January 2012
5 posts
“The reasons brainstorming fails are instructive for other forms of group work,...”
– The Rise of the New Groupthink - NYTimes.com
“Students said the banned books were seized from their classrooms and out of...”
– Tucson schools bans books by Chicano and Native American authors | the narcosphere
S&M Brady Bunch →
Dream posts suck, but when you have a disturbing dream involving a beloved sit-com family, you have to share it. This is almost as disturbing as the masturbating Uncle Joey dream.
Last night I…
“You can never underestimate that moment of somebody explaining your life to you,...”
– Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen in “Portlandia” : The New Yorker
December 2011
18 posts
Because you asked: How I moved I Will Dare to a... →
Warning, about 99.99% of you are going to want to skip this one. But for that teeny tiny percent of people who have self-hosted WordPress websites, this might come in handy.
So Bakiwop asked how I…
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2011-12-25) →
Dylan Hicks (30)
Willie Nelson (27)
Johnny Cash (19)
The Avett Brothers (17)
Patsy Cline (17)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
Nobody sees the negative stereotypes →
It’s ironic that a book about bullying can be so full of cruel, negative stereotypes that it verges on bullying itself.
Lucky Linderman, the teenage protagonist of A.S. King’s young…
Who needs SOPA when you have GoDaddy's shutdown... →
David Rusenko, co-founder of website hosting service Weebly.com, describes how GoDaddy wiped his domain name records, only restoring them after a phone call. All it took was a single…
My Christmas Wish 2011, for you, darling ones →
Here is what I wish for you, darling ones: someone who will change out of their pajama pants for you; a life full of hilarious serendipity, periods of time that are so full of fun and…
Some Pictures of Frank Silva I Like →
Frank Silva played BOB and died of complications due to AIDS in 1995.
Pancho & Lefty & Carl Perkins →
Before I begin, I must offer up an apology to my Aunt Eileen. When I was an annoying teenager who was into whatever one-hit-wonder band of the week was (Glass Tiger? Bananarama? Oran “Juice”…
Up before the coffee maker →
With Sister #4 taking up residence in my spare bedroom (which I used to call Paco’s bedroom because he liked to hang out in there but now he doesn’t because it gets too cat hairy and like I’m gonna…
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2011-12-18) →
Willie Nelson (21)
Patsy Cline (21)
Loretta Lynn (18)
Paul Westerberg (13)
The Avett Brothers (11)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
14 eclectic, bookish gifts →
Books are good — books are always good — but book lovers cannot live on books alone. Here is Jacket Copy’s eclectic list of gifts that aren’t books, but could please the bookish. Above,…
Ridiculously excited to give these gifts →
Have I mentioned lately how much I love The Black Sheep, my writing group formerly known as The Chicken Fingers? Not only do I love them for being obnoxiously smart, super supportive, and just…
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2011-12-11) →
Liz Phair (19)
The Cranberries (12)
Patsy Cline (10)
The Rolling Stones (8)
Johnny Cash (7)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
Chromey’s Complaint: On abandoning Portnoy →
Tonight when I turn in for bedtime reading I’ll be cracking open Anne Ursu’s Breadcrumbs instead of Portnoy’s Complaint by Philip Roth.
Why is this noteworthy? Because I am abandoning…
Breaking: Sebelius overrules FDA decision on... →
You have got to be kidding me:
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius overruled the scientists at the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday and refused to allow emergency…
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2011-12-4) →
The Jayhawks (56)
the bird and the bee (40)
Paul Westerberg (28)
Dessa (23)
Uncle Tupelo (11)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close: A Very 9/11... →
Here is the latest trailer for Stephen Daldry’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and it is one damp mess. Based on Jonathan Safran Foer’s 2005 novel, it’s got all the requisite benchmarks…
Give a man a bank and he can rob the world →
Over the past two days, I’ve seen this clever riff on the “give a man a fish” parable pop up over and over again on various social sites, primarily Twitter and Stellar: Give a man a gun and he can…
“I’m not a writer. I just drink a lot about it.”
– Dessa, “Mineshaft”
November 2011
18 posts
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2011-11-27) →
The Hold Steady (23)
The Mountain Goats (9)
The Mountain Goats & Kaki King (7)
Elton John (6)
Elvis Presley (2)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
Popular Mom-and-pop water purification business... →
Here’s a Mercury News profile of Bob Wallace, an 88-year-old chemist who started a very successful cottage business selling iodine crystals under the “Polar Pure” brand new, used by hikers and…
HAVE SECURED CONTRACT FOR BEATLES →
On May 9th of 1962, after many weeks of trying, Brian Epstein met with the A & R man at Parlophone — George Martin — for a second time, and played him some more material by The Beatles….
Awesome Musical Moments On 'The Muppet... →
In anticipation of the theatrical release of The Muppets , here are some awesome musical moments from the show. Elton John - Benny and the Jets Via: youtube.com Alice Cooper - …
Paul Westerberg: Empathy for all ages | Jim Walsh →
Paul Westerberg: Empathy for all ages
Photo by Stacy SchwartzPaul Westerberg, singing from the perspective of a variety of losers, loners and lost causes.
By Jim Walsh | Wednesday,…
Don Draper, 1927-2011? →
In a recent interview reported over at Grantland, Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner talked about how Man Men will end in its seventh season. “I do know how the whole show ends,” he told us. “It…
“Simultaneously, we realized the library was being destroyed. Helplessly we...”
– EMOTIONAL NIGHT IN LIBERTY SQUARE | Occupy Wall Street Library
Upside Down Rhino Was the Last of Its Kind... →
We all gasped in amazement at photos of a black rhinoceros being airlifted upside down to an area of South Africa where it stood a better chance at reproducing. Inconceivably, a new report…
Meet The Designer Behind David Lynch’s New... →
Call us crazy, but we’ve always thought it would actually be pretty cool to find yourself in one of David Lynch’s movies. And the scene in Mulholland Drive’s Silencio, when everything changes,…
McRibonomics →
This is likely the best piece you’ll read about the economics of the McRib and McDonald’s motivation in its periodic reintroduction. At this volume, and with the impermanence of the sandwich, it…
Oh Canada! Gift Guide for the Canada Lover →
Having spent significant hours at Canadian flea markets this fall, I have a new appreciation for Canadian home decor. Top on my list would be the larger than life size Mountie I saw in an…
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2011-11-6) →
Mike Doughty (60)
Matthew Sweet (30)
Elton John (22)
Pearl Jam (16)
The Shins (10)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
Rise of the Secularists: 1 in 4 Millennials Don't... →
For all the attention paid to religious zealots from America to the Middle East, there’s another religious trend that should perk our ears up: More young people than ever don’t identify with…
Newsletter: Week 7 →
Dear Hal and Orin,
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about adorable little mice. White pinched faces, whiskers and wormy tails. That cute little bitty foraging sound I used to hear as…
Everyone has to be a child →
Back in 1998, The Economist ran an article which resulted in a record amount of feedback for its author. The subject at hand was children:
For children, just like cigarettes or mobile phones,…
Alternative Literature →
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2011-10-30) →
Jeff Tweedy (68)
Son Volt (51)
Jay Farrar (Son Volt) (2)
Lifter Puller (2)
Elliott Smith (2)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
Looking for a scary story for this evening? |... →
Nice to see Blackbriar, the scariest book I ever read, make the list.
October 2011
28 posts
Why Your Race Matters on Ebay →
At the advent of the internet, proponents of the new technology cheered that the web’s anonymity would foster a world in which differences like gender and race would no longer matter. People…
Legacy funds for a Vikings stadium? I hope this... →
Legacy funds for a Vikings stadium? I hope this proposal isn’t serious
By Sheila Smith | Thursday, Oct. 27, 2011
Late last week a legislator floated the idea of using the Legacy Arts and…
The Self-Published Frenemy →
An animated self-published author wearing Groucho Marx nose glasses undermines a more legit writer in the funny-because-it’s-true video, I Self-Published Myself and You’re Jealous.
Amazing Photos From The Last Day On The Set Of... →
Today is the twentieth anniversary of the airing of the last episode of David Lynch’s wonderful Twin Peaks , and thus you should indulge in these awesome black and white pictures from the final day…
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2011-10-23) →
Wild Flag (99)
Matthew Sweet (11)
Elvis Costello (10)
Elvis Costello & The Attractions (5)
Spazzys (5)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
Behold the Prohibition Splendor of the New Great... →
Australian director Baz Luhrman, who never met a quick cut, flashing light, or Botox-deadened Nicole Kidman forehead he didn’t like, started filming his adaptation of The Great Gatsby in…
Elmo Dons Hipster Duds For Duet With Elvis... →
Oh man, I don’t know if I can handle the cuteness that is Elvis Costello performing alongside Elmo, who is dressed like Elvis Costello, glasses and all! (Now there’s a Halloween costume…