Read the last review of this margarita recipe.
Make 'Em Laugh, Make 'Em Laugh, Make 'Em Laugh!
Zach might be hiking the Appalachian trail, but this is my goal for the summer. (Anybody wanna give me a hand?)
Three Weeks
The Nonist fondly remembers Three Weeks, an every-three-weeks newspaper from New York. His blog points us to Brownejohns.org, where a transcribed archive of every paper is stored. Don't miss the wonderful weather reports.
(However, the more I look at this site, the more my Bullshit Detector starts twitching. I mean, obviously the paper actually existed, but the unbelievably improbable name Henry William Brownejohns and his mysterious disappearance just seem a little too twee to be real.)
Your Hair Was Long When We First Met
Regina Spektor's new single, Samson, is exquisite. Thankfully, it has the sort of focus that was missing on almost all of Soviet Kitsch, with the notable exception of "Us." Wait, why am I talking about this? Oh yeah...here's the video for Samson.
While we're on the subject, the video for "Us" is actually quite good, too, despite that curious outfit. ("Do you love jackets, but find that your elbows always get hot?") However, those close-ups on her mouth trigger my castration anxiety.
Oh, and here's a homemade video of the same song that's rather charming.
On A Horse Made Of Crystal
This video--a NSFW history of George Washington--falls apart just before the end, but the first 9/10ths are great.
Along the same lines, this video of a guy miming along to Natalie Imburglia's "Torn" is much funnier than it sounds.
Mencken's Creed
H. L. Mencken was a newspaperman renowned for his cynical style and wit. Here is his famous statement of belief, Mencken's Creed:
I believe that religion, generally speaking, has been a curse to mankind - that its modest and greatly overestimated services on the ethical side have been more than overcome by the damage it has done to clear and honest thinking.
I believe that no discovery of fact, however trivial, can be wholly useless to the race, and that no trumpeting of falsehood, however virtuous in intent, can be anything but vicious.
I believe that all government is evil, in that all government must necessarily make war upon liberty...
I believe that the evidence for immortality is no better than the evidence of witches, and deserves no more respect.
I believe in the complete freedom of thought and speech...
I believe in the capacity of man to conquer his world, and to find out what it is made of, and how it is run.
I believe in the reality of progress.
I -
But the whole thing, after all, may be put very simply. I believe that it is better to tell the truth than to lie. I believe that it is better to be free than to be a slave. And I believe that it is better to know than be ignorant.
Not Knowing When To Quit
Finally, don't miss Jonathon Lethem's memories of working in a record store. (thanks, Molly!)
