Stuff I Like - The end of summer edition!

Hi Everyone!

I haven't done one of these "Hey look at me and what I like" posts in a while and I know deep down inside you really want to know what I am into right now so consider this a pubic service announcement of sorts for you to run out and be like me (ya know you want to) so with out further pause I bring you "Stuff I Like - The end of summer edition)....Ok one more pause, because I want to say that this list is far from definitive...I am going off the top of my head so if you want to add anything please feel free to add them in the comments!

Favorite Podcasts of the past little while:

This American Life Two eps this past month really moved me (in very different ways).

The first was called Unconventional Love "Stories of unconditional love between parents and children, and how hard love can be sometimes in daily practice." The first story was about a couple who adopt a child from Romania and the child's unwillingness to bond with his new parents. Being the parent of two adopted children this really spoke to me and made me almost cry.

The second was called Meet the Pros "The story of one man's journey from obscurity to international professional celebrity—aided only by his own hard work, a sneaker commercial, and mad handles." This story didn't touch me the way the first one did but I did think it was cool since it was a profile of "TRIKZ Da Silva" a regular guy who landed a spot in a Nike Basketball commercial that made him an overnight international celebrity.

You can check out the commercial(s) here

and the longer version featuring a bunch of NBA and WBA stars as well


One other Podcast that really stuck out this past few weeks was one by C.C. Chapman (Managing the Grey) about his recent decision to leave his job and work freelance. It also talked a lot about personal happiness and calculated risks. This podcast really got me thinking about stuff and making some plans....nothing to announce right now but stay tuned!

Favorite Books:

I kind of got out of the habit of reading this past month as my family moved into a new house and all my books are still waiting to be unpacked (before the move I was reading a book every 2-3 days on my commute) so I didn't a huge selection to draw from but two books I did read and really dug were Punk Marketing by Richard Laermer and Mark Simmons and Mavericks at Work: Why the Most Original Minds in Business Win by William C. Taylor and Polly G. Labarre Both books were great reads and worth your time!

Favorite Movies:

Really didn't see much this past little bit except the Bill Lee documentary Spaceman: A Baseball Odyssey

and Finally (since I am running late for something) Favorite Music:

Elvis Costello : My Aim is True (Deluxe Edition) I know this is probably the 15th reissue of this album (as much as I love Elvis Costello I admit he has to be the most re-issued artist of all time) but this is an awesome version with an entire second disc featuring a live concert!

Black Francis : Bluefinger You can call him Frank Black or Black Francis but the former and current front man for the Pixies has a new album out and while it sounds a lot like the Frank Black solo stuff (and I love that)I have read that he is using the Black Francis persona because these were supposed to be tracks used for a Pixies cd.

Ok...that is all I got for now. Check back later as I am working on a big post about a major retailer that wont take my money. I should have it up tonight!

-saul