Water for Elephants Review – 2011 Holiday Gift Guide

My first item to be featured in my 2011 Holiday Gift Guide is a wonderful movie that comes out on Blu-ray and DVD November 1st. Water for Elephants stars Academy Award®-winner Reese Witherspoon, Twilight’s Robert Pattinson, and Academy Award®-winner Christoph Waltz.

I’m one of those weird people who can’t read the book if I know a movie is coming out soon. I love watching movies almost as I love reading books, so when I heard there was going to be a film version of the romantic tale based on Sara Gruen’s New York Times #1 Best-Seller novel of the same name, I decided not to read the book until I watched the movie. I never saw this film in theatres, so when I was asked if I wanted to receive an advanced screener of the movie, I jumped on the chance to review it for my blog!

I watched this movie with my husband last Saturday night, after weeks of begging him to watch it with me. Of course, he assumed it was going to be a chick flick. Ha! I love it when I prove him wrong, because this movie was excellent, and we both loved it. I can’t be sure, but he might have even liked it more than I did.

Everything about the movie was wonderful–the set design, the costumes, the acting, the story, the cinematography, the stunts, and even the animals. Rosie the elephant has been a seasoned Hollywood animal actor for years, acting in movies such as Eat, Pray, Love, but she really shined in this movie once Robert Pattinson’s character Jacob, a young vet for a traveling circus, discovers she knows tricks in Polish. Reese Witherspoon does an amazing job doing her stunts, Pattinson reminds us he is a good actor (who can also manage a great Polish-American accent) long before the Twilight movies, and Christoph Waltz is a brilliant villian, as he was in Inglourious Basterds.

Water for Elephants isn’t just a period piece, or a love story about forbidden love, or just a simple drama. It is the gripping story of life during The Depression. Jacob, played by Pattinson, is a man lost and all alone, grieving over the sudden death of his parents. Jacob abandons his veterinary studies at Cornell University, and hops a train carrying circus performers. He manages to talk his way into getting hired as the The Benzini Brothers’ veterinarian, after pissing off and impressing the circus’ cruel owner, August. Life seems to blossom again for Jacob, as both he and the circus go on a bohemian adventure via rail. Jacob falls in love with Marlena, August’s wife and star of the show, and things really heat up for both of them, both off and on the floor of the big tent. I won’t tell you how the movie ends, but you know when a violent man has a wife in love with another man, and he owns a troubling circus and can no longer afford to pay his staff, trouble is sure to show up on-screen.

Pre-Order your DVD of Water for Elephants at Amazon now for $16.99.

Pre-Order your Blu-ray of Water for Elephants at Amazon now for $21.99

Visit FoxConnect.com to find out more about the film, or to pre-order your DVD or Blu-ray now.

Like Fox Connect on Facebook.

Follow @FoxHomeEnt on Twitter.

Enter to win your own copy of the DVD and Book at Team-Twilight.com.

The Flavorful Fire: Cholula Hot Sauce Review

Some people like it hot, and I’m one of them–especially when it comes to my food. I’ve been a longtime user of hot sauce, so when Cholula asked me if I wanted to review their 4 pack of hot sauces, I was thrilled. I’m the type of girl who enjoys eating a meal so hot that I have to drink a pitcher of water along with my meal. If my nose isn’t running, my food isn’t hot enough for me. You can call me crazy, but I just love hot, spicy and extremely flavorful food.

As you can see from my photo, I was sent a bottle of their Original Hot Sauce, their Chili Garlic Hot Sauce, their Chipotle Hot Sauce, and their Chili Lime Hot Sauce. I was so excited to try out all four of these hot sauces, so I decided to make veggie soft tacos for dinner, since I thought this was the perfect dish to try out all of these varied sauce flavors.

I started out with the Original Hot Sauce, which I have tasted in the past. Cholula describes this sauce as “all about Flavor, Fire and Fun. More than any other Hot Sauce, Cholula’s delicious blend of piquin peppers, chile arbol and signature spices enhances food flavors without overpowering them. It’s a combination that has defined Cholula as The Flavorful Fire. Cholula makes your enjoyment of eggs, omelets, soups, pizza, dips, appetizers, drinks – virtually all your favorite foods – a more festive experience you will want to share with others.” I thought the sauce had a little heat, but was sort of bland for my own personal taste buds. I would describe this sauce as the perfect introductory hot sauce for people who don’t like “hot” hot sauces. I’d use it again, but only if it was the only sauce available to me in a bar or restaurant.

