A+ FOR NETFLIX

This is how you announce your presence as a premium television content provider. (And this is also how you leave far more established networks like HBO and Showtime shaking in their boots, because they may have strength in numbers, but I promise this series will clean up later this year when the Emmys and the Golden Globes roll around.)

I started watching House of Cards on Netflix late last month and I burned through all 13 episodes in about a week. Even if Kevin Spacey wasn't one of my favorite actors and I wasn't a huge fan of everything David Fincher's put his hands on, I'm confident that I'd still be raving about this series. Kate Mara and Robin Wright play amazing female leads, and there are lesser known actors who absolutely nail their roles, playing complex but likable (and oftentimes maddening) characters who could just be someone you know.  Even though Spacey's ballsy yet flawed Frank Underwood addresses the camera directly (the way Carrie Bradshaw awkwardly did in season one of Sex and the City), it works brilliantly, and the little things he does are highly entertaining and noteworthy.  And yes, I'm talking about the backhanded commentary on adult men and their love for video games, specifically Call of Duty.

As a writer who is still trying to get a pilot picked up, it gives me some hope that the future of programming will be less about getting your script in the right hands at a network and more about outlets looking for fresh stories and new ways of telling them.  Imagine if DirecTV, Google and Facebook all had channels with 3-4 hit shows that are on par with current industry leaders, AMC, HBO, Showtime and FX? Can't wait to see what happens over the next few years...

WISH LIST TRIP #6

Ah, the powdered sugar sand and crystal blue waters of Phi Phi beach.

My boyfriend and I almost went to Thailand this spring, but our kitty has been very sick this year so we decided to cancel. But she's 100% better now, so who knows what's in store for the next year?

Other spots in my top ten list include Australia and New Zealand (package deal), Yellowstone, Kenya, Spain, Chile, Bolivia, Costa Rica and a return to Botswana.

NOT ASHAMED TO LOVE HER

The first time I saw Miley Cyrus at the some random upfront or TCA red carpet I didn't think, Wow, this kid is gonna be the next big thing...I just remembered that she had a pretty successful Disney show and a famous parent and moved on to the next semi-famous person in the press line. But flash forward six years and I've totally changed my mind about the 20-year-old starlet.

She may have initially hit it out of the park with the younger demographic, who, even though they're in the early 20s now, I will forever think of as high schoolers, but these days she's reaching a far bigger audience.  I grew up with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, and while I was never an open fan of either until I was out of high school, I secretly loved them. But now that Britney's lost her touch and Christina's gotten fat and drunk, who do I have? Miley. And if this new tune is any indication of what her forthcoming album will bring to the table, I'm buying it the day it comes out.

IF YOU'RE THIS DUMB, YOU DESERVE TO GET HIT

I bike without a helmet...when I'm biking on the bikes-only path by the beach where I live.  I don't bike anywhere else in LA, because there's no absolutely need to.  I either walk or drive and while it's nice that people are trying to be green and burn calories on their way to work, I'd never do it.  (Just like I don't wear Spanx...great idea, but not my thing.)

But if I did, I would most certainly wear a helmet every single time.  Unless you're an 11-year-old, it's not considered nerdy, it's considered smart.  So why is it folks like the gentleman above (picture borrowed from here) risk their lives (and me having to pay thousands of dollars in body damage from a possible accident) and do this?  Isn't this illegal?  I'd rather bitch about it on my blog than Google it.

THE THING ABOUT HASHTAGS

So many people bitch about the overuse of hashtags these days, but they fail to realize that by continuing to share images, videos and 140 character ramblings with everyone in their social network, they're only inviting more people to carry on with the trend. If you truly can't stand it, disable your Facebook account and don't follow 1400 fucking people on Twitter -- it's that simple!

