The Largesse Goes on a Jazz Odyssey

We’re going to go a bit free-form this weekend.

Let’s all congratulate Plax for a couple of things.  First, his Penguins (somewhat improbably) won the Stanley Cup last night, bringing success to the single most underrated city in the country.  Plax and I once drove to Pittsburgh to see a midget named Man Boy run down a bar and pour shots in people’s mouths.  (True story.)  We went to a Pirates game so we wouldn’t have to tell people we went all that way just to see a midget, but then two things happened: Man Boy was worth the drive and so was the whole city of Pittsburgh.  Cool town.

The Largesse Presents: The Black (and White) Sabbath

Big Bird wishes a hammered Joe Namath a happy birthday. Somewhere, Suzy Kolber winces.

Walt Whitman says: "fuck birthdays."

The Spiritual (But Not Religious) Largesse Presents: The Sabbath

This week, we rest.  But, we’re educators here at The Largesse, and so even though it is a day of rest, we recognize that your desire to learn, to grow, to evolve does not necessarily stop.  Here then are a few of the more thoughtful and intelligent websites out there for your consideration.  Read before BBQ-ing and give yourself something to think about while you stand over the grill this weekend.

• Kottke.org – A blog ostensibly about design in all its forms, although it ends up tackling just about anything that interests Jason Kottke.  He calls it the liberal arts 2.0.  We call it amazing.  Make this one a part of your daily routine and develop serious opinions about fonts (and change the way you see the world).
• TED – Brilliant people telling you about the brilliant work they’re doing.  Nothing short of reinvigorating.
• The Rest Is Noise – The extent to which we are fans of contemporary classical music at The Largesse is directly a result of Alex Ross’ writing in The New Yorker and here on his blog.  He takes a world that seems daunting to many and opens it up for everyone.  That’s probably got something to do with why he won a MacArthur “Genius Grant” back in the fall.
• Ruhlman.com – Simply put, some of the best food writing out there.
• The Millions – And some of the best writing writing out there.  These days, I’m particularly into Lydia Kiesling’s Modern Library Revue feature they’ve been running.  Loose, personal, insightful, and intelligent — they’re everything book reviews should be these days.
• Finally, it’s Bob Dylan’s birthday today, so why don’t you head on over to The Hype Machine and check out which of his songs the music blogs have been featuring lately.  Remind youself just how good he can be.

The Largesse Presents: The Sabbath

I’m not saying we’re better than God but I mean, we’re definitely working today.  You decide.

I’ll keep it short.

Game 7s: The NBA: Where Hubie Brown Happens. Get into it.

Notre Dame: Get over yourself.

In Treatment: Dr. Weston returns tonight at 9pm. Week 6 begins the second half of the season. Therapy: you know you need it, why not watch it until you come around?

Planet Earth: If you haven’t watched it in HD yet I suggest you tune in tonight at 7pm on Animal Planet.

Stephen Jenkins: Fronts the band Third Eye Blind. Watched a Behind the Music yesterday on this dude and the band. Big ups to Stephen for: a) bedding some seriously hot chicks (e.g., Charlize), and b) writing a pop song explicitly about crystal meth and whores. Do yourself a favor and reread the lyrics to Semi-Charmed Life. It’ll change the way you think of the song. Big ups to Norm MacDonald for featuring it in Dirty Work, and to the producers of Disney’s The Tigger Movie for featuring it prominently in the movie. I blame Disney for most of society’s drug-induced social ills. The Largesse is not afraid of Disney.