5: Epicenter of Intake (Current Favorites #1)

During one of our many quarantine redecorating sessions, I found a box of junk from elementary and middle school. There were some old school projects, drawings, some seriously disappointing report cards. I found a little drawing project I did in kindergarten, you're supposed to draw your family and then write a little bit about them. Mine is famous in our family because it is all lies or misinformation. I can't remember if I was simply a liar or if I also had no idea who the people in my family were.

And, my personal favorite, I found a couple "about me" projects from over the years where I list some of my favorite stuff. I guess we always think that we have great taste at a given moment but typically terrible taste in hindsight. Funny how that works. But, if you're anything like me, you get a big kick out of learning about people through their favorite things. For the record, these are mine on Wednesday, May 13th, 2020. "Again, that could change."

Favorite Movie

Amadeus (1984)

I've gone in and out of movie snobbery over the years, and I'll be the first to admit there are countless movies I haven't seen. But of the countless movies I have seen, none succeeds on more levels or accomplishes its narrative goals better than Amadeus. The acting radiates energy and emotional investment. The production values are so high you are transported back to a place and time. You feel like a fly on the wall for all the drama, madness, and music. Certainly these characters would act differently if they knew you were watching! My favorite movies are ones that impress and inspire on a creative level, so when you are done watching them, you see all the people involved in the credits and sit in awe of just how much of a something they made from an idea on a page. This is the movie that impressed me the most. 

Favorite TV Show

Frasier (1993-2004)

My family started watching Frasier in my house because NBC pimped it out by airing it after Seinfeld. We were taping Seinfeld onto VHS on a weekly basis, and from the very first week we just let the tape run for Frasier. I was ten years old and I only got a quarter of the jokes, but I loved the ensemble cast and the way the show glamorized wit and intelligence - while also admitting neither could get you much farther than a snappy comeback. We kept watching as a family for the first few years. In high school I got about half of the jokes and started to appreciate a lot more references. I started to notice Frasier was the only sitcom that refused to dumb things down, and the humor the writers used to allow us to laugh at even the references we didn't understand was masterful. I'm still rewatching the show at thirty-seven. I get about 90% of the jokes, look forward to a time I might get all of them, and love every minute of it. (Honest footnote: The Office holds this spot every other day, you just caught me on a Frasier Wednesday)

Favorite Book

Søren Kierkegaard's Stages on Life's Way (1845)

My wife got me started on Kierkegaard. He has some really accessible, beautifully poetic writings and he has some completely incomprehensible, maze-like books that were most likely written only for himself. That said, he may be my favorite author, and Stages on Life's Way is definitely (currently) my favorite book of all time. The book tells the story of a group of friends meeting outside of the city for (at least) one night of drinking, feasting, and debating. Kierkegaard is able to explore and have fun with some of his favorite existential topics in the form of a more straightforward, narrative setting - and he really does have fun. I love this book because it is accessible, and because it deals with the same issues as some of his most difficult to read books but manages to get his point across so much better. If you are interested in philosophy in general, or existentialism in particular, this is where I'd start.

Favorite Album

Jawbreaker - Bivouac (1992)

I got into punk music via The Offspring, March of 1994, and I was hooked for life. The speed, the snottyness, the pop sensibilities, they all majorly appealed to an eleven year old. I was getting into guitar at the same time and would take lessons, bringing my guitar teacher songs I liked so he could teach me to play them. I was progressing down a very linear path of pop-punk and skate punk, pretty simple stuff that didn't try to be anything it wasn't. Then I heard this album and I basically became a musical adult in an instant. This is still the most mature, varied, emotionally charged rock record I've ever heard. There is a frayed, combustible aura around every song, and the album as a whole. The songs seethe with passion, ranging from straightforward punk rock to searching, delicate post-rock. The band's ability to pull off the intensity and emotional tone of the incredibly varied tracklist is so impressive, and it must've almost killed them because their final two albums were a lot more linear. For me, Bivouac was the perfect album at the right time, and I'm so grateful for it. 

Favorite Recent Acquisition

Apple AirPods

My wife noticed that I was going through a pair of earbuds every couple of hours and got these for me as a surprise gift. I have to admit, I didn't even know what they were! I learned so much about this thing called Bluetooth and now, to my wife's absolute horror, I have these things blaring every moment I'm home :) I listen to a lot of really loud music, and it sounds great even at quiet volume on these. Great battery life, really durable, and they work with all my non-Apple stuff even though they said they may not. I'm really looking forward to wearing these out with years of use; they sound better and are more comfortable than the last expensive headphones I had and I'll probably never go back.

I'd love to hear what your current favorites are! Please leave a comment below and don't forget to include your name :)

And, for fun, and because Sara demanded it be included:

Favorite Current Meme