McSweeney’s recommends
I love reading this part of McSweeney’s website. Some of my favorites:
Getting together for breakfast
Meeting people for breakfast solves two problems at once: it gets you out of the house and it forces you to hone your biscuit v. toast decision-making skills.
Saving a lucky chestnut
Ages well, appears plausibly powerful.
Stopping at a scenic overview to take in the scene
We’re not as jaded as you think. Some of those overviews are pretty damn scenic.
Doritos
Not all the time, and not Cool Ranch, but most people would probably be happier if they ate at least a single Dorito per year. Don’t be a hero.
Joseph Gordon-Leavitt’s “Here Comes Your Man” in(500) Days of Summer
Spot on, that was it. The whole movie, that too, we were smitten. But karaoke of The Pixies stellar work, set rightly amidst the plot, sung in the right spirit, that was good.
Buying holiday presents for strangers
Adopt a family in need this year instead of giving presents to your relatives that you aren’t sure you even like. You won’t even miss the Sharper Image toothbrush.
Grizzly Bear’s version of “While You Wait for the Others” featuring Michael McDonald
We understand that this iteration of the song originally on Veckatimist is polarizing, but there’s something about McDonald’s vocals that just take this song to another, wholly enjoyable, place.
Sneezing
Let it go, let it rocket you backward, feel the release, don’t bring it up short. Hot damn, it feels good.
Voting
You’re going to, right? Just do it. It will feel good. Trust us on this one. Yes, it might be cold and rainy, and you may have to wait in line awhile, but, still, power through it. You can do this. If you have children, bring them along. Show them democracy in action. Yes, they might not have much patience for waiting in line, or for the kind old people handing out ballots who ask them what grade they’re in and say nice things about how handsome or pretty they are, but your children’s presence when you pull that lever or touch that computer screen or jab that chad will make the voting experience all the more satisfying and (dare we say it? — yes) patriotic.
