14 down, 38 to go; Work; Venture Brothers; and Boston

Here is the worlds longest blog post. Enjoy!

14 Down, 38 To Go
Book: I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley
Album: The Sun and the Neon Light - Booka Shade

I Was Told There'd Be Cake was an okay collection of essays. It grew on me slowly but surely. The opening chapters were so weak and unfunny that I set it down and nearly didn't pick it up again. I am glad that I did. Around page 75 the essays got better, less princess-y and jew-y. Two big no no's for me. Anyway the stories about Oregon trail, her sick sister and vegetarian lifestyle were both funny and reminded me of things I had done and thought. I am not sure if I would recommend this book as the absolute next thing you should read but if you have a weekend of traveling and want something short and easy to read you could do a lot worse than this book.

The Sun and Neon Light has almost nothing to do with the book. The style is not at all similar. This is my first booka shade album and I was shocked at how un-dancey it is. When I saw these guys at Lolla they brought the bass and the funk. This album has some of that but it is much more of a chill out album. Still it is one of the better albums I have heard this year.

I finished my last day at pavilions today. It was quite a summer job. It taught me a lot about people and what real life is. Here is a hint: it is not last summers job. Real life is working a job and still not being able to afford rent. It about dealing with bitchy customers and idiotic co-workers. The job taught me that most people are lonely and that people will quickly open up to annoy who appears to be interested and nice, even if they guy is trying to sell you a piece of brie that cost more than two gallons of gas. I also learned that it is good to shut up and just work. Don't think about how shitty it is, just do what you are told. However this is the last time I think I will ever work as a deli person. First I can not deal with people barking things at me, I very nearly told a couple people a shift that no they could not have half a pound of turkey. Second it is a bad idea to yell at the person who is handling your food, don't know who still needs to wash their hands. Third I never want to cut into a bag of roast beef and get blood in my eyes ever again. Other than those complaints and the awful pay, I thought the job was a positive experience. One that I can live without repeating.

This past season of Venture Brothers was epic. That is the only appropriate word is Epic. Epic like Homer. The continuity of the story and the back stories provided are incredible. They are extremely silly but the fact that everything is tied together and had been set up since season one is extraordinary. Its like going back and rereading the harry potter series and seeing how many things that were mentioned in the first book were critical in the last one. This is all intentional of course, but the jokes and references that the characters make are perfect this season. The back story of The Monarch, Dr. Girlfriend-Wife, Billy and White and all of Team Venture are interesting. Then there are the sub-texts of the show: good vs evil, brother vs brother, brains vs brawn, failure and disillusionment, the boys sexuality, Brock's roll in the family, and what villainy is. Shareen has complained that she doesn't get the show, which is understandable. This show like a lot of comics, is almost impossible to jump into midstream, there is too much back story and idiosyncratcies. Also the show is only funny if you get all of the references, old comics/action movies, 80's music, and other randomness. Ultimately this season was a total success, unlike other shows where the third season signaled the beginning of the end: House and Monk for instance.

Lastly I am going to school on Friday. I am very excited about this. I am ready to go back to school. Home has been fun but it is time to go back to school meet people and do work. Boston will be a lot of fun and a great experience I think. It is odd to talk to my friends at Miami who are already in class doing work and stuff. I was shocked to see how many emails from teachers I had today when I looked at mymiami email today. I have no received that many from my teachers at Boston. For those of you wondering what I am taking: Swahili i, Freshman English, Calculus I and Economic Geography. Pumped for Geography and Swahili, scared for Calculus and uninterested in Freshman English - particularly because it is about Russian Literature. For those of you who don't know, I am living at the Hyatt Regency in Cambridge this semester. Not a huge fan of living in a hotel but I have no other place to live. The saga of me trying to find a place to live is way too long to write about, but needless to say this was not my first choice.