Quick note before I get started: I shared a workspace with one man and three women, and we sat across from the women's bathroom. Whenever one of the women came back to our office after spending more than a couple of minutes in the bathroom, I was always tempted to ask, "You just take a shit?"
One more quick note: Spencer wants to create an app that lets users listen to readings of articles like the ones I'm about to link to. Part of me thinks the writers would be willing to read them for free if they knew the app had a lot of users.
One more: Governor Quinn will sign the Illinois medical marijuana bill today. According to the article it's the strictest medical marijuana law in the nation, but it goes on to say that a person can be prescribed 2.5 ounces in a week. (To put that in perspective: if someone gave me 2.5 ounces of weed, I'm pretty sure I couldn't finish it in two weeks even if I dedicated every waking moment to smoking.)
Ok, on to the list:
Reading options:
Oral history of the Sopranos - a must read for Sopranos fans.
(While finding that link, I read this op-ed about the Anthony Weiner sexting scandal. I'm sure politicians from generations past were equally perverted (if not far more perverted) than Weiner, but there was no cyber-trail to catch them. So what does the modern day pervert-but-potentially-effective politician do? I think the answer is to embrace it. [I'm calling Weiner a pervert because I think his exhibitionism qualifies as a perversion; whereas Elliot Spitzer is merely a man with lack of self control {a hypocrite, but a man.}]
In his next press conference, Weiner should take the podium and say, "Look, I get off from lewd cyber-flirting with strangers. It takes up a small part of my day---no less than the average man probably spends masturbating---and no one is getting hurt, and it certainly doesn't effect my job in any way. I'm happy to answer any questions."
And then his wife should go up there and say, "He's an intelligent and fun companion, he's a good dad, he's always provided for our family, he doesn't have any substance abuse problems, and he's never verbally or physically abused me. Every man has faults, and if my husband's biggest fault is an obsession with sexting strangers,,, obviously I'm not thrilled about it, but given all the other things that are wrong with men, I'm happy with what I've got. He doesn't owe me any apology."
And because he doesn't approach it this way, I wouldn't vote for him.)
This is a nice little glimpse into the world of competitive eating - "The truth is, rarely have I done a story about something that's so utterly, existentially pointless and so emblematic of the American tendency to go way too far."
Oral history of Cheers. Highly recommend this if you're a Cheers fan.
I added this story about the bacteria in our bodies to my reading list a while ago and didn't expect to finish it, but it kept me hooked throughout and I've probably thought about it more than anything else I'm going to put on this list.
I read Friday Night Lights while working the weekend. Can't believe I'd gone so long without reading it. He spent a lot more time on economics and politics than I expected.
If you were a pro-wrestling fan in the 80's and early 90's (as I was) and are troubled by the plight of aging pro-wrestlers (like I am), you'll want to read this story about Diamond Dallas Page's efforts to rehabilitate Jake "The Snake" Roberts and Scott Hall. (and you have to watch the first two embedded youtube videos.)
If you're into Mt. Everest stuff like I've been since reading Into Thin Air, you might also like this article about Sherpas on Mt. Everest. It's the classic economic dilemma: on one hand the article paints Sherpas as tragic figures forced by westerners to do extremely dangerous work for a pittance; but on the other hand they're choosing to do the work because it pays 10x more than they could make doing anything else in rural Nepal (is "rural Nepal" redundant?) Everest climbing has become big business, and Sherpas are absolutely necessary to the expeditions, so an enterprising American needs to go out there and unionize the Sherpas. Who's with me?
(the part about how much the Llama's charge for funeral prayers bothered me.)
I like Jhumpa Lahiri's fiction, so Brotherly Love got the job done for me. (If you're new to her stuff, I wouldn't start with that story---I'd start with this book of short stories.) (if anyone reads Brotherly Love and wants to quickly discuss the end, let me know.)
(I have only read her short stories. I was going to buy her novel The Namesake a couple of years ago, but her photo on the back cover was so over-the-top that I actually decided not to buy the book, despite having read and enjoyed her two books of short stories!!) (True Story.) (I think it's the only time I've ever done that.)
Here's the picture:
(I'm sure I'll read it at some point, but I just couldn't bring myself to pay for a book whose author allowed that picture to go on the back cover.) (Maybe I'm overreacting.) (I'm probably overreacting.)
Music: This was supposed to be a typical pretentious reviewer doing a profile of Fiona Apple to promote her latest album. I almost stopped reading it after a couple of paragraphs, but it gets interesting. (it left me with one question.)
Poker: This is a good story about gambling addiction. Reading about poker hands never gets old.
Sports: This one about Tracy McGrady was probably my favorite sports read of the last two weeks.
Politics: Here's a nice little Biden 2016 puff-piece. The guy has been a senator longer than he's not been a senator, and that leads to some quirks.
Economics: I'm interested in the idea of measuring wealth, but reading about economics is like a never-ending argument. The best way to tell that someone's economic theory is incorrect is by how certain they are it's correct. This profile on an economist's pessimistic view isn't great, but it's another example of subjectivity in the field.
I avoid movie/book reviews. I was considering reading this book, but feel like I got the gist from this review.
Here's a good one about social media (and conventional media) blowing the Steubenville high school rape case out of proportion.
Federer as a Religious Experience is seven years old, but I read it for the first time before starting this last project. Highly recommend it. Do not skip the footnotes. (someone needs to compile the best David Foster Wallace essays for people not interested in literary criticism.)
Best stuff I watched on Netflix instant-view:
Shut Up and Play the Hits - If you like LCD Soundsystem, you have to watch this. (and tell me what you think.) It's a documentary about their final show. More than half of it is footage from the final show.
After watching the first half at the end of a workday, I came home and told Cindy about it and her immediate response, was, "Eh, he'll be back, he was probably just calling it their last show for hype."
After watching the rest the following morning, I think she might be right. James Murphy says he quit because of a combination of: 1) fear of failing to top his previous work, 2) not wanting to tour, 3) not wanting to become a recognizable celebrity. Makes sense. I believe it all, and I'm sure he does too. BUT he's only 43. If you're an artist, you're not going to lose the urge to create. It's not like LCD Soundsystem was a big collaboration that can't be held together. It was Murphy in a studio by himself writing songs and playing every instrument. And he's a highly intelligent and extremely ambitious man who knows this. I wonder if subconsciously he just wanted to take a long break from the pressures of putting out new albums as LCD Soundsystem and decided that by calling this his "final show" he'd explain his impending hiatus while selling out Madison Square Garden and enjoying a little bit of glory in the process.)
The Fall - Hambone recommended this, first season is five one-hour episodes. Crime drama, set in Belfast. I found it compelling enough to watch all five episodes in a ten hour stretch of work. (And if you like the psyco-sexual-crime-thrillers, try Durham County too. I watched all three seasons in a week at work a few years ago.)
The Great Happiness Space - I had never heard of Japanese host clubs, now I have. And I'm not going to forget about them anytime soon.
Woody Allen: A Documentary - If you like Woody Allen but for some reason haven't seen this; stop what you're doing and watch it now.
Haywire - I had no idea what this was about, I just trusted Stephen Soderbergh. You may not find yourself reflecting on it ten years from now, but it's entertaining.
Mad Men Season 5 is on instant view. If you haven't watched it; watch it. If you have watched it; re-watch it.
Quick Bachelorette Note: I've been watching. It's oddly compelling. It's completely ridiculous, but compelling.
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