Woo hoo! It's raining!

Wow, do we need this. In honor of this natural phenomenon, I give you my Rain playlist.

1. I Love the Rain the Most - Joe Purdy
2. Shelter From the Storm - Bob Dylan
3. Rain City - Turin Brakes
4. And It Stoned Me - Van Morrison (or David Gray's cover)
5. Rain and Snow - The Be Good Tanyas
6. January Rain - David Gray
7. Sunshower - Chris Cornell
8. Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain - Willie Nelson
9. I Can't Stand the Rain - Ann Peebles

I know this much is truuuuuuuue...

Dude, this song just came on my iPod.

Here's what I know is true:

1. This song kicks so much ass
   
2. Spandau Ballet kind of sounds like Tears for Fears
3. This song makes me think of Steve Buscemi

Learn yourself somethin'

Are you wondering why the federal government is giving money to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac instead of paying off your mortgage?

Me too. Sounds like a win-win. Not that I have a mortgage. But they can cover my rent if they want. Or at least a new pair of Danskos and a coat.

But that's besides the point. If you don't understand the "mortgage crisis" (as I didn't), This American Life teamed up with NPR News to produce a sort of Very Brady Bankruptcy Special. Here's the synopsis from the This American Life website:

This American Life producer Alex Blumberg teams up with NPR's Adam Davidson for the entire hour to tell the story—the surprisingly entertaining story—of how the U.S. got itself into a housing crisis. They talk to people who were actually working in the housing, banking, finance and mortgage industries, about what they thought during the boom times, and why the bust happened. And they explain that a lot of it has to do with the giant global pool of money.

Seriously, this is completely engrossing, and when you're done listening to it, you won't have to just nod along when people at parties start talking about mortgage-backed securities. You can either listen to the broadcast online, buy the podcast, or if you live near me, I'll burn it to a CD for you.

Worst Week

This show is uncomfortably hilarious. Like that way that Michael Scott makes you squirm every time he enters the conference room on The Office. You can tell what's going to happen, except what happens is always way funnier than you could have imagined.

Here's the pilot. You can thank me later.

Poppin' fresh

I went to Sacramento for a family dinner last night, and had a great time (and great food; my dad made homemade corn tortillas for chicken tostadas, and my Aunt Pat's apple cake is always a hit). I was telling my mom and sister about a video HD and I took a while ago, so I'm going to post it here for your viewing pleasure.