Recommendations

something i enjoy doing while driving is listen to podcasts. and for that reason, driving in this area has improved a little bit. for everyone who commutes in this area, i want to take this time to make some recommendations for podcasts.

1. how did this get made?

this podcast is my absolute favorite podcast at the moment. the people on this podcast watch, then talk about bad movies. at times, they can get a little nitpicky, but that's a minor thing. i've listened to every episode (except the mini episodes) and every episode has made me laugh out loud multiple times. it definitely helps if you've seen the movie that they're talking about, but that's not a necessity.

the funniest exchange is from when they were talking about that american idol movie, "from justin to kelly." i have never seen the movie, but in it, justin apparently comes to a beach somewhere with his friends (all-white, it's pointed out) from pennsylvania.  and they call themselves the pennsylvania posse.

then at one point in the movie, they start beatboxing and rapping on the beach and people gather to listen to/watch them. and while they're talking about that scene, jason mantzoukas, describing the reaction of the crowd in the movie, says, "they're like, 'oh s**t! the roots are here! the white roots are here!'" a pause, then, "they're from pennsylvania."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! if you don't think that's funny... i feel for you.

2. his & hers

michael smith and jemele hill are smart, funny people. they also speak from a perspective i'm not familiar with. finally, this is a podcast about sports.. mostly. what's not to like?

3. the tony kornheiser show

i've been reading tony kornheiser since i was in middle school. well, whenever the opportunity came up, at least. then i discovered that he had a radio show in 2003 and have been listening ever since.

i like that his show has a distinctly local flavor and i've discovered some new music through his recommendations. i also really like that he doesn't interview any athletes. tony helped me to realize that pretty much every athlete never says anything interesting. in fact, they might not even answer the question that is asked. if you like him on pti, you'll like him even more on this show. =)

4. jalen rose report

he went to michigan. 'nuff said. go blue.

just kidding. i'll say a few more things. i really like the chemistry b/t jalen and jacoby. i also like that he talks about hip hop. and he went to michigan. =)

5. dan carlin's hardcore history

i love history. not quite sure what it is i like about it or even why, but i just do. if you like history, i can't recommend this podcast more strongly. right now, i'm listening to a series about the mongols and learning about how incredibly efficient and effective the mongol military was.

listen to these podcasts. learn something.

Happiness

i'm not sure why this is... then again, i now wonder if it always has been this way and i have never been aware of it.

these days, it seems the overwhelming majority of news is s**tty. cops shooting civilians, isis, the ebola virus, conflict in gaza... what the f**k. this ain't good for the soul.

but i know the world is not as bad as the news make it out to be. in this post, i'm gonna share some videos that genuinely make me happy and i hope it will make you happy as well.

life ain't that bad.

1. welcome home

off the top, this is an ad for tmobile. i'll always have a soft spot in my heart for tmobile b/c they used to carry the coolest phone ever (the sidekick 2) and they had the friendliest service center workers.

whether you share my feelings or not for tmobile, this video is heartwarming. i can't ever remember anyone ever waiting for me when i got off a plane or any other form of transportation. it must be nice. =)

2. ode to joy

i don't even like this song, but i love this video. the people coming together to make the song fuller with each pass and to end with the addition of the choir... awesome.

3. "secret garden" episode 12, final scene

i've seen a handful of korean dramas over the past 5 years. more than 5, less than 10. so perhaps this doesn't mean as much, but this scene has the best exchange of dialogue i have ever seen in a korean drama. this is also one of the best exchanges of any tv show i have ever seen.

for my non-korean-speaking friends, a translation (the dialogue starts at approx. 0:45):

context: the guy is in love the the girl in the striped hoodie, but she wants nothing to do him b/c he's too rich for her (this is a legitimate barrier in korea). so the guy joins the stunt team that the girl is a part of and this scene happens during a team-building retreat sort of thing.

guy:

... ok. this is WAY to cheesy that i can't bring myself to type out the translation. hahaha. but i'll type the line that brings it home and it's spoken (mentally, i guess?) by the girl at 1:11.

"but still come... tomorrow... and the day after..."

don't judge me.

4. ann arbor time lapse


Ann Arbor from Seth McCubbin on Vimeo.

i'll LOVE ann arbor forever. FOREVER.

5. "that thing you do"

this movie has 2 incredible scenes.


That Thing You Do 2 by giggs11sin

this scene (from 2:57) is from the talent show where they play their song for the first time. this scene makes me think about what it would be like to discover your greatness while people watch it happening. i mean, the guys wanted to be famous musicians, but they had no idea what they had and as the song went, they slowly discovered themselves.

this scene... no words necessary.

i wish the scene from "lost" when drive shaft hears "you all everybody" on the radio for the first time was online. that scene had a similar feel.

many aspects of life is s**tty, but don't let it crush you.