One pal posted a meme the other day that read, "Friends shouldn't let friends use more than three hashtags," and another whined about the presence of hashtags on Facebook.  I never hashtag original Facebook posts, but I occasionally put Instagram snaps on Facebook, and the same thing can be done when you link your Twitter account to Facebook. (I thought this was obvious to everyone, but apparently not!) On Twitter I use hashtags for about 20 percent of my tweets, and I even then I only use one or two -- three max, and that's if I'm really being pushy. I can understand the rule of three for Twitter, but for Instagram I don't think there should be a cap on how many hashtags are "acceptable." And therefore, if I'm sharing an Instagram picture on Facebook because it's just too awesome not to, #STFU and #dealwithit. (Ok, I'll stop with that.)

And here's the thing: Hashtagging has everything to do with context and how you're trying to connect with people. For example, when I'm on Instagram, I like to upload photos I've taken both on my iPhone and my Canon 7D and tag them as #photography #nature #picoftheday #instagood #sunset #beach because I want people to see my shots, follow me and maybe pass them along somewhere else. Same goes for kitty pictures. I want to share them with other animals lovers, especially cat people, and more specifically cat people who have torties, because well, it's a thing. Read up on it.

I am fairly humble with my hashtagging when it comes to selfies, and the only time I ever really post photos of myself is if I'm having an amazingly good hair day (which is never) or if my last fifteen posts were of my cat and food and I'm feeling a little pathetic. Last month I uploaded a bunch of carefully posed self-portraits because I was trying to win an Urban Outfitters selfie contest, and a few friends gave me grief for it because they knew posting cell phone snaps isn't at all what I'm about these days. And I'm not. I'm close to 30, I'm aware that anyone can Google me, and I don't crave validation from random internet friends when it comes to my looks. Perhaps there is some pretty 18-year-old emo girl in West Covina with a nose ring and impossibly straight black hair who wants to feel loved so she's constantly posting pics of herself and sticking them with no less than fifteen popular hashtags, but my guess is she's not putting them in the ones that I check, so what do I care?  If getting 14 likes for her new lipstick is going to make her day, then let her have it.  My only issue is when people like that take over groups in which they clearly do not belong. Maybe miscategorization is simply the root of the problem?

There are even a few times where I (gasp!) don't stick a pound sign in front of anything, because really, there's no rule that says you have to hashtag. It just gets you shares and clicks and turns you onto other users, and who doesn't relish in a little digital love, especially when you can give and receive.  I've found some photos of puppies that have melted my heart, I consoled a new friend/fellow tortie owner whose cat isn't in the best of health, and I found an amazing weekly photo contest group where I'm proud to submit my work and thrilled to look at what other people are posting. That's what social media is about, and that was all made possible by hashtags. Well, properly assigned meta data tags, that is.

PERFECTION

I have a pair of Tory Burch Eddie flats in basic black lambskin, and they are hands down my favorite shoes ever.

They took a day and a half to break in, they go with everything and it really seems like they could last me a decade. If I had an unlimited shopping budget, I would have at least 5 pairs of these, because yes, they're really that awesome.

Last year they came in a rainbow of colors and finishes, and while I thought about buying a pair in pink and/or silver, I didn't need them, so of course I just stared at them online every day few days and drooled all over my keyboard.  Apparently this year they're coming out with new colors, so let the shoe porn continue...

THE BEST FX SHOW EVER

I love Sons of Anarchy and Justified, so that's really saying a lot.

After getting a peek at the first two teasers for the show in late 2012 I was very intrigued, and after watching the premiere and two episodes since then, I'm completely hooked.

The show is set in the 80s and it stars Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys as a pair of Russian sleeper agents in the United States, and after just three episodes this series has exceeded my wildest expectations. It's on the same level as the programming on HBO and Showtime, and I believe it rivals AMC's Mad Men and Breaking Bad, which have pretty much dominated the Emmys for the last few years.  Let's hope it gets some nods next awards season ... it's about time FX had a show that could compete with the other semi-premium cable networks.