Bored To Death [DVD]

Bored To Death the Complete First Season

Jonathan Ames casts Jason Schwartzman as his alter-ego "Jonathan Ames" in the comedic, sleuth series Bored To Death. Ames is a young author from Brooklyn with motivational issues struggling to complete his second novel. One evening he turns to famed pulp writer Raymond Chandler for inspiration. After completing Farewell My Lovely, he proceeds to take out an advertisement on Craigslist boasting his reasonable rates and unlicensed detective services.

Each episode follows Schwartzman on madcap cases, painful romantic encounters and surprisingly tender buddy-buddy moments with brilliant co-stars Ted Danson and Zack Galifiankis. The show also features cameos appearances from John Hodgman, Patton Oswolt and Kristen Wiig.

As the Great World Spins

As the Great World Spins by Colum McCann
A tale of Manhattan in the 70’s, of a remarkable man who walked on a wire strung between the top of the two trade center towers, and of some of the various and sundry people who watched him from below. An anguished Irish monk, a black hooker and her prostitute daughter, a Park Avenue matron mourning her son who died in Vietnam, a twenty-something artist, and a Guatemalan nurse, interact and come together in unpredictable ways. The characters are engaging and real; and the story, written beautifully, won the National Book Award.

Now [Music CD]

Now by Bhagavan Das

This is a very interesting recording. Bhagavan Das sings traditional kirtans and bhajans, or devotional songs, from India, and his performance shows his deep familiarity with these traditions while simultaneously embracing a very modern sound. This is in part due to Das' collaboration with the album's producer, Mike D of the Beastie Boys, who contributed samples and loops which give the album a very modern feel, but don't, perhaps surprisingly, feel the least bit out of place. In addition, Das is accompanied by a wide range of musicains playing instruments from the east and from the west, traditional and modern. We hear guitars and ektar, drum sets and tabla, sarangi and synthesizers, harmoniums, organs, and conch shells. We can also hear the influence of the blues, the Beatles, and traditional Indian singing styles.

Every track on this album is powerful, energetic, and alive. Every word is heartfelt. I've only had a chance to listen to this album once so far—but I'm very much looking forward to listening to it again.

Nonviolent Communication [Book on CD]

Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg

Nonviolent communication, also known as compassionate communication, is a language of empathy, respect and connection. Dr. Rosenberg developed the program based on his long experience in conflict resolution. The underlying concept is that emotions are based on needs, and that seeking to understand your own and the other's true needs and feelings leads to peaceful interactions where everyone is more likely to get their needs met. Appropriate on any scale, it's been helpful to me so far in personal, professional and business relationships, and Rosenberg has used it to mediate and resolve conflicts between ethnic groups and governments throughout the world. It is a truly idealistic vision of how every one of us can create a more compassionate world through learning and applying caring communication.

Also available as a book.

While Mortals Sleep

While Mortals Sleep by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

In his touching preface, writer Dave Eggars refers to Kurt Vonnegut Jr. as a "hippie Mark Twain". Never has Vonnegut's appeal been described so accurately. While Mortals Sleep features unpublished, short fiction pieces by the Slaughterhouse- Five, Breakfast of Champions and Cats Cradle author. This is the second posthumously released collection (the first being Look At the Birdie) and it focuses solely on the author's early work before receiving literary notoriety. In these stories, we get a preview of themes and tones that will exist later in his most famous writings: mainly bizarro science fiction and his select brand of acerbic wit and humor (this is where we mostly relate his Twain influence).

In these rich stories, we encounter the mother and widow of a fallen World War II soldier, a restless newspaper man who has no time for Christmas and a scientist who falls in love with a talking refrigerator he's modeled after his ex-wife. These tales from the young author manage to succeed as classic Vonnegut.