Tag Archives: breaking bad

Anna Newell Jones – And Then We Saved

June 5, 2013 Comments: 4

Anna writes about her Spending Fast at AndThenWeSaved.com as well as at Babble and WiseBread and these are her good things.

Good things to read.

The Happiness Project: This book had me looking at life in a whole new way. I liked the anecdotes and expert insights into the quest for happiness.

Your Money or Your Life: This was the first personal finance book that I ever read and it helped to change my perspective on finances. It showed me that I didn’t have to be a victim to my financial choices and that I could make changes.

Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth: I’m pregnant so I’ve got baby stuff on the brain. I like how this book presents childbirth as something that doesn’t necessarily have to be terrible. Another one I really like in the baby book category is Bringing Up Bebe.

Good things to watch.

Breaking Bad: Great characters, intriguing plot, some violence, blood and you just never know how crazy Walt is going to get. Completely awesome and addictive. Seriously, how crazy is Walt going to get?!

Dexter: Love it.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: This movie had me crying in the theater. It was hard to just pick 3 for this category so the other contenders for this category were the guilty-pleasure TV series Sister Wives, and True Blood.

Good things to use.

Sleep Cycle app: This is a fun app (just a heads up- it doesn’t work well if you have more than one person in your bed) that shows you, not surprisingly, your sleep cycles, length on sleep, and quality of sleep. It’s cool to wake up in the morning and see how the night before went.

Juicer: Nothing feels healthier (and more bad ass) than consuming 4 apples, a bundle of kale, a whole bunch of celery, some cumbers and a bit of ginger and lemon in one single drink.

Body:  Again, something that I’ve come to appreciate more since I’ve been pregnant. I appreciate simple things like sleeping on my belly, running, and bending so much more since I can’t do them as easily now. Also, getting into the gym and lifting weights feels great after not doing it for a little. Oh, and then there’s that whole growing another human thing that’s kind of amazing and makes me appreciate my body that much more;)

Connect with Anna on Twitter, @AndThenWeSaved.

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Jana Lynch – Daily Money Shot

May 31, 2013 Comments: 2

Jana Lynch is the owner of the personal finance blog Daily Money Shot and the founder of Bloggers Helping Bloggers, an online mentoring program, and these are her good things. You can find out more of her likes on Twitter – @dailymoneyjana – and Pinterest.

Good things to read.

The Outsiders by SE Hinton. This is the book that made me want to write. I first read it when I was in high school (maybe 8th grade) and the characters, the subject matter, the fact that SE Hinton was 16 when she wrote it all hit home for me. The storytelling was more like listening to a family member or friend recount a tale than reading a book. I reread this book at least once a year not only because it’s a great book but it’s also motivation that if a teenager can write a book, than I can at least finish the one I started.
The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult. While her books are definitely formulaic and can get a tad tedious at times, this one lives outside of that mold. About a Jewish woman plagued by her own demons whose asked by a Nazi to help him die, it is an amazing, incredible story. The second part of the book, where the main character’s grandmother describes her time in a concentration camp, makes this novel worth reading. It’s not often that I’ll stay up until 1 AM reading a book but I did with this one.
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. It’s pretty much a tie between this and Mitch Albom’s The Time Keeper for my favorite book of the last 5 years. It’s hard to explain exactly why I love this book so much except for the fact that it’s just so well written and using the dog as a narrator, and humanizing him the way the author did, borders on brilliant.

Good things to watch.

AMC. The reason I can’t get rid of cable. I thought maybe I could pick one show from this channel to highlight but that’s like asking to pick your favorite type of M&M; you just can’t. They’re all so different yet all so tasty in their own way. I mean how can you choose between Breaking Bad, Mad Men, The Killing, or Hell on Wheels? You can’t so you don’t and you watch them all. 
I Love You, Man. I love this movie. A lot. I don’t know if it’s because it’s hilarious, has Jason Segel and Paul Rudd, is amazingly quotable or because it pays homage to Rush. Probably all of the above. It’s one of those movies that I can watch over and over again and it’s funny every. Single. Time.
Friday Night Lights. I never thought I’d like a show about football but much like the movie, it’s more a show about people using football as the backdrop. If you have not watched this show, I suggest you settle down on your couch with Netflix and binge watch all 5 seasons immediately. Texas Forever!

Good things to use.

Spotify. If you’re like me and have an eclectic taste in music that your wallet cannot keep up with, Spotify is perfect. I love being able to create playlists, listen to whole albums (did I just date myself with that word) or program radio stations. For FREE! I actually prefer Spotify to Pandora for the simple fact of being able to actually listen to the song I want to instead of what it feels like telling me I want to listen to.
Write or Die. Probably the best web app around (also an iPad app but I prefer to use the web/desktop version) to keep you focused on writing. You get to pick the parameters for length of writing time, grace period when you stop, and consequences but no matter what you pick, you will stay focused. If for no other reason than having your computer or tablet make loud, alarming noises at you is a little troubling.
Gel ink pens. Far superior to ball point pens, which always seem to run out of ink quickly. Gel ink pens are kind of fancy and they give a nice, dark ink impression. Unless you’re left handed. Then maybe they’re more of a smudgy inconvenience but I still think you should use them anyway.

