When I was in the third grade, my father built a sunroom (or four-season room depending on what you call it) and a deck on the back of our house. I remember being really impressed that he could do this with the help of one guy. I was old enough to “help out,” which really just included being in the way.

1. 213 Things Skippy Can’t Do - Many years old, this list of military no-nos is hilarious. It was originally created by a guy stationed in Bosnia in order to relay stories to his friends back home. According to him, none of these are made up. If true, it’s fantastic. “68. I may not line my helmet with tin foil to ‘Block out the space mind control lasers’.”
2. Carnavas by the Silversun Pickups - While I stumbled across their 2005 EP thanks to Woxy, I hadn’t listened to this band much in the past year or so. Their new full-length album though is fantastic. Giving a very apparent nod to The Smashing Pumpkins (Siamese Dream era), this quartet can rock the hell out. A beautiful dichotomy of driving guitars and melodic, restrained vocals brings back many memories of sullen high school days. I love it.
3. Egg “muffins” - In an act of sheer laziness, I stumbled across a way to prepare my two-egg-breakfasts an entire week at a time, with little effort. A little non-stick spray, a 350F oven, a jumbo-sized muffin tin and a dozen eggs is all it took. Now every morning I just pull one out of the ‘fridge, ready to eat. And they’re seductively symmetrical too.
4. Mahna Mahna cover by Cake - My love for Seasame Street runs deeply. And as I’ve posted vintage clips of the original sketch on FTILFF before, this far surpasses the original. Brilliant, funky and playful. Cake does a fantastic job with this short, rare cover. [direct link to mp3]
5. Cardboard Cameras from “This American Life” - A four minute clip (beautifully illustrated by Chris Ware) presenting a sweet, sad story about childhood, playgrounds and the herd mentality. It’s poignant and worth watching.

As I tooled around the back yard while my father was hammering away, I failed to pay attention to where I was walking. Stepping squarely on a dead blue-jay, I was showered with…well…the insides of the blue-jay. My mother, so appalled at what just happened, made me get straight into the shower with no questions.

I just thought it was awesome that I was taking a shower with shoes on.