Books by the Dozen.

I have constructed a list of "essential books" that I need to add to my collection and have realized that it is fiscally impossible for me to do so via Amazon or Borders or the likes...

I have therefore started hitting thrift store after thrift store (pounding the pavement as they say) in search of the books on my list. Today, I was able to cross three off my list thanks to thrift store in Belleville, Illinois owned by a friend of mine's brother. I was able to secure each book for a staggering two quarters a piece. I have realized this is the only way to buy books anymore; classics anyways. Sometimes you can even find affordable first editions.

Tomorrow, I will post the list.

Change. Is Our Responsibility.

For those of you that try to remain current, like I try to do, on the happenings of the United States we are probably all too familiar with the the current laundry list of ailments that plague this nation. An outdated infrastructure, a trillion dollar deficit on top of our calamitous debt, a poorly regulated health care system, an elite that is growing wealthier, a middle-class that is growing poorer, an ongoing war in the graveyard of empires, a global climate issue which is approaching irreversible, a sensationalist media (and public), and a democratic system that I believe does not allow for our elected representatives to address these long-term issues.
I, probably like you, understand the enormous undertaking our generation is going to have to take to resolve at least a handful of these problems, but I, probably like you, have done very little, if anything to address them. We live in a generation of bloggers, talking heads, inter-connectivity to the highest extent, and in short, brevity (Twitter forces us to summarize our actions in 140 characters or less.) We can analyze and discuss until we are blue in the face but what does that change? I don't have the answers to any of these great questions but I'm positive that we do. I don't have any of the solutions to these great problems, but I"m sure one of us will.
Last November I drove to the Obamapalooza rally in Grant Park. Grown men hugged, elderly women cried, college students sang and danced, and we were excited. I think we realized, far too quickly, that one person, one name, one hope cannot change a system two centuries old, but we can. This great nation is ours to inherit, but so are the problems.

Up in the Air at the Moolah.

Last night, my entire family (on my mother's side) ventured out to the Moolah theater off Lindell in St. Louis (if you have never been it comes with my highest recommendation because I looove drinking beer while watching a movie) to watch the new Jason Reitman film, Up in the Air. If right now you are wondering why my entire family, including grandmother, went to see a movie together it was because my uncle has a short role in it. (In the youtube trailer up top he is the smiling Joe at 27 seconds.) Anyways, the movie was charming, funny, everything it was supposed to except it had a fairly odd ending. An ending that everyone I went with didn't seem to enjoy. Don't get me wrong the movie was very good, but in the last 20 minutes fell just short of being great. I bet it will be nominated for an Academy Award now that they expanded the Best Picture category nonetheless.
One of the highlights of the night was trying the Samuel Smith's Organic Lager, which was delicious. One of the lowlights was getting shalacked at darts.

MTV's Joisy Sho is Grade A Trash TV.

Popped off t-shirts, wannabe pornstars, and a man named "The Situation" make MTV's second episode of Jersey Shore as compelling as the two-hour premiere. Angelina, the house's self-proclaimed cock-blocker, made an early exit when she was fired from her job after her married boyfriend decided to break it off. The teaser for the next episode highlights a girl in the house getting smoked in the beak, more hot tub hookups (which has to be littered with bacteria unknownst to most), and lots of other drama. With my Thursday night lineup of The Office and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia ending their seasons tonight Jersey Shore just climbed to the top of my TiVo queue.

Uruguayan Director to Attack Hollywood.

The Uruguayan Transformers. This short is disgustingly awesome. Feda Alvarerz was recently flown from his native Montevideo to Hollywood to sign with one of the biggest agents on the planet and also signed on to do a film for horror king Sam Raimi's production house. Here is his five minute opus of destruction:

Ryan Gosling's Dead Man's Bones music video.

This is the second video put out by Ryan Gosling's surprisingly stellar musical outfit Dead Man's Bones.



And a little bonus taste.

Top 10 Beers. (In my humble opinion.)

10) Pabst Blue Ribbon is wonderful beer that is not too filling. PBR is in the same vein as other low priced Americana brands like Stag and Rolling Rock. My favorite part of PBR is it is often served in cans, even though you will only find it in your local dives or expensive hipster joints. Pabst is sort of like the ugly girl at the party, the more you drink the more appealing it becomes. Its cheap, relatively light (130 calories), and smooth.



9) Sapporo, is a Japanese beer but imported by a Canadian company, something you're probably more than familiar with you're a fan of sushi or Saki-bombs. Sapporo has a distinct ricey flavor but is incredibly smooth and very easy to drink. The beer compares in flavor level with Coors Light but avoids the all too watered down taste of most American lights. Sapporo is available at most Eastern restaurants and respectable beer based bars.


8) Scape Goat is a Pale Ale, brewed by the Montana based micro brewery Big Sky. The beer is a golden amber color. The hops are definitely present in both the hops and the taste but pleasantly so. This is not a beer recommended for big fans of light beers and is not very easy to find at your local tavern. Scape Goat is my favorite American Pale Ale.


