Res severa est verum gaudium.

The act of licking off the caramel that sticks to the lid of a cup that holds a caramel macchiato makes me happy.

So do cats that have bad grammar. Here's a site for your viewing pleasure if you're looking for ways to pass the time: I Can Has Cheezburger? It's one of those for-the-sake-of-cuteness sites that can look bad if your boss catches you reading it while at work, but there's something so damn alluring about a mother cat who's licking her baby and says, "My son, he has a flavor." How do kitschy pop culture sites like this catch on? I have no idea. But I'm glad I have a hand in spreading the word.

If you're not working this summer, consider volunteering your time to a good cause: being a zombie. Craigslist has something for everyone!

In other news, Lily Allen is kind of shallow. In fact, quite shallow. I stumbled upon her MySpace blog (not that I check out MySpace, or anything) and if this is really her, then she's really shallow. She talks a lot about manicures and spas. And her song "Knock 'Em Out" is rather annoying. I have an odd penchant for disliking female singers, but I actually gave Lily a chance, let "Smile" get stuck in my head every on more than one occasion. But alas, Lily, you're annoying.

Free shows at McCarren Park Pool start this Sunday. Pools are good. Free is even better. AND there's music. Therefore, life is good. Here are some of the key shows to mark on your calendar (don't forget to RSVP):

-- July 1: Man Man w/ Illinois and Dengue Fever (I don't know the latter two bands, but Man Man is crazy, yo, and they have a song in which they sound like pirates. Pirates are coolz.)
-- July 15: Ponderosa Stomp, Look Out Brooklyn! Version w/ performances by Tommy McClain (backed by Yo La Tengo), among others (Yo La Tengo is neat-o; enough of a reason to go to this show.)
-- July 29: TV on the Radio (Return to Cookie Mountain was good -- gritty, catchy, different. I don't know how they are live, but what better way to find out than a free show?)
-- August 5: Blonde Redhead & I'm From Barcelona w/ The Coydogs & The Rub DJs feat. Morse Code (Blonde Redhead is intriguing, and I'm From Barcelona take 50 happy pills a day, and the happy is contagious. Their sort-of self-titled song is the equivalent of a giant chocolate chip cookie, or a bunny rabbit holding a daisy.)
-- August 12: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, The Thermals, Birds of Avalon (Mr. Leo is in my top ten best live performers in the world; I've never seen someone put so much into a single show. And The Thermals last album, The Body, The Blood, The Machine, is amazing. Simply amazing. Every time I listen to it, I say, "Wow, this is amazing." So even though I've heard they're not great in concert, I'd say it's worth risking a free show to see them. And I'd don't know much by Birds of Avalon, but they list themselves on their MySpace page as "psychadelic" and "progressive." Groovy.)

Check the Pool Party website often, because certain line-ups have yet to be announced.

And for further research...
New-ish band of the moment: Cold War Kids. The lead singer's voice is verging-on-girly high pitched, but I've been hearing "Hang Me Up to Dry" off their Up in Rags EP every day, and despite the fact that sometimes a single station will play it twice within a four-hour span (and that's just annoying), I don't mind, because it's good. "Saint John," off the same EP -- also good. Plus, they're Australian, and Australians have neat accents, so even though you don't hear accents when people sing, check them out.
New-ish song that's good to sing while driving on a highway with the windows down: "Phantom Limb," The Shins. Good to sing with the windows down specifically at the "ohhh-oh-ohhh, oh-ohhh" part near the end; Good to sing with the windows down specifically while driving on a highway because if you have a bad voice, no one can really hear it at speeds of 65+ mph, so in your head, you can pretend you sound like James Mercer.
Old-ish song that's so good you should download it from Soulseek right now: "Oh, You Pretty Things!," David Bowie. Just because.

Say ooh, la la, sassoon, that's right.