwick, and the funky movie of the same name (star power – Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer, oh my!). We’re enjoying it while it lasts.

Cheers! Flash Forward. 8pm, Thursdays on ABC. Who isn’t already addicted to this show about the entire world losing conscious at the same time for 2 minutes & 17 seconds? There’s already been many conversations (and even some texts) about flash forward theories. It’s been a long time since we had a show that required absolutely no disruptions and it’s about damn time. Who’s hoping that John Cho was just asleep during his flash forward? What did Peyton List see that has her so spooked? And more importantly, who is the man didn’t fall out???

What are YOUR favorite shows of the fall TV season? Any disappointments?