Cleaning

I like Cleaning. Call me Danny Tanner, I don't care. I like to clean. Whether its the living room, my bedroom, the bathroom, dishes in the sink--in my ripe young age of 26, I find that a messy apartment is not conducive to a good day. That includes waking up to a mess and coming home to a mess. Both are deflating to the start or end of my day.

Growing up I was a slob. My room was never clean, and if I was forced by my mom to do so, I basically did what any other 11-year-old did--shoved everything in my closet and under my bed. Once you closed the closet door or pulled a blanket low over the bed, the room was magically clean. I was also known for having a messy apartment in college. But I chalk that up to the fact that we were four guys sharing one bathroom. Considering those parameters, our bathroom looked pristine.

Even back in college, but more so now, I have trouble thinking or reaching my full potential when there is a mess to be cleaned up. It's a great way to "clean the mind" if you will. Even at work, I'll spend 15 minutes cleaning up my desk or filing away papers, just to clear my thought process and break a writer's block. It works for me, who knows, it may work for you too. Get clean and have a great weekend!

National Spelling Bee

I like the National Spelling Bee. Going on right now in our nation's capital is the Scripps National Spelling Bee, the largest and longest-running educational promotion, administered on a not-for-profit basis. Spellers from all over the country and the world, ranging in age from 8-14, compete for the title of Spelling Champion.

Since 1994, the Entertainment Sports Network (aka ESPN) has been covering the annual convention of vowels and consonants. (NOTE: I just misspelled "consonants"--meaning I couldn't hold a candle to these kids). And while some may ask, "Where is the sport in this?" I say watch this video and tell me that the Srcipps Spelling Bee is not high-intensity drama, that which rivals any Game 7.

The kid fainted, then got back up and spelled the word CORRECTLY! Is that the equivalent of getting a puck to the face in Hockey, stitching up the gash in the locker room, and coming back out to score the winning goal in overtime? I say yes.

In a society where we rely so heavily on spell check, it is even more impressive that these kids can spell as well as they do. If you are looking for some riveting television, the 2009 Scripps Spelling Bee will air live tonight at 8PM on ABC.

Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King

I like Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King. The upcoming album from the Dave Matthews Band is being touted as one of their most anticipated albums yet. In a behind-the-scenes video from the studio, Dave himself hopes that if this is the last album he ever makes, that it be the one people listen to. And people, you should listen. The album is great.

The band seemed to have pulled from their past as inspiration for these songs. Many tracks feel as though they could have been an additional track on a previous DMB album. Songs like "Shake Me Like a Monkey" and "Why I Am" provide a loud, jovial collaboration of horns and percussion that make them fun, cool, and party-like all at once. They could have easily been added to Under the Table and Dreaming or Crash. The album even begins in a similar fashion as 1998's Before These Crowded Streets. On that album the instrumental "Pantala Naga Pampa" led into the rocking "Rapunzel". On Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King it is "Grux" leading into the aforementioned "Shake Me Like a Monkey".

Of course, it with a heavy heart that this album came to be. In August 2008, founding member Leroi Moore passed away from injuries sustained in an ATV accident two months earlier. While many of these tracks were laid down or created with the help of Leroi, the heavy heart of a band who missed their friend comes through on the single "Funny The Way It Is" and on the darker "Squirm". A line from "Funny The Way It Is" sums up said feelings with the line, "Funny the way it is/Somebody's heart is broken/And it becomes your favorite song".

Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King, however, is truly a celebration of life, not a mourning of death. Take a listen for yourself by going to a special DMB Pandora page where you can listen to all the songs on the album, set to go on sale Tuesday, June 2nd. Let me know what you think.

Maps

I like Maps. If you're anything like me, you could spend hours just staring at maps. I like to know where I am, where I am going, and where I have never been. Of course, some of you who know me may be wondering, "So why are you always getting lost?"

Truth is, I like to get lost sometimes. I am never really lost, just misplaced on the globe. Usually, once I get my bearings, I can find my way out of anywhere. And then there are the times I go to the map. Sure, there are the GPSs out there, making the paper map almost obsolete. But that is just no fun. Do students even learn how to read a real map anymore? Like the newspaper, the folded map is a dying breed.

But you know, I am not a total luddite with maps. Where I used to spend hours on road trips reading the folded map of various states, I now spend hours zooming in and out of Google Maps on my computer. I mean, come on, the Google Street View is pretty damn cool. Just ask these folks in Pittsburgh.

Our Troops

I like Our Troops.

Thank you for your service and sacrifice.

Phoenix

I like Phoenix. Not the city, my friends, but the band. Back at my old job a co-worker suggested I check out some songs from this band unknown to me. He is known for having a good handle on decent music, so I figured why not. Well, I was hooked. This French quartet has a sound unlike I'd heard before.

My favorite song from Phoenix is "Long Distance Call". Check out the YouTube video below to hear the track. On May 26th their new album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix will be released. Go here to hear a few tracks from that album, as well as a few older ones too (thanks PopCandy). Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Farts

I like Farts. And admit it, you do too. You laugh when a baby breaks wind. You chuckled when a kid in class sat on a duck. You feel relieved when the room clears and you can finally rip one. As Shrek says, "Better out than in!" So don't act all high and mighty, as if you are grossed out. You like farts, too.