BuzzSugar

Casa Quickie: Organic Bug Repellent

CasaSugar — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:00:51 PDT

As much as a I hate to have bugs in my personal space, I'm also repelled by having chemicals on my skin. I prefer to be free of those artificial substances whenever possible. When it comes to keeping bugs away, I live by the same rules. One simple way to make chemical-free bug repellent is to mix witch hazel with a few drops of tea tree, lavender, or peppermint oil in a spray bottle. Just shake the bottle before each use and lightly mist your skin, and you'll be free and clear of that bothersome buzzing. Voilà!

Cityslicker Reporter Not a Fan of Country Living

GiggleSugar — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 08:00:00 PDT

While this dude is on location and reporting on a high school tragedy, the unthinkable happens. A germy insect. Flies. Into his mouth. Gasp! And when the bug flies in, all of the mounting irritations and annoyances of the day fly out. Someone's clearly not a happy country camper. (Warning: Foul language up ahead!)

Cute Alert: Bug Says "Hi"

GiggleSugar — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 04:02:00 PST

Cute is not limited by size, apparently.

Source

What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday

BuzzSugar — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 10:29:16 PDT

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue.

Knocked Up
If you somehow missed one of this year's best comedies, now's your chance to laugh and cringe your way through Knocked Up, Judd Apatow's summer success. I absolutely loved this movie all about two unlikely lovers who suddenly find themselves pregnant after a one night stand. There's plenty of raunchy humor and disgusting/hilarious sight gags, but also a lot of warmth and heart.

And there are plenty of extra features, confirming my theory that the more popular the movie, the more extras on the DVD. Some of these include deleted and extended scenes, a gag reel, "Line-O-Rama" (lots of alternate takes) and audio commentary with Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen and Bill Hader, among others. Or, if you're the kind of Knocked Up fan who wants more, there's a 2-disc unrated "collector's edition" which boasts a variety of salacious goodies, like "Judd Apatow's Video Diaries," the raunchier deleted and extended scenes and a featurette of Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen wandering through Las Vegas titled "Stripper Confidential."

Two more new releases if you

read more Bug This horror/thriller from Exorcist director William Friedkin finds Ashley Judd playing Agnes, a lonely woman whose new man (Michael Shannon) becomes convinced that the government has injected live bugs into his blood. The play on which the movie is based is terrifying, so I can only imagine what Friedkin did with the film version.
"My Name Is Earl" - Season Two For all you "Earl" fans, here's another 4-disc DVD set for your collection. The discs include all the episodes from Season Two and a handful of extras, like a blooper reel, deleted scenes and audio commentary from various actors including Jason Lee, Giovanni Ribisi, Jaime Pressly and Amy Sedaris. According to TV Squad, who reviewed the DVD set, the commentaries provide little tidbits like "Paul the sleepwalking guy is played by an assistant director," and "Beau Bridges was bitten by a gerbil on the set." In addition, there is apparently a mock trailer for a telenovela version of the show called "Las Passiones De Catalina."

Movie Preview: Bug

BuzzSugar — Wed, 23 May 2007 07:58:09 PDT

Having seen the play on which Bug is based and knowing what Exorcist director William Friedkin can do, I'm curious to find out how Bug will adapt to the big screen. The story follows an ex-military man (Michael Shannon) and a lonely woman (Ashley Judd) as they become gradually convinced that their bodies are infested with bugs.

From what I remember of the play, the action takes place almost entirely in one room, and I've heard the same is true for the movie. This confinement works well on stage where, over the course of the play, the audience is dragged along with the characters on their descent into paranoia and madness. On screen, though, I wonder if the effect won't be too maddening. To watch the creepy trailer,

11 Rules to Dramatically Increase Your Productivity

Wise Bread — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:35:04 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart Wise Bread story here on Savvy!

There's a problem with a lot of productivity advice out there, and it's this - your "rules" for personal productivity are often going to be different than mine. Sure, sometimes there's overlap. Sure, you can always learn from others.

But if you want to see a dramatic increase in your productivity, spend less time reading and memorizing other people's rules, and more time figuring out what your own rules are. You'll be more productive and in a way that works with who you are.

So I'm sharing a few of my personal productivity rules. Maybe some of them will work for you or inspire you to think of your own.

1. Small Daily Movements Become Big Accomplishments

I tend to think that I must have big blocks of time in order to get any forward movement. So I hesitate and procrastinate, waiting for that "open time" when I can really push and get a lot done on whatever the current project is.

Turns out, that's a waste of time. Small daily movements add up. It's just that the movements or steps themselves are so small, I think they don't count. They do.

I have to constantly remind myself that I don't need a whole day or a whole week to devote to some project. I just need to take the 10 or 20 minutes I have here and there and use them. I need to achieve a little bit of forward movement every day. That adds up, and it builds momentum, and pretty soon there's been quite a lot accomplished.

