Little Shots of Happiness

Every once in a while, a series of commercials comes along that I get inordinately attached to. I get a stupid little rush of excitement every time I see one, and no matter how many times I see them, they never fail to make me laugh. Right now, it's Apple that's responsible for my 30-second fixes. I don't whether it's because I'm a life-long Mac user (our first family computer was an Apple IIc that my Dad bought in the late 70's), or just because I find these ads to be unfairly clever at the expense of some computer-geek stereotypes, but I can't get enough of them. I can't escape them either. Thanks to the juggernaut that is Apple's marketing department, whether I'm watching TV or on the internet, there's the Mac and the PC. Also, I love that the guy who plays the Mac is the same kid who got nailed with a wrench by Patches O'Houlihan.

Other things making me happy these days?

Pearl Jam, "Wishlist". After digging out my CDs during the move, I'm having a bit of PJ renaissance these days, and their greatest hits discs have been in heavy rotation as I drive around Denver. "Wishlist" is a track I had almost entirely forgotten, but now I can't get enough of. "I wish I was a messenger and all the news was good / I wish I was the full moon shining off a Camaro's hood." Cheesy goodness.

Neil Finn and Friends, 7 Worlds Collide: Live at the St. James. Another gem I dug out. The former Crowded House frontman gathered a bunch of guest stars (including members of Radiohead, the Smiths, and Pearl Jam) for a series of concerts in New Zealand. I don't even know that many of the songs, but this disc makes me wish I had been at the show. And really, what more can you ask for from a live album?

Anything by Mark Twain. I've been there before. When I was young, I had an illustrated version of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and when we read the grown-up version in high school, it was one of the only books I've been forced to read in my life that I truly enjoyed. I've read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and I own a collection of Twain's best quotes. But the mark of a great writer is, no matter many times you read their stuff, you always come back for more. Thanks to a few visits to the nearby Tattered Cover bookstore, I've stocked up and plunged deeper into Samuel Clemens' oeuvre. I just finished re-reading Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, and am now about to start A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. On deck: Life on the Mississippi and Innocents Abroad. If nothing else, Twain's words are helping pass the time in my crap-ass sublet.

Things not making me happy?

My crap-ass sublet. The sooner I find a permanent place to live, the better.

The logo for World Cup 2010 in South Africa. Ew. It's the biggest sporting event in the world. You'd think maybe they could spring for a graphic designer with a few years of training.