• Morning Joe. My friends and family will tell you with rolling eyes how much I talk about this show. I am a warrior for this show. An evangelist. I have never found its equal. From this show many, many crushes have been formed, nurtured, tested, reassessed, and solidified. Joe Scarborough has allowed me to wholeheartedly play devil's advocate on many occasions. Mika Brzezinski is fearless and doesn't tolerate the superficial, proving that she's much more than the daughter of a crush. Willie, Barnicle, Buchanan, Jonathan, Harold, Heilemann, Halperin, Meacham, and Donny. The fabulous line-up of dames: Tina, Norah, Savannah, and Chrystia. The Politico boys. But the main battle for my heart is between the always eloquent Zbigniew Brzezinski and the incredibly insightful Richard Haass. And always: Keep Calm And Carry On.
• YouTube Karaoke -- especially '80s Classic Rock and Broadway show tunes. Now I can make a fool out of myself in the privacy of my own home without having to buy one of those monstrous machines and without having to strain my voice to sing over the original (and much better) artist.
• Fifi Lapin. Apparently she's been around for years and yet here I am, late to the party as usual. Her book is très adorable and she has the unusual ability to make me think that maybe pink ruffles aren't so bad after all.
• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Each time I have a mini-crisis I head for some version of the MBTI available in book form at the library. I stupidly never took advantage of the test while in college so am now making up for it by reassessing myself every year or so. Two years ago I "diagnosed" myself as an ENFP. On reassessment a month ago, I now believe I am an ENTP. So now you know everything about me.
• Alec Soth. He is a local photographer (therefore a Minnesotan) and currently has a great exhibit up at the Walker Art Center. Not exactly a retrospective, it's more like a survey because it includes some early work while he was a student, some from the period when he was emerging as one of the foremost contemporary photographers, and a new series called Broken Manuel which explores the idea of escape and people who try to achieve a life "off the grid". There is a gentle humanity to his work that, more often than not, leaves me breathless.
