The Ramones CD box set - In a better world these guys would have had the Stone's career. -posted 4.29.04

The Discovery Channel's Animal Face-Off - On this amazing show, scientists, zoologists, animators, engineers, and others gather to theoretically discuss and then build computer animated models and physical models of animals in mock battles. The first episode featured a saltwater crocodile going up against a great white shark. There have also been face-offs with an African elephant vs. a white rhino and a wolf vs. a cougar. It's wonderful, educational and silly nonsense. Highly recommended. -posted 4.29.04

FrontPage magazine.com - One of the leading conservative online magazines, edited by David Horowitz, one of my e-mail pen pals. It's smart, insightful, and often hilarious and infuriating for a commie bastard like me. After September 11, 2001, I made the decision to read and listen to voices outside of my political tribe. I disagree with about 90% of what shows up on this site, but I find I learn more about myself and the world when I find something I agree with. -posted 4.29.04

Dawn of the Dead - I was shocked at how exciting this movie was. I was expecting to be disappointed, because I'm a huge fan of George Romero, writer and director of the original. The remake lacks the original's social satire, but has much more action. It's shot and edited in a 1970s sort of action way, rather than an MTV jump-cut style. -posted 4.29.04

Queer Eye for the Straight Guy - Sure Carson is the funniest, but I think Kyan has the most soul. Interesting how the most beautiful one seems to have the deepest spirit as well. Or, maybe I just think that because he's so damn cute! -posted 4.29.04

The Mysterious Bookshop -posted 4.29.04

Nate Robinson of the UW Huskies – a 5-foot-9 point guard who can dunk like a maniac. The Huskies win over Stanford was one of the most inspirational athletic events I've ever seen. -posted 3.11.04

24 Hour Party People – I’d forgotten how much I loved Joy Division until I saw this movie. Now I’m obsessed with late 70s, early 80s punk/unclassifiable music. Hüsker Dü’s “Could You Be The One?” is the greatest rock song ever, or maybe the second best. -posted 3.11.04

George Harrar’s The Spinning Man is a murder mystery involving a philosophy professor who is obsessed with Wittgenstein. It is a linguistic thriller. -posted 3.11.04

Elephants – Late one night I watched 15 minutes of a National Geographic special on elephants. It showed a mother elephant near her dead calf, and continued to focus on her as she stayed by her calf for six days before the elephant herd she was with intervened and pulled her away. A year later the mother and her herd returned to the same location, where she found her calf’s bones and then stayed near the bones for three days. After three days the herd had to pull her away. On a related note, this reminds me of the book The White Bone by Barbara Gowdy, which is an interesting anthropomorphic tale about elephants. -posted 3.11.04

The San Juan Salsa Company's Fresh Ground Corn Tortilla Chips, made in Arlington, WA - The round ones with the sesame seeds are amazing. I cannot tell you how much I love tortilla chips in general and these ones in particular. I am obsessed with tortilla chips. My wife won my heart because she loves tortilla chips almost as much as I do. Sometimes our pillow talk consists of nothing else but tortilla chip comparisons. -posted 2.24.04

A.E. Stallings's poetry collection Archaic Smile: She's a formalist. Because I've been writing more formal poetry, I've really been reading a lot of formalist poets, and A.E. Stallings is one of the best. The formalist poets I like most are the ones who sound informal, like Stallings. But above all else, she just writes great love poems. -posted 2.23.04

I thought this NBA Slam Dunk contest was the best ever, not because of the successful dunks, but because of the glorious failures. Foolish ambition is a beautiful thing. -posted 2.23.04

Collin Harrison's new mystery The Havana Room is amazing. The first ten or so pages were so damn frightening and bloody tragic that I had to put the book down for a week before I could return to it and finish it. He's one of the most unheralded great writers we have. I want to write the kind of mysteries he does, but with a lot more Indians and a lot fewer art dealers. -posted 2.23.04

Cabin Fever - I watched this really gross horror movie recently. It's scary, funny, and a spoof on 70s horror films. How could you not love a movie with a seven-year-old blond, hillbilly, karate expert. It's not for the squeamish. There are great sex scenes that are there for a purpose, without objectifying women. -posted 2.11.04

The White Stripes and OutKast performances at this year's Grammy's were the most electrifying and wonderful. Jack White's pants were way too tight. And OutKast has invented the black, hip-hop, rap day-glow Indian. I knew Hey Ya was a powwow song. The countdown has begun for the first genuine Indian rock star. Some seven-year-old Indian girl is dancing to Hey Ya right now, thinking fusion, fusion, fusion. -posted 2.11.04

As a Sonics season ticket holder, I recently got a Sonics Rubik's Cube, and I'm addicted again. But I can only get it about two-thirds complete. I don't remember the math. If you haven't tried it recently, you should go buy one now. Rubik's Cube is a great on airplanes. It's a great conversation starter for single geeks. You may be able to introduce yourself to another single geek. -posted 2.5.04

Treed Murray on DVD - It's an interesting film about a businessman who gets trapped in a city park tree by a gang. It's slightly politically correct (Are there really multiethnic street gangs roaming the streets of Toronto?), but the film is fairly suspenseful, and contains one truly terrifying scene. -posted 2.5.04
A favorite Web site for cheap designer clothes - bluefly.com. -posted 2.5.04

The Believer published by McSweeney's. Yeah, they're a bunch of elitist assholes, but they're smart, talented, and passionate elitist assholes. This may be the best lit magazine in the country. -posted 2.5.04

I've been watching the first season of Curb Your Enthusiasm, from the creator of Seinfeld, on DVD. It's better than Seinfeld, because you don't have to censor yourself on HBO. -posted 2.5.04

Lost In Translation - Yeah, I know everyone knows it's good, but go see it again and watch for Bill Murray's improvisations. He should probably get partial credit for the screenplay. And I think Sofia Coppola is going to be better than her dad. -posted 2.5.04
I love Fantagraphics, and especially the comics by artist Jason. If I could marry a comic book and have its children, I'd marry all of these and commit graphic polygamy. -posted 2.5.04

Steve Turner's "Searching for Melody" - This is Turner of Mudhoney's solo album. It's great, great, great, and I have it in constant rotation. I've actually left my house to go to the office just to listen to the CD and then go back home. -posted 2.5.04

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