concentrated, rhythmic pulsations of sound and energy capable of punching holes through 18 inches of solid steel; the Super Mario Brothers; and if Man is 5, then the Devil is 6, and if the Devil is 6 then God is 7; fortune cookies that no longer tell fortunes but give dull platitudes or weak-willed, vague advice -- for example: "Be open-minded when change occurs."
Cormac McCarthy, Murray Rothbard, Craig Biggio, Eva Mendes, my friend Chuck's children and someone who knows the way to Detroit.
Blind Melon. Seriously, the chubby bee-girl was cute and everything, but their other albums are raw and highly underappreciated. They're reforming and the new lead singer tries really, really hard to recapture Shannon Hoon's rage and ennui but he doesn't come close. Also, I really like the Animal Collective. Its like an electronic gangbang conducted by a swarm of fireants.
Big Night. If you haven't seen this movie, hang yourself.
The Big Bang Theory, The Office, LOST, and Saved By The Bell.
.. Gibbons vs. Fairsley on FunnyOrDie.com ..
Any book from George R.R. Martin's series, "A Song of Ice and Fire". You'll find them in the sci-fi/fantasy section, but if you're having visions of weeping hobbits and curiously feminine man-elfs riding dragons, then you'd be dead wrong. The books are enormous in their scope, meticulous in their detail and penetrating in their characters. HBO is working on making a series out of them in the style of Deadwood or Rome.
"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." Calvin Coolidge