Jeff Atwood – Coding Horror

May 24, 2013 Leave a comment

Jeff Atwood blogs on things like parenting, founded stackoverflow.com, and is currently working on Discourse.org – these are his good things.

Good things to read.

How to Talk to Kids So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk. This book recommendation doesn’t apply to you because you don’t have kids, right? Wrong! We’re all just grown-up kids, some of us more than others. It is continually amazing to me how many “inituitive” things about parenting I was doing completely utterly bass-ackwards. This book helped me become not just a better parent but a better human being. Protip: it also works on adults. Like gangbusters. Learn to relate to kids and you will accidentally master how to relate to adults. Trust me on this one.

Predictably Irrational.  News flash: people don’t behave rationally. Understand the most common patterns of irrational but common behavior here, lest they be used against you by marketing weasels, or worse: your coworkers, your boss, or your family. My favorite? Loss aversion. Knowing about these patterns lets you avoid accidentally falling into these patterns and doing what “feels” right, but is The Wrong Choice.

59 Seconds. Why does this self-help book work when so many others fail? In a word, science! The author goes out of his way to find actual published scientific research documenting specific ways we can make small changes in our behavior to produce better outcomes for ourselves and those around us. It’s powerful stuff, and the book is full of great, research backed insights. I have changed a few of my own behaviors based on the data and science presented in this book.

Good things to watch.

The Wire. I know, I know, it’s totally Stuff White People Like, but The Wire is electrifying and scary and scratches at the soul of American cities, for better or worse. If you can only watch one thing on a screen, ever, watch this. All of it.

Breaking Bad. A show that’s not afraid to depict the harrowing impact of crystal meth and drug money on micro and macro levels. It’ll give you an ulcer in the nicest possible way. Plus it has a recurring olive green Pontiac Aztek — what’s not to love?

Brazil.  I first saw this movie in a beautiful art deco movie theater in Richmond, Virginia with my mother at age 14. It was, and is, a haunting view of the future that was presented as semi-safe satire, but felt every bit as claustrophobic and suffocating as I knew the real world to be as my teenage self. And even as an adult, the future depicted in Brazil always remains a possibility in my mind’s eye just around a few odd corners — who knows what could happen if we’re not careful?

Good things to use.

Smartphone.  The ultimate Batman utility belt item is your smartphone. What else can be a phone, portable gaming device, GPS, digital camera, web browser, email client, music player, video camera, book, watch, alarm, flashlight, scanner, level, ruler and more all in one device that fits in your pocket? Pick an awesome new model and learn how to use it effectively for all the above.

Leatherman Squirt PS4. Because you can’t use your smartphone to cut stuff. Yet. This is an essential set of eminently tiny and carryable tools: pliers, scissors, knife, file, flat and phillips screwdriver. The best tool is the one you have with you, and I use mine all the time.

The Internet.  Sure you use the Internet, but do you really know how to use the Internet? How do you tell if an article on a web site is credible? For that matter, how do you know if the Wikipedia page on a certain topic is credible? The ultimate skill for the next century is not blindly clicking and reading web pages, but learning how to become an intelligent, scientific skeptic that can research and evaluate the zillion sources of data you’ll get on any topic.

 

Gayle King – O’s editor at large

January 18, 2013 Leave a comment

These are Galyle King’s good things.

Good things to read.

A World without Cancer by Margaret Cuomo.

Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.

Those We Love Most by Lee Woodruff.  Read it on your next flight to China – Gayle did.

Good things to watch.

Hope Springs with Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep.

“I loved seeing Whitney Houston in Sparkle.”

Breaking Bad.

Good things to use.

Gayle “loves a good burger.” What constitutes that?  Start with jalapenos, vinegar, and mustard.

For a good cleanse? Body and Eden juices.

Warby Parker glasses.

Stephen King – author

October 12, 2012 Leave a comment

These are Stephen King’s favorite things.  See more of his work at Pop of King or his many books.

What are some good things you’ve read?

Lord of the Flies.

In Entertainment Weekly King wrote “Reading The Hunger Games is as addictive (and as violently simple) as playing one of those shoot-it-if-it-moves videogames in the lobby of the local eightplex; you know it’s not real, but you keep plugging in quarters anyway.”

Devils in Exile. “It’s a terrific Boston-based crime thriller about Iraq vets who decide to torch the city’s drug trade. They grab the money when the big deals go down and trash the drugs.”

What are some good things you’ve watched?

Game of Thones.  ”The HBO series is good but the books are even better”.