7) Samuel Smith's India Ale is a tradition English Indian Pale Ale with a light hoppy taste and much much smoother than most American beers of similar sort. The beer is an excellent introduction into the world of IPA's. The one big complaint about this great beer is its insanely high price. This is one of my favorite English beers but I do reserve for at least somewhat special occasions. Samuel Smith's products are pretty easy to find at any higher end liquor store or restaurant.

6) Guinness Dry Stout is incomparable and delicious. The dark, frothy, beverage is milky and smooth going down. The beer itself is an Irish landmark. Nothing beats a shot of Jameson chased with a cold pint of Guinness.







5) Stella Artois, brewed by the Belgian/Brazilian company inBev which recently purchased Anheuser-Busch, is one of the most recognizable beer brands on the planet. The beer is best served in the 11.2 ounce chalice which feels more like a wine glass. Stella is a light beer and a little bit dry. The smooth bitter aftertaste is very refreshing. Stella is a pretty easy beer to find due to its popularity on tap or in the bottle but for the full experience order it in the chalice out of a tap.



4) Budweiser, The King of Beers, is certainly not the richest tasting beer around but an American classic and a beer you can find anywhere. A light taste and a grainy aroma are the signature of this chuggable winner. If low on money or unable to make a decision this is always a great go to beer. (It is unfortunate however, that this American classic now falls under the same corporate flag as the likes of Stella Artois and Brahma though.)


3) Sierra Nevada Kellerweis Hefeweizen is my favorite brew from the Sierra Nevada brewhouse as well as my favorite Hefeweizen. The beer has a full, slightly tangy taste. This is followed by a spicy aftertaste. A very thick, but easy drinking beer. For a non Hef drinker this is an ideal beer to get started. This is not an annual beer and can only be found at seasonally, mostly winter months.


2) Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout, is the British brewers second beer on my last and it just as easily could have four or five. The Imperial Stout is a very dark brown, almost black thicker brew with a rich taste of chocolate and a slight coffee-like aftertaste. The beer goes down exceptionally smooth and much creamier than the other dark beer on the list (Guinness.) This is not the beer I order when I plan on having more than a handful of beers though.

1) Fat Tire Amber Ale is the flagship beer of the New Belgium Brewing Company based in Colorado. The beer is slighty dry but full of flavor. This is one of the best barbecue beers in the world and is dangerously refreshing on a hot summer day. Even the label makes you think of a better time.

MTV takes Real World to Joisy.

Jersey Shore is by far the most exciting original programming they've debuted since the inaugural season of the Real World. Far from an eclectic cast is assembled, all of them being self-proclaimed "guidos" or "guidettes," but nonetheless, it makes for more than intoxicating viewing.
There are eight members of the house all originating from outside of the Jersey Shore. Almost all of the Cast Members also have self-proclaimed pseudonyms.
The Boys:
Mike "The Situation" - "The Situation" is a sort of double entendre which is the name of both Mike, and Mike's abs. By far the most interesting MTV cast member in years "The Situation" is able to break Jersey Shore rule #1 within the first 20 minutes of the two hour special by falling in love with a roommate.
Ronnie - Unfortunately, Ronnie doesn't have a nickname but he is built like a brick shithouse and coined one of the more memorable quotes of the two hour premier when he clarified the fact that he wanted to "pound out the whole jersey shore." Ronnie and "The Situation" might have gotten off on the wrong foot when big Ronnie swooped in on "The Situation's" in house love interest.
Paul "Pauly D" - Pauly D spends 25 minutes on his hair everyday, owns a tanning bed, has his penis pierced, and has Cadillac tattooed down his ribcage. All of this was learned in the first half hour of the episode. He and housemate, "J-Wowwwww" have sparked up a bit of a relationship by "hooking up." (I'm not entirely sure what this entails in the world Nu Joisy. According to "The Situation" it means merely a little necking on the dance floor, but to Pauly D and "J-Wowww" it seems to mean exposing privates in their bedroom.)
Vinny - Vinny doesn't do much in the first episode except contracting pink-eye. (Like the guys in Knocked Up. One of the few times I've seen pink-eye pop up in popular culture.)
The Girls:
Angelina "Jolie" - The cock-block of the house, Angelina also dislikes the housemates job, which forces them to sit around and sell T-Shirts at a 1987 tourist trap. "This is below me, I'm a bartender, I do like great things." I can only imagine that the great things are quotes dripping of comedic irony.
Sammi "Sweetheart" - The show doesn't show near as much interest in the girls as it does the guys but in her minute amount of screen time Sammi Sweetheart entraps "The Situation" into falling in love with her then smashing his poor heart as she caresses Ronnie's barbaric body.
Nicole "Snookie or Snickers or Something Like That." - "Snickers" ends up in bra and panties in the hot tub with the "guys" on night one being passed around like a beach ball. A mess ensues.
Jennifer "J-Wowww" - Yes, her nickname has three- w's at the end.
I'm afraid of where this means television is going, very, very afraid.