Do What I Say

Do What I Say

Recommendations for a better (in my never humble opinion) life.

There are not many things I don’t have an opinion on. To help simplify your life by telling you what you should and shouldn’t believe, I hope to alleviate the pressure of having to form opinions for yourself. Just do what I say, and start enjoying your new thinking-free life today!

Blogs

Life at (Up To) 3G Speeds. There are plenty of (ie. too many) Mac fanboys out on the web with blogs; Greggor isn’t one of them. Greg’s a buddy of mine from work who has recently sought to improve his quality of life by buying certain Apple products. He gives honest feedback on his trial, tribulations and occasional vomit-inducing successes. At its best Life At (Up To) 3G Speeds is a (possibly accidental) social commentary on the ubiquity of technology in modern society. And as a bonus he did the right thing and took my advice on changing the name of his blog from “Life On The iPhone 3G” to its current name. He is a firm believer in my “Do What I Say” policy.

Same As We Ever Was. I have no idea who the author of this blog is. This is Will’s blog. I stumbled upon it randomly and I am very glad I did. Written in a brilliant stream of consciousness that echoes a drunk Chuck Klosterman, the author offers up an unapologetic and brutally honest portrayal of his own life. Intelligent and humorous. We occasionally get drunk at bars.

Cult of the Hoodie. When Will and I aren’t busy being awesome seperately, we’re being awesome in unison (which totally isn’t gay). Part of that awesomeness manifests itself in Cult of the Hoodie. A “hey, why the fuck not?” blog about the New England Patriots and my quest to make gentle, passionate love to Tom Brady (which again, totally isn’t gay).

Television

LOST. LOST is the most intelligent television program ever created. Allow me to repeat: EVER created. Either JJ Abrams is a genius in the ilk of MC Escher in his ability to view things from an incredible number of different angles and facets, or he is a genius in the ilk of Lewis Carroll; throwing random crap together that somehow creates a magnificent hole dispite its disjointed pieces. Either way, go to ABC.com and watch every episode of LOST from Season One up to the present (all available in HD). You may lose several days worth of sleep but you’ll thank me later.

Heroes. I’ve pitched Heroes to my LOST watching friends as “like LOST. Not as smart, but much more fun.” Plus, Kristen Bell is in it. If you don’t find Kristen Bell attractive there is a 99.9% chance you are a homosexual (or in the case of the female sex: not a lesbian). Engrossing characters and great plot twists. Who doesn’t love a little time traveling Asian kid? Seriously.  Heroes turned into unwatchable garbage after season 2.

Sons of Anarchy. Described by someone as “Hamlet on Harleys”, this is without question the best show on television that no one is watching. I have an obsession with anti-heroes and this show is compromised of an ensemble cast of just that. Darkly comedic, intense, violent, beautiful. This is a gritty look at the perversion of the American dream.

How I Met Your Mother. Where shitty shows like Friends (yes, Friends sucked. End of discussion) failed miserably to create a balance between drama and comedy (being neither serious, nor funny) HIMYM is huge success. Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Seagel provide instant laughs whenever they’re on camera. The story’s underlying premise is inventive but really thin (a narrator, voiced by Bob Saget of all people, is telling his kids the story of how he met their mother… starting from events that have absolutely nothing to do with how he, in fact, meets their mother). That’s is easily overlooked because the entertainment value is this show is immense.

Fringe. From JJ Abrams, the creator of LOST, Fringe is the X-Files for my generation (a generation that is old enough to remember the X-Files but too young to completely grasp its awesomeness). Anna Torv is solid as Olivia Dunham, the protagonist, but the shows real winners are Joshua Jackson and John Noble as Peter and Dr. Walter Bishop. Jackson plays straight-man to Noble’s brilliant, but completely out of his mind mad scientist. The show has all the twists and turns of an Abrams drama without falling into M. Night Shamalamadingdong territory. Unlike LOST - and exactly like the X-Files – as long as you know the basic premise of the show you can hop in anytime and enjoy a single episode… though you we left with some infuriating questions like “Who the fuck is the smoking man?” (X-Files) or “Who the fuck is William Blake?” (Fringe).

Books

The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

Watchmen by Alan Moore.

Choke by Chuck Palahniuk

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

Dune by Frank Herbert

The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman

I use Half.com for my book purchasing site. If you know of a better one, don’t be afraid to drop me a line or leave a link in the comments. So far, Half.com is the best I’ve found.

More to come as I find to add to this. WordPress is being a pain in my ass right now, so look for movies, alternative forms of entertainment, and music sections to follow.