Bonus Res.

Suggestions, and things that are good.
This is a list of exactly that: suggestions of good things to investigate and become deeply involved with to the point of obsession, or love, at least. I will add to this list periodically, I'm sure, particularly when I realize that something is great and I had forgotten about it, or when I get introduced to something so great that I'm just bursting with happy and I need to share it because otherwise I'd explode. Or throw a box of plastic knives.

Human Giant.
This new sketch comedy show on MTV (Thursdays at 10:30pm/9:30c) is top quality stuff. Definitely the best of new comedy out there, particularly in comparison to Fuse's "The Whitest Kids U Know." It's silly, it's random, it's the kind of jokes you make with your own friends but just a little funnier and caught on film. Plus, you can download and watch all of their sketches on their website. How awesome are these guys? So very. (Check out "Commercial Jingles" & "Doritos Time.")

Bang Camaro.
An up and coming band out of Boston that has a dude chorus and is featured on Guitar Hero 2. These guys are crazy, yo, and their repertoire extends far outside of "Push Push (Lady Lightning)." If you haven't unlocked this song yet, go do so now. If you have, go buy their album now. If you have their album, go feel macho and listen to it right now. Go.

Regina Spektor's voice.
This girl, right here, is amazing. Her voice is so clear, pure, and naturally beautiful, plus she's hot. I would consider becoming a lesbian for her, if a relationship for feasible. In fact, I'd consider it just to hear her voice more often. If everyone in the world could sing like her, flowers would never wilt and everyone would own a puppy.

Puppies and Kittens.
They will forever be good things. Check out www.petfinder.com and www.1800saveapet.com for things that make you go "aww."

Otters holding hands.
The best that YouTube has to offer. Watching this would convert Darth Vader to the light side.

Girl gets a kick out of breakdancing.
Another highly recommended YouTube watch, especially if you hate kids. Babies suck!

Pitchfork Festival.
If you're even a little bit indie-hipster, you probably read PitchforkMedia.com. But check out this festival in Chicago this summer to transcend indie-poseur status and work your way up the hipster hierarchy. Tickets are cheap ($50 for a three-day pass!), as is food and drink, so you'll save plenty of money that you can later spend on a pair of Diesel jeans or Buddy Holly glasses. Yoko Ono is headlining this year, which is kind of strange, but you'll also hear from Cat Power, Iron and Wine, Voxtrot, Girl Talk, The New Pornographers, Stephen Malkmus, Of Montreal, The Sea and Cake, and Sonic Youth (who's playing Daydream Nation in its entirety.)

Paula Deen.
I wish this woman was my grandmother. She's a fine purveyor of good ol' homestyle country cookin' (i.e. fried, fatty, heart-attack-inducing eats), but she doesn't just know how to make the food, she knows how to enjoy it, too. You can tell she's having a good time on her shows, even though it's a little creepy when she brings on young Marines and tries to flirt with them. Watch her shows, read her book, wish that you were eating her food and she was your grandmother, too.

MySpace for the literary-minded.
Sites like Dust Jacket Review and goodreads are making Internet socializing more respectable by incorporating books into the deal. Or maybe its just a front for nerds who are looking for dates. Either way, it's addictive.

Trapped in the Closet.
R. Kelly believes he's doing the world a great service by sharing his talents with through world through this piece of art that he calls a hip-hopera. You wouldn't believe how ridiculous one man's idea of "art" can be until you watch this. Be prepared for constant rhyming and repeated moments of asking yourself, "What the...?" If you're adventurous, buy the DVD and watch the director's commentary, and be as wowed as R. Kelly is about his work.

Pocketwatches.
They make you look like a train conductor. Train conductors are cool!

Caribou Coffee Granola Bars.
This pepped-up version of your average granola bar ain't so average. It's made with coffee inside the bars, like those cereal and milk bars that have "real milk" in them, for those days that you're running late to work and can't stop at Dunkin' Donuts. I don't know if it actually has enough coffee to get you through the day, but it psychologically convinces you that you'll be caffeinated enough from eating it.

The Little Prince.
This book... it can't really be squished into one category. It's part children's book, part inspirational guide for adults who've separated from their inner child, part love story. But it's altogether beautiful, and can be read repeatedly and not lose its charm. A friend of mine used to carry a copy around in his pocket to read whenever he had to wait around for something; I recommend doing that. I also recommend The Tale of The Rose, which gives a bit of background on Antoine de Saint-Exupéry from the eyes of his wife.

Living Arts Tattoo.
New Hope, Pa. is awesome in general, but if you're looking for your next (or your first) tattoo, this is the place to go. I've gotten two done here already, and of the three places I've gone for the five tattoos I have, I've had the best experience here. My fiancé has gotten one from here, as did one of my best friends, who has a detailed picture of the Lithuanian crest on his back which looks amazing. They guys are nice, the place is super clean, and you can tell everyone's serious about their work, and is good at it, too.

Mr. Wizard.
He died today, at the age of 89. I never liked watching his show as a kid, and I grew up to study English as a result, but he's still a part of my childhood, and the fact that he hosted Watch Mr. Wizard on NBC in the 1950s and '60s and then went on to do Mr. Wizard's World on Nickelodeon in the '80s and '90s is just damn impressive. Over four decades of wizardry is a whole lotta science.

R.I.P. Don Herbert.