Next, I tried the Chili Garlic Hot Sauce. I found it to be sweet, and it had a little more heat than the original brand of sauce. I liked it, as it enhanced the taste of all my vegetables in my soft tacos. I can imagine myself using it in a variety of main and side dishes, and it would be a good ingredient to any salsa. Cholula describes the sauce as “a garlic lover’s dream. Cholula Chili Garlic gives you the full benefit of  Cholula’s original Flavorful Fire complimented with an abundant presence of fresh, coarse ground garlic. It is an incredible flavor enhancement to pasta sauces, pizza, poultry, soups and anywhere you would enjoy a little garlic!”

Next, I tried the Chipotle Hot Sauce, which was my favorite of all the sauces sent to me. It was smokey, had more heat than any of the other hot sauces, and tangy. I’ve already used up half my bottle of hot sauce. I love this sauce, and will buy it in the future. Mmm. I’ll use it on or in anything. Cholula says this about the sauce, “Cholula Chipotle Hot Sauce featuring a savory blend of Cholula’s original “Flavorful Fire” and the smokey and slightly sweet flavor notes of real Chipotle peppers. It brings sensational new flavor to soups, ranch dressing, steaks, chicken and more.”

Then, it was on to the Chili Lime Hot Sauce, which, unfortunately, I didn’t like at all. I wouldn’t recommend it to you if you are like me, and don’t like overly lime-flavored sauces. I do, however, think it might be tasty in a few drink recipes, such as a Bloody Mary. Cholula describes the sauce, “Cholula Chili Lime Hot Sauce gives you all of what you love most about Cholula’s original Flavorful Fire but with the distinctively delicious, tangy hint of fresh lime. It’s a hot ‘n’ tangy flavor sensation that is incredible on tortilla chips, seafood, chicken, salad dressings and more.”

Visit Cholula.com to find out more information on their products, and to find some of their zesty food and drink recipes now.

“Like” Cholula on Facebook to get a $1 off coupon now.

Post Your Giveaway Linky

Welcome to my weekly Sunday Giveaway Linky post! You probably know how much I love hosting giveaways, which is why I decided to start my own Post Your Giveaway Linky. Make sure to check back each Sunday to find amazing giveaways to enter, or to list your own giveaways so my readers can enter them, too.

Want to grab my button, and help promote my own giveaway linky? Grab my button code:

<a href=”http://www.thegirlfromtheghetto.wordpress.com”
target=”_blank”><img alt=”TheGirlfromtheGhetto”
src=”http://thegirlfromtheghetto.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/tgftgbutton.jpg”/></a>

Or, just grab the link to the image:

http://thegirlfromtheghetto.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/tgftgbutton.jpg

RULES:

• To list your giveaway, only use this format: Blog name-Prize-End Date, ex: “TGFTG-Win a $50 Gift Certificate to HalloweenandCostumes-Ends 10/9.” I have and will delete your link if you don’t follow this format.
• Please link directly to the giveaway linky. Links to corporate websites, main blog pages, or non-linky pages will be removed immediately.

Click here to list your giveaway now. I use Mister Linky’s Magical Widgets.

Visit my List Your Giveaway Linky page for a complete list of other blogs who host giveaway linky’s on Sundays, or throughout the week.

ENTER MY CURRENT GIVEAWAYS:

Damned by Chuck Palahniuk Halloween Book Giveaway

An Hour in the Life of an Adult with A.D.H.D.

To explain the past hour of my life, I have to explain the last 24 hours. After being awake this entire time, I realized that at times, because of my prescribed and very necessary A.D.H.D. medication, I’m so buzzed with mental energy that it makes me feel crazy, because my arthritic hands and connective tissue diseased body can’t keep up with all the work my brain wants me to do. I literally forgot to even eat a meal, let alone all 3, besides my semi-healthy shake and 3 handfuls of Cheez-It Snack Mix, which I had around noon yesterday. And, I am not what you call slim–I look hungry. Even worse, I also forgot that it was my BFF’s birthday yesterday. And we’ve been friends since 1976.

So, early this morning, after hours of emailing companies to see if they’d like to donate to my 2011 Holiday Gift Guide, I thought it was time for bed. But I still couldn’t sleep, and I hate watching daytime t.v. My husband was listening to annoying-as-hell sports talk on the radio, so I had to hide in my bedroom. I picked up a book and started reading it, despite the fact that my prescription changed (2 months after getting new glasses, no less!) and I can’t see anything when I read, unless I hold it 2 feet away from my face. Which is hard to do when you have tendonitis. I haven’t been able to read in months, since my vision is also blurry nearly constantly, yet, I powered through and read 58 pages in an hour.

