Things I hate. Things I Love. 5/25

I’ve decided that I need to write more and although only read by a handful of people, this blog seems to be the appropriate medium. Also I figured I need to be a little more forthright with my opinions, because those that know me well will tell you, I’m pretty hesitant in expressing my views on just about everything. All that said, I’m going to try and make weekly installments of what I’ve decided to title “Things I Hate. Things I Love.”, the first of which is below.

Things I Hate
1. Hummers- Specifically the ones idling in the parking lot of my job at J. Alexander’s on West End in Nashville, those being the ones I’m most familiar with. It’s even more frustrating to see their bumpers littered with yellow ribbon stickers informing me that they support the troops. You want to support the troops, get a smaller car that doesn’t use enough gas to fuel a small country. If you’ll forgive me for getting political for just a bit, you hummer owners are the reason that the troops, that you support so faithfully, got sent over there in the first place. I would be just as impressed if you spent your money on a comparably priced Jaguar or Benz. So unless you’re doing covert operations in the deserts of the Middle East, you don’t need a Hummer.
2. Ug Boots- The worst trend in sorority fashion as of recent dates. These boots are terribly overpriced and are an awful eyesore. To add insult to injury the trend is to tuck one’s jeans into said boots. How in hell did these hideous things become so popular.
3. Polar bears- Recently my late night TV viewing was interrupted by what was long enough to be an infomercial, from the WWF. That’s the World Wildlife Fund, not the World Wrestling Federation, although if the message was delivered by the Macho Man Randy Savage, instead of Susan Sarandon, I may have had a more positive response to this eco-preaching. Apparently since the ice caps are melting the polar bear's numbers are dwindling. I say good riddance. It’s a stupid animal, if one follows the theory of evolution, how and why did this bear evolve in the first place in such an un-hospitable enviroment. Also, they can swim, so swim somewhere warmer you dumb bears.
4. Shaving- I have to shave everyday for work. I miss my beard.
5. Borders- This is an evil corporation. I recently quit my job working in the café at the Borders in Nashville. It was hands down the worst job I’ve ever had, no contest. Example: if I still worked there and Borders read this, I would get fired. The one I worked at was in turmoil by the time I left. Here’s the downward spiral it's in. It is terribly understaffed which results in the store being unable to make its sales quotas. The missing of quotas means that corporate gives the store less pay role, which forces it to cut staff. Less staff only means more missed quotas and thus the cycle continues. It was pointed out to me by my father that the first good sleep I’ve had in a while was the night after my last shift. This is an evil corporation.

Things I Love
1. The Road- Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel. It’s amazing. I mean who can’t enjoy a story involving blood cults in post apocalyptic South-Eastern United States, written in complete free verse?
2. Wilco- The best band ever? The argument could be made. It’s not a terribly strong one though. What I will say of this amazing band is that I can think of few other musical acts that have made such broad musical statement while still managing not only maintain, but increase a loyal fanbase. The reason Wilco can follow up a sonic barrage, such is A Ghost is Born, with an album like, their most recent, Sky Blue Sky, a kind of Jam band R&B hybrid, is that they execute each genre flawlessly and incredibly. Even their arguably worst album, A.M., still has more than a handful of gems on it. I also might state that Yankee Hotel Foxtrot may be the best album of the new millennium.
3. Scrabble- It’s my favorite board game. I play the maven on my computer all the time.
4. 30 Rock- The funniest TV show I’ve seen since Arrested Development. I know she did a hack job to SNL, but Tina Fey is one seriously funny woman, and Alec Baldwin is a comedic genius.
5. The Coen Brothers- I recently re-watched Raising Arizona. The writers and directors of this film, Ethan and Joel Coen, are a couple of my favorite filmmakers. They recently got their long overdue credit by taking home the Academy Award for best direction for their film No Country for Old Men (Another amazing work of the aforementioned Cormac McCarthy). Just like Wilco in music, these brothers have managed to make a serious variety of films knocking each one out of the park. Keep in mind that these recently praised directors of what was coined “not your father’s western”, are the same duo that brought us such classics as Fargo, O’ Brother Where Art Thou and Raising Arizona. One of their most notable strengths is making characters that are immediate cult and pop culture icons. From Jeff Bridges’ portrayal of "The Dude" in The Big Lebowski and Nicolas Cage as H.I. McDunnough in Raising Arizona to George Clooney in O’ Brother Where Art Thou and Frances McDormad in Fargo, The Coens have created some of the greatest characters of the last twenty five years of film. “Looks like we got a triple homicide here, ey.” is one of my favorite lines in all movie history.