Bargain Biatch

MacMall Mumbai

Time for the final post of the year, surprisingly not about booze of fancy food but about my computer. Went to Apple store in Soho and even though I made an appt for personal shopping it was hell, crammed full of foreign tourists screaming into their cellphones. My 12year old personal shopper Shawn was fine in a "awesome dude" kinda way but I wasn’t really feelin the 13inch Macbook screen, didn’t want to spend $500 more for 17inch or an extra grand for the new MacBook pro. Shawn tried to find a 15inch refurbished on the "sale" page but no luck.

So I did some research about buying online and found great prices on the older model MacBook Pro 15inch. It was very highly rated and MacMall had it for $1500 after a $150 rebate. So I rang up the call center, I’m sure somewhere in India and got lots of help from service rep "John". Yeah right, I saw Slumdog Millionaire but whatever you want to be called is fine by me. He talked me through the list of features like Intel Core 2 Duo 2.5GHz 2GB, 250GB, SuperDrive….no clue what this means. And even though it’s last year’s model, it will be and incredible technological leap from my 10 year old rebuilt computer that runs using a hamster on a wheel. Then I got oversold and purchased extra shit like parallel software, Stylus printer, Toast (whatever that is) a 4 usb port, but only because it was all free, yes totally free after rebate. So I should be getting my new computer in about 5 days and will learn how to use it in about 5 months.

Make Tax Time Suck Less

Just a few quick things to do before the end on the year besides stock up on champagne and hit on the UPS guy. Doing couple of these things will keep more money in your pocket and won’t embarrass you every time you get a delivery.

1. Prepay a few bills
. If you prepay a few of your 2009 bills in 2008, you'll get to write them off this year. For example homeowners can make their January mortgage payment in December, and have one more month of interest to deduct.
3. Donate to Charity
, by doing it before midnight on December 31. You’ll save on taxes by deducting your charitable donation. And besides being a good thing to do, it’s a good excuse to do an end of year purge.
5. Contribute to a Retirement Plan
: If you don't have one, grow the fuck up and get one. Sorry! But really and now is as good a time as any to set one up. Payments made to a retirement plan-401(k), IRA, KEOGH, or SEP plan-are deductible against this year's income.

Buy The Big Ticket Business Item Now. Just realized that applies to me. After weekend of computer crashes I realized that if I buy that new MacBook and

put it on my credit card before the end of the year it’s deductible for this year. The IRS considers an expense deductible when it’s charged, not when you pay your credit card bill. Apple here I come.

Movie Review: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

Total score yesterday after eating pounds of cheap lobster for Christmas dinner and then being gifted a Roku. Then heaving myself onto my sisters’ couch to watch the advance copy of that she got from her SAG/Screenwriter friend. Lotta hype about the movie and just like Altoids are curiously strong, the Curious Case of Benjamin Button was curiously long, but without the curious part. The movie was about a boy born old who then ages backwards. When old/young baby Ben was born his mother died in childbirth. His father was horrified by the sight of him and left him on a doorstep of a tough but kind black woman who took him in. Now I know I’ve got issues but can we please stop with the mammy shit and how the poor white child is always taken in by the nurturing black caretaker. To its credit the movie handled this fairly well but I’m just over this characterization. Anyway, we follow Benjamin, as he grows from old and completely infirm to gorgeous Brad Pitt looking at times like James Dean. Kate Blanchett plays his big love and although she and Brad do a good job, the movie is stolen by the incredible special effects and cinematography. Tour eyes are glued to the screen as they age Brad, then turn back the clock and kinda age Kate. And the fabulous Tilda Swindon has a small but pivotal and well realized role. But the movie drags at times and took too long to work into what was a moving and satisfying conclusion.

