Show You Should Be Watching: The League

EDIT NOTE: I don't follow, watch or understand anything about the NFL and nor do I care to.

That being said, The League is a fantastic show. Quick synopsis: "The series revolves around six friends who participate in a fantasy football league. The show follows the friends, who will do anything to win, while also dealing with a variety of situations that occur in their everyday lives." -Wikipedia

Why should you watch it? It's hilarious and perfect. How do you know if you'll like it? I don't know, genius - maybe watch an episode and see. I can't really think of any other show to compare it to, since good shows usually stand alone in their greatness. I first gave it a try 'cause I was on a silent Mark Duplass binge for awhile and wanted to see everything he's been apart of, and even after having gotten over that crush, this series still is in my top five of best stuff on television at the moment.  (Other stuff on that list? The Mindy Project (I know he's on that show as well, but I swear I'm over him.), Community, Girls, Bob's Burgers.) Give it a watch!

Sidenote: Every single thing that Rafi (Jason Mantzoukas) has ever said on this show has been a gem, Lord love him. The fourth season starts Wednesday September 4th at 10:30pm. 

The U.S. Open

What's that? You hate tennis? No, no you don't! You've just never gone to see a match, that's all. I assure you that you'll have a fun time. Please, though, do not pay over $40 for a ticket ever. Definitely don't go over that amount. Why not? Well, because it could get rained out and then you'll just be sitting there, like a sucker. 

I went to the U.S. Open yesterday and saw a women's match before the rain started and screwed us out of the day-long tennis that I was anticipating. But thankfully, I got row Z tickets for a very cheap amount, so I wasn't too stung by the weather (if these tickets costed a lot, then man... I would have lost my mind). It was at the Arthur Ashe stadium in Queens (the biggest tennis stadium in the world!), which was impressive to see. (Is that a dumb thing to say? Seems dumb. Nevertheless, I was impressed.) And reading about it today, I learned that they will infact build a roof to that stadium, but not until 2016 at the earliest. 

Anyway, the point of this post? Watch some tennis. Really. Just give it a try. Might like it. I, for sure, like it more than watching football. Maybe that sentence will make you scoff. Or maybe it'll plant the seed in your brain that tennis may actually be kind of great. I say this to someone once a week probably, but I'd really love it if I could be wicked at playing tennis myself. God, I'd be proud of that. But you know, my depth perception and all... ain't gonna happen.  

Unusual Articles on Wikipedia

Have you heard of this already? I was told about it years ago by my friend Andrew, who only said, "Just go here. Spend a day." 

It's a listing of basically the weirdest/most-interesting-stuff-you've-never-heard-of-but-would-likely-be-intrigued-by on Wikipedia. There are a lot of sub sections, but the ones I enjoyed the most were probably:

• Technology, inventions and products
• Popular culture, entertainment and the arts
• Food
• Folklore
• Law, law enforcement and crime

And some favourites?  

• Acoustic Kitty: A failed CIA experiment at using a cat for covert surveillance.
• Clocky: An alarm clock that hides from its owner (!) 
• Capgras delusion: a disorder in which a person holds a delusion that a friend, spouse, parent, or other close family member has been replaced by an identical-looking impostor.
• Mary Toft: An English woman who hoaxed doctors into believing that she had given birth to rabbits. 

Honestly, I still haven't gone over the whole document because there's just so much. So I have it bookmarked and go every once in awhile. Go here to see what I'm talking about.  

“Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.”

— Anne Lamott

Phenomenal, Low-Fat Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 7 ripe medium bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 2-1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour, though)
• 1-1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp butter, softened
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 oz (3/4 cup) chopped walnuts
• baking spray

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease two 8x5 inch loaf pans with baking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk. Set aside.

In a large bowl cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add egg whites, bananas, apple sauce and vanilla, and beat at medium speed until thick. Scrape down sides of the bowl.

Add flour mixture and walnuts, then blend at low speed until combined. Do not over mix.

