Positive Thoughts

The blog has been a little downbeat lately - so in an effort to fulfill the self-proclamation that this won't be a "this is why everything sucks" blog, here's a few things I enjoy and recommend.

For Reading: For several years now, Emily Yoffe has written an interesting column at slate.com called "Human Guinea Pig". In her own words, she "[tries] things you might want to do but don't have the time or opportunity." Her latest experience was to be a "standardized patient" at Georgetown, receiving 23 head-to-toe physicals from 23 second-year medical students. The account is hilarious, highlights being her blood pressure reading ranging from 87/60 to 125/90 and a student-doctor who removes her bra to listen to her heart. The sample medical patient article is here; I find her column even funnier given all the first and second-year medical school friends I have who have undergone the same (undoubtedly) awkward experience. I first encountered her column a couple years ago when she recounted her attempts to defeat a lie detector test. That, and other accounts definitely worth a read, can be found here.

For Listening: For years now, my favorite artist has been the incredible Talib Kweli. To call him a "rapper" (which he is) feels like an insulting term, as it suggests similarities to D4L or implies that he's working on the next "Party Like a Rockstar". So "artist" it is. He has a new album coming out on July 24th called "Eardrum" which I'm looking forward to eagerly. He's long been a favorite within the music industry, and his collaborators on "Eardrum" would be fitting for a multi-platinum superstar (Norah Jones, will.i.am, KRS-One, Justin Timberlake, Just Blaze, Musiq Soulchild, UGK). The longtime Kweli favorites, like Hi-Tek, Kanye West and DJ Khalil are around again, although Mos Def isn't. The leaks I've heard sound extremely promising. He took a lot of flak for his supposedly overly commercial mindset on his last album, but I don't mind it - extending someone with this much talent to the masses can only be a good thing. I've heard him say plenty of times that he views himself as a piece of hip-hop and not its savior. Talib and I will agree to disagree.

For those of you who plan to immediately disregard all of this because you hate rap, take a look at this video, which is technically poetry (although I'm certain in 500 years, historians will think they are one and the same.) Even if you disagree with the message, his talent is undeniable.



For Drinking: On one of my last days in New York, I went into a Tribeca drugstore to get some bottled water. The incredibly attractive woman walking in front of me picked out a bottle I had never seen before, so naturally I just bought the exact same thing, because that's how I roll. Turned out to be this mint-flavored water called "Metromint", and while both looking stupid and sounding stupid (direct quotes from the bottle-text include "Real mint stimulates the brain to open your senses and send cooling sensations throughout your body"), I have to admit it was pretty refreshing. I'm not sure if they sell this everywhere, but if you already buy bottled water, give this a shot. I'm buying it again if I ever see it somewhere, unless a different hot chick buys something else.

For Looking: Tribeca drugstore customer was hot, but nowhere near as hot as my "celebrity" crush of the moment, Miranda Kerr. I'm sure there's a lot of facts to know about her, but since she's a model, who cares. Google away.