Give The Gift Of Time

Christmas Eve. Cookies are baked, gifts wrapped, Margaritas mixed. You’re ready for the big day. But if you still have a hanging chad on you Christmas list, you can always give the gift of time. Yes material things can be much easier to give as opposed to the wonderful gesture/pain in your ass, of parting with your precious time. But it’s worth it. No matter how Amish you are, you or a 12-year-old relative can figure out how to print a gift certificate on you computer for some kind of intangible present. Like a night of baby-sitting for your stressed out mom/friend/ex drinking buddy. Or walking your neighbor’s irritating yappy dog for a week, after all, they did invite to their country house. One year I worked a shift for my sister at the FFC (Fucking Food Coop), I think she cried. And I can’t believe I’m still a member but I’m addicted to the fabulous high-end well-priced cheese like drunken goats milk. Think about your loved ones and instead whipping out the plastic, think of more meaningful gift that won’t cost a dime and at least once a year, give of yourself.

Discount Store DIY Gift Baskets

So if you haven’t finished your Christmas shopping and have somehow managed to avoid the department stores and malls that are basically giving it away, don’t worry, there’s still time for good giftage. DIY gift baskets. I got the idea while climbing over the mounds of junk at Marshall’s. The place was like a war zone and looked like someone had thrown up discount merchandise all over the floor. Burp. As I elbowed my way through the aisles browsing stemware, picture frames, gourmet hot chocolate, cheese servers and other random assortments of close-outs, I thought how easy and cheap it would be to make baskets out of all this odd but somehow interesting stuff.

For your mixologist friend, get a shaker, a couple of martini glasses, fancy cocktail olives and small splits of gin and vermouth. Put it on a serving tray and wrap it up. For the chocoholic there’s all kinds of cocoa items, beans, bars and you can supplement with a few treats at the local purveyor like Jacques. For the cooks in your life, suck up because they feed you. Buy a colorful name brand stock pot and put in a ladle, assorted beans, French lentils and spices for a soup. For the bakers, start with a nice set of Pyrex mixing bowls, throw in a silpat, rubber scraper and sprinkles, imported vanilla or vanilla beans and other edible decorations. You can do the same for cakes by putting baking accessories in a decorative cake mold. These are just a few ideas but use your imagination and shovel through the crap and pull out the good stuff to use for gifts. And even if you throw in liquor or the occasional non-discount high end item, by getting the majority of things at the discount store, you’ll still keep it budget friendly and keep your friends.

Movie Review: Slumdog Millionaire

Frenetic, overhyped, engaging, visually stunning, manipulative… just a few of the adjectives I would use to describe Slumdog Millionaire. After a mega-publicity campaign and rave reviews I was already OVER the movie before even seeing it. Despite being billed as an independent movie, it’s not, and is really a big budget spectacle. The story is about a slumdog, named Jamal, a poor Chai Walla (tea runner) who somehow wins the top cash prize on India’s version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" The movie’s early scenes are meant to grab you by the throat as police chase street urchins, including Jamal as a boy, through the overcrowded alleys and markets of Mumbai……Cue the overturned carts and jumpy camera angles as you follow the pursuit. It’s this kind of filming where every shot seems over the top that detracts from the story line and the very original plot device that uses flashbacks to reveal how Jamal was able to answer questions. The story cleverly goes back and forth and shows the events that led him to know the answers. But the movie felt overblown and would have worked better if the action was ramped down. I would have liked a bit more restraint and subtlety instead of having nearly every scene climax with some kind of horror, blinding, other disfigurement, murder, kidnapping or rape. That said, the story was compelling, the acting was well done and believable and the lead actress Frieda Pinto is beyond beautiful.

Bargain Gift Giving Cookies, Fruit Compote and Vodka of Course

Giving great gifts doesn’t have to break your bank. Even on a budget you can still give nice presents and not totally lame garbage gifts that you put little thought and even less money into. For the holidays, I always like to go with two of my favorite things, eating and drinking.