Pour batter into loaf pans and bake on the center rack for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let the pan cool at least 20 minutes, bread should be room temperature before slicing.

Recipe taken from Skinny Taste. 

I just made this for the first time and good God... it's a great one. Definitely will be my go-to one from now on. It also calls for an electric mixer, but I didn't have one so I used a vigorous motion with my hands. I did one loaf with 1/3 cup of walnuts and the other with 1/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips. Just delicious. 

Universal Orlando's Simpsons Expansion COMPLETE!

All of this post makes me probably too happy. Someone buy me a ticket to Florida MAINTENANT!

The new expansion at Universal Studios in Florida includes The (old) Simpsons Ride, and new attractions such as a Krusty Burger (where obviously you can get a Krusty burger, but ALSO where you can get a Ribwich!), The Frying Dutchman, Luigi's(!!), Bumblebee Man's Taco Truck (what?! That's amazing!), Lard Lad Donuts, Moe’s Tavern (with Flaming Moe's!) and the Kwik-E-Mart. People can also buy Duff Beer at Duff Gardens, brewed exclusively for Universal Orlando. (Other smaller things that will likely only impress few include a life-sized Jebediah Springfield statue and a fair-like Krustyland.) I just... I can't. I need all of these things in my life.

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I'm not sure I can fully express how much joy the above photo brings into my life. I COULD BE THAT LITTLE GIRL SOMEDAY!

More, beautiful information here.  

Unique Ice Cream Flavours

This place, Oddfellows Ice Cream Co., has maybe the neatest-sounding flavours I've ever come across in reality. And of the few I've tried, they be tasty as hell.

Some of the ones they carry include:

• Buttermilk Biscuit
• Guinness
• Rose Raspberry with Pink Peppercorn
• Thai Iced Coffee
• Burnt Marshmallow
• Beet Pistachio Honey Goat Cheese
• Coconut Dulce de Leche
• Coconut, Cream Cheese & Carrot Cake
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Ginger Caramelized Banana Walnut
• Coffee & Coffee Soil
• Miso Butterscotch Cherry
• Sesame Kumquat Pumpernickel
• PB&J with Toast
• Manchego Pineapple with Thyme
• Oatmeal Cookie Dough
• Burnt Caramel
• Maple-Bacon Pecan
• Cornbread
• Chorizo Caramel Swirl
• Celery Sorbet
• Grapefruit Jalapeno Sorbet
• Lime Tarragon Sorbet
• Blood Orange Cinnamon Sorbet

And that's only a few of them.  

If those don't sound outrageous to you, well... I'm afraid you have some dire mental issues. Gotta go taste one of these, everybody.

UPDATE: They're opening a second location! OddFellows 2.0 will be at 75 East 4th Street (between Bowery and Second Avenue) opening on May 1, 2014.

UPDATE UPDATE: AND they began offering delivery from this location in September 2014!

“I actually attack the concept of happiness. The idea that - I don’t mind people being happy - but the idea that everything we do is part of the pursuit of happiness seems to me a really dangerous idea and has led to a contemporary disease in Western society, which is fear of sadness. It’s a really odd thing that we’re now seeing people saying “write down 3 things that made you happy today before you go to sleep”, and “cheer up” and “happiness is our birthright” and so on. We’re kind of teaching our kids that happiness is the default position - it’s rubbish. Wholeness is what we ought to be striving for and part of that is sadness, disappointment, frustration, failure; all of those things which make us who we are. Happiness and victory and fulfillment are nice little things that also happen to us, but they don’t teach us much. Everyone says we grow through pain and then as soon as they experience pain they say “Quick! Move on! Cheer up!” I’d like just for a year to have a moratorium on the word “happiness” and to replace it with the word “wholeness”. Ask yourself “is this contributing to my wholeness?” and if you’re having a bad day, it is.”

— Hugh Mackay (via histrionicenlightenment)

“WOMEN: Always wear jewelry when wearing a swimsuit. Makes you look 50% more confident in WHATEVER you’re bringing to the table.”

— #lizadvice