For more rules, read after the jump.

5 Reasons Not to Skip Winter Farmers Markets

Lizzie Fuhr — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:24:23 PST

I know, it's really cold outside. But the shift in weather is no excuse to shift your diet away from local, sustainable, fresh food! You may not get to wear shorts and a tank, but making a trip to a farmers market is just as productive an excursion in the cooler months as it is in the hot Summer sun. Are you picking up what I'm putting down? Here are five reasons you shouldn't skip farmers markets in the Winter.

A little green goes a long way. While the chilly weather and lack of sunshine is bound to affect your mood, you'll be feeling recharged after you head to a farmers market, in all of its colorful Winter splendor. As I've said to myself: a little green goes a long way amid all the gray.
Try out new fruits and veggies. Even if the farmers market doesn't have what I'm looking for, it always proves to be a great experience: you're forced to think outside your typical box and pull for fruits and vegetables you might not have been exposed to before. If you've moved to a new city or are living in a different climate, getting to a farmers market is an awesome way to see what your new region has to offer your taste buds. Who knows? Maybe you'll find your new favorite nosh.

Keep reading for three more reasons why you shouldn't skip Winter markets.

Did You Get More Bug Bites While Pregnant?

Rebecca M Gruber — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 05:27:44 PDT

Is a pregnant woman's skin sweeter than others? It's quite possible that it is!

Last evening a vacationing Tori Spelling tweeted, "Liam helped me count my bug bites... 62 BITED in 3 days! NO JOKE! Guess these island bugs love some pregger skin!" Her tweet reminded me that I experienced something similar when I was expecting, and just hadn't mentioned it to anyone.

A quick search of the web proved that there is a link between the two. According to WebMD:

"Mosquitoes can smell their dinner from an impressive distance of up to 50 meters . . . This doesn't bode well for people who emit large quantities of carbon dioxide. 'Any type of carbon dioxide is attractive, even over a long distance,' [Joe] Conlon says. Larger people tend to give off more carbon dioxide, which is why mosquitoes typically prefer munching on adults to small children. Pregnant women are also at increased risk, as they produce a greater-than-normal amount of exhaled carbon dioxide. Movement and heat also attract mosquitoes."

Did you experience anything similar, and how did you treat them?

How Social Media Can Help You Score That Dream Job

Emily Co — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:28:47 PST

When you think you've exhausted all your job options, the worst thing to do is to wait it out. There are always ways to get to where you want to be, and you just need to think outside of the box. Even just a single tweet might be the trick you need to get the job of your dreams.

Companies are now interested in more than just your résumé. They are also sizing up your LinkedIn accounts, video profiles, and presence on other social-media platforms. In fact, there are plenty of people who have successfully tried social-media-savvy ways to get a job when the traditional route has failed. One example is Matthew Epstein, a job hunter who invested $3,000 in a flashy website and video to capture the attention of Google. Through his campaign (that went viral), he managed to score interviews with Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, as well as capture the media attention of CNN and TechCrunch. He did, in the end, land a job of his dreams, although it wasn't a Google job. Hanna Phan, a freelance presentation consultant, is another person who got a job through social-media efforts - she created a 90-second slideshow with SlideRocket and tweeted it to the firm's CEO. The head of the company was impressed, and she received a job offer.

If you want social media to be part of your job-hunting arsenal, keep these tips in mind:

Don't be the jack of all trades: Don't spread yourself too thin and try to hop onto every social-media bandwagon. Instead, channel your energy toward three or four platforms and try to develop them as best you can. Choose from accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr, and YouTube, to name a few.
Be creative: A ton of people are on Twitter and Facebook, so you need to think of ways to separate yourself from the others. You can brainstorm unique angles and ideas with friends and look at past examples of what people have done. Perhaps you can come up with a YouTube video or a Tumblr blog that will go viral and capture people's attention. Think of current events and how you can capitalize on them.
Don't be a pest: Finally, you need to be cautious of bugging people on the web. Be smart about how you reach out to people, and don't keep bothering them if you don't hear a response.

Fashion Week Prep: 10 New York Shows We're Excited to See!

Marisa Tom — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:01:24 PST

With New York Fashion Week kicking off Feb. 9, there's certainly excitement in the air at the FabSugar headquarters. From which designers will bring it this season, to speculating which celebs will make the most front row appearances, to how we'll maximize our Winter wardrobes to complement a very frenzied show itinerary, we've been bitten by the "fashion month" bug. While there's still a little less than two weeks to go, it's time to get things officially started with a roundup of the New York City-based Fall '12 shows that our Fab editors are most excited about. Click through to find out which designers have us on the edge of our seats with anticipation - and tell us the shows you're most looking forward to in the comments!