COMPLETELY RANDOM RECOMMENDATIONS

By: B -- 8/13/05

Take these with the proverbial grain of salt. From me to you, my friends.

Uni-ball Signo 207 pens
It’s nerdy to recommend pens, I know. But this new line from Uni-ball reigns king as the best pens in the world. The micro-tips are perfect for anyone with smallish handwriting.

Too Late with Adam Carolla
It was once surmised that every person in the world would someday have a talk show. Cripes, even Vanessa from the Cosby Show was given one a few years ago. It’s disappointing that it took so long for funnyman Adam Carolla to get his own late-night talk show, but his first few shows have been roundly enjoyable. Comedy Central @ 11:30 pm.

Lean Cuisine pizza
In my opinion, most low-cal microwaveable foods taste so terrible most people would just rather be overweight than trying to choke one of those meals down. The meats are cardboardy and the pastas are mushy. But Lean Cuisine’s frozen pizzas are the best in this category, hands down. A four-cheese ‘za and a diet Mountain Dew makes B a happy (and skinny) boy.

Giant Magazine
I have minimal firsthand knowledge of this new entertainment magazine, but I do know this: Giant has certainly been started with the rights ideals in mind. A few points mentioned in this Seattle-Post Intelligencer article:

-- “Giant, which hit the streets on Tuesday, is a fresh celebration of all things pop cultural, but one of its strengths is that it's not grounded only in the moment. There's a six-page spread on why Talking Heads, which broke up a dozen years ago, is still relevant. And a beginner's guide to Kurt Vonnegut.”
-- “So, who is the Giant reader? Hooper says he's a man between the ages of 21 and 34 who wants to be cutting-edge but is nostalgic about great things from the past. He's got an appreciation for independent, iconoclastic entertainment.”
-- “Giant eschews the usual celeb content - what did J. Lo buy this week, is Britney pregnant, who did Paris smooch last night? Their celebrity interviews aren't predictable. In the first issue, they have Willem Dafoe interview Paul Bettany, and throw questions at Jack Black like: What was the last movie you paid to see? And, Slash or Axl?”
-- “Hooper said the magazine has just two rules: "No Britney and no snark."”

Bonus points because Giant’s website gave the upcoming New Pornographers CD an A+.

Working hard
According to the Wall Street Journal, former President Jimmy Carter took only 79 days of vacation in one term as our Prez. Bill Clinton, bless his soul, took only 152 days over his 8 years at the helm.

Our current President George W. Bush, however, has taken 300 days in less than five years in office. 300 days! This means he has taken twice the vacation as Clinton in roughly half the time. Kinda makes you want to set up a protest vigil outside his Crawford Ranch in hopes for some answers, doesn’t it?

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