At Entertainment Weekly King offers up his thoughts on the best of television and movies suggesting that Breaking Bad “is an American classic”.  He also suggests Sons of Anarchy and Margin Call.

What are some good things you’ve used?

When it comes to reading, the Kindle supplies everything I want, thanks. I can order the latest Michael Connelly out of thin air, carry it in my jacket pocket, and make the type as big as I want. After all that, should I insist it sing, dance, and give me GPS coordinates to the nearest Waffle House? Comrade Stevie says nyet.

Mac computer.

The Boston Red Sox.

Andrew Warner – interviewer

October 5, 2012 Leave a comment

These are Andrew Warner’s good things.

What are some good things you’ve read?

Book: Empire of the Summer Moon
Magazine: New Yorker
Newspaper: NY Times

What are some good things you’ve watched?

Breaking Bad
Larry Sanders
The Daily Show

What are some good things you use?

Nike running backpack
Merrell barefoot running sneakers
Race Ready running shorts

Brandon Thompson – DJ

October 2, 2012 Leave a comment

These are Brandon Thompson’s AKA DJ B-Funk good things.

What are some good things you’ve read?

I have thoroughly enjoyed the Walking Dead graphic novels which are currently in television form on AMC.

HUSH by DC comics is another great comic story-line  Especially if you are a Batman fan. Has an amazing two panel spread of Batman upper cutting Superman. Worth the price of admission.

Preacher by Garth Ennis is a amazingly dark and funny comic series involving a preacher who has super powers and is looking for God. But not to ask him questions but to kick his ass. :)

What are some good things you’ve watched?

Hot Cheetos and takis is a great rap viral video by little kids in Minnesota.

Just re-watched John Carpenter’s The Thing the other day. Excellent flick!

Breaking Bad, The Wire, Battlestar Galactica, and Game of Thrones are just to die for television.

What are some good things you use?

Workflowy that mike turned me on to makes making lists so much easier.

Purchase an X-Mini if you enjoy music. It’s a speaker the size of a oversize golf ball and it BELTS OUT SOUND. Great for vacations or the outdoors and costs about 20 dollars.

AroundMe for my iPhone is a must for those go travel. Finds everything you need then you can use Urbanspoon rankings for where you’ll eat!

Steve Cavins – web designer

September 24, 2012 Leave a comment

This is Steve Cavins and these are his good things.

What are some good things you’ve read?

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien. I read a little of this in college, but finally got through the thing over the summer. It completely demystifies the concept of war in a way that I’ve not really experienced, in that, yes, it’s got this Vietnam narrative going on in which we basically are able to tidily organize history between these battles, but in that we are able to immortalize ourselves in the subjectivity of stories, which may or may not even be truthful. He says never to believe a war story with a moral, because there is no moral in a war story. I think that probably goes for any kind of story.

2666 Roberto Bolano. Totally strange, creepy, sad, and violent. Bolano pivots his universe on a “fictional” border town between the U.S. and Mexico where women are being routinely killed with no end in sight. The story weaves through time and space somewhat chaotically, but never without style or a sense of purpose. There’s a lot of low-hanging fruit here: economic imbalance, political corruption, and class isolation, but Bolano seems to merely shrug his shoulders and lift these things up to some sort of spiritual mysticism that transcends logical explanation.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt. This sort of thing hits a sweet spot for me: New England private college, murder mystery, privileged academics. These students live in this cocoon-like world and find refuge and meaning in esoteric subjects, never ceasing in the desire to lap each other intellectually, and yet totally failing the most basic or trivial exercises of whatever might be considered Normal Life. Of course, the thing is as bleak as it sounds, and really offers nothing of a way out for these characters or this type of living.”

What are some good things you’ve watched?

It seems to be a great time for television at the moment. I’ve nearly completed The Wire, and obviously have much admiration for Breaking Bad. The length that a series affords really allows you to go deep into a subject, which makes a 90-minute film seem utterly futile (and often times, it probably is.) But I should probably toss a film in here. We Need to Talk About Kevin stuck out to me as an interesting, sad, fractured thing that (cliche) had me thinking about it for weeks. It’s true, Tilda Swinton probably walks out of the sea whenever she is beckoned to perform. Bless.

What are some good things you use?

I’m a terrible consumer. Really anti-American when it comes to this department. I’m often so gutted by the prospect of adding anything to my life in way of material objects, in that I must turn the thing over and over again in my head, attempt to talk my way out of the purchase, and see if the need persists. When I moved to New York, I pretty much threw away everything I owned. I recently purchased a kitchen table after two years of eating on the couch. I’ve had a Kindle for about a year now and the thing is totally useful for a train commute. Oh, and my mother gave me an industrial clothes wardrobe to hang my clothes on. Closet space is awfully limited in my apartment, and I no longer have to hang my shirts on the upper molding of the wall.

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