Every now and then we feel the need to recommend things that we've been enjoying lately. Think of it as The Lit Department's syllabus to life. Only less academic. And less oppressive.
The Guggenheim Grotto (music)
The Lit Dept. was first introduced to this male Irish singer-songwriter duo by a free download of their single "Philosophia" on iTunes a few years back, and the song has been a mainstay on our playlists ever since. Their melancholic lyrics, lilting melodies, and at-times almost bluegrass sound offers the perfect soundtrack to cry to, or to dance along to, depending on how your day is going. And their indie-musician aesthetic and Irish accents don't hurt either (if you're into that sort of thing). - CM
Born to Be Good (literature)
This new book by Dacher Keltner explores, what he calls, the Zen Romantic theory of, well, humanity. It looks like a self-help book, and we admit, we were weary when we started reading it. But in the first chapter alone Keltner draws from the research of Charles Darwin, the teachings of Confucious, theories of economists like Fehr and Schmidt, and on and on. It's fascinating insight into, well, goodness, and the evolution of human emotion, and is engaging and easy to read, and leaves you feeling—you guessed it—good. - CM
Penny Plastic (web)
Penny's blog manages to keep a theme—how to navigate your way out of debt— without getting hung up on the boring money, numbers-crunching side of things. Full disclosure, she's a friend of the Lit Dept. But would we be friends with someone who didn't have the charisma and gravitas to maintain they're own engaging blog? Thought not. - CM
The Vanilla Roobois (om nom nom nom)
Tea Latte (with soy milk) at Starbucks. I know, I know, corporate monoculture at its worst. But it's so damn good. Especially mid-winter in Boston. And roobois is actually good for you. And, again, so damn good. - CM
Running
We never thought we'd live to see the day when we enjoyed running. So many fond memories of faking illnesses and injuries to avoid the dreaded cross country run on Fridays in high school P.E. It's even more ironic that our favorite sport is soccer, which is essentially 90 minutes of all out sprinting behind a black and white ball. But we've recently become acquainted with the joys of treadmill running (particularly when you live in a climate with an average winter temp of 20 degrees F), and one of us was even kicked off said treadmill for overstaying her the gym's peak use time limit. NEVER thought that would happen. - CM
Pub Quizzes
English and History majors unite! Here is a time to exhibit your otherwise unappreciated and functionally useless collection of facts. Capital of Ecuador? Quito! Dickens first published work? The Pickwick Papers! Just make sure you bring along a science geek or two for all those pesky questions about mercury and mitochondria. And hopefully they'll pick up the beer tab as well thanks to the high-paying jobs they got right after finishing school. Those bastards. - EB
2 comments:
You two are too good to me :-)
As a Science Geek & a Trivia Master ;) I can testify to the fact that yes, pub quizzes do rock & yes, a Science Geek on your team is pretty much a guaranteed win!
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