This is where things got tricky. After 1 hour of doing only one activity, my adult-induced A.D.H.D. had me go from happily reading a book, to all of the following in 1 hour:

• Getting up to go to the bathroom, to wash my face and pluck my eyebrows.
• Checking my personal email.
• Searching and applying for 2 jobs while I was on hold with my insurance company.
• Updating my entire medical coverage file.
• Creating an insurance profile online.
• Reading the rest of my personal emails.
• Organizing my email account.
• Double-checking to see if all my Mypoints purchases went through for the past 6 months.
• Teaching my hubby about our insurance coverage, since we have the stupidest insurance ever. (Note: we don’t have the stupidest coverage ever, but I sure feel like it is, since no one knows how to bill anything correctly.)
• Slightly organizing my desk in-box.
• Cataloging my progress in fixing 4,000+ digital photographs that I’ve taken over the past 2 years. Once they are fixed, they also need to be printed, so I spent a few moments trying to figure out that cost. ($360, if you are curious.)
• Then, I went on to Facebook to say what I did in one hour–and instead, decided to write this blog post.

This is how I roll most days of the week, most hours of a day. I never sit still, relax, or veg out in front of the tv. My life is a constant circle of doing many things at once all of the time. I’m so sick of it. I just want to finish my book by Joni B. Cole, but I still have to call my doctor’s office to make sure they bill my 3 hour A.D.H.D. test next week. Then I have to jump in the shower and go shopping. No time for sleep or eating.

So, make me jealous, and tell me how you spent an hour relaxing this morning. I need to live vicariously through your quiet morning, or, to laugh along with you if you are just like me–a little hyper and a little crazy. A.D.H.D. isn’t fun people, so if you wonder why your kids, husbands or wives still forget things even though they take the magic pills, I will tell you it is because the meds make a person so hyper focused they tend to forget normal things. Like eating, or remembering a friend’s birthday, or getting their hair cut. For the first time in my life, I’ve went 3 months without a haircut or highlight.

Damned by Chuck Palahniuk Halloween Book Giveaway

If you haven’t read my review of Chuck Palahniuk’s latest book, Damned, make sure to check it out here. I really enjoyed the book, and hope you will, too.

Since I have an extra ARC of this book, I thought I should give away my extra copy to one lucky reader.

DAMNED BOOK GIVEAWAY – 1 LUCKY WINNER

RULES:

**Open to Worldwide residents.

**No P.O. boxes, please.

**Do the mandatory entry and leave a comment, making sure to use a valid email address when you sign in. If you win this giveaway, you must respond to my email within 24 hours to claim your prize.

**All comments must be separate to count as separate entries. For example, if you follow me on Facebook and Twitter, leave 2 separate comments, one with your Facebook name, and one with your Twitter name. Or, if you posted about the giveaway on your blog, leave 5 numbered comments, all with a link to your giveaway.

**Please read the additional rules here.

HOW TO ENTER:

**Mandatory Entry: Follow me (GirlFrom TheGhetto) on Facebook. Make sure to leave your Facebook name in your comment.

+1  MORE ENTRY: Like The Girl from the Ghetto on Facebook.

+1  MORE ENTRY: Follow me on Facebook and share a link on your wall with the following comment I entered The Girl from the Ghetto’s Damned by Chuck Palahniuk Halloween Book Giveaway here http://bit.ly/umx8To. Make sure to leave a comment below with a link to your Facebook profile message, or at least with your Facebook name.

+1  MORE ENTRY: Friend request me on Goodreads.

+1  MORE ENTRY: Follow me (NerdGirlBlogger) on Twitter. Make sure to leave your @Twitter name in your comment.

+1  MORE ENTRY: Follow me on Twitter and tweet the following RT @NerdGirlBlogger to #Win the Damned by @chuckpalahniuk #Halloween #Book #Giveaway here http://bit.ly/umx8To. You can tweet 6x a day (Once every 4 hours) for even more chances to win. Make sure to leave a link to your tweet in a comment below.

+1 MORE ENTRY: Subscribe to my blog via email or Feedburner.

+1  MORE ENTRY: Add me to your circle on Google +.

+1 MORE ENTRY: Follow me on StumbleUpon. Make sure to leave me your name.

+1 MORE ENTRY: Rank me on Klout by giving me a K+ in Contests, Blogging, or another topic.

+1  MORE ENTRY: Subscribe to my YouTube Channel.

+1 MORE ENTRY: Enter one of my other giveaways and let me know which one you entered, by leaving a comment below.

+1 MORE ENTRY: Comment here and tell me why you need to win this giveaway. Do you love Chuck Palahniuck? What is your favorite novel of his? Is Fight Club one of your favorite movies, or, do you just love winning free stuff?

+5 MORE ENTRIES: Write about this giveaway on your own blog. Make sure to post a link to http://thegirlfromtheghetto.wordpress.com, and leave me 5 copies of your link via comment here.

Contest ends Friday, November 18, 2011 at 10 p.m.