Strong Buy Cavalcade

Dominion

I don't know how to get you to buy this game, but you'll thank me ceaselessly if you do. The last time I played it with three friends the sole first timer said, "I hate board games. I'll play, but I really hate board games." Forty-five minutes later the same bro was proposing that we meet four nights later and play again even though he'd finished in last place.

Euro-German boardgames like Dominion and the previously reviewed Strong Buy, Settlers of Catan, reside in their own insular circles of awareness. If you've heard of Dominion you are cringing at my hyping of such an obvious pick, as it was the game of the year in 2008, if you haven't you'll probably recoil when you see the artwork on the game boxes in the aforementioned genre, this aspect alone kept me at bay for almost a decade, but do yourself an immense favor and soldier past that, and in Dominion's case the fact that it is a completely card-based game and begin reaping massive rewards.

The rules of Dominion are extremely basic, something I wish I'd know before I waited five months to play it after purchasing it last March. It's always good to have a sympathetic group that's disposed to board games for your first go round but after you'll know how to mentally prep your audience and be confident in springing it on the eager and wary alike. One caveat; while girls take to Settlers of Catan like a sixty year old American male to Stephen Ambrose books I have yet to play Dominion with a female and while I plan to in the near future I'll admit that the cards are pretty nerdtastic, and yes the Old Spice one is a fraud. Next up are Pandemic and Ticket to Ride.

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Stereogum’s 40 Best New Bands Of 2010

Yes, seeing as how this has been available since the beginning of the month we are looking at the ultimate slowplay on my part, but that said these tunes have held up since then and regardless of how common or uncommon the knowledge of these bands is this free playlist remains a lazy man's paradise. That's right forty free tracks. The DOM song was my entry point, when a friend confidently threw it at me, and it's only received love and excitment when I've done the same to multiple compatriots. The other three, arranged in order of stellarness, might sneak up on you over the course of a couple listens but the payoff is huge. Dive into all forty if you haven't already, but these and the more hyped Cults and CEO cuts seemed to me to be the definite standouts.

DOM - Living in America


Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - Vocal Chords



Dominant Legs - Young At Love and Life



Tennis - Marathon



Girl's/Women's Ankle Socks
OK, this is at least four months too late, but I needed one more item to make this a full-fledged cavalcade, and I'm so passionate about these that I figured it was worth it. Even the smallest men's socks still leave about a centimeter showing with running shoes so they are unwearable with oxfords, Chuck Taylors, and whatever Sperrys you might find yourself striding in and for reasons from comfort to smell a no-show sock is nice to have. One of the chorus of male clothing bloggers extolled some insanely overpriced, e.g. $9 a pair, no-shows a couple months ago that were specifically made to go with low cut Tod's, but with a little tweaking a bargain basement female tennis sock will do just as well.

Sony MDR-EX75 Earbuds

I've given every pair of white earbuds on Amazon under thirty dollars a shot and this spendy forty dollar pair surpasses them all exponentially. So if you are looking to replace the Apple standards or don't want to expose your good pair to everyday/everywhere use and would like a durable pair with a slick two piece cord, nice little case, heads set at a weird angle that makes them super comfortable and resilient to falling out even on the most violent runs try Sony again for the first time. I think the sound is good too, but what would I know about that.

Civil War

You needn't be in college to enjoy this ultra rapid fire drinking game that's as stupefyingly awesome as beer pong is pitiable. I champion a 3 on 3 with 3 ping pong balls and 3 cups vertically lined up in front of each player melee version of the game. Should the ball land in one of your cups you can't shoot till you're done swigging. Specifics vary on the web, but the gist is the same. Word to the not stupid, don't play this game in slim fitting Ben Sherman shorts no matter how much they're the apex of cool or room you have at the waist because somebody blew out the sides and rear not once but twice, thankfully Gilt wiped the tears away and now has a customer for life.

iTunes Celebrity Playlist Podcast

With Lala gone I buy most of my music from Amazon and therefore knowledge of this podcast eluded me for sometime. Before I knew music blogs existed I did some serious celebrity playlist sifting, Edward Burns's was my favorite, however this podcast incarnation is even better. You'll find out you like the celebs you were already disposed to even more, enjoy the Jersey Shore peeps debating whether it's better to work out to house or rock, and Wilbur's misuse of "prolific" .

Have no fear of getting bogged down in Enrique's painfully obvious mix because Apple only plays about ten seconds of each song so the episodes fly by. According to the celebs I need to get way more Dolly Parton in because Jolene was the only track that could rival Man in the Mirror for repeated mentions. This podcast is an easy and enjoyable way to pinpoint your musical blind spots, because the last thing I want is to get ambushed at a cookout by a Michael Nesmith reference that Zoe Dasch would have gladly shielded me from.

My favorite episodes were Adam Goldberg, She & Him, Zac Brown Band, Franz Ferdinand, Quentin Tarantino (who only selected songs by The Jacksons), and Jewel and Ty Murray.