Erik’s Essentials: 12/23/11

1) I-N-D-I-A-N-A

After a three month absence, I am home again. Nothing beats that. Just knowing my day of departure from MA was coming made me antsy. I get to see the girl of my dreams, my family and my budz. And I get to batch up some homemade beer!

2) Twin Peaks

I started watching this Sunday. Golly. Not much of a David Lynch fan (save for Interview Project), but I am digging this. The mystery is enticing, but the quirkiness makes the show. I particularly love the double-life everyone in the small town seems to lead. It’s just like real life!

3) In The Face of War split w/ Bowels of Judas

I had a terrible Monday. Like, everything-is-terrible-get-me-out-of-here Monday. My 95-year-old great-grandpa’s funeral was Monday, and I couldn’t be there. Work was overwhelming. I had not motivation to do anything. But I kicked in this CD and my spirits were lifted. Just listen to that crack of Bob’s drums! “Roads are merely a suggestion” is a Top 5 ITFOW song for sure. Crust bless those dudes.

* Bonus: WBRU’s 90s Week

WBRU (Brown University’s student radio station) is really good. It’s 90s week too, which means my 10-minute commute to work is filled with songs that make me feel better.

We’re talking Lit’s “My Own Worst Enemy,” RHCP’s “Scar Tissue” (one of my all-time favorites), Blink-182’s “Dammit” and Everclear’s “I Will Buy You a New Life” (also an all-time song). I hope Bri is OK with our wedding reception have a giant 90s/early 2000s playlist. DJ Cool Steve, be on alert!

Hi neighbor! The best six packs under six bucks

This post is submitted by MA native Collin Spink.

I like beer. You like beer.

And as much as we enjoy dropping $12+ on a cold, craft brew (or six), sometimes we like to go cheap.

No shame. The Beast is in my blood, too.

So when your palate and your wallet are looking for something a little lighter, here’s six-under-six to satisfy your needs.

Six great things of the 90s

This post is submitted by Muncie’s favorite carebear, Carrington Clinton

Erik’s note: Remember the 90s? Those days of wearing sweatpants to school without fear of being laughed at, getting stoked on VR Troopers (or Power Rangers, I suppose) and getting kicked off the school bus for your yo-yo habit?

I do.

There are too many things that made the 90s so great, but we’ll let one child of said decade list of six greats.

Now, I know: “Carrington was born in 1990,” you say. “What does he know about coming of age?! What about (almost) being a teenager for Y2K?! What about Bob?!”

Chill.

What was your favorite thing of the 90s? Leave us a comment below.

What Billy Crystal taught me about women

This post is submitted by everyone’s favorite party pal, Derek Tulowitzky.

“When Harry Met Sally” is easily one of my top five favorite I remember watching it for the first time in high school, but now that I’m in college, I feel I can relate so much more to Billy Crystal’s character.

He’s just out of college (in Chicago, of all places) and he’s just trying to make it in the post-college world.  It’s hard to think that sometime we’re all going to be at that same spot. Granted, some of us are already going to be in love or married at that spot (much like Billy Crystal was, sorry guys).

Luckily, I have Billy to guide me through the motions of how I should or should not react when the time comes in my life. I guess most people had their parents to help them with women. But forget that, I had a pretty cool dude named Billy Crystal giving tips and tricks the whole time.

Historymania 2000

This post is for history buffs, people who still play their N64’s and former fans of professional wrestling. If you’re not anywhere on that list then read something else.

Brad Rohloff: Creature Artist Extraordinaire

Brad Rohloff has been somewhat of an enigma to me for the past year.  I have been a huge fan of his work, but I was unable to find any information on him as a person.  I decided to take matters into my own hands and reach out to Brad with some questions. It turns out that Brad is not only a great artist, but an incredibly cool person that we can expect great things from in the future. Read my interview with Brad below.

Aaron Quillen: 10 things I got excited about in 2011

Michigan drummer and t0p-10-list extraordinaire Aaron Quillen submitted this awesome post on what got him through 2011. You can peep more of his lists and general thoughts at his blog, Emotional Drumming.