First the eating. You cant’ go wrong with cookies, and since I’m an equal opportunity celebrant I make 2 different kinds of rugelach, (who knew I was Jewish?) Then I supplement with the family recipe raisin spice cookies and then maybe a hazelnut thumbprint. Cookies take about an afternoon to make and once you get the staples like butter, sugar and flour, are low cost and great for multiple gift giving. If baking is not your thing you can make sugared pecans, quick, easy and crackishly delicious. And if you have no interest whatsoever in turning on your oven, throw together some fruit compote which is essentially buying dried fruit and wine or brandy and putting it in festive jars.

For the grown and sexy/alcoholic friends make flavored Vodka that you'll put in decorative bottles to give now to drink later. It's totally cheap and easy since you can use a middle of the road vodka that you're gonna infuse anyway. For step by step insturctions you can check out the tutorial at Wired and there are also some other "recipes" for interesting combinations. My favorite is ginger vodka. Good chilled and a great mixer. And be creative and come up with your own special flavor fusion. But as much as I like swine, I might have to draw to draw the line at bacon flavored vodka.

Just say NO to Layaway

I don’t understand the concept of layaway. Or actually I do, just don’t know what it has to with the more contemporary methods of purchase that we have access to now. Back in the pre-plastic day, sure your mom marched over to A & S and put an Easy-Bake Oven aside for you and then religiously made payments so that on Christmas morning you’d get the big present you wanted along with Play-Doh and a Slinky. But in 2008, people have absolutely no business putting something on layaway. It’s no longer some cute notion of making a deposit and then every payday putting a little more towards the item until it’s paid off and you can actually take it home. Nope, it’s just a moonwalk back into some trifling old school kinda debt. It’s perfect for overextended greedy people who are addicted to material things and will not be deprived of the latest Xbox game, talking Elmo or designer du jour dress. Doesn’t matter that they don’t need it and can’t afford it, cuz if they really had to have that frivolous piece of crap they’d have already saved to buy it. Layaway is for suckers and just another hit on crack pipe of endless consumption. And as hard as it is, sometimes it’s best to just so no… at least to layaway.

Movie Review: Il y a longtemps que je t'aime/I’ve Loved You So Long

Sigh, that’s exactly how I feel about Kristin Scott Thomas and her ethereal beauty and wonderful acting in incredibly diverse roles. From the smart and sharp but uni-browed cousin in Angels and Insects, to the flawlessly French speaking lesbian in Tell No One, kiss kiss, I’ve love you so long. Here she plays the mysterious sister who’s been incarcerated for a terrible crime. When the movie opens, a shell-shocked Kristin (yes we’re on first name basis) moves in with her kind, do-good younger sister. She’s been banished from the family for 15 years and her arrival sets off a ripple throughout the family that causes shifts in relationships. Her painful, powerful presence ultimately propels them and her into deeper explorations and finally redemption and forgiveness. The movie is slow but engrossing and every one of Kristin’s gestures conveys a page worth of emotion. The supporting cast carries their weight and the contrast between the sisters is well drawn. The movie is not played for sympathy so it’s even more moving without adding unnecessary explanations or scenes meant manipulate the audience. I feel this movie has stayed a bit under the radar but is an unheralded gem that hopefully will get some love around the Oscars.

Skip The Post Office And Get ROKU It’s Netflix From A Magic Box

so I’m bit behind the curve on this but… Save money (kind of) by getting Roku, a Netflix player that streams movies directly to your TV or computer. Since I’m a techno retard I have now idea how this works or why it’s called Roku. I only know that by buying this "magic box" you can eliminate your mail carrier middleman and get movies delivered directly to your viewing outlet. At $100 and seems totally worth it and you can also buy a compatible but costlier TIVO or DVD player that connects with the service. Initially there were some complaints about the quality of the video, and for those electronic geeks I say, "get out of your mammas basement and get a life". And anyway, according to reports, the video quality and clarity have improved. This has something to do with the speed of your connection and the use of  "four dot" graphics and a granular meter and some other shit I don’t understand but feel free to research this further. The bottom line is that for the initial 100 large investment and a minimum one at a time $4.95 Netflix subscription you can have instant access to movies. Merry Christmas to ME!