antimeria

I realize I don’t write many unabashedly uplifting posts, so here is a list of five things that made me happy recently:

1. My friend J-Wy got into MICA, and will be living with me for a few weeks. Sorry if that ruins the surprise for people she hasn’t told yet.
2. These messenger bags made from life jackets. If I could wear yellow, I would be all about it. I can’t, so I bequeath this to you.
   Update: It is €129. So, never mind.
3. Darkon. Less than five minutes in, there are night/dark elves. Talking in an elf-language. Wearing blackface. And then it gets legitimately touching, and pretty good. Worth watching.
4. Finally, proof that guinea pigs can code.
5. Getting paid. Paychecks are tremendous, but direct deposit rules the schools.

Because Eamonn asked about podcasts he should check out, here are five I listen to:

1. Stuff You Should Know. A podcast about random cool things, like ninja and crazy government experiments.
2. Uhh Yeah Dude. A news and comedy podcast by two guys in LA. Jonathan is a vegan and recovering rasta, and Seth has some neatness issues and watches a lot of TV. It reminds me vaguely of Car Talk, if Click and Clack talked about jerking off.
3. Fresh Produce. Essentially a radio show, with a mix of deep cuts and current hits and remixes. Pain in the ass to find on iTunes, though.
4. Savage Love. A lot of people probably know this one already, but other people’s sex questions are funny.
5. This American Life. Pretty sure everyone knows about this show, but it’s still worth mentioning.

Anything else I should be listening to?

In no particular order, five people my age (+/- a few years) who make me feel embarrassed about my accomplishments thus far:

1. Randall Munroe (25), xkcd creator, former NASA contractor, and giver of talks to Google.
2. Ezra Klein (25), political blogger for the Post and American Prospect.
3. Jared Allen (27), all-star defensive end, hunter, and mullet connoisseur.
4. A-Trak (27), world champion turntablist, Kanye West tour DJ, and record label owner.
5. The xx (20), an incredibly- (and deservedly-) hyped band composed of kids who can’t legally drink at their US shows.

As an aside, when looking up Hot Chip’s frontman Alexis Taylor, I discovered the following:

Yes, it’s almost a month into 2010, and no, I didn’t actually write anything about the albums. Also, I didn’t capitalize the list, since it was a work in progress. You could say I dropped the ball on this one. On the other hand, I will take the time to link to the Lala album page and include a sample track from each (Update: This obviously took a lot longer than capitalization would have. So, you’re welcome). List after the jump:
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In order of intensity, a (mostly unhealthy) list of things I want to consume in Chicago:

1. the $225, 29-course “Tour” at Alinea
2. Hot Doug’s Fuck, they are closed the entire time I’ll be there.
3. New Glarus Fat Squirrel
4. Chicago-style pizza
5. anything at Kuma’s
6. Italian beef