I’m saving my exclusively music-oriented year-end lists for my own blog, but Erik asked me if I would be interested in submitting something listy to Summer Teen, via Facebook, and I believe I responded with an enthusiastic, “HELL YES.”

 2009 and 2010 were rough years on me, but 2011 was mostly quite good. I’ve decided to spend some time dwelling on the things I got excited about this year, and here I go sharing them with you.

Austin’s Essentials 12/16/2011

1. Louis C.K.

Louis put his new special up for purchase this week, Live at the Beacon Theater, and it’s fantastic. The man tells it how it is. He’s dark, depressing, and completely inappropriate, but as a pessimist, he just gets me. He did an AMA on Reddit this week and showed how talented he is. He writes, directs, and produces his FX show Louie, then edits each episode on his MacBook Pro himself. Me? I just look at pictures on the internet all day.

2. Friends

Not the TV show, but my actual friends. In reality, this would be number one every week, but to make things interesting I won’t do that. God, I hate the television show. I think I just don’t get it. It’s just dumb people living in the city, right? I mean, that’s the entire point of the show isn’t it, that they’re just really stupid people? I can’t even name the characters in this photo, but I’m going to try. Ross, Jennifer Aniston, Paul, Monica Lewinsky, Joe, and Anne Coulter. God, I’m getting so mad just looking at this picture. How quirky of them to get milkshakes. Who’d have thought they would do that? My week is ruined. There is no number three now.

Erik’s Essentials: 12/16/11

Here are some things that got me through the week.

1) American Crew fiber

After getting a haircut at a real barbershop Friday, I decided it was time to get a little more serious about my hair. Mine is fluffy, straight and prone to grease so I needed something with hold and a more matte finish. Enter American Crew fiber, which is picked up for $15 for a 3 oz. container at Wally World. Smells a little like soap and doesn’t make your hair all crusty. In fact, it gives you a nice all day hold.

I am now on my way to looking more and more like James Dean.

2) The Millenium Trilogy

Here’s the thing: I watched all three of these movies in one day via Netflix. I can’t say I particularly enjoyed every minute of it, or that even enjoyed the whole trilogy overall. However: Finishing it was one of those things where you give a sigh of relief and say, “Well, now I don’t have to wonder what all of the fuss is about.”

Being in the journalism world, I suppose there was a little bit of relevancy. Would I risk my life to uncover a secretive, Soviet-defector-backing, murderous group while sparing a H4x0r babe from the system? Depends on how much beer I get out of it.

3) A French Press

I’ve always wanted one. So I got one.

I like bold coffee. You know, that black-as-night, week-old, all-night-diner strong stuff. The Southside Diner deserves that credit. I also get the number one-selling Cuban coffee in the U.S – Cafe Bustelo cafe espresso. It’s dark and bitter! (Not to mention cheap at your local Stop & Shop, all you east coasters.)

Apparently, the French press allows more natural flavor and oils into the coffee. Whatever. It does taste damn better than my ancient Mr. Coffee. Just boil some water, add the grounds, pour the water and press the plunger, and wait five minutes. Best. Coffee. Ever.

Adam’s Essentials: 12/16/11

Here’s what got me through an insanely stressful week.

1.) “Soolaimon” by Neil Diamond

No matter how stressed out I may be, if I just listen to Soolaimon for 4 mins and 33 seconds all is right in the world.

Nobody would have guessed that this man would bring world music to the western world a whole decade before Paul Simon, David Bryne and Peter Gabriel did.

2.) Parks and Recreation

I didn’t want to like this show, now I do.

My dad is the real life version of Ron Swanson.

He works for the Indiana Government

Has a mustache

Loves steak

And thinks the government ruins everything it touches.

He’s Ron Swanson.

3.) My girlfriend

No, I’m not in the doghouse, I’m just giving credit where credit it due. M.C. Hammer  has saved my ass on many occasions, not only this week but all semester.

I’d go into detail about how awesome she is but I don’t want people trying to take her from me; you should go find your own.

However, I will say that if you have a nice gal who buys you a ton of snack food and Coca-Cola and stays up late with you while you work on homework, you’ve got quite the catch and you should do everything